Works (Vol 1) - Sibbes - X - Soul's conflict continued

Required reading
The Works Volume 1 by Richard Sibbes (Available from Amazon or free here) - Continue Sibbes Works Vol 1 by continuing 'The soul's conflict with itself' by reading Chapters 8 (Of unfitting dejection), 9 (Of the soul's disquiets), 10 (Means not to be overcharged with sorrow) and 11 (Signs of victory over ourselves).

My summary
We continue Sibbes' exposition of Psalm 42:11, 'Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God'.

Firstly Chapter 8 answers some questions concerning when the Christian's grief might be excessive.

Then Sibbes gives us some observations of the soul's disquiets:
(i) that the soul hath disquiets proper to itself besides those griefs of sympathy that arise from the body;
(ii) that God when he will humble a man need not fetch forces from without;
(iii) that there is a necessity of having something in the soul above itself;

Next, in chapter 10, we are given some means by which we might not to be overcharged with sorrow:
(i) take heed of building an ungrounded confidence of happiness for time to come;
(ii) look that our love to any thing in this world shoot not so far as that, when the time of severing cometh, we part with so much our hearts by that rent;
(iii) take heed we mingle not our own passions with anything that seizeth upon us.

Chapter 11 then gives us some signs of victory over ourselves and of a subdued spirit.

What grabbed me
Sibbes gave us a good description of the tension that is inherent in the Christian's troubles: 'Thus we may see the life of a poor Christian in this world. 1. He is in great danger, if he be not troubled at all. 2. When he is troubled, he is in danger to be over-troubled. 3. When he hath brought his soul in tune again, he is subject to new troubles. Betwixt this ebbing and flowing there is very little quiet. Now because this cannot be done without a great measure of God's Spirit, our help is to make use of that promise of giving 'the Holy Ghost to them that ask it,' John. xi. 13. To teach us when, how long, and how much to grieve ; and when, and how long, and how much to rejoice, the Spirit must teach the heart this, who as he moved upon the waters before the creation, so he must move upon the waters of our souls, for we have not the command of our own hearts. Every natural man is carried away with his flesh and humours, upon which the devil rides, and carries him whither he list ; he hath no better counsellors than flesh and blood, and Satan counselling with them. But a godly man is not a slave to his carnal affections, but as David here, labours to bring into captivity the first motions of sin in his heart.'

There is a time to weep and a time to laugh.  Knowing when to do which requires the Spirit's wisdom.

Next week's reading
Continue Sibbes Works Vol 1 by continuing 'The soul's conflict with itself' and reading Chapters 12 (Of original righteousness...) and 13 (Of imagination...).

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.