A12167:1167
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.
To come to make an Use of Direction, 1how to come to be able to say this,2 I am my Beloveds and my Beloved is mine? For answer hereto take notice in the first place from the dependence, Christ must be first ours before we can give our selves to him, therefore we must dwell §1in the consideration of Christs love, 3this must direct and lead our method in this thing. Would we have our hearts to love Christ, to trust in him, and to embrace him, why then think what is he to us? begin there, nay and what we are? Weak, and in our apprehension lost, then go to consider his love, his constant love to his Church and children, whom he loves he loves to the end, 4we must warm our souls with the consideration of the love of God in him to us, and this will stir up our Faith to him back again, For we are more safe in that he is ours,5 then that we give our selves to him:6 we are more safe in his comprehending ⟨p. 473⟩of us, then in our clasping and holding of him: as we say of the mother and the child both hold, but the safety of the child is that the mother holds him; If Christ once give himself to us, he will make good his own part alway, our safety is more on his side then on ours. If ever we have felt the love of Christ, we may comfort our selves with the constancy and perpetuity thereof, though perhaps we find not our affections warmed to him at all times, nor alike, yet the strength of a Christians comfort lies in this, that first, Christ is mine, and then in the §2second place,7 that I am his. Now (I say) that we may be able to maintain this blessed tradition of giving our selves to Christ, Let us dwell in the consideration of his love to us, and of the necessity that we have of him, how miserable we are without him, poor, beggarly, in bondage to the Devil, therefore we must have him to recover us out of debt, and to enrich us. For Christs love carries him forth not only to pay all our debts for us, but to enrich us, and it is a protecting, preserving love, till he brings us to Heaven his own place, where we shall ever be with him: The consideration of these things will warm our hearts, and for this purpose serves the Ministry.