Praise God—it is almost Sunday again. We *get* to go back to church! In or-der to help get us ready, here is Richard Sibbes, from his, "The Bruised Reed" classic. . . .
“Justification Leads To Sanctification"This also shows that those are misled that make Christ to be only righteous-ness to us and not sanctification . . . It is a great part of our happiness to be under such a Lord, who was not only born for us, and given to us, but has the government likewise upon His shoulder (Isa. 9:6, 7). He is our Sanctifier as well as our Savior . . .
" . . . In the course of our life, after we are in a state of grace, if we are over-taken with any sin, we must remember to have recourse first to Christ's mercy to pardon us, and then to the promise of His Spirit to govern us.
"And when we feel ourselves cold in affection and duty, the best way is to warm ourselves at this fire of His love and mercy in giving Himself for us.
"Again, remember this, that Christ rules us by a Spirit of love, from a sense of His love, whereby His commandments are easy to us. He leads us by His free Spirit, a Spirit of liberty. His subjects are willing ones. The constraint that He lays upon His subjects is that of love. He draws us sweetly with the cords of love. Yet remember also that He draws us strongly by a Spirit of power . . . Christ's Spirit must likewise subdue our hearts, and sanctify them to love
Him . . . "
