A12167:458
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.
But besides this, when Christ saith my love, §2he shows, that as his love goes, and plants, and seats it self in the Church, so it is united to that, and is not scattered to other objects. There are beams of Gods general love scattered in the whole World, but this love, this exceeding love, is only fastened upon the Church. And indeed there is no love comparable to this love of Christ, which is above the love of Women, of Father, or Mother, If we consider what course he takes to show it; For there could be nothing in the world so great to discover his love, as this gift, and gift of himself, And therefore he gave himself (the best thing in Heaven or in Earth) withal to show his love, The Father gave him, when he was God equal with his Father, he loved his Church, and gave himself for it; how could he discover his love better, then to take our Nature to show how he loved us? how could he come nearer to us, then by being incarnate,1 so to be bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, and took our nature to show how he loved it. Love draws things nearer wheresoever it is; It drew him out of Heaven to the Womb of the Virgin, there to be incarnate, and after that, when he was borne not ⟨p. 185⟩only to be a man, but a miserable man, because we could not be his spouse unless he purchased us by his death. We must be his spouse by a satisfaction made to Divine Justice. God would not give us to him, but with salving his Justice. What sweet love is it to heal us not by searing, or lancing, but by making a plaster of his own blood, which he shed for those that shed his in malice and hatred. What a wondrous love is it, that he should pour forth tears for those that shed his blood,2 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, &c. that he prayed for those that persecuted him? and what wondrous love is it now that he sympathizeth with us in Heaven, accounting the harm that is done to the least member he hath, as done to himself? S••l S••l why persecutest thou me? 3and that he should take us into one Body with himself,