A12167:342
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.
Hitherto by Gods assistance, we have heard largely both of the Churches sleeping, and Heart-waking, What this sleeping, and Heart-waking is; How it comes, the trials of these opposite dispositions; of the danger of sleeping, and excellency ⟨p. 128⟩of Heart-waking; and of the helps, and means both to shun the one, and preserve the other. Now the church having so freely and ingeniously confessed what she could against her self, proceeds yet further to acquaint us with the particulars in her heart-waking disposition, Which were two-fold, she heard and discerned the voice of her Beloved, who for all her sleep, was her Beloved still, and more then that, she remembers all his sweet words and allurements, whereby he pressed her to open unto him, Saying, open to me my love, my dove, my undefiled, which is set out, and amplified with a further moving argument of those inconveniences Christ had suffered in his waiting for entertainment in her heart. For my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. All which aggravates her offence, and his rare goodness, and patience towards miserable sinners, so to wait from time to time for admission into our wretched souls, that he may rule, and govern them by his holy Spirit. Therefore we had great need to shun this sleepy distemper of soul, which for the present so locks up the everlasting gates of our soul, that the King of glory cannot enter in; 1and to strive for this blessed heart-waking disposition, which may help us at all times to see our dangers, and by Gods blessing recover us out of them, as here the Church doth at length, though first smarting and well beaten by the watch-men, in a world of perplexities, ere she ⟨p. 129⟩can recover the sense of her former union, and Communion with Christ.
HItherto by Gods assistance, we have heard largely both of the Churches sleeping, and Heart-waking, What this sleeping, and Heart-waking is; How it comes, the tryalls of these opposite dispositions; of the danger of sleeping, and excellency ⟨p. 128⟩of Heartwaking; and of the helpes, and meanes both to shunne the one, and preserve the other. Now the church having so freely and ingeniously confessed what shee could against her selfe, proceeds yet further to acquaint us with the particulars in her heart-waking disposition, Which were two-fold, shee heard and discerned the voice of her Beloved, who for all her sleepe, was her Beloved still, and more then that, she remembers all his sweete words and allurements, whereby hee pressed her to open unto him, Saying, open to me my love, my dove, my undefiled, which is set out, and amplified with a further mooving argument of those inconveniences Christ had suffered in his waiting for entertainement in her heart. For my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the dropps of the night. All which aggravates her offence, and his rare goodnesse, and patience towards miserable sinners, so to waite from time to time for admission into our wretched soules, that he may rule, and governe them by his holy Spirit. Therefore we had great need to shunne this sleepie distemper of soule, which for the present so lockes up the everlasting gates of our soule, that the King of glory cannot enter in;