Ebyafaayo bya Richard Sibbes

Richard Sibbes yabuulira mu kimu ku biseera eby’eddiini ebisinga obukambwe Bungereza bwe bumanyi, naye n’ayatiikirira olw’obukkakkamu bwe. Mu kifo eky’okuba nti ekituuti kya Bapuritaani okusinga kyanyigiriza nnyo omuntu ku mutima, Sibbes yanoonya abantu abaali bamaze okuggwaamu essuubi ku bo bennyini — ababuusabuusa, abennyise, omukkiriza eyali abetenteddwa nnyo n’okutuuka n’aba mpaka okusaba — n’ayogera nabo n’obukwatampola obungi ennyo ne kyava omulembe gwe gwennyini gumutuuma “akatonnyeza akawoomerera,” ate oluvannyuma lwa diguli ye, “Omusawo ow’Omu Ggulu Sibbes.” Ekitabo kye ekisinga okuwangaala kiggya omutwe gwakyo n’omwoyo gwakyo gwonna mu kisuubizo kimu ekya Isaaya, ekyaweebwa mu Njiri: nti Masiya talimenya lumuli lubetentefu newankubadde okuzikiza olutambi olunyooka.

Waliwo okusaasira okusingawo mu Kristo okusinga ekibi ekiri mu ffe.

— Richard Sibbes, Olumuli Olubetentefu

Omwana w’omubazzi wa nnamuziga

Yazaalibwa mu 1577 e Tostock, akyalo mu Suffolk, nga mwana wa Paul Sibbes, omubazzi wa nnamuziga — eyakolanga era n’addaabiriza nnamuziga. Teg’ali maka gasuubirwa okuvaamu abayivu, era kitaawe kigambibwa nti yali ayagala omulenzi akwate omulimu gw’oluggya mu kifo ky’okwemalira mu bitabo. Naye omuweereza w’ekitundu ne mikwano gye ne balaba essuubi eryali mu ye. Okuva mu ssomero lya girama e Bury St Edmunds n’ayambuka n’ayingira St John’s College, e Cambridge, mu 1595, n’afuna diguli ye mu 1599, era n’alondebwa okuba Fellow wa koleji mu 1601. Omwana w’omubazzi wa nnamuziga yali afuuse omusajja wa Cambridge.

Yakyusibwa wansi w’omubuulizi omuteefu

Naye okuyiga tekwenkana bulamu, era enkyukakyuka ey’amaanyi yajja nga mu 1603 wansi w’okubuulira kwa Paul Baynes — omusajja eyali asikidde William Perkins omukulu ku kituuti kya St Andrew’s, e Cambridge. Baynes teyali muntu wa ttutumu; yabeera n’afiira mu buzibu ne mu butamanyibwa. Naye wansi w’obuweereza bwe obutali bwa kwewaana, obunoonyereza emitima, Sibbes yakyusibwa, era teyeerabira bbanja eryo, ng’ayogera ku Baynes ennaku zonna nga kitaawe mu njiri. Kyateeka Sibbes mu lunyiriri lw’eby’omwoyo olw’ekitalo — Perkins okutuuka ku Baynes okutuuka ku Sibbes — era Sibbes yandiwanvuyizza olunyiriri olwo okusinga bonna, ng’afuuka kitaawe ow’omwoyo eri omulembe gwonna.

Omusawo ow’Omu Ggulu

Ng’afuulibwa omuweereza nga akyali mu myaka gye egy’amakumi asatu egy’olubereberye, Sibbes yafuuka omusomesa mu Kkanisa ya Holy Trinity, e Cambridge, nga mu 1610, era ekibuga ne kizuula omubuulizi. Obuweereza bwe bwakuŋŋaanya ebibiina, era, nga bwe kitasoboka butasobola mu mirembe gya bbisopi abaakyawa Bapuritaani, ne bwaleeta n’okubuusabuusa; olugero olw’edda olugamba nti yaggyibwako ebifo bye mu ngeri entongole olw’obutagondera lukyusiddwa okunoonyereza okwa leero, naye tewali kubuusabuusa nti yabuulira ng’ali wansi w’okunyigirizibwa n’amaaso agakuuma. Mu byonna ebyo yanywerera. Mu 1617 yalondebwa okuba omubuulizi eri abakugu mu by’amateeka ab’e Gray’s Inn mu London, ekimu ku bituuti ebisinga obuyinza mu ggwanga. Mu 1626 Cambridge n’amuyita okudda ng’Omukulu wa St Catharine’s Hall, gye yatandika okuzimba buggya, ate mu 1627 n’afuulibwa Dokita w’Eby’Obwakatonda — ekitiibwa ekyanyweza erinnya lye ery’empisa emirembe gyonna. Mu 1633 Kabaka yennyini n’amuwa ekifo ky’obuvikeeri bwa Holy Trinity, kkanisa yennyini gye yali atandikidde. Omusajja eyalowoozebwanga okuba nga yazikirizibwa olw’Obupuritaani bwe, mu kifo ky’ekyo, yali akwasibbwa, emirundi n’emirundi, okulabirira emyoyo.

Obuweereza bw’olumuli olubetentefu

Ekyafuula Sibbes okuba Sibbes si kwe kwolinnya kwe wabula eddoboozi lye. Ekitabo kye ekyayatiikirira ennyo yakizimba ku bigambo bya Matayo 12:20 — “Talimenya lumuli lunafu, wadde okuzikiriza olutambi lw’ettaala olunyooka” — n’akifuula endowooza engumiikiriza era ennyweevu nti Kristo tanyooma kukkiriza okunafu, okulwanirira, okwaka empola, wabula akulabirira. Yasoma ebifaananyi ebyo byombi n’obwegendereza bw’omusawo. Olumuli olubetentefu ye mmeeme eyabetenteddwa okumanya ekibi kyayo, era Sibbes yakwata nti okubetentebwa ng’okwo si kabonero ka Kristo obutabaawo wabula gwe musingi Kristo gwennyini gw’akolerako. Olutambi olunyooka bwe bukkiriza obukendeezeddwa ne buba akatambi akaaka empola, mwe muli omukka mungi n’olulimi lw’omuliro lutono; era omugugu gw’ekitabo kyonna gwe guno nti Kristo tajja kuzikiza mukka ogwo wabula okuguwuubira gudde mu muliro. Eri omukkiriza eyakakasa nti okwenenya kwe kwali kwa kunkumuka era ekisa kye kya kunafu, Sibbes yanywerera nti akasasi akatono akennyini ke Kristo gwennyini bw’akoleeza, era nti Kristo tagenda kukazikiza. “Okubetentebwa kuno kwetaagisa ng’omuntu tannaba kukyuka,” bwe yawandiika, “Omwoyo alyoke yeekolere ekkubo mu mutima ng’akendeeza ku birowoozo byonna eby’amalala n’eby’okwegulumiza.” Era yali mukalabakalaba nga bwe yali omukwatampola: “Obunafu awamu n’okwekuuma bulinywerera,” bwe yalabula, “amaanyi awamu n’obwesige obw’ekisukkiridde bwe galiremererwa.”

Obukkakkamu buno tebwali bwewombeefu bwa mpisa bwokka wabula nzikiriza enywevu ku ngeri Katonda gy’alokolamu abantu mu butuufu. Sibbes yakkiriza nti okubuulira okukambwe, okuwakanya, kwagoba emitima egyalumizibwa okuva ku Kristo gwe gwennyini gwe gyetaaga, era nti enjiri ewangula ekkubo lyayo mu kusika so si mu kuwaliriza — ng’esendasenda emmeeme eri obulungi bwa Kristo okutuusa lwe yeewaayo ku bwayo. Kyamuleetera erinnya ery’okwagala nti “akatonnyeza akawoomerera,” olw’obuweereza obwagwira abawuliriza ng’enkuba entonnyeza empola era eteredde. Ekitabo kye ekigenderako, Emmeeme Bw’Erwana Nayo Yennyini, kitabo kyonna ku kagezi omuwandiisi wa Zabbuli ke yakozesa bwe yakyukira obwennyamivu bwe n’abwogeza nti, “Lwaki oweddemu amaanyi ggwe emmeeme yange?”

Kitaawe w’omulembe

Sibbes yatuula wakati mu kifo eky’ebbugumu eky’olukungaana olugazi olw’emikwano — abaweereza, abayizi, n’abakungu b’e London — abomu byafaayo lwe bayita Bapuritaani “oluganda olw’omwoyo,” olusinga lwaliko ku Gray’s Inn. Olw’okubuulira kwe John Cotton yakyusibwa, oluvannyuma n’atwala okukkiriza okwo mu New England. Thomas Goodwin yakyusibwa okuva ku Aluminiyanizimu okudda eri Okukalvini okw’ebbugumu era okw’okulubeererako, ne John Preston n’asikibwa okuva ku kubuulira okw’amagezi era okw’okwewunda okudda eri okulangirira kwa Kristo okw’obwangu. Naye ekibala kya buweereza bwe ekyasinga okwatiikirira Sibbes teyakiwangaalira kukiraba, era kyajja okuyita mu kitabo, so si kubuulira. Omuguzi omwavu eyatambulanga yatunda kkopi ya Olumuli Olubetentefu ku luggi lw’oluggya olumu mu Shropshire, era kitaawe w’amaka n’akigula. Omwana we omuvubuka n’akisoma — omulenzi eyayitibwanga Richard Baxter, eyandifuuse omu ku basumba abasingayo obukulu Bungereza bwe bwali bwazaala. Baxter yawandiika kye kyakola:

Kyanjigulirawo okwagala kwa Katonda, era ne kimpa okutegeera okw’amaanyi ennyo okw’ekyama eky’okununulibwa, n’engeri gye nnali nnina ebbanja ery’amaanyi eri Yesu Kristo.

— Richard Baxter, ng’asoma Olumuli Olubetentefu olwa Sibbes

Kifaananyi kituufu eky’omugabo gwa Sibbes gwonna: ekitabo ekikkakkamu, ekyatundibwa mu bukkakkamu, ekyagulawo okwagala kwa Katonda eri emmeeme omuwandiisi gy’ataandisisinkanye. Olw’okubanga ye yennyini yafulumya bitono, ebingi ku bye tulina ebya Sibbes byakuŋŋaanyizibwa okuva mu bipande bye eby’okubuulira mikwano gye ne bikubibwa oluvannyuma lw’okufa kwe; ekitabo ekituufu ekikuŋŋaanyiziddwa kituuka ku mabuku musanvu, era kumpi byonna birina obubaka bwe bumu — okusika ababuusabuusa okubaleeta eri Kristo so si okubawaliriza.

Eggulu lyali mu ye nga tannaba kubeera mu ggulu

Sibbes yafiira mu biseera eby’ekyeya mu 1635, ku lunaku olw’okutaano olwa Julaayi, ku Gray’s Inn, nga tafumbiddwa, ng’amaze amaanyi ge ku myoyo gye yalabiriranga. Nga wakyasigadde ng’olunaku olumu okumala wiiki ng’enkomerero tennatuuka, yali abuulidde abakugu mu by’amateeka ku ssuula ey’ekkumi n’ena eya Yokaana — “Omutima gwammwe tegweraliikiriranga” — ebigambo eby’enkomerero ebisaanira omusanyusa omukulu ow’emitima egyeraliikirira. Omuntu eyali ku kitanda kye bwe yamubuuza engeri emmeeme ye gye yali eyimiridde, yaddamu eky’okuddamu ekyandifuuse eky’obuwombeefu so si eky’amalala okwatika olw’obulamu bwonna obw’okumpi ne Katonda: yagamba nti yandisobezza nnyo Katonda singa yandibadde tagambye nti, bulungi nnyo. Ekiraamo kye, kye yayogera olunaku olwakulembera okufa kwe, kyawa emmeeme ye “mu mikono gy’Omulokozi wange ow’ekisa, eyaginunula n’omusaayi gwe ogusinga obw’omuwendo.”

Mu abo abaamwagala mwe mwali Izaak Walton, omuwandiisi, eyakuuma kkopi y’okubuulira kwa Sibbes era n’awandiikamu ennyiriri bbiri eziwangadde okusinga buli mpaka ez’omulembe ogwo:

Ku musajja ono eyaweebwa omukisa, leka ettendo lino ery’ensonga liweebwe, / Eggulu lyali mu ye, nga tannaba kubeera mu ggulu.

— Izaak Walton, ku Richard Sibbes

Kumpi emyaka ebikumi bina oluvannyuma, ekyo kikyali kigambo kisinga obutuufu ku ye. Sibbes teyaleka kibiina kikulu era teyanoonya buyinza; yaleka ebitabo ebikyeyongera okukola mu bukkakkamu kye yakola — okuzuula olumuli olubetentefu, n’okugaana okulumenya. Eri omuntu yenna eyatya nti okukkiriza kwe kunafu nnyo okuyinza okubalibwa, Omusawo ow’Omu Ggulu akyagamba kye yagamba e Cambridge ne ku Gray’s Inn: nti waliwo okusaasira okusingawo mu Kristo okusinga ekibi ekiri mu ffe, era nti Oyo eyakoleeza n’akasasi akasinga obunafu asuubizza obutakakkiriza kuzikira.