Richard Sibbes Quotes

There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.

Satan gives Adam an apple, and takes away paradise. Therefore in all temptations consider not what he offers, but what we shall lose.

The life of a Christian is wondrously ruled in this world, by the consideration and meditation of the life of another world.

Gospel repentance is not a little hanging down of the head. It's a working of the heart until your sin becomes more odious to you than any punishment for it.

It would be a good contest amongst Christians, one to labour to give no offence, and the other to labour to take none. The best men are severe to themselves, tender over others.

It is better to go bruised to heaven than sound to hell.

Times are bad, God is good.

Poverty and affliction take away the fuel that feeds pride.

God knows we have nothing of ourselves, therefore in the covenant of grace he requires no more than he gives, but gives what he requires, and accepts what he gives.

God takes a safe course with His children, that they may not be condemned with the world, He permits the world to condemn them, that they may not love the world, the world hates them.

Self-emptiness prepares us for spiritual fullness.

It is a destructive addition to add anything to Christ

The winter prepares the earth for the spring, so do afflictions sanctified prepare the soul for glory.

Whatsoever God takes away from His children, He either replaces it with a much greater favor or else gives strength to bear it.

The wronged side is always the safest.

If Christ has once possessed the affections, there is no dispossessing of him again. A fire in the heart overcomes all fires without.

God can pick sense out of a confused prayer.

There is not a minute of time in all of our life but we must either be near to God or we will be undone.

This is a life of faith, for God will try the truth of our faith, so that the world may see that God has such servants as will depend upon His bare word.

Possibilitas tua mensura tua'(What is possible to you is what you will be measured by).

When we grow careless of keeping our souls, then God recovers our taste of good things again by sharp crosses.

When we go to God by prayer, the devil knows we go to fetch strength against him, and therefore he opposes us all he can.

Those that look to be happy must first look to be holy.

What coward would not fight when he is sure of victory?

See a flame in a spark, a tree in a seed. See great things in little beginnings.

Providence is the perpetuity and continuance of creation.

In the godly, holy truths are conveyed by way of a taste; gracious men have a spiritual palate as well as a spiritual eye. Grace alters the spiritual taste.

What unthankfulness is it to forget our consolations, and to look upon matters of grievance. To think so much upon two or three crosses as to forget an hundred blessing.

Death is only a grim porter to let us into a stately palace.

Let weak Christians know that a spark from heaven, though kindled under green wood that sobs and smokes, yet it will consume all at last.

It is Christ's manner to trouble our souls first, and then to come with healing in his wings.

It is good to divert our sorrow for other things to the root of all, which is sin. Let our grief run most in that channel, that as sin bred grief, so grief may consume sin.

What the heart liketh best, the mind studieth most.

It is atheism to pray and not wait on hope.

The depths of our misery can never fall below the depths of mercy.

The way to cover our sin is to uncover it by confession.

We cannot say this or that trouble shall not befall, yet we may, by help of the Spirit, say, nothing that doth befall shall make me do that which is unworthy of a Christian.

A man knows no more in religion than he loves and embraceth with the affections of his soul.

God will have the body partake with the soul-as in matters of grief, so in matters of joy; the lanthorn shines in the light of the candle within.

God's children improve all advantages to advance their grand end; they labour to grow better by blessings and crosses, and to make sanctified use of all things.

If we would make it evident that our conversion is sound, we must loathe and hate sin from the heart.

A curse lies upon those that, when the truth suffers, have not a word to defend it.

God's truth always agrees with itself.

A man may be a false prophet and yet speak the truth.

Christ does not choose you because you are good, but to make you good.

that which is begun in self-confidence will end in shame.

The soul is never quiet till it comes to God . . . and that is the one thing the soul desireth.

Sin is not so sweet in the committing as it is heavy and bitter in the reckoning.

The life of a Christian should be a meditation how to unloose his affection from inferior things. He will easily die that is dead before in affection.

Where Christ’s Spirit is, it will bring men from their altitudes and excellencies, and make them to stoop to serve the church, and account it an honour to be an instrument to do good.