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THE CHRISTIAN WOEK
VOL. V.
THE CHRISTIAN WORK.
NOTE.
'The Christian Work' forms a portion of a considerable quarto, published in 1639. The general title-page is given below.* The 'Exposition' of chap. iii. follows this, and the other pieces specified therein will appear in their proper places. The •Epistles Dedicatory and Prefatory' of the entire volume are herewith prefixed.
G.
AN
EXPOSITION
OF THE
THIRD CHAPTER OF THE EPISTLE OF
St. Faul to the Philippians :
Two Sermons of Christian watch-
fulnesse. The first upon Luke 12. 37. Also-( The second upon Revel. 16. 15.
An Exposition of part of the second
Chapter of the Epistle to the Philipp. A Sermon upon Mai, 4. 2. 3.
By the late Reverend Divine Riclmrd Sibbes, D. D. Master of Katherine Hall in Cam- bridge, and sometimes Preacher at Grayes-Inne. 1 Tim. 4. 8. But godlinesse is profitable, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
LONDON,
Printed by T. Coles for Peter Cole,* and are to be sold at the Glove & Lyon in Coriie-hill, neare the Royall Exchange, 1639.
* For curious notices of Cole, see the Bibliographical List of the editions of Sibbes' different works in the 7th volume. — G.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
SIE MAUEICE ABBOT KNIGHT,
NOW LORD MAYOR OF THE HONOURABLE CITY OF LONDON.*
Right Honour.'^^le — My respects unto you, being your honour's engaged many ways, have put me upon a design or project for you ; the God of heaven graciously prosper it in my hand ! The tenor of it is briefly this : to increase your honour, and to ease the burden of that laborious government which now lieth upon your shoulder.
To mention your name before the glorious labour of so great and worthy an agent in the factorage of heaven as the author of this piece was, and to make you a protector of them, cannot, I conceive, in sober interpretation but be conceived to add honour unto him that hath, and cause him to have more abundantly. Blessed is the wing that is spread over any of the things of Jesus Christ, to shelter them.
Again, to put into your hand, and from your hand into your heart, the remembrance of that God that will gloriously recompense your faithfulness in that great trust committed to you, cannot but (by the blessing of him to whom blessings belongeth) be a cordial means to strengthen your heart in the pang of government, and cause you to travail and bring forth with more ease. There is no labour, nor travail, nor sorrow, nor difficulty, nor danger, nor death, that hath any evil or bitterness in it when heaven is before us, and the truth and faithfulness of the living God embracing us.
If I have miscarried in point of good manners or otherwise in this dedi- cation, your honour shall do but justice to charge your own courtesy and respects always shewed unto me (at least in part) with the blame of it. Had not there been the tempter, doubtless in this case I had not been the transgressor. The God of peace prosper the government of this great city in your hand, and make it a glorious rise and advantage unto you of 3'our greater glory in the heavens. And your Honour may assure yourself that so it shall come to pass, unless that God that heareth prayer shall reject the prayer of,
Your honour to command in the Lord,
J. G.t
* Sir Maurice Abbot was the fifth son of Sir Maurice Abbot of Guildford, Surrey, grandfather of Abbot of Farnham. His more famous brothers were George, Arch- bishop of Canterbury, and Robert, Master of Baliol College, Oxford, and subsequently Bishop of Salisbury. Sir Maurice was Lord Mayor of London 163'J, Drapers' Com- pany ; Sheriff, 1627, Family epitaphs still remain on a plate of brass on the south wall of the church of Guildford. Cf. Manning and Bray's History of Surrey, sub voce: also Guildhall MSS.—G.
t These initials here, and at close of the Epistle to the Reader, in all probability represent John Goodwin, the renowned champion of Arminianism. It were super- fluous to annotate such a name. He died, it is believed, in 1665. Cf. Jackson's ' Life ' one vol. 8vo, 1822. — G.
TO THE EEADEE.
GrOOD Eeader, to cliscourse the wortli or commendations of the author (especially the pens of others having done sacrifice unto him in that kind), I judge it but an impertinency, and make no question, but that if I should exchange thoughts or judgments with thee herein, I should have but mine own again. The book itself, judiciously interpreted, is a volume of his commendation ; and those, though from his own mouth, without any touch or tincture of vanity or self-affectation. The best sight of a man is to hear him speak — Joquere, nt videam. — the tongue being a voluntary and pleasant rack to the heart, to make it confess its treasure, whether it be good or evil. The diligence and care of those that have interposed for the preserving of what came from him in this way from perishing, have made the Christian world debtors unto them ; and great pity it had been, that what he spake in public should have died in secret, and not be made seven times more public than speaking could do. The sparks of such fires as he kindled would have been ill quenched till the world had been further served with the light and heat of them.