This weeks "thought"
consists of many individual thoughts by a man named Richard Sibbes
(1577-1635). He was one of the greatest Puritans of his age and greatly
influenced the direction and content of Puritan preaching, theology, and writing
in both his homeland of England and in America.
Of him Dr. Martyn
Lloyd-Jones wrote: "I shall never cease to be grateful to Richard Sibbes, who was balm
to my soul at a period in my life when I was overworked and badly overtired,
and therefore subject in an unusual manner to the onslaughts of the devil.... I
found at that time that Richard Sibbes... was an unfailing remedy. His books The
Bruised Reed and The Soul's Conflict quietened, soothed, comforted,
encouraged, and healed me."
That seems to have been the
stated purpose of Sibbes preaching, for he wrote: "To preach is to woo.... The main scope of
all [preaching] is, to allure us to the entertainment of Christ's mild, safe,
wise, victorious government [or Lordship]." And historian William Haller says of his
sermons: "They were the most
brilliant and popular of all the utterances of the Puritan church militant.” Charles Spurgeon's so cherished Sibbes
writings that he asked his wife Suzanne to read to him from Sibbes' book "The Bruised Reed"
when he was bedridden. In fact, just reading that one book, as I've told many,
will change your attitude toward the Puritans.
Here are some gems taken
from his writings. Enjoy.
On July 4,1635, the day
before his death, he told a friend: "I commend and bequeath my soul into the hands of my gracious
Savior, who hath redeemed it with his most precious blood, and appears now in
heaven to receive it."
Of Jesus' righteous life of
obedience, and His atoning death for sin, the merits of which God graciously
credits to the the account of the believing sinner, he wrote: “God
knows we have nothing of ourselves, therefore in the covenant of grace he
requires no more than he gives, but gives what he requires, and accepts what he
gives.”
“There is more mercy in
Christ than sin in us... No sin is so great but the satisfaction of Christ and
His mercies are greater; it is beyond comparison. Fathers and mothers in
tenderest affections are but beams that point and lead us upwards to the
infinite mercy of God in Christ”
"Glory follows
afflictions, not as the day follows the night but as the spring follows the
winter; for the winter prepares the earth for the spring, so do afflictions
sanctified prepare the soul for glory.”
"Weakness, with acknowledgement of it, is the fittest seat and subject for God to perfect his strength in us; for consciousness of our infirmities drives us out of ourselves to him in whom our strength lies.”
"Self-emptiness prepares us for spiritual fullness."
"Partial obedience is
not obedience at all; to single out easy things that do not oppose our lusts,
which are not against our reputation, therein some will do more than they need;
but our obedience must be universal to all God's commandments, and that because
He commands it. Empty relationships are nothing; if we profess ourselves God's
servants and do not honour Him by our obedience, we take but an empty
title."
"When we are foiled,
let us believe we shall overcome; when we have fallen, let us believe we shall
rise again. Jacob, after he received a blow which made him lame, yet would not
give over wrestling (Gen. 32:25) till he had obtained the blessing. So let us
never give up, but, in our thoughts knit the beginning, progress and end
together, and then we shall see ourselves in heaven out of the reach of all
enemies."
"Let us lay ourselves
open to the Spirit's touch. When the Spirit has ruling sway in our lives he
fine-tunes our souls much like a musical instrument, and then he plays our
lives as a piano concerto before God... The Holy Spirit must rule; he will have
the keys delivered to him. We must submit to his government, and when he is in
the heart he will subdue bit by bit all high thoughts, rebellious risings, and
despairing fears."
