The Bruised Reed edition by Richard Sibbes Religion Spirituality eBooks
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"What a support to our faith is this, that God the Father, the party offended by our sins, is so well pleased with the work of redemption!"
The Bruised Reed is a tender pastoral treatise. It was Sibbes' aim to expound on God's grace in the work of the cross. Though Sibbes was well up to the task to produce a text of a dogmatic nature, he rather chose to create an applied theological work on the topic of sanctification and assurance. Speaking of this book, Richard Baxter wrote, “it opened more the love of God to me, and gave me a livelier apprehension of the mystery of redemption, and how much I was beholden to Jesus Christ.”
This electronic edition features an active table of contents.
The Bruised Reed is part of The Fig Classic Series on Post-Reformation Theology. To view more books in our catalog, visit us at fig-books.com.
The Bruised Reed edition by Richard Sibbes Religion Spirituality eBooks
I have been encouraged recently, listening to an audiobook of "The Bruised Reed" by Richard Sibbes, who expounds the passage from Isaiah that a bruised reed Christ does not break and a smoldering wick he does not extinguish. If there is a glimmer of true faith in someone, even if there is much weakness, confusion, and sin, God does not cast them aside, but seek to fan to flame that smoldering wick. In reality, that is hard to see in people (including ourselves) sometimes, but that it the hope that we have to hang on to because we know that God is merciful. The author does expounds this same theme in a number of different ways, and my overall takeaway from the book was to be encouraged that when I am weak, struggling, needing to repent again for sin, God does not abandon me. It is not possible for any person to be more merciful and gracious that God is. A key thought that has stuck with me from this book is, “God has more mercy towards us than we have sin."Product details
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The Bruised Reed edition by Richard Sibbes Religion Spirituality eBooks Reviews
I picked up this 99 cent copy after running across Jesus’ remarks in Matthew 12, in which he quotes the prophet Isaiah “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” Uncertain in the ambiguity, I found out Richard Sibbes had written an entire book on the topic. I had never read anything by Richard Sibbes before, but with an increasing personal interest in the Puritans I decided to give it a try. I was, frankly, blown away.
“The Bruised Reed” is less a commentary on Matthew 1220, and more of a blueprint of the Christian walk. It begins by discussing the tenderness of Christ. The heart of the Father. “As a mother tendereth most the most diseased and weakest child, so doth Christ most mercifully incline to the weakest child, and likewise putteth an instinct into the weakest things to rely upon something stronger than themselves for support.” Sibbes instructs that we not consider ourselves loftier than Christ, but in likewise manner, condescend to those individuals within which there is a spark of the divine work. “The Holy Ghost is content to dwell in smoky, offensive souls. O that that Spirit would breathe into our spirits the like merciful disposition!”
Sibbes throughout delves into the riches of “weakness” in the economy of God. “A pearl, though little, yet is of much esteem nothing in the world is of so good use, as the least dram of grace.” He welcomes a faltering and struggling faith and urges that we do so as well “A weak hand may receive a rich jewel; a few grapes will show that the plant is a vine, and not a thorn. It is one thing to be wanting in grace, and another thing to want grace altogether.” Correspondingly it is the haughty that are in greater danger “Hypocrites need stronger conviction than gross sinners, because their will is naught, and thereupon usually their conversion is violent.” Sibbes calls us to not despise the day of small things in weak Christians, but in the model of our Savior, help fan into flame the sparks.
The bruised reeds and smoldering wicks do not remain bruised and smoldering, however. The final chapters discuss the eventual outcome of the judgment or rule of God in the heart of man. “Christ sets up his chair in the very heart, and alters the frame of that, and makes his subjects good, together with teaching of them to be good. Other princes can make good laws, but they cannot write them into people’s hearts.” The joy of the Christian walk is that our Lord does not leave us the way he finds us, but through his transformative work, He will make us something we are not.
Perhaps what I appreciated most in this volume is the Christian, pastoral wisdom offered to those striving to live the Christian walk. How do we call our minds to live in a manner worthy of Christ? How do we battle discouragement when we see so little fruit within us? How do fight complacency through the seasons where we experience apparent ease? This rather short book is a fountain of such wisdom, and something I will go back and read again.
I will say that “The Bruised Reed” though short, takes time to read. The older language and depth of topic require a little more focus than typical books require. While I am by no means a quick reader, I found myself frequently mouthing the words to track with the flow. All in all, an amazing (life changing?) work. One I will reread again and again, and pass on to friends.
You should read it as well.
**
“A father looks not so much at the blemishes of his child, as at his own nature in him; so Christ finds matter of love from that which is his own in us.”
This is my second book I have read written by a Puritan author and another work of acclaim by many. Sibbes follows Matthew’s interpretation of this text, seeing it to be fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1218-20). His exposition breaks down into three basic parts (1) Christ will not break the bruised reed; (2) Christ will not quench the smoking flax; (3) Christ will not do either of these things until he has sent forth judgment into victory. Sibbes explains the main text under these three headings and then intersperses searching application throughout the book. In his book The Bruised Reed and Smoking Flax, the Puritan preacher Richard Sibbes provides a tenderhearted, Christ-exalting exposition and application of Isaiah 421-3. Since its initial publication in 1630, The Bruised Reed has been a source of encouragement to people at every stage of their spiritual journey alike; regardless if you are searching for God, just starting a relationship with Him, striving in your relationship with God or surrendered to God and His will; this book can be helpful for you. With this in mind, it is a book that was originally written in 1630 there are some editions that are more modernized than others, so keep this in mind in selecting one.
Here are a few things I enjoyed about this book
1. Centrality of Christ
Sibbes doesn’t just point out the sinfulness in the heart of man. He wants the heart of his readers to be captivated by Christ. According to Sibbes, God mercifully bruises followers of Jesus in order to soften their hardheartedness and awaken love for Christ. He writes “This bruising makes us set a high price upon Christ. Then the gospel becomes the gospel indeed; then the fig-leaves of morality will do us no good” (4).
This kind of Christ-centeredness is found throughout the book “There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us” (13). “We are only poor for this reason, that we do not know our riches in Christ” (61). “In Christ all perfections of mercy and love meet” (62). “He who died for his enemies, will he refuse those, those desire of whose soul is towards him?” (65). “Whatever may be wished for in an all-sufficient comforter is all to be found in Christ” (66). Sibbes reminds readers of the importance of always keeping Christ at the center of everything we do especially in ministry to others.
2. Clear Concise Sentences
I recall during one of my college writing courses coming to an understanding of communicating in short concise sentences as opposed to long narrative. This is one of the things I loved about Sibbes work. He not only makes complicated ideas plain but makes statements so concise they are easily tweet-able.
For example, Sibbes asks the probing question, “What is the source of discouragements to duties?” At this point, one might expect a complicated reply. But instead, Sibbes gives this simple, three-fold answer “Not from the Father…Not from Christ…Not from the Spirit… Discouragements, then, must come from ourselves and from Satan, who labours to fasten on us a loathing of duty” (56-57). If you feel discouraged about going to God in prayer, then Sibbes exhorts you to preach to yourself that this discouraging lie is coming from your flesh or from the Devil, the father of lies. The holy, loving Triune God longs for his children to boldly draw near to his throne of grace.
I have been encouraged recently, listening to an audiobook of "The Bruised Reed" by Richard Sibbes, who expounds the passage from Isaiah that a bruised reed Christ does not break and a smoldering wick he does not extinguish. If there is a glimmer of true faith in someone, even if there is much weakness, confusion, and sin, God does not cast them aside, but seek to fan to flame that smoldering wick. In reality, that is hard to see in people (including ourselves) sometimes, but that it the hope that we have to hang on to because we know that God is merciful. The author does expounds this same theme in a number of different ways, and my overall takeaway from the book was to be encouraged that when I am weak, struggling, needing to repent again for sin, God does not abandon me. It is not possible for any person to be more merciful and gracious that God is. A key thought that has stuck with me from this book is, “God has more mercy towards us than we have sin."
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