PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Complete Works of Richard Sibbes — Volume 7
Richard Sibbes · 412,687 words · 416 reading sections
Section 181
mart's choice. 297 immediate ministry, as appeareth by the multitudes that his apostles did convert at one sermon. In the next place, examine we ourselves if we be willing to part with anything for the means of salvation; for if we love any- thing, and choose it, rather than we will part with that we will part with an…
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THE CHBISTIAN S WATCH. 299 \ And then it is a rich and most beneficial service ; for we serve a Lord that will reward to a cup of cold water. It is not such a service as Pharaoh's was, to gather stubble ourselves ; but he will enable us to do, and where we fail he will pardon, and when we do anything he will reward,…
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And then we are in danger by sin, and that is more than I can express ; for by drowsiness oftentimes we fall into sins whereby we olfend God and the good angels, and give Satan advantage, and grieve the good Spirit of God, and put a sting into all other troubles. Yea, sin makes the blessings of God which we enjoy, no b…
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3. And then to have a waking consideration of the presence of God, as Job had. * Shall not God see if I do thus and thus ? ' Job xxxi. 4. And so Joseph, 'How shall I do this great wickedness and sin against God,' Gen. xxxix. 9. The eyes of the Lord goes through the world, seeing the good and bad. He hath an eye that ne…
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* That is, ' nursed,' ' pampered.' — Gr- THE CHRISTIAN S WATCH. 803 Add hereunto, to have a soul fit for all advantages of doing good ; let us labour for this, whereby we may know how to judge everything in its own worth, that so we may afiect* it. Oh that hereby the soul may be raised up, otherwise it will fall. To …
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And so for company, by which we may either do good or receive good ; for that is a great help to our watch — company — for one strengthens another, as stones in an arch. God hath sanctified the communion of those that are good for the strengthening of others. And therefore the Scripture saith, ' Stir up one another, an…
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* In margin here, ' This was preached before the sacrament, April 27. 1635.' Sibbes died on July 5. following. — G. VOL. VTI. THE COMING OF CHRIST. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that ivatcheth, and keepeth his gar- ments close, lest he walk naked, and they sec his shame. — Rev. XVI. 15. We spake the last…
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All that have spiritual life, labour to be waking Christians and then watching Christians. That which usually awakens is the noise of a trumpet, or some shining light. Now, living in the light of the gospel, and under the sound thereof, this should awaken us ; if not this, the noise of the judgments round about us shou…
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THE COMING OF CHRIST. 809 wardrobe. That is here supposed that we have no garments of ourselves ; and therefore ' Buy of me,' saith Christ, Rev. iii. 18. 2. Now, the second thing is this, we having none of ourselves, therefore we must have garments; and when we have them, we must keep them clean and close: ' Blessed …
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And so for truth, by which all comfort is conveyed unto us. When that is ready we are able to withstand temptations, but when that is to seek, mischief is ready to surprise us. Now if the word were engrafted in our hearts, then "we should have some divine truths upon every occasion, and we should be ready against every…
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There is scarce any point of religion but hath this savour in it. And who finds not this, that our nature is prone to the contrary ? But when a man finds this, that he can justify things from experience, he resolves with himself, I know this, not because I have been taught it, but from experience I know it. And so pea…
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2. Those that will have good gardens will have flowers of every kind, so a Christian must have graces of every kind. When Ahab was killed there happened a weapon to strike through the joints of his harness, and killed him ; to what purpose was it for him to have harness with loose joints ? He should have had it complet…
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And again, if we have a high esteem of that above all, as Paul had in the Philippians, iii. 8, ' I account all things dung and dross in comparison of Christ,' for all our righteousness is but as a 'polluted cloth,' Isa. xxx. 22. A Christian hath put on Christ when he admires the righteousness of God-man ; it is a righ…
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In handling whereof, we are first to consider the order of God's distri- bution, who giveth us first the blessings and the benefits of this life, and then those of eternal Hfe. Now that which is the order of God's distribu- tion, must be the order in our intention.^ We must labour to have com- munion with the saints he…
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318 THE GENERAL RESURRECTION. dead whicli were in it ; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them : and they were judged every man according to their works.' And, therefore, seeing all things are come to pass which the Scripture hath foretold, and shall come ; and seeing God is true, faithful, and alm…
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Obj. 1. The first is a common one. How is it possible, say they, that a body which hath lain rotting a thousand years in the grave should rise again, so turned into dust ? Ans. I answer. Though it be above reason, yet it is not against reason ; for we see that the flies that be dead all the winter time, when the summe…
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THE GENEEAL EESUKEECTION. 321 will be with thee,' &e., Gen. xlvi. 3. So faith in death hears this comfort- able voice of God, Fear not to go into the ground, to sleep in the grave a while ; for behold I will go do^n with thee, keep thy ashes there, and raise thee up again ; for death dealeth no otherwise with us, than…
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Obj. 1. The first is out of 1 Cor. xv. 44, where it is said, ' that it is sown a natural body, but is raised a spiritual body,' so it is not the same body that riseth again. To this I answer, Atis. That it is not spiritual in regard of substance, but in regard of tho estate and condition which they shall be in ; for a…
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2. Secondly, Seeing the same bodies shall rise again, therefore ice shoidd depose and lay them down u-ell at the day of death, to die in faith and repent- ance. We see if a man put ofi" his garment, and means to put it on again, he will not rend and tear it ofi" his back, but pull it off gently, brush and lay it up saf…
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2. Secondly, Because the saints might meet the bodies of all the faithfid which are gone before the^n together, they shall not rise to p7-event one another in glory, but shall all go together ; as it is 1 Thes. iv. 14. This is an excellent comfort unto us who live in the last age of the world, that the saints THE GENE…
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3. Thirdly, This may comfort us, that although we lie in the grave a long time, yet that Christ hath sanctified and sweetened it unto us, by lying therein himself ; so that the grave is now become a sweet bed to rest in peace in : as Isa. Ivii. 2, he speaks of such, ' Peace shall be upon them, they shall rest in their …
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But this question which St Paul propounds, 1 Cor. xv., in what estate our bodies shall rise at the last day, cannot be answered but with a dis- tinction. The bodies of the godly rise in an estate of glory, the bodies of the wicked rise in an estate of shame and disgrace ; so ^both rise, but in a diflferent estate, as G…
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Reason 1. First, look what estate Adam was in in the time of his inno- cency; in the same estate shall the bodies of the saints be at the resurrec- tion. But in the beginning, the body of man was so beautiful, glorious, full of brightness and splendour which came from it, as all the beasts of the field came gazing, and…
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5. Fifthly, They shall be spiritual bodies. Now they are natural bodies, but then they shall be spiritual ; as it is 1 Cor. xv. 44, * It is sown a natural, and is raised a spiritual body.' Now, it shall not be a spiritual body in regard of substance, for it shall have , breadth, and length, and thickness, parts and dim…
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Now for the wicked, in what estate they shall rise in ; it consists in two things. 1. First, They shall rise in an estate of shame and disgrace. ' And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me : for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched ; and …
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1. First, That there is nothing in a child more than in a man to hinder him from the kingdom of God ; for Christ saith, * Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not ; for of such is the kingdom of God.' And I make no question, if in innocency Adam had had children, they should have been blessed ; much …
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(m) P. 332. — ' Augustine answers, that they shall not rise,' &c. Cf. as in note o. (n) P. 332. — ' St Jerome upon that place (Mat. xxii. 8) affirms,' &c. Cf. note/. (o) P. 333. — ' Augustine answers,' &c. Cf. index-references of Augustine under Eph. iv. 13 ; also Chr\sostom and Jerome. The point comes up repeatedly …
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♦ Matt, xviii. 20. f Ps. cxix. 105. t This ' Prayer ' appeared first in edition b of the ' Two Sermons.' It forms an item in Bishop Patrick's defence of 'printed ' and 'read' prayers. See ' Continua- tion of the Friendly Debate ' (Pt. ii., Works, vol. v. pp. 630-2). The authority on which Patrick rests in his statemen…
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There was some good in their trouble ; something natm-ally, and some- thing spiritually good. There was ground of natural trouble at the departure of such a friend, at the hearing of such persecutions. For we are flesh, not steel ; and in that sense, Chiist was troubled himself, to shew the truth of his manhood. Nay, t…
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There be some affections especiaUy, that are causes of over much trouble ; FIRST SEEJION. 341 fear of evils to come, sorrow for evils that at present seize on us. Now, when these do hinder us from duty, or trouhle us in duty, they be exorbi- tant and irregular. Natm-ally, affections should be helps to duty, they be…
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But you will say, religion breeds a gi-eat deal of trouble and pensiveness. It is indeed the speech of the shallow people of the world, ' rehgion makes men sad.' And it is trae, that as our Saviour Christ here had made his disciples sad, by teUing them that he would leave them ; and that a gi-eat scandal would be take…
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Now for the ways whereby we must labour to comfort our hearts (amongst many that I might speak of), I will name a few. Fii'st of all, there must be a due search into the heart, of the r/rounds of our trouble ; for oftentimes Chi'istians are troubled, they cannot tell wherefore ; as children that will complain they kno…
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345 well digested, mil ann the soul with confidence, that it shall bo able to put any case of trouble ; as in the 27th Psalm, 1-3, David puts cases, ' The Lord is my strength, the Lord is the light of my countenance, of whom shall I be afraid ? Though thousands shall rise against me, yet in this I will bo confident.' …
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And then, again, you see he joins both together, ' Ye believe in God, be- lieve also in me,' to shew the distinction of persons in the Trinity, God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. All om* faith is resolved at length into one God, but yet withal into three persons in that divine nature, because, as there is God the Fat…
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* Qu. ' in ?'— G. THE SECOND SEEMON. Lef 7iot your hearts be troubled : ye believe in God, believe also in me. — • John XIV. 1. The words of dcyvag men departing out of the world, as being the most serious and weighty, are most to be regarded. The children of God, the nearer they are to heaven, the more suitable the…
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That which I shall now touch upon is this : We must remember what a strong foundation, what bottom, and basis, our faith hath. There is God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and Christ the Mediator. That our faith may be supported, we have him to beUeve on who supports heaven and earth, as in Heb. i. 2, and Col. i. 16, …
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He speaks this to them here who were behevers aheady ; (' Ye believe in God'), who he knew should not be troubled, ( 'Let not your hearts be troubled'). So that to the end we may be subjects capable of comfort, we must be such as by faith are one with Christ ; and so reconciled to God. All motion ends in rest, and all …
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Aye, but my faith is weak. 1. I answer, The office of faith is to knit to Christ, and the weakest faith will do that, as well as the strongest : and when we are once one with Chi'ist, then our perfection is to be found in him. It is the ofiice of faith to bring us to Christ ; and then to look to him for all perfection…
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Therefore in such cases hearken not to what fear says, or humom* saith, or Satan saith, or what the world saith, but hearken what truth itself saith, and what conscience saith, when it is enlightened by the Spii'it, as in good times when we are at the best. True Christians, though more remiss, shall have so much comfor…
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• SECOND SERMON. 3S5 a sweet reflection upon tlie soul. ' Remember, Lord, how I walked before thee, in truth, and with a perfect heart,' saith Hezekiah, 2 Kings xx. 3. He stood then most in need of comfort ; and this comforted him ; this his reflection upon his former sincerity. So when a man can appeal unto God, as P…
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* That is,- • flit.'— G. THE SAINT'S PRIVILEGE. When he is come, he shall reprove the world of sin, righteousness, and judg- ment: of sin, because they believe not in me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father ; of judgment, because the prince of this ivorld is judged. Especially the 10th verse. Of righteousness…
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Quest. But you will ask me this question. How shall we know common conviction of conscience from this of the Spirit ? For carnal men that go * Qu. 'Job'?-ED. t That is, ' blaming others.' Cf. Genesis iii. 12, seq.—G. THE SAINT S PRIVILEGE. 859 to hell are 'convinced' by a common conviction. What is tliis saving conv…
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I have done with the conviction of sin. Let us now come to speak of the conviction of righteousness. * Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and you shall see me no more.' It is a lit time for the Holy Ghost to convince God's people of righteous- ness when they are convinced of sin before. Then they can relish …
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But you will ask me why is the sending of the Spirit necessary for the ' convincing of this righteousness' ? I answer, for divers reasons. Fieasoii 1. First, Because it is above the conceit f of man that there should be such a righteousness of God-man. Therefore it is discovered by the Spirit; and when it is discover…
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Use. Thus we see how the Holy Ghost convinceth us of righteousness. Other things I must omit. If this be so, I beseech you, let m not lose oiirjviri- Icges and preror/atives. Doth God give grace, and give Christ with all his righteousness, and shall not we improve them ? Let us use this righteous- ness in all temptatio…
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Again, where this conviction of righteousness is, it answers all objections. The doubting heart will object this and that, but the Spirit of God shews an all-sufficiency in Christ's obedience ; and that sets the soul down quietly in all crosses, and calms it in all storms in some degree. Where the soul is convinced of …
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Use. Let us make use of this 2)oint oj Christ's (joiurj to the Father. Be- loved, there is not a point of religion but hath a wonderful spring of com- fort; and it is want of faith that we do not draw more comfort from them. When, therefore, we part with our friends by death, think they are gone to their Father. If ye …
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Now, this being done, in the latter end of the third chapter he goes on and proceeds to that second work of the Comforter, to convince the world of righteousness. But upon what ground ? ' Because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more ;' that is, he shall assure the conscience that there is now a righteousness of bet…
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Here the apostle shews the ground of our union and communion with Christ, because having his Spirit, we are of necessity his ; as St John speaks, 1 John iii. 24, ' And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.' What ties and makes one, things far asunder, but the same Spirit of life in…
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No man must think this strange, that God deals with men at first in this harsh manner, as it were to kill them, ere he make them alive ; nor be discouraged, as if God had cast them off for ever as none of his ; for this bondage and spirit of fear is a work of God's Spirit, and a preparative to the rest. But it is but a…
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That vain courage which some have to brag of, ' I fear not death,' this is not that meant here ; for, alas ! such braggers, out of ignorance of the thing, and desire to be out of misery in this life, may embrace death willingly, hoping it may put an end to their miseries. But this spirit not to fear again, is such a sp…
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This second was, that this course is for our good, and that two ways, 1. In justification. 2. In sanctification. 1. In justification. For the first, we are such strangers unto God, that we will never come to him till we see no other remedy, being at the pit's brink, ready to starve, hopeless of all other helps. We ar…
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Ohj. Ere I proceed, give me leave to answer one objection of a troubled soul, which may arise from hence : Oh, may one say, ' what comfort, then, may I have of the first work of the Spirit in me, for as yet I have found none of these things ? I have not been thus humbled, nor terrified, THE WITNESS OF SALVATION. 375 …
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A second time also there is of a great measure of humiliation, which is, though a man be free of worldly pollutions and gross sins, when the Lord intends to shew the sense or feeling of his mercy to any in an extraordinary measure, or to fit them for some high service, then they shall be much humbled before, as we see …
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' The testimony of our spirit.' I conceive to be, when a man hath taken a survey of those excellent things, belonging unto justification and sanctification ; when according to the substantial truths which I know in the word belonging thereunto, I observe and follow as fast as I may what is there commanded ; when I tak…
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2. Invitation. Now if a man do stagger, for all that the King keeps open house, so as he will not or doth not come, then in the second place comes invitaiinn. Because we are slow to believe, therefore God invites us : Mat. xi. 28, • Come unto me, all je that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' Many o…
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5. Thrcatenbuis. Fifthly, If all this will not do, then comes threaten- inrfs. Then God swears, that such as refuse shall never enter into his rest. If the prince should sue unto a beggar's daughter for marriage, and she should refuse and contemn his offer, do you think he would be well pleased ? So it is with us when …
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I have done with the testimony of our spirit. And then from our believ- ing God in generals and valorous resting upon him, taking him at his word, comes * the testimony of God's Spirit, witnessing with our spirit, that we are the children of God.' I say, this being done, and God letting us have trial what his strength…
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Secondly, A man must consider, if he hath as yet overcome strong passions and temptations, and p)assed through much hazard and peril, having been bulfeted with divers temptations, over which he hath obtained mastery. For this seal of God's Spirit with our spirit comes as a reward of service done ; as we may see Eev. ii…
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THE WITNESS OF SALVATION. 385 again, in a loss, let us mark the knocks of the Spirit, when, as it is Isa. XXX. 21, ' A voice behind us says. Walk this way, and that way,' &c., and grieve him not by withstanding holy motions, and then we shall find him sealing our salvation, and witnessing with our spirit that we are t…
914 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.