This is the sixth  post in a series of discussions centered upon a devotional classic, The Bruised Reed, by puritan author, Richard Sibbes. I am participating in an online book club of sorts called “Reading Classics Together,” hosted by Christian blogger and author, Tim Challies. Here are my previous posts in this series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V.

I’m posting my contribution to “Reading Classics Together” a little late today.  I’ve been in New Orleans for most of the week participating in a graduate workshop led by this guy.  The course was great. The New Orleans cuisine was also excellent (My wife and I were able to eat here and here. Mmmm. It was so good.)

I’m not going to attempt a summary of the two chapters that were supposed to be read this week.  I did read them, but you can find helpful summaries here, here, here, and here.

Instead what I will point out from this week’s reading are three dangers that lashed out at me as I plodded my way through chapters ten and eleven.  Its good when dangerous things do that—reveal themselves—much better than if they just crept along silently and struck when you least expected them.

Sibbes is an author who can soothe the soul of a Christian about as effectively and as winsomely as anyone I’ve ever read.  He’s also a writer with excellent skills of perception and description.

In the three dangers that follow I point out three ways in which Sibbes tells rather vividly of hazards that the souls of men should watch out for.

Danger #1—The Danger of Assumed Salvation

“There are those who take up a hope of their own, that Christ will suffer them to walk in the ways to hell, and yet bring them to heaven.”

Sibbes refers to this type of hope as a “lying comfort.”  It is the deceptive hope of a man who just assumes that he can live however he wants and that in the end he will be saved.

Danger #2—The Danger of Neglected Christian Duties

“If we are negligent in the exercise of grace received and the use of the means prescribed, suffering our spirits to be oppressed with many and various cares of this life, and take not heed of the discouragements of the times, for this kind of neglect God in his wise care suffers us often to fall into a worse condition in our feelings than those that were never so much enlightened.”

If I may be so bold, allow me to paraphrase.  Basically Sibbes says here that if you’re a Christian you had better behave like one or else the conflict between what’s inside you (the Holy Spirit) and what’s going on in your life (neglected Christian duties) will make your life miserable.

Danger #3—The Danger of Fightin’ Christians

“What a joyful spectacle is this to Satan and his faction, to see those that are separated from the world fall in pieces among themselves!  Our discord is our enemy’s melody.”

Is there any more disruptive of a work than that the people of God are fighting against themselves?  Here Sibbes describes the Church’s worst hour as Satan’s finest.  May we not fight amongst ourselves!

Have you ever seen or experienced any of these dangers? I hate to say, but I have.  All three.  I’ve observed #1 in the lives of lost family and friends.  I’ve fallen prey to #2 in my own personal life.  And I’ve been a part of churches that fight with each other and ruin their testimonies within a community.

Make Sure to Check Out My Friends!

Over the course of this series of posts I’ve had the privilege of meeting a few new online kindred spirits. They too are reading and blogging their way through this book.  Make sure to click through to their sites and check out what they have to say about this week’s reading.  They are Audrey, Becky, Kevin, Lisa, and Paul.