1024 `The state of the Church CAP-.4. Church for the Sons:.fake , he acknowledged her love before this time, yet now ( in the (pace remaining of the flourífhing Church ) in this and the next verfe; The ihewethmeal apparentarguments of highcft and moll anfained love. For love that cannot be withdrawn by adverficy is ever molt precious and pleafanr:But no timesyeelded more matter of trial! of conf ancy, then thofe (/In,b..6o, &c. ) of Nero, Domitián, Trajane and the other Romane tyrants, who left nothing uuattcmpted that either hatred of the truthmight yeeld them, or power might perform, Whereby the Chriftian name might be altogether extind. But it was wonderfull, how the tyrants were wearied with killing, and the Chriftians incouraged in dying. So that it was no marvel!, if ( thofe boxes being broken) the fmell of the oyntmentsmoft p leafantly fpread it fell farre and wide. The ten books of Ee febius his.Ecclefiaíticall hiftory are full Commentaries of this and the next verfe. Vert r r. Thy lips (omyfponfe) drop as the honycomb : Hony and milkeare tinder thy tongse : andthe /melt of thy garments is like the finell of Lebanon. The honycomb of the lips is fweetneffe offpeech. Hony and milk, pleafantues of Doftrine milk is chief among thofe things that nou- rifh,and bony in the faculty of preferving. The garments are chiefly the covering of Chrifts righteoufnes, with which only the nakednes of the Saints is covered,that they dare appear in the fight ofGod;the hem ofwhich garment is otitward honefty and foundries ofmanners and difcipline.The mountLebanon reaching many miles,fet full ofce- 'dars andother fweet finelling trees, yeelded filch a ftrong fragrant finell,that no ill favour whatfoever could take away the fweet per.. fume thereof. So in this Church faith imbracing the rightcoufneffe of Chrif,and bolines of life, breathed forth filch a fweet fmell,that he which would endeavour to quench that, fhouldbe leffe able to do is then to exceed all the odoriferious perfumes of Lebanon joyned to- gether by agreater finell.Wherfore that we may fee the application : firít we know that the Greek eloquence now chiefly attended on the truth,for God railed up Diony/ites the Areopa ire, uadrattg /rig des the 21thenian,Dionyjns cf Corinth,Ikfelito,Apollinarius, Polycar- rss, and many o her eloquent men, by whole pleafant Orations the Lips of the 4poufe dropt like a Hony-comb, andher ton_gueflowed with pro;ttable fpecch as with a moftpleafant fountain of milk. Then coccerriing the smell of her garments no times were ever more fruit u11 of Hererckes, whichlaboured with their filthy comments, to
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