A12167:464
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.
Now the Church is compared to a Dove; partly, for the disposition that is and should be in the Church resembling that creature. And partly also, For that the Church is in a mournful suffering condition. 1. For the like disposition as is found in a dove. There is some good in all creatures,1 there is no creature but it hath a beam of Gods Majesty, of some Attribute, but some more then others. There is an Image of virtue even in the inferior creatures. Wherefore the Scripture sends us to them for many virtues, as the sluggard to the Ant, and indeed we may see the true perfection of the first Creation, the state of it more in the creatures then in our selves, for there is no such degeneration in any creature as there is in man.
Now the Church is compared to a Dove; partly, for the disposition that is and should be in the Church resembling that creature. And partly also, For that the Church is in a mournfull suffering cond•tion. 1. For the like disposition as is found in a dove. There is some good in all creatures,1 there is no creature but it hath a beame of Gods Majesty, of some Attribute, but some more then others. There is an Image of vertue even in the inferiour creatures. Wherefore the Scripture sends us to them for many vertues, as the sluggard to the Ant, and indeed we may see the true perfection of the first Creation, the state of it more in the creatures then in our selves, for there is no such degeneration in any creature as there is in man.
- 1That every Creature hath in it some beam of the Majesty of God.That every Creature hath in it some beame of the Majesty of God.
Now that which in a Dove the Scripture aims at,