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Josiah's Reformation
Richard Sibbes always sought to get under the superficial layer of his listeners' behaviour and deal with their hearts. He knew that the outward acts of sin spring from the inner desires of the heart. Merely to alter a person's behaviour without dealing with those desires would cultivate hypocrisy, the self-righteous cloak for a cold and vicious heart. Sibbes believed that hearts must be turned, and evil desires eclipsed by stronger ones for Christ.
This book is as relevant today as when it was first published in 1629. Our busyness and activism so easily degenerate into a hypocrisy in which we keep up all the appearance of holiness without the heart of it. Christians even use Christ as a package to pass on to others, instead of enjoying him first and foremost as their own Saviour. But true reformation must begin in the heart, with love for Christ. And that can only come when the free grace of God in Christ Jesus is preached.
This book is as relevant today as when it was first published in 1629. Our busyness and activism so easily degenerate into a hypocrisy in which we keep up all the appearance of holiness without the heart of it. Christians even use Christ as a package to pass on to others, instead of enjoying him first and foremost as their own Saviour. But true reformation must begin in the heart, with love for Christ. And that can only come when the free grace of God in Christ Jesus is preached.
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 28, 2011
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168 people want to read
About the author
Richard Sibbes
237 books100 followersRichard Sibbes was born at Tostock, Suffolk, in 1577 and went to school in Bury St Edmunds. His father, 'a good sound-hearted Christian', at first intended that Richard should follow his own trade as a wheelwright, but the boy s 'strong inclination to his books, and well-profiting therein' led to his going up to St John's College, Cambridge in 1595. He was converted around 1602-3 through the powerful ministry of Paul Bayne, the successor of William Perkins in the pulpit of Great St Andrew's Church.
After earning his B.D. in 1610, Sibbes was appointed a lecturer at Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge. Later, through the influence of friends, he was chosen to be the preacher at Gray's Inn, London, and he remained there until 1626. In that year he returned to Cambridge as Master of St Catherine's Hall, and later returned to Holy Trinity, this time as its vicar. He was granted a Doctorate in Divinity in 1627, and was thereafter frequently referred to as 'the heavenly Doctor Sibbes'. He continued to exercise his ministry at Gray's Inn, London, and Holy Trinity, Cambridge, until his death on 6 July 1635 at the age of 58.
After earning his B.D. in 1610, Sibbes was appointed a lecturer at Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge. Later, through the influence of friends, he was chosen to be the preacher at Gray's Inn, London, and he remained there until 1626. In that year he returned to Cambridge as Master of St Catherine's Hall, and later returned to Holy Trinity, this time as its vicar. He was granted a Doctorate in Divinity in 1627, and was thereafter frequently referred to as 'the heavenly Doctor Sibbes'. He continued to exercise his ministry at Gray's Inn, London, and Holy Trinity, Cambridge, until his death on 6 July 1635 at the age of 58.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 2, 2016
This book represents Puritanism (almost) at its best. Richard Sibbes deals with Josiah's heart reformation, applies this point to the believer, and then applies these principles to the reformation of the church and society. Sibbes also had a very high view of the civil magistrate's authority concerning matters of religion, and argued that national or ecumenical councils ought not to be held unless called by the King or Emperor. Banner have done a great job in reprinting this work in such an easy to read format. It is a while since I went through the Puritan Paperback series, but I suspect that this volume is one of the best in the series.
November 4, 2019
So good!
August 5, 2021
In the book Sibbes examines what it means to have a tender and humble and mourn over our sin. He does a good job of showing in detail what heart that breaks over sin looks. He also mentions the necessity of leaders publicly repenting of the sins of the people. All in all, a good book that is worth your time.
November 13, 2017
Our oldest son's middle name is Josiah. We named him that because one of my heroes in Scripture is King Josiah. If you read the story of Josiah in Scripture, you soon realize why this man was truly an amazing man. Born into the depraved condition of the nation of Israel/Judah, Josiah became king at the age of 8. Yes, you read that correctly. It wasn't too long into his reign when he began a reformation for the nation. It was return to the Word of God that the nation had at that time. It was a return to a life of humility and brokenness for this king as he sought God and did what was right in God's eyes. As a result God blessed him in amazing ways.
in this Puritan classic, Sibbes develops his whole book around just a few verses in the story of Josiah and looks at four main areas. First, he considers the Tender Heart of Josiah, seen in how Josiah responded to God and His Word. Second, Sibbes talks about the beautiful art of Self-Humbling, showing how Josiah humbled himself before God and the results of self-humbling in Josiah's life. Third, the author speaks to the art of Mourning, an interesting section noting the brokenness and mourning found in the life of Josiah as he saw the spiritual condition of God's people. And last the author speaks to the Saint's Refreshing, noting that God promised that because of Josiah's heart for God and His Word, that he (Josiah) would not have to see the devastation of judgment that God is going to bring upon the land of Israel (due to their staggering rebellion) Throughout each chapter, the author makes each of these points very practical to the life of the believer, which was really a great reminder and a great opportunity to be exhorted and encouraged.
I merely point out two weaknesses to this excellent book and I prefer to not make a huge issue about these because the bulk of the book is tremendous, however, the two weaknesses of Josiah's Reformation are found in, 1) The author seems to view the church as spiritual Israel and thus he makes some specific applications of things that in a Hermeneutical sense, can't be applied; and 2) The book is written in the old, King James English style of the Puritans, which is not a tremendous weakness but merely forces the modern day reader to really slow down and try to think through each sentence, thus it takes longer to read this Puritan classic. These two weaknesses are not major issues and thus, I hesitate to even bring them out, for fear that the reader may miss the treasure of the book.
I think any reader who wants to evaluate his/her life, using Sibbes' evaluation of Josiah, will find this book very helpful in the evaluation process.
in this Puritan classic, Sibbes develops his whole book around just a few verses in the story of Josiah and looks at four main areas. First, he considers the Tender Heart of Josiah, seen in how Josiah responded to God and His Word. Second, Sibbes talks about the beautiful art of Self-Humbling, showing how Josiah humbled himself before God and the results of self-humbling in Josiah's life. Third, the author speaks to the art of Mourning, an interesting section noting the brokenness and mourning found in the life of Josiah as he saw the spiritual condition of God's people. And last the author speaks to the Saint's Refreshing, noting that God promised that because of Josiah's heart for God and His Word, that he (Josiah) would not have to see the devastation of judgment that God is going to bring upon the land of Israel (due to their staggering rebellion) Throughout each chapter, the author makes each of these points very practical to the life of the believer, which was really a great reminder and a great opportunity to be exhorted and encouraged.
I merely point out two weaknesses to this excellent book and I prefer to not make a huge issue about these because the bulk of the book is tremendous, however, the two weaknesses of Josiah's Reformation are found in, 1) The author seems to view the church as spiritual Israel and thus he makes some specific applications of things that in a Hermeneutical sense, can't be applied; and 2) The book is written in the old, King James English style of the Puritans, which is not a tremendous weakness but merely forces the modern day reader to really slow down and try to think through each sentence, thus it takes longer to read this Puritan classic. These two weaknesses are not major issues and thus, I hesitate to even bring them out, for fear that the reader may miss the treasure of the book.
I think any reader who wants to evaluate his/her life, using Sibbes' evaluation of Josiah, will find this book very helpful in the evaluation process.
December 20, 2017
The book comes in Four parts. 1. The Tender Heart 2. The Art of Self-Humbling 3. The Art of Mourning ( which is mourning about sin) 4. The Saints Refreshing ( which is more about death [in part])
Part 3 is great. A thought that is seldom preached and here explained so well. It will make you want to cry, not so much emotionally but intellectually, it makes you want to get out your day planner and set aside some time for crying. Lays out some reasons to cry, some things to make you cry, tells you when to stop crying and good reasons to stop crying when you are done. I think it brilliant.
Part 4 is good. Most other reviews mention the closing couple pages where it descends into a discussion of English politics it is only a couple pages (the last pages). It is a bit jarring as the book generally is well suited for Christians through the ages ( a couple references from the time period here and there, of course.) these last pages slap you right into 17th century English context and really seem quite worldly juxtaposed to the other 160 pages of divine truths and discourse. Other than that it was a great explanation of the Huldah's prophesy and how it was heartening.
So the last half of the book was so good, i almost wondered if it needed the first. it is. But, the deliberate drudging exposition takes a while to pick up speed and the parts of the verse in the beginning of the book are slightly less interesting.
I like the way Sibbes organized it. His subheadings of Questions: Answer: Doctrine: Use: which he uses frequently in the book are quite helpful. I lightly wish the typesetter had them stand out more and possible put them in the table of contents.
I also love the cover.
Part 3 is great. A thought that is seldom preached and here explained so well. It will make you want to cry, not so much emotionally but intellectually, it makes you want to get out your day planner and set aside some time for crying. Lays out some reasons to cry, some things to make you cry, tells you when to stop crying and good reasons to stop crying when you are done. I think it brilliant.
Part 4 is good. Most other reviews mention the closing couple pages where it descends into a discussion of English politics it is only a couple pages (the last pages). It is a bit jarring as the book generally is well suited for Christians through the ages ( a couple references from the time period here and there, of course.) these last pages slap you right into 17th century English context and really seem quite worldly juxtaposed to the other 160 pages of divine truths and discourse. Other than that it was a great explanation of the Huldah's prophesy and how it was heartening.
So the last half of the book was so good, i almost wondered if it needed the first. it is. But, the deliberate drudging exposition takes a while to pick up speed and the parts of the verse in the beginning of the book are slightly less interesting.
I like the way Sibbes organized it. His subheadings of Questions: Answer: Doctrine: Use: which he uses frequently in the book are quite helpful. I lightly wish the typesetter had them stand out more and possible put them in the table of contents.
I also love the cover.
October 23, 2012
The strength of this book is Chapter 1 "The Tender Heart" - a convicting and encouraging word on the need to pay close attention to our souls so that they do not become hardened by sin. Chapter 4 lays out some helpful thoughts on the providence of God but ends with a foray into 17th century thinking about the relationship between the monarchy and the church that is hard to connect to or agree with. Sibbes is my favorite Puritan and I believe that everything he has written is worth reading, but this is not his strongest work. If you want to explore the "heavenly doctor Sibbes", start with "The Bruised Reed".
December 22, 2017
Great, convicting book. The importance of a soft heart. God preparing his people, in their hearts, for them to be ready to work in the field.
In his exposition, Sibbes, in his pastoral caring way, shows the necessity of a tender and caring heart. A heart that is close to the Lord - preaching Christ out of love.
I personally enjoyed the first and last chapter a lot. Chapter 1 would be a "must read" - the part about a tender heart. Chapter 2 - 3 are very convicting - leaving no room for pride.
Chapter 4 is all about our hope to come.
In his exposition, Sibbes, in his pastoral caring way, shows the necessity of a tender and caring heart. A heart that is close to the Lord - preaching Christ out of love.
I personally enjoyed the first and last chapter a lot. Chapter 1 would be a "must read" - the part about a tender heart. Chapter 2 - 3 are very convicting - leaving no room for pride.
Chapter 4 is all about our hope to come.
December 1, 2011
A compilation of four sermons. Soul-searching. Interesting comments towards the end on the relationship between government and the church at large.
January 18, 2018
"God hath but two heavens to dwell in; the heaven of heavens, and the heart of a poor humble man"
October 16, 2019
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader as part of a quick takes post to catch up.
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For the longest time, Richard Sibbes has been my go-to Puritan. His writing taps right into my heart. The doctrine is strong, the application wise, but throughout it all he's convicting and assuring (in the best way). This collection, sadly, just missed for me.
This is a collection of four sermons from 2 Chronicles describing the work of Josiah. It's a call to sincerity in the faith, of killing hypocrisy within, of the change that the preaching of free grace can make in the heart which spills into our lives. First and foremost, the goal isn't the benefits of Christ and desiring them, but to desire Him, to love Him—which will protect from hypocrisy and surface holiness by driving us to something deeper and truer. He then preaches about the art of self-humbling and mourning for our sin. The final sermon focuses on the true desire of the renewed heart—being gathered to Christ. Who doesn't need to hear/read this message?
It was probably me coming to it when I did, and nothing off in Sibbes' work. I can't point to a problem with the book, I just never connected with it. I can see the encouragement, the comfort, the urging to pursue holiness—it's all on-target, Biblical and well-written. But it left me feeling disappointed. Again, it's probably really good, and in a couple of years when I try it again, I won't understand my reaction.
---
For the longest time, Richard Sibbes has been my go-to Puritan. His writing taps right into my heart. The doctrine is strong, the application wise, but throughout it all he's convicting and assuring (in the best way). This collection, sadly, just missed for me.
This is a collection of four sermons from 2 Chronicles describing the work of Josiah. It's a call to sincerity in the faith, of killing hypocrisy within, of the change that the preaching of free grace can make in the heart which spills into our lives. First and foremost, the goal isn't the benefits of Christ and desiring them, but to desire Him, to love Him—which will protect from hypocrisy and surface holiness by driving us to something deeper and truer. He then preaches about the art of self-humbling and mourning for our sin. The final sermon focuses on the true desire of the renewed heart—being gathered to Christ. Who doesn't need to hear/read this message?
It was probably me coming to it when I did, and nothing off in Sibbes' work. I can't point to a problem with the book, I just never connected with it. I can see the encouragement, the comfort, the urging to pursue holiness—it's all on-target, Biblical and well-written. But it left me feeling disappointed. Again, it's probably really good, and in a couple of years when I try it again, I won't understand my reaction.
October 27, 2021
Oh to have preaching like this in our day. An incredibly challenging look at the heart of King Josiah and God's handling with him. Sibbes takes us through what in means to be tender in heart and humble in Spirit, and the necessity for these among other things. He does it in immense detail, with wonderful attention to both the passage and the person. He really gets the most out of these verses, and causes you to think about your own estate.
February 16, 2023
Four sermons on 2 Chronicles 34:26-28 (God's mercy to Josiah for his tender heart, humility): (1) The Tender Heart, (2) The Art of Self-Humbling, (3) The Art of Mourning, and (4) The Saint's Refreshing. The second and third were my favorites.
"An humble heart is a vessel of all graces. It is a grace itself, and a vessel of grace...As all the water that is upon the hills runs into the valleys, so all grace goes to the humble."
"An humble heart is a vessel of all graces. It is a grace itself, and a vessel of grace...As all the water that is upon the hills runs into the valleys, so all grace goes to the humble."
February 14, 2025
Comprising of the following chapters. The tender heart. The art of self-humbling. The art of mourning. The saint's refreshing. Wonderful spiritual truths are opened up in a devotional manner. The blessing of a tender heart. A life of being like Christ in a humble walk before him. And the ultimate victory of taking us to heaven. Read it and marvel at the grace of God
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2022
A short book outlining a section of text from 2 Chronicles, particularly about Josiah. The book gets better with time. I enjoyed chapters three and four more than one and two. Sibbes is a very readable Puritan, and it is evident that he loved the Lord.
March 11, 2023
“Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words…I also have heard you, declares the LORD.” 2 Chron. 34:26-27
An often overlooked section of scripture promising God’s favorable attention when his children are humble and contrite before his Word.
An often overlooked section of scripture promising God’s favorable attention when his children are humble and contrite before his Word.
December 9, 2019
On my list for a while... What a good outline of the process and results of God's transforming grace.
December 26, 2022
A truly great book!
March 15, 2022
Challenging!
August 19, 2025
Josiah's Reformation is part of the Puritan Paperbacks series by Banner of Truth Trust. The book is based on four sermons from 2 Chronicles 34:26–28, focusing on King Josiah’s spiritual renewal. Sibbes explores the necessity of heart-centered reformation, emphasizing a tender heart, self-humbling, mourning over sin, and the hope of eternal rest. Sibbes says that true change begins with love for Christ, driven by God’s grace, not mere behavioral modification. Written in 1629, it edified the readers then as well as the reader here in 2025.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews