and in a prudent way delivers her self from it Thy nose is like the tower Of Lebanon so high From whence the foes great power From Siria men did spy Thou cry'st arm arm Lest enemies when they do rise Should do thee harm 5 i Christ is the head of his Church he both rules and governs her is also her defence and glory Thy head that ruleth well The rest of thy body Is like unto Carmel In glorious dignity Thy hair also Upon thy head like purple red Doth neatly grow k The spiritual glory which Christ hath put upon his Church is a thing that holds him in continual delight and greatest pleasure The beauty which thou hast It doth me captivate That I am held full fast In a delightful state Of sweetest pleasure Each sight of thee affecteth me Above all measure 6 l Christ still affected with the Churches beauty continues or rather renews his praises of her How fair art thou my dear For pleasure of each kinde Such beauty any where I yet could never finde I must admire Thy comelines which I profess My heart doth fire 7 m The Church of Christ holds fast what she has received will grow in grace and spiritually flourish though adversarys rise up against her to depresse keep down or root her up Thy stature's like the tree Whereon the palms do grow That flourishing will be Though men will keep it low Like grapes well fild Thy brests are such and comfort much To souls they yeild 8 n Christ being ascended on high will have a special eye to his Church preserve her from evil comfort in and under her trouble and make her abundantly fruitful in good To th' palm-tree I will go For it is my decree To comfort mine and to Protect and oversee Each bough so green I 'le take and dress that fruitfulnesse May there be seen o Those cannot be barren but abandant in all good fruit over whom Christ hath a spiritual eye with whom he is in sweet Communion Like clusters of the vine Now shall thy brests be such There is not one of mine But fruit is yeelding much They do abound In heavenly grace that have my face And favour found p Those that are faithful labourers in the Lords work shall not be without honour here and a great reward hereafter Thy nose like apples sweet Doth send it's smell abroad Great fame is for them meet That watch the flock of God Their memory It shall be blest when they in rest And silence lye 9 q Saints of all sorts have learn'd the language of Canaan their mouths fild with words full of goodnesse speeches gracious tending to edify all that hear them The pallate of thy mouth Is like the purest wine Thy words are for thy growth And edifying mine It glads their heart And doth enlive like wine revive Them in each part r The word of the Lord is quick and powerful of a piercing dividing discerning nature so known to those that feel the vertue thereof How efficacious then Are words thou givest forth They please me and all men That tast their precious worth Their power is much If men digest what 's soundly prest Their souls to touch s Those that have tasted of the good word of the Lord and felt the working power thereof will not cannot be be silent but declare to others what God hath done for their souls For it the sleep doth break Of those that sleepy are Causing their lips to speak In praises and in prayer They 'l publish soon And tell abroad the things that God For them hath done 10 t When souls partake of the sweetness of Christs love they are then caryed forth to give up themselves to him becoming wholy his Now my assurance is From it I 'le not be mov'd That I am wholy his That is my best belov'd And yet more see His whole desire which I admire Is toward me 11 u Christ is a Christians best companion whose presence they beg and â—â—ize above all things else Now come with me my dear Let 's go into the field w Gospel fruit is most pleasing to and acceptable to Christ Jesus The fruit that 's gathe'rd there Doth great contentment yeild x The poor low and humble in spirit and places mean and poor are fit receptacles for Jesus Christ Let 's lodge and rest In places poor for they full sure By thee are blest 12 y Those souls that have miscarryed and are once humbled for it will be diligent for time to come Oh let us rise betime And to the vinyards go Much sleeping was the crime That made my heart full wo Let 's up and see Though some repines whether the vines Flourishing be z The stronger the Christians are and most indued with grace the greater care will they have of those that are weak and tender in the growth of Christianity Whether the grape so young And tender be in growth And pomgranate among The other fruits bud forth a All that the saints have or can do is too little for Christ hence it is they resigne all they have unto him who is worthy of more then they have or can give There I am free For to resigne all that is mine My loves to thee 13 b The saints are always ready and prepared with oyl in their lamps furnisht with all things excellent to meet and entertain Christ Jesus The mandraks sweetly smell And at our gates be there Such things as most execl And for thee ready are Fruits of all kinde That can be told both new and old Thou maist there finde c Saints do all they do for and unto Christ have received of his fullnesse and return to him and lay up for him as it is their duty obedience thankfulnesse and love Which I lay up and save As in a treasure The choycest that I have Is not too good for thee None can me move But had I more I would it store For my dear love CHAP. VIII 1 a The Church of Christ is ever desirous Communion with him do readily embrace him cheerfully obey him not mattering the worlds reproaches OH that thou werst even as my brother dear That suckt the brests of her that did me bear Where I should find thee there I would thee kiss And should not be despis'd a jot for this 2 b Christians having found and layd hold on Christ hold him fast will not let him go still desirous of his presence I would thee lead and bring thee to no other But to the mansions of my own sweet mother Thither full readily I will conduct thee c The truths of Christ for instruction correction and comfort are And there full readily she will instruct me d Kept and to be found in his Church every true Christian hath the pure juyces of faith obedience and love to please and delight Christ There of pure
more acceptable then the choicest of things My sister spouse thy love is wondrous fair And in my eye beyond all imitation The choicest wines that ever were or are Like thy love are not in my estimation q Saints have received of the anoynting from the father who by diffusion into all actions spiritual civil makes them have a fragrant and sweet savour every where Thy oyntments smells so odoriferous The sweetest spice is not so sweet as those 11 r The words of the Lord in the mouths of his servants are not only pure precious and sweet in themselves but also pleasing to God and profitable to them that receive them Thy lips drop like an honey combe my spouse Each open eare thy gracious words are filling Beneath thy tongue honey and milke it flows Much like a fountain pleasantly distiling s Christs righteousness is the saints rayment and spiritual clothing who by faith puts it on is of incomparable redolency admirable sweetness The garments pure that I have put thee on Smels sweeter then the scent of Labanon 12 t The Church of Christ is as a garden fruitfull and delectable beset with enemies on each side yet encompast with the power and presence of Christ so that they cannot waste nor spoyle it Thou art a garden both for fruit and flower My sister spouse a garden well inclos'd And fenc'd with walls of my almighty power T'keep thee from foes to which thou art expos'd u In the Church of Christ there doth always rise up a fresh-spring of spiritual life and grace from Christ the head to water and refresh it A spring shut up a fountain sealed casting Up waters in thee to life everlasting 13 w Those plants set by Christ fenc'd by his power and watered by his grace cannot be barren but bring forth much fruit by which the father is glorifyed here and they with the father and son glorifyed hereafter Thy plants an orchard of pomegranats are Thy branches are a paradice of pleasure All sorts of fruits most excellent and rare Are found in thee without compare and measure Camphire with spiknard oh what fruits are growing There where my grace is always overflowing 14 x Christ out of his fulness doth communicate freely abundantly and in divers kinds his graces to his Church so that nothing can be wanting for his edification and comfort There 's spikenard sweet and cordiall saffron too Mirh aloes calamus and cinamon All trees of frankincense in it do grow Each thing it hath a precious operation Her spices choice for vertue for worth Nor man nor angels tongue can set them forth 15 A garden full of fountains precious pure y Christ the living fountain set open for sin and uncleanness is to be found in his Church with grace in abundance ready and willing to supply succour support and comfort every soul that waits for him A well of living waters springing still Each sinful sickly silthy soul to cure And all are cal'd to wash and drink that will And as the streams do flow from Lebanon So flows all streams of grace from Christ alone 16 z A gracious soul doth earnestly desire and much long after the powerful workings of the spirit of Christ producing its divers yet all glorious effects in the soul Breath holy spirit on my garden now That every spicy flower may bloome and spread a Nor will expect solid sound comfort before some Gospel breakings and spiritual castings down For as the north-wind thou mak'st me to bow And with thy southern gales lifts up my head b From Christ we have all of his fulness we receive we must therefore return him his own for it is not ours or that from as but his own and that which proceeds from himself that is acceptable to him Come my beloved I have thee invited And eat the fruit in which thou art delighted CHAP. V. 1 a The prayers of saints are very prevailing Christ is prone and ready to hear no sooner can we call but we have our answer NOw I am come my spouse Into my garden gay Thy call it did me rouse I hear when thou dost pray It doth suffice b Christ doth inable and impower his people to labour and bring forth pious pure precious fruits of faith love holynesse self-denyal and suffering for his sake all very pleasant unto him I gather'd have that which I gave my mirrh with spice c No comb of wantingness weaknes imperfection in grace or dutys can harm the saints while there is the honey of sweet sincerity and truth of grace to be found Oh with what great delight My honey comb I eat And feed my appetite With sucking honey sweet And though the best May fail or fall yet sincere all Of them are blest d As wine and milk are to us so the pure holy sincere services of saints are unto Christ My wine and milk together Being my delightful fare I took and drunk for neither Of them that I can spare e Christ prepares his table sets on his spiritual daintys invites his friends and feasts their souls with his fat things in great abundance Sure 't none offends That ye eat such with me drink much That are my freinds 2 f A gracious soul is ever sensible of its security and will ingenuously confess it I sleep and slug which makes Me sorely to complain g Findes an opposition between flesh spirit the part regenerate and wakefull heart is always working upward towards Christ though lust and the part unregenerate would refrain But yet my heart it wakes Though lust would it restrayn h Christs sheep both know and hear the voice of Christ which doth powerfully awaken and rouze up the sloathful sleepy soul His voyce doth move Who knocks and says clear thou my ways My spotlesse dove i When Christ begs and sues for admission he gives power to open it is then the wisdom and duty of every Christian to let him in Oh let me enter in And lodge within thy breast Ingratitude 's thy sin Receive me as thy guest k The more and greater things Christ hath suffred for us the greater obligation lyes upon us to love and serve him and the greater is the sin to refuse and neglect him For my head 's fill'd With dews of wet and vapours great Cold night doth yeild 3 l Man is apt to frame vain excuses and cast in small obstructions to prevent the kindly entertainment of Christ though the chiefest of ten thousand and none so worthy to be received I am disrobed quite And may not take the cold My feet are washen white If I rise they 'le be foulld I 'le take my ease Sad are the shifts when fleshly drifts Are flesh to please 4 m When Christ puts forth his spiritual power he breaks in sunder the strongest bars sets wide open the closest heart and makes way
that the king of glory may enter in My well-beloved put His hand in at the door And opened what I shut That kept him out before n The more a soul feels and discerns Christ in his most inward workings the more it is inflam'd with love to Christ less love to self and greif for former failings O rare effect My bowels move for my dear love And my neglect 5 o Where there is true repentance that soul is rouzd up from sleepy security and is found readily and graciously acting the thing that is good When I did rise and stir To open to my dear My hands did drop with mirrh That on the lock was there who ' f grace partake Those souls will never want endeavor When once awake 6 p Christ being slighted and neglected withdraws his spiritual presence and so leaves a soul in darkness and misery I opened now in huste It was no time to stay But now the time is past My lover 's gone away A just reward For he that su'd and beg'd and woo'd Had no regard q A refusing the sweet and gracious words of Christ when seriously considered will break the heart with sorrow But when I heard him speak My soul did melt away That heart with grief must break That ever said him nay r Those that stop their ears when Christ calls unto them they shall cry and call yea his own dear ones for a time and not be heard I sought in vain My prayers and crys he still denys To entertain 7 The watchmen they are found Of whom I look't for ayd They smote me and my wound By them was deeper made Each one of those That did pretend to be my friend are turn'd my foes t Sinful security breaks the Churches staves of beauty and bands robs her both of her glory and defence exposes to great shame and misery The keepers of the walls They took my vail away What mischeif them befalls That err and go astray Alack alack How soon our fame is turn'd to shame When we draw back 8 u Vnder spiritual desertions there is want of consolation 't is a mercy to have the faithful to pray for us and our duty to call in for their help Jerus'lems daughters ye That loving be and kinde Who seek in the right way That you my love may finde w Love and zeal warm the heart the prayers of the faithful are fervent and so avail much I charge ye when Your hearts desire ascends in fire To minde me then x A gracious soul languishing in love to Christ grieves for former neglect longs to be sensible of reconciliation to Christ calls and cries to the faithful to present in prayer its sad condition to him Oh tell him be ye sure That I am sick of love My heart cannot endure Unless his bowels move For though I were To slumber bent and negligent My heart 's sincere 9 y The more a Christian knows of Christ the more he desires and longs to know him and therefore enquires of those that have experience what beauty loveliness excellency glory and worth they see know and have found to be in him Why what is thy belov'd More then another is That thou so much art mov'd For this absence of his Why dost so charge Is he of worth then set thou forth His praise at large 10 z Those that are affected with Christ spiritual glory and have tasted the sweetness that is in him are fittest to describe it to others and will fully and freely communicate what they know feel and are affected with that others may love and admire him as themselves My wel-beloved then Which ravisht hath my heart Chief of ten thousand men Is glorious in each part A mixture fine Of red and white to breed delite In him doth shine 11 His head whereon he wears And 's glistering crown doth hold In glory it appears Much like the finest gold His locks together Are bushy set as black as jet Or ravens feather 12 a Christ is meek humble holy perfectly pure who cannot look on sin with the least allowance teaching us hereby that as he is so should we be in this world As are the eyes of doves In springs that take delight So are his eyes who loves No evil in his sight His gentle eyes With milk are wet and even set Impartiall-wife 13 b The face of Christ is transcendantly comly blest are all such who live in the light of his countenance and whose souls are sweetned and delighted with his presence His cheeks much like the bowers Or beds of spices are The sweetest of all flowers With his may not compare c The words of Christ have a distastful relish to the misled sinner but to the obedient believer are pure precious being hid in his heart preserves it from all rottenness corruption sin and filth whatsoever His lips distills Sweet smelling mirh sure none can err Whose heart it fills 14 d Christ is alway ready abundantly to supply the wants of his people and to help them by his power in time of need His hands like to gold rings Set with a precious stone The choycest of good things He freely gives his own e Christs Compassions are great to all and his heart is most affectionately set upon his own humble and holy ones His belly much Like ivory bright with saphirs dight And heart is such 15 f Christ by his almighty power hath overcome and vanquisht all for the good and sakes of his and they shall vanquish and overcome all that opposes them by the same power of the Lord Jesus His legs his feet and thighs Like marble pillars are Whereon such strength there lies None may with it compare And more behold His feet are set in sockets neat Of finest gold g The spiritual glory of Christ surpasses all glory beheld only by those whose eyes are open'd to look into those abstruse and hidden things of the Gospel His countenance whereon To look doth dim the eye Is like to lebanon Sweet glorious comely high It doth excell The cedars tall and also all That tongue can tell 16 h Every word proceeding from the mouth of Christ was a word of grace peace and comfort and sweeter then the honey comb Most gracious are his words That from his mouth distils Great comfort it affords Each gracious heart it fils i Christ in every part absolutly perfect or the rare and excellent perfection of Christ is all that a gracious soul can desire ravishing the heart of a true believer my whole desires He is alone and there is none My heart so fires CHAP. VI. 1 a A powerful and plain description of Christ drawn out to the life in truth and reallity is of great efficacy or Christ powerfully preacht to the hearts and consciences of men is of great force to draw them out to enquire and seek after him WHere