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Show Cant.-2. v. 10, ~>~, 12, •S· M'!· btiftltd [pak! and fud unto me, rife H/' my Love, "!Y fair one 4 nd cvme away ; f or lo the Winter it paft , the Ra~n tt over' and gone. :-'[he Flower~ appear bH _the Earth, tbe."me of the Singing Bir.dt it .come, and the '"'"of the 'Iurtl'. II heard tit·. .. Jmr Land. 'Ihe Fig-tree· puttet/J fort/; htr gmn-Frgt, ~nd the Vinet wit.b the tender Graper · ~pe a good [tneU. Ar.ifi myl.uuei my fair one, an4 corQe awal·· ' I .P~t ~-hefe four verfestogether,becaufe n~ving tlie fame begin-ning a11d enqing,thty.plaioly appear to malic but one and the , fame intire fcnfe. T,he.fid\ words let you know, that they (as .to the molt par.t of them) ar_e.the Spoufes repeti_tion of the words of Ch1 ifi. As to the fotm of his wotds, they plamly appear an exhprtation, in wht.h you ruay confider:_ 1 ; T-hnit!u .w-hich. b.et beloved g~ves. her •• My ·Love, my fair · OHt. t f ' 2. The tbingt to which he ~Us or.,exh'orts·her : Arife, come a- IO'ay. 0, <Jhe argumenlt by which he tJtoveth, or per[wadeth ber. They are reducible to thefe two heads. 1 • HfT imptdimenlt were removfd ; this is fee out u~der thefe Metaphorical exprelfions: 1be winter is pa(l, the Ram 11 over and gonr; . • · . • h Th.. • li 2 , AUtbing,l were pr.t[mt·whlch m1ght rnvtte er. IS !s et.out in thofe other, Metaphorical exptelfions, fettlog out a fpnng-t1me. The budding of flor!'eTJ, the jinging of birds and lurtlet; the plantt bringmg forti> fruit, <Jbe Fig-tree and t!Je vzne : for the underflandrng'- of my T ext we mull inquire, . . . r. What thut motion is to .,.hich here Chrt!f exhmr hu Spoufe , under thcfe terms A rife, come aw•y. ;· 2. Wbattbat time or }fate it, which is cxprdfed· under the notl· on.ofWmter and a time of. rain. . • ---- 3. What that time or flate i<, that is here reprefented to us under the notion of the time wben the fowm 4Jptar, the Birds fmg, the voice ofthot~rtl< uheard, the Fig-tree blo.!Jometh, and theVmufend rF· orth ten.d er •• r~•er which gives a good fmell: as to the firfi, r r. 1Ph•t T~ wh11t 111otion the Spoufe iJ C4lled. r. What it that motion, tt wbicb here Cbrift rxbortr bir Spoufl, either the Churc~ or the believing Soul, under the Notion of, A rife and eomt 6f'lay. 1. The term Arife, relat-es eithct to fitting or ()ling pro[lrate; 1(Ve muft therefore fuppofe th~poufe,eithet eafl down or at I taO Jet down and hindred from the enJoyments of her btloved as at former r'imes. The Spoufe fometimcs fits downs by a carelefs fecurity through her own default not enjoying that communion with h;r beloved which fue might 'ffr ought to do ; and when fhe is io that fit of Cecurity it is Chrifl that muft quicken her, accord ·ing to that of the Apoftle, Awake thou that jleepefo, arife an~ ftand up frvm the dead, and Chrt(/' jh;U gwetbe ltgh~ ; and of tim Ainfworth underftands the Tcxf. The fenfe whtch Bernard of old put upon it, is not much differing : It is, faith he, Stimrdati• charrtatil folicitantit fratrum folt~tem Lmulari. A quickening up ofChriflian Charity in us, in relation to the faivation of our Brethren. We may fay it is an exhortation of theSpoufe,qtlickening her up co the exercife of all berGraces,as t<YWhich fue had been afleep, and in the exercife of them hindred, by fame temptations, deCer· cions or the like. Thus the voice of her belov.ed was to this fenfe. My Love ! "!Y Spoufe! thou ha[l been for {orne time duU and dtad, and heavy in the exercife •f tby Grace; thou hajf bmt hindmJ. through thy owH corruption, throt~gh S ata111 temptatlOnr: through my ~bfence from thee; b11t HOW Arife. 2. Othets interpret it concerning a ftate of perfecutiDII, and •utwardajJiillionr, thus the learned Mercer: Jam {ati< te domi contin~~:ifti, et ob vim per[equutionumlatitajfi.7arn libertar tibi r.{fituta eft,JigHa jam fa/uti< undiq; apparent : id quod per figna Vtri< qttL fob jungit inteUigttur. Potu in publicum prodire, in propatulo comparere, nihil ·j•m adverfariorum mine et opprtf!ionu timende.He paralels theTexc with that, Ifa.26.2o. Come my people, enter into thy Ch.,.berJ;~n.! hide thy feiffo~ a little mommt.The time ofPcrlecution,is a neeping tili1e to the Spoufe of Chrifl; a time when the is as one in bed, in the fecret chambers of divine Providence. To this fenfe the Caldee P>raph. applies it, interpreth>g 'it with relation to the bondage of· the Je"'' in 'Egypt. According to this Interpretation the fenCe is this : My Love, my fait one! thou hafYbeen a long time caft down, and under the power of thine enemies; thou haft lien amongft the pots long enough: Now the time of darknefs is · over with thee, I have rcflorcd thy Liberty, thou mayeft now 'K k ' come 249 |