A12167:1122
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.
In the words you see a mutual interest and owning between Christ and the Church,1 howsoever in the order of words, the Church saith, I am my Beloveds first, yet in order of nature, Christ is ours first, though not in order of discovery, there is one order of knowing and another order of causing, many things are known by the effect, but they issue from a cause; I know he is mine, because J am his, I have given my self to him, J know it is day, because the Sun is up, there is a proof from the effect: so I know a man is alive, because he walks, there is a proof of the cause by the effect, I am his, I have grace to give my self up to him, therefore I know he loves me, he is mine, thus I say in order of discovery, but in ⟨p. 454⟩order of nature he is first mine, and then I am his, My Beloved is mine and I am my Beloveds.
In the words you see a mutuall interest and owning betweene Christ and the Church,1 howsoever in the order of words, the Church saith, I am my Beloveds first, yet in order of nature, Christ is ours first, though not in order of discovery, there is one order of knowing and another order of causing, many things are knowne by the effect, but they issue from a cause; I know he is mine, because J am his, I have given my selfe to him, J know it is day, because the Sunne is up, there is a proofe from the effect: so I know a man is alive, because he walks, there is a proofe of the cause by the effect, I am his, I have grace to give my selfe up to him, therefore I know he loves me, he is mine, thus I say in order of discovery, but in ⟨p. 454⟩order of nature he is first mine, and then I am his, My Beloved is mine and I am my Beloveds.
- 1That in order of nature Christ is ours first, though in order of knowing it is not so.