A12167:1205
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.
An othe• place (notable for this purpose) see Ezek. 34. ••. wherein you have the same metaphor from • loving Shepherd, and it is ⟨p. 493⟩but a comment upon the text, therefore being parallel places they may help our memories: I will feed them in good pastures upon the high mountains of Israel, there shall their fold be, there shall they lye in a good fold and in a fat pasture, I will feed my flock and cause them to lye down, saith the Lord God, I will seek that which is lost, and bring back that which was driven away, I will bind up that which was broken, and strengthen that which is sick, and destroy the fat and the strong and feed them with judgement. Those that are Christs true sheep have somewhat to complain of, either they are sick, or broken, or driven away, somewhat is amiss or other, but Christs care preventeth all the necessities of his sheep, he hath a fit salve for all their sores: And (to apply this to the business in hand) doth not Christ feed us among the Lilies, doth he not now feed us with his own body and blood in the Sacrament? would you have better food? My body is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed, that is, it is the only meat (with an Emphasis) the only meat and drink that our souls could feed upon, God gave his Son to death to shed his blood for my sins. What would become of the hunger bitten, thirsty soul that is stung with •••tan and his temptations, were it not f•• the blood of Christ to quench our […] the body of Christ given by the Fath•• •o death for sin, were it not that the soul• •ould think upon this, where were the […] of the ⟨p. 494⟩soul? All this is represented to us here in the Sacrament, we feed on the body and blood of Christ spiritually, and are refreshed thereby, as verily as our bodies are refreshed with the bread and wine. For God doth not feed us with empty symbols and representations, but with things themselves, that the soul which comes prepared by Faith, is partaker of Christ crucified, and is knit to him though now in Heaven; there is as sure an union and communion between Christ and the Christian soul, as there is between the food and the body when it is once digested.