Refreshment for the Soul: A Year of Daily Readings from ‘The Heavenly Doctor’ Richard Sibbes Compiled and Edited by David B. MacKinnon
Published by The Banner of Truth Trust
Book Review by Jackie Beach
Richard Sibbes (1577-1635) was an English Puritan pastor who preached at various churches in Cambridge and London, as well as in some colleges at the University of Cambridge. Like many of the Puritans, Sibbes wrote a large corpus of Biblical exposition and instruction on the Christian doctrine and life.
Refreshment for the Soul is a compilation of 366 daily devotional readings which are taken by David MacKinnon from the writings and sermons of Sibbes.
I recommend this book for many reasons.
- If you have never read the Puritans, this book is a good introduction to their style of writing which comes across in their focus on the majesty and supremacy of God while applying the doctrines of grace to everyday life.
- The daily devotions are each one page in length, so they are quick to read while giving lasting and meaningful food for thought.
- Refreshment for the Soul has both a subject index and a scripture index which help the reader find devotionals tailored to the reader’s specific interest and need.
- At the bottom of the page of each devotional is the book written by Sibbes from which the devotional is taken. This resource enables you to go to that specific work and find even more writing about that topic.
I have one disappointment with this book – there is no Table of Contents. Perhaps the editor felt that a Table of Contents would not be helpful, given the presence of the subject index and the scripture index.
I would also like to mention that the written English language of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries can sometimes be somewhat difficult for us today. There are some words used during that time period which have significantly changed in meaning when (and if) they are used today. The sentence structure can also be different.
Here are a few quotes from the book:
“Sin, like rust, or a canker, will little by little eat out all the graces of the soul. All sin is easier kept out than driven out.” p 285.“Wean your affections from the earth or else when any cross comes, we will not be able to endure. In what proportion a man loves this world too much, in that proportion he grieves too much at his departure from it.” p 307
“The account for our souls and the souls of others, is the greatest account, and therefore the care of souls should be the greatest care.” p 278.
“God’s people are gainers by all their losses, stronger by all their weaknesses, and the better for all their crosses.” p 258.
Refreshment for the Soul can be purchased from Amazon, Banner of Truth, and Reformation Heritage Books.
