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There are few literary works that persist past the decade in which they were written, and even fewer that persist past their century. However, The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes, which was written in the early 17th century, has not only has persisted to this day but has thrived. Its reception today is a testament to the quality of its author and of the material which he wrote. Furthermore, it is a testament to the relevancy of material of the book, that even in the midst of a society barreling forward toward postmodernism, the ideas and thoughts of a man in the 17th century still, as it were, cut us to the quick.
Despite its continued popularity, there have been no published attempts (of which I am aware) to translate this brilliant work of Mr. Sibbes into an English that is more palatable for the modern reader. Having been affected by the material of this work myself, it was my goal to undertake this project of modernization with the hope of drawing even more people towards its message, chiefly those who have little patience with antiquated, English grammar. I hope that I have accomplished this goal.
Modernization Strategy
There was no set formula that I used when I set out on this project, for language is as much a subjective art as it is a philological problem to be solved. Yet with that, I did set out on this work with these goals: 1) to understand the modifications within the context of Mr. Sibbes's writing so as to preserve his original intent, 2) to isolate sentences within the work that could be simplified, either by creating multiple sentences out of a single one or by parenthesizing multiple subordinate clauses that would distract and confuse the modern reader, and 3) to understand the meaning of words as they would have been used in their 17th century context and to translate that meaning either by using different words or by qualifying the original.
Other than these, other modifications were matters of personal preference. Quotations of Scripture were modernized (e.g. replacing "thou" with "you") and contrasted with modern translations; Anglicized spellings of words were Americanized in consideration of myself and the probable chief audience; and the structures of sentences were changed if I found that they could be rendered in a clearer way.
With that, I pray and hope that this will be received as a faithful update of Mr. Sibbes's original work, so much so that it might spark new interest in the matter that has so compelled readers throughout the past centuries, namely Christ's gentle care over his people. May God be glorified in the glorious work of Christ through his Spirit. Amen.
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