fruitful shall have it his way Therefore Christ says here I said I will take hold and my word shall stand Therefore the Palm-tree and all his branches shall be made fruitful his way or not at all Which sheweth us the reason why there is so much unfruitfulness amongst the Children of the Church why men remain so blind in their understandings so perverse in their wills and affections and grow to so little stature in Christianity the reason is because they will not suffer the Lord Christ Jesus to begin with them first to take hold and begin his own work in his own way Nothing will serve the turn unless they themselves begin first unless they can bring something of their own whereby to deserve his favour Hence it comes to pass that in stead of being fill'd with Clusters of the Vine which yield the Wine of Consolation and of scenting that variety of fruit which groweth in the Orchard of the Lord they bring forth soure grapes wild fruits such as are fit for nothing but to be cast away From this ground also it comes to pass that so many forsake the Church of God and run some to one Sect and some to another until they have quite lost themselves and run to nothing the reason is because they will not suffer Christ to begin but they themselves must take hold first therefore they forsake the way where he begins the dore by which he enters the gate by which he openeth Everlasting life to Men and every man chooseth his own way his own work his own rule hoping thereby to please God so as to receive something from him as large as life Eternal And from hence also proceeds another evil which is that when great crosses and tribulations come which is the way by which God doth use to govern his Church no man will give him so much honour as to confess that it is the Lord that taketh hold upon him but instead thereof we fall to quarrelling and contending with second causes with those instruments by which God doth afflict us and govern us and in so doing we quarrel and contend against the Lord. So that when God provides the cross on purpose to humble us and drive us into the excercise of our faith that we might learn experimentally to know him to be our God in creating ways and means for our deliverance which we never understood we will by no means suffer him to begin with us or lay hold on us we humble not our selves before him seek not nor submit unto him but rather seek how to revenge our selves upon him Therefore it is just with the Lord seeing we will not suffer him to take hold upon us to enter within us and open Everlasting life unto us that when death judgment the Law Conscience the Devil and Hell do begin to stare in our faces that we should be forsaken of him and left in a most desperate and sad condition Therefore let us suffer Christ to go up to the Palm-tree and take hold of the boughs thereof which he first doth visibly when we are Baptized in his name Secondly invisibly when he giveth us the Holy Ghost who teacheth us to understand our Baptism which leadeth us to submit to the condemnation of the Law which is justly due unto us and to fly to Christ by faith and walk in newness of Spirit But if we put a false construction upon our Baptism and think that Christ doth not begin with us and own us thereby we then suffer him not to take hold on the boughs but forsake the visible foundation of our faith Baptism is like the Pillar of Stone between Laban and Jacob which was a witness between them that neither of them must pass beyond that pillar towards the other for hurt Therefore it witnesseth unto us that God beareth us no grudg which witness he cannot deny if we stick unto it by faith then shall we love fear and obey him and flourish like the Palm-tree but if we forsake his witness and break Covenant with him then will God be constrained to enter into judgment with us then shall we never feel the comfort of the breast the wine of consolation neither shall our nose ever smell that variety of excellent fruit which otherwise we might have found in the word of God VERSE IX And the roof of thy mouth like the best Wine for my beloved that goeth down sweetly causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak THis is another effect that follows from the understanding of the former point it causeth the roof of the mouth or palate to be like the best wine There is a twofold use of the palate which is to tast meat for ones own use and it is also the instrument of speech both which are here meant For first of all as soon as the understanding is rightly enlightned in the way how the Palm-tree grows so strong and tall the palate can tast nor relish no other wine that is it cannot endure the prescribing of any other way to faith and Holiness but by the righteousness of Christ Those that prescribe any other way never tasted one cup of the best Wine This is that which Christ saith goeth down sweetly and that it is for his beloved it is not for strangers to tast of but the family of God that are willing to hear and understand the way to the Tree of life Such cannot endure to spend money for that which is not bread to have that dressed and set upon the Table which will not satisfy but are only delighted with the Wine that is provided at wisdoms feast This is the first use of the palate And the next is it is the instrument of speech which causeth an utterance of things Divine For when once the roof of the mouth hath tasted the Wine of consolation for its own use it communicates the same also unto others which goeth down sweetly as soon as the goodness of it is once known and also causeth the lips of those that are asleep to speak That even as Wine maketh men Talkative so doth this Heavenly liquor of consolation cause those that drink well thereof to utter forth the secret and wonderful Misteries of God Now from what hath been spoken by the Bridegroom in this Chapter in the commendation of the Bride she learneth to make application of his love as appears in the following words VERSE X. I am my beloveds and his desire is toward me IN which words are set down the Conclusion the Bride maketh from the commendation of her beloved mentioned before Which conclusion is this I am my beloveds And the cause of her yielding her self thus unto him is from the confidence she hath of his affection to her which is set down in the words next following his desire is towards me But how commeth the Church to this confidence I answer by the word of God for being Baptized in his name and in learning the use of her Baptism
faith in the time of tribulation commendeth her for the same which sheweth that he is well pleased And the word behold sheweth his willingness she should know it And when he pronounceth her fair he meaneth free from the guilt of sin And when he saith my love he sheweth that her person is accepted And by the word thou he meaneth to exclude all those that are not of faith from shareing in the benefits of his Death and Resurrection Now the doubling of the words sheweth how hard it is for us in the hour of Temptation to apply our selves to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and also how willing the Lord Christ is that then we should not forget but remember his loving and comfortable words All these things are written that we might believe and that when the hour of Temptation cometh we should put them into use and practise otherwise we cannot possible please our head and Husband who came into the world on purpose and is ascended into Heaven on purpose that we might receive his benefits and rejoice in the same Thou hast doves eyes Now that which he chiefly praiseth the bride for is the eye as a thing which tendeth most of all to the setting out of her fairness other parts draw not the affection as doth the eye therefore Christ chooseth the eye to set forth the praise of his Church which standeth in a comparison thou hast doves eyes The doves eye is simple harmless is not crafty seeketh not greedily after a prey doth not peck with the Bill nor hurt any thing as other Birds do but here it is chiefly used to set forth the chastity of the Bride towards her Husband the Lord Jesus Christ who notwithstanding all her afflictions and temptations chuseth no other refuge to fly unto but with the Dove she cleaveth fast to her mate And also the eyes are here commended because through faith the killeth the Law and liveth in the service and freedom of her beloved and doth good works freely and of choise VERSE XVI Behold thou art fair my beloved THese are the words of the Church wherein she returneth the praise of all her beauty to her beloved who is fairer then the Sons of Men from whom all her fairness is derived She dareth not to appear before him in her self therefore prayeth him to behold his own fairness as being the only cause of her acceptance in his sight which is a rule and pattern for every man to imitate yea pleasant Thou art not only fair but also pleasant in thy self in the enjoyment of me and pleasant to me in that thou speakest so kindly to me and acceptest of me Which words do shew us what manner of person Christ is and what his carriage is to us altogether pleasant and lovely So that as soon as ever we look upon him by faith Esa 62.2 and humble our selves before him he rejoyceth in us and over us as the Bridegroom rejoyceth over the Bride Therefore when we are overwhelm'd with heaviness and sadness of heart this doth not come from Christ but from the Law and our evil conscience being not well purged and cleansed of unbelief for to those that are humbled before him Christ is pleasant Also our bed is green This is likely to be the joint speech of Christ and his Church rejoyceing together in the place of meeting for the bed is the place either in publick or private where Christ and his people meet together And by the greens of the bed is meant the fruitfulness that cometh by reason of the meeting of Christ and his Church Rom. 7. according to Saint Paul being married to Christ ye bring forth fruit unto God that is many Children unto glory The Gospel is the Doctrine that converts the Soul and the reason why so few are converted is because the Gospel is seldom Preached therefore the labours of the Ministry are not blest but men are smiten with barrenness become dead and withered Trees bringing forth no fruit at all unto God because they want the company of the Lord Jesus Christ in the bed therefore it being said our bed Agar the bondwoman is excluded from the priveledge of the bed as one who although she hath many Children before men yet she hath none at all before God and the reason is because she entertaineth not Christ in the bed she imbraceth the servant and forsaketh her Lord therefore that heavy judgment spoken of by the Prophet Esay follows in its time Esa 47.19 the loss of Children and Widdowhood shall come upon thee in one day in their perfection This is the heavy doom that will one day fall upon the bondwoman and all her Children her bed being too short and the covering too narrow to hide her from her sin and the wrath of God Almighty Learn we therefore that Doctrine which maketh the fruitful bed and sheweth the fruitful Mother that is so to understand the Law as it may further us to faith in Christ and so to understand the Gospel that it may further us in the duties of the Law This is a most rare and Heavenly Art which none can teach but the Holy Ghost let us therefore pray unto him without ceaseing to bestow this gift upon us who hath promised to bestow upon us all things that we shall aske which are according to his will Then shall the bed become fruitful then shall we rejoyce in the meeting place and say with the bride here our bed is also green VERSE XVII The beams of our house are Cedar and our rafters of Fir. NOw here is shewed the reason why the bed comes to be so fruitful and how the family of God comes to be so much enlarged it is by reason of the beams and rafters which are the strong supporters of all the building 1 Tim. 3.15 Where first note that by the house is meant the Church of God And by the beams and rafters the builders of the Church of God And the beams being of Cedar Isa 44.40 Isa 20. it signifies strength and also such timber that will not rot but is dureable and sweet Now the godly are often said to be Cedars and the chief in the Church are said to be pillars Also the house having rafters it sheweth it hath a covering or defence and they being of Fir which some think is another Tree call'd the Brutine Tree which is of pleasant smell signifieth purity of Doctrine Such beams and pillars that are well versed in pure Doctrine are always used in building the house of God in every age therefore the bed is always fruitful and the Church can never decay because the builders thereof are always lasting And as it is a house very sweet and pleasant for a man to live in So it is infinite in strength and for safety It is therefore a vain thing for any man to think to undermine the Church of God seeing it is a house built upon a Rock and although men
she had said thus I have been in my beloved's banquetting-house where I have tasted of his dainties and am even overcome with love and can never be satisfied unless I tast again and again And this effect the Gospel worketh where ever it is received it maketh all people sick of love And the reason why people have so little spiritual life and joy in them it is for want of the Gospel Those that know not the Gospel wonder to see men run after Christ but the reason is because they are sick of love and can no more be without the Wine-cellar then a hungry man can endure to be without meat Next of all she sheweth the cause why she is so much in love VERSE VI. His left hand is under my head and his right hand doth embrace me VVHich words do shew the reason why she is so sick after her Lover because of his embraces When ever she meeteth him his left hand is under her head and after the manner of a Lover his right hand doth embrace her By his right hand she meaneth his Divinity Psal 45. as may be gathered from the 45 Psalm And by his left hand his humanity By his humanity he beareth all her sins sorrows and calamities both of her head and whole man and by his Divinity he worketh for her a full deliverance By his left hand he taketh from her all things that make her miserable and by his right hand he gives unto her all things whatsoever that may make her joyful and happy When she heareth of this in the banquetting-house and begins to find and feel within her self that his heart is upon her she is sick after him and cannot chuse but discover it And thus it is with every man that hath once been in the Wine-cellar and hath felt the sweet embraces of the Lord Jesus Christ in himself he cannot but fall in love with him as the bride here doth Now next follow the words of Christ VERSE VII I charge you O ye daughters of Jerusalem by the Roes and by the Hindes of the field that ye stir not up nor awake my love until he please CHrist having heard his spouse declare her faith before and her Heavenly delight and rest that she taketh in himself chargeth the Daughters of Jerusalem meaning those that something discent from the bride concerning the way and manner of planting Christ in the Soul not to molest her or go about to unsetle her in her Heavenly peace and security until he himself please which is never Also this charge implies a penalty if the charge be not observed And here he mentioneth the example of the Roes and Hindes which creatures do dearly love one another and are a similitude between Man and Wife and between Christ and his Church And when he says that ye stir not up nor awake my love it meaneth by driving her from the Gospel by constraint or by infusing evil principles into her by a false interpretation of the Scripture Which is comfortable to us that belong to the Marriage-bed when those that exact the Law and works do accuse and condemn us for holding and maintaining justification by faith alone against them all we must set this charge of our beloved who commandeth their silence under the penalty of everlasting woe This to do is to make Jesus Christ on our side and if God be with us who can be against us VERSE VIII The voice of my beloved behold he cometh leaping upon the Mountains skipping upon the Hills AS soon as ever the bride had heard this charge against the Daughters uttered by Christ she presently breaketh forth into these words the voice of my beloved This voice of Christ no man knoweth but he that pertaineth to the spiritual little flock therefore Christ saith my sheep hear my voice Job 10. others cannot discern it from the voice of Moses but the bride is well acquainted with him and therefore as lovers have their ears listning after the voice of him whom they set their affections upon so doth the bride here she listneth to the voice of her beloved And thus it behoveth all that desire to become the spouse of Christ to learn rightly to understand the voice of Christ otherwise when the conscience is in distress there is no comfort nor succour to be found For if thou makest no difference between Christ and the Law when thy Conscience wrastleth with the Law and the judgment of God then thou art utterly undone for evermore for then shall thine evil life appear before thine eyes and without this rule of distinction be learn'd nothing shall be seen how thy sinful conscience shall be delivered from the malediction of the Law and the wrath of God But Christ teacheth thee far otherwise for after the Conscience is humbled by the Law he raiseth it up again by faith without the Law So that Christ maketh use of the Law to humble the sinner but totally layeth aside the Law in comforting the broken heart But what is meant here by his leaping upon the Mountains and skipping upon the Hills Quest By the Mountains are meant those lets and hinderances Answ or stumbling blocks that were cast in her way by the Daughters to disturb her in the Doctrine of justification by faith alone to which Doctrine because she will not yeild persecution followeth in all ages of the Church therefore Cain killeth Abel Ishmael persecuteth Isaac the Prophets are slain and also Christ himself Now Christ cometh with great hast and also with great joy unto his bride to throw down all those stumbling blocks that the way may be plain before her and the paths made straight therefore he is said to come leaping and skipping and this being a thing of such excellent use as soon as she preceiveth the hinderances removed she declareth it with joy the very first sight of his appearance in this thing causeth her to burst out the voice of my beloved yonder he cometh behold it is he Now next of all she setteth out this leaping and skipping by a similitude VERSE IX My beloved is like a Roe or a young hart behold he standeth behind our wall THe Roe is a beast that delighteth to leap over bushes and skip over hills and also the Hart is a nimble creature that skippeth over Mountains with a swift foot Thus she saith is my beloved He maketh hast to remove all stumbling blocks that Salvation may come into my Soul but there is something in me that hindereth the coming in of Christ and Salvation and that is a wall So that when Christ cometh to the Soul to make it his Habitation he findeth the door shut and a wall to keep him out The wall here importeth something of weight as appeareth by the word behold I conceive that by the wall is meant mans natural imagination reason or understanding that he hath of the Scriptures and of him self which standeth as a wall in man in direct opposition to faith in
early to the Vineyards let us see if the Vine flourish whether the tender grapes appear and the Pomegranates bud forth there will I give thee my loves THis Verse setteth forth the care and dilligence of the Church in looking to those that were planted in it Where by Vineyards she meaneth Esa 1. those particular congregations where the word is taught And by the Vine Christ And by the tender grape Joh. 15. the Conscience made tender by the word of God And by the budding of the Pomegranate the growth of the Church in Heavenly Doctrine and in shewing forth all good works before men And in that she says let us go up early to the Vineyards it meaneth before false Teachers creep in and spoil the fruit For as soon as the Fox cometh he falleth upon the Vine he endeavoureth to spoil Christ of his name and glory Therefore to prevent this she saith let us get up to the Vineyards meaning the principal members in the Church both in the Magistracy and Ministry whose care ought to be that the Church be rightly instructed in sound Doctrine and that order be taken with those that are perverters of the Gospel There she saith I will give thee my loves that is in so doing I will testify my loves unto thee meaning to Christ She speaketh in the plural number because it is more then a bare single love it being not only to Christ but also to his Members The sum of all is this That it is a very great Testimony of love to God and a principal means in causing the Lords Vineyard to become fruitful when an early care is taken by the principal Members in the Church that the word be purely taught and that the mouths of false Teachers be stopped If the word be not rightly taught no man's Conscience can be edified if the mouths of seducers be not shut Satan will quickly pervert the Gospel of Christ Either of these wants hindereth the fruitsulness of the Vineyard and in a manner layeth it wast Such therefore must be charged by Timothy that they Preach no other Doctrine or else by Titus their mouths must be stopped Want of care in this thing betimes spoileth the flourishing of the Vine the budding of the Pomegranate neither doth the tender grape hardly every appear Care therefore must be taken in this that no person be suffered in the Vineyard that is a Seducer nor set to work in the Vineyard unless he be a cunning Artificer a man of skill that is able to succour the tender grape and to refresh the Pomegranate that his buds may shoot forth and appear This is a work highly acceptable to the Father who is the great Husbandman and to the son who is the Archbishop of his Church and therefore I humble conceive it ought to be the care of every Bishop If any man offend in his life the Magistrate is to punish him but if any man go about to pervert the Gospel Paul and Barnabas must go up to Jerusalem about the Question where should always be some that are able to hear and determin the same Whatsoever care is taken or ought to be taken about matters of Discipline yet it is most certain that the main and principal thing to be cared for and looked after is matter of Doctrine that mens Consciences be rightly instructed otherwise no man can be saved What misery is come upon us for many years past for want of this care we have seen by woful experience VERSE XIII The Mandrakes give a smell at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits both new and old which I have laid up for thee O my beloved THese are the words of Christ which are of the nature of a promise to supply his Church with the variety of all pleasant fruits And first of all he speaketh of the sweetness of the Mandrakes of which we read in Gen. 30.14 which were found by Reuben in the time of Wheat Harvest All that I gather from it is this Reuben was the first born son of Jacob which first born son was a type of Christ the first born among many brethren Now the Mandrakes being brought by Reuben to his Mother Leah which were very delightful as it appears by Rachel it sheweth unto us the Excellency of the fruits that come to us by Christ who is the first begotten of the dead which are the fruits of his Death and Resurrection manifested by the Preaching of the Gospel Which are said to be pleasant Fruits meaning to the tender afflicted Conscience The time when they appear so pleasant is when the gates are opened when the Gospel of Eternal life is opened and rightly applyed to the tender Conscience These Fruits are said to be New and Old not in respect of substance of Doctrine but the variety And it being said Note which I have laid up for thee my beloved it sheweth that all the secret Misteries of the Kingdom of Heaven that have been hid from ages are laid up on purpose by Christ himself to bestow upon those that put an high estimation upon them And this I conceive to be the meaning of the words And the Reason why they are laid up only for such is because the Misteries of the Kingdom of Heaven are of an Infinit value therefore must not be bestowed upon those that will despise them they are of so great a price that no man is able to put an estimate upon them they are beyond Silver Gold and Rubies and all things that can be desired Now who can imagine that Jewels of such inestimable worth Prov. 3.15 shall be given to such that shall only Trample them under ther Feet Therefore Christ hath laid them up for his beloved Even for those that esteem of them most highly above their appointed food Which openeth the cause and sheweth us the Reason why there are so few that are acquainted with the secrets of the word of God that understand so little of the Misteries of the Kingdom of Heaven it is not because Christ is not willing to open the Secrets and reveal the Misteries but the reason is because men put no estimation upon them Christ hath laid up all manner of pleasant Fruits hath abundance in store to bestow of things both New and Old upon all those that are willing to receive them but no man cares for the taste of them The Mandrakes give a most Excellent smell but no man careth for the scent At wisdoms gates are all manner of pleasants Fruits even those that heal the Nations that save us from the Everlasting wrath of God but we value them not we look not after them but set an higher estimation upon Transitory things that perish then upon those Everlasting things that shall never decay Just like unto Children that more esteem of a Counter of little or no value at all than of a rich Jewel that is of great price Therefore no man must blame the Lord Jesus Christ but