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Show come out aod appear again. .Arifo my bekved! But there is not enly Ari(e,but alfo come away! 3· Bemard obfcrves,that Chrifi here doth not fay vade but veHi, he doth not fa~,go away! but,come all>•y!but the note is of no value: the word is 1'i• which lignifieth to go, to walk,. to go forw•rd,~c: it is the fame word which God ufed to Abraham, when he bid htm gn out of his Country. There's only this to be noted, it is a word of motion, and lignifies fomemotionofthe Spo11fe. The fOllowing words lignify a palfage open fOr the Spoufc to her beloved: The!e words are an invitation to make ule of it. In the Heb. It is ,., 't:l1i': Arifc·to thy fdf, and ;"7.-•:J'Il: Come aw•y to thy felf: That is,for thy own good and advantage (as Mr. Ainfworth intcrpreteth it.) The Spoufesapproaches to a nearer communion with her beloved, are always for her advantage; 01e is not in them profitable to her Maker, God is happy in himfdf, and a fufficiency of happin.efs to himfeif; what we do of this nature is for our [elves, for our own profit and advantage. Mercer thinks the particle is redundant, Thus I have opened to you the firfi thing. Chrifi by this Exhortation to his Spoufe,s:alleth her out of that !late of linfui carelefnefs and fecurity, in which !he was not enjoying. that communion with God which !he might and ought-to have done too, a more diligent and free communion with God.Or ei[e be invitetb her eut of tbofe lUI king and hiding places, in which !he hid herfelf during the time of her Perfecution and AfliiCtion,to a mor~ free 'and open communion with Chrifi in his Ordinancer; h~ doubles the Exhortation t<>!hewChrills earnellnefswith his Spoufe for it. For the explication of theText is,wbat ftate of the_Spot~fe tha! if> which our Saviour here reprefents under the notion of 1f'iHter and rainy weather. Tbe Winter _is· p•ft, the R.ailry Weather is gone. 1, You know Wiliur and Rainy "'eat her are thnes when f•iends much keep at !->orne & enjoy not one another as at other times,and fo in general thefe terms fignifie fuch a llate, wherein the Spoufe ofChrill could not, or at leaH did not enjoy,fuch communion with God a9 fue ought to enjoy. The particular Soul hath her Winter. The ftate of nature ( of which I lind fome interpreting the Text) is a Winter, a time indeed when the eleCt Soul hath no communion with God, but lives as others without G•d, without Chriil. .A. ffate •f •.ffldlion is a Wir~ler, of what kind foever the af!lifrion 1o n•hat motion the Spouje i.r called. 2 51 alliia:ion be, elpecially ifit be inward, from Sata111 tempwioHs di-vine dejrrti01!r, or the pr evailing of its own Corruption. , . 2, "!11e Chu~ch hath alfo her Winter and rainy weather, The !lme ot perfecutlOiz ar,d ajjlitlion t• her is her time of Winter and much hinders her in her ccmmunion with God, Now this is the Argument that Chrill ufeth to his Spoule to perf wade her to Arife and come aw~y;b ecaufe the 1Vi.r. ter war gane}rhc rai;Jy we.Jtber war near, tho{e !lungs were now removed that hind ered the Spoufcs communion with her beloved . ' Wbal that time is that is in the Text, reprc(entrd to :u under the notion of the f/owm appearing,aztd the time oft be finging Birds being 3' ~· come,&c. · Here are in the Text five expreffionJ; all which lignific the Came t_hings,that isfummer is come:Summer is known, 1, By the appearzng off/oweu. 2. By the finging ofBirdJ. 3. By the voice of the Turtl~. 4· By_ the bloffoming and bearing ·of the Fi)!.·trte. 5· By the Vznnfondmg[orthGrapu, wh1cb g•vt a goodfme/1, In !hort thi> phrafe note.s : It ~s now a fit time for thy coming,fit for enjoyment of commumon w11h God ; and wherein thou hall all the f weet incouragements imaginable to it: So much may ferve for the the explication of the te1ms of my Text, Take the fum !hort· ly. MY beloved Jjak,; and [aid to me! " All you that belong to me .~'whom I have made Beautiful, and chofen as the objeCts of my " Love, whether yon be united in the Societies of Churches or "confidered as lingle Souls. We have indeed been like frie~ds " whom a Winter or time of rainy weather have kept afunder tha~ ;; w_e have ~ot had that fweet,conlhnt and uninterrupted co~mu-nton whtch we our,ht to have: you were -by aature children of :: wr~th as well ~s others! a_nd you have.had your hours ofTemp" t~Uon, Deferuon, _Affhchon, PerfecutiOn, preniling ofCorrup"! tons, &c. In whtch you and .I.have been much llrangers: you ".have bo~h wa~ted opportunmes of, and incouragements tQ a commumon wlth me: But now l have brought you into a bet:: t~r ~ate; I have called you out of darkntfs into marvelous "!tght; I have rebuked your temprer;l am returned to you in the mlluences. of O:Y Grace: ~have rellored you my Ordinances and your _Ltberues. The vo1ce of my Prophets and Minifiers is hear~ agam; you ~ave what you would; 0 now .Arife! from your fecunty, your aiHtCted fiate, and more mperfeet communion with K k 2 me, |