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Show J.l .:l The ·spolifes relie/ in 411 hFr Soul- trouble, h 111J, war untltr me. 1 !hall lidl fpeak to rh'!; Co"".'""~ of the .~ords with the former; chen to the fenfe ol them tn tllemfelves. 1 n rhe former Verre fhe h~d cotnplained, that the wasfick.. of _L,v,; !he had calkd to the Watl:hmcn, or to the Daut;hrers of H~eruf•. Jem , 'To flay ber ,.,it!J }!'laggMr, and to comfort hrr w1th Appln; 01e knows, they cannot hel p her,if the Lord doth. not brlp:herc. therefo re lbe called\ to her Lord, ond pra ys that 1m Jrj1 bmd mrgbt be u11drr b" bead, and his rig!Jt hand mi t~,ht embrace'";· _o: tf you cake the wo.rds in the fo rw of an a.JT<rttolt; they kt '" foe ~o w ., ~cad y Chri!l is to come in. to the relief of that Soul rhat wattcch upon him in the way of hts Ordmances; (be no foooer dcfirn and cryrto th Watcbmm, and to rhc D . .,<ghtrrl of HmNJ•Iem , StJy me witbjlJggons, and com{urt me wah applrs \but 01dets. caufe to cry out rcjoycing, Hi< left hand w.u 11ndrr rn<.;. and lm r~gbt hJild dutb embr.ce me. No;r[.ft inet DildJ.e modcjlla'!'; adefl, ncq; en1m moramfacere pote/1; tantir dejiderii1 e~ocauu, fatth .l>mtard. H~ tS not able to contain himfelf, he comes pu flmly ,. betng caUed, wtth 'fo grc.at defires. If we und er lland the Verb 10 the future tenfe, as indeed it is in the Hrb, it doth not fo , much fpe ak the Spm~fes joy for her prefcnt enjoyments, as her f• itiJ as to the futme "'1')'nuntJ of her beloved : If we under !land a Verb und erflood to the former part, and refer the Verb exprtj{rd only t~ the latter ; then it declares the rife of her Faith, as to futur e enJoyments fr omher prefcnt enjoyments; and iliews her tblt~ft<llleji for the l,ffir ~'ndnrfi which ./he bad received f rom IJerbeloved; that althou gh as yet his right hand had not embraced her, ({be only hoped for that,an.d btlieved) yet !he thankfully takes n_o tice of the kindncfs of hts left hand whi le lbe waits for his ngbt bJ>td: Difce w rc[ermdo t ratiam ~'" r.IJc tardus aut [<g~ti1, &c. ( faith Bernard) (be .r~us teacheth us thankfulnefs for the leal\ tmnife Hations of DIVIne Lofvoe.r the fenfe of the words, I hope eve ry one 'II· h "' 1 tn t em un· derlla nd a Metaphor. God is (faith Bernard) in fi•• natrtra tam jimplrl< ut non /;abeat partu; tam tmrtJ Ht non babeat numerns: Sn fimple in his own Nature, tha t he ha rh no parts, fo much one char there are no numbers in him. It is a Metaphor drawn from a Lover, who lends his beloved objeCl: the bene tit of hts /if~ band to hold up her head ; of his ~iJ!,ht hand to hold her up and emb;ace her. And when the Spoufe fpeaks of Cbri!ls right an ' left band it onl-y lignifies hi1 perm and ability to "pl;o/d and fup· . , ~ t ort IJtr in her Love-f~<ftnrfi, and his readinefs at that time m em· brace and entertain her with all poflible e~<pref]ianr and dtmoHjlraliont of love. Btrnard in regard of the ufage of the terms of Right and Left l,nd, to fit:nilie profperiry and adv erfity, llnd er' 1\ands here b~ the h/t ba11d, Gods w ord of threatning , by his ritbt band his Word of promife. Grrg. M•g. und edlands by the fir!!, the f'reflnt lifo, by the latter that whicb if to come. I rather underiland the terms, a. lignifying, That a whole Chrift, aU bu power, a11d all hi1 goodnrf s, i< ready to be <~<med for the rclitf uf the Sot<lr of bir pnor people ; his left hand is ready to put und er their headr : For their whole '""d i1 fick,., and their whole be art ir fa, ' lz his right hand is ready to embrace them. I come now to the Prooolitions of Doctrine which a rife from the ,T ext, of which the chief are thefe : 'Th.r all the Soul~ JPiritual relief in any hour of diftreji, i1 from tbe Prop. 1 . Lord 1e(1H Chri~. · 'That 7efur Chri/1 i1 ready lo [upporl and relieve tbe S ouls ~f RU Prop. z. Btli~ers, in tbe d•y of their JPiritual jic~nefi. 'Ikat the leajt manifeftationr of tpecial ~ijfinguijhing Lave, Rrt Prop. 3• <trta"' pledger of the fuller mani(rjlatzonJ of zl zn GodJ due time. That tbe grnciotu Soul will be tbankJttl for the leffir manifr!fatioltt Prop. 4• ofGodsl011et•tlmn; and.fromrhereceipt of them, will by Faith conclmle, th., tt (hall rewve tbe hzgheft •nd greater manifrj!ations of it. Of all thefe lbortly in their order : And they comprehend the moil that 1 can find interpreters hinting upon the Text, Tb~taU tbe So~tlr ~elief, eitber by way of[tipport or comfort, in a day of flmtual diftrefi, IS from the Lord 'je[tu Chrift. The Spoufe in the preceeding Verfe called to others , to the Watcbmm to the D•~t;r,htm ofHierufalem; bur it mu!l be her beloveds left ha~d under ber he•d, that alone can !lay her. This llle affirms here whether you t~ke her ~ords in the form of a Prayer, or in the fo'rm of an A!fertzon : .1~ to the form of~ Prayer, it lign ifies, that though lbe fpake to Mtntllers, and to prtvate Chri!lians, as to Gods Inllrurnenrs in this cafe ; yet !he knew that healing was not in them for llle flies unto her beloved ultimattly : Or if you ra·ke rh~ W?rds In the forB? of an Alfertion, they I\ ill fignifie rhe fame thtng. It was Chr1!1s left hand that did the deed, it was the em· bracing of his right hand that refreilied and comforted her. Before 1 co.me t? prove this Point, let me thortly 6t:en it ; which I lball do 1n thts one Conclufion, Q. Cone!. |