PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Complete Works of Richard Sibbes — Volume 3
Richard Sibbes · 388,516 words · 401 reading sections
Section 301
What makes a man faithful ? Trust to a man makes him faithful. So when God is honoured with our trusting of him, it makes him faithful. Let us therefore put in suit his promises of provision and protection every day in the way of our calling ; and for necessary grace and comfort, that he will not fail us in any necessa…
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4. And then the promises they do settle the soul, because they be * yea and amen :' they make the soul quiet. If a man believe an honest man on 414 COMMENTARY ON liis word, he will bo quiot ; if ho bo not quiet, he (loth not believe. So nmch i'liith, so niucli (iiiiet, ' Ik'iiif,' justiliod by faitli, wo have peace w…
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pt When we come to the communion, we think we do God a great deal of service ; but we must consider we enter into covenant with God, as well as he binds himself to us. He gives us Christ, and all his blessings. He reacheth forth Christ with all in him, if we will receive him. Aye, but we bind ourselves to God, to lead …
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So carnal men, ' they mock and deride the counsel of the poor,' as the psalmist saith, Ps. xiv. 6. The children of the promise that depend upon God's mercy in Christ, they are persecuted by fleshly justiciaries, and they that look to be saved by themselves without a promise, they will not be beholden to God so much. Th…
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VOL. III. D d 418 COMMENTARY ON ticuliir men died, and themselves died only.'* Let ns look upon God in- carnate, and sec ourselves in him, see God in Clirist, see Christ a public person ; for therefore the second Person took the manhood, that he might be a public person. Christ took not our persons, but our nature; …
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His justice is glorious in punishing sin in Christ. There sin is odious in the punishing of Christ, God-man; if we speak of justice, there is justice. If of mercy, to put it upon our surety, for God to give his Son for us, there is transcendent mercy and transcendent justice in the punishing of our sin. How could i…
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VERSE 21. ' Now he that stablisheth 7is with you in Christ is God, who hath anointed us,' &c. As the riches of a Christian consisteth in the promises of God, which, as we have heard, in Christ ' are all yea and amen ;' so unless he be stablished and built upon this strength, all is nothing. What if a man stand on a ro…
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' He that stablisheth us with you,' &c. In the words you h^YQ, first, a gracious act of building, or stablishing. Secondhj, the basis, the foundation of that stablishing or building, and that is Christ. Thinlhj, the author of this stablishing — God. Lasthj, the persons who are built and stablished on that foundation…
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But where shall we have it ? Christ is the basis, the foundation, of all our stability. Now, in the cove- nant of grace, we are stablished in him, not in ourselves. The point is this, that Ohs. Christ is the ground of our firmness. As all the promises are made to us in Christ in regard of the execution, so God he br…
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Weil then, we see the foundation of the church, and of every parti- 2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 21. 425 cular Christian, Christ Jesus. Whence comes the stability and firmness of the church, * that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it ' ? It is built upon the rock, upon Christ. So all the stablishing that a …
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But to come to the person, who is it that stablisheth ? ' He that stab- lisheth us in Christ, is God.' Wherein we may consider these two branches : God must stablish. God will stablish. Can none stablish the soul upon Christ but God ? No I For God is the only maker of the marriage between Christ and the church. Th…
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4. Again, what is the reason of that unfndtfulness that is amongst men, but because truths were never settled iu the soul by the Spirit of God ? 428 COMMENTARY ON That which men know out of the word of God concerning Christ and the privileges by him, they were never persuaded of it in their hearts ; therefore, they c…
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Lay it up against a time of temptation for a pillar and ground of your faith, that here God doth both. He gives us promises, and gives us Christ whereon the promises are founded ; and likewise establisheth us, and seals us, &c. He doth all. So that as none can stablish the soul, but God by his Spii'it, so he will do it…
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The weakest creatures have the strongest shelters ; and weakness is turned by God to be a help ; for conscience of weakness makes us seek for strength out of ourselves. You know the conies, as Solomon saith, ' they hide themselves in the rock,' Prov. xxx. 26, they flee to their burrows. The birds, because snares are la…
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482 COMaiENTARY ON upon him to etablish us, God by his Holy Spirit. If a Christian should fall, (lod must be unstable ; or Christ the foundation must be unstable ; or the Holy Spirit by which we arc stabhahud must be unstable ; but it were blas- phemy to think thus. I come now to the last thing, the subject, or the p…
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And here especially I would speak to the younger sort, that they should labour for this stablishing betimes, before they be engaged in the world, and before other businesses possess them over-deeply ; for falsehood hath more correspondency, and suits better with our corruption, specially if it be forced from subtle wit…
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It is said here, that God stabhsheth us. The same God that stablisheth us, must give us faith whereby we are stablished, and he must give us knowledge. Beg of God that he would vouchsafe us his Spirit. When we read the Scriptures, beg of God that he would open our understanding by his own Spirit, that as there is light…
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4. And what truths you know, labour to jyractise, and then you shall be stablished. ' If any man do the will of my Father,' saith our Saviour, John vii. 17, ' he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.' Be true to known truths ; be not false in disobeying * That is, ' ofl'ence,'…
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Use 1. Let us labour, therefore, tu he radicated in our judgment, in our affections, in our loi>e, in our faith, in our whole inward man, in the truth revealed. To be stablished in the truth, it is our best inheritance, it is that will stand by us when all leaves us. What consistence hath a man out of the tnith ? Are …
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Let us often examine ourselves in this particular : how it is Avith us when such thoughts arise '? what if trouble should come ? what if change and alteration should come ? He that hath truly settled his heart will say, If they do come, I am fixed, I know whom I have believed ; I know I am a 2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, TEn…
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4. And so for the course of our life and conversation amongst men, ire should eorainine hoiv we are stablished in that ; for we are not only to stand firm in cases of religion, but for causes of honesty. John Baptist was as good as a martyr, though the cause he died for was not religion, but a bold telling of Herod, wh…
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Hypocrites in extremity fly to desperate courses, as Saul and Ahithophel did ; but in extremity the soul that is stablished goes to God. ' My God, my God,' saith Christ, Mark xv. 34 ; so Job, ' Though he kill me, yet will I trust in him,' Job xiii. 15. I say, it is an evidence of a soul stab- lished upon Clmst by the S…
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Now God hath anointed us in Christ. The order is this : First, Christ himself, as Mediator, is ' anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows,' Ps. xlv. 7, but for his fellows. The ointment is first poured on the head of spiritual Aaron, and then it runs down to all the skirts of his garment, that is, to the me…
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Likewise gi'ace is full of sweetness to a man's self. It sweeteneth our nature and our actions to ourselves. * A ' good conscience' being privy to itself of the work of grace, * is a continual feast,' Prov. xv. 15. The con- science of a Christian, once renewed by grace, enlargeth the soul, and fills it with sweet peace…
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Let us therefore try ourselves hy these, whether we he anointed or no. What cheerfulness is there ? What joy '? What strength ? What nimble- ness to that which is good ? What sovereignty hath grace in our hearts ? You have a company that profess religion, but make it serve their own turn, that make heaven to come under…
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And likewise he is able ' to speak a word in due season,' 2 Tim. iv. 2, to reprove, to admonish, to comfort. Every member in the communion of saints hath some qualification in regard of knowledge, when he is put to it. But especially he hath received this anointing as a priest and a king. 2, As a 2^riest, to stand be…
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2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 22. 449 therefore, I do not enlarge the point to set colours upon matters, but indeed I rather speak under. There is no excellency that we can think of in this world that riseth high enough to set out the state of a Christian ; he is indeed a king. For, I beseech you, what makes a king ? V…
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Now, not to go on in more particulars, but to make some use of this. Surely this is true in some degi-ee of every Christian, that he is a prophet, ' to discern of things that differ,' Heb. v. 14 ; and he hath a supernatural, heavenly light answerable to the things, a spiritual light to judge of spiritual things. And he…
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Let us oft, I beseech you, be stirred up to think of our high prerogatives, with high admiration. What love ! Avhat love ! hath (xod shewed, ' that we should be called the sons of God,' 1 John iii. 1, that we should be made 452 COMftfENTARY ON kings and priests to God the Father. And if ever you hope to have comfort …
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And this is an undoubted character of a Christian. The soul that believes in Christ doth not only believe in him for his own sake, to be forgiven of his sins ; but together with believing, feeling the forgiveness of his sins, and that Christ hath so loved him, and done such things for him, he is ambitious to express Ch…
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These four principal uses there is of sealing. Now, God by his Spirit doth all these : for God by his Spirit sets the stamp and likeness of Christ upon us ; he distinguisheth us from others, from the great refuse of the world; he appropriates us to himself, and likewise he authoriseth us and puts an excellency upon us …
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This act of ours in believing, and the knowledge of our belie\'ing, it is oft terribly shaken ; and God is wondrous desirous, as we see by the whole passage of the Scripture, that we should be secure of his love. Ho knows that he can have no glory and we can have no comfort else. And, there- fore, when we by fiiith hav…
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4. The fourth evidence that the Spirit of God hath been in a man's heart, is the joy of the Hohj Ghost wid peace of conscience. Sanctification is the ordinary seal that is always in the soul : this is an extraordinary seal, peace and joy. When the soul needs encouragement, then God is gra- ciously pleased to superadd t…
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2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 22. 459 joy of the Spirit ; and theroforo when that fails, r^o to the work of sanctifi- cation, and see what stamp and resembhuice of Clirist there is ; see if thy heart he humble and broken, if thou have a loving disposition in thee like to Christ, that thou hatest that which Christ hateth…
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Thus we have unfolded to you the sealing of the Spirit ; and you see the Spirit of God not only anoints, but seals. Now we should labour to have our hearts thus sealed by the Spirit. Can we desire and never be at quiet till our instruments be sealed, till our acquittances, till our charters be sealed ? and shall we be …
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Let us labom* therefore for this seal, to have oui* souls stamped with the Spirit of God, to have further and fui-ther evidence of our state in grace, that in the time of common calamit}' we may be free from danger, free from error and destruction. But you will say. What shall I account of it, if there be but a little…
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2 COKINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 22. 4G3 Let us labour therefore to be sealed inwardly, and observe God's sealing- days, as we use to speak, which though it may be every day if we be in spiritual exercises, yet especially on the Lord's day ; for then his ordinance and his Spirit go together. Now as there is a scaling of o…
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Aye, but what shall we do if the waters be troubled in the soul, as sometimes there is such a confusion in the soul that we cannot see the image of God upon it in sanctification, we cannot see the stamp of God's Spirit there, there is such a chaos in the soul ? God can see somewhat of his own Spirit in that confusion, …
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4. Vourthly, an earnest is given rather for the security of the party that re- ceives it, than in regard of him that gives it ; so God gives ' the earnest of the Spirit,' grace and comfort ; this is not so much in regard of God, for God meaneth to give us heaven and happiness. (He hath passed his word, and he is master…
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Nay, it is possible that for a long time God's child may want this act of assurance, for there is a double act of faith. (1.) An act whereby the soul relies npon God as reconciled in Christ, and rehes upon Christ as given of God, and relies upon the promise. And then ; — (2.) There is a reflect act, whereby, knowing …
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Obs. They may be assured that they shall hold out to the end. I think many of you think these two points to be so clear that it is un- necessary to divide them ; for if we be assured of our salvation, there must needs be perseverance to the end, for what kind of assurance is it to be in the state of grace to-day, and …
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Obs. Those that look to be happy, must first look to be holy. This point I mean to touch very briefly. I am loath to pass it by, though it be not the principal thing I aim at, because it may serve for a kind of trial, whether a, man have any right to heaven or no. It is the ordinary presumptuous error of common Chris…
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fire as well as the whole element of fire ; and a drop of water, it is water as well as the whole ocean. When a man is in a dark place, — put the case it be in a dungeon, — if he have a little light shining in to him from a little cre\ace, that little light discovers that the day is broke, that the sun is risen. Put th…
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Aye, but how shall we know the truth of his ' earnest,' that it is true, though it be little ? To speak a word or two of that for trial. Where the Spirit of God is, with the relation of an ' earnest,' he is an • earnest ' by way of grace and comfort ; for those two ways the Spirit dis- covers himself in us, to sanctif…
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But take a Christian in his right temper, he is willing to die ; nay, he is willing, and glad, and joyful to go to Christ. Then he knows the earnest shall be accomphshed with the bargain ; then he knows what God hath begun, he will perfect ; then he knows, all the promises shall be performed, when all imperfection shal…
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* Spelled ' alcumy,' and a little onward ' alcumists. — G. 2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 22. 475 serve. And therefore where any arc slitjht in their profession, that give in if they be ready to dash upon any displeasure of any one ; if they he to ven- ture their estates or so, then they are ashamed of Christ, and that …
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So Christ now contracts us on the earth, and having love to us, and taking our nature on him, that he might woo us in our own flesh, and in our own nature, taking upon him the ' earnest' of our flesh, he gives us the ' earnest' of his Spirit ; and to assure us that he loves us, and that he means to make up the bargain …
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Indeed all things are wrought by the Spirit in gi-ace for application ; the desert* is from the Son, originally from the Father ; but in regard of appli- cation of what is wrought by the Son, all is by the Holy Ghost, Both graces and comforts the Holy Ghost takes from Christ ; for if grace be wrought, it is with divine…
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Our hearts misgive us, when we are guilty of some sins, as always there is guilt on the soul, — so much guilt, so much doubt. Till the soul be free from guilt, it will never but be casting of doubts ; and therefore there is always resistance in us, and there must be a higher power than the heart and soul of a man to se…
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9. And then again, the Spirit stirs np ' sighs and groans that cannot be expressed,' Kom. viii. 20, when we are not of ourselves able to pray. This is an evidence of Iho ' earnest' of the Spirit, when we can send our sighs and gi'oans to God. I say, God will hear the groans, the voice of his own Spirit. For whence come…
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2. And withal, take heed that we grieve not the Holij Ghost any way, if we will have the Spirit to * seal' us, to increase our earnest. How do we grieve the Holy Ghost ? (1.) Jiy cherishirirf contrary affections, and lusts, and desires. And resist not the Holy Ghost ; as now when you hear the word of God, if you shut…
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The apostle Peter, before the Holy Ghost came upon him, the voice of a weak damsel astonished him ; but after, how willing was he to sufler any thing ! Therefore let us not labour much to strengthen ourselves with the things of this life, or to value ourselves by our dependence upon others. If thou hast grace, thou has…
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I might add many things to this purpose, but this is sufficient to any 484 COMarENTARY ON judicious Christian, to encourage us to labour for the Spirit above all things in the world. All other arc but grass, but fading ; but grace and glory, grace, and peace, and joy, nay, the very ' earnest ' of the Spirit, is bette…
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The better sort of people think of others as they are, and as they deserve themselves ; but others, because they are naught, they think others are so. Because they deserve ill, they think others have deserved an ill opinion of them. So many times it comes of guilt, because we are not as we should be. Then again, it ar…
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God shows, that all these jealousies are but follies ; for all that he feared came to pass. In good Queen Ehzabeth's time, religion that he was so jealous of, was established : and she cared not for princes' correspondency, that were of other religions, further than might stand with reasons of state ; and did not she f…
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As the unfaithful servant, ' I knew thou wert a hard master, that exactest that that thou hadst not given,' Mat. xxv. 24, — and therefore I hid my talent. The bad servant forceth upon himself hardness in his master, when he was not so, — that he might be idle. So men force upon themselves some- what in God to be hard ;…
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2. Again, they suit most to God's disposition ; for ' God is love,' 1 John iv. 8, and his course to man is love. If he take any course contrary to love, it is not his own work ; as he saith, to punish man it is not his own work, he is forced to that alway. To shew love and mercy, that is his work, that that comes from …
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Whyi? Reman. We must spare none, that God may spare all. We that are ministers must spare no sin, that God may spare all. ' Lift up thy voice like a trumpet,' saith God, ' and tell Israel of their sins,' Isa. xviii. 58. If gentle means will not reform them, ' lift up thy voice like a trumpet.' Cast out Jezebel with he…
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There is a threefold correction, or finding fault, that are gradual one after another, and they should be of vigour in the church in all times. 1. First, afriendhj telling of a fault, between man and man, if we see any thing dangerously amiss. 2. Then, ichoi a man takes another man before company, when he takes him b…
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2. Again, we see by irhom an oath should he taken : by the name of God. We ought not to swear by creatures, but by God himself ; nor to swear by any idol, as the mass, and by Mary, and such hke. It is a taking God to witness. An oath is a part of God's service, a part of divine worship, as it 494 COMMENTARY ON is, De…
973 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical edition (1862); OCR text from Internet Archive. OCR may contain scanning/transcription errors. Verify quotations against page images when precision matters.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.