A12167:421
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.
Again, He sets down to move the Church the more to open to him the inconveniences that he endured, My head is filled with dew, &c. wherein he shows what he suffered, which sufferings are of two sorts. In himself. In his Ministers. In himself and in his own blessed person, what did he endure? what patience had he in enduring the refractory spirits of men when he was here? how many indignities did he digest in his Disciples after their conversion? Towards his latter end, his Head was not only filled with the drops, but his body filled with drops of blood. Drops of blood came from him, because of the anguish of his Spirit, and the sense of Gods wrath for our sins. Upon the Cross, what did he endure there? that sense of Gods anger there was only for our sins.1 My God my God, why hast thou forsaken me? What should we speak of his going up and down doing good, preaching in his own person, setting whole nights apart for prayer; And then for what he suffers in his Minister? there he knocks, and saith, Open in them. And how was he used in the Apostles that were after him, and in the Ministers of the Church ever since, What have they endured? for he put a spirit of patience upon them. And what indignities endured they in the Primitive Church, that were the publishers, of the Gospel, those sweet publishers thereof, drawing men to open to Christ, were killed for preaching. So cruel ⟨p. 168⟩is the heart, that it offereth violence to them, that love them most, that love their souls. And what greater love, then the love of the soul? yet this is the Satanical temper and disposition of mens hearts, they hate those men most, that deal this way most truly and lovingly with them. It is not that the Gospel is such an hard message. It is the word of Reconciliation, and the word of life, but the heart hates it, because it would draw men from their present condition, and Therefore Condemnation is come into the world, in that men hate the light,2 because their works are evil. Is there any thing truly and cordially hated but Grace? and are any persons heartily and cordially hated in the world so much as the Promulgers and Publishers of Grace, and the Professors of it, because it upbraids most of all, and meddles with the corruptions of men, that are dearer to them then their own souls.