A HEAVENLY CONFERENCE BETWEEN CHRIST
AND MARY
By Richard Sibbes
Banner of Truth. 167 pages. £5.00
ISBN 978 1 848 716 339
Richard Sibbes (1577–1635) was one of the most influential Puritan ministers of his generation. He was ordained as an Anglican clergyman in 1608, but worked with colleagues across denominational boundaries including Presbyterians and Independents.
He never married, but consciously cultivated a wide circle of Christian friends. He served in both London and Cambridge, influencing many people as he promoted a Christ-centred experiential piety. His ministry was valued as much by learned colleagues as by others who had fewer opportunities for formal education. He was a man who focused on the central themes of the Christian faith and was most reluctant to be drawn into controversies. His published works, like A Heavenly Conference, were aimed at encouraging holy living and a greater desire to know the Lord Jesus more closely.
A Heavenly Conference is Richard Sibbes’s exposition of the memorable meeting that took place on the first Easter Sunday when the risen Christ met Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb. Though only a few words were exchanged between the Lord and Mary, Sibbes saw in them the heart of the gospel. Sibbes was very conscious that many believers had a good, orthodox, head knowledge of the Christian faith, yet were deficient in their experience of the wonderful love and grace given to them in Christ by their heavenly Father. He wanted his readers to have a greater sense of joy in their relationship with the Lord and for them to experience more of the blessings that Mary received through this short encounter with the risen Jesus on the first Easter Sunday morning.
Encouraging stimulus
This book is fairly easy to read, but potential readers who have not purchased any of this excellent series of Puritan paperbacks produced by Banner of Truth need to be aware that the language is 17th-century English which may be unfamiliar to them. However, Sibbes’ practical guidance for our walk with the Lord is both encouraging and a stimulus to fresh exertions to love and walk with the Lord more closely. It is warmly commended.
