Puritan Richard Sibbes Wants You to Entertain the Holy Spirit

Sibbes was a Cambridge pastor and lecturer in the early 1600s.  His most famous work is "The Bruised Reed."  He wanted his preaching to woo the hearer to love the truth.  He followed Perkins and converted or taught several Westminster Assemblymen.  We will consider his view on entertaining the Spirit, that is, how to make your soul compatible with Him, and not grieve Him.

The Spirit is the One who lives in us and makes union and relationship with Christ possible.  Spiritual warfare will result, since our natural self is hostile to Christ and holiness.

The Spirit seals us to God.  Calvin and Owen took this as our regeneration, but later Puritans like Perkins and Sibbes saw it as our conscious and growing assurance of being the Lord's, which sweetens and sanctifies us.  Owen liked the call to assurance but didn't think the sealing of the Spirit of Ephesians 1:13 meant this [I agree with Owen].

The Spirit comforts us when our souls are distressed.  By the Word, He brings peace and order and quiet rest to us.

We grieve the Spirit when we sin.  Spiritual sins of pride are perhaps most grievous, though carnal temptations "drown the soul in physical delights."  Busyness also makes a cacophony so the soul cannot communicate with Christ.