PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Complete Works of Richard Sibbes — Volume 6
Richard Sibbes · 366,494 words · 364 reading sections
Section 61
The calling of assemblies belongs to the prince. If it be a general council, then it must be by the emperor ; if it be a national council, then by the king or prince of that nation ; if provincial, then first from the kmg or princes, as first movers of it, and so to others. As the heavens, and these celestial bodies ov…
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* THE S P III I T V A L L FAVOPJTE AT THE THRONE OF GRACE. By the late learned, and reve- rend Divine Richard S I R B s Doctor in Divinity. Published by the Authors owne appointment, subscribed with his hand ; to prevent unperfect Copies. Proverbs 29. 26. Many seeke the Rulers favour, but e- vcry man^s judgeme…
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Therefore let us comfort ourselves with the performance of this promise, for the performance of the grand pi'omisc of the resurrection. Indeed, the grand promise of the resurrection is the ground of the performance of all other promises. As you have it in Ezekiel, concerning the dry bones : saith God, ' I will clothe t…
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96 THE SPIRITUAL FAVOURITE seutly for the very cry (a). But if it be not one that is a child, but is of grown years, the father looks for arguments that are moving to press him with. So here, Nehcmiah he prosseth God with moving and strong argu- ments, and he repeats and forccth them. He doth not only allege them, but…
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But how doth he make it good, they are thy servants ? ' They desire to fear thy name.' Emjy relations hare no comforls in them : to profess one's self a servant, and not to make it good that he is a servant. We must make good the relation we stand in to God, before we can claim interest in the favour of God by our re…
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And then, to omit other things, * we desire to fear thy name,' we see that . Beligion especially is in holy desires. The greatest part of Christianity is to desire to be a sound Christian with all his heart. Religion is more in the afiections of the soul than in the effects and operations. It is more in the resolutio…
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100 THE SPIRITUAIi FAVOURITE 5. True desires are likewise to the means of salvation, and to the means of salvation as they convey grace, as sincere milk ; as you have it, 1 Pet. ii. 2, * As new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word.' Where a man hath holj' desires of any grace, and hath them in truth, he wil…
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In all our services we should look to God ; for our aim in our works shew what they are, whether they come from servants or no. As the stamp upon a token makes it, if there be a good stamp on it ; it is not the matter that makes it current. A stamp on silver makes it current as well as gold, though the metal of gold be…
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One main circumstance that besiegeth and besets a business may hinder an excellent business. "Who can see all things that beset a business ? all circumstances that stand about a business ? Who can see all circumstances of time, and place, and persons, that are hindrances or furtherances ? It must be an infinite wisdom …
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' Prosper now thy servant.' * That is, ' anticipatiug.' — G. 104 THE SPIRITUAL FAVOURITE It is an excellent point, if I hiul time to stand on it. I beseech you, lot it have some impression upon your hearts. What is the reason that God blasts and brings to nothing, many excellent endeavours and projects ? Men set up…
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As Jacob, when he was to deal with Esau, he falls down and prays first ; and when he had gotten of God by prayer, God, that makes ' even of enemies friends,' he turned Esau's heart of an enemy to be a friend. And God put into Jacob's heart a wise course to effect this, as to ofler a pre- sent, and to give him titles, '…
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AT THE THRONE OF GRACE. 107 were, overcomes God. Now, praj'er is the flame of faith, the vent* of faith ; and fiiith is a victorious, triumphant grace with God himself. If it be any, it is Christians that can prevail with God for a blessing upon a state. Then certainly there is no good Christian but is of excellent s…
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'What am I? An infant crying in the night, An infant crying for the light, And with no language but a cry.' — In Memoriam, liii. (6) P. 96. — ' As Tertullian saith, ..." "When men join together, they offer a holy kind of violence to God."' In his ' Apology ' the sentiment is found, e.g., c. xxxix. : ' We are a body un…
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And that is the excellency of the church of God above all other people and companies of men, that we have the mind and will of God ; what he requires of us b}' way of duty to him, and what he will do to us as a liberal and rich God. These two things, which are the main, are discovered ; what we look for from God, and t…
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Quest. Whence comes this in God, the attribute of goodness, the spread- ing goodness in his nature, that he desires to impart and commmiicate himself ? Ans. There is no envy in God. He hath none above him, and there- fore he labours to make all good. There is a mystery in it; but if some be not good, the fault is in t…
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Well, when the heart knows that once, the heart hath enough from heavenward, it hath enough from heaven. God hath said and promised it. Then the heart, by a work it hath of itself, speaks to itself, and to the whole man, to seek God. The heart will not stoop without reason, the heart of an understanding man ; but when …
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The reason is, because all the church of God are heirs alike — heirs of the promise, children of Abraham, heirs of salvation. They have interest in Christ ahke, * in whom all the promises are yea and amen ;' in whom all the promises have their making and their performance. And by rea- son that there is an indifi'erent …
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If we do not — as indeed it is the fault of the times to hear the word of God loosely — we care not so much to hear the word of God, as to hear the gifts of men. We desire to hear fine things, to increase notions. We delight in them, and to hear some empty creature, to fasten upon a story or some phrases by the by. Ala…
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We detest, and deservedly, those misers that, in the midst of all their abundance, will not spend sixpence upon themselves. What a spirit of baseness is this, in the midst of spiritual contentments and refreshings, when God offers to feed our souls with the fat things of his house, to say, Oh no ! this belongs not to m…
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God would have things in the church done by such people. The very building of the tabernacle was done by such voluntary people, that brought in as God moved their hearts. Oh, beloved, a Christian knows what it is to have a royal spirit, a free spirit. David knew it. When he had lost it by his sin, he prayed that he mig…
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122 THE SUCCESSFUL SEEKER. choose thee, and delight in thee ; thou shalt be my God. If we have this returuiug spirit back again, we cannot have a better argument that God loves us, than by answering God's course. This is that that St Peter hath in 1 Peter iii. 21. That that doth all in baptism, it is not ' the washin…
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In all perplexity of business, ' commit thy way to the Lord, and he shall establish thy thoughts,' Prov. iii. 6, and other places. Lord, I com- mit my ways to thee ; establish my thoughts and designs agreeable to thy will, because thou hast bid me commit my ways to thee. In the hour of death, let us commend ourselves …
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(3.) The presence of God meant here is, that presence that he shews in- the time of need, and in his ordinances. He shews a presence in need and necessity, that is a gracious presence to his children, a gracious face. As in want of direction, he shews his presence of light to direct them ; in weakness he shews his stre…
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126 THE SUCCESSFUL SEEKER. If SO be that a person of gi-cat place should say, Observe me, and I will pi'cfer j'ou, I hope men would be ready enough, they need no more words. Here is the atheism of our hearts. God saith, I will do all good for you. The greatest preferment is to be the child of God here, and the heir of…
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Use. And in the first place, by way of direction, that we may seek the face of God — that is, observe him, and depend upon him, and enjoy his favour, and meet with Tiim in his ordinances — we must fij'st get The Icnoidedge of God [and of] ourselves. 1. Get the knoivledge of God, for they that know him will seek to him…
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* That is, ' expedients.'— G. THE SUCCESSFUL SEEKER. 120 * This is the generation of them that seek him,' those that have clean hands and a pure heart. Thou hast foul hands ; thou art a briber, a corrupter ; thou hast an impure heart ; thou art a filthy creature ; thou hast lived in such and such sins ; cleanse thy h…
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I desire you to remember these directions, and be encouraged to seek to God. Joinjthe seeking in extremity, with the seeking him in his ordinances. If we do not seek him in his ordinances, in the time of peace, let us never think he will be so familiar with us in the time of trouble. If we be not acquainted with him in…
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And if we do not seek the face of God now, when we may enjoy his presence, we shall never see his face in glory hereafter. We must now be acquainted with him, or else we shall not when we would. Therefore, as we may enjoy the presence of God in his ordinances, so in all our affairs let us seek his face and blessing. Le…
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A RESCUE FROM DEATH, WITH A RETURN OF PRAISE. Fools, hecause of their traiisgressions, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted, dc—Ps. CVII. 17, &c. This Psalm containeth some passages concerning God's particular, sweet providence ; not only to the church, but to other men ; for he that created all things, eve…
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2. A fool is led uith his humour and his lust, even as the beast. So there * Qu. ' afflicted ' ? — G. t That is, (natural) ' reasoQ.' — G. WITH A RETURN OF PKAISE. 137 is no wicked man that shakes olF the fear of God, ' Nvhich is true \Yisdom,' Prov. i. 7, but he is led with his humour, and passion, and affection to…
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5. He is a madman, a ' fool,' that hitrts (lud lioiiiuls himself. None else will do so. Wicked carnal men, they wound, and hurt, and stab their own consciences. Oh, if any man should do them but the thousandth part of the harm that they do themselves every day, they would not endure it. They gall and load their conscie…
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See an unhappy succession of sin, that where there is transgression there will be iniquity ; when a man yields to lust once, presently he breaks upon God's due, and then upon man's. One sin draws on another. As we see David giving way to one sin, it brought another ; so the giving way to transgression, neglecting the w…
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' Fools for their transgressions are afflicted.' We by our sins put a rod into God's hand — ' a rod for the fool's back,' as Solomon saith, Prov. xxvi. 3 ; and when we will be fools, we must needs endure the scourge and rod in one kind or other. Those that will sin must look for a rod. It is the best reward of wicked …
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Death is a great commander, a great tyrant ; and hath gates to sit in, as judges and magistrates used to 'sit in the gates.'* There are things implied in this phrase. 1. First, 'They draw near to the gates of death;' that is, they were * near to death ;' as he that draws near the gates of a city is near the city, beca…
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144 A RESCUE FROM DEATH, US, as I salil, unless ho scud some mcsscnjrer after us, some affliction to bring us home, as Absalom dealt by Joab when he ' fired his corn.' In the gospel, Christ had never heard of many people, had it not been for some infirmity. But blessed arc those sicknesses and infirmities that occasio…
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Prayer will do a great deal more good now, than when trouble hath overtaken us ; for now it is a sign it comes from a religious seeking of God, then it comes from self-love. There is a great deal of difierence when a malefactor seeks to the judge before the time of the assizes, and when he seeks to him at the present t…
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Nay, more than so, ' God hears the very young ravens,' Job xxxviii. 41, and spreads a table for every living thing ; and will not sutler them to die for hunger, but provides for them, because they are his creatures. And ■will he not for his children, those that he hath taken to be so near him, to be heirs of heaven and…
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There is a secret ohcdience in all things to God, when his will is that they shall do this or that. Why doth the sea keep his hounds, whenas the nature and position of the sea is to he above the earth ? It is the command of God, that hath said. Let it be there, and ' hither shall thy proud waves go, and no further,' Jo…
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You see tbat God, the great physician, be is good at all diseases. He is never set at anything, for be can create helps and remedies, of nothing. If there be none in nature, he can create peace to tbe soul. In the midst of trouble of conscience, God can make things out of nothing, nay, out of contraries. You see here w…
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WITH A RETURN OF PEAISE. 151 Now what is the duty this holy man wishes ? * That men would praise God. And sacrifice the sacrifice of thanks- giving, and declare his works.' Out of the largeness of his heart he expresseth the same thing in many words, therefore I shall not need to make any scruple in particularising …
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Therefore, in the next place, as a branch of the former, if we would praise God, durll not on the second causes. If God use second causes in any favour he bestows on us, either in keeping us from any ill, or bestowing any good, consider it as a means that God might dispense with ; that he might use if he would, or not …
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To draw to a conclusion, with some general application of all that hath been spoken, and then in particular to the present occasion. You know how God hath dealt of late with this city,* and with ourselves indeed ; for we are all of one body politic, and however God visited them, yet it was our sins also that provoked …
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WITH A RETURN OF PRAISE. 155 ^Tiither can a man go from this arrow, but that God being everywhere, might smite him with the pestilence ? Now, in that he hath watched over us, and kept us from this noisome contagious sickness, and hath brought us altogether here quietly and freely, that so there may be intercourse betw…
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A man may know the judgment of his state when he answereth not the difference of things. What the difference is between the food of life and ordinary food ; what the difference is between the comforts of the Holy Ghost and other comforts ; between the riches and pelf of the world and the riches of the Spirit ; the grac…
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This psalm is a pithy psalm, and therefore is called a psalm of degrees. Other reasons the Jews give of this title, but they agree not. Some will have it that these psalms were sung upon the fifteen stairs that went up to the temple. Some call them thus, for that they say they were sung with an extraordinary high voice…
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Reason 5. Fifthly, These depths are left to us, to make us more desirous of heaven ; else gi'eat men, that are compassed about with earthly comforts, alas, with what zeal could they pray, ' Thy kingdom come,' &c. ? No ; with Peter they would rather say, ' Master, it is good for us to be here,' Mark ix. 5 ; and therefor…
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Use 1. This should teach us a note of difference between those that arc 1G4 THE saint's comforts: God's children and those that arc not. Tliose that arc his, when they are in danger, go to him. They have ever that hold hy faith, as to say, ' Yet God is good to Israel,' Jer. xxxi. 1. Others seek to escape by desperate…
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There is another sort of depths, and these are before conversion ; and thug was Paul troubled, ' Lord, what shall I do ? ' and thus was Manasseh. Let such consider the commandment, to humble them and cast themselves on Christ and his promises, considering the end of Christ's -coming was to save and seek such as are los…
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Quest. But some will ask, How shall we come to make our prayers fervent? Ans. I answer, consider of our wants, and our necessity of supply, oj our misery in our want, of our hope to prevail by jirayer ; and these will edge our aflfections in prayer. Consider also how these times, and the estate of * Qu. 'affections'?…
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Doct. 1, That sill hinders and discoiirarjcs the soid Jrnin prayer ; for the conscience will object, and the soul will upbraid us, telling us we are sin- ners. God, he is holy, and how can we think he will hear us then, where there is no faith ? The soul must needs sink. This estate was David's, Ps. li. 14, 15. Sin and…
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Doct. 5. In the nest place, we may observe that community of offenders is no ground of lessening or diminishing of sin. A fonnal Christian, it is his trick to wrap himself up in general confessions. We are all sinners ; and if God should deal with us as we deserve, we were damned ; but come to reckon with him for his p…
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Direct. 4. Furthermore, Let us converse tvith those that are better than ourselves ; for the image and likeness of God is seen in his children. It is the custom of many men to converse with the worst company, that they may appear to be the best ; and thus do they increase an overweening self- conceit in themselves. Di…
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Use of direction. Wherefore let its learn to submit ourselves to the correct- ing hand of God, saying, ' It is thy mercy we arc not consumed,' Lam. iii. 22 ; considering that this light affliction is nothing to that wo deserve, or that Christ suffered for us, or that the damned suffer in hell, or to that joy wo have la…
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Ans. I answer. No. Quest. How then is it done, seeing he hath decreed that without blood shall be no remission ? Heb. ix. 22. Ans. I answer. This is done in Christ. Quest. But why is he not mentioned here, nor in the Old Testament neither ? Aj-hs. I answer. He was laid down to us in the Old Testament, in types and …
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AN EXPOSITION UPON PSALM CXXX. 175 on the free forgiveness of God in Christ ; and therefore Christ and his apostles bid such ' beheve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thcu shalt be saved.' , We may think this an easy lesson. But hereafter, vhen God shall open our sins and lay them upon our consciences, they will then tel…
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This therefore justifies those ministers that in these days of the gospel do enforce the law ; and people must not be otlended thereat, but suffer their consciences to be laid open, that the word may come close and home to them ; and secondly, they must use the means, to come to a sense and feelinr' of their sin. To wh…
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Use 1. This therefore should cause us to take heed of all thoughts of despair. Let it be enough that we have broken the law ; let us not pull a greater sin on us by denying the gospel, the mercies and truths of God. Let us by any means take heed, for Satan will join with guilty consciences, speaking with cursed Cain, '…
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Ver. 5. * I wait for the Lord, yea, my soul waiteth. These words do shew the estate and disposition of the holy man after his prayer. Though he had formerly sense of mercy and pardon, yet he waits for more full and sweet apprehension thereof. In them we may observe, first, though God he exceeding gracious, yet there i…
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And first, of the sins of their nature, of their persons themselves, ' We are all as an unclean thing.' And then, of the sins of actions : ' all our righteousness is as filthy rags.' And then, in the third place, a confession of the sin of non-proficiency,^ of obduration, and senselessness, that notwithstanding the …
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Now humiliation, it is either real (or inward), or verbal. Real humihation indeed, that is, our humbling ourselves by fasting, especially when it is joined with reformation of our wicked ways, or else it is a mockery of God, as it is in Isa. Iviii., ' to hang down the head for a while,' and in the mean time to have a …
956 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.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.