10 Puritans Who Changed the World: Richard Sibbes, the Heavenly Doctor

Who Was Richard Sibbes?

Richard Sibbes was born in the village of Tostock, Suffolk, in the heartland of English Puritanism. As a child, he enjoyed school and devoured books. When he came home from school as a boy, he brought books in a satchel to read and meditate about while he walked. His father, Paul Sibbes, a godly Christian man and a hardworking wheelwright (one who makes and repairs wooden wheels), grew irritated with his son’s interest in books, for it was taking a toll on the family budget. He tried to cure young Richard of book-buying by offering him wheelwright tools, but he could not dissuade the boy from study.

With the support of generous patrons and despite his father’s ambitions for him to become a wheelwright, Sibbes was admitted to the University of Cambridge (St. John’s College) at 18. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1599, a fellowship (teaching position)  in 1601, and a Master of Arts degree in 1602. In 1603, Sibbes converted under the preaching of Paul Baynes, a Puritan pastor whom Sibbes called his “father in the gospel.” Paul Baynes—only four years older than Sibbes—preached at the Church of St. Andrews in Cambridge as the successor to William Perkins there.

In 1608, Sibbes was ordained to the ministry in the Church of England in Norwich. He was chosen as one of the preachers for St. John’s College in 1609. From 1611 to 1616, he served as a lecturer (or preacher) at Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge. Such large crowds flocked to hear him that a new balcony needed to be built. Spiritual revival swept through the university. His preaching awakened Cambridge from the spiritual indifference into which it had fallen after the death of William Perkins.

Some people called him the “honey-mouthed” or the “sweet dropper” because he preached about Jesus Christ so richly and movingly. Sibbes once wrote, “To preach is to woo. The main scope of all [preaching] is, to allure us to the entertainment of Christ’s mild, safe, wise, victorious government.”

 In 1617, Sibbes became the lecturer at Gray’s Inn in London—the largest of the four Inns of Court, the professional associations to which all barristers (lawyers) belonged. In 1626, he became the master of St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge. Under his leadership, the college regained some of its former prestige. In his new position, he helped place Puritan ministers throughout churches in England. He became known as “the heavenly Doctor” because of his heavenly-minded manner of life and his godly preaching. In 1633, King Charles I offered Sibbes the pastorate of Holy Trinity Church in Cambridge—the same church where he had lectured as a scholar. Sibbes continued to serve as the preacher at Gray’s Inn, the master of St. Catherine’s Hall, and as the vicar of Holy Trinity until his death in 1635.

When a friend asked Sibbes how his soul was faring on his deathbed, he replied, “I should do God much wrong if I should not say, very well.” The day before his death, he dictated his will, which began, “I commend and bequeath my soul into the hands of my gracious Savior, who hath redeemed it with his most precious blood, and appears now in heaven to receive it.” Sibbes went to be with that gracious Savior on July 5, 1635. The English writer Izaac Walton wrote of Sibbes, “Heaven was in him, before he was in heaven.”

Sibbes’s complete works have often been reprinted in seven volumes by Banner of Truth Trust.

What Can Pastors Learn from Richard Sibbes?

Richard Sibbes teaches pastors the importance of meditation and “entertaining” the Holy Spirit.

First, meditate upon God’s love. Diligent meditation helps transfer the truths of God’s Word from the head (intellect) to the heart (affections) and hands (will). As pastors, our ministries must reflect the overflow of our love for Christ, rooted in our faith in Christ’s love for us. Meditation bridges God’s Word with our hearts. “Men of great learning know much, and so does the devil,” Sibbes wrote, “but he lacks love.” He also wrote, “Truth is no guide to us, being only in the book, but as it is seated in the heart.”

Dear fellow pastor, spend time praying and meditating every day. Sibbes stressed the need for daily meditation. He wanted people to realize how thinking about God’s love and praising Him makes it burn all the brighter within the soul. He wrote, “Let us set some time apart to meditate of these things, till the heart be warmed.” His heart, warmed by the fire of the Spirit, stirred the embers of faith in many other hearts.

Sibbes often wrote about how God’s love flows between Him and His children. He encouraged Christians to contemplate “the infinite love of God in Jesus.” We love God because He first loved us, which Sibbes compared to being warmed by the sun. He wrote, “If cold and dark bodies have light and heat in them, it is because the sun hath shined upon them first.” Sibbes also wrote, “Many men are troubled with cold affections, and then they think to work love out of their own hearts, which are like a barren wilderness, but we must beg of God the Spirit of love. We must not bring love to God, but fetch love from Him.” He said, “When you find the love of God in your heart, that your heart is taught by His Spirit to love him, then surely you may say, ‘Oh, blessed be God who has kindled this holy fire in my heart!’”

Second, “entertain” the Holy Spirit. Sibbes encouraged Christians to develop an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. Sibbes called this process “entertaining the Spirit” in the soul. He wrote, “There is no one in the world so great and sweet a friend who will do us so much good as the Spirit, if we give him entertainment.” Just as welcoming a dear friend into our home and spending time with him helps us become closer to him, so our love for God grows as we focus more on the Holy Spirit and His work in our hearts, for His great task is to reveal Jesus Christ and His saving benefits of salvation to us.

Conclusion

One week before his death, Sibbes preached on the words of Jesus in John 14:2: “I go to prepare a place for you.” He urged his listeners to meditate on such precious promises. “These comforts being warmed with meditation, will stick close to the heart,” he said. “Warm the heart with these, and see if any trivial things can cast you down.” May the Holy Spirit grant each of us warm hearts like this “heavenly Doctor”!

Book Recommendations from Richard Sibbes 

1. The Bruised Reed
2. The Glorious Feast of the Gospel
3. Josiah’s Reformation  
4. Glorious Freedom
5. The Returning Backslider
6. The Fountain Sealed
7. The Fountain Opened

2024 Joel Beeke. Used with permission.