A12167:1165
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.
The ground hereof is, because they are all one in Christ, and there is one and the same Spirit in the whole Church and every particular Christian, as in pipes, though of different sounds, yet there is the same breath in them. So Christians may have different sounds from the greater or lesser strength of grace that is in the one and in the other, but all comes from the same breath, the same Spirit. The Spirit in the Bride saith come,1 the whole Church saith it and every particular Christian must say it; because as the body is acted by one Spirit and makes but one natural body, though consisting of many parts weaker and stronger. So should there be a harmony in this mystical body acted by that one Spirit of Christ, who so regards all, as if there were but one, and regards every one so, as he doth not forget the whole, Sic omnibus attentus ut non detentus, &c. Christ so attends to all that he is not detained from any particular, and he so attends every particular that he is not restrained from all, there is the same love to all as to one, and to every one, as ⟨p. 472⟩if there were no other, he so loves each one that every Christian may say as well as the whole Church, Christ is mine and I am Christs.
The ground hereof is, because they are all one in Christ, and there is one and the same Spirit in the whole Church and every particular Christian, as in pipes, though of different sounds, yet there is the same breath in them. So Christians may have different sounds from the greater or lesser strength of grace that is in the one and in the other, but all comes from the same breath, the same Spirit. The Spirit in the Bride saith come,1 the whole Church saith it and every particular Christian must say it; because as the body is acted by one Spirit and makes but one naturall body, though consisting of many parts weaker and stronger. So should there be a harmony in this mysticall body acted by that one Spirit of Christ, who so regards all, as if there were but one, and regards every one so, as he doth not forget the whole, Sic omnibus attentus ut non detentus, &c. Christ so attends to all that hee is not deteined from any particular, and he so attends every particular that he is not restrained from all, there is the same love to all as to one, and to every one, as