Works (Vol 4) - Sibbes - XXI - 'The church's riches' concluded

Required reading
The Works Volume 4 by Richard Sibbes (Available from Amazon or free here) - Conclude 'The church's riches'.

My summary
Today we conclude the tract entitled 'The church's riches' which is an exposition of 2 Corinthians 8:9 'For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.'

In previous weeks we saw Sibbes' first three doctrines from the text.  This week we hear the remaining three.

The fourth doctrine concerns the ground or spring from whence all the riches came - Jesus Christ: 'It was his mere grace. There was nothing that could compel him. God the Father could not compel him, because he was equal with his Father ; being God, there was an equality of essence. '

The fifth doctrine is that this grace must be known: 'A man may know his riches, he may know his interest in Christ. The apostle useth it here as an argument to persuade them to good works. That that is used as an argument must be known before the thing can be persuaded.'

The sixth doctrine is that together with the grace of Christ, the apostle brings the example of Christ, that both may stir them up to the duties of mercy and bounty and fruitfulness.

What grabbed me
I enjoyed this strong Calvinist teaching about why Jesus would abase himself: 'And then, what was there in us that should move him to abase himself so low ? Was there any worth in us ? No. We were dead. Was there any strength in us ? No. We were dead in sins. Was any goodness in us ? No. We were Christ's enemies. Was there any desire in us ? No. We were opposite to all goodness in ourselves ; there was no desire in us to be better than we were. If God should have let us alone to our own desires, we were posting to hell. It is the greatest misery in the world, next to hell itself, to be given up to our own desires. A man were better to be given up to the devil than to his own desires. He may torment him, and perhaps bring him to repentance ; but to be given up to his own desires, leads to hell. It is merely of grace, grace. It was the grace of God the Father that gave his Son ; and it was grace that the Son gave himself.'

Scary to consider that your worst enemy is not Satan, but your own sinful self!

Next week's reading
Commence Volume VII of the Works of Thomas Goodwin (Available from Amazon or free here) by reading Book I 'Of The creatures, and the condition of their state by creation'.

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