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Tag Archives: The Soul’s Conflict

Richard Sibbes, Sermon on Canticles 5.2 (a)

11 Wednesday Sep 2019

Posted by memoirandremains in Richard Sibbes, Song of Solomon, Uncategorized

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Canticles, heart, Indwelling Sin, Richard Sibbes, The Soul's Conflict

The fourth considers the paradoxical state of Canticles 5:2, “I sleep, but my heart wakes.”

First, Sibbes notes the concept of the heart as used in the Scripture:

The word heart, you know, includes the whole soul, for the understanding is the heart, ‘an understanding heart,’ Job 38:36. To ‘lay things up in our hearts,’ Luke 2:51, there it is memory; and to cleave in heart is to cleave in will, Acts 11:23. To ‘rejoice in heart,’ Isa. 30:29, that is in the affection. So that all the powers of the soul, the inward man, as Paul calleth it, 2 Cor. 4:16, is the heart.

By the terms “waking” and “sleeping”, Sibbes takes it for the state of the heart in a Christian, which is both redeemed and yet corruption remains. This makes for Sibbes’ first observation on the text:

Obs.1. You see here, then, first of all, in this correction, that a Christian hath two principles in him, that which is good, and that which is evil, whence issueth the weakness of his actions and affections. They are all mixed, as are the principles from which they come forth.

The second observation is by means of the Spirit the has knowledge of himself:

We may observe, further, that a Christian man may know how it is with himself. Though he be mixed of flesh and spirit, he hath a distinguishing knowledge and judgment whereby he knows both the good and evil in himself.

He compares the human heart in its nature as being like a lightless dungeon, but the Spirit is a light that searches the dark corners of the heart.He also notes that the in times of temptation, the work of the Spirit may be hindered in the human heart such a man not righty know himself:

In a dungeon where is nothing but darkness, both on the eye that should see and on that which should be seen, he can see nothing; but where there is a supernatural principle, where there is this mixture, there the light of the Spirit searcheth the dark corners of the heart. A man that hath the Spirit knoweth both; he knoweth himself and his own heart. The Spirit hath a light of its own, even as reason hath. How doth reason know what it doth? By a reflect act inbred in the soul. Shall a man that is natural reflect upon his state, and know what he knows, what he thinks, what he doth, and may not the soul that is raised to an higher estate know as much? Undoubtedly it may. Besides, we have the Spirit of God, which is light, and self-evidencing. It shews unto us where it is, and what it is. The work of the Spirit may sometimes be hindered, as in times of temptation. Then I confess a man may look wholly upon corruption, and so mistake himself in judging by that which he sees present in himself, and not by the other principle which is concealed for a time from him. But a Christian, when he is not in such a temptation, he knows his own estate, and can distinguish between the principles in him of the flesh and spirit, grace and nature.

Third, Sibbes notes that we should acknowledge both good work of the Spirit in our heart as well as our indwelling corruption. But,

Many help Satan, the accuser, and plead his cause against the Spirit, their comforter, in refusing to see what God seeth in them. We must make conscience of this, to know the good as well as the evil, though it be never so little.

Note that it is the job of Satan to accuse the believer. His goal is not to bring the conscience to a state of repentance, but to crush the heart in despair. There is a worldly sorrow and a sorrow of repentance.

This is a theme which Sibbes develops in other places. He works out the fact that a believer may be discouraged and overcome with sin and yet still not be destroyed as a believer. First, the Christian still has a principle of judgment. Even in the worst state, the Christian retains the capacity to know the moral truth of his actions.

Moreover, the will when focused can still choose the better part.

Take David in his sleepy time between his repentance and his foul sin. If one should have asked him what he thought of the ways of God and of the contrary, he would have given you an answer out of sound judgment thus and thus. If you should have asked him what course he would have followed in his choice, resolution, and purpose, he would have answered savourly.

Third, the affections of the believer will ultimately return to Christ:

Again, there remaineth affection answerable to their judgment, which, though they find, and feel it not for a time, it being perhaps scattered, yet there is a secret love to Christ, and to his cause and side, joined with joy in the welfare of the church and people of God; rejoicing in the prosperity of the righteous, with a secret grief for the contrary. The pulses will beat this way, and good affections will discover themselves. Take him in his sleepy estate, the judgment is sound in the main, the will, the affections, the joy, the delight, the sorrow. This is an evidence his heart is awake.

Fourth, the conscience, even when the believer has fallen into sin will respond. Sibbes gives of David when confronted by Nathan:

The conscience likewise is awake. The heart is taken ofttimes for the conscience in Scripture. A good conscience, called a merry heart, is ‘a continual feast,’ Prov. 15:15. Now, the conscience of God’s children is never so sleepy but it awaketh in some comfortable measure. Though perhaps it may be deaded*in a particular act, yet notwithstanding there is so much life in it, as upon speech or conference, &c., there will be an opening of it, and a yielding at the length to the strength of spiritual reason. His conscience is not seared. David was but a little roused by Nathan, yet you see how he presently confessed ingeniously†that he had sinned, 2 Sam. 12:13. So, when he had numbered the people, his conscience presently smote him, 2 Sam. 24:10; and when he resolved to kill Nabal and all his family, which was a wicked and carnal passion, in which there was nothing but flesh; yet when he was stopped by the advice and discreet counsel of Abigail, we see how presently he yielded, 1 Sam. 25:32, seq.There is a kind of perpetual tenderness of conscience in God’s people. All the difference is of more or less.

And finally, obedience to God will ultimately return; even when there has been a fall. Sibbes aptly distinguishes between “a state and a fit”. A state would be the general basic estate and a “fit” would be an illness:

And answerable to these inward powers is the outward obedience of God’s children. In their sleepy estate they go on in a course of obedience. Though deadly and coldly, and not with that glory that may give others good example or yield themselves comfort, yet there is a course of good duties. His ordinary way is good, howsoever he may step aside. His fits may be sleepy when his estate is waking. We must distinguish between a state and a fit. A man may have an aguish fit in a sound body. The state of a Christian is a waking state in the inward man. The bye-courses he falleth into are but fits, out of which he recovers himself.

 

 

Strangers in a Strange Country

28 Sunday Jun 2015

Posted by memoirandremains in affliction, Faith

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Affliction, Passage, Pilgrimage, Richard Sibbes, Soldiers, The Soul's Conflict, The Soul's Conflict With Itself, Trials

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For the members, they are all predestinated to a conformity to Christ their head, as in grace and glory, so in abasement, Rom. 8:29. Neither is it a wonder for those that are born soldiers to meet with conflicts, for travellers to meet with hard usage, for seamen to meet with storms, for strangers in a strange country, especially amongst their enemies, to meet with strange entertainment.

A Christian is a man of another world, and here from home, which he would forget, if he were not exercised here, and would take his passage for his country. But though all Christians agree and meet in this, that ‘through many afflictions we must enter into heaven,’ Acts 14:22, yet according to the diversity of place, parts, and grace, there is a different cup measured to every one.

Richard Sibbes, The Soul’s Conflict With Itself

The Soul’s Conflict With Itself 6.2

05 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by memoirandremains in Biblical Counseling, Richard Sibbes

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Biblical Counseling, Hamlet, Holy Spirit, John Owen, Of Communion With the Father Son and Holy Spirit, Pascal, Puritan, Richard Sibbes, Shakespeare, Solitiude, The Soul's Conflict, The Soul's Conflict With Itself

Pascal writes:

Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries. Yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries. For above all, it it that which keeps us from thinking about ourselves and so leads imperceptibly to destruction. But for that we should be bored, and boredom should drive us to seek some more reliable means of escape, but distraction passes our time and brings us imperceptibly to our death (414-171).

It is here, to the one without distraction that Sibbes draws our attention. For Sibbes, human solitude is not a matter of being withdrawn, but being alone with God. We need not be drawn away with our own distractions and confused heart — if there is a Spirit above our spirit to govern our affections and draw us toward God:

Obs. 4. We see here again, that a godly man can make a good use of privacy. When he is forced to be alone he can talk with his God and himself; one reason whereof is, that his heart is a treasury and storehouse of divine truths, whence he can speak to himself, by way of check, or encouragement of himself: he hath a Spirit over his own spirit, to teach him to make use of that store he hath laid up in his heart.

Pascal famously noted that it was our inability to be alone in a room which causes the depth of human misery.  Sibbes would agree and state that the heart which can be governed by the Spirit is one that need not be alone, at all. Rather, the one who knows and is known by God can come closest to God in such solitude.

The Spirit is never nearer him than when by way of witness to his spirit he is thus comforted;

If such solitude is such a bounty, then why do we fear it so? Our conscience. As Hamlet says to Rosencrantz:

O God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams.

It is precisely this trouble which makes solitude such a misery:

wherein the child of God differs from another man, who cannot endure solitariness, because his heart is empty; he was a stranger to God before, and God is a stranger to him now, so that he cannot go to God as a friend. And for his conscience, that is ready to speak to him that which he is loth to hear: and therefore he counts himself a torment to himself, especially in privacy.

Now one may dispute Sibbes (and Pascal’s) proposition. Yet experience proves the opposite. First, there is the great mountain of distraction that is our world. We make gods out of those best able to distract us. To whom do we give our money? Those who distract us and those who manage the distraction.

Now the alternative of “peace” and “meditation” is merely a variant on the theme. To empty one’s mind is merely to drive off the thoughts in a different direction. Both strategies seek to leave us anything about alone with ourselves and God.

We read of great princes, who after some bloody designs were as terrible to themselves,* as they were formerly to others, and therefore could never endure to be awaked in the night, without music or some like diversion. It may be, we may be cast into such a condition, where we have none in the world to comfort us; as in contagious sickness, when none may come near us, we may be in such an estate wherein no friend will own us.

What then is the solution? To have a heart prepared to meet God, to live in communion with God. The great weakness of the Christian church is its inability to lead Christians to be with God.  Even in the most doctrinally correct churches it seems that God is little better than an abstraction.

Sibbes directs to close with God in Word and Spirit (as Owen sought to teach in Communion With God). Christianity does most good with it is intensely spiritual and vital. When our hearts are directed and taught to be with God, even our solitude becomes a place of great joy and comfort:

And therefore let us labour now to be acquainted with God and our own hearts, and acquaint our hearts with the comforts of the Holy Ghost; then, though we have not so much as a book to look on, or a friend to talk with, yet we may look with comfort into the book of our own heart, and read what God hath written there by the finger of his Spirit. …. By this means we shall never want a divine to comfort us, a physician to cure us, a counsellor to direct us, a musician to cheer us, a controller to check us, because, by help of the word and Spirit, we can be all these to ourselves.

Consider careful those words of Sibbes: a divine (pastor), physician, counselor, musician, controller.

This comes from “observation 4” discussing remedies for a soul cast down. Here, Sibbes places the remedy in the preparatory work. We must prepare ourselves for our trouble. It will be found in:  Richard Sibbes, The Complete Works of Richard Sibbes, ed. Alexander Balloch Grosart, vol. 1 (Edinburgh; London; Dublin: James Nichol; James Nisbet and Co.; W. Robertson, 1862), 148–149.

The previous post in this series may be found here: https://memoirandremains.wordpress.com/2014/09/10/the-souls-conflict-with-itself-6-1/

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