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Final Chapters and Final Thoughts

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The Bruised Reed (TBR) has been on my “to read” list for many years and I’m glad to have finally read it. I have profited greatly by doing so. With that said, I know there is so much I missed along the way, and much I failed to convey in my chapter summaries. But like any good book, I'm sure a reread would open new vistas of understanding. Perhaps I will do that someday. But for now, here are a few of my highlights from the final two chapters. One recurring theme that I found particularly encouraging in TBR was a long view of Christian growth and sanctification. Sibbes repeatedly reminds us of small beginnings and growth over time. See a flame in a spark, a tree in a seed. See great things in little beginnings. Look not so much to the beginning as to the perfection, and so we shall be, in some degree, joyful in ourselves, and thankful to Christ.[i] Another thing I appreciate about Sibbes is that, although he recognizes our frailty, sin, and weakness, there is no coddling of sin. He...
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How Not to Kill a Fly on the Forehead

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Was chapter five of The Bruised Reed  a difficult read (no pun intended)? Don’t feel bad. So far, I found this chapter the most challenging to comprehend. The modern English edition was very helpful this week. Having said that, some of the quotes I furnish here will be from the modernized version. In previous chapters Sibbes examined how tenderly Christ shepherds us. In Chapter five, he considers how pastors should treat those they shepherd and how we should treat each other in light of who Christ is and how He deals with us. Christ came down from heaven and emptied himself of majesty in tender love to souls. Shall we not come down from our high conceits to do any poor soul good? Shall man be proud after God has been humble?[1] Christ is the ultimate example of humility (Phil. 2:5-8). He came from the highest heaven to dwell on earth among fallen men. Even more, He bore our sin and shame. Indeed, should we be proud after God has been humble? Sibbes also reminds us that, “Conscience...
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The Least Spark

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I am pressed for time today so I offer without comment some of my favorite quotes from Chapter four of The Bruised Reed . THE LEAST SPARK OF GRACE IS PRECIOUS… He quenched not that little light in Peter, which was smothered: Peter denied him, but he denied not Peter (Luke 22:61) … In the seven churches (Rev. 2 and 3), we see that Christ acknowledges and cherishes anything that was good in them…[1] When blindness and boldness, ignorance and arrogance, weakness and willfulness, meet together in men, it renders them odious to God, burdensome in society, dangerous in their counsels, disturbers of better purposes, intractable and incapable of better direction, miserable in the issue. Where Christ shows his gracious power in weakness, he does it by letting men understand themselves so far as to breed humility, and magnify God's love to such as they are.[2] _____________________ [1] The Bruised Reed (p. 22). Kindle Edition. [2] The Bruised Reed (pp. 24-25). Kindle Edition.
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Small Beginnings

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Greetings all, I hope you are having a blessed week. We are currently reading chapters three and four of The Bruised Reed.  Once again, I would like to share a couple of quotes (from chapter three). Things of greatest perfection are longest in coming to their growth. Man, the most perfect creature, comes to perfection by little and little; worthless things, as mushrooms and the like, like Jonah's gourd, soon spring up, and soon vanish. A new creature is the most excellent creature in all the world, therefore it grows up by degrees. We see in nature that a mighty oak rises from an acorn.[1]   Let us not therefore be discouraged at the small beginnings of grace, but look on ourselves as elected to be `holy and without blame' (Eph. 1:4). Let us look on our imperfect beginning only to enforce further striving to perfection, and to keep us in a low opinion of ourselves. Otherwise, in case of discouragement, we must consider ourselves as Christ does, who looks on us as those he inte...
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Be of Good Comfort

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Greetings all, For chapter two, I just wanted to share a couple of impactful quotes that have encouraged me this week. I could easily include more, but I will limit myself to these:  Are you bruised? Be of good comfort, he calls you. Conceal not your wounds, open all before him and take not Satan's counsel. Go to Christ, although trembling, as the poor woman who said, `If I may but touch his garment' (Matt. 9:21). We shall be healed and have a gracious answer. Go boldly to God in our flesh; he is flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone for this reason, that we might go boldly to him. Never fear to go to God, since we have such a Mediator with him, who is not only our friend but our brother and husband. Well might the angel proclaim from heaven, `Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy' (Luke 2:10). Well might the apostle stir us up to `rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice' (Phil. 4:4).[1] If Christ be so merciful as not to break me, I will not bre...
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...in Christ Mystical?

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There is no more shocking truth about believers than that God has loved them even as He has loved His own Son.[1] – The Moody Bible Commentary This week we are reading chapters one and two of The Bruised Reed. In Chapter one there is a curious phrase that was unfamiliar to me:  For his love rests in a whole Christ, in Christ mystical , as well as Christ natural, because he loves him and us with one love.[2]   What is meant by "Christ mystical"? In our day and age, it sounds kind New Agey. If you Google Christ mystical (and Googled it I did) you will find a long list of aberrant teachings about “Christian mysticism”. You will also find that the term was popularized by Pope Pius XII in 1943. However, after some searching, I came upon another passage from Sibbes that was more helpful.  Does God delight thus in Christ, in his person, or considered mystically? I answer; both. God loves and delights in Christ mystical, that is, in Christ and his members, in whole Christ. 'Thi...
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Feeling Bruised?

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2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (NKJV) — Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Here are a few quotes I would like to share from chapter one of  The Bruised Reed :  God's children are bruised reeds before their conversion and oftentimes after. Before conversion all… are bruised reeds, yet in different degrees, as God sees fit. And as there are differences with regard to temperament, gifts and manner of life, so there are in God's intention to use men in the time to come; for usually he empties such of themselves, and makes them nothing, before he will use them in any great services.[1] After conversion we nee...
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Bound Hand and Foot by Satan

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Hello everyone, I would like to highlight one portion of Sibbes’ introduction, To the Christian Reader , that gives me much comfort and food for thought. (By the way, I don't think Puritans believed in paragraphs 😉): The more glory to God, and the more comfort to a Christian soul, arising from the belief and application of these things , the more the enemy of God's glory and man's comfort labours to breed misconceptions of them, that if he cannot keep men from heaven, and bring them into that cursed condition he is in himself, yet he may trouble them in their passage. Some, and none of the worst, Satan prevails with so far as to neglect the means, upon fear they should, being so sinful, dishonour God and increase their sins; and so they lie smothering under this temptation, as it were bound hand and foot by Satan, not daring to go to Christ, and yet are secretly upheld by a spirit of faith, showing itself in hidden sighs and groans unto God. These are abused by false...
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