A12167:1005
Bowels Opened
Bowels opened, or, A discovery of the near and deer love, union and communion betwixt Christ and the Church, and consequently betwixt Him and every believing soul Delivered in divers sermons on the fourth fifth and sixth chapters of the Canticles. By that reverend and faithful minister of the Word, Doctor Sibs, late preacher unto the honourable society of Gray's Inn, and Master of Katharine Hall in Cambridge. Being in part finished by his own pen in his life time, and the rest of them perused and corrected by those whom he entrusted with the publishing of his works.Bovvels opened, or, A discovery of the neere and deere love, union and communion betwixt Christ and the Church, and consequently betwixt Him and every beleeving soule Delivered in divers sermons on the fourth fifth and sixt chapters of the Canticles. By that reverend and faithfull minister of the Word, Doctor Sibs, late preacher unto the honourable societie of Grayes Inne, and Master of Katharine Hall in Cambridge. Being in part finished by his owne pen in his life time, and the rest of them perused and corrected by those whom he intrusted with the publishing of his works.
London: printed by George for George Edwards, 1639
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
There is a remarkable passage in the story of Alphonsus the King (not very well liked of some) when he saw a poor man pulling of his beast out of a ditch he put to his hand to help him, after which as it is recorded his subjects ever loved him the better, it was a wonderful condescending, and is it not as wonderful that the King of Heaven and Earth should •toope so low as to help us poor worms out of the ditch of hell and damnation, and that when he hath set us in a state of deliverance, he should not leave us there, but advance us to such a state and condition as is above our admiration, which neither heart can conceive nor tongue express, is not this wonderful condescending.
There is a remarkeable passage in the story of Alphonsus the King (not very well liked of some) when hee saw a poore man pulling of his beast out of a ditch he put to his hand to helpe him, aft•r which as it is recorded his subjects ever loved him the better, it was a wonderfull condescending, and is it not as wonderfull that the King of Heaven and Earth should •toope so low as to helpe us poore wormes out of the ditch of hell and damnation, and that when he hath set us in a state of deliverance, he should not leave us there, but advance us to such a state and condition as is above our admiration, which neither heart can conceive nor tongue expresse, is not this wonderfull condescending.
That we may further improve this point,1 Is Christ altogether lovely,2 so lovely to us and so beloved of God the Father? Let us then rest upon his obedience and righteousness, build upon it that God cannot refuse that righteousness ⟨p. 399⟩whose subject is altogether lovely. Let us come clothed in the garments of our elder brother, and then doubt not of acceptance: for it is in Christ that he loves us, in this well-beloved Son it is that God is well-pleased with us, if we put on Christs righteousness, we put on Gods righteousness, and then how can God hate us, no more then he hates his own Son, nay he loves us,