Richard Sibbes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard Sibbes
Born	1577 Tostock, Suffolk
Died	1635 (aged 57–58)
Notable work	The Bruised Reed
Theological work
Era	Elizabethan era
Tradition or movement	Anglicanism, Puritanism, Calvinism

Richard Sibbes (1577–1635) was an important Anglican religious leader and writer. He was known for explaining the Bible clearly. He was also a key figure in a group called the Puritans. Unlike some Puritans who left the official Church of England, Sibbes stayed within it. He followed its rules and worshiped using the Book of Common Prayer.

Richard Sibbes's Early Life and Education

Richard Sibbes was born in 1577 in a place called Tostock, in Suffolk, England. His father worked as a wheel maker. Some records also suggest he might have been born in Sudbury.

He went to Bury St Edmunds Grammar School. After that, he studied at St John's College, Cambridge starting in 1595.

Sibbes's Career in the Church

From about 1610 to 1615, Sibbes worked as a lecturer at Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge. Many people in the 1700s and 1800s thought he lost his jobs because of his Puritan beliefs. However, this was not true. Richard Sibbes was very clever at working within the system. He never actually lost any of his positions.

Later, in 1617, he became a preacher at Gray's Inn in London. He kept this job even when he returned to Cambridge in 1626. In Cambridge, he became the Master of Catherine Hall.

The Feoffees for Impropriations

In 1626, a group called the Feoffees for Impropriations was formed. Richard Sibbes was one of the people who helped start it. This group was created to help fund and support preachers. It was connected to a church called St Antholin, Budge Row.

The Feoffees group lasted for seven years before it was shut down in 1633. Sibbes was one of four ministers in the group. The other members included four lawyers and four regular church members.

Richard Sibbes's Writings

Richard Sibbes wrote several books that shared his deep religious feelings. These books were meant to help people in their faith.

Some of his well-known works include:

• The Saint's Cordial (published in 1629)
• The Bruised Reed and Smoking Flax (published in 1631) – This book explained a part of the Bible from the book of Isaiah.
• The Soules Conflict (published in 1635)

Many of his other writings were published after he died. Two friends, Thomas Goodwin and Philip Nye, helped publish them. These later works showed more of Sibbes's moderate and traditional views. Books like Beames of Divine Light and Bowels Opened came out in 1639. Also, The Returning Backslider, which was a collection of sermons about the Book of Hosea, was published that year.

A full collection of all his works was published in Edinburgh between 1862 and 1864. It filled seven volumes and included a story about his life.

Richard Sibbes's Beliefs

Richard Sibbes and other leaders of the Feoffees group believed in something called covenant theology. This was a way of understanding God's relationship with people. It was shaped by other English religious thinkers like William Perkins and William Ames. They generally believed in having an official state church. Sibbes also thought that Jesus's return was needed to finish what Christ had started.

Understanding Puritanism

The term "Puritanism" can be tricky to define, but Sibbes is often placed in certain groups. He was considered a "non-separatist". This means he was a Puritan who did not separate from the Church of England. Other Puritans like Richard Baxter and John Dod were also in this group.

Sibbes was also seen as a "fully conforming Puritan". This means he followed the set ways of worship in the Church of England. No matter how he is classified, it's clear that he was a loyal member of the church during the Elizabethan era.

Sibbes's Wider Views

Sibbes had a broad view of the world. He saw Catholicism as a system that tried to control people. He worked with others to raise money for Protestants in a region called the Electorate of the Palatinate. These people were affected by the start of the Thirty Years' War. He also helped raise money for John Dury's missionary work.

Because of these actions, a powerful church court called the Court of High Commission questioned Sibbes and others. His book The Fountain Opened (1638) encouraged missionary work.

Famous Quote

Richard Sibbes is remembered for this comforting quote:

• “There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.”

Richard Sibbes's Influence

Sibbes's writings were very popular in New England (what is now part of the United States). Thomas Hooker, a famous religious leader there, was directly influenced by Sibbes. Hooker's ideas about marriage as a religious symbol came from Sibbes's books like The Bruised Reed.

The poet George Herbert lived at the same time as Sibbes. Some people think Sibbes's ideas might have influenced Herbert's poetry. For example, historian Christopher Hill suggested that Herbert's idea of the gospel spreading westward might have come from The Bruised Reed.

Later religious leaders also studied Sibbes's work. The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, quoted Sibbes. The famous Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon learned about preaching by studying Sibbes's writings. Even in more recent times, the evangelical leader Martyn Lloyd-Jones spoke highly of Sibbes's work.