Richard Sibbes the Conforming Churchman (YWS Week 8)

Nick Horton 2 Comments

Welcome to a year of reading Richard Sibbes together! The reading plan for the entire year can be accessed here. I encourage you to stick with us, allow yourself time to read, and soak in the riches of this gifted and prolific Puritan preacher. You will be edified and encouraged.

If you have trouble with how Sibbes used words, check out the Lexicons of Early Modern English for definitions from the period.

Summary/Engagement

We have now reached the end of Dever’s PHD dissertation on the life and theology of Richard Sibbes. Chapter seven was devoted largely to Sibbes’s views of assurance of salvation and the conscience of man. Sibbes taught on assurance much like the Reformers before him, though Dever pointed out they may have stated their positions differently. In teaching, they were nearly the same.

Dovetailing in to assurance is Sibbes’s teaching on the conscience. The conscience was the guide by which a man was to determine his standing or assurance before God, and his actions before men. “Sibbes taught that God had left the conscience in man as his “vicar; a little god in us to do his office, to call upon us, direct us, check and condemn us.” (187) God was supreme, the conscience was under God, and the counsel of men came after them. God informed the conscience, which informed the man, which logically placed them ahead of the counsel of others.

It is this view of the conscience that helps explain Sibbes staying in the Church of England as a “conscientious conformer,” rather than a non-conformist. Dever notes Sibbes was convinced that he should not separate from the church for matters that were only of first importance: the gospel and right preaching of the word of God, the administration of the ordinances, and discipline.

Coupled with his trust in the sovereignty and goodness of God, and you have the ingredients to make a conforming moderate Puritan who kept covenant with the Church of England until his death in 1635. While many of his friends and other Puritans left the church, some to the colonies in America and others to mainland Europe, Sibbes stayed faithfully in the church, though its character had changed much from his days at Cambridge. Yet, we can see from this quote he perhaps did not see the church as healthy, but had faith in God who could make it healthy.

“Look with other spectacles, with the eye of faith, and then you shall see a spring in the winter of the church.” (205)

Application / Further Discussion

Sibbes was a Reformed Calvinist, a moderate Puritan, and yet a conforming member of the Church of England. The Puritans were “non-conformists,” those who left the church of England due to objections to its faith and practice. Yet somehow, Sibbes was able to make peace with his conscience and stay in the church.

He had hope of what was to come. “A spring in the winter of the church.” He believed that the church was fundamentally God’s, and thus he trusted in God’s sovereignty over the church. This is not to say he was without bounds as apparently in 1616 when he had to re-state his conformance he may have been close to non-conformity. Yet he stayed.

I am reminded of a story Mark Dever tells about a friend of his who would not join his local church because he felt that “they would slow him down.” Dever pointed out this brother was indeed bright, and devoted to God and his word. His retort to his friend was, “yes, but did you ever think you might speed them up?” This captures for me Richard Sibbes and his conformity to the Church of England.

Sibbes did not find matters that he objected over of a nature worth splitting from the church. Thus, his duty was to stay and preach and teach those who he had influence over. He taught the sovereignty of God, the sinfulness of man, and the assurance that could be afforded man contrary to Roman Catholic teaching. He chose to stay.

The significance of Sibbes’s decision to stay resonates deep within me. The link of the believer to the church is increasingly weak in North America. People leave over trivial matters such as music, programs, activities, and disputes. First order doctrinal issues are not often the reason for separation of saints from the local church. Can we not learn from Sibbes here?

Can we resist the temptation in ourselves to leave for a “better” church rather than staying and perhaps being God’s instrument of grace?

Coupled with that, can we then stay and be humbled as God uses this imperfect church we so quickly wish to leave as his instrument of grace to us?

Can we stop looking for the perfect church, and instead unite with fellow believers, who share common doctrinal convictions, and work together for the cause of the gospel?

Can we, like Sibbes, trust God in all things, including our sanctification?

—

Last week, we covered chapters five and six in Mark Dever’s biography of Richard Sibbes.

Next week, we’ll read Sibbes’s sermon, “A Breathing After God.”

 

How to Fix an Icy Marriage

Mike Leake

Twenty years ago in a small church, hidden behind a row of trees, and located down a long and dusty road John and Rita stood before a preacher. On that day they covenanted with one another. John promised to love Rita and she promised the same. Years have passed since that Autumn day. John’s gorgeous jet black hair is now graying and mostly found in the sink instead of on his head. Rita carries the battle scars of being married to such a difficult man for twenty years.

Her eyes still carry with them the pain of spending their fifth anniversary alone as John was gone. It’d have been one thing if he was working and they planned on rescheduling. But he wasn’t gone with work—he was gone with play. He’d gamble away his entire check and have nothing left—not even for apology flowers.

The wrinkles in her forehead tell you that this fifth anniversary wasn’t a lone occasion. She’s spent many nights concerned for her husband as he drank and likely found himself in the arms of other women. Pain had taken a toll on this woman, but there was a deeper joy and a determination. How hope was present in the heart of this woman still baffles to this day.

John, throwing his life away as he is, does have one thing going for him—a strong and committed woman. Even though his terrible habits grieve her to the bone, she isn’t going anywhere. And John knows this. And because he knows this he doesn’t plan on changing anytime soon. He’s resigned to the fact that she’ll just have to put up with his antics until she buries him.

Rita is also a strong woman. She isn’t going to respond to his neglect like a ridiculous little puppy, wagging her tail whenever her master comes home. She makes her displeasure with John quite obvious. She’d love to respond to him with affection. But she cannot do it while he’s acting like a fool. Nor is she going to shower him with assurances of her love for him. Her hope is that he’ll wake up from his slumber and actually begin responding as one ought to respond to such a deep love.

Finally, John got the hint. He became unsettled and realized that Rita’s affection is not what it once was. In fact he begins to wonder if she still loves him. He has suddenly came to his sense and what he sees is an icy marriage.

John was consumed with wondering whether or not his wife loved him. And so he came up with a plan. He’d dust off his VCR and pull out his old wedding video. As he watched it over and over again he became captivated by one part in particular—Rita’s reciting of the vows. He saw happiness in her eyes; eyes that he hadn’t seen in years. He kept rewinding that part. Slowly letting Rita’s words sink in, “I love you and will love you…” Over and over and over again.

John has taken great comfort in the fact that Rita has covenanted to love him. And though it didn’t necessarily feel like a loving relationship at the moment he knew it was true. It was still icy in his home but he could deal with it because he knew that deep down she loved him, and she loved him just how he was. Her love was settled.

John has decided to focus less and less on his hurtful habits. He reasoned that since they didn’t change her love for him it didn’t matter much anyways. Instead he’ll focus his attention on that VCR tape. Every day he’ll go and rewind that tape and play those words over and over again. He believes that the more he is convinced of her love for him and her covenanting with him, the more empowered he’ll be to rest in her love and lives as a free husband.

This is a profound mystery but I am talking about Christ and the church.

—-

Some of you will quite likely read this parable and think that John has a pretty solid strategy. After all the way to be motivated for holiness is to become absolutely convinced of God’s love for us. The more we rest in His finished work the more likely we’ll be to respond in loving obedience.

And I’d be a fool to say that there isn’t great value in John going back and watching the video of his marriage. Such a thing is greatly empowering. And it can be helpful to be reminded that our righteousness is in heaven. We must never forget that because of our union with Christ our relationship with God is forever settled and determined. Remembering that is a great help.

Preaching the gospel to ourselves is a wonderful practice. Don’t hear me say anything different. We preach the gospel to ourselves and remind ourselves constantly of our union with Christ. There is nothing wrong or foolish with a man that watches his wedding tape to rekindle that love and affection. Or even to remind himself that his wife has covenanted to love him.

But there is indeed something foolish with a man that would watch such a tape and conclude that the only work he has left to do is to remind himself that he is married and in union with this woman. In the same way preaching the gospel to ourselves and reminding our hearts of our union with Christ is a tremendous practice. But part of that remembering our union with Christ is also reminding ourselves that we aren’t married to other idols and that we’ve covenanted with the Lord.

There is a difference between the Lord’s pleasure and his abiding and eternal love. If you flatten that distinction you’ll end up just as dense as the lug head in the preceding section that won’t acknowledge the one thing in his life causing the icy relationship.

Today in Blogworld 02.27.14

Mike Leake 1 Comment

Why Johnny Cash Still Matters

Yesterday would have been the 82nd birthday of the Man in Black. Russell Moore tells his story.

Pastors and Mental Health

I’m glad this is being talked about.

4 Pieces of Leadership “Wisdom” You Should Ignore

I agree.

Was 1964 Ali-Liston Fight Rigged?

Very interesting. What do you think?  (HT: Jared Wilson)

Is it a sin to be afraid? Ed Welch answers:

Would God Ask You to Take a Mustard Bath?

Mike Leake 2 Comments

The frail old man sets aside his walker and gradually places himself in the tub. But this is no ordinary bath. You see, he just returned from the store where he purchased seven gallons of yellow mustard. The old man has scooped, squirted, and squeezed this smelly condiment into his bathtub.

Why in the world has this man done such a thing?

“Is he senile?” you ask.

Nope. He’s just got arthritis and he watches Christian television. One day when he was watching his favorite show he had a strong impression that he couldn’t shake. As the polished reverend prayed over his global congregation, this delicate old man began praying his arthritis would be healed. Out of nowhere a voice told him to purchase seven gallons of yellow mustard and bathe in it.

As a logical guy he found this audible instruction a tad weird. But then he started reading over his Old Testament and realized that a bath in seven gallons of mustard wouldn’t be the strangest action the Lord has commanded. Convinced this was the Lord’s will, he dutifully waddled to his dusty mini-van, put his walker in the backseat, started the car, went to the store, and bought seven gallons of their best yellow mustard.

How can you argue with this fella’s logic? After all the Lord did ask people to do really strange things in the Old Testament. Our mustard-bather has nothing on the prophet Ezekiel. So, how could you convince this guy that the Lord isn’t telling him to bathe in yellow mustard?

Now in one sense you really cannot. It is theoretically possible that our living God would speak to an old man and tell him to bathe in a vat of zesty mustard. There’s really no Scripture passage that says, “Thou shalt not bathe with condiments”. So, in theory God could have spoken to him. But at the same time our now yellow friend has a gross misunderstanding of the nature of Scripture.

Yes, God once spoke to the people by having a prophet cook food over his own feces. And, yes, God spoke through burning bushes and clouds. That is what Hebrews 1 means when it says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets”. That “many ways” would include a guy laying naked on his side for a whole year. And it would include speaking to Gideon through the laying of a fleece as much as it includes speaking to Jeremiah through the Word that he put in his mouth.

But that has all changed. Notice the contrast in Hebrews 1:2. “…but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…”

Something has drastically changed. As opposed to the unique ways that the Lord spoke to people of old, he now speaks to us clearly through His Son. And we see this speech plainly in His Word. This is what theologians call progressive revelation. The Lord’s communication with humanity has progressed–climaxing in the revelation of Jesus Christ. That’s why he’s not likely to communicate to us through yellow mustard. Progression. He speaks to us now quite clearly through Christ in His Word.

Thankfully, our mustard-covered friend doesn’t actually exist. At least I hope he doesn’t. But you hear weird stuff like this every day. Christians say that God spoke to them and told them to do something really weird. And when I hear that stuff I’m skeptical. I’m skeptical because the Lord has said that in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. And he’s done so clearly. And it doesn’t require mustard.