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Show Secon~ly, You have the af1i0111 of ker bei'Ved; he loo~etb, he jheR'etb btm{ilf, a medzum of both thefe IS expretfed under rhe metaphorical notions of R'i>tdor<>J and Lamffir. They are all three Metaphorical exprellions, and for the underllanding of the fenfe wemufl firll conlider the moll proper, and narural dcdudioo of the Metaphor. 1. He ftandetb behind our JtJaU; he that llandetl1 bthind the RlnU is nearer than he wh? is only feen at a dillance leaping 11pon tb; MoHntamt, but yet ts not fo near as he might be: the wall is a partition betwixt us, and him thatftandeth behind our"'""· The exprellion then doth lignify a nearer degree of Chri~s approach to his Spoufe; and yet fuch a llate wherein the Spoufo hath not a full communion with him. But it is not faid that he jilt there no he llands there waiting upon the Soul, and ready yet to c~m~ nearer to it, au<! to injoy in it a fuller an<! further degree of manifellation ofhis Love. 2. H'e looketh forth, at the n>indorr>t or Cafcmmtt. r •. Jts Bux· tor{'tobCervation that this word M'lW~ isufed only here in Scripture, aod i.n P[al. 3 3. 1 4· where it is applied to God, and traofJared he look!th upon the ajjliGiionr of hi< people, and in If. 1 4· t6. They that fee thee !hall narrowly look upon thee; this makes me ap_r to think thattheTran-Oation h~d been better,He look,ttb ;11 at tbe JPtlldoR~r; as one that cannot get Into a place, and yet is very curious to obferve and know what's done in the houfe, gets to a window an~ prieth in ,there to fati~fy his.cmious ere. The fevent-y in. ter pret 11 ; '1rll.e!f.~V'fr1,., I'l-l 'T"'' ~veJI'"'' ; and thus the fecond Phrafelignifies Chrifls etltious obfervation of rhe flare and behaviour ?f his Spo~fe, in the time of his wirhdrawings from it. The .thud. phrafe IS,jhtR'tn[, him [elf at the Latteffis; not wholly conceahng ~1mfelf, n?r yet fully revealing himfelf, but giving his SJ:oufe a ghmps and 1m perfect fight ofhis Glory: they fee fomethwg of him, but it is like the fight of a friend at a window or Lattefs, not a full perfect and glorious fight. Jo,;J. Tfh J't<TJuy, fay the .Stptu~gint, by or through the nets; yet even that fight is a glonous S11\ht. The w~rd in the f!eb. fignificth fiourifhing p•r-. The leaflghmps of the hght of Chnlls countenance, is, beautiful a?d glonous when he looks bur out at a Lanefr, that Come things h1nder the Spoufes full and perfect view of his Glory and: Excellency, yet the fight is Glorious. The words without any II raining afford us three Propofirions-: r. That "l· ,1./,attbe Lord ]efur Chrift, (as to his Spoufc ) doth [ometimes (land behind tbe waU. 2 • 1hat while he ftandetb behind the waU, he wiU be looking in at the windowr. · 3. '{bat Cbrif! oft-timer {htrr>J bim{e/f fiourijhing tlmregh the Lat-uOet: Of thcfe in their order. '{hat tbe Lord J rfiu Cbrij!, (as to his Spoufe) doth fometimtt p f!and behind the waU. _ 1 • rap. 1 • I will ll1ortly give you the more general fenfc of the Pro-pofition. , . . . 2. I wiU enquire whatt hofc waUt are brlund whtcb Cbri[! /lands, and "'hen Cbrift may be [aid to be behind the waU. 3· IYby be fometimet taPCI up bit place but bebin~ the waU l 4- what i-s the duty of the Spoufe towards ChnHihndtng behind the wall, and what other ufe m1y be made of the Propofition. As to the firll, 1 .. The Propo!ition lignifies in the general the ~ifferent mani· fellations of Chrill to his Spoufe. Sometimes he IS ftlft her off, fometimes he is nearer to the Souls of his people : Sometimes he is at a quiet ref\, and in full Communion wit!vher. The ?pou~c fometimes feeth him afar off upon the Mountams: .fomeum_es .1t feeth him nearer as it were under her w•ll : fometlmes he IS Ill the houfe with h~r, and (he is in the fulldl enjoyments of her Beloved• The Spoufe of Chri!l, ( whether by her you und.erlland the Chu.chor the b:lieving Soul;) lometlmes fees Chnll only by the Eye ofF aith at a diflance, fome1imes nearer 11;•drr tbt ,..,.I[; the Church enjoyeth him not as formerly, but he IS near to htr, he is under the very walls of her houfe: There is yet a partitionwall that keeps her Soul from the freell enjoyments of him, but he lo fometimes very near. This is the general !cope of the Propo! icion. But fecondly, What are tho[< R'aUs be bind_ R'hich Cbrif! fl.nd;, and'R'hen may 2• Qu. Chrifo be [aid'' J!and thus bebiHd tht n>aU llf to lm Spou(e l Three or four things will-open to you this notion of the wall; (behind whiCh Chrill flands) Co far as any Interpreters hav, given us any light; in Come of thofe fen!es-he did once /land behind the wall, in others, he may and doth yet ( a! to his Spoufe) lland behind a wall. 1 • There was a time when he llood b:hind the wall of t~e Typu and Sacrifices of the Cmmonia·t LaRJ. The Apollle hath gt\' en. |