A12167:1085
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.
To gather Lilies.
To gather Lillies.
Christ is said to gather these Lilies,1 that is, he will gather them together, Christ will not have his lilies alone scattered, though he leaves them oft alone for a while, yet he will gather them to Congregations and Churches: the name of a Church in the Original is Ecclesia, it is nothing but a company gathered out of the world. Do we think that we are lilies by nature; no we are thorns and briers, God makes us lilies and then gathers us to other lilies, that one may strengthen another. The Spirit of God in his children is not a Spirit of separation of Christians from Christians, but a spirit of separation from the waste wild wilderness of the world, as we say of fire, Congregat homogenea & disgregat heterogenea, it congregates all homogeniall things, as gold, which it gathers, but disgregates heterogeniall things, consumeth dross; so the Spirit of God severs thorns and gathers lilies, gathers Christians together in the Church and will gather them for ever in Heaven.
Christ is said to gather these Lillies,1 that is, he will gather them together, Christ will not have his lillies alone scattered, though hee leaves them oft alone for a while, yet he will ga•her them to Congregations and Churches: the name of a Church in the Originall is Ecclesia, it is nothing but a company gathered out of the world. Do we thinke that we are lillies by nature; no we are thornes and briers, God makes us lillies and then gathers us to other lillies, that one may strengthen another. The Spirit of God in his children is not a Spirit of seperation of Christians from Christians, but a spirit of seperation from the waste wild wildernesse of the world, as we say of fire, Congregat homogenea & disgregat heterogenea, it congregates all homogeniall things, as gold, which it gathers, but disgregates heterogeniall things, consumeth drosse; so the Spirit of God severs thornes and gathers lillies, gathers Christians together in the Church and will gather them for ever in Heaven.