A12167:485
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 that there is another undefilednes in the Church, in respect to which she is called §2undefiled, that is, in purity of disposition, tending to perfection. And God respects her according to her better part, and according to what he will bring her in due time. For we are chosen un•o perfection, and to be holy in his fight, and perfectly holy, undefiled and pure, we are not chosen to weak beginnings.
But besides that there is another undefilednes in the Church, in respect to which she is called §2undefiled, that is, in pur•ty of disposition, tending to perfection. And God respects her according to her better part, and according to what hee will bring her in due time. For we are chosen un•o perfection, and to be holy in his fight, and perfectly holy, undefiled and pure, we are not chosen to weake beginnings.
In choosing us, what did God aim at? Did he aim at these imperfect beginnings to rest there? No, we were elected and chosen to perfection; For as it is in this natural life, God purposed that we should not only have all the limbs of men, but grow from infancy to activeness and perfection; As God at first intended so much for our bodies, no question he intends as much also for the soul, that we should not only have the lineaments of Christianity, a sanctified judgement with affections in part renewed; But he hath chosen us to perfection by degrees. As the seed first lies rotting in the ground, then grows to a stalk, and ⟨p. 201⟩then to an ear; So Gods wisdom shines here by bringing things by degrees to perfection, and undefilednesse. His Wisdom will have it thus, or else his Power might have it otherwise, because he will have us to live by Faith, to trust his mercy in Christ, and not to the undefilednesse that is begun in us, but to admire that which we have in Christ himself.