Category: Heroes

What is the reason that men are taken up with admiration of petty mysteries, of poor things ? Because their thoughts were never raised up to higher considerations. A wise man will wonder at nothing, because he knows greater things than those objects presented to him, he hath seen greater measures than those ; so it is with a wise Christian. Do you think he will stand wondering at great and rich men, at great places and honours, and such things? Indeed, he knows how to give that respect that is due. Alas ! he hath had greater matters in the eye of his soul, and hath what is great in this world to him, to whom the world itself is not great. What is great in this world to him to whom Christ is great; to whom heaven and the mysteries of religion are great? All things else are little to him to whom these things are great.  -Richard Sibbes in The Fountain Opened

What a mercy is this, that he that hath the heaven of heavens to dwell in will make a dungeon to be a temple, a prison to be a paradise, yea, an hell to be an heaven. Next to the love of Christ in taking our nature and dwelling in it, we may wonder at the love of the Holy Ghost, that will take up his residence in such defiled souls.  – Richard Sibbes, A Fountain Sealed

To make this clearer, and help us in our trial, we must know that there are three degrees of victory: first, when we resist though we are foiled; second, when grace gets the better, though with conflict; and third, when all corruption is perfectly subdued. When we have strength only to resist, we may know Christ’s government in us will be victorious, because what is said of the devil is true of all our spiritual enemies, `Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’ (James 4:7); because `Greater is he that is in you’, who takes the part of his own grace, `than he that is in the world’ (1 John 4:4). And if we may hope for victory from bare resistance, what may we not hope for when the Spirit has gained the upper hand?  – Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed

The lower Christ comes down to us, the higher let us lift him up in our hearts; so will all those do that have ever found the experience of Christ’s work in their heart.  – Richard Sibbes in The Bruised Reed

Some are loath to perform good duties, because they feel their hearts rebelling, and duties come off untowardly. We should not avoid good actions for the infirmities cleaving unto them. Christ looketh more at the good in them that he meaneth to cherish, than the ill in them that he meaneth to abolish. A sick man, though in eating he something increaseth the disease, yet he will eat, that nature may get strength against the disease; so though sin cleaveth to what we do, yet let us do it, since we have to deal with so good a Lord, and the more strife we meet withal, the more acceptance. Christ loveth to taste of the good fruits that come from us, although they will always relish of the old stock.  – Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed

Thus: the Holy Ghost comforts us with reasons from Christ. He died, and has reconciled us to God; therefore, now God is at peace with thee. Here the Holy Ghost takes a ground of comfort from the death of Christ. When the Holy Ghost would raise a man up to holiness of life, he tells him, Christ thy Saviour and head is quickened, and is now in heaven, therefore we ought to rise to holiness of life. If the Holy Ghost be to work either comfort or grace, or anything, he not only does the same thing that he did first in Christ, but he does it in us by reasons from Christ, by grounds fetched from Christ. The Holy Ghost tells our souls that God loves Christ first, and he loves us in Christ, and that we are those that God gave Christ for, that we are those that Christ makes intercession for in heaven. The Holy Ghost witnesses to us the love of the Father and the Son, and so he fetches from Christ whatsoever he works.   – Richard Sibbes A Description of Christ

We should descend from the heaven of our conceit, and take upon us the form of servants, and abase ourselves to do good to others, even to any, and account it an honour to do any good to others in the places we are in. Christ did not think himself too good to leave heaven, to conceal and veil his majesty under the veil of our flesh, to work our redemption, to bring us out of the cursed estate we were in. Shall we think ourselves too good for any service? Who for shame can be proud when he thinks of this, that God was abased? Shall God be abased, and man proud? Shall God become a servant, and shall we that are servants think much to serve our fellow-servants? Let us learn this lesson, to abase ourselves; we cannot have a better pattern to look unto than our blessed Saviour. A Christian is the greatest freeman in the world; he is free from the wrath of God, free from hell and damnation, from the curse of the law; but then, though he be free in these respects, yet, in regard of love, he is the greatest servant. Love abases him to do all the good he can; and the more the Spirit of Christ is in us, the more it will abase us to anything wherein we can be serviceable.  – Richard Sibbes, A Description of Christ

I don’t believe the Bible is a book of heroes.  It is a book about the Hero.  The Bible does have heroes in it, but that is not what it is about.  Nonetheless, I do believe in having heroes, and I believe it is Biblical to have them.

Heroes are not perfect, and thus they point us to Christ in three ways.  Their faults (weaknesses and sins) point us to the Savior that they, and we, all need.  With this foundation we learn two further truths concerning their strengths.  First, they are a result of God’s gifting and working in them such that He gets all the glory.  Second, their strengths point us to Jesus, the ultimate curve breaker.  All heroes are judged in relation to Him.

Every year I single out one hero to study in particular.  This year I will study Richard Sibbes.

Richard Sibbes was born in 1577 at Tostock, Suffolk.  This son of a wheelwright loved books and with the help of supporters went to Cambridge at the age of 18.  There he would receive his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts, but most importantly He would be converted under the preaching of Paul Baynes in 1603.

Sibbes was ordained to the ministry in 1608, chosen as one of the college preachers in 1610, and earned his Bachelor of Divinity in 1611.  From 1611 to 1616 he would lecture at Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge.  In 1617 He would journey to London to be Lecturer for Gray’s Inn.  Additionally he became master of St. Catherine’s College, Cambridge in 1626.  Finally, while retaining the previous two positions he would serve as vicar of Holy Trinity, Cambridge until his death in 1635.

I was warmed towards reading Sibbes by reading others, notably John Piper and Mark Dever.  At the embark of this journey I have only read two titles, which I will reread this year, A Description of Christ and The Bruised Reed.  The Bruised Reed is one of the most comforting books I have ever read.  I encourage you to get the paperback version and profit deeply from it.

Every week I will post some gleanings from Sibbes.  All posts will be marked, “The Sweet Dropper,” a name Sibbes was known by.  If you have not already ready him I am sure you will soon see why.