A12167:904
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.
First,1 those that are not yet in Christ, not contracted to him to draw them;2 what can prevail more then that which is in Christ? Beauty and excellencies, greatness and goodness. And indeed one main end of our calling the ministry is, to lay open and unfold the unsearchable riches of Christ, to dig up the mine, thereby to draw the affections of those that belong to God to Christ.
First,1 those that are not yet in Christ, not contracted to him to draw them;2 what can prevaile more then that which is in Christ? Beauty and excellencies, greatnesse and goodnesse. And indeed one maine end of our calling the ministery is, to lay open and unfold the unsearchable riches of Christ, to digg up the mine, thereby to draw the affections of those that belong to God to Christ.
- 1Use. 1.Vse. 1.
- 2That supereminent excellencies in Christ ought to draw those to him who are not yet drawn to him.That supereminent excellencies in Christ ought to draw those to him who are not yet drawne to him.
But it is not enough to know that there are excellencies in Christ to draw us to him,1 but, there must be a sight of our misery, what beggars we are and how indebted. Before we are in Christ we are not our own, the Devil lays claim to us that we are his, death lays claim to us, we are under sin, we cannot satisfy one of a thousand, therefore this enforceth to make out to join with him that can discharge all our debts, answer all our suits, and non-suite Satan in the Court of Heaven. When once we are