PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Complete Works of Richard Sibbes — Volume 6
Richard Sibbes · 366,494 words · 364 reading sections
Section 121
There are two things wondrous necessary, before the soul can be in the right frame it should be in. First, The soul must apprehend deeply ivhat distance it hath from God, what alienates it from Gud, before it can he tvise ; and it must be estranged from that before ever it can come to couple and join with God. When th…
926 wordsSECTION 122Section 122
This is the way to give glory to God. Let us join both together, our own ease and gloiy to God. When we have laid open our souls to God, and laid as much against ourselves as the devil could do that way — for let us think what the devil would lay to our charge at the hour of death and the day of judgment, he would lay …
901 wordsSECTION 123Section 123
far as -we arc not abased for them, and oppose tliem, and repress them as we should in our places and standings, whether we be ministers or magis- trates ? Thus far we are guilty all. Therefore the prophet might well say, ' We all are as an unclean thing,' &c. (2.) Then again, there is r/reat stjmpathi/ in the hearts …
946 wordsSECTION 124Section 124
Use. This should enforce a necessity of cleansing ourselves in the hlood of Christ ; that is, in the death^of Christ, who hath satisfied the justice of God. Our natures are so foul in regard of the guilt and stain, that the blood of God-man, that is, the satisfactory * death of God-man, was necessary to breed reconcili…
941 wordsSECTION 125Section 125
But what comes from us ? That that aggravates to the utmost a sinful state. ' All our righteousness is as filthy rags.' He doth not say we have filthy actions, but our best actions are stained ; and not one, but all. Mark how strong the place is, ' we all,' the people of God. He includes all, as Daniel saith, ' I co…
963 wordsSECTION 126Section 126
* That is, ' merely moral.' — G. t That is, ' iutentness.' — Ed. THE church's complaint AND CONFIDENCE. 193 Dlack but yet well-favourecl,' saitli the spouse, Caut. i. 5 ; black in regard of sin, but well-favoured in regard of the Spirit of God and the acceptation of Christ. He is a saint and a sinner : a sinner in re…
1,015 wordsSECTION 127Section 127
' There is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee.' He represents God to us as a great person, that would bestow some benefits, and is ready to turn away himself ; yet none lays hold of him or desires him to stay. So, saith he, there is none that lays hold on God, to keep him that he should not go away. The…
1,103 wordsSECTION 128Section 128
3. Therefore let us offer violence to God this tvay ; never give him rest till we obtain. You see when the two disciples were going to Emmaus, Christ made as though he would have gone further, but they ' compelled' him, Luke xxiv. 29. Now there is a semblance as if God threatened war, and would take away the gospel. Th…
1,049 wordsSECTION 129Section 129
Some devils are not driven out but by prayer and fasting. Mat. xvii. 21. So some judgments, they will not away without prayer and fasting ; not only public, but private fasting and prayer. Sometimes there must be more than ordinary humiliation for some sins ; for some kind of tempta- tions there must be prayer and fast…
1,075 wordsSECTION 130Section 130
May not we say, 'Our iniquities have blown us away?' What hath blown us from our callings and employments ? Is it not the pestilence ? And what brings that ? Is it not our iniquities ? So that we may all com- plain of this, ' Our iniquities have blown us away.' We see here he lays the blame upon their iniquities. Did …
967 wordsSECTION 131Section 131
But to speak a little more of the next words. ' Thou hast hid thy face from us.' That is, thou hast hid thy comfort from us. God hath a double face : a face that shines on our souls in peace, and joy, and comfort, when he Baith to the soul, ' I am thy salvation,' Ps. xxxv. 3 ; and his face that shines on the outward …
1,312 wordsSECTION 132Section 132
202 THE church's complaint and confidence. * Let us seek the Lord while he may be found,' Isa. Iv. G. Hold him before he go ; let him not depart. Attend upon the means ; never miss good means of seeking his face till we have got a sweet answer from heaven that he is our God. Now follows the supplication. • But now, …
1,336 wordsSECTION 133Section 133
NOTES. (a) P. IQO. — ' Who would go to the pest-house, or to one that hath •' Lord, have mercy upon us," on the door'?' The allusion is to the marks placed upon the ' pest- houses,' and the dwellings of those sick during the plague in London — a visitation very often and very solemnly referred to hy Sibbes, who twice …
933 wordsSECTION 134Section 134
God is all ear, as he is all eye. He haUi an car everywhere. He hath an car in our hearts. He hears what we think, what we desire. He sees all the secret corners of our hearts. Therefore, when he saith here, ' I hearkened and heard,' it is by way of condescending to our cnpacity. AVe maj' learn hence, briefly, that Go…
917 wordsSECTION 135Section 135
Quest. In how many respects do we not speak aright in regard of the judgments of God ? Alls. 1. First, III regard of God, men speak not aright when they do not see him in the judgment, but look to the creature, to the second causes ; as now in the time of the plague, to look to the air and weather, and this and that, …
1,053 wordsSECTION 136Section 136
god's inquisition. 211 they spake not aviglit.' So much for the evidence. Come we now to the next clause, God's complaint upon this evidence. * No man repented him of his wickedness.' They did not repent of their wickedness, and the fault was general : ' No man repented.' The first yields this instruction, Doct. Th…
1,001 wordsSECTION 137Section 137
The longer we live in any sin unrepented of, the more our hearts will be hardened ; the more Satan takes advantage against us, the more hardly he is driven out of his old possession, the more just it may be with God to give us up from one sin to another. The understanding will be more dark upon every repetition of sin,…
1,057 wordsSECTION 138Section 138
2. Again, It is the way to prevent GocVs judgments, as we see in Nineveh and others. Put case we repent not : we cannot go safe in the city nor any- where, but God may meet with us, and strike us with his arrow. The only way to prevent his judgments is to meet him speedily by repentance. This is the way, not only to tu…
1,158 wordsSECTION 139Section 139
What was the cause of all this, that they were thus unrepentant, and that generally * no man said,' ' What have I done ?' They did not say in their hearts and tongues, ' What have I done ?' They were inconsiderate, they did not examine, and search, and try their ways. Here we see, First, That a man can return upon J…
914 wordsSECTION 140Section 140
Now if we would practise this duty, we must labour to avoid the hin- drances. The main hindrances of this consideration are, (1.) The rar/e of Jmts, that will not give the judgment leave to consider of a man's ways ; but they are impetuous, commanding, and tyrannous, cirrying men, as we shall see in the next clause, '…
921 wordsSECTION 141Section 141
218 god's inquisition. by to accuse us, who will say, This was done by my instigation ; and it is so ; and our own cousciences shall take part with the devil, and accuse us also? It will be little for our ease to make God our judge. We might save the labour by putting conscience to its office now, to examine our ways …
965 wordsSECTION 142Section 142
2. And as they go eagerly, so desperately and irreclaimahly too ; nothing will restrain them, no thorns nor troubles that can lie in their way. Though God hedge in their ways with thorns, thej' break through all, Hosea ii. G. Even as Balaam, he would go on though there were a sword drawn before him, he was more brutish…
1,074 wordsSECTION 143Section 143
' They knew not ; ' that is, they did not make use of it ; for in divinity, things are not known when they are not affected. f God knoweth all things, but when he doth not affect and delight in us, be is said ' not to know us.' So we are said not to know, when wo do not affect and make use of things. ' They know not th…
916 wordsSECTION 144Section 144
The thing most material, with which I will end, is this : Doct. That God, after loin/ patience, hath jiidi/nicuts to come on people ; and it should ho the part of people to loiow whoi the ji(di/inent is coming. There is a season when God will forhear no longer in this world. ' They know not the judgment of the Lord.'…
1,088 wordsSECTION 145Section 145
But now for particular sins, whereby we may know when judgment is coming. These they are : (1.) First, Injustice and formality in religion. When men are generally unjust, destruction is near ; and indeed, how can a Christian soul look upon men's courses abroad iij these regards, ' but he shall weep in secret,' Lam. i.…
996 wordsSECTION 146Section 146
Now whether it be so or no, I leave it to your particular consciences. We that are ministers toll you of your filthiness, of your profaning the name of God, and contempt of God's word. Whether have we gained upon you god's inquisition. 225 or no ? Who hath left an oath ? Who hath left his wicked courses and entered i…
904 wordsSECTION 147Section 147
It is a good sign for the present that God hath some blessing for ns, that now in our public meetings there is regard to religion ; and that, in the first place, there is some zeal for the cause of God against those that would wrong the cause of religion. We have some cause to hope in respect of that. And let every one…
1,013 wordsSECTION 148Section 148
And withal, let us be good husbands now in the interim. Between the threatening and the execution of the judgment, let us store up comforts from the promises of God, and store up the comforts of a good life. We shall have more comfort of the means we have bestowed wisely than of that we shall leave behind us. Thus if w…
951 wordsSECTION 149Section 149
2 Cor. i. 3. Whatsoever he doth, it is for comfort. Therefore he hath a special care in his prophets and ministers and ambassadors, that those that belong to him may be raised up with comfort, and not be over-much dejected and cast down. But to come to the words. ' I will also leave in the midst of thee,' &c. In the …
999 wordsSECTION 150Section 150
Use 1. It is a point not altogether fruitless. It yields some comfort to know, that when we are taken hence, others shall stand up when we are gone. The church shall not die with us. Is not that a comfort, when a Christian yields his soul to God, to think : yet God will have a church and people, if not amongst us, yet …
964 wordsSECTION 151Section 151
Obs. In the next place, though they be few, yet God hath a special care of them. Why ? There is good reason ; for they are his in a peculiar manner. A governor of an house, he cares for all his cattle, but he cares for his children more. A man hath some care for all the lumber and trash in his house ; he sees them usef…
1,011 wordsSECTION 152Section 152
Use. The use of it may be, to comfort us against evil times, against the time to come. ' Let us cast our care upon God ; he will care for us,' 1 Pet. V. 7. He will be with us and stand by us ; he will never forsake us in the worst times. Nay, his fashion is to deal with his children as becometh his infinite wisdom, tha…
915 wordsSECTION 153Section 153
THE POOR man's RICHES. 237 I say, for the most part, we must not make it a general rule. It is a point rather to comfort us when it is so, than that it is alway so with the church. For howsoever they are always in some respects afflicted, they have ahvay something to abase them ; yet the times of the church are someti…
990 wordsSECTION 154Section 154
But why doth he join ' afflicted and poor' together ? Because poverty is affliction, and because affliction goes with poverty ? Poverty brings affliction. It brings abasement with it, and it is an affliction itself. For the poor man is trod on at all hands. Men go over the hedge where it is lowest. It is an afiliction,…
912 wordsSECTION 155Section 155
Use 1. Take notice, hence, of the jioison and sinfidness of our corrupt nature, that defiles itself in the blessings of God ; so that God cannot otherwise fit us for gi-ace, but by stripping of us of those things that are good in themselves. This should abase us very much, considering that those things that should be r…
964 wordsSECTION 156Section 156
THE POOR man's RICHES. 241 to fit them for better riclies. As a wise physician he purgeth a foul bod^-, till he bring it almost to skin and bone ; but why ? That having made it poor, there may be a spring of better blood and spirits. Let us take no offence therefore at God's dispensation, either towards others or our…
934 wordsSECTION 157Section 157
2. This will better appear, if we distinguish of this poverty in spirit by the two degi'ces of it. There is a poverty of spirit before ive are in tlie state of grace, before we are in Christ ; and a poverty after. The poverty before we are in the state of grace, is, when God by his Spirit, together with his word and w…
984 wordsSECTION 158Section 158
6. It is alway joined likewise with a wondrous abasing of himself. He thinks himself not worth the ground he goes on, till God hath mercy on him in Jesus Christ. This is not so sensible in those that are brought up in the church, or that have religious thoughts put into them continually in both kinds ; both concerning …
958 wordsSECTION 159Section 159
(1.) For in justification there must he a poverty of spirit, to make us see that there is no I'ighteousness in ourselves, or that can come from us, that is able to stand against the law and against the justice of God ; all is defiled and spotted and unanswerable. And upon this poverty and apprehension THE POOR mail's …
1,070 wordsSECTION 160Section 160
And for want of this, the best of God's saints have fallen foully. Though they have had grace in them, yet, notwithstanding, the Spirit had left them to themselves in regard of new supply, because they have been conceited ; they have not been poor enough in spirit. As Peter, he was conceited of his own strength : ' Tho…
968 wordsSECTION 161Section 161
In the next place, let us come to discover this disposition of poverty of spirit where it is, and then shew some helps to it. 1. First, To discover where this blessed frame of 'soul is. Surely those that are thus poor in spirit they are full of prayer. ' The poor man speaks supplications,' as the wise man saith, Prov.…
923 wordsSECTION 162Section 162
* soul is an humble abased soul alwa}' ; and the more humble and empty the soul is, the more thankful it is for every degree of grace and comfort. 4. Again, A soul that is thus disposed, that is poor in spirit, it is willing * Cf. Eph. i. 3, and 1 Peter i. 3.— G. THE POOB man's RICHES. 249 to resiffn itself to Christ…
932 wordsSECTION 163Section 163
7. And lastly. Ho that is poor in spirit is- humbled in himself for spiritual u-aiits; not so much for outward things, but because ho hath not a large heart to God, because he finds impatience, because he finds not that heavenly-miudcdness and strength to go through the duties that God requires, that his flesh is so ba…
941 wordsSECTION 164Section 164
2. Again, That we may come to be poor in spirit, let us consider what we are, that we are creatures. The term whence creation begins is just nothing. It is so in the creatures in the world. God made all of nothing, and is it not so in the new creature much more ? Therefore if I will be anything in myself as of myself, …
1,123 wordsSECTION 165Section 165
THE POOR man's eiches. 253 * And they shall trust in the name of the Lord.' This is the carriage of these poor and afflicted people. * They shall trust in the name of the Lord.' God hath no delight in afflicting his children ; he joys and delights in the prosperity of his children. It is our sinful nature that force…
1,064 wordsSECTION 166Section 166
Now, because we all pretend we trust in the name of the Lord, we will first examine our trust. Let us try our trust a little, that we may see whether it be true trust or no. And then upon that we will give some directions how to come to this blessed condition, to trust ' in the name of the Lord.' For the first : I do …
910 wordsSECTION 167Section 167
Therefore, where there is cherishing of disturbance in the soul, and cherishing of doubts, there is no faith, or very little faith ; because it is the property of faith to silence the soul and to make quiet where it comes. This is one evidence and sign of true faith. And this is discerned especially in times of great t…
967 wordsSECTION 168Section 168
* Cf. Ps. xiii. 15, xxvi. 1, with 1 Sam. xxviii. 0, seq., andxxxi. 4. — G. t That is, = ' a way out,' Cf. 1 Cor. x. 13.— G THE POOR man's RICHES. 257 He that pretends he will trust God — God will save me, God is merciful — and yet notwithstanding will not trust him for common things, it is an abusive delusion and fla…
1,044 wordsSECTION 169Section 169
5. Again, He that will trust God with the greatest matters, will trust God u-ith his vaijsfor direction. He will not trust his ov/n wit and wisdom, but God. God shall be wise for him. He will follow God's directions, and whatsoever is contrary to God's direction he will not do. He will acknow- ledge God in all his ways…
1,166 wordsSECTION 170Section 170
And know him in his special attributes that the word sets him out in, besides the promises, that we may know that he is able to make good all these promises ; and then we shall trust him. What are those attributes ? He hath made himself known to be all-sufficient. What a world of comfort is in that. He saith to Abraham…
1,052 wordsSECTION 171Section 171
Again, Let us labour to exercise our trust tipon all occasions ; for thinofs that are exercised are the brighter and the stronger. Let us inure our- selves to trust in God for all things, and to trust him with all things ; with our bodies, with our souls, with our estates, with our children, with our ways, with our goo…
956 wordsSECTION 172Section 172
There is in God infiniteness of ways of supply, let us labour therefore for a prudent heart, to learn the skill of fetching out of God for all neces- sities. As our want is, so let us fetch supply from some attribute of God, and some promise answerable. This is the wisdom of the saints of God. Are we in extremity ? The…
1,015 wordsSECTION 173Section 173
Now for the words. There are, you see, two things in this verse. 1. A point. 2. A' proof. Our Saviour's point shall be our point of doctrine at this time, because we would not speak one thing twice. Therefore we will lay down the point in our Saviour's own words, and that is this, that spiritual mourners are blessed …
920 wordsSECTION 174Section 174
SPIRITUAL MOURNING. 269 the mourners, /or they shall be comforted.' This reason will not hold in all kind of mourning and all kind of comfort. It is no good argument to say, Blessed is the man that is in pain, for he shall be refreshed and relieved ; blessed is the man that is hungry, for he shall be fed and have his …
936 wordsSECTION 175Section 175
(2.) Secondly, This is another happy effect of godly mourning, that spiritual and godly mourning alway doth a man good and never any hurt. Worldly sorrow, saith the apostle, causeth death. It hurts the soul, it hurts the Hfc, it hurts the body of a man ; but spiritual sorrow, on the other side, causeth life. The more a…
1,130 wordsSECTION 176Section 176
Use 1. If it be an happy man that mourns aright, we have reason, first, to bewail our unhappiness ; unhappy time and unhappy men may we well say, touching ourselves, that vaiy so much from the mind and prescription of our blessed Saviour. 'Blessed,' saith our Saviour Christ, ' are they that mourn, for they shall be com…
1,207 wordsSECTION 177Section 177
We think many times carnal sorrow, which in truth is but poison, will do us good, a great deal of ease ; and when men have crossed us, and dis- appointed us, or dealt unkindly with us, we think we will go and weep it out ; and when we have cried and blubbered a while, we think that we give ease to our souls, and conten…
970 wordsSECTION 178Section 178
So this is spiritual mourning, when a man mourns because God in hifl love and in his comforts leaves him, and his countenance shines not upon him ; because the word of God and the grace of God spreads not, that it stirs not sensibly within him, as formerly it hath done. And so likewise for ills. A man that mourns spiri…
1,010 wordsSECTION 179Section 179
The motives are many. He that will mourn must look to these. There is one rule generally for mourning, and that is this : He that will mourn spiritually, he must apply himself to God's means and motives only. There be that tell us of a course of getting of sackcloth and haircloth, and I know not what, to work godly mou…
964 wordsSECTION 180Section 180
3. Thirdly, As it is seasonable, so it is profitable ; for godly mourning it never hurts, it alway helps. Carnal sorrow leaves a man worse than it finds him. It makes him more sick, and more weak, than it finds him. Spi- ritual sorrow leaves him better. He that can pour forth his heart before God, he that can go charge…
1,011 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.