A12167:1186
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.
How.
Lilies are such kind of flowers as require a great deal of nourishment,1 and grow best in valleys and fat ground, therefore when she saith, he feeds among the Lilies, the meaning is, he feeds his Church and people in fat pasture; as sheep in such grounds as are sweet and fruitful, such are his holy Word and the Communion of Saints, these are especially the pastures wherein he feeds his Church. The holy truths of God are the food of the soul, whereby it is cherished and nourished up to life everlasting. This whole Book is a kind of Pastoral (to understand the word a little better) a Song of a Beloved concerning a Beloved, therefore Christ in many places of this Book, he takes upon him the term and carriage (as it were) of a loving Shepherd, who labours to find out for his sheep the fattest, fruitfullest, best and sweetest pastures, that they ⟨p. 483⟩may grow up as Calves of the Stall, as it is Malachi 4. 2. that they may grow and be well liking.
Lillies are such kinde of flowers as require a great deale of nourishment,1 and grow best in valleys and fat ground, therefore when shee saith, he feedes among the Lillies, the meaning is, he feedes his Church and people in fat pasture; as sheepe in such grounds as are sweet and fruitfull, such are his holy Word and the Communion of Saints, these are especially the pastures wherein hee feeds his Church. The holy truths of God are the foode of the soule, whereby it is cherished and nourished up to life everlasting. This whole Booke is a kinde of Pastorall (to understand the word a little better) a Song of a Beloved concerning a Beloved, therefore Christ in many places of this Booke, he takes upon him the terme and carriage (as it were) of a loving Shepheard, who labours to finde out for his sheepe the fattest, fruitfullest, best and sweetest pastures, that they ⟨p. 483⟩