The Bruised Reed

by Richard Sibbes

Ministers by their calling are friends of the Bride, and to bring Christ and his Spouse together, and therefore ought, upon all good occasions, to lay open all the excellencies of Christ, and amongst others, as that he is highly born, mighty, One ‘in whom all the treasures of wisdom are hid,’ Col. ii. 3, &c., so likewise gentle, and of a good nature, and of a gracious disposition.

It is almost a fundamental mistake, to think that God delights in slavish fears, whenas the fruits of Christ’s kingdom are peace and joy in the Holy Ghost: for from this mistake come weak, slavish, superstitious conceits.

Surgeons will lance and cut, but not dismember. A mother that hath a sick and froward child will not therefore cast it away.

If Christ be so merciful as not to break me, I will not break myself by despair, nor yield myself over to the roaring lion Satan, to break me in pieces.

Again, a man truly bruised judgeth sin the greatest evil, and the favour of God the greatest good.

When he humbles us, let us humble ourselves,

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

Broken hearts can yield but broken prayers.

The church of Christ is a common hospital, wherein all are in some measure sick of some spiritual disease or other; that we should all have ground of exercising mutually the spirit of wisdom and meekness.

those that plead and plot for liberties of the flesh, show themselves strangers from the life of God.

God can pick sense out of a confused prayer. These desires cry louder in his ears than thy sins.

By prayer we learn to pray.

Nathan by a few words blew up the decaying sparks in David. Rather than God will suffer his fire in us to die, he will send some Nathan or other, and something always is left in us to join with the word as connatural to it; as a coal that hath fire in it will quickly catch more to it: smoking flax will easily take fire.

judgment is the life and soul of wisdom.

Truth is truth, and error, error, and that which is unlawful is unlawful, whether men think so or no.

A little thing in the hand of a giant will do great matters. A little faith strengthened by Christ will work wonders.

Grace conquers us first, and we by it conquer all things else; whether it be corruptions within us, or temptations without us.

A fire in the heart overcometh all fires without.

Grief shall he fastened to all their senses, and their senses to grief.