A12167:1100
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.
If you would see a parallel place to […],1 look in Cant. • where there is the like case •t the spouse and Christ, By night on my bed I sought him, the Church sought Christ not only by •ay but by night, I sought him whom my s••le loved, though she wanted him, yet her soul loved him constantly, though a Christians soul have not present communion with Christ, yet he may truly say, my soul loves him, because she seeks him diligently and constantly in the use of all the means, so we see the Church before my text, calls him my beloved still though she wanted communion with him,2 well she goes on, I sought him, but I found him not, would the Church give over there? no, then she riseth and goeth about the city and about the streets and seeks him whom her soul loved, seeks him and will not give ove•. So I sought him (but I wanted the issue of my seeking) • found him not, what comes upon that, The Watchmen god about the City and find her, of whom, when by her own seeking she could not find Christ, she inquires, Saw you him whom my s••le loveth, she enquires of the Watchmen, the guides of Gods people, who could not satisfy her fully, she could not find her beloved, yet what doth she, she shows Verse 4. It was but a li••le that she stayed (after she had used all means private and public, in her bed, out of her bed, by the Watchmen and others: yet saith she, it was but a little that I was past from them, she had not an answer ⟨p. 442⟩presently, though the Watchmen gave her some good counsel, it was not presently, yet not long after. Christ will exercise us a while with waiting It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loved. After all our seeking there must be waiting, and then we shall find him whom our soul loveth:
If you would see a paralell place to ,