A12167:1094
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.
From the dependence an• order of the words, coming in after▪ desertion for a while, observe,
From the dependance an• order of the words, comming in after▪ desertion for a while, observe,
That Christ will not be long from his Church.1
- 1Observ.
The spiritual desertions (forsakings as we use to call them) howsoever they be very irksome to the Church (that loves communion with Christ) and to a loving soul, to be deprived of the sense of her beloved, yet notwithstanding they are but short,1 Christ will not be long from his Church, his love, and her desire will not let him, they offer violence, why art thou absent (say they) why art thou so far off, and hidest thy self? Joseph may conceal himself for a space, but he will have much ado so to hold long, to be straitened to ⟨p. 439⟩his brethren, passion will break out. So Christ may seem hard to be entreated, and to cross his own sweet disposition, as to the woman of Canaan, but he will not long keep at this distance, he is soon overcome, O woman great is thy Faith, have what thou wilt, when she strove with him a little (as Faith is a striving grace) see how she did win upon him. So the Angel and Jacob may strive for a while, but Jaacb at the length proves Israel, he prevails with God. So it is with the Christian soul and Christ, howsoever there be desertion (for causes before mentioned) because the Church was negligent (as we hear) and partly for the time to come, that Christ by his estrangement might sweeten his coming again, howsoever there may be strangeness for a time, yet Christ will return again to his Spouse.