In this Session #3 we will review Sibbes’s Bruised Reed book, Ch 3, “The Smoking Flax.”
The “Smoking Flax” phrase, and subtitle of Sibbes’s book, derives directly from the Scripture in the translation used by Sibbes as discussed previously. More modern translations use “smoking wick.” In terms of obvious, every-day meaning, neither forms is revealing.
Here’s how Sibbes’ describes its meaning, and why it is a sub-theme of this book.
In smoking flax there is but a little light, and that weak, as being unable to flame, and that little mixed with smoke. The observations from this are that, in God’s children, especially in their first conversion [but as will be discussed, not only in such stage], there is but a little measure of grace, and that little mixed with much corruption, which, as smoke, is offensive;
Sibbes, Broken Reed, Ch. 3.
This introductory chapter on this topic is divided by Sibbes into two Sections: 3.1 “Grace is Little at First,” and 3.2 “Grace is Mingled with Corruption.”
Sec. 3.1 Grace is Little at First
Excerpting from Sibbes opening paragraph we see the root idea of “smoking flax,” namely:
The seeds of all the creatures in the present goodly frame of the world were hid in the chaos, in that confused mass at the first, out of which God commanded all creatures to arise. In the small seeds of plants lie hidden both bulk and branches, bud and fruit. In a few principles lie hidden all comfortable conclusions of holy truth. All these glorious fireworks of zeal and holiness in the saints had their beginning from a few sparks.
Ibid.
The importance of the idea lies then is recognizing small beginnings.
Let us not therefore be discouraged at the small beginnings of grace, …. Let us look on our imperfect beginning only to enforce further striving to perfection, and to keep us in a low opinion of ourselves…
Ibid.
Thus, the recognition of our condition as “smoking flax” at the beginning of our faith in Christ, and even later, serves (1) a ready reminder of what should be our Christian humility, and (2) an ongoing perspective for our interactions with others who in their new life and walk having further to go (as do we).
Sec. 3.2 Grace is Mingled with Corruption
What about “corruption” that lies within us (and others) and appears and re-appears? Here’s Sibbes:
…grace does not do away with corruption all at once, but some is left for believers to fight with. The purest actions of the purest men need Christ..
…The reason for this mixture is that we carry about us a double principle, grace and nature. The end of it is especially to preserve us from those two dangerous rocks which our natures are prone to dash upon, security and pride, and to force us to pitch our rest on justification, not sanctification, which, besides imperfection, has some stains. Our spiritual fire is like our ordinary fire here below, that is, mixed.
Ibid.
Martin Luther expressed this in Latin, possibly in response to a common question of all times…”how are you doing?” as follows: Simul Justus et Peccator [I am simultaneously just(-ified)] and sinner [peccato]. It is very difficult to grasp both ideas being true at the same time, and impossible for one who sees their complete sinlessness as being the necessary precursor for a justified standing before God. We naturally tend to conclude that if there is sin within there is no justification without (with respect to God), and vice versa. That is the belief that all corruptions, and corruption itself (the principle), is a ‘can-be’ condition, let alone a ‘must-be’ condition of this present earthly life. But it is.
Sibbes puts it like this:
From this mixture [corruption and grace] arises the fact that the people of God have so different judgments of themselves, looking sometimes at the work of grace, sometimes at the remainder of corruption, and when they look upon that, then they think they have no grace.
Ibid.
The re-emergent self-awareness of corruption and grace is a persistent source of emotional stress both as we see it in others and in ourselves. It can lead to despair and all manner of sorrows including calling into doubt ones faith, salvation, and even the very existence of God. If one is true–namely Grace–how come the other–corruption–is yet present, or seemingly, even worse? That this dual presence is the Christian’s condition in this life is one of the major motivations for Sibbes’s book, as it was for Calvin in his Little Book.
Scriptural Basis for Smoking Flax as Such Mixture of Corruption and Grace
Sibbes cites the following Scripture and context:
- Faith’s source is like that smallest mustard seed (Matt. 17:20)
- The significant King David began as unimportant (shepherd boy), the youngest of his family, a family of no particular significance (Is. 53:2)
- And, even, later in life David before he was king he was much less than he ultimately became (1 Sam. 21:13; Ps 34:18; 31:22)
- We are called by God, and should always have such self-recognition, of being elected “holy and without blame” even coming from being enemies of God (Eph 1:4)
- Christ was born Himself in a city of no material significance (Mic. 5:2; Matt 2:6).
- The Second Temple, which was rebuilt after the Babylonian destruction, was far less in material form than at its glory as The First Temple, under Solomon (Hag. 2:9)
- The Disciples in a metaphor based on their fearful physical circumstances saw their imminent demise (Matt 8:25)
- The pharisee of Mark 9, hoping in feeble faith, mingled with unbelief, that Christ could heal (Mark 9:24)
- Jonah’s self-recognition as cast out of God’s sight (Jon 2:4)
- Paul’s sense of corruption yet leads him to praising God (Rom 7:24)
- The seven churches in the opening chapters of Revelation were clearly a mixture of smoke and light, corruption and grace (Rev. Ch 2, Ch 3)
Use of the Word “Corrupt” in the Bible
In the NKJV some form of the word “corrupt” occurs 64 times, 35x in the OT, 29x in the NT. It occurs in 31 different books of the Bible (combined OT and NT).
It’s first use is in Genesis during the lifespan of Noah and cited as the grounds for God’s Flood judgment.:
9 This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
Gen. 6 (NKJV). Highlights are mine.
It’s next OT use described the people of Israel who God delivered out of Egypt who were at the base of Mt Sinai while Moses was atop it receiving God’s Law for the people of His redemption:
32:1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” 5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” 6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ”
Exodus 32 (NKJV). Highlights mine.
In the NT the key passage in 1 Cor 15 displays the contrast between the present corruption of all of us and the body of incorruption that awaits on the other side:
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O[n] Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Cor 15 (NKJV). Highlights mine.
And the NT ends with reference to the corruption of “the great harlot” of Babylon, presented in Rev Ch 17 and particularly Ch 19:2. From the time of Noah to the very end of the church age such spirit of corruption has been the character of spacetime, including even the human nature of God’s Elect.
What Does “Corruption” Mean, Signify?
The ‘archaeology’ (the root) of words can be very helpful in understanding better the idea behind the word.
The “co” prefix of “corruption” means “with” or “by.” The Latin prefix “com” takes the form of com, cor, co, and other forms, depending on the rest of the word which it heads; “comruption” would be hard to pronounce so its use evolves to “corruption.”
The suffix “-ion” signifies condition of. That leaves for us the root, “-rupt-” that comes from “rupta” which is used to designate something broken, as in broken open or broken through. It is the root of the English word “rupture” (and interestingly, “routine” as in breaking through the challenge of a day’s minutes sliding by under-utilized).
The basic idea “-rupt” and thus corruption is perversity of integrity, a kind of break-though into an evil condition, even a destruction of that which was whole, together, well-formed resulting in debasement, even ruin unto putrefaction. In English today it is often applied to some major violation of a public trust, such as an elected official using the power of the office wrongly, having been bribed in some way.
This idea of corruption well describes the Fall of Eve and then Adam, and the inner being of the universally fallen human heart with respect to one’s Creator. We think of an automobile or a smart phone as particularly “bad” if it fails to function as it was designed to perform. By such failure that which appears to be a car or phone is actually neither, but only a useless, functionless mass of expensive parts incapable of doing “good” (fulfilling its purpose of existence as determined by its creator / designer).
A particularly maddening form of corruption is intermittent debasement. Think of a gasoline lawmower that starts, or doesn’t, with a ‘mind of its own:’ sometimes it starts on the first pull of the rope, sometimes it’s the 10th pull, and some days it simply will not start no matter how many exhausting rope pulls are performed. In a certain sense, such condition is even worse than a lawnmower that absolutely does not start, cannot start (for some reason), and perhaps never in its life started running. At least such ‘dead’ lawn mower has a certain ‘honesty’ to it–not of course a moral honesty but an honesty as to non-performance of its design function. But the intermittent example destroys the clarity of it either being operable or useless and worthy of destruction.
We tend to think of “corruption” as the ‘dead’ example, but the idea of smoking flax is that it, we, are more like that maddening intermittently operable lawn mower.
The Koine Greek word translated “corruption” is phthorá:
Strong’s G5356. φθορά phthorá; fem. noun from phtheírō (5351), to corrupt. Spoiling, corruption, destruction, ruin, decay, generally a fraying or wasting away.
(I) Destruction, deterioration, slaughter, change of existing state (2 Pet. 2:12).
(II) Death, corruption in a natural sense (1 Cor. 15:42; Gal. 6:8 [cf. Rom. 8:21]; Col. 2:22; Sept.: Ps. 103:4; Jon. 2:7); the abstract being put for the concrete, what is corruptible or subject to corruption (1 Cor. 15:50).
(III) Corruption in a moral or spiritual sense (2 Pet. 1:4; 2:19).
Syn.: apṓleia (684), perdition, destruction; ólethros (3639), ruin, destruction; súntrimma (4938), a breaking in pieces, shattering, ruin.
Ant.: aphtharsía (861), incorruption; adiaphthoría (90), incorruptibility, moral and physical soundness.
Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers. Highlights mine.
Perhaps an overly simplistic summary of the idea of “corruption” is the vandalization of God’s Creation by the Great Vandal, the Devil Himself. One of the lessons we should learn from Satan’s deception and destruction of Eve in Gen. 3 is that (1) he exists as a real being with certain beyond-human powers, principally those of deception, and (2) most importantly, he is at work seeking to destroy that which God has created. In other words, Satan, although he has at least the first phase of God’s judgment upon him–his being cast down from heaven–and he awaits his second and final judgment–the eternal lake of fire, he is not idle or indifferent to our goings-on. During this in-between period, Satan is neither idle, nor humbly repentant: he is actively, ferociously about seeking to ruin all that he can even as a ferocious lion:
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour [katapínō: to swallow up; see below].
1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)
Strong’s G2666. καταπίνω katapínō; from katá (2596), down, and pínō (4095), to drink. To swallow as in drinking, whether in a natural or figurative sense (Matt. 23:24; 1 Cor. 15:54; 2 Cor. 2:7; 5:4; Heb. 11:29; 1 Pet. 5:8; Rev. 12:16).
Ibid.
What Does “Hidden” Mean, Signify?
We think of “existence” as something that has “being” and is in some way visible, detectable, observable. We think of such “being” with what we expect to be living systems as doing something or going somewhere. So if we see an “animal” that is the result of a taxidermist we think of that as not having the “being” of life and so not an “animal.” However, if we visit our doggie under anesthesia at the office of a veterinarian we do see it as having the “being” of a dog perhaps if only by carefully observing signs of respiration.
There is an old joke on this comparison: the office of a veterinarian who is also a taxidermist has a sign on his door “either way you get your dog back.” The joke, such as it is, is a play on “dog.” In the one case you get the material remains in appearance form of what once was a “dog,” and in the other you get the real “dog,” or, namely “dog.”
If we look upon human beings in relation to their “being” before God, namely whether they have within them the breadth (Spirit) of new life, we must be very careful, and humble, about what conclusions we may reach. The Apostle Judas looked to be not just a true apostle but most-certainly a man within whom the Spirit of God resided. And such conclusion would have been false because what was “hidden” in him was that he had no such Spiritual “being.” Conversely, had we ‘looked’ at Saul later Paul before his Damascus Road experience we would not have ‘seen’ that he had been set apart even from his mothers womb as one of God’s own children. As with Judas, Paul’s true “being” was hidden to all for a time.
The Koine Greek word for “hidden” is krypto, from which we get our English words cryptic, encryption, cryptography and so forth. It designates something hidden, often in the context of “hidden” in such a way that its discernment to an exterior person is impossible. Thus kypto is related to another Koine Greek word mysterion, which obviously forms our English words mystery, mysterious, etc., but means in the NT that which could not have been known but for revelation.
“Hidden” and Koine Greek Word krúptō and kruptós
The common NT Koine Greek verb translated “to hide” is krúptō as below (the noun form, “hidden” is kruptós):
Strong’s G2928. κρύπτω krúptō; To hide, conceal. In the mid. / pass. to hide oneself, to be hidden; 2d aor. pass. ekrúbēn, was hidden (Matt. 5:14; Luke 19:42); … To be hidden in something, with en (1722), in, followed by the dat. (Matt. 13:44; 25:25; Col. 3:3); with eis (1519), in, and the acc. (Rev. 6:15); followed by apó (575), from, and the gen. meaning to hide from (Luke 18:34; 19:42, Christ’s word made hidden, i.e., the people did not understand that Christ came to give them peace; John 12:36, He hid Himself from them by miraculously causing others not to recognize Him; Rev. 6:16). …
Deriv.: apokrúptō (613), to hide from, to hide with a benevolent purpose; egkrúptō (1470), to hide in something; kruptós (G2927), hidden, secret; kruphḗ (2931), privately; perikrúptō (4032), to hide by placing something around or to conceal entirely.
Syn.: kalúptō (2572), to cover in order to hide; parakalúptō (3871), to cover with a veil; lanthánō (2990), to escape notice, be hidden from; sigáō (4601), to keep silent, and therefore, secret.
Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). AMG Publishers. Highlights mine.
Such hiding is no isolated, stray idea: the verb form occurs 49x in the NT. We see in the Gospels the hiddenness of the Gospel itself and that Jesus is The Christ (The Messiah):
44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Matt 13:44 (NKJV). Highlights mine.
41 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side 44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Luke 19 (NKJV). Highlights mine.
We can quickly fall into questions such as “Why was it [the Gospel, the Messiah-ship, etc.] hidden?” and “In what way was it hidden?” and “Who did the hiding?” and so forth. But the most central point is that all such “its” were hidden, and that such “hiddenness” could not be self-unhidden, meaning that it pleased God to conceal from the significant rational and investigative powers of man the ability to self-discover the deepest realities of God’s salvific* purpose. [*Having the intention and power to bring about salvation or redemption…that this is that which only God Himself can do is fundamental to understanding sin, God, and the Scriptures].
Such “hiddenness” applies to that innermost spiritual nature of each of us:
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things G2927 of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
I Cor 4:5 (KJV).
And thus are the secrets G2927 of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
I Cor 14:25 (KJV)
For ye are dead, and your life is hid G2928 with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:3 (KJV)
Smoking Flax and Taking Up One’s Cross
A theme of the NT is expressed by a particular phrase relating to self-denial, namely:
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Matt 16:24 (KJV). Highlights mine.
This verse, among many others, co-locate our new spiritual nature with our old self, whereby neither is extinguished in this life, but we are called (in a process of sanctification) by the Holy Spirit to diminish the one and grow the other.
Why Does God the Holy Spirit Not Extinguish the “Smoke” after our New Birth?
In Calvin’s Little Book (aka The Golden Book), examined elsewhere on this site, he uses an entire chapter on the topic of taking up one’s cross (his Ch 3) as a particularized process of self-denial. Below is one Section from this chapter of Calvin’s book.
3.2. We may add, that the only thing which made it necessary for our Lord to undertake to bear the cross, was to testify and prove his obedience to the Father; whereas there are many reasons which make it necessary for us to live constantly under the cross. Feeble as we are by nature, and prone to ascribe all perfection to our flesh, unless we receive as it were ocular demonstration of our weakness, we readily estimate our virtue above its proper worth, and doubt not that, whatever happens, it will stand unimpaired and invincible against all difficulties. Hence we indulge a stupid and empty confidence in the flesh, and then trusting to it wax proud against the Lord himself; as if our own faculties were sufficient without his grace. This arrogance cannot be better repressed than when He proves to us by experience, not only how great our weakness, but also our frailty is. Therefore, he visits us with disgrace, or poverty, or bereavement, or disease, or other afflictions. Feeling altogether unable to support them, we forthwith, in so far as regards ourselves, give way, and thus humbled learn to invoke his strength, which alone can enable us to bear up under a weight of affliction. Nay, even the holiest of men, however well aware that they stand not in their own strength, but by the grace of God, would feel too secure in their own fortitude and constancy, were they not brought to a more thorough knowledge of themselves by the trial of the cross. This feeling gained even upon David, “In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled,” (Ps. 30:6, 7.) He confesses that in prosperity his feelings were dulled and blunted, so that, neglecting the grace of God, on which alone he ought to have depended, he leant to himself, and promised himself perpetuity. If it so happened to this great prophet, who of us should not fear and study caution? Though in tranquillity they flatter themselves with the idea of greater constancy and patience, yet, humbled by adversity, they learn the deception. Believers, I say, warned by such proofs of their diseases, make progress in humility, and, divesting themselves of a depraved confidence in the flesh, betake themselves to the grace of God, and, when they have so betaken themselves, experience the presence of the divine power, in which is ample protection.
Chapter 3, Section 2, of Calvin’s Little Book, taken from: Calvin, J., & Beveridge, H. (1845). Institutes of the Christian religion (Vol. 2, pp. 275–276). The Calvin Translation Society. Highlights mine.
When and How Does God The Holy Spirit Work in our Lives, in the “Smoke” of It?
A common puzzle, and a very distressing one, for Christians is to wonder in sad amazement at the “smoke” that yet remains, and reappears sometimes in greater intensity even years after our new birth in Christ.
One (wrong) answer is that such should absolutely not be our experience because God has called us to complete, and perfect sinless sanctification in this life. However simple and appealing this answer, such is not the Bible’s teaching.
But what then is a reasoned explanation? A solid one has been given above by Calvin’s summary, namely that of continuing, and expanding our humility, and recognition of our utter dependance on God. (Reading more in Calvin’s Little Book Ch 3 gives additional reasons and insight).
Yet the question remains: is such a well-founded fundamental of the Christian faith? The answer is “yes” as demonstrated by the Great Confessions of the 17th and 18th Centuries. Such Great Confessions are discussed elsewhere on this site. Below are given parallel excepts of one particularly relevant passage, in Ch 3, Sec 5 of the below, parallel, Confessions.
VI. As God has appointed the elect unto glory, so has He, by the eternal and most free
purpose of His will, foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore, they who are
elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ,76 are effectually called unto faith
in Christ by His Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified,77 and kept by His power, through faith, unto salvation.78 Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.Footnotes:
76 1 Thes 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
77 Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. 2 Thes 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.
78 1 Pet 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Westminster Confession of Faith (1647), Chapter 3 “Of God’s Eternal Decree,” Section 6. Highlights mine.
After Westminster, came the Savoy Confession of Faith (1656, by Congregationalists), and the Second Baptist Confession of Faith (of 1689, avowed by more than 100 Baptist churches, following on the First such Confession, in 1643 which preceded Westminster, but based on a small number of such churches at that time), all of which affirmed that same understanding of Scriptures as that highlighted above by Westminster and exemplified below by the Baptists.
Paragraph 6. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so He hath, by the eternal and most free purpose of His will, foreordained all the means thereunto;13 wherefore they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ,14 are effectually called unto faith in Christ, by His Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified,15 and kept by His power through faith unto salvation;16 neither are any other redeemed by Christ, or effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.17
Baptist Confession of Faith, 2nd London meeting (1689), Chapter 3 “Of God’s Eternal Decree,” Section 6. Highlights mine.
13 1 Pet. 1:2; 2; Thess. 2:13
14 1 Thess. 5:9, 10
15 Rom. 8:30; 2 Thess. 2:13
16 1 Pet. 1:5
17 John 10:26, 17:9, 6:64
Finally, in the United States, such Second Baptist Confession was adopted (in the above particulars) word-for-word and affirmed in 1724 and widely disseminated by its 1742 printing (small world: printing was done by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia).
The English spirit of the Second Baptist Confession was continued after 1689 including the ministry of Charles Spurgeon who himself republished it in 1855 with a new forward for his congregation: “This ancient document is a most excellent epitome of the things most surely believed among us.” And in the 20th Century, the also significant ministry of Martyn Lloyd-Jones continued within the framework of the Westminster and Baptist Confessions. And these Great Confessions have continued as the foundation documents for Reformed Churches with certain variations in ecclesiastical practices (baptism, the Lord’s Supper, etc., as were contain in Ch 20-30 of the 33 chapters of the Westminster Confession).
This 3rd Chapter of all such Great Confessions concerns the “Sovereign Decrees of God.” This subject is deep to the core of all reality, to which any discussion, especially this brief one, cannot begin to expound. The opening sentence of such 3rd Chapter is this:
God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass;1
Footnote: 1 Isa. 46:10; Eph. 1:11; Heb. 6:17; Rom. 9:15,18
Ibid., Ch 3, Sec. 1, opening words.
Thus we are drawn to two deep principles: The Trinitarian God (the subject of Ch 2 of such Great Confessions) had decreed (Ch 3) “whatsoever comes to pass” and the Holy Spirit works “in due season” (Ch 3.5) such that whatsoever has been eternally decreed, includes the Works of God with respect to us, the Broken Reeds and Smoking Flax of Sibbes’s writing.
A Touching Iconic Example of a Broken Reed
The late R.C. Sproul worked with the late Chuck Colson on the latter’s work with “Prison Ministry.” In that work, Colson and many others reached out to prisoners in all conditions of crime and punishment with the Gospel message.
When Colson was seeking an idea for an image the organization could use to denote its mission, Dr. Sproul suggested that of a broken reed, deriving the idea from the Bible texts used by Sibbes and in our consideration here. And so, it came to be as seen below:
