A12167:492
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.
In this that the Church is undefiled in Christ,1 Let us learn when afflicted in conscience not so much to judge of our selves by what we feel in our selves as by what faith suggests. In Christ therefore let us judge of our selves by what we are as in him: We are poor in our selves, but have riches in him; we die in our selves in regard of this life, but we have a life in him, an eternal l•fe, and we are sinners in our selves, but we have a Righteousness in him whereby we are righteous in his sight. We are foolish,2 unskilful, and ignorant in our selves, but he is our wisdom in all whatsoever is amiss in us. Let us labour to see a full supply of our wants made up in Christ, this is to glorify God as much as if we could fulfil the law perfectly. If we ⟨p. 205⟩were as undefiled as Adam was, we could not glorify God more, then when we find our selves, and our conscience guilty of sins, yet thus by the Spirit of God to go out of our selves, and to see our selves in Christ, and thus to cast our selves on him, embrace him, and take that gift of God given us, Christ offered to us, because God so commands,3 we honour God more, then if we had the obedience that Adam had at first before his fall. For now in the covenant of Grace, he will be glorified in his mercy, in his forgiving, forbearing, rich transcendent mercy, and in going beyond all our unworthiness and sins, by showing that there is a Righteousness provided for us, the Righteousness of God•man, whose obedience and satisfaction, is more then our disobedience, because it is the disobedience of man only, but his Obedience and Righteousness is the Obedience, and Righteousness of God-man, so it satisfieth divine justice, and therefore ought to satisfy Conscience to the full, our faith must answer Christs carriage to us, we must therefore account our selves in him undefiled, because he accounts us so, not in our selves, but as we have a being in him, we are undefiled.
In this that the Church is undefiled in Christ,1