Richard Sibbes :: An Analytical Table of Contents

THE GLORIOUS FEAST OF THE GOSPEL
The Marriage Feast
Between
Christ and His Church

 

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An Analytical Table

of the Principal Contents in these Sermons,
upon
ISAIAH 25:6-9

 

THE TEXT

Isaiah 25:6. And in this Mountain shall the LORD of Hosts make unto all people a Feast of fat things, a Feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the Lees well refined.

Isaiah 25:7. And he will destroy in this mountains the face of the covering cast over all People, and the veil that is spread over all Nations.

Isaiah 25:8. He will swallow up death in victory, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from of all faces, and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from of all the earth, for the Lord hath spoken it.

Isaiah 25:9. And it shall be fail in that day, lo, this is our God; We have waited for him, and he will save us: This is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

THE TOPICS

Coherence between the judgements threatened in the former Chapter, and the comforts promised in this Chapter

The Text opened

The Church is an excellent society

Is a Mountain:

1. Hath strong foundations

2. Is in some measure visible

Of the Marriage Feast between Christ and his Church

The LORD of Hosts is the founder of this Feast

Some of all sorts invited to this Feast:

1. Jews

2. Gentiles

Christ is the chief dish, and greatest cheer at this Feast

Christ and his benefits fitly compared to a Feast:

1. Because all we have in Christ is of the best things

2. Much variety in Christ

3. Fullness and sufficiency is to be had in Christ

4. Because there is much company here

5. There is rich attire worn at this Feast

This Gospel-Feast was typed out:

1. By the Paschal Lamb

2. By Manna

3. By the Rock

4. By the Jewish festival

A Comparison between Christ and Manna

Sacrament of the Lord’s supper is this Feast specially

We ought to be prepared for this Feast:

1. Get large hearts

2. Spiritual appetite

Means to get spiritual appetite to this Feast:

1. Sense of sin

2. Purge the soul from sinful corruptions

3. Spiritual exercise and aliveness for God

4. Holy company

5. Consideration of the danger of spiritual famine

We must get a spiritual taste and spiritual senses:

1. To relish what is good

2. To disrelish and reject what is evil

We must get a spiritual Digestion and wait in the strength of this heavenly Feast

Consequents of the Gospel-Feast are:

1. Cheerfulness

2. Thankfulness

3. Justifying of the wages of God and religion

Religion doth not make people melancholy

A Christian at his worst condition is better than a worldling’s best

We must labour to have apart and portion at this Feast, and to honour God’s bounty

We must bring empty souls unto this Feast

Connection between the sixth and seventh verses

Of the veil that is over men’s hearts

All men naturally have such a veil

There is a veil over spiritual things, for they are hid

Natural men:

1. Want spiritual sight, light

2. Are Ignorant

3. See not spiritual things spiritually

4. Have light without heat

5. Are unbelievers

Ignorance and unbelief acts in every sin

God only can take away this veil

Men nor angels cannot remove it

Only God’s people have this veil removed

Where this veil is removed there is a Feast. Again.

We ought to use means to have this veil taken off:

1. By attending upon Ordinances

2. By practising what we know

3. By praying unto God

When the veil is taken off from the heart, then:

1. A Christian will wonder at the things of faith

2. Desire more and more to know them

3. This veil hath been removed by the Word

4. A Christian’s knowledge is a transforming knowledge

Of Death, and Christ’s victory over Death

Death is:

1. The King of Fears

2. Spares none

3. Is let in by sin

4. Is attended on by Hell

Christ swallows up death in victory by:

1. By satisfying for sin

2. By his suffering death

We ought to believe that death is conquered to us

We ought to be one with Christ crucified

We must be thankful unto God:

1. For victory over death

2. For benefits by death

The slavish fear of Death is unbecomming a Christian

Death is conquered to a Believer though he die

Death is terrible to wicked men

Duelists foolishly out-brave death

Death to God’s children not only a conquered enemy, but is made a friend, etc

Of Christians Tears

Good men are apt to weep:

1. For sin of others

2. Miseries of others

We ought to weep,

and yet to rejoice

God will wipe away all tears

God is a God of tender mercy:

Christians are not to be judged by appearance, and by their sufferings

Christians have a mixed condition and a mixed disposition

There was no sorrow in Paradise, and shall be none in heaven

Sin is the greatest cause of sorrow

Mourning accepted from them that cannot weep

Then a Christians tears are right, when:

1. They spring from the love of God

2. When we weep for our own sins

3. When they are secret

4. When they are reforming

Of the rebukes and reproaches of God’s people

Christ and his members subject unto reproaches

Wicked reproach the godly from the enmity of 2 seeds

We must not be scandals to religion nor scandalized at the reproaches of it

Christ will take away reproaches from his people and will vindicate them

Directions how to carry ourselves under reproaches:

1. Be patient

2. Innocent

3. Courageous

4. Sincere

5. Pray much to God

6. Rejoice and glory in them

Of the Holy Scriptures

God is the Author of them

The Scriptures sole and supreme judge of controversies

The Scriptures may be known to be God’s Word by:

1. The majesty of them

2. Their mysteriousness

3. From reason

4. From experience

5. From the witness of the Spirit

6. From their efficacy

1. In warming the soul

2. In changing the soul

3. In casting down the soul

4. In searching the soul

5. And comforting the soul

The Holy Scriptures are and have been preserved from corruption

We ought to bear the Word as the Word of God

Will make good all his promises, if we believe

We must pray for the Spirit that indicted the Scriptures, so we may relish them

Of God’s Promises, and the performance of them

Promises are full and free, and spring from his bounty, and are our greatest treasure

We ought to be ashamed of infidelity in God’s promises

It is sometimes long between the promise and performance:

1. To exercise our faith

2. To wain us from creatures

3. To endear the things promised

4. And to fit us for the enjoyment

Of Waiting upon God

We have but a taste here of what we shall have here after

Waiting carries with it all other graces:

1. Patience

2. Long-suffering

3. Contentment

4. Silence from murmuring

5. Watchfulness

6. Faithfulness

Want of waiting cause of much wickedness

All is overcome with waiting

God will perform his Word to all true waiters

God keeps the time of performance in his own hands

God fully performs his promises in heaven

The things hoped for uphold the heart in waiting

God will have his people continue waiting:

1. That we may live by faith and not by sight

2. When we are fitted for what is promised, we shall then enjoy it

3. God will have us have the best at last

As there is a time of our waiting, so therewith a time of God’s performance

The present grace we have is an earnest of what we shall have

Encouragements to wait upon God:

1. God’s time is best, and it is set

2. God will effect the thing promised, though by contraries

What we should do when God hath performed promises:

1. Be thankful to the Lord

2. Be joyful in the Lord

Interest in God is the cause of all our joy