Category: Richard Sibbes

We must take heed of coming to God in our own persons or worthiness, but in all things look at God in Christ. If we look at God as a Father, we must see him Christ’s Father first. If we see ourselves acquitted from our sins, let us look at Christ risen first. If we think of glorification in heaven, let us see Christ glorified first, and when we consider of any spiritual blessing, consider of it in Christ first. All the promises are made to Christ. He takes them first from God the Father, and derives [communicates] them to us by his Spirit. The first fulness [sic] is in God, and then he empties himself into Christ. ‘ And of his fulness we all receive grace ,’ &c.  – Richard Sibbes in Divine Meditations and Holy Contemplations

God so hated pride, that he became humble to the death of the cross to redeem me from it, and shall I be proud?  – Richard Sibbes, Divine Meditations and Holy Contemplations

Though God deliver not out of trouble, yet he delivers from the ill in trouble, from despair in trouble, by supporting the spirit. Nay, he delivers by trouble, for he sanctifies the trouble to cure the soul, and by less troubles he delivers from greater.  – Richard Sibbes, Divine Meditations and Holy Contemplations

He married our nature, that he might marry our persons.  – Richard Sibbes, Miracle of Miracles

Thus you see how David after all his victories describes God to be his God, and his salvation both for body and soul, for the present and for the time to come, with means, without means, and against all means. What a comfort is this! He can command salvation, he can command the creature to save, and the devil himself to be a means to save us; and if there be no means for thee to see, yet he can create means to do it in an instant. Thus God is our help; and what a ground of comfort is this! Therefore I beseech you be not discouraged. Mourn we may like doves, but not roar like beasts in our afflictions; when we have humbled ourselves enough, then must we raise up our souls from our grief to another object. For a Christian must look to divers objects: look to the trouble with one eye, and to God with the other, and know him to be his salvation. Then, let the trouble be what it will be, if God be thy deliverer; it is no matter what the disease be, if God be thy physician.  – Richard Sibbes, Discouragement’s Recovery

When a man sees the gospel of God trodden down, for a man now to be quiet, that shews his heart is dead. It is better to rage than to be quiet in such a case; for that shews life, though with much distemper. God will set light by his salvation that sets light by his honour. – Richard Sibbes, Discouragement’s Recovery

These desires, first of all, they were but flashes: for we never read that he [Balaam] had them long. They were mere flashes; as a sudden light, that rather blinds a man than shews him the way. So these enlightenings they are not constant. Wicked men ofttimes have sudden motions and flashes and desires. ‘Oh that I might die the death of the righteous. ‘Oh that I were in such [a] man’s estate. But it is but a sudden flash and lightning. They are like a torrent, a strong sudden stream, that comes suddenly and makes a noise, but it hath no spring to feed it. The desires of God’s children they are fed with a spring, they are constant; they are streams, and not flashes.  – Richard Sibbes, Balaam’s Wish

[R]efuse not all that ill men say; they may have good apprehensions, and give good counsel. It had been good for Josiah to have followed the counsel of wicked Pharaoh, a heathen. God often enlightens men that otherwise are reprobates. Refuse not gold from a dirty hand; do not refuse directions from wicked men.  – Richard Sibbes, Balaam’s Wish

As a tree, we cast not water on the branches, but on the root. All the branches are cherished by the root. So strengthen faith. We strengthen love, and hope, and all, if we strengthen faith, and assurance of God’s love in Christ.  – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1

As in plants and tree, what is the fruit of the tree? nothing but the juice of the tree applied and digested into fruit; so, indeed, doctrine is that that runs through the whole life of a Christian, and the strength of doctrine is in comfort. Comfort is nothing but doctrine sweetly digested and applied to the affections. He will never be a good comforter, that doth not first stablish the judgment in some grounds of doctrine, to shew whence the comfort flows.  – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1