A12167:626
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.
THE TENTH SERMON.
CANT. V. VI. I opened to my Beloved, but my Beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake, I sought him but could not find him, I called him but he gave no answer.
CANT. V. VI. I opened to my Beloved, but my Beloved had withdrawne himselfe, and was gone: my soule failed when he spake, I sought him but could not find him, I called him but hee gave no answer.
Thus we see that the life of a1 Christian is trouble upon trouble as wave upon wave, God will not suffer us to rest in security, but one way or other he will fire us out of our starting holes, and make us to run after him, how much better ⟨p. 271⟩were it for us then to do our works cheerfully and joyfully, so to run as we may obtain, then to be thus hurried up and down, and through our own default coming into desertions and there receiving rebukes and blows and delays ere we have peace again, as it fell out with the Church in the sequel, for this text is but the beginning of her (seeming) misery. The watch-men after this, found her, and wounded her, &c. But Heaven is more worth then all, now that her affections are set on fire, from thence she bestirs her self, is resolute to find out her beloved, whom she highly values above all this world. How her affections were stirred by Christs putting in his finger at the hole of the door we have heard. Now follows her action thereupon, for here is rising, opening, seeking, calling and enquiring after Christ.