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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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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
about CHRIST the faster as they see more need in themselves and let them remember the mildnesse of CHRIST here that will not quench the smoaking flaxe Oft-times wee see that after a deepe humiliation Christ speakes more peace then before to witnesse the truth of this reconciliation because he knowes Satans enterprizes in casting downe such lower and because such are most abased in themselves and are ashamed to looke Christ in the face by reason of their unkindnesse We see GOD did not onely pardon David but after much bruising gave him wise Salomon to succeed him in the Kingdome We see in the Canticles that the Church after she had beene humbled for her slighting of Christ Christ sweetly entertaines her againe and falleth into commendation of her Beauty Cant. 6. We must know for our comfort that CHRIST was not annointed to this great worke of the Mediatour for lesser sinnes onely but for the greatest if there be but a sparke of true faith to lay hold on him Therefore if there bee any bruised Reed let him not except himselfe when Christ doth not except him Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden c. Why should we not make use of so gracious a disposition we are onely therefore poore because wee know not our riches in CHRIST In time of temptation rather beleeve CHRIST then the Devill beleeve truth from Truth it selfe hearken not to a lyar an enemy and a murtherer Since CHRIST is thus comfortably set out unto us let us not beleeve Sarans representations of him When we are troubled in conscience for our sinnes his manner is then to present him to the afflicted soule as a most severe Iudge armed with Iustice against us But then let us present him to our soules as thus offered to our view by GOD himselfe as holding out a Scepter of mercy and spreading his armes to receive us When we thinke of Ioseph Daniel Iohn the Evangelist c. we frame conceipts of theÌ„ with delight as of milde sweet persons much more when we thinke of CHRIST wee should conceive of him as a mirrour of all meekness If the sweetnesse of all flowers were in one how sweet must that flower needs be In CHRIST all perfections of mercy and love meete how great then must that mercy be that lodgeth in so gracious a heart Whatsoever tendernesse is scattered in husband father brother head all is but a beame from him it is in him in the most eminent manner We are weake but we are his we are deformed but yet carry his Image vpon us A father lookes not so much at the blemishes of his child as at his owne nature in him so Christ findes matter of love from that which is his owne in us Hee sees his owne nature in us wee are diseased but yet his members who ever neglected his owne members because they were sicke or weake none ever hated his owne flesh Can the head forget the members Can CHRIST forget himselfe we are his fulnesse as he is ours He was Love it selfe clothed with mans nature which hee united so neere to himselfe that hee might communicate his goodnes the more freely unto us And tooke not our nature when it was at the best but when it was abased with all naturall and common infirmities it was subiect unto Let us therefore abhorre all suspicious thoughts as either cast in or cherished by that damned spirit who as he laboured to divide betweene the Father and the Sonne by jealousies If thou beest the Sonne of God c. So his daily sâ—…udy is to divide betwixt the Sonne and us by breeding misperswasions in us of CHRIST as if there were not such tender love in him to such as we are It was his art from the beginning to discredit God with man by calling Gods love into question with our first Father Adam his successe then makes him ready at that weapon still But for all this I feele not CHRIST so to me saith the smoaking flaxe but rather the cleane contrary he seemeth to be an enemy unto me I see and feele evidences of his just displeasure CHRIST may act the part of an enemy a little while as Ioseph did but it is to make way for acting his own part of mercy in a more seasonable time hee cannot hold in his bowells long he seemeth to wrastle with us as with Iacob but hee supplyes us with hidden strength at length to get the better Faith pulls off the vizard from his face and sees a loving heart under contrary appearances At first he answers the woman of Canaan crying after him not a word 2. then gives her a deniall 3. gives an answer tending to her reproach calling her dogge as being without the Covenant yet she would not be so beaten off for shee considered the end of his comming As his Father was never neerer him in strength to support him then when he was furthest off in sense of favour to comfort him So CHRIST is never neerer us in power to uphold us then when he seemeth most to hide his presence from us The influence of the Sun of righteousnesse pierceth deeper then his light In such cases whatsoever CHRISTS present cariage is towards us let us oppose his nature and office against it hee cannot deny himselfe he cannot but discharge the office his Father hath laid upon him Wee see here the Father hath undertaken that hee shall not quench the smoaking flaxe and CHRIST againe undertaken for us to the Father appearing before him for us untill he presents us blamelesse before him The Father hath given us to Christ and Christ giveth us back againe to the Father This were good comfort if I were but as smoaking flaxe It is well that thy objection pincheth upon thy selfe and not upon Christ it is well thou givest him the honour of his mercy towards others though not to thy selfe but yet doe not wrong the worke of his Spirit in thy heart Sathan as he slaundereth CHRIST to us so hee slandereth us to our selves If thou beest not so much as smoaking flax theÌ„ why doest thou not renounce thy interest in Christ and disclame the Covenant of grace this thou darest not do why dost thou not give up thy selfe wholly to other contents this thy spirit will not suffer thee Whece comes these restlesse groanings and complaints Lay this thy present estate together with this office of CHRIST to such and doe not despise the consolation of the Almighty nor refuse thy owne mercy Cast thy selfe into the Armes of CHRIST and if thou perishest perish there if thou dost not thou art sure to perish If mercy be to be 〈◊〉 any where it is there herein appeares Christs care to thee that hee hath given thee a heart in some degree sensible he might have given thee up to hardnes security and prophanenesse of heart of all spirituall judgements the greatest Hee that dyed for his enemies will hee refuse