PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Complete Works of Richard Sibbes — Volume 7
Richard Sibbes · 412,687 words · 416 reading sections
Section 301
For ourselves, that hear of the destruction of this Jericho, we have heard what Jericho w'as before it was destroyed. For aught we know, God may destroy Jerusalem, as well as Jericho, and by a worse people than them- selves, as the prophet saith, Ezek. xvii. 14, by ' a base people.' It is no matter, though others be wo…
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3. This keeps us likewise from soul-devouring sim. Less infirmities in us « Qu. 'for us'?— Ed. 474 THE EUIN OF MYSTICAL JEBICHO. keep us from pride and security. God hath many ends ; but to cut oflf other things, because the point is large, I only give a taste. Let this comfort us, that the walls of Jericho, that i…
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And to help us, do but consider what if we wait a few years, what is that to eternity ? I might enlarge the point. What great matters faith will do both in heaven and earth every way. We see here faith shakes the very^earth. God he is the Lord of heaven and earth. The earth is the Lord's. Because these walls were buil…
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THE RUIN OF MYSTICAL JERICHO. 477 when all enemies shall be trodden under foot. Satan and all enemies whatsoever shall go to their place. The opposite church shall be no longer. When the last trump shall blow we shall all stand together at the right hand of Christ, and be for ever glorious with him. NOTES. (a) P. 46…
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Yet notwithstanding, Noah was thought a wise man when the flood came ; so when destruction comes, then they are wise that get into the ark, that get into Christ before. Many such resemblances there be. I name but a few, because I go on. ' The like figure whereunto baptism also saveth us,' &c. Here, first of all, in a…
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Let us labour, therefore, in all our services of God, to bring especially the spiritual part. The prophet Hosea finds fault with Ephraim : ' They loved to tread out the corn, but not to wear the yoke,' Hosea x. 11. Now the ox that wears no yoke, it is no trouble to tread out the corn ; they fed upon the corn as they tr…
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being the foundation of the covenant, tlicre must be agreement in him. Now^Chvist is the foundation of the covenant, by satisfying God's justice, else God and we could never have come to good terms, nor conscience could ever have been satisfied ; for God must be satisfied before conscience be satisfied. Conscience else…
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To come more particularly to the words, some will have it, * the ques- tioning,' 'the demand' of a good conscience, but that follows the other; for when we answer truly the interrogatories in baptism, when we believe and renounce, then we may from a good conscience demand of God all the good in Christ. We may call upon…
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THE DEMAND OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE. 485 And from the gracious conscience comes the increase of a peaceable conscience. There must be peace before we can graciously renew our covenants to please God ; but when we have both these, faith in Christ and a resolution to please God in all things, there comes an increase of peac…
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Qne^t. Now how shall a man know whether be doth things of conscience or no? (1.) First, Whatsoever the answer of conscience is, it is towards God. If a man do things from reasons of religion, if a man be charitable to bis neighbour, if be be just and good, if it be from reasons of religion, because God commands him, t…
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For a use therefore of exhortation, if so be that this be the effectual baptism, the chief thing that we ought to stand on, this answer of a good conscience, then I beseech you let us all labour for this echo, for this answer: when God saith, 'Seek ye my face,' to answer, 'Thy face. Lord, will I seek,' Ps. xxvii. 8 ; w…
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THE DEMAND OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE. 489 ing their engagements in baptism and their so often repeating it at the communion, and their renewing of their vows when they have been sick ? How can we look for performance on God's part, when we have not had grace to perform our part, but our whole life hath been a satisfying o…
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Conscience, it is either the greatest friend or the greatest enemy in the world. It is the chiefest friend when it is privy to itself of this resolute answer, that it hath obeyed God in all things. Then conscience is our friend, it speaks to God for us at all times. Then again at the hour of death, what a comfort it is…
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Something does yet remain of the third verse untouched, and then, God assisting us, we shall come unto the fourth. f lu the third verse, the sum whereof you have heard, we have considered, 1. A gift : ' he hath given us.' 2. The fountain from whence: ' his divine power.' 3. The kind of gift : ' things pertaining to …
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494 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. The reason is, because by this knowleclf:;e of our calling we draw borne to our election. See for this Rom. viii. 30 : ' Whom he called, them also he justified ; and whom he justified, them also he glorified,' and so elected and predestinated. By our calling, therefore, which is by an eternal …
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1, Confutation; 2, trial; 3, instruction. Use 1. The first is against all such as oppugn this doctrine, chiefly the papists, who are for that, that a man should not inquire after the assurance of his salvation. Such kind of men, I pray you what do they but do as much as in them lieth to overthrow and pluck up the root…
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A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. 497 a print of a seal, though the print be dimmed, and not apparent, yet is a good sufficient evidence in law, though it be not so fairly stamped, and the seal so evident, as that of other seals : so I say unto thee, be not dis- couraged though thy seal be smooth, and little; yet look if any measur…
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Further, we read of another glory, which was put from Moses upon Joshua, Num. xxvii. 20, where God said to Moses, that he shall bring Joshua before the priest, and shall put some of his glory upon him, and his Spirit, that he might be honourable before the people : this was the glory of endowments, but it is not that g…
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500 A GLIMPSE OF GLORY. general kinds of all creatures shall be changed, renewed, and delivered from the estate of corruption and vanity unto the glorious liberty of the sons of God ; for that they shall be dcHvered it is clear, Rom. viii. 21. So the apostle Peter speaks of a new heaven and a new earth, 2 Peter iii. 1…
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(3.) So again, these bodies, though lame, dismembered, disfigured, abortive, or what you will of the like kind, shall rise again without all de- formities, caused either through want and defect of nature, or time ; and therefore the apostle, though he say, ' it is sown in weakness,' yet he adds, ' it is raised in power…
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But if nothing in the excellency of this great calling will encourage us to war thus, yet let glory do it. ' Called to glory,' as it is Heb. xii. 2. Set glory before thy eyes, this or nothing will make thee go on. Look at Christ Jesus, ' who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, and despised the sham…
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3. The last is for consolation, a man that hath this calling unto glory, Oh how marvellously may such an one be joyful in all tribulations, sorrows, and crosses. Oh but, says one, I am in poverty, what shall I do ? Stay a while, and glory will come, and thou shalt be rich as the best. Oh, may some other say, but I am t…
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506 THE PATTERN OF PUEITT. tnow that when he appears, we shall he like him as he is, that is, they they that look to be like to the Lord Jesus in glory, they must be conform- able in grace. Wilt thou be glorious as he is in heaven, thou must have the image of his grace on earth ; so that if we will be glorious, we mus…
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Now, on the other side, an impure man that walks on in iniquity, what sustains his hope ? Faith in God's promises ? No ; see God's book if there be any promise made to such a one : ' The ""mercies of God are from everlasting to everlasting towards them that fear him,' Ps. ciii. 17. And in the second commandment, * The …
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Then what follows ? Nothing is so certain as the accomplishment of God's promise. He that builds his hope on faith in God's promises, nothing is so sure as he shall attain his desire. On the other side, he that builds his hope on the presumptuous conceit of his own brain, there is nothing so certain as that man's hope …
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Doct. 2. Whosoever hopes to be saved, must set himself vpon this work, to purify himself. But here is as great a difficulty as the other. Doth it lie in the power of a man to purify himself ? That is the work of God ; and that David knew well enough, as in the 51st Ps., ver. 10, * Create in me a clean heart, 0 God, and…
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' Thou hast kept my word,' a little strength and a good heart will do it. Thou idle servant, that which thou countest little is a talent, it is a gift fit for the great King of heaven and earth, it will carry thee far, if thou hast not a deceitful heart; if thou hast an upright heart, God giveth thee strength, that tho…
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Therefore, as I may speak with reverence, make thy breakfast, as I may say, every morning, of the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, and this will give thee more life, more ability, and strength, the multiplying and con- * That is, ' painstakingly.' — G. j Spellftd ' reuce.' — G THE PATTERN OF PURITY. 513 timial repeti…
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First, Remember to whom thou goest, to a Father; then go to Jesus Christ, then to his word and promises, then make use of his seals and his blessed sacraments, sue God of his word and deed, challenge them, and when thou art thus prepared, 3. Then go and read a lecture to thyself of watchfulness. What it is to watch, t…
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I should now go to the third point, the pattern to which we should con- form ourselves. The glass we should imitate is our Saviour Jesus Christ, as he is pure. It is not meant thou shouklst ever hope to be as pure in quantity. As is not a note of quantity, but of quality, it shews a likeness. ' Thy will be done in eart…
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The description is large in the former part of the chapter. It would take up a great deal of time to unfold that ; but because I have divers other things to speak of, I will pass that by. The judgment of God upon the beast and whore, is set down partly in the verse before the text : ' The ten horns which thou sawest u…
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Especially considering the connection of this chapter with that follow- ing, where is set down the final destruction of this beast. Now we know that heathenish Rome ended long ago ; therefore that beast which is here meant must needs be that which follows in the next chapter, and therefore it must needs be Rome as it i…
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Besides that, they maintain the doctrine of equivocation, which is a lie, a justifier of lies, which is worst of all. * That is, in the pope as claiming to be successor of Peter. — G. OVER EAETHLY KINGS. 521 And to murder : this present day and occasion tells us that murders come from them. Their doctrine maintains…
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But this must be a little cleared. Is God the author of sin ? * God put it into their hearts.' He did not only rule the events, ' but he put it into their hearts,' &c. I answj^r, the phrases 'of the Scripture are well enough known in this kind. ' God gave them up to a reprobate sense,' Rom. i. 21. The falling of the p…
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' God put into their hearts to give up their kingdoms to the beast.' Here, first of all, from this ariseth, GocVs special providence i)i ill. In the greatest evil that can be, there is his special providence apparent : ' God put into their hearts to give up their kingdoms to the beast.' Observe here many acts of his p…
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OTEK EAKTHLY KINGS. 525 here, shall suffer most against their will hereafter. It is the greatest judg- ment in this world for a man to have his will in sinful courses. He that shall make an idol of his will, especially a man that is in great place of honour, that shall make all ways serve for the accompHshment of his …
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One thing more ; the beast is expressed before in chap. xiii. to be led by the devil. So that howsoever the devil, who by St Paul is called the god of this world, and the pope the subordinate vicar to the devil, and so by consequence he is the devil, for the devil, the dragon rules him. Howso- ever, I say there be the …
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It was a great wrong to their subjects. Kingdoms, we know, follow their kings ; and if Jeroboam make Israel to sin, all Israel will quickly sin. Diseases come from the head ; if the head be naught,* there will be a disease in the body ere long. A greater stone being tumbled down from a hill, it carries lesser stones al…
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* That is, ' entered into league,' = plotted. — G. t These are the commonplaces of history now. — G. i Printed ' wan.'— G. § That is, ' trifles.'— G. OVER EARTHLY KINGS, 529 truth, took away bis grace, and gave them up to this beast, that they should give up their authority, both prince and people, to him. And becaus…
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We see wickedness shall not thrive always. It shall not always be night, but the sun shall arise at the last. Impostures shall not always abuse the world. Their madness shall be made manifest at length, as Paul saith, 2 Tim. iv. 18. This is our comfort, that there is an ' until,' a time prefixed of God to discover and …
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My purpose was to have shewed the danger, if we do not further God's purpose in discovering this wicked antichrist : a state wherein the devil, the dragon, is effectual, and this book wondrously sets down the danger. It is another manner of danger now to relapse, and to apostatize, after the appearing of the glorious g…
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OVER EARTHLY KINGS. 583 destroyed ; and let us look on the courses they themselves take which will cause their destruction. Was there ever anything that weakened popery so much as this desperate attempt that we now celebrate this day ? Indeed, if we go to an ignorant papist, and tell him what doctrine they teach, and …
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THE CHURCH'S ECHO; And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. — Rev. XXII. 17. This book of the Revelation is an history of the state of the church, from the first coming of Christ to his second coming. These two last chapters set down the glorious condition of the church, in the latter end of the world, and as it shal…
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There is a threefold degree of union : An union of nature, grace, glory. The union of nature was, when Christ took our nature upon him. The union of grace is, when we take his nature, when we partake of the divine nature. The union of glory is when we shall all be in heaven. The first is for the second, and the secon…
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are ministers, to bring Christ and his spouse together, we are Paranymphi,^- friends of the bridegi'oom, as it is in the New Testament. Let me entreat you in good earnest, those that have not seriously given up their names to Christ, to be contracted to him, to join with him in good earnest, and to resign all to him in…
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The grounds why the church desires the coming of Chiist are manifold. 1. First of all, look but to the present condition of things in this world, the state of things, the scandals that are in the church. There will be a desire in the church that all scandals and offences may be removed, as it is in the gospel, ' Chris…
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7. The necessities of this life enforce a great deal of trouble ; the sup- plying the necessities of nature and of the condition that God hath set us in, which all shall have an end then. 8. Then again, the relation hetiveen Christ and this contracted spouse, and every faithful soul, enforceth a desire of his coming. …
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Shall we think that that Christian that saith these words in good earnest 542 THE cuuRcn's echo. will put Christ away in his ordinances, and not care for to hear his word, nor care to meet Christ here in earth, and yet pretend a desire to meet him in heaven ? Where is Chi-ist here ? Is he not in his congregations and…
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But are Christians always in this state of soul that they can say, ' Come ' ? Ans. I answer, they are alway in some degree fitting themselves for Christ ; but, notwithstanding, they are not alway so exact and watcliful, that they could wish that he should come at this time. Take the comparison from a wife, a spouse : …
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As it is in a river, it is impossible that the stream should run higher than THE church's echo. 545 the spring-head from whence it comes, so it is impossible that our desires should rise higher than the spring from whence they come. The desires of nature cannot go higher than nature. The desires of the flesh are fles…
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* That is ' naughty,' = wicked. — G. ANTIDOTUM CONTRA NAUFRAGIUMFIDEI ET bonjE conscientij;.* [dedication.] vieo insigni, tum pietate tum ebuditione plteclaro, revebendissimo Do. Do. JOAN. AEEOWSMITH,t D.D., S., Sm ET INDIVIDUiE TRINITATIS COLLEGH APUD CANTABRIGIENSES PR^FECTO, HANC CONCIONEM AD CLERUM. L. M. …
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1. Quae a Deo est doctrina fontem malorum ostendit, mysterium latentis vioiositatis recludit ; peccatum enim impedit sui ipsius cognitionem. Quam dilute de hoc sentiunt papistte, satis notum est. Sana hujus articuli doc- trina peculiaris ecclesite, sensus piis in ecclesia. 2. Doctrina a Deo inspirata conscientiam paca…
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552 ANTIDOTUM CONTRA NATJFEAGIUM transmarinas regiones qui avr6'?rT7jg vidit, quam qui in tabulis tantum geographicis. Sentitur res cujus virtus cognoscitur ; vita spiritualis ut et naturalis gustu ducitur. Non patitur promissa evangelica sibi eripi qui dulcedinem eorum degustavit : ut Petrus cum vim verborum Christi …
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Quod ad fratres nonnihil dissentientes attinet, optandum est, ut coale- fieremus, ut junctis viribus hostes oppugnaremus. Inter regia Jacobi regis xaropdoj/xara et hoc censendum, quod pra^cipitem contentionis rotam Synodo sufllaminare conatus est (k). Cui (licet ab aliis indictee) momentum addidit tanti regis authorita…
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556 ANTIDOTDM CONTRA NAUFRAGIUM sanorum verborum, tanquam saburra librare ct solidare judicium, prius- quam solvamus in oceanum autliorum ; alias misere fluctuabimus. Tandem ecclesia? sua3 misertus Deus excitavit heroas qui religionem reformarunt, non formarunt ; idem speculum detersum pulvere quod et ante, sed niti…
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Habita semper est haec academia custos depositi. Beda et Alcuinus nos- trates erant, Augustini doctrinam amplexi ; pluris apud nos sit majorum nostrorum authoritas quam nescio quorum turbatorum vicinarum ecclesia- rum. Hoc ad decus gloriosum, ad conscientiam pium, ad fructum utile, ad eventum tutum fuerit, si hanc nobi…
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Nee offert Spiritus sanctus gratiam si velimus, sed inspirat ut velimus. Ipsa potestas, ipsa voluntas, ipsa actio custodiendi est a Spiritu, qui movet et applicat ad agendum, sustentat in agendo, removet impedimenta, et promovet ad eum gradum ad quem visum est ei nos perducere. Recte Augustinus, A nobis custodimur, sed…
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SIBBES AND GATAKER* To the Eight Worshipful llr Koeert Offley, Master of the Company of Haberdashers, and the Right Worshipful Sir John Garret, Knight, Mr Alderman Hammersly, Mr Alderman Whitjiore, ]VIr Alderman Ronton, and other worthy Fathers and Brethren of the said Company, all prosperity in this world, and happin…
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INDEXES, & I.-BIBLIOGEAPHICAL LIST OF THE WOKKS OF EICHARD SIBBES, D.D. NOTE. Agreeably to my promise in Preface, there is herewith appended a chronological catalogue of the several books and tracts of Dr Sibbes, with references to the places in the respective volumes of our edition in which they will be found. To s…
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*.^* Of Nos. 8 to 10 I have in my library beautifully written manuscript ' Notes,' which are much more vivid and directly personal than the 564 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL LIST OF WORES. published editions, evidencing that they had been taken down from Sibbes's lips, and care- fully re-copied. The volume is a handsome quarto, i…
942 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.