Category: Richard Sibbes

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

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