A12166:909
Beams of divine light breaking forth from several places of holy Scripture, as they…Beames of divine light breaking forth from severall places of holy Scripture, as they…
Beams of divine light breaking forth from several places of holy Scripture, as they were learnedly opened, in XXI. sermons. The III. first being the fore-going sermons to that treatise called The bruised-reed, preached on the precedent words. By the late reverend and judicious divine, Richard Sibs, D.D. Mr. of Katharine Hall in Camb: and sometimes preacher at Gray's Inn. Published according to the Doctor his own appointment subscribed with his hand; to prevent imperfect copies.Beames of divine light breaking forth from severall places of holy Scripture, as they were learnedly opened, in XXI. sermons. The III. first being the fore-going sermons to that treatise called The bruised-reed, preached on the precedent words. By the late reverend and iudicious divine, Richard Sibs, D.D. Mr. of Katharine Hall in Camb: and sometimes preacher at Grayes Inne. Published according to the Doctor his owne appointment subscribed with his hand; to prevent imperfect coppies.
London: printed by George for N. Bourne, 1639
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
This may be a ground of trial,1 whether we be truly the Bride of Christ, 2or no; the ground of the trial may be gathered hence; whither is the bent of our desire carried? is our condition so here, as that we desire to be as we are still? then all is naught with us. The Church we see saith come, nothing will content her in this world: so those hearts that are wrought upon ⟨p. 114⟩by the Spirit of God, nothing here will content them but still they say come. The disposition in carnal persons is clean contrary; they say as it is in Job, Depart from us, we will none of thy ways: they are of the mind of the Devil, in the Gospel, Why doest thou come to torment us before our time? do not come. If it were in the power of most men in the Church, whether Christ should come to judge the world or no, do you think they would give their voice that way, that Christ should come? they would never do it: for they know how unfit a condition they are in for the second coming of Christ. If thieves and malefactors might have liberty to choose, whether there should be Assizes, or no, surely they would never have any, so it is with the men of the world, that live in sinful wretched courses, that abuse their tongues, and their bodies, are they of the disposition of the Bride, to say, come? oh no, they know they have not done their duty: therefore let us enter deeply into our own souls, and try whether cordially we can yield this desire of our hearts, to say come? Therefore to (spend a little time in a further search) if we can truly say, Come, 1we will desire Christ to come into our souls now, to rule our souls now, to come and make way for himself in our hearts. Is it possible for the soul to desire to go to Christ, that will not suffer him to come to it? If Christ rule not in us, we shall never reign with Christ: if Christs Kingdom come not to us, we shall never enter into Christ ▪ ⟨p. 115⟩Kingdom: therefore the soul that hath this desire truly, to say, Come, it will give Christ entrance into it, and let him come by his Ordinances. Come Lord by thy word, come by thy Spirit into my heart, close with my heart, drive out whatsoever is there, that will not give thee liberty to reign as thou wilt: these desires will be in a true heart, it will not cherish wilfully those desires that are contrary to this.