A12167:538
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,1 to cut of all vain excuses: let us §6oft have in thought of our heart, what we should be and what we should all aim at, and how far we come all short of it; a Christian that hopes of good of his Religion, should live by faith, and depend upon God in the use of lawful means. If he be as he should be, he ought to walk with God, keep his watch with him, and do nothing unbeseeming the eye of God. When his corruption draws him to be careless, then he is not as he should be, for in a right temper, he ought to be fitted to every good work, ready for all opportunities of doing any thing that is good: because the time of this life is the feeds-time, the time of doing good, the time of reaping is in the world to come; when therefore the heart is shut when any opportunity is offered of doing good, he may conclude, certainly, I am cold and dull, pretend what I will, I am not as I should be. A Christian ought to abound in the work of the Lord, 2especially having such abundance of encouragements as we have. What a world of encouragements hath a Christian? there are none to those of Religion, from the inward content that it brings here at the hour of death, and in Glory hereafter. When we are drawn to be scanty, niggardly, and base to things that are good, surely, this is not as ⟨p. 234⟩it should be, pretend what we will to the contrary, this is a fault. A Christian should at all times be fit to yield and to render up his soul unto God, because our life is uncertain. When therefore, we are moved by corruption to live in a state that we cannot abide to die in, because we are under the guilt of some sin: then certainly pretend what we will, our state is so far naught, as far as there is unfitness and unwillingness to die. Let us have in the eye of our soul therefore, what a Christian should be, aim at it, and think that when we stop at a lower measure and pitch; that (pretend what we will) all is but from carnal wit and policy, the greatest enemy that Religion hath.
Againe,1 to cut of all vaine excuses: let us