A12167:1081
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.
The Church before was likened to a garden culled out, an Eden, a Paradise, now there you know were four streams, sweet and goodly rivers which watered Paradise, the heads of which rivers were without it. So the Church of God, her graces are her own, that is the Spirit of God comes through her nature, purgeth and purifieth it, but the spring of those §2graces (as in Paradise) is out of her self.1
The Church before was likened to a garden culled out, an Eden, a Paradise, now there you know were foure streames, sweet and goodly rivers which watered Paradise, the heads of which rivers were without it. So the Church of God, her graces are her owne, that is the Spirit of God comes through her nature, purgeth and purifieth it, but the spring of those §2graces (as in Paradise) is out of her selfe.1
- 1Because it is a tall goodly plant.
And then the Lilly is a tall goodly plant, therefore the Church is compared to them: other men are compared to thorns, not only for a noxious, hurtful quality in them, but for their baseness likewise, what are thorns good for, but to cumber the ground, to eat out the heart of it, to hide snakes, and for the fire. Wicked men are not Lilies but thorns, they are base mean persons.1 Antiochus is said to be a vile person though he were a King, because he was a naughty man. Wicked men though they be never so great being void of the grace of God are vile persons, though we must respect them in regard of their places, yet as they are in their qualification, they are vile and base thorns, but the Church is not so, but as a Lilly among thorns, that is among vile and abominable persons.