A12167:1110
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.
Then again they imply mutual […] one to another,1 he is mine and I am his, the one is a glass to the other, Christ sees himself in me, I see my self in him, for this is the issue of spiritual love, especially that is breeds likeness and resemblance of the party loved in the soul that loveth: for love […] the soul to the likeness of the party loved, I am his,2 I resemble him, I am his, I have given my self to him, I carry his picture and resemblance in my soul, for they are words of mutual conformity. Christ out of love became like me in all things, wherein I am not like the Devil (that is […] excepted) if he […] like me, taking my nature that I might ⟨p. 448⟩be near him in the fellowship of grace, My Beloved is mine, I will be as like him as possible I can, I am his, every Christian carries a character of Christs disposition as far as weakness will suffer, you may know Christ in every Christian, for as the Kings coin carries the stamp of the King, Caesars coin bears Caesars superscription. So every Christian soul is Gods coin, and he sets his own stamp upon it, if we be Christs, there is a mutual conformity betwixt him and us.
Then againe they imply mutuall 〈…〉 one to another,1 he is mine and I am his, the one is a glasse to the other, Christ sees himselfe in me, I see my selfe in him, for this is the issue of spirituall love, especially that is breeds likenesse and resemblance of the party loved in the soule that loveth: for love 〈…〉 the soule to the likenesse of the party loved, I am his,2 I resemble him, I am his, I have given my selfe to him, I carry his picture and resemblance in my soule, for theyare words of mutuall confor•ity. Christ out of love became like me in all things, wherein I am not like the Divell (that is 〈…〉 excepted) if he like me, taking my nature that I might