Richard Sibbes: The Scope of the Whole Scriptures is Christ

"What is the scope of the whole Scriptures but Christ?"

What is the scope of the whole Scriptures but Christ? From the first promise of the blessed seed, ‘The seed of the woman shall break the serpent’s head,’ Gen. 3:15, to the end of the book. What is all the Scriptures without Christ? The law is a dead letter; yea, and so is the gospel too without Christ. He is ‘that Spirit’ which gives life unto all the Scriptures. Moses without Christ is but a shadow without a body, or a body without a soul. Take away Christ, what was the brazen serpent? What was the ark? What were the sacrifices? What is all? Is not Christ ‘all in all’ these? The kings, and priests, and prophets, they were types of Christ; all the promises they were made and fulfilled in Christ. The law ceremonial aimed at Christ; the law moral is to drive us to Christ. Christ is the Spirit of all. And the Scripture without Christ it is but a mere dead thing; it is but a shell without a kernel. . .

Richard Sibbes, The Complete Works of Richard Sibbes, "The Excellency of the Gospel Above the Law." 4:207.