o N G. Chap. I I I. z t . there Chrift teacheth,Luke 13.26.yet now in them the cannot finde hint. 3 Vcrfe 3. The watchmen] or The Keepers ,Warders. Thefe lignifie the Officers or Minifters of the Church and City of God: for the Melts and Le- vites kept of old the watch or charge of the Lord,Num.3.7,8. So in Efa.6z.6. it is faid, I have fit watchmen upon thy mals, 0 Jerufalem, which fhall never hobltheirpeace,daynornightfe. foundme] not faid the fought them , but they found her; which phrafefgnifieth diligence rather on their part,apd a thing unlooked for on hers.SoGod is laid to finde his people in the wildernelfe, Deut. 3 z.io.and a(fii &ions doe finde men,as Pfa.t i 6.3. & 18. And this accordethwith the Watch-mens duty, to finde out filch as wander about the city in the nights. After the fpeaketh of the like and more,that the watchmenfound her, & fmote her, &c.Song5.7. Seamy !im]íheinquirethofthem for Chrilt, but here is no mention of any thing they faid to her before ; nor of any anfwer they gave to her demand after. It is probable by this their filence, and her words following, that they told her no tidings of her beloved. Whether the fault were in them,that they were filch as are fpo- ken of in Efa.56. t o.blmde matchmen,and dumb dogs that could not bark:or.in her felf,that couldnot by the do&rine of the Minifters,apprehend and apply Chrift unto her confcience and comfort. 4 Verle 4.14t a little]or a very little: meaning either time, or diftance of place. pafledfrom them] fo the flayed not with them becaufe her belovedwas not among them: but continued fecking other - where. For neither the fociety of brethren, or Church, or Minifters, can comfort the afihed confcience,uniefsChritt himfelf be apprehended by faith. but I foondIfor until! I found: here,af, ter much feeking,without.fainting ordifcourage- ment, when means faile,fhe f ndeth Chrifi to the comfort alter confcience. Thus thepromife is i fulfilled, Seek andye fhall finde, Mat. 7.7. not kt him goe3 or, not kave him; (hewing herein lakobs faith when he wraltled with the Angel,Gen. 32. 26. Mill not let theegoe,èxcept thoubkffeme. This is done, when the doctrines & promifes of the Go- feel are by faith retained ; as it is laid; Take faff bold ofinflrullion ,let her notgo,Pró.4.I3. my umber: beufe] Hereby any chief City, Polity, or folemne place of affembly is lgnified, a Sam. 20.1 9. Efa. so. t. Jer. 5 6.1 2. Ezek. t 9.10. The mother is leru- falem which is abòbe,the mother ofto all ;which is fi- j gored by Sarah the Free - woman, & fignifieth the new Teltament or covenant of Grace, Gal.4.24,- 26. The house & chamber wherin the conceiveth us by the preaching of theGofpel, is outwardly the Church, 1 Tim.3.5. inwardly, the heart and confcience where faith dwelleth,Ront.to.lo.Gal. 4.19.Thus by theSpirit,fhe getteth unto her felt more conllant affurance of her election and faI- vat ion by Chrift,and by his prefence through his Word and Ordinances,her Irate and Church Po- lity is let up and 4abli(hed. So after in Song 8.2. 5 Verle 5. I adjureyou, &c.]She having obtained Chrift againe, with confiant purpofe of heart to 27 retaine him; reneweth her conteftatton & charge of fan&ification of life, filch as becommcth the Gofpel; and of patient fuffering adverlity for his name : that Chrift be not provoked by firme to leave his people. For, as Mofei faid unto I» roe' , Ilÿe Sterne array fromafter him, be mill yet aflame leave them in the mildern, andye (ball defiroy allthis people, Numbers 32. i 5. See the Annotations on Song 2. 7. where this charge was firlt given, in thelè fame words. Verf. 6.Who is this] this woman,fpeak ing of the 6 Church, by the example of Ifrael, who scent up from thewildernes to Canaan the promiled inhe- ritance, Num. ró.33, &c. This feemeth ttíimply' a new company or (late of a Church riling up in the world : or it is the fpeech of frangers,adml- ring the glory of the Spoufe ofChril} : who was feene before ofChrilt by her faitb,and is now be- holden of others by her order, (the two things molt refpe &ed in the Church of God Col 2. 5.) in which (he marcheth through the wilderneffe of thisworld, towards her heavenly rehl.So when Chrift came riding into Ierufalem,all the City mat moved, frying, Wbo is this ? Mat. al. t o. commeth up] or of endeth,as the going into 2E- gyps, is called a defcending, or going downe, Ge- nehs 42. 2. and 46. 3, 4. fo the going out from thence, is called afcending, or going up,Exo.13. 18. and 33.3. Dent. 9.23. The way oflife, ís above to the wife, that be may depart from hell beneath , Pro. t 5.24. from the wilderneffe] the wilderneffe of the land of Ægype, was a figure of the world ; as the Prophet teacheth us when he mentioneth the wilderneff è of peoples, Ezek.2o.3 5,36 . So Chriftians are not of the world, but he path chofen them out of the world Joh. 15.19. pillars offmoke] .or, va- pours of fmoko as the Holy Ghoft tranflateth it in , Greeke,AEts 2,19. from Joel 2.30. In Hebrew it hath the name of Palnie trees,(lùch as the ftature of the Church is likened unto, in Song 7.7.) which are upright & tall like pillars:and fìnoaky vapours mounting upright, are fo called by finii: litude. The Spoufe of Chrift is here likened to pillars offrsmke, becaufe her journey tcndeth right upward to heaven,moved by the fire of Gods fpi- rit. And whereas in Joel 2. 30. and Alts 2. 19. blood,and fire,and pillars of fmoke, are frgnes of Gods wrath againft the contemners of his Word and Church,(and fmoke in,the Scriptures is ufual- ly a figue of anger) here allo the like may be im: plyed. Againe, as fmoke is darke and hindereth from teeing, & the cloudy pillar was dark to the /Egyptians,Ex.14.2o. fo is the Church and glo- ry thereof, obfcure unto the world, by re,sfon of her afflictions in this life, which were refembied unto Abraham by a fmoking oven, Gen., 5, r y. But chiefly this feeineth to denote the fan&ification of the Church, who as a fpirituall facrifice, af- cendeth up to God, on the Altar aril}, by the fire of the Spirit, refoiving the earthly matter to allies remaining beneath, and the o- ther unto fmoke mounting up unto God. perfumed] or becenfed with Alyrrb; the Church ii perfumed and made of Tweet odour by Chrift (C 2) (the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=