Review: The Love of Christ
Richard Sibbes (1577-1635) was a well known Puritan Pastor who was known as the ‘heavenly doctor’. This work is twenty sermons preached by him on Song of Solomon 4:16 to 6:3.
For Sibbes the Song of Solomon is ‘nothing else but a plain demonstration and setting forth of the love of Christ for his church, and the love of the church to Christ.’ In taking this line, Sibbes was following that taken by the reformers starting with Luther himself. These sermons are therefore full of Christ’s love for us and full of encouragement for us to love Christ.
As is common with the Puritans, each sermon covers a huge range of subjects. For instance one sermon covers the work of the Holy Spirit; Mortification of sin; The need for our Christian life to result in good works, and How we know whether God has answered our prayers!
Reading Sibbes is like drinking a glass of fine expensive wine – it is best done slowly and thoughtfully. This takes time and effort, but there is a wonderful reward: helpful teaching the like of which is rare today.
So let me encourage you to buy this book. Then, once you have a free evening, switch off your mobile, find a comfy armchair and immerse yourself in The Love of Christ. You will not be disappointed!
This review was first published on GoodBookReviews.org.uk. The site has been closed as of March 2019.
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