Richard Sibbes

As a part of the online book club of sorts hosted by Tim Challies—Reading Classics Together—I’m currently reading Richard Sibbes’, The Bruised Reed.

I read the first chapter yesterday and came across these two little gems.  Sibbes speaks of the value of “bruising” in God’s plan for our lives—”bruising” referring to one’s awareness and confession of personal sin and the need for humility before God.

Sibbes employs this bruising in reference to the before and after of one’s conversion experience:

“The bruising is required before conversion that so the Spirit may make way for himself into the heart by levelling all proud, high thoughts, and that we may understand ourselves to be what indeed we are by nature…”

“After conversion we need bruising so that reeds may know themselves to be reeds, and not oaks.”

A good word from Sibbes.