A12167:283
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
Sermon 3 › I sleep, but my heart waketh.Sermon 3 › I sleepe, but my heart waketh.
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.
5. When the soul begins to admire outward excellencies, when it awakes much to profits, pleasures, and honours, when men admire great men, rich men, great places, the strength and fat of the soul are consumed by feeding on these things, so that when it comes to spiritual ⟨p. 99⟩things it must needs be faint and drowsy. By these and the like signs, let us labour to search the state of our souls.
5. When the soule begins to admire outward excellencies, when it awakes much to profits, pleasures, and honours, when men admire great men, rich men, great places, the strength and fat of the soule are consumed by feeding on these things, so that when it comes to spirituall ⟨p. 99⟩things it must needs be faint and drowsie. By these and the like signes, let us labour to search the state of our soules.
1.1 And to […] us up the more, Consider the danger of a secure sleepy estate, there is no sin but a man is exposed unto in a secure estate,§1 therefore the devil labours all he can to cast men into this temper, which he must do before he can make him fall into any gross sin, when he is asleep he is in a fit frame for any ill action, he is in a temper fit for the devil to work upon to bring into any dream or error, to inflame the fancies and conceits with outward excellencies, the devil hath a faculty this way, to make outward things great that are nothing worth, and to make such sins little, as if we were awake would affright us; he works strongest upon the fancy, when the soul is sleepy or a little drowsy.
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