Puritan Authors

Sibbes Ch 11: Christ’s Judgment and Victory

Sibbes now looks ahead to that time when Christ has “set up an absolute government [perhaps better expressed as “heavenly restoration”] in which shall prevail over all corruptions.”

11.1 Christ’s Judgment Established in Us

Sibbes anticipates that time when our two natures, new and fallen, are reduced, upon death, to one, new only:

By judgment here is meant the kingdom of grace in us, that government whereby Christ sets up a throne in our hearts….Christ and we are of one judgment and of one will. He has his will in us, and his judgments are so invested with authority in us as that they are turned into our judgment, we carrying his law in our hearts, written there by his Spirit (Jer. 31:33). The law in the inner man and the law written answer to each other as counterparts.

Sibbes Ch 11, Sec 1 (emphasis mine)

There are two parts to this condition of our being: the falling away until death and the transformation, begun here and now, into new life made full(-er):

So, in spiritual life, it is most necessary that the Spirit should alter the taste of the soul so that it might savor the things of the Spirit so deeply that all other things should be out of relish….The kingdom of Christ in his ordinances serves but to bring Christ home into his own place, our hearts.

Ibid.

11.2 Christ’s Mildness and His Government

Now Sibbes expands on the above by considering further how this inner transformation can take place, and yet be our own desire and joy:

The same Spirit that convinces us of the necessity of his righteousness to cover us convinces us also of the necessity of his government to rule us. His love to us moves him to frame us to be like himself, and our love to him stirs us up to be such as he may take delight in, neither do we have faith or hope any further than we have a concern to be purged as he is pure.

Sibbes 11.2 (Emphasis mine)

At the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry we have at the end of “The Lord’s Prayer” the phrase “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:10) Then at the very end of His pre-Cross time He testifies before Pilate that He, Jesus standing there, is a King, which phrase may well have been the words of final condemnation before Pilate as indifferent as he might have been to religious matters he was not so with respect to political claims of authority.

¹¹ Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” ¹² But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer.

Matt 27 (ESV)

Christ’s claim of Kingship is prevalent throughout the Gospels:

And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

Mark 9:1 (ESV; emphasis mine)

⁸ Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. ⁹ Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say,

Luke 10 (ESV; emphasis mine)

A word search on the occurrences of “king” is itself illustrative:

• OT 2272 times
• NT 255 times
  • Matthew 72x
  • Mark 30x
  • Luke 56x
  • John 16x
  • Acts 28x
  • Hebrews 8x
  • Revelation 24x
  • All the remaining Epistles total only: 21x, fewer than the single books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, and Revelation.

Many of these references are to individuals other than Christ or God the Father. But the issue of kingship, ultimate authority / ruler is the central one beginning in Genesis 1:1. The deception of Eve hinged on her framing her thoughts to exclude the idea that The King had Spoken with respect to the command not to eat of that particular tree. She did not see such spoken command as authoritative. (With Adam, the situation is less clear on this point as it appears he well understood that such command, now violated by Eve under deception, he would consciously, purposely, knowingly violate by making Eve’s choice but from a different inner source: willfulness).

In most places on the earth presently we do not have a “king” model of The Political Industry (TPI). Instead we see some form of divided authority between an executive function (President, Prime Minister, etc.), a law-making function (House of Lords, of Commons, Senate, House of Representatives, etc.), and a law-establishing / determining function (courts with judges of various titles). With the “king” model, there is one sovereign who is all of such distinguishable functions (and more).

11.3 Pardon Leads to Obedience

Here makes the point that it is insufficient, as the Elect of God, to desire only mercy, however much we recognize such need. Beyond mercy we need, and must recognize that we need “whole Christ…that will not divide Lord [Kingly Rule] from Jesus.”

To believe otherwise, is to “so make a Christ of their own,” meaning an invented Christ who only forgives, grants mercy but leaves in its wake autonomous beings who have wills independent of Christ. So such partitioning of Christ to non-Sovereignty is seeing God as merely a healer / restorer, not King.

11.4 Justification Leads to Sanctification

Sibbes cautions as to those who “misled that make Christ to be only righteousness to us and not sanctification.” Specifically the error Sibbes is addressing is to those who see Christ’s role as “imputation” only, that is being our Substitute, dealing with the sin corruption, making us thus acceptable in God’s sight.

Such recognition of imputation is a crucial distinction of the Reformation. Some, such as the late RC Sproul, thought a better term for the Elect-Believers than “Evangelicals,” a word that has lost almost all of its original meaning; instead he thought the better term was “Imputationists,” however unlikely it was to catch on.

But Sibbes’s central point in this section is that imputation only is incomplete as to understanding Christ’s necessary work in us. Sibbes uses various terms such as “judgment,” “government,” “rule” for this additional Role. “He is our Sanctifier as well as our Savior…” such that “Thence it is that Christ has [the] right to govern us…” and “then to the promise of His Spirit to govern us.” (Subsection 11.4.1 and 11.4.2).

We are warned that “it is not sufficient that we have motives and encouragements to love and obey.” More is required, specifically: “Christ’s Spirit must…subdue our hearts, and sanctify them…Our disposition myst be changed. We must be new creatures.” (Subsection 11.4.4).

To stop short of this, Sibbes says is to “seek for heaven in hell [those who] seek for spiritual love in an unchanged heart.”

Thinking More Deeply about “Change”

Everyday words, like “change,” have everyday meanings that obscure Biblical meanings.

Think of the following example. A husband tells his wife he’s got a Big Mac craving and is heading to McDonald’s for a “happy meal.” Later he comes home and the wife asks him how was his happy meal. The husband answers that he instead went to Chick-fil-A®️ and had a chicken sandwich. Wife then asks, why not the happy meal as he had planned. He replies, “I changed my mind.”

We use “change” is so many ordinary ways: “Do you have change for a dollar?” “Where’s the remote so I can change the channel?” Yet, “change” is used to translate a far deeper concept expressed in Scripture.

Biblical “Change” Translation of Koine Meta-noia

An important NT Greek / Koine word that is worth learning is μετάνοια metánoia (Strong’s G3341). It is a compound word comprised of: meta (G3326) and noús (“noose;” G3563). mind, “as the faculty of moral reflection” (Zodhaites, S; 2000). Nous can be thought of our “thought box” when it is employed for actually thinking, as opposed to be simply be the CPU (Central Processing Unit) processing sensory perceptions, memory retrieval, subconscious operation of our biological machinery, and so forth.

Meta is both a preposition and, as here, a prefix. It has a particular importance with metánoia. It is freighted with the meaning of thinking about one’s thinking, as in looking down upon one’s own process of making judgments, holding certain values and beliefs, unto a condition of changing them at some fundamental level. Metánoia is about something that rarely happens in the ordinary course of life and in Biblical constructs even cannot happen apart from something / someone outside ourselves causing it to happen. As a result, metánoia is commonly translated “repentance.” So we can think of “repentance” as a very particular, dramatic, and important category of “change.”

G3341. μετάνοια metánoia; gen. metanoías, fem. noun from metanoéō (3340), to repent. A change of mind, repentance (Heb. 12:17). Repentance, change of mind from evil to good or from good to better (Matt. 3:8, 11; 9:13 [TR]; Mark 2:17; Luke 3:8; 5:32; 15:7; Acts 5:31; 20:21; 26:20; Rom. 2:4; Heb. 6:6; 12:17; 2 Pet. 3:9). In the NT, used with reference to noús (3563), mind, as the faculty of moral reflection (Acts 11:18; 20:21; 2 Cor. 7:9, 10; 2 Tim. 2:25; Heb. 6:1). It is combined with áphesis (859), remission of sins (Luke 24:47 [cf. baptism of repentance Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3; Acts 13:24; 19:4]) which identifies one as having repented….

While in the Synoptic Gospels, repentance as a rule covers the whole process of turning from sin to God (as in Luke 24:47), it also includes faith which is a part of the process, the last step of it. This application is also used in the discourses of the early chapters of Acts. In these, the comprehensive condition of admission to the brotherhood of believers and of participation in the life of the Spirit is repentance (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31)…

Faith is the condition of entrance into the experience of salvation, the enjoyment of eternal life; but repentance is the psychological and moral condition of faith. As eternal life is unattainable without faith, faith is unattainable without repentance. If repentance means to change from the self–centered life to the God–centered life, then Jesus is the Author and Inspiration of repentance. No other was ever able to reach down deep enough into human nature to effect this change.

 Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers.

Biblical Change and

Another important Biblical word, and idea, also derives from a similar sounding root as prefixed above in the word metánoia. This additional, and important word, uses the prefix “ana,” and it prefixes “neóō,” namely: Strong’s G365. ἀνανεόω ananeóō. “Ana” means “again,” though it can also mean “above,” and “neóō” means “new” as it is used as a prefix in many English words (e.g. neophyte). So ananeóō is usually translated as “renew.”

The challenge for us in our home English language at this time and in this place is that “new,” like “change” has an extremely elastic meaning. One can have a pile of pencils, use one down to its nub, and grab a “new” one. But, what’s “new” about it? Essentially nothing; it is just a near-perfect copy of the previous pencil as it was before it was worn down. It’s “new” only in the sense of being another of the same kind.

We can think of buying a “new” car. It may be the same manufacturer and model as the one being replaced, so it is “new” only in the sense it’s not the first one, the one it replaces, though it may be “new” with respect to certain features such as accessories or color. And it may not be “new” in the sense of just-manufactured. We commonly say we purchased a “new” car (to us) in reference to a “used” car (having been previously owned).

So, like “change” as discussed above, we need to rethink what “new” really distinguishes. Below are several definitions of ananeóō:

G365. ἀνανεόω ananeóō; …from aná (303), again, and neóō, to renew (n.f.), which is from néos (3501), new, another. To renew, make young. Used in Eph. 4:23, ananeóomai, and is to be taken in the pass. mid. To be renewed insofar as spiritual vitality is concerned.

 Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers.

And, more extensively, we have the below expansion of meaning deriving from neóō. The discussion below is more technical but I’ve highlighted in bold the essential point relative to Eph. 4:23:

ἀνανεόω ananeóō

The rare basic word νεόω neóō means in the act. and mid. trans. “to make new,” “to renew,” … νεόω is used for νεάω, “to break or till new land.”

ἀνανεόω, “to renew (again),” is the same as the simple form even to the undifferentiated use of the act. and mid., the more common form. The act. occurs, e.g., in Job 33:24; … as νέος can contain an antithesis to something earlier…, so ἀνανεόω can denote a renewing activity which replaces an earlier state, i.e., “to renew what is old,” “to refresh or reinvigorate a tired being.” ἀνανεόω … is to be distinguished from ἀνακαινόω… as νέος is from καινός. It involves a new beginning in time as distinct from qualitative renewal.

Eph. 4:23, which occurs in the context of exhortation (vv. 17ff.), is to be taken with v. 22: ἀποθέσθαι ὑμᾶς … τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον, and v. 24: ἐνδύσασθαι τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον, as part of the doctrine of Christ (v. 21: ἐδιδάχθητε): ἀνανεοῦσθαι … τῷ → πνεύματι τοῦ → νοὸς ὑμῶν. Since the point here is not to describe a fact but to assert obligations this infinitive, like the others, has an imperative sense. The change which must be constantly brought about in the lives of Christians is finally accomplished on them rather than through them. It means that they are constantly set in the miraculous and mysterious magnetic field of this renewal which is effected in them. It is an inner “being renewed” or “letting themselves be renewed” which takes place in the centre of personal life. The effective subject of the renewal is obviously Christ Himself, cf. v. 20f., also R. 7:6, → III, 451, though this does not contradict Paul’s doctrine of the operation of the Spirit of God or of Christ in Christians, R. 8:9 ff.; 1 C. 12:13; Gl. 5:16 etc. The thought expressed by ἀνακαινοῦσθαι in the par. passage Col. 3:10 (cf. ἀνακαίνωσις in R. 12:2) is given by the ἀνανεοῦσθαι of Eph. 4:23 a nuance which characterises the connection with v. 22 and v. 24, namely, that through the operation of Christ upon him the Christian is constantly rejuvenated and begins afresh, free from the old being and free for the new.

Behm, J. (1964–). νέος, ἀνανεόω. In G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 4, pp. 899–901). Eerdmans.

Sibbes Ch 11 and Metánoia

In Ch 11, Sibbes advances his exposition of the Christ as dealing with us broken reeds/smoking wicks (flax). Stopping at Ch 10, the story is primarily about our healing unto restoration. So such discussion should be a source of hope and comfort. But Sibbes now stresses that Christ’s Work cannot be rightly understood if it stops there. Christ must be recognized as “Judge” in the specific sense of Ruler / Lord. But, further, in order for such to occur within us, Christ also is the Changer, the one who makes the inner heart conform to, delight in, God’s Rule.

Sibbes uses the wonderful phrase “we are voluntaries” to describe such changed heart condition.

Christ’s sanctifying Work is not: (1) telling us what to do, behave, (2) imposing on us that which we are uninterested or unwilling to think or do, (3) perpetually shaming us for the gap between the rightful journey of sanctification and our actual course of life. There could of course be elements of all of the above in our experience but the central Work of Christ is heart change, metánoia.

Sibbes Ch 12 here:

Sibbes Ch 10: Quench Not the Spirit

The primary text of Sibbes Ch 10 is found in 1 Thes 5. A pdf diagram of the contextual verses is given below:

There are five verbs shown in the above pdf of 1 Thes 5:19-22, all of the same exact form: VPAM2P, where V designates the word as a verb, P that the verb is in the present tense (aka “aspect”), A designates that the verb is in the active voice (the subject of the verb is the actor), M designates the imperative “mood” (more on this below), and 2P that the verb is the second person plural (you-all).

The imperative is in reference to “mood,” which is an awkward term, but the historical one. When dealing with a present-active verb, the imperative “mood” is command language. So the verb is not stating a fact (which would be the indicative mood), or an aspiration (the subjunctive, or more rarely the optative), but an assertion that the second-person-plural-addressee should act in accordance with the verb (in whatever the context, near a warning to “not” do something).

The Warning to Us: Do NOT “Quench” The Spirit

So relative to Sibbes Ch 10 and our text, 1 Thes 5, the first of the five imperative verbs, “quench,” more completely “do not quench,” heads the list of these five commands. As shown in the pdf, this first verb corresponds to Strong’s G4570, namely:

G4570. σβέννυμι sbénnumi: To quench, extinguish. Transitive [verb: that is, taking an object]:

(I) Of light or fire with the accusative (Matt. 12:20; Eph. 6:16; Heb. 11:34). Passive, to be quenched, go out (Matt. 25:8; Mark 9:44, 46, 48; Sept. [LXX]: Lev. 6:12, 13; Job 21:17; Is. 42:3).

(II) Figuratively to dampen, hinder, repress, as in preventing the Holy Spirit from exerting His full influence, with the accusative (1 Thes. 5:19; Sept. [LXX]: Song 8:7).

Derivative Words: ásbestos (762), unquenchable.

 Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers.

What, then, does “do NOT quench!” mean?

1. For some traditions (e.g., Arminian), such command is a the most-ominous warning (1) of the risk of losing one’s “salvation,” (2) where “salvation / being saved” is taken to mean having, finally everlasting forgiveness and eternal life, and (3) because one can only be provisionally “saved,” and so (4) one is always at risk of losing one’s “salvation.” In such faith traditions, “saved” is taken to be synonymous with “regeneration” / eternal life, but of course cannot be truly synonymous because such “salvation” that can be “lost” was neither “eternal” nor a regeneration from death to “Life.”
2. For some contexts (tent / auditorium evangelism), such “do not quench” command is used to warn against resisting an inner feeling / direction to “repent,” believe, and so be “saved,” as may be made evident by walking to the front and giving public testimony to one’s “accepting” Christ. In such contexts the call to faith may be either by those who believe such “getting saved” is only provisional (as above in the Arminian view) or by those who believe that once “saved” always “saved” (the Reformed view, also held by many Baptists even those who do not consider themselves to be in the Reformed ‘camp’).
3. However, the context here in the Thessalonian Epistle in general, and in 1 Thes 5 and vs. 19-22 in particular, is of a people who are already Christ’s, possessing eternal life, with no warning as to it (eternal life) becoming ‘lost’ (as though something which was “eternal” could be lost). And, so, by such interpretation, the command “do NOT quench!” is directed to one’s walk as a secured believer, in a condition of regeneration, having eternal life, with The Holy Spirit, the Third “Person” of the Trinity (Godhead) in residence within one’s soul.
   • What then does “quench” reference? The first approach to any such Biblical text / word question is search out the literal meaning within the context, and then within other parallel contexts (as Scripture is its own interpreter).
   • From the definition given in the pdf above we see that the Koine word sbénnumi means to repress (extinguish) some force (which could be “fire” or “light” in a given context). But a strict literal interpretation would not make sense.
   • The very next verses, 1 Thes 5:20-21, gives us the context and a proper understanding. Verses 20 and 21 are written as exact parallels (this is somewhat clearer in the Koine original, but it is also clear in any literal English Bible). This verse pair (5:20 and 21) carries a poetic form in the sense that the second line, vs. 21, amplifies / gives life to, the first line, vs. 20.
   • This then makes the essential connections that “do not quench” is “do not despise” and, importantly, “The Spirit” is [the source of] “prophesies.”

Do NOT Despise Prophecies

Referring again to the pdf above, we see that “despise” is the translation of the Koine word G1848, exouthenéō, which derives from “ex” (meaning out of, just as in English) and outhenéō, which does not occur in the Bible but whose meaning is well known from extant literature of the period, namely “to bring to nothing” (naught, i.e. make of no account, a zero).

Two very telling NT citations of exouthenéō (to despise) occur first in Luke 18:9 and next in Luke 23:11.

• The Luke 18:9ff passage is the important parable of the despised tax collector (“publican” in some translations) coming to the fringes of the Temple area in abject humility praying only for one thing: “God, be merciful to me–the sinner” (Luke 18:13).
  1. Most translations have it just as “sinner” but the Koine is “the sinner,” suggesting, perhaps, that the tax collector is self-identifying as the most-significant sinner, an exemplar of the most-‘lost’ and totally without hope.
  2. The verb “be merciful” is a most important verb, G4233, hiláskomai. It is the Koine word (in the noun form) for the Mercy Seat that covers the Ark of the Covenant standing in the Holy of Holies, the place excluded to all people, except for the high priest, and then only once a year, and for the purpose of offering sacrifice as a type of Messiah on behalf of all the people and himself. Here in Luke 18:13 it is as a verb and which verb is special form: Aorist, Passive, Imperative, 2nd Person, Singular.
     1. Every element of these five verb attributes is rich with significance. Briefly, the 2nd Person Singular means it is addressed to another Person, and only One Person in particular. It is not to the Levitical / Aaronic priests, Judaism / the Mosaic Law, and certainly not to the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders of the time, nor to the Roman rulers who were the tax collectors direct superiors as to his profession. The tax collector knew there was Only One to Whom he could speak his plea.
     2. The passive “voice” is the clear affirmation that he, the tax collector, is the receiver of what he pleads for, not the doer of it. His voice expressing that his condition, his sin, is his only initiating act, it’s what he ‘owns,’ and only brings, to God.
     3. The aorist “tense” (or “aspect”) generally designates a whole action, often it’s completeness, even finality, and further (possibly) conveying its singularity (that of being a one-time action).
     4. Finally, we come to the imperative “mood.” As we have discussed, this is often used as command language of the object of the verb, as it is of the five verbs of 1 Thes 5:20-22. However, the imperative here conveys the absolute necessity of forgiveness, meaning there is no other way to God for the tax collector, not by any sacrifice, not by any observance, not by any acts of ‘righteousness.’ The tax collector is using a plea word, but in the clearest sense of expressing utter, abject need (for forgiveness), bringing nothing himself to such act except his need for it. The imperative verb form is here making stark that only God’s mercy, which would be truly undeserving, can accomplish what is being pleaded.
  3. What of the other person present at the scene of Luke 18:9ff? He is “a pharisee” without the definite article as used of “the tax collector.” This signals to us that this is not about a particular pharisee but of the category of all pharisees. And what of them?
     1. The opening verse tells us: “to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and [thus] treated others [literally: “the rest”] with contempt [bingo! this is our word exouthenéō].” Here exouthenéō is used as a participle, which is a verbal used as an adverb describing how the pharisees treated “the rest,” that is the non-pharisees and especially those they considered far from God such as the tax collector but also Gentiles, Samaritans (not purely racial Jews), lepers, cripples, the blind, etc.
     2. So what does the voice of this category of pharisees say to God? He gives thanks that he is righteous! And, so, as a category, such speech is claiming that we Pharisees are righteous and, accordingly, sense no need for mercy.
     3. So, most importantly, what does God say of pharisees? As Jesus Himself says it is only the tax collector who is justified! This would be a deeply offensive statement on a double level, because it makes clear that pharisees who “exalt” themselves will be “humbled” under God’s judgment.
  4. This entire parable centers on our key word exouthenéō. It shows us the inner spirit of The Religion Industry (TRI). It makes clear that TRI is contemptuous and consider as nothing, zero, those who are dishonored by their industry / system of self-righteousness (pride).
• The second use of exouthenéō is just a few chapters later in Luke’s Gospel at Luke 23:11-12. Here the scene is of the trial of Jesus that fateful Passover night and morning before His crucifixion. Specifically we see “Herod with his [the] soldiers treated Him with exouthenéō and [unto being] mocked.” As part of their mocking ritual they arrayed Jesus in “splendid clothing” and returned Him under guard to Pilate for the final judgment of putting to death in shame by the cross. The text even tells us that by such external acts of exouthenéō and returning Him thusly to the exclusive power of the Roman Government authority that they (Herod and Pilate, co-judges of Jesus) “became friends that very day!” Here we see two things. The will and deeds of The Political Industry (TPI) and its union in common purpose against God and particularly God’s Redeemer / Messiah. And we see most clearly that exouthenéō / utter despising was the root spirit of both TRI and TPI. The Jews and the Romans agreed on almost nothing, as each group despised the other. But here in Luke 23 at the trial and final earthly determination of “Who is Jesus?” they are in exact agreement: contempt, worthy of death, even the death of the cross which itself was the ultimate symbol of contempt by both the Romans and the Jews, the Jews because (they thought( they knew the OT Law: “a hanged man is cursed by God,” Deut. 21:21-23, ESV)

Prophesies

Having now fixed upon what exouthenéō (treating as nothing, even with contempt), how does this connect to “prophesies” in 1 Thes 5:20?

As shown in the above pdf, the Koine word in question is prophēteía, so our English word “prophesies” is not a translation but a transliteration. Thus, our English word can be misleading because it may be thought to mean only foretelling about the future as we use the term “prophetic warning.” Not so.

The Koine word prophēteía as shown in the above pdf also means forth-telling, which may not specifically reference fore-telling. When used in such sense of forth-telling is means “the exercise of the prophetic office, the acting as an ambassador of God and interpreter of His mind and will” (citing, again Zodhiates’s generic definition). Here in 1 Thes 5 the meaning of forth-telling is much richer because the word “Spirit” is not about some feeling or impulse, but by reference to the communication of the Third Person of the Trinity, namely The Holy Spirit. So there is indeed a forth-telling that should not be quenched, treated with contempt, because it is from God Himself in the Person of The Holy Spirit.

How, then, does such prophēteía arise within us with regard to which we are not to quench / treat with contempt? The full answer is a book itself. But succinctly, The Spirit bears witness to The Logos (the word for Jesus Christ in John 1:1ff), Who authored and controlled the writing of the Bible and including the NT itself including these very verses under consideration in 1 Thes 5, Who ordained its human authors, controlled their thoughts and expressions without overriding their own personalities and vocabularies, preserved inerrant the autographical record, and watched over the church’s recognition and identification of such Spirit-Authored texts which by Providence has descended down the two millennia to our time in many forms and expressions that reliably convey the Word.

This framework of understanding prophēteía is critical. A common historic error, prevalent today, is the belief that The Holy Spirit “speaks to me” as in new, specific communications that are outside, and even completely beyond the bounds, of Scripture, and even to the point that such claimed communications are new teachings for any, even every, community of God’s children.

Westminster Confession of Faith on the Matter of Revelation of The Holy Spirit

Turning again to the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCOF) as an exemplar of correction on such claim, the very first chapter of WCOF addresses this issue of solitary claims of communications from The Holy Spirit as matters of authority. The below WCOF text is an excerpted quotation of the relative portions of Chapter 1 WCOF (highlights mine):

Chapter 1 Holy Scripture

• Para. 1: Our natural understanding and the works of creation and providence so clearly show God’s goodness, wisdom, and power that human beings have no excuse for not believing in him.1 However, these means alone cannot provide that knowledge of God and of his will which is necessary for salvation.2 Therefore it pleased the Lord at different times and in various ways to reveal himself and to declare that this revelation contains his will for his church.3 Afterwards it pleased God to put this entire revelation into writing so that the truth might be better preserved and transmitted and that the church, confronted with the corruption of the flesh and the evil purposes of Satan and the world, might be more securely established and comforted.4 Since God no longer reveals himself to his people in those earlier ways,5 Holy Scripture is absolutely essential.6
  1. Rom 2.14-15, 1.19-20, Ps 19.1-4, Rom 1.32, 2.1.
  2. 1 Cor 1.21, 2.13-14, 2.9-12, Acts 4.12, Rom 10.13-14.
  3. Heb 1.1-2, Gal 1.11-12, Dt 4.12-14.
  4. Prv 22.19-21, Lk 1.3-4, Rom 15.4, Mt 4.4,7,10, Is 8.19-20, Lk 24.27, 2 Tm 3.16, 2 Pt 3.15-16.
  5. Heb 1.1-2, see General Note.
  6. 2 Tm 3.15-16, 2 Pt 1.10, Lk 16.29-31, Heb 2.1-3.
• Para. 4: The Bible speaks authoritatively and so deserves to be believed and obeyed. This authority does not depend on the testimony of any man or church but completely on God, its author, who is himself truth. The Bible therefore is to be accepted as true, because it is the word of God.
• Para. 5…we are completely persuaded and assured of the infallible truth and divine authority of the Bible only by the inward working of the Holy Spirit, who testifies by and with the word in our hearts.
• Para. 6: The whole purpose of God about everything pertaining to his own glory and to man’s salvation, faith, and life is either explicitly stated in the Bible or may be deduced as inevitably and logically following from it.1 Nothing is at any time to be added to the Bible, either from new revelations of the Spirit or from traditions of men.2 Nevertheless we do recognize that the inward illumination of the Spirit of God is necessary for a saving understanding of the things which are revealed in the word.3 We also recognize that some provisions for the worship of God and the government of the church are similar to secular activities and organizations; these are to be directed according to our natural understanding and our Christian discretion and should conform to the general rules of the word, which are always to be observed.4
  1. Mk 7.5-7.
  2. 2 Tm 3.15-17, Gal 1.8-9, 2 Thes 2.2. This statement is an inference from the sufficiency of the Scriptures.
  3. Jn 6.45, 1 Cor 2.9-10, 12.
  4. 1 Cor 11.13-14, 14.26,40.

• Para. 10: The Holy Spirit speaking in the Bible is the supreme judge of all religious controversies, all decisions of religious councils, all the opinions of ancient writers, all human teachings, and every private opinion.1 We are to be satisfied with the judgment of him who is and can be the only judge.
  1. Mt 22.29,31, Eph 2.20, Acts 28.25, Lk 10.26, Gal 1.10, 1 Jn 4.1-6.

10.1 False Despair of Christ’s Mercy

Sibbes first addresses the hopeless, perhaps like the Samaritan woman (John Ch 4) who must have heard of Jesus but had no ‘heart’ / hope to see Him out. Yet, Jesus gives us a model because He sought her out and saw her redeemable heart:

¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

John Ch 4 ESV

And, so, Sibbes applies the principles of Broken Reed / Smoking Flax even to one of such little hope:

There are those who go on in all ill courses of life on this pretence, that it would be useless to go to Christ, because their lives have been so bad; whereas, as soon as we look to heaven, all encouragements are ready to meet us and draw us forward. 

Sibbes, Ch 10, Sec. 1

10.2 False Hope of Christ’s Mercy

Contrasting with the above, are those who have unwarranted comfort that “it will all be ok…whatever…”

There are those who take up a hope of their own, that Christ will suffer them to walk in the ways to hell, and yet bring them to heaven;

Sibbes, Ch 10.2

10.3 Resisting Christ’s Mercy

Worse, even, that the above “false hope” category are the willfully presumptuous and defiant.

Oh, say the rebels of the time, God has not made us to damn us. Yes, if you will not meet Christ in the ways of his mercy, it is fitting that you should `eat of the fruit of your own way, and be filled with your own devices’ (Prow. 1:31). This will be the hell of hell, when men shall think that they have loved their sins more than their souls;

Sibbes, Ch 10.3

10.4 Presuming on Christ’s Mercy

A common charge made against the Bible’s teaching of Election and Free Grace is that such will only lead our universal carnal nature to exercise free license to follow its lusts. Sibbes deals with the presumption here:

And the best of us all may offend against this merciful disposition if we are not watchful against that liberty which our carnal disposition will be ready to take from it.

Sibbes, Ch 10.4, opening sentence.

The VAE Principle: Vires Acquirit Eundo

And here Sibbes cites the passage in 1 Thes 5 we covered in detail above, namely we are commanded not to quench the teaching (forth-telling) of The Holy Spirit. But beyond this, Sibbes makes reference to the multiplication of growth in obedience to The Holy Spirit, which is the essence of the VAE Principle—Vires Acquirit Eundo–that we have considered in Sibbes Ch 8 and Ch 9, namely:

 God has set apart for the effecting of any thing are included in the purpose that he has to bring that thing to pass. And this is a principle taken for granted, even in civil matters; for who, if he knew before that it would be a fruitful year, would therefore hang up his plough and neglect tillage?…However, let us remember that grace is increased, in the exercise of it, not by virtue of the exercise itself, but as Christ by his Spirit flows into the soul and brings us nearer to himself, the fountain, so instilling such comfort that the heart is further enlarged. The heart of a Christian is Christ’s garden, and his graces are as so many sweet spices and flowers which, when his Spirit blows upon them, send forth a sweet savor. Therefore keep the soul open to entertain the Holy Ghost, for he will bring in continually fresh forces to subdue corruption,…

Sibbes, Ch 10.4 (emphasis mine)

There are two ‘bookends’ to such VAE Principle: the initiating impetus, and the confidence that, at the end, whatever we have undertaken on behalf of God will have turned out rightly and well (in addition to a multiplying effect).

The Initiation of Action

Sibbes draws attention to how does action on our part actually begin, by what initiating impulse:

Christ performs his office in not quenching by stirring up suitable endeavors in us;…this encouragement from the good issue of victory is intended to stir us up, and not to put us off….we must consider all those means whereby Christ preserves grace begun; such as, first, holy communion, by which one Christian warms another. …As we look, therefore, for the comfort of this doctrine, let us not favor our natural sloth but exercise ourselves rather to godliness (1 Tim. 4:7), and labour to keep this fire always burning upon the altar of our hearts. Let us dress our lamps daily, and put in fresh oil, and wind up our souls higher and higher still. Resting in a good condition is contrary to grace, which cannot but promote itself to a further measure [the negative VAE Principle]. Let none turn this grace `into lasciviousness’ (Jude 4). Infirmities are a ground of humility, not a plea for negligence, nor an encouragement to presumption.

Sibbes Ch 10.4 (emphasis mine)

Visioning the Blessing of the End

Sibbes expands on the end, the telos, of that which is done in response to the calling of God:

If a spark of faith and love is so precious, what an honor will it be to be rich in faith! Who would not rather walk in the light, and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost, than live in a dark, perplexed state? And not rather be carried with full sail to heaven than be tossed always with fears and doubts? The present trouble in conflict against a sin is not so much as that disquiet which any corruption favored will bring upon us afterward. True peace is in conquering, not in yielding.

Sibbes Ch 10.4 (Emphasis mine)

10.5 Seeking Another Source of Mercy

The common insidious purpose of both The Religion Industry (TRI) and The Political Industry (TPI) is the ‘great substitutions,’ of sources of authority, purpose / meaning of life, and most-importantly the true “Mediator” between God and man: Messiah / Christ Jesus, Savior and Lord.

Sibbes warns against seeking some other basis, person, as a “source of mercy:”

What need do we have to knock at any other door? Can any be more tender over us than Christ?

Sibbes, Ch 10.5

10.6, 7 Mistreating the Heirs of Mercy and Strife Among Heirs of Mercy

Here Sibbes speaks of compassion on one’s fellow heirs, specifically as to “mercy” with regard to their perceived shortcomings. His underlying appeal, by his reference to Zeph 2:3, is to cling to humility.

Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
    who do his just commands;
seek righteousness; seek humility;
    perhaps you may be hidden
    on the day of the anger of the Lord

Zephaniah 2:3 (ESV; highlights mine)

Perhaps a more illustrative passage is from Phil Ch 2:

¹ So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, …¹² …work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. ¹⁴ Do all things without grumbling or disputing,

Phil 2:1-14 (ESV, excerpting and highlights mine)

The inclination that could lead to “mistreating…heirs” can most readily stem from the absence of the highlighted portions in the above Phil 2 passage. In particular the word translated “sympathy” comes from:

Strong’s G3628. οἰκτιρμός oiktirmós; noun from oikteírō (3627), to have compassion on. Pity, compassion, mercy, …the pity or compassion which one shows for the sufferings of others. It is used in reference to God as the Father of mercies (2 Cor. 1:3) showing His character and that upon which believers can depend as they make their bodies a living offering to Him (Rom. 12:1; see Heb. 10:28); of believers who are to show compassion one for another (Phil. 2:1; Col. 3:12).

 Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers.

The above word, oiktirmós, translated “sympathy” by the ESV in Phil 2:1, is related to another relevant word:

G1656. ἔλεος éleos. Mercy, compassion… active pity. Generally (Luke 1:50, 78; Rom. 9:23; 15:9; Eph. 2:4; 1 Pet. 1:3; James 3:17; Sept.: Deut. 13:17; Neh. 13:22; Ps. 51:1; Is. 63:7). With the verb poiéō (4160), to do mercy for someone means to show mercy to, … With the verb megalúnō (3170), to make great, magnify, show great mercy on someone (Luke 1:58). …Spoken of mercy as passing over deserved punishment (James 2:13 [cf. Sept.: Num. 14:19]).

Ibid.

This word, éleos—commonly translated “mercy”–occurs nearly 30x in the NT and well over 200x in the OT (LXX). It is a core concept as to God’s relationship to us and our standing before Him. And, so, it is proper that it connects believers one with another even in the dailyness, and strife, of everyday life, and ‘pilgrim journeying.’

Sibbes cautions as to our natural impulse of having a spirit of correction: “Therefore open show of difference is only good when it is necessary, although some, from a desire to be somebody, turn into by ways and yield to a spirit of contradiction in themselves.” And Sibbes notes, appropriately, how the Lord Jesus was compassionate–“Peace be with you”–in His resurrection appearances, and desired that “they all may be one” as “he and the Father were One (John 17:21).” As God, Jesus could have unleashed a blizzard of ‘corrections’ of which there were yet a few (we think of doubting Thomas, and the “do you love me” exchange with Peter). But as God, He knew it would be the soon indwelling ministry of God The Holy Spirit Who would comfort, encourage, and admonish in a way in accord with a pilgrim’s progress.

10.8 Taking Advantage of the Bruised

Here SIbbes speaks to the tyranny of The Religion Industry (TRI), without of course using that specific language:

Spiritual tyranny is the greatest tyranny, and then especially when it is where most mercy should be shown; yet even there some, like cruel surgeons, delight in making long cures, to serve themselves through the misery of others. It brings men under a terrible curse that they `remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man’, that they might `even slay the broken in heart’ (Psa. 109:16).

Sibbes Ch 10.8 (Emphasis mine)

It appears to be a general characteristic of TRI that it seeks to hold the sword over the necks of its followers.

Of course, there is an opposite error, as can be expected, namely: a TRI which forgives, and even blesses and honors, whatever spirit of error or inclination might exist in any adherent. This is a similar kind of dealmaking: this TRI excuses, even honors, the one who seeks to turn aside from God’s Holiness in exchange for such ‘honored’ one in turn paying honor to TRI.

10.9 Despising the Simple Means of Mercy

In his final section, Sibbes brings forward the idea of men “despising” God as both TRI and TPI were the primary exemplars of so doing as we discussed above. Specifically Sibbes writes:

[They are] ashamed of the simplicity of the gospel, that count preaching foolishness. They, out of the pride of their heart, think that they may do well enough without the help of the Word and sacraments,

Sibbes Ch 10.9 (highlights mine)

As discussed above concerning 1 Thes 5, we saw that quenching the Spirit was contempt for the communication / revelation of the Spirit, which was the Word of God, the Bible. We live, likely as all previous generations did, at a time when man’s heart is to pick and choose what they believe from the Bible. In so doing, as someone has well said (Augustine?), if you choose what to believe from the Bible…it is not the Bible you believe but yourself. And that spirit of believing one’s self is largely driven by the inner desire to self-justify one’s inclinations as being “good” because they ‘seem’ “good” or in more fleshy terms, ‘fee’ “good” (the latter being essentially a motto of our times).

Vires Acquirit Eundo (VAE) Insights and Applications

The Serpent’s Deceptions, and Deceivers

Sibbes Ch 11 here:

Sibbes Ch 9: “Believe Christ, Not Satan”

What is Truth? It was Pilate’s question.

Pilate was preceded by the Apostles and followers of Jesus, and His opposers, the Pharisees, Sadducees, lawyers, scribes (all of The Religion Industry, TRI). Pilate as a hinge point was then followed in the Book of Acts and all the Epistles this same question was asked by those to whom the Gospel was presented.

But we can skip all the way back to Eve, at the ‘eve’ of it all, in Gen Ch 3. There she stood before conflicting claims of Truth, that which she heard from Adam, and perhaps God Himself, and now this serpent speaking with the voice of Satan himself. Which claim was, is, True?

Her conflict, remains ours, even now multiple thousands of years later. What is True?

Sibbes introduces this conflict in his Ch 9. Headline sentences from Sibbes are below:

9.1 How We Should Think of Christ

Matt 4:6

Satan’a Strategy of Separation, Isolation

Sibbes lays out the principle of Satan’s always strategy:

so his [Satan’s] daily study is to divide between the Son and us by breeding false opinions in us of Christ, as if there were not such tender love in him to such as we are. It was Satan’s art from the beginning to discredit God with man, by calling God’s love into question with our first father Adam. His success then makes him ready at that weapon still.

Sibbes Ch 9, Sec 1 (Highlights mine)

The Bibles Examples of Satan’s Separation Strategy

• Eve from God, then Adam from God, resulting in them both being separated (expelled) from God.
• Abel, then Cain himself, from the first parents, Adam and Eve using the covetousness of honor-seeking on one’s own behalf
• Joseph the Christ-type son of Jacob from his brothers and father, by the pride of the brothers
• Job from his children, his possessions and prominence, his wife (no loss there), from his physical health, and finally by his three closest friends (who painfully judged him condemned before God), by Satan’s two-fold attack claiming that Job would then curse God
• God’s people from the Promised Land into slavery of Egypt because of God’s judgment upon the idolatry of TRI as it had emerged in Israel, blended with and part of TPI (The Political Industry), energized by Satan taking command of Israel’s worship and order

9.2 When Christ Seems To Be an Enemy

John 17:6, 11

9.3 When Doubt Assails Us

Isaiah 53:5

Closure

Sibbes ends Ch 9 as follows:

Whatever may be wished for in an all sufficient comforter is all to be found in Christ:

1. Authority from the Father. All power was given to him (Matt. 28:18).

2. Strength in himself. His name is `The mighty God’ (Isa. 9:6).

3. Wisdom, and that from his own experience, how and when to help (Heb. 2:18).

4. Willingness, as being bone of our bones and flesh of our flesh (Gen. 2:23; Eph. 5:30).

Sibbes Ch 9, Closing words.

Sibbes Ch 10 here:

Sibbes Ch 8: Duties and Discouragements

Sibbes sets the tone for this Ch 8 in his opening sentence:

From what has been said…to resolve that question…whether we ought to perform duties when our hearts are altogether averse* to them.

Sibbes, Ch 8, opening sentence

*Averse: is not an everyday word. A useful definition is given below that makes it clear that Sibbes is not referring to laziness, or shyness, but something deeper, rebellious, scented with an active dislike.

How is the word averse different from other adjectives like it? Some common synonyms of averse are disinclined, hesitant, loath, and reluctant. While all these words mean “lacking the will or desire to do something indicated,” averse implies a holding back from or avoiding because of distaste or repugnance.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/averse

So, Sibbes is asking for the response to others, or ourselves, who are reluctant to undertake some or any Christian “duty,” even to the extent of finding such duty to be distasteful (in general) or worse. One response if to caution that such disinclination is a sign that no conversion, no new life, has occurred. Yes we are saved by “faith alone,” not not (as Luther and others have said) by a “faith that is alone.”

Another response, that of the central point of this chapter, is such reluctance as may derive from lack of courage, or disappoint in self is to be corrected as part of the process of sanctification (growing in Grace). And this leads back to a discussion we had in Ch 7 on Vires Acquirit Eundo (VAE).

Vires Acquirit Eundo (VAE)

As discussed in our previous Sibbes chapter, the famous Latin phrase Vires Acquirit Eundo (hereafter VAE) says strength / capacity is enhanced / increased / advanced by its own doing, namely being in action, strength expressed leads to greater strength, action to further action.

VAE is not directly mentioned by Sibbes here in Ch 8 either by its Latin phrase or by the underlying idea. But VAE is implicit in all his discussion as will be noted below by the addition of the abbreviation to various points of Sibbes’s text.

The goodness associated with VAE is real but subtle. Sibbes stresses here that we, as redeemed / adopted children of The Father, have certain duties / responsibilities to God. Such is a rightful claim of God upon us, though, as clear in the foundational confessions of the Reformation, and the Scriptures, such duties do not gain us redemption nor do they preserve it. Such duties are a rightful response of adopted children of the Creator.

But additionally, all such duties / responsibilities bless us in their doing, and subsequent to their doing (VAE). As Joh Piper has written so extensively, our Christian life-walk is not making a choice of opposites, namely: of serving God or being “happy” (in the best sense of the word) because it is serving God that makes us truly “happy” (in the best and ultimate sense of the word). So it is not “either / or,” but “both and.” But the it may not feel that way at the onset of VAE, nor after any given cycle of VAE-inspired action.

We Should Persist in Duties

1. “Our hearts of themselves are reluctant to give up their liberty, and are only with difficulty brought under the yoke of duty.” (Sibbes opening sentence). He then adds the observation that VAE has a negative direction as well as a positive one: “Corruption gains ground, for the most part, in every neglect.” So his first reason to “persist in [our] duties” is that no doing so will lead to ever worse conditions.
2. “As we set about duty, God strengthens the influence that he has in us.” Here Sibbes states, in effect, the VAE principle as it is usually applied, in the positive, enhancing sense. Positive engagement with such as we have will not only be right, and in some way joyous, but also, importantly it “strengthens the influence.”
3. One of the most crass responses to facing an undertaking is: “what’s in it for me?” (Also known as the Chicago Alderman’s question: “Where’s mine?”…an Alderman is a powerful figure that sits on the City Council and effectively rules a specific community). Sibbes makes clear, as we should intrinsically know deeply, that obedience is sweet when it is done without a view on a specific reward for having done it.
4. Sibbes puts the VAE principle in succinct form: “Reward follows work.” Overcoming our inhibitory “corruptions” leads, over time, to certain victories over them, such that they become our “spoil” as in the prizes the victor gains in the vanquishing.

Overcoming Discouragements

The common source of discouragement is (according to Sibbes) impatience. We tend to think that it is only our current era that is dominated by the need for immediate satisfaction derived from an invested labor.

This has always been the case. Think of Eve presented with the Serpent’s claims and temptation. It was, we would think, a simple matter for Eve to say “no,” as in “just say no” as a strategic response to any great temptation. But it was even simpler for Eve to say, “you’ve made dramatic claims against the character of God…I am not going to respond to them at this time…I will reflect on what I know to be true of God and His Goodness…and I will talk with my human partner-in-life, Adam, who had first hand knowledge of God’s commands before I came to be.” Why didn’t she take this approach? What was the rush?

We see in the OT King Saul waiting for the Prophet / Priest Samuel to return so that the sacrifice to God could be offered. Saul began to fear he was losing the people, now thought to be his people, by Samuel’s delay. So, Saul commits a deep moral and ethical offense by taking it upon himself that which only the priest could do.

In the NT Peter reminds the recipients of his Epistle that although the Lord is returning again, and restoring all things, “1000 days” is in God’s framework as “one day” is in ours. So, faith and patience must go together.

Another source of discouragement treated by Sibbes is our self awareness of the corruptions in our character and our hands performing any service on behalf of God. Sibbes responds: “…if we hate our corruptions and strive against them, they shall not be counted ours…what displeases us shall never hurt us…what we desire truly to conquer we shall conquer….”

Sibbes adds this great thought: “The desire is an earnest of the thing desired.” (An “earnest” is a downpayment assuring that the final payment will be made).

The Source of Discouragements

1. Our incapacity. But we should remember this principle: “Possibilitas tua mensura tua (What is possible to you is what you will be measured by).” In the Lord’s parable of the servants entrusted with varying, large sums of resources, both the one who had ten talents and made ten more, and the one who had five and made five more, were equally praised by the Father. It was the one who was fearful of losing his one talent, not having either the larger starting five or ten talents, who was judged harshly because he did not invest whatever it was that he had.
2. Our limited abilities will be quenched. As discussed in previous chapters, and relevant here, Christ does not, will not, quench smoking flax.
3. Our discouragements. Whatever discourages us will be the very point of comfort of the Holy Spirit in His Office as “Comforter:” “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14:16 ESV) and “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness” (Romans 8:26a ESV).

Some Scruples Removed

In our study of a previous chapter we considered “scruples” and “scrupulosity.” Here Sibbes applies these observations to the removal of barriers to VAE.

1. Sensing our own weaknesses as grounds for disqualifying ourselves from service is wrongly applying our scruples.
2. Weaknesses rather than disqualifying us from service they instead receive the greater mercy of God toward us.
3. We must not confuse our weaknesses with being of those who are “malicious opposers and underminers of God’s truth.”

So, weaknesses can be, should be, grounds for our humility, and mortification, they do not extinguish the good work that yet results by the hand of God through us.

What are Sins of Infirmity?

1. We must recognize that there is no “sins of infirmity” (weakness) except there is the existence of life. Dead people do not sense weakness.
2. Even in being off course to some degree in our service, the Spirit of God can and does correct particulars, which is itself another way of expressing VAE.
3. Deep within one’s heart, the ultimate seat of motivation, there has to be some degree of right judgment as there is of the flame within the smoke.
4. We are securely in that what acts we are inclined to undertake sparked by the flame implanted by God are done in some way toward the love of God. Such love overrules, in the end, the weaknesses and ‘straynesses’ of what may be our feeble even not fully guided efforts.

Westminster Confession of Faith, Ch 16 “Of Good Works”

As discussed elsewhere, the great confessions of the Reformation stress the centrality of justification by faith alone. But, as Luther is reported to have said, we are saved by faith alone but not a faith that is alone.

In The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCOF), as well as The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith one chapter is directly on this subject of good works. This relates both to this Sibbes Ch 8 and the VAE concept. Below is Ch 16 of WCOF entitled “Of Good Works.”

1. Good works are only such as God hath commanded in his holy Word,a and not such as, without the warrant thereof, are devised by men out of blind zeal, or upon any pretense of good intention.b
a. Micah 6:8; Rom 12:2; Heb 13:21. • b. 1 Sam 15:21-23; Isa 29:13; Mat 15:9; John 16:2; Rom 10:2; 1 Pet 1:18.

2. These good works, done in obedience to God’s commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith;a and by them believers manifest their thankfulness,b strengthen their assurance,c edify their brethren,d adorn the profession of the gospel,e stop the mouths of the adversaries,f and glorify God,g whose workmanship they are, created in Christ Jesus thereunto,h that, having their fruit unto holiness, they may have the end, eternal life.i
a. James 2:18, 22. • b. Psa 116:12-13; 1 Pet 2:9. • c. 2 Pet 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3, 5. • d. Mat 5:16; 2 Cor 9:2. • e. 1 Tim 6:1; Titus 2:5, 9-12. • f. 1 Pet 2:15. • g. John 15:8; Phil 1:11; 1 Pet 2:12. • h. Eph 2:10. • i. Rom 6:22.

3. Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of Christ.a And that they may be enabled thereunto, besides the graces they have already received, there is required an actual influence of the same Holy Spirit to work in them to will and to do of his good pleasure;b yet are they not hereupon to grow negligent, as if they were not bound to perform any duty unless upon a special motion of the Spirit; but they ought to be diligent in stirring up the grace of God that is in them.c
a. Ezek 36:26-27; John 15:4-6. • b. Phil 2:13; 4:13; 2 Cor 3:5. • c. Isa 64:7; Acts 26:6-7; Phil 2:12; 2 Tim 1:6; Heb 6:11-12; 2 Pet 1:3, 5, 10-11; Jude 1:20-21.

4. [This paragraph has to do with the Roman Catholic doctrine of the “Treasury of Merit,” the excess grace attained by certain “saints” in history, which aggregates to the Pope, and which may by him be dispensed as “Indulgences” on behalf of those insufficient in grace, which (1) not being any part of Scripture, (2) led to the commercial sale of indulgences that ‘enabled’ the living to buy the dead out of certain portions of the dead’s assigned suffering in purgatory]. They who in their obedience attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life, are so far from being able to supererogate and to do more than God requires, as that they fall short of much which in duty they are bound to do.a
a. Neh 13:22; Job 9:2-3; Luke 17:10; Gal 5:17.

5. We cannot, by our best works, merit pardon of sin, or eternal life at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come, and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins;a but when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants;b and because, as they are good, they proceed from his Spirit;c and as they are wrought by us, they are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection that they cannot endure the severity of God’s judgment.d
a. Job 22:2-3; 35:7-8; Psa 16:2; Rom 3:20; 4:2, 4, 6; 8:18; Eph 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7. • b. Luke 17:10. • c. Gal 5:22-23. • d. Psa 130:3; 143:2; Isa 64:6; Rom 7:15, 18; Gal 5:17.

6. Yet notwithstanding, the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him,a not as though they were in this life wholly unblamable and unreprovable in God’s sight;b but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections.c
a. Gen 4:4 with Heb 11:4; Exod 28:38; Eph 1:6; 1 Pet 2:5. • b. Job 9:20; Psa 143:2. • c. Mat 25:21, 23; 2 Cor 8:12; Heb 6:10; 13:20-21.

7. Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others;a yet because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith,b nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word,c nor to a right end, the glory of God;d they are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God.e And yet their neglect of them is more sinful and displeasing unto God.f
a. 1 Kings 21:27, 29; 2 Kings 10:30-31; Phil 1:15-16, 18. • b. Gen 4:3-5 with Heb 11:4, 6. • c. Isa 1:12; 1 Cor 13:3. • d. Mat 6:2, 5, 16. • e. Amos 5:21-22; Hosea 1:4; Hag 2:14; Rom 9:16; Titus 1:15; 3:5. • f. Job 21:14-15; Psa 14:4; 36:3; Mat 23:23; 25:41-45.

Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 16 “Of Good Works.” Source: https://www.apuritansmind.com/westminster-standards/chapter-16/ (Highlights mine)

Jonathan Edwards Resolutions

Famous U.S. theologian, church leader / teacher, and even President of Princeton University (!) made it his lifelong practice to create and meditate on his personal resolutions. Over his life he created 70 of them.

Of particular note to our discussion here are the below resolutions, numbered as Edwards had done so:

57. Resolved: When I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done all I am expected to do, and resolve to do everything I am able to do.  Once I have done all that God requires of me, I will accept whatever comes my way, and accept that it is just as God’s Providence has ordered it.  I will, as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my own duty and my own sin.

59. Resolved: Whenever I am most conscious of feelings of ill nature, bad attitude, and/or anger, I will strive then the most to feel and act good naturedly.  At such times I know I may feel that to exhibit good nature might seem in some respects to be to my own immediate disadvantage, but I will nevertheless act in a way that is gracious, realizing that to do otherwise would be imprudent at other times (i.e. times when I am not feeling so irked).

60. Resolved: Whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of sorts, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within my own heart and/or soul, or the least irregularity in my behavior, I will immediately subject myself to the strictest examination. (Psalm 42:11 ESV Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.)

61. Resolved:  I will not give way to that apathy and listlessness which I find artificially eases and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on God’s Grace. Whatever excuses I may have for it, whatever my listlessness inclines me to do, or rather whatever it inclines me to neglect doing, I will realize that it would actually be best for me to do these things.

62. Resolved: Never to do anything but what God, by the Law of Love, requires me to do. And then, according to Ephesians 6:6-8 [not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free], I must do it willingly and cheerfully as to the Lord, and not for man.  I must remember that whatever good thing any man has or does he has first received from God; and that whenever a man is compelled by faith to act with love and charity toward others, especially those in need, that we do it as if to/for the Lord.

Selected Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards. Source: https://revpacman.com/2017/07/17/the-70-resolutions-of-jonathan-edwards/ (Highlights mine)

Sibbes Ch 9 here:

Sibbes Ch 7: Help for the Weak

In Sibbes Ch 6 we considered the inward turn of “smoking flax” as to the matter of “assurance.” The presence of ‘smoke’ is not only an indication of incompleteness as to Christian maturity it is also a confirmation that there exists a heavenly ‘spark’ within us. So our sense of smoke should remind us that it is only because there is a spark do we even observe / notice the existence of smoke. Those without the spark notice nothing, as the fish does not notice water.

In Sibbes Ch 7 we will see him extend the matter of assurance to that of giving comfort, solace in our human condition. In the first major section (7.1 as I have numbered it) the focus is on those temptations that we each have, some from within, some from our environment / circumstances, and perhaps some from the forces of the Great Deceiver himself. In the other major section (7.2) we are admonished that despite such assaults of discomfort about our condition, we are still called to our Christian duty of journeying toward maturity (the Doctrine of “Sanctification”). This latter topic closely f

Before turning to Sibbes’s chapter, let us consider what other resources can tell us about sanctification.

Doctrinal Basics on the Subject of Sanctification

Definition of Sanctification

Sanctification is the ongoing supernatural work of God to rescue justified sinners from the disease of sin and to conform them to the image of his Son: holy, Christlike, and empowered to do good works.

 Calhoun, S. (2018). Sanctification. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press.

Further expansion on the above definition follows below:

The triune God not only declares his children righteous but also progressively makes them righteous, setting them apart for himself and freeing them from the entanglements of sin. This process, referred to as “sanctification,” does not happen in a moment but is the ongoing work of God throughout the life of a believer. In “justification,” Christ’s righteousness is imputed to believers: it is reckoned to their account, judicially speaking. In sanctification, Christ’s righteousness is imparted: by the power of the Spirit, the converted sinner becomes more like Christ. The sinner is transformed in every area of his or her life: inward and outward, heart and action, relationships and purpose.

Sanctification is the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (John 17:17, 19; 1 Cor 1:2, 30; Eph 5:25–27; Col 1:22; 1 Thess 5:23; Heb 10:10–13; 13:12, 20–21). Yet it is the Holy Spirit who applies this triune work, freeing and empowering believers to become like Christ (Rom 8:12–14; 15:16; 2 Thess 2:13; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet 1:2). Scripture’s frequent designation of the Holy Spirit speaks to the fitting nature of the Spirit’s role as sanctifier.

Sanctification does not occur as a separate step after salvation; rather, it is the working out of one’s salvation into the whole of life and practice. It is not simply ethical conformity but the conformity of one’s entire life into the image of God. Sanctification is the natural application of justification: those who have been declared holy are now made holy. It is the natural development of regeneration: those who have received new life now live out this life as they grow in Christ. It is also the natural implication of adoption: God’s beloved children imitate him in holiness and purity. Christians are enabled to do good works that please and honor God, love and serve others, and represent God’s character and ways before the world (John 15:5, 8; Rom 7:4; 1 Cor 10:31; Gal 6:2; Jas 2:14–22).

Although sanctification is first and foremost a supernatural work of God in a person’s life, it also requires the active cooperation of the person through faith, obedience, and submission to the divine work (Rom 6:19; 12:1; Phil 2:12–13; 2 Tim 2:21; Heb 12:14). God has provided various means by which Christians can participate in their growth toward holiness and union with God. These include prayer, the reading and meditation of Scripture, fellowship with other believers in the church, the use of spiritual weapons (Eph 6:10–20), the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22–23), and the gifts of the Spirit for God’s mission in the world (Rom 12:3–8).

 Calhoun, S. (2018). Sanctification. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Lexham Press. (bold highlights are mine)

Graphical Map of Sanctification

Sanctification connects with, and is closely related to, other key Biblical concepts are indicated by certain of the bold highlighting above. Such interconnection can be seen visually in the below graphic:

With this background on sanctification let us now turn to Sibbes. Sibbes’s chapter, and his life ministry, was at the level of the nitty-gritty of local church life, and the training / education of men who taught other congregations. So we will see, as we have previously in his book, a very down-to-earth presentation of the above high-level principles. Together, they make a useful combination.

7.1 Temptations Which Hinder Comfort

7.1.1 Missing Full Assurance

7.1.2 Fearful that Grace Died

7.1.3 Terrorized by My Imaginations

7.1.4 My Corruptions Have Increased, Not Decreased

1. The more sin is seen it is hated
2. Contraries are made sharper by near-conflict.
3. Greater spiritual life, greater antipathy to the contrary.
4. Evidence that one has not given up to self-indulgence

7.2 Weakness Should Not Keep Us from Duty

Doctrine of Sanctification:

The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCOF) has a chapter (Ch 13) dedicated to the Biblical doctrine of “sanctification.” As shown below, WCOF 13.1 gives the positive assertion that such sanctification is to be a reality, but it is a “more and more” to be made Spiritually alive (WCOF “quickened”) and “strengthened.” Such is our “telos” (the Koine Greek word for ultimate purpose, goal, intended outcome) from God.

However, and it is a crucial “however,” WCOF 13.2 and 13.2 make clear that such process of “more and more” is in this life incomplete, and even having what appears to be regression. Thus, sanctification is toward the telos of perfection, it is in this life a perfect process of God-at-work yet dealing with “imperfection” as to our fallen nature, not yet irradiated. Thus, our experience is that of a “war” between the spirit and the flesh, which Sibbes characterizes as a kind of martyrdom.

Westminster Confession of Faith, Ch 13
(source: https://www.opc.org/documents/CFLayout.pdf )

1. They, who are once effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart, and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection,a by his Word and Spirit dwelling in them:b the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed,c and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified;d and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces,e to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.f

a. 1 Thess. 5:23–24. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 2 Thess. 2:13–14. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanc- tification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ezek. 36:22–28. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. Titus 3:5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Acts 20:32. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Phil. 3:10. … that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. Rom. 6:5–6. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

b. John 17:17, 19. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth…. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Eph. 5:26. … that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. Rom. 8:13–14. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 2 Thess. 2:13. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.

c. Rom. 6:6, 14. … knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin…. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

d. Gal. 5:24. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Rom. 8:13. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

e. Col. 1:10–11. … that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, be- ing fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness. Eph. 3:16–19. … that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

f. 2 Cor. 7:1. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Col. 1:28. … whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Col. 4:12. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. Heb. 12:14. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

2. This sanctification is throughout, in the whole man;g yet imperfect in this life, there abiding still some remnants of corruption in every part;h whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.i

g. 1 Thess. 5:23. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 12:1–2. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

h. 1 John 1:8–10. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Rom. 7:14–25. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I…. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not…. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the

i. Gal. 5:17; 1 Pet 2:11

3. In which war, although the remaining corruption, for a time, may much prevail;k yet, through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome;l and so, the saints grow in grace,m perfecting holiness in the fear of God.n

k. Rom 7:23

l. Rom 6:14; Eph 4:15-16; 1 John 5:4

m. 2 Cor 3″18; 2 Pet 3:18

n. 2 Cor 7:1

Motion and Acceleration: Vires Acquirit Eundo

An observation of John Flavel, another Puritan writer, and others in the Puritan era is captured by a Latin expression originally used by the Roman writer Virgil in his epic poem The Aeneid (29 – 19 B.C.): Vires Acquirit Eundo.

Acquirit clearly means “acquire.” Vires here means strength or capacity for work / achievement. Eundo is more difficult to pin down, but means that which was needed, or intended. Putting it together, the phrase is often translated as he / she / it gathers strength by doing (or continuance).

Virgil used the phrase, and made it famous, in the specific context of rumors, namely: rumors often begin in a small context of a two or a few people, but as each ‘networks’ with others (a discussion of such networks is developed elsewhere on this site) the scope of the rumor takes on almost a life of itself, as well as expanding exponentially (in accordance with the “Square Law of Networks”).

Interpretation and Application

One can think of the phrase as representing a stronger form and context of Newton’s Law of Motion which states (among other things) that objects in motion will tend to stay in motion (unless acted upon by other forces). Virgil’s phrase says more than Newton: objects in motion will accelerate, gather strength, as rumors themselves can do.

Another context of Virgil’s phrase is a ball rolling downhill. At first it may barely move, then slowly, then more rapidly, and so forth, of course as it is acted upon by another force, that of gravity. There are numerous other examples. Sadly fires that begin in a house can dramatically show such accelerated progress.

In the business world, there is are two related terms: the virtuous spiral (or circle) and, again sadly, the death spiral. In both examples, what begins creates a condition that accelerates what began–either favorably or unfavorably–which then has a feedback connection to perhaps multiple intermediate forces or conditions that ultimately affects whatever began the initial motion and so the spiral (or circle) not only progresses but accelerates. Put in another way, such system has been designed such that a good initial business outcome will have the effect of creating another “good” within the business’s systems or operations which in turn does the same to another area and so forth. For companies facing failure, especially insolvency, a small initial “bad” event can trigger a cascade of subsequent events that each accelerate the decline of the company to its demise.

Vires References in Sibbes Ch 7

Sibbes in this Ch 7 seems to be making a parallel point, though not in these specific terms, namely that despite the presence of smoke, and known person imperfections / struggles / inner warfare, one should, and is called to press forward. And in so doing, there is a positive feedback to that good impulse / inclination such that what was a “good” action / impulse is now ‘rewarded’ by a desire to do / go further in such affirming direction.

So the condition of internal imperfection, or incompleteness, or smoke, should be met with taking was it good, and possible, and pursuing that, because such will grow the “good” and suppress, over time, the “bad.” This is much like we say to children learning to walk, talk, learn their alphabet, master calculus or any other subject / skill at even high levels of maturity. We encourage them to keep at it, keep working, as skills develop.

As discussed, “vires” means some capacity, or authority, to do. So the rest of the phrase–vires acquirit eundo–makes the point that such vires acquires what is required, meaning the capacity to do even more.

So within Sibbes’s Ch 7 where do we see his claim that “vires” exists because, we might say, nothing comes from nothing (and there’s a wonderful Latin phrase for that as well: Ex nihilo nihil fit. Where then does Sibbes reference that there is not nothing (nihilo, Latin for “nothing” as to existence) when there is smoking flax?

• “…the fairest fire that can be will have some smoke. The best actions will smell of the smoke. The mortar wherein garlic has been stamped will always smell of it; so all our actions will savor something of the old man.” (para. 1)
• “…God regards the hidden sighs of those that lack abilities to express them outwardly. He that pronounces those blessed that consider the poor will have a merciful consideration of such himself.” (para. 2)
• “It promotes humiliation to know the whole breadth and depth of sin. But the fact that our nature now, so far as it is unrenewed, is so unhappily fruitful in ill thoughts, ministers this comfort, that it is not our case alone, as if our condition in this were different from others, as some have been tempted to think, even almost to despair. None, say they, have such a loathsome nature as I have. This springs from ignorance of the spreading of original sin, for what can come from an unclean thing but that which is unclean?” (para. 3)
• “Some are loath to do good because they feel their hearts rebelling, and duties turn out badly. We should not avoid good actions because of the infirmities attending them. Christ looks more at the good in them which he means to cherish than the ill in them which he means to abolish” (para. 4)
• “Yes, he will accept that which is his own, and pardon that which is ours.” (para. 4)
• “There is never a holy sigh, never a tear we shed, which is lost. And as every grace increases by exercise of itself, so does the grace of prayer. By prayer we learn to pray. … Pray as we are able, hear as we are able, strive as we are able, do as we are able, according to the measure of grace received. God in Christ will cast a gracious eye upon that which is his own.” (para. 4)
• “…a weak faith, yet with faith; love thee with a faint love, yet with love; endeavor in a feeble manner, yet endeavor. A little fire is fire, though it smokes. Since thou hast taken me into thy covenant to be thine from being an enemy, wilt thou cast me off for these infirmities, which, as they displease thee, so are they the grief of my own heart?” (para. 4)

Vector Equation of Vires Acquirit Eundo

What follows here is an equation form–by metaphor–to / of Virgil’s famous phrase.

We will consider how compound interest, or return on investment, works in equation form. Let us assume we begin a given year with $1,000 that we invest in a CD (certificate of deposit) that pays 5% interest at the end of a year on the investment made at the beginning of the year, and continues to do so year after year. For simplicity we will assume that such 5% interest is that in excess of the given inflation rate for any year, so the gain is real, net money.

So after the end of Year 1, our account would show the original $1,000 plus an accrued interest of $50 (5% of the starting $1,000). What do we have at the end of Year 2? We then accrue returns (interest) on not only our original $1,000 but also on the interest we had earned at the end of Year 1, namely: $1000 + $50 + $52.50 = $1,102.50. So the gain for Year 2 was larger than Year 1 because it was based on a larger starting investment ($1,050).

If we continued this calculation, and generalized it into equation form, we would find the following relationship: Money at the end of Year n = Money at the beginning of Year 0 [$1,000 in our example] multiplied by (1 + interest rate “i” [5% in our example) all raised to the power “n” where “n” is the number of years. Putting this directly in equation form we would have the following:

B = A * (1 + i)^n, where A was the investment at Year 0, and B the value at the end of Year “n.”

Expressing our Interest Earned Equation in Vires Acquirit Eundo Form

Now let us see how we might express the above financial interest equation in Virgil’s claimed multiplier.

First let us divide our above equation by “A” to create a ratio, namely:

B/A = (1 + i)^n.

Let us now reinterpret this equation as follows:

B/A is a ratio, such that it is exactly equal or greater than 1.0. If it has the exact value of “1.0,” we can say there is no multiplier, that this is nothing produced, and thus an example of our other Latin phrase: Ex nihilo nihil fit (out of nothing, nothing comes, or “B” is no increase over “A” the initial investment, or condition).

“i” is the interest, or specifically fertility associated with our giftedness in faithful application to opportunity, exactly like the man in the parable who the Lord gave 10 talents and made 10 talents more, and the one given 5 made 5.

“n” is then the measure of the endurance, perseverance of the above described “i” value.

If we use the same numeric values as done above, the B/A multiplier would be, for i = 0.05 or 5% of the base value “1”–which can think of this as investing 5% of our total talents, and for n = 1 representing one period of application of our “i” (which could be a particular encounter, or a particular period of time, such as a year), giving us a result of 1.05 after that one single period (or encounter).

But now for a second investment (encounter or period), even at the same initial value of “i” (5%), the B/A grows to 1.1025. But this ratio continues to grow exponentially such at after 10 encounters (or periods) the B/A ratio becomes 1.63, and for 20 encounters it then becomes 2.65, for 100 it becomes 131.

But the above calculation understates what such growth law would suggest because our giftedness would be expected to also increase with each given encounter (or year). So, in the first encounter it was 5%, but in the next it could be 6%, and then 8%, and so forth

Most of us identify with Moses who went sent by God to speak to Pharaoh deferred because he was not talented as a speaker. Perhaps he thought of himself as an “i” of exactly zero. But of course God assured him that it was not Moses’s own natural ability at stake here, as he was being sent by God Himself. So perhaps in that context, given Moses’s limitations it was only 5%. But as his faith, and giftedness, grew in the power of the Spirit, that 5% value would grow as well.

If we think back of our own simple human examples we can recognize that what was very feeble, low skill initial efforts in some area of our life did grow with application, and dedication. And so it happens with vires acquirit eundo.

The Downward Spiral

Although the inverse, downward direction of falling under temptation was not the subject of Sibbes Ch 7 it is instructive to consider how our metaphor might be insightful.

If we think now of “i” as being our area of inclination to the suggestion of evil, either from our latent nature (“the mint” we have according to Sibbes’s use of the term), our environment, or Satan’s broad plan of attack, then the number of encounters “n” will directly influence the B/A ratio, the vector of our life, toward such evil.

We all have certain areas where “I” is greater than zero, and perhaps some areas where for reason in the past it has a high value (this recalls another famous phrase of brain networks: what fires together, wires together). Whatever the case, the supreme danger is responding with our “i” to any, or increasing, value of “n” (encounters).

Each such vector value greater than 1.0, puts us in an ever weaker location (spiritually speaking) for the next encounter, plus we have likely increased our inclination toward such, “i”, to a higher value, making us more readily responding to the temptation of the next encounter.

Sibbes Ch 8 here:

Ch 5: The Spirit of Mercy Should Move Us

Conscience is a tender and delicate thing, and must be so treated.
It is like a lock: if its workings are faulty, it will be troublesome to open.

Sibbes, Ch 5, closing sentence

The above quote ends Sibbes’s Ch 5. It is the underlying theme of the entire chapter, closely tied to his recurring theme-word “moderation.” Sibbes’s metaphor of “conscience” being like a “lock” is a deep insight. It’s default position in to be locked. And (we think) only we hold our own key. Rarely do we open it, then likely only in private, briefly before securing it again, perhaps for a decade or two, perhaps unto some life-altering moment wherein we first need to find where we had did that key.

Review, and Reminder, of Our Human Condition

The human situation is this: we are fallen beyond self-redemption. Further, by nature and desire, we have suppressed, and continue to suppress–ultimately unable to ‘unsupress’–our self-realization of our true condition before God our Creator. And we press on, building our cities to reach into the heavens.

⁴ Then they [the cursed line of Cain] said, [speaking the declaration of self-creation]
“Come [gather ourselves, united against / without God],
let us build ourselves a city [a centralize place of humanism / civilization]
and a tower with its top in the heavens, [our self-religious independence of God]
and let us make a name for ourselves, [and our focus will be on us, alone]
lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” [defying God’s Judgment]

Genesis 11:4 (ESV, highlights mine)

Yet, there was not only the line of Cain, doubly fallen in and from Adam. There was the rebirth of the line Abel in Seth. In Seth’s line there was the little spark, from God, making the smoking flax.

In Sibbes Ch 4 we considered how Christ Himself was the Source of that little spark and, further, was the great preserver of it, the latter being known in Theology as “The Perseverance of the Saints,” the “P” of T-U-L-I-P. Here, in Ch 5, Sibbes brings us within the local community of believers, all still in some way smoking flax.

This Ch 5 in particular stands juxtaposed to John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. Christian, the central character of the book, is primarily a solitary pilgrim. He encounters many elements of opposition including his own internal failings. But he has limited connections with fellow pilgrims. Christian’s pilgrimage is primarily a solitary one; even his wife and children, the most intimate of one’s relationships, were left behind and form no part of the story except as to their having rejected the call to accompany him.

The Christian life has important, necessary elements of that (primarily) solitary pilgrimage. Someone always hanging around, within the cacophony of endless gatherings, has abandoned their internal outpost. And ‘solitarity’–which is not an official word, but should be–is under-appreciated.

One exemplary life-example is Arthur W. Pink as unveiled in Iain Murray’s biography. AWP, as he self-identified, went from ‘pastoring’ small churches in the U.S. and Australia, with tent preaching to many thousands of people [early in the 20th C], to being functionally excluded from such roles / responsibilities. He then understood his calling to be a writing-expositor of God’s word, a work he did with extreme diligence, and well. And so he has blessed by his texts many more during his life and after his death than he would have otherwise.

But, Scripture makes clear–simply grasping the big picture of the 21 Epistles, and Acts, of the NT–that we are also huddled together as sheep within the common care of The True / Unique Shepherd, Christ.

Sibbes spent much of his life embedded in all the dimensions of a local church. In this Ch 5, he applies the metaphor of smoking flax to all the interactions in all its varied degrees of Christian maturity (relative sanctification).

Sibbes, Community, and the Law of Networks

Before turning to Sibbes, let us consider a little math of connected people. Essential in communications theory is a law of “networks.” (One can think of a network as an interconnection of “nodes” much like all the original landline telephones of a large city, each connected, literally, by a continuous copper wire). If there are “N” such nodes (landline telephones) in one given city, how many “connections” exist in forming a “network?” For large values of “N,” the formula is given by this: number of connection is equal to the square of the number of nodes.

Consider a small city of a 1000 landline telephones. The above network law tells us that there would be 1000 * 1000, or one million, connections. That is, there are a million different one-to-one connections that can be amongst such 1000 individual telephones.

To put this is in an everyday context of a family, consider a unit of seven people, perhaps a husband and wife with five children, or two children and closely located grandparents or other relations. For smaller sized networks, smaller N, the more-exact network equation is this:
the number of connections = N * (N-1) / 2.

So, for seven people, N = 7, the number of connections is 21. With a church community of believers of, say, 30 or so who are in relatively close contact or familiarity (regardless of the total size of the community), then the number of interconnections is more than 400. For N of 40, it is nearly double (780) in size, and so forth growing exponentially. This, by the way, is why organizational groups are functionally bound by groups of 20 to 40, or perhaps a little larger. For larger groups it is not possible to have meaningful connections knitting them together in any kind of cohesion. Such is the idea of a neighborhood, or a rural village. It is likely the same reason a military “platoon” is made up of 20 to 50 soldiers (and even further divided into three or four “squads”): if a group needs to pursue life-challenging missions in a condition of mutual trust, such as a squad, of say seven soldiers, might be called to do, there must be a cohesion that can only exist when there is a limited number of interconnections (here, again, 21).

It is those numerous connections that we all experience that can be a source of encouragement, and joy, and of angst (sadly) even reviling, that is the Christian experience. As quoted in Week 4, Paul David Tripp summarizes even in the context of the simplest marriage structure, where the number of connections is just one, between two “nodes,” it is a connection between two fallen sinners living in a fallen world. Those who have been there know this experience. If one add just a single child, that one connection becomes three connections, and so forth, so by even just five children it become 21, something like a “squad.”

The etymology of “squad” comes from Latin: “exquadra “to square,” from Latin ex “out” + quadrare “make square,” from quadrus “a square” ” (Etymology Online).  The root idea that one needs a core number, N, to be able to fulfill the function of a defensive perimeter.  In the context of “gifts” of the Holy Spirit, the NT gives us the picture of a functional human body, where no gift no matter how great (say, an “eye”) can make a whole operational body.

Outline of Sibbes Ch 5

And, so, we have the context of Sibbes Ch 5. His major and minor sections are as below:

• 5.1 Simplicity and Humility
• 5.2 Sound Judgment
• 5.3 How Those in Authority Should Act
• 5.4 We Are Debtors to the Weak
  • 1. Let us be watchful in our liberty
  • 2. Let us be careful as to slandering falsely
  • 3. Let us be characteristically moderate

5.1 Simplicity and Humility

Sibbes begins with the observation that God chose as His primary messengers in the NT [true also in the OT] those who had experienced the most mercy from God, and needed so. Thus, rather than be heroic figures in their natural condition, they knew themselves to be deeply fallen, and washed clean, sanctified until a called purpose, solely by Grace.

Christ chose those to preach mercy who had felt most mercy, as Peter and Paul, that they might be examples of what they taught. Paul became all things to all men (1 Cor. 9:22), stooping unto them for their good. Christ came down from heaven and emptied himself of majesty in tender love to souls. Shall we not come down from our high conceits to do any poor soul good? Shall man be proud after God has been humble? We see the ministers of Satan turn themselves into all shapes to `make one proselyte’ (Matt. 23:15). We see ambitious men study accommodation of themselves to the humours [inclinations, areas by which they can be manipulated] of those by whom they hope to be raised, and shall not we study application of ourselves to Christ, by whom we hope to be advanced, nay, are already sitting with him in heavenly places? After we are gained to Christ ourselves, we should labour to gain others to Christ. Holy ambition and covetousness will move us to put upon ourselves the disposition of Christ. But we must put off ourselves first.

Sibbes, Ch 5.1. (Emphasis mine)

What then of “sound doctrine?” We seem to have puzzle (an “aporia”): if sound doctrine is to be the strong thing, then moderation, tolerance of the immature / wayward is inappropriate; if it’s moderation / tolerance that is the primary thing, then is seems that sound doctrine must give way. So, which is it? Or, how does one harmonize what seems to be poles apart?

Sibbes would answer by his heading: simplicity and humility. The Christian walk is from weak beginnings, and even in the most mature / sanctified there remains some of the poison from Adam. We all die as sinners, but by Grace the audience of Sibbes’s book dies in Grace.

The Fear of Exposure

Sibbes captures a heart condition of one experiencing the smoke of their own flax in a community of (seemingly) smokeless flames:

And likewise those are failing that, by overmuch austerity, drive back troubled souls from having comfort by them, for, as a result of this, many smother their temptations, and burn inwardly, because they have none into whose bosom they may vent their grief and ease their souls.

Ibid.

If one is surrounded by those who look fearless in confidence, and sinless or nearly so in behavior, one is intimidated into silence, which can easily slide into loss of hope.

The Keys

Roman Catholics make a big point about “the keys,” which they claim are retained uniquely by those who are the Apostolic successors of Peter Himself, namely the Pope, and his designees. The heraldry of the Pope makes such keys the evident claim of authority.

Protestants, likewise, have their own ruling symbology:

A crosier or crozier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop’s staff)[1] is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and some Anglican, Lutheran, United Methodist and Pentecostal churches. In Western Christianity the usual form has been a shepherd’s crook, curved at the top to enable animals to be hooked.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosier

The crozier (shepherd’s crook) is a more subtle version of the keys, but it carries forward the same authoritative claim. As with the claim of holding the keys, holding the crozier moves the authority from uniquely and rightly Christ’s to some man, or religious system (or, as I would say, The Religious Industry, TRI).

And what is Sibbes’s perspective as to a community of believers all of whom are in some wise smoking flax?

We must neither bind where God looses, nor loose where God binds, neither open where God shuts, nor shut where God opens. The right use of the keys is always successful. In personal application, there must be great heed taken; for a man may be a false prophet, and yet speak the truth. If it be not a truth to the person to whom he speaks, if he grieve those whom God has not grieved by unseasonable truths, or by comforts in an ill way, the hearts of the wicked may be strengthened. One man’s meat may be another’s poison.

Ibid.

So, Sibbes would add the necessary discernment of the application of sound doctrine as we are not all in the same condition, life-challenges, or maturities. And all such keys / crooks derive from the Word of God (sound doctrine) under the singular authority of Christ, the Head of His Church.

If we look to the general temper of these times, rousing and waking Scriptures are fittest; yet there are many broken spirits who need soft and comforting words. Even in the worst time the prophets mingled sweet comfort for the hidden remnant of faithful people. God has comfort.

Ibid.

5.2 Sound Judgment

Sibbes here adds to moderation, simplicity, humility, the need for sound judgment (discernment).

Mercy does not rob us of our right judgment….. None will claim mercy more of others than those who deserve due severity. This example does not countenance lukewarmness, nor too much indulgence to those that need quickening. Cold diseases must have hot remedies… We should so bear with others as to manifest also a dislike of evil.

Sibbes, 5.2. (Emphasis mine)

But how does such force of “quickening” rightly be exercised? Sibbes’s emphasizes our mutual humility under the authority of Scripture:

It is hard to preserve just bounds of mercy and severity without a spirit above our own, by which we ought to desire to be led in all things. That wisdom which dwells with prudence (Prov. 8:12) will guide us in these particulars, without which virtue is not virtue, truth not truth. The rule and the case must be laid together…

… that wisdom which is from above, which makes men gentle, peaceable and ready to show that mercy which they themselves have felt. It is a way of prevailing agreeable both to Christ and to man’s nature to prevail by some forbearance and moderation.

Ibid.

5.3 How Those in Authority Should Act

Sibbes, ever the down-to-earth man, begins this section with the admonition regarding any mutual correction: “not to kill a fly on the forehead with a mallet, nor shut men out of heaven for a trifle.”

And on what basis? Sibbes says: “The power that is given to the church is given for edification, not destruction.”

Sibbes’s time was shortly after fearsome wars, even to death, with Roman Catholic authorities both ecclesiastical (the Papacy and its TRI) and civil (Queen ‘Bloody’ Mary, and TPI). And, so, Sibbes writes (where we again see his down-to-earth phraseology)

Authority is a beam of God’s majesty, and prevails most where there is least mixture of that which is man’s. It requires more than ordinary wisdom to manage it aright. This string must not be too tight, nor too loose. Justice is a harmonious thing. Herbs hot or cold beyond a certain degree, kill. We see even contrary elements preserved in one body by wisely tempering them together. Justice in rigor is often extreme injustice, where some considerable circumstances should incline to moderation; and the reckoning will be easier for bending rather to moderation than rigor.

…Misery should be a lodestone of mercy, not a footstool for pride to trample on.

…Here love should have a mantle to cast upon lesser errors of those above us. Oftentimes the poor man is the oppressor by unjust clamors.

Sibbes, 5.3. (Emphasis mine)

Sibbes also extends such reference to moderation and gentleness to our perspective and talk of those in civil authority over us.

…we ought to take in good part any moderate happiness we enjoy by government, and not be altogether as a nail in the wound, exasperating things by misconstruction. …. We should labour to give the best interpretation to the actions of governors that the nature of the actions will possibly bear.

Ibid.

We presently live in such poisonous political times that the above counsel should temper our Christian response to the incessant noise of hatred, and distortion, heaped on one side or another of a socio-political matter. We are strangers here; this world is not our home. Our citizenship, or true one, is in heaven; even now.

¹⁷ Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.¹⁸ For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.¹⁹ Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Philippians 3:20 (ESV, emphasis mine)

5.4 We Are Debtors to the Weak

5.4.1 Watchful of our Liberty

Looseness of life is cruelty to ourselves and to the souls of others.

Sibbes, Ch 5.4.1

5.4.2 Faithful in our characterizations

Let men take heed of taking up Satan’s office, in misrepresenting the good actions of others, as he did Job’s case, `Doth Job fear God for naught?’ (Job 1:9), or slandering their persons, judging of them according to the wickedness that is in their own hearts…. A Christian is a hallowed and a sacred thing, Christ’s temple; and he that destroys his temple, him will Christ destroy (1 Cor.3:17).

Sibbes 5.4.2

5.4.3 Slow to ‘smite’ others

Men must not be too curious in prying into the weaknesses of others. We should labour rather to see what they have that is for eternity, to incline our heart to love them, than into that weakness which the Spirit of God will in time consume, to estrange us. Some think it strength of grace to endure nothing in the weaker, whereas the strongest are readiest to bear with the infirmities of the weak….

Where most holiness is, there is most moderation, where it may be without prejudice of piety to God and the good of others. We see in Christ a marvelous temper of absolute holiness, with great moderation. What would have become of our salvation, if he had stood upon terms, and not stooped thus low unto us? …

The Holy Ghost is content to dwell in smoky, offensive souls. Oh, that that Spirit would breathe into our spirits the same merciful disposition! … why should we reject men of useful parts and graces, only for some harshness of disposition, which, as it is offensive to us, so it grieves themselves [that is, it should be expected that those most ‘smoky’ in their flax-condition, are themselves self-aware, and burdened]?

Sibbes, Ch 5.4 (bracketed addition, mine)

Concluding Thoughts

So that we may do this the better, let us put upon ourselves the Spirit of Christ. …The weapons of this warfare must not be carnal (2 Cor. 10:4)…. The Spirit will only work with his own tools. And we should think what affection Christ would carry to the party in this case. That great physician, as he had a quick eye and a healing tongue, so had he a gentle hand, and a tender heart.

And, further, let us take to ourselves the condition of him with whom we deal. We are, or have been, or may be in that condition ourselves. Let us make the case our own, and also consider in what near relation a Christian stands to us, even as a brother, a fellow member, heir of the same salvation. And therefore let us take upon ourselves a tender care of them in every way; and especially in cherishing the peace of their consciences. Conscience is a tender and delicate thing, and must be so treated. It is like a lock: if its workings are faulty, it will be troublesome to open.

Sibbes, Ch 5, selected from the closing paragraphs. (Emphasis mine)

Sibbes Ch 6 here: