Works (Vol 1) - Sibbes - II - Description of Christ concluded

Required reading
The Works Volume 1 by Richard Sibbes (Available from Amazon or free here) - Conclude 'A description of Christ'.

My summary
This week we finish  'A description of Christ' which unpacks Matthew 12:18: 'Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.  He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets'.

Firstly today Sibbes teaches us that 'I will put my Spirit upon him' points to the three offices of Christ:
(i) Prophet, which addresses man's ignorance and blindness;
(ii) Priest, which addresses man's rebellion in the will and affections;
(iii) King, which addresses man's condition, by reason of the sins of nature and life, a subjection to a cursed estate, to the wrath of God and eternal damnation.

Secondly Sibbes examines what is meant by 'And he shall shew judgement to the Gentiles'.  Judgements refer to God's laws, including his gospel.

Thirdly we look at 'He shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets'.  Sibbes says it shows us 'the mild and sweet and amiable manner of Christ's carriage under earth'.

What grabbed me
Thoroughly enjoyed the teaching on the Holy Spirit, particularly this paragraph: 'A man that hath a sanctified judgment, next the forgiveness of his sins through Christ, he begs nothing more than the Spirit to witness the favour of God in Christ, and to fit him for other favours, especially to fit us for the world to come. God can give nothing greater, nor can we beg nothing greater, if we have sanctified judgments, than the Spirit of God. Therefore let us have an high esteem of the Holy Spirit, of the motions of it, and out of an high esteem in our hearts beg of God the guidance of the Spirit, that he would lead us by his Spirit, and subdue our corruptions, that we may not be led by our own lusts, and so consequently by Satan, that leads us by our own lusts in the way that leads to perdition.'

We cannot desire anything greater than the Holy Spirit.

Next week's reading
Commence 'The bruised reed and smoking flax' by reading 'Epistle dedicatory', 'To the general reader' and Chapters 1, 2, 3 & 4.

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