Category: Richard Sibbes

This should teach us then, this holy practice, to lay up observations of God’s dealing, and to take them as so many pawns and pledges to move God for the time to come to regard us. It is wondrous pleasing to him. It is no argument to prevail if we come to men, to say, you have done this for me, therefore you will ; because man hath a finite power which is soon drawn dry. But God is infinite. He is a spring. He can create new. What he hath done he can do, and more too. He is where he was at the first, and will be to the end of the world. He is never at a loss. Therefore it is a strong argument to go to God, and say, ‘Lord, thou art my God from the womb,’ thou hast delivered me from such a danger, and such an exigence. When I knew not what to do, thou madest open a way. I see by evident signs it was thy goodness, thou art alway like thyself, to be the same God now. Therefore we should treasure up observations of God’s dealing with us. 

It should be the wisdom of every Christian to be well read in the story of his own life, and to return back in his thoughts what God hath done for him, how God hath dealt with him for the time past, what he hath wrought in him by his Holy Spirit.  – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1

There is a partial deliverance, and a total deliverance. There is a deliverance from this and that trouble, and there is a deliverance from all troubles. God delivers us most when we think he delivers least; for we think how doth he deliver his children when we see them taken away by death, and ofttimes are massacred? That is one way of delivering them. God by death takes them from all miseries. They are out of the reach of their enemies. Death delivers them from all miseries of this life, both inward of sin, and outward of trouble. All are determined in death. Therefore, God when he doth not deliver them from death, he delivers them by death, and takes them to his heavenly kingdom.  – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1

What doth a man lose when he trusts in God, though he lose all the world? Hath he not him that made the world at the first, and can make another if he please? If a man lose all, and have God, as he hath that trusts in him, and in his word; for God will not deny his word and truth. He that trusts in God hath him, and if he have him, what if he be stripped of all? He can make another world with a word of his mouth. Other things are but a beam to him; what need a man care for a beam, that hath the sun?  – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1

And the comforts of the Holy Ghost are fetched from Christ, from the death of Christ, or the ascension of Christ, from some argument from Christ. Whatsoever comforteth the soul, the Holy Ghost doth it by fetching some argument from Christ, from his satisfaction, from his worth, from his intercession in heaven. Something in Christ it is. So Christ by his Spirit doth comfort, and the reasons fetched by the Spirit are from Christ. Therefore it is by Christ.

What is the reason that a Christian soul doth not fear God as ‘ a consuming fire,’ Heb. xii. 29, but can look upon him with comfort? It is because God hath received satisfaction by Christ. What is the reason that a Christian soul fears not hell, but thinks of it with comfort? Christ hath conquered hell and Satan. What is the reason that a Christian fears not death? Christ by death hath overcome death, and him that had the power of death, the devil. Christ is mine, saith the Christian soul. Therefore I do not fear it, but think of it with comfort, because a Christian is more than a conqueror over all these. What is the reason that a Christian is not afraid of his corruptions and sins? He knows that God, for Christ’s sake, will pardon them, and that the remainder of his corruptions will work to his humiliation, and to his good.’ All shall work for the best to them that love God,’ Rom. viii. 28. What is the reason that there is not anything in the world but it is comfortable to a Christian? When he thinks of God, he thinks of him as a Father of comfort; when he thinks of the Holy Ghost, he thinks of him as a Spirit of comfort; when he thinks of angels, he thinks of them as his attendants; when he thinks of heaven, he thinks of it as of his inheritance ; he thinks of saints as a communion whereof he is partaker. Whence is all this? By Christ, who hath made God our Father, the Holy Ghost our comforter, who hath made angels ours, saints ours, heaven ours, earth ours, devils ours, death ours, all ours, in issue.  – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1

The very sufferings of Christ are better than the most glorious day of the greatest monarch in the world that is not a Christian. It is better to suffer with Christ, than to joy with the world. The very abasement of St Paul was better than the triumph of Nero. Let Moses be judge. He judged it the best end of the balance, Heb. xi. 26. The very sufferings and reproach of Christ, and of religion, is better than the best thing in the world. The worst thing in Christianity, is better than the best thing out of Christ. The best thing out of Christ is the honour of a king, the honour of a prince, to be a king’s son, &c. But the reproach of Christ for a good cause is better than the best thing in the world. I say, let Moses be judge, if we will not believe it ourselves till we feel it. The worst day of a Christian is better than the best day of a carnal man; for he hath the presence of God’s Spirit to support him in some measure.  – Richard Sibbes, An Exposition of 2 Corinthians 1

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