Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A12171
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The bruised reede, and smoaking flax Some sermons contracted out of the 12. of Matth. 20. At the desire, and for the good of weaker Christians. By R. Sibbes. D.D.
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Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.
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1630
(1630)
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STC 22479; ESTC S102404
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79,256
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424
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and resolutions otherwise they stand not onely convicted but condemned by the Word and Christ that rideth on the White horse will spend all his arrowes upon them and wound them to death If any shall blesse himselfe in an ill way Gods wrath shall burne to hell against such There is no more comfort to bee expected from Christ then there is care to please him Otherwise to make him an abetter of a lawlesse and loose life is to transforme him into a phansie nay into the likenesse of him whose workes hee came to destroy which is the most detestable Idolatry of all One way whereby the Spirit of Christ prevaileth in his is to preserve them from such thoughts yet wee see people will frame a divinity to themselves pleasing to the flesh sutable to their own ends which being vaine in the substance will prove likewise vaine in the fruit and as a building upon the sand The maine scope of all is to allure us to the entertainment of Christs milde safe wise victorious government and to leave men naked of all pretences why they will not have Christ to rule over them when we see salvation not onely strongly wrought but sweetly dispensed by him His government is not for his owne pleasure but for our good We are saved by a way of love that love might be kindled by this way in us to God againe because this affection melteth the soule and mouldeth it to all dutie and acceptable manner of performance of dutie It is love in duties that God regards more then duties themselves This is the true and Euangelicall disposition arising from Christs love to us and our love to him againe and not to feare to come to him as if wee were to take an Elephant by the tooth It is almost a fundamentall mistake to think that God delights in slavish feares when as the fruits of Christs Kingdome are peace and joy in the Holy Ghost for from this mistake come weake slavish superstitious conceits Two things trouble the peace of Christians verie much their weaknesses hanging upon them and feare of holding out for time to come A remedy against both is in this Text for Christ is set out here as a milde Saviour to weake ones and for time to come his powerfull care and love is never interrupted untill hee bring forth judgement to victory And thereupon it is that both the meanes of salvation and grace wrought by meanes and glory the perfection of grace come all under one name of the KINGDOME of GOD so oft because whom by meanes he brings to grace he will by grace bring to glory This maketh the thoughts of the latter Iudgement comfortable unto us that he who is then to be our Iudge cannot but judge for them who â—…ve beene ruled by him here for whom hee guâ—…des by his counsell those he brings to glory If our saith were but as firme as our state in Christ is secure and glorious what manner of men should we be If I had gone about to affect writing in a high straine I should have missed of mine end and crossed the argument in hand For shall we that are servants quench those weake sparkes which our Lord himselfe is pleased to cherish I had rather hazard the censure of some then hinder the good of others which if it be any wayes furthered by these few observations I have what I aymed at I intended not a treatise but opening of a Text what I shall be drawne to doe in this kind must bee by degrees as leisure in the midst of many interruptions will permit The Lord guide our hearts tongues and pennes for his glory and the good of his people R. SIBBES A TABLE OF the Contents I. Part. Christ will not breake the bruised Reed THose that Christ hath to deale withall are bruised Bruising is necessary 1 Before conversion 10 2 After conversion 16 Vse Not to be rash in iudging such 18 Christ will not breake the bruised Reed 19 Confirmed from his borrowed titles 20 Relations 21 Offices ibid. Vse 1. Goe boldly to the throne of grace 25 Vse 2. Despaire not in thy bruisings 27 Vse 3. See the contrary to this in Sathan 28 1 Signes of bruisings 30 2 Mâ—…anes of bruisings 33 3 Measure of bruisings 39 4 Comfort to the bruised 43 II. Part. Nor quench the smoaking flaxe ¶ Grace is little at the first 46 Vse Not to be discouraged at small beginnings 49 ¶ Grace is mingled with corruption 52 Vse Hence wee iudge so variously of our selves 56 ¶ Christ will not quench small and wâ—…ake beginnings 58 Because it is from him 58 for him ibid. Vse No more should we therefore 1 Let all men in generall cary themselves with moderation 61 Yet with wisedome to discerne those that are not such 67 And tendernesse towards beginners 70 2 In particular to admonish of this 1 The Church 76 2 Ministers iâ—…id 3 Magistrates 77 4 Private Christians that they quench not good things in others by their 1 Example 81 2 Slanderings 82 3 Censuring and iudging them 1 For matters indifferent 83 2 For weaknesses 85 Use. 2. Examine whether wee be such as Christ will not quench 1 Rules how to examine our selves 91 2 Signes whereby to examine our selves 101 Some scruples of heart answered that keepe us from the comfort of our examination 122 Vse 3. We are incouraged to set upon duties notwithstanding our weaknesses and disabilities 130 A case about indisposition to dutie resolved 139 Two doubts of acceptance either 1 From scruples about duties 149 2 Ignorance of our condition in Christ. 151 Weaknesses what 153 How to recover lost peace 157 Vse 4. Let us frame our conceits accordingly and not beleeve Sathans representations of Christ to us 160 Or of us unto our selves ibid Vse 5. Reproofe of such as sinne against this mercifull disposition in Christ as those doe 1 That goe on in ill courses either from despaire 175 or presumption 177 or a wilfull purpose to quench the light that is in them ibid. 2 Neglect good courses from hopes to have comfort because Christ is thus mercifull 182 3 That ill require so gracious a Saviour as Christ is 1 By neglecting his Mediatorship 2 Or by being cruell to him in his 1 Members 195 2 Name 195 3 By divisions in opinion 197 4 That walke contrary to Christ in their dealing with the tender for their owne gaine 202 5 That 〈◊〉 and stumble at this low stooping of Christ. ibid. III. Part. Vntill hee send forth judgment unto Uictorie Explanation of the words 208 The spirituall government of Christ is joyned with judgement and wisedome 215 Vse 1. Spirituall wisedome and iudgement is excellent and in what respects 217 Why Sathan envies and spighteth it 221 It is most necessary for the mannaging of a Christians course 224 Where true wisedome and iudgment is there Christ sets up his government 230 The best method for practice 236 Use. 2. There is no true iudgement
alwayes according to present feeling for in temptations wee shall see nothing but smoake of distrustfull thoughts Fire may be raked up in the ashes though not seene life in the winter is hid in the root 3 Take heede of false reasoning As because our fire doth not blaze out as others therefore we have no fire at all and by false conclusions come to sinne against the Commandement in bearing false witnesse against our selves The Prodigall would not say hee was no sonne but that hee was not worthy to be called a sonne Wee must neither trust to false evidence nor deny true for so wee should dishonour the worke of Gods Spirit in us and lose the help of that evidence which would cherish our love to Christ and arme us against Sathans discouragements Some are so faulty this way as if they had beene hyred by Sathan the Accuser of the Brethren to plead for him in accusing themselves 4 Know for a ground of this that in the Covenant of Grace GOD requires the truth of Grace not any certaine measure and a sparke of fire is fire as well as the whole Element Therefore wee must look to Grace in the spark as well as in the flame All have not the like strong yet the like pretious Faith whereby they lay hold put on the perfect righteousnesse of Christ. A weak hand may receive a rich Iewell a few grapes will shew that the Plant is a Vine and not a Thorne It is one thing to be wanting in Grace and another thing to want Grace altogether GOD knoweth wee have nothing of our selves therfore in the Covenant of Grace he requireth no more then hee giveth and giveth what hee requireth and accepteth what hee giveth Hee that hath not a Lambe may bring a paire of Turtle Doves What is the Gospell it selfe but a mercifull moderation in which Christs obedience is esteemed ours and our sinnes laid upon him and wherein GOD of a Iudge becommeth a Father pardoning our sinnes and accepting our obedieÌ„ce though feeble and blemished Wee are now brought to heaven under the Covenant of Grace by a way of love and mercy It will prove a speciall help to know distinctly the difference betweene the Covenant of workes and the Covenant of Grace betweene Moses and Christ Moses without all mercy breaketh all bruised Reedes and quencheth all smoaking Flax. For the Law requireth 1 personal 2 perpetuall 3 perfect obedience 4 and from a perfect heart and that under a most terrible curse and giveth no strength a severe Taske-master like Pharaohs requireth the whole tale and yet giveth no straw CHRIST commeth with blessing after blessing even upoÌ„ those whom Moses had cursed and with healing Balme for those wounds which Moses had made The same duties are required in both CovenaÌ„ts as to love the Lord with all our harts with all our soules c. In this Covenant of workes this must bee taken in the rigour but under the CovenaÌ„t of Grace as it is a syncere endevour proportionable to grace received and so it must be understood of Iosias and others wheÌ„ it is said they loved GOD with all their hearts c. It must have an Euangelicall mitigation The Law is sweetned by the Gospel and becommeth delightful to the inner man Vnder this gratious Covenant synceritie is perfection This is the Death in the pot in the Romane Religion that they confound two CovenaÌ„ts and it deads the comfort of drooping ones that they cannot distinguish them And thus they suffer themselves to be held under bondage when Christ hath set them free and stay themselves in the prison when Christ hath set open the doores before them 5 Grace sometimes is so little as is undiscernable to us the Spirit sometimes hath secret operations in us which we know not for the present but Christ knoweth Sometimes in bitternes of temptation when the Spirit struggles with sense of Gods anger wee are apt to thinke GOD an enemy and a troubled soule is like troubled waters wee can see nothing in it and so farre as it is not cleansed it will cast up mire and dirt It is full of objections against it selfe yet for the most part we may discern something of this hidden life and of these smothered sparkes In a gloomy day there is so much light whereby wee may know it to bee day and not night so there is something in a Christian under a cloud whereby hee may be discerned to be a true Beleever and not an Hypocrite There is no meere darknesse in the state of Grace but some beame of light whereby the kingdome of darknesse wholy prevaileth not These things premised let us know for a Tryall First if there bee any holy fire in us it is kindled from heaven by the Father of lights who commanded light to shine out of darknesse As it is kindled in the use of meanes so it is fed The light in us and the light in the word spring one froÌ„ the other and both from one Holy Spirit and therfore those that regard not the word it is because there is no light in them Heavenly truths must have a heavenly light to discerne them Naturall men see heavenly things but not in their own proper light but by an inferiour light GOD in every converted man putteth a light into the eye of his soule proportionable to the light of truths revealed unto theÌ„ A carnall eye will never see spirituall things Secondly the least divine light hath heate with it in some measure Light in the understanding breedeth heate of love in the affections In what measure the sanctified understanding seeth a thing to be true or good in that measure the will imbraces it Weake light breedes weake inclinations a stroÌ„g light strong inclinations A little spirituall light is of strength enough to answer strong objections of flesh and blood and to looke thorow all earthly allurements and all opposing hinderances presenting them as farr inferiour to those heavenly objects it eyeth All light that is not spirituall because it wanteth the strength of sanctifying grace it yeeldeth to every little temptation especially when it is fitted and suted to personall inclinations This is the reason why Christians that have light little for quantitie but yet heavenly for qualitie hold out when men of larger apprehensions sinke This prevailing of light in the soule is because together with the spirit of Illumination there goeth in the godly a spirit of â—…ower to subdue the heart â—…o truth revealed and to â—…ut a taste and relish into â—…he will sutable to the sweetnes of the truths else 〈◊〉 meere naturall Will will rise against supernaturall truths as having an antipathy and enmitie against them In the godly â—…oly truths are conveyed by way of a taste gratious men have a spiritual pallat as well as a spirituall eye Grace altereth the relish Thirdly where this heavenly light is kindled it directeth in the right way For it is