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Show 104 the fame vertue as to an •Jfiitlcdfaintillg Sort!, that Wine hath to the fainting SptritJ : What that is we wilf enquire anon. The word tranfiated Apples is t::JT.l.l!!n.::J: the word is nsn commonly ufed in the Heb. to.fignlfy an Apple; which being generally acKnowledged to be cordial, and ordinarily ufed and applied to that end, by an eafy Metaphor in this place, Appler lignify any Spiri· tual thing that hath a like vertue, and is properly comfortable for a Chrillians Soul. By the Flagg_DIII and Apples in the texr then, is t-o be qnderllooil, whatfoever God hath committtd to hi< Clmrcb which may be In!lrumentally applied to a•y Soul jick._or rv•11nded 117itb Love,rvhich hath in it a vertue, eit/;tr from its ort~n n•t~tre,or from a divine Ordination toftay and comfort it. Bur, 2. ~· Whatis this toftay and Comfortthe Spoufll • Here alfo are two words ufed, the firll wh\ch we Iran !late flay rs 'll.::J~O. The fecond· which we tranflate, Comfort me , is '11,511. The Original of the firll is 1~0 which figniti~th 10 underprop, to fufiain a thing by putting fomething under it: it is ufed Deut. 3 4· 9· 7ofhua 111M fuU of the Spirit of wifitom, for Mofos had laid hit h•nds upon him : fo Num. 27. v. 23 which may either be under· llood, that Mqfos bi1 wi{dom did as it wm underprop and help bim; or (as ir rather feems ) Mofls by Gods appointment had laid hir hands upon him, in token that God had fet him apart for the Go" ernment of his people, and from that day forward the Lord 'by his fpecial influence did uphold and help 7ofhua. It is often ufed in the Scripture to lignify Gods upholding his people, If. 5· 16. P(at.n. 17.Pf.ll. Jiz.S. Pfoi.SI· 14. The Sept. tranfiate it ~7•ei•~7•, an~ well; .for all filch underpropping is a firengthening ot the thtng that IS fo upheld and underpropped: The other word is 'll,!l'"l, we tranfiate it comfort me. The word is ,!l'"l. Avenamu f~ith, it lignifies to (jnead a /o,.,-bed or a Couch, upon which a man ltes down. for his Rtft, eafe or dtlight. It is here ufed in the fecond Conjugauon, and but once more fo in all the Scripture, viz. Job. 17. 13. I have mgde my bftl in darlzntfs. Hence fome would have the text read; mal(: me a bed with Apples, and to this fenfe is the Sept. verfion ~.,(U.,.,n: fo the Vulg. Lat. and the Arab. and the Syr. hedg me_in ~ith Apples;' Montanm,llrengthen me with Ap· pies._ The Trgur~ne verjion and Pifcator, Subfternite; Trtmelim a11d JunzUf, Suflentatr. The difference is only in terms: The fcnfe of all is one, and the fame. In re-gard that a bed,or Couch is a place ofEafe Refior Delight, ' the tl1e making and preparing fuch a bed, is an action, by which one is inllrumental to our E4\ Reft and Delight ; and in rcgaxd that Apples and Prrfumu are things th~t are Cordial and Comfortable to the Spiritr, the action of men by which they fo perfume, and make (weer our beds is an action, by which they are further inflrumental to us for our cafe and comfdrt. Hence by a Ma•phor, the Spoufe foeak,jng to her companions, to ufe what means were in thdr power to ufe, to uphold her fainting Spirit, and as it were to undetprop, and comfort, and fo conftquendy llrengthcn her, fhe fpeak< to them in rhis Metaphorical dtakct; which lignifies no mo~e than this : I k._non> my brlovedhath committed that to you, whtch as to a Socii tn my ltate, luth the fame verrue1that' n>ineand Apples have tO the Vital Spirits under a drliquium. Now I befetch you apply them tO my Soul that is lick ofLove,for the Stay, Strength, Comfort, and Upholding of it. I have now done with the Explication of the trrmJ: I come to the morellrict explication ofrhe things in the Propolition; there are (as you fee) three branches, which I• fhall open and confirm feverally and then apply them all jointly. I. Mem. Chrift bath committrd to bil Church , fomethingJ to be by. tbrm tiiJPenfod ottl to tbt Lovr.[ic~ Sou{s of hi< people, which have tbtfamt vtrlt<e, to the beating of a faintingfick SoH I; as wine or ApplrJ have, for the e~m(orting or jlayiffg f•11ntizrg Spirit!. This is the firll member where I have two things to dOt: 1. To mquirepbat theft tbingi are. z. To enquire how and for what end, and to whom they are committed, and to prove ir. - . r. ~· What .lre thefe things, which have thisSpiritttal Staymg, Comfortmg Vmn• for the Sotll, as Winr and Apples have fort~ Qllimal Spirits? As to this Interpreters flrangely abound in their fenfes. Grtgory unde~fiands rhe more and lr{s perfiq Chri[lia>JI\ BerJtard, thejrnzt ' of Farth and good "'ork.f. But cerratnly they did not duly confider that the Spoufe here is not fpeaking to her beloved, who indeed could thus llay and comfort her; but to the Daughters of 'lerufalem, who could not do it other wire than by their good example. O~r own Annot•torJ thrrefore and the Dt<tcb A11nctators, Pifcator, ArH[worth, &c. do. better expound it of the promi{ts of ihe Gojprl, or ~he Do{Jrm~J of I(; ~r ( as the Dt<tch exprefiy ) of the holy Scrrptu_m wht<fl contatn both p,.,mifos and prtc~ptn and born ufefulln the cafe. The CQ/dee I'arapbrJljl expocnds it of rhe Doe-p trilltt |