Category: Heroes

This strange work is by Christ. The balancing of these two so sweetly together, crosses and comforts, they come both from one hand, both from one spring, ‘the sufferings of Christ,’ and the comforts of Christ, and both abound. Our troubles are for him, and our comforts are by him. So here is sufferings and comfort, increase of suffering, increase of comfort, sufferings for Christ, and comfort by Christ. You see them balanced together, and you see which weighs down the balance. Comfort by Christ weighs down sufferings for Christ. The good is greater than the ill. It is a point of wondrous comfort. The ark, you know, mounted up as the waters mounted up, when the waters overflowed the world. So it is here in this verse. There is a mounting of the waters, a rising of the waters above the mountains. Afflictions increase, and grow higher and higher; but be of good comfort, here is the ark above the waters, here is consolation above all. As our sufferings for Christ increase, so our consolations, likewise, by Christ increase.  – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1

That which thou and the devil with thy conscience would move thee to use as an argument to run away, our Saviour Christ in the gospel useth as an argument to draw thee forward. He comes for such, ‘to seek, and to save the lost sinners.’ This is a faithful saying, saith St Paul, that ‘Christ came to save sinners.’ Therefore, believe not Satan. He presents God to the soul that is humbled, and terrified in the sight of sin, as cruel, as a terrible judge, &c. He hides the mercy of God from such. To men that are in a sinful course he shews nothing but mercy. Aye, but now there is nothing but comfort to thee that art cast down and afflicted in the sense of thy sins; for all the comforts in the gospel of forgiveness of sins, and all the comforts from Christ’s incarnation, the end of his coming in the flesh, the end of his death, and of all, is to save sinners.  – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1

See thy nature abased in Christ, see thy nature glorified in Christ, see thy nature filled with all grace in Christ, and see this, that thou art knit to that nature, thou art flesh of Christ’s flesh, and bone of his bone, and thou shalt be so as he is. In that Christ’s nature was first abased, and then glorified, this nature shall first be abased to death and dust, and then be glorified. Christ died, ‘ and rose again,’ Rom. xiv. 9. Thou art predestinated to be conformable to Christ. For as his flesh was first humbled and then glorious, so thine must be first humble, and then glorious. His flesh was holy, humble, and glorious, and so must ours be. Whatsoever we look for in ourselves, that is good, we must see it in Christ first.

And when we hear in the gospel, in the articles of the creed, of Christ crucified, of Christ dying, of Christ rising, ascending, and sitting at the right hand of God; let us see ourselves in him, see ourselves dying in him, and rising in him, and sitting at the right hand of God. For the same God that raised Christ natural, will raise Christ mystical. He will raise whole Christ ; for he is not glorified by pieces. As whole Christ natural, in his body and members, was raised, so shall whole Christ mystical be.  – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1

 The stream gives nothing to the fountain. The beam gives nothing to the sun, for it issues from the sun. Our very blessing of God is a blessing of his.

It is from his grace that we can praise his grace; and we run still into a new debt, when we have hearts enlarged to bless him.

We ought to have our hearts more enlarged, that we can be enlarged to praise God. – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1

The sun doth more good being in heaven, than he could do if he were on the earth. If the sun were lower, what would become of the earth? But being so remote, and so far above, he hath opportunity to shine over the greatest part of the earth at once; being greater than the earth, he shineth over more than half the earth at once. Christ being in heaven, as the ‘Sun of righteousness,’ he shines more gloriously over all; and we have more comfort, and benefit, and influence from Christ, now in heaven, than we could if he were on earth. –Richard Sibbes in The Fountain Opened

Was our nature advanced in his incarnation? Much more was it glorified in his exaltation, when he carried it to heaven with him. Here was the mystery of the exaltation of our nature. God was as much abased as he could be, being born and dying for us. Our human nature was as much advanced as it could be, when God raised it up to heaven. God could be no more abased, remaining God; and man’s nature can be no more advanced, remaining the true nature of man. This is a ‘great mystery,’ the  advancement of our nature in Christ, that was made ‘lower than the angels ;’ he was ‘a worm, and no man.’ Now our nature in Christ is advanced above the angels. Now this nature of ours in Christ, it is next to the nature of God in dignity; here is a mystery.  –Richard Sibbes in The Fountain Opened

How is Christ to be believed on?

 1. We must rest upon no other thing, either in ourselves or out of ourselves, but Christ only.… They dishonour Christ to join anything in the world with him….

 2. And whole Christ must be received. ‘Believing’ is nothing but a taking or receiving of Christ as a Lord and as a Saviour; as a priest, to redeem us by his blood; and Christ as a king, to govern us. We must take whole Christ. We see what manner of faith is in most men, that snatch out of Christ what they list, to serve their own turn. As he died for their sins, so they are glad of him; but as he is a lord and king to rule and govern them, so they will have none of him… But Christ, as we must rest and rely on him only, so we must receive him and believe on him wholly.

 Now faith looks upon Christ as the main object of it, as it justifieth. The same faith it looks upon the whole word of God as a divine truth revealed; but for the main work of it, it looks upon Christ. Christ is the jewel that this ring of faith doth enclose; and as the ring hath the value from the jewel, so hath faith from Christ. In the main point of justification and comfort, faith lays hold upon Christ for mercy; for the distressed afflicted soul it looks first of all to comfort, and peace, and reconciliation; therefore it looks first to him that wrought it – that is, Christ. Now, the same faith that doth this, it believes all divine truths, the threatenings, and precepts, &c. Faith chooseth not its object to believe what it lists, but it carries the soul to all divine truths revealed. But when we speak of justifying faith, then Christ, and the promises, and the mercy of God in Christ, is the first thing that the soul looks unto.  –Richard Sibbes in The Fountain Opened

Quest. But must nothing be preached but Christ?

Ans. I answer, Nothing but Christ, or that that tends to Christ. If we preach threatenings, it is to cast men down, that we may build them up. If a physician purge, it is that he may give cordials. Whatsoever is done in preaching to humble men, it is to raise them up again in Christ; all makes way for Christ. When men are dejected by the law, we must not leave them there, but raise them up again. Whatever we preach, it is reductive to Christ, that men may walk worthy of Christ. When men have been taught Christ, they must be taught to walk worthy of Christ, and of their calling,’ Col. 1:10, that they may carry themselves fruitfully, and holily, and constantly, every way suitable for so glorious a profession as the profession of Christian religion is. The foundation of all these duties must be from Christ. The graces for these duties must be fetched from Christ; and the reasons and motives of a Christian’s conversation must be from Christ, and from the state that Christ hath advanced us unto. The prevailing reasons of an holy life are fetched from Christ. The grace of God hath appeared’ saith St Paul, ‘ it hath shined gloriously’ – ‘teaching us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, and righteously, and holily, in this present evil world,’ Titus 2:12. So that Christ is the main object of preaching. This made St Paul, when he was among the Corinthians, to profess no knowledge of anything but of Christ, and him crucified; ‘ to esteem and value nothing else. He had arts and tongues and parts. He was a man excellently qualified, but he made show of nothing in his preaching, and in his value and esteem, but of Christ, and the good things we have by Christ.

Now Christ must be preached wholly and only. We must not take anything from Christ, nor join anything to Christ. …It is a destructive addition, to add anything to Christ. Away with other satisfaction. The satisfaction of Christ is enough. Away with merits. The merits of Christ are all-sufficient. -Richard Sibbes in The Fountain Opened

Christ is the scope of the Scripture.

Christ is the pearl of that ring; Christ is the main, the centre wherein all those lines end. Take away Christ, what remains? Therefore in the whole Scriptures, let us see that we have an eye to Christ; all is nothing but Christ. The mystery of religion is Christ ‘manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit,’ &c., all is but Christ.  -Richard Sibbes in The Fountain Opened

Therefore when we have the truths of religion discovered to us by the ministry, or by reading, &c., when they are conveyed to our knowledge by any sanctified means, let us propound these queries to our own souls, Are these things so or no? Yes. Do I believe them to be so or no? Yes. If I do believe them, then consider what the affection and inward disposition is; whether it be suitable to such things, and so work upon our hearts that our knowledge may be affective knowledge, a knowledge with a taste, that sinks even to the very affections, that pierceth through the whole soul; that the affections may yield, as well as the understanding; and let us never cease till there be a correspondence between the affection and the truth. Are they true? Believe them. Are they good? Embrace them. Let us never rest till our hearts embrace them, as our understanding conceives them. And let us think there is a defect in our apprehensions, that we call them into question, if the affections embrace them not; for alway, answerable to the weight and the depth of the apprehension of the truth, is the affection stirred up, and the will stirred up to embrace it. A man knows no more in religion than he loves and embraceth with the affections of his soul.  – Richard Sibbes, The Fountain Opened