The Bruised Reed

"Ministers by their calling are friends of the bride, to bring Christ and his spouse together, and therefore ought, upon all good occasions, to lay open all the excellencies of Christ." ~Richard Sibbes The prophet Isaiah said that Christ would not break a bruised reed or quench a smoking flax. In this book, Richard Sibbes explains how we are the bruised reed because we have been broken by knowledge of our sin. Christians must learn how to properly be sorrowful for their sins and how to find relief in Christ. Jesus is a loving and merciful shepherd who is truly pleased with our obedience, no matter how feeble it seems. No false comfort can compare to the true comfort we have in Christ. "The Christ of The Bruised Reed is not a light-weight Christ. He is determined to establish his government in the hearts of his people. But neither does he batter us into submission. Instead, through the operation of his Spirit, his love wins our loves. He captures our will by captivating our hearts. Sibbes' concern is not to explicate a dry theory of affections, but warmly to commend Christ to wounded souls and thereby win our love afresh. This is what makes him such a delight to read nearly 400 years on." ~From Tim Chester's Introduction