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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1710)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>S O N G O F S O L O M O N.</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. III.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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In this chapter,
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I. The church gives an account of a sore trial wherewith she was
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exercised through the withdrawing of her beloved from her, the pains
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she was at before she recovered the comfortable sense of his favour
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again, and the resolution she took, when she did recover it, not to
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lose it again, as she had done through her own carelessness,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:1-5">ver. 1-5</A>.
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II. The daughters of Jerusalem admire the excellencies of the church,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:6">ver. 6</A>.
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III. The church admires Jesus Christ under the person of Solomon, his
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bed, and the life-guards about it
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:7,8">ver. 7, 8</A>),
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his chariot,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:9,10">ver. 9, 10</A></A>.
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She calls upon the daughters of Zion, who were admiring her, to admire
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him rather, especially as he appeared on his coronation day and the day
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of his nuptials,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:11">ver. 11</A>.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="So3_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="So3_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="So3_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="So3_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="So3_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Love of the Church to Christ.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought
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him, but I found him not.
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2 I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in
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the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him,
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but I found him not.
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3 The watchmen that go about the city found me: <I>to whom I
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said,</I> Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
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4 <I>It was</I> but a little that I passed from them, but I found
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him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go,
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until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the
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chamber of her that conceived me.
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5 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and
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by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake <I>my</I>
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love, till he please.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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God is not wont to say to the seed of Jacob, <I>Seek you me in
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vain;</I> and yet here we have the spouse for a great while seeking her
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beloved in vain, but finding him at last, to her unspeakable
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satisfaction. It was hard to the Old-Testament church to find Christ in
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the ceremonial law, and the types and figures which then were <I>of
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good things to come.</I> Long was the consolation of Israel looked for
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before it came. The watchman of that church gave little assistance to
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those who enquired after him; but at length Simeon had <I>him</I> in
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his arms <I>whom his soul loved.</I> It is applicable to the case of
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particular believers, who often walk in darkness a great while, but
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<I>at even time it shall be light,</I> and those that seek Christ to
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the end shall find him at length. Observe,</P>
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<P>
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I. How the spouse sought him in vain <I>upon her bed</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>);
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when she was up and looking about her, grace in act and exercise,
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though her beloved was withdrawn, yet she could see him at a distance
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+2:8"><I>ch.</I> ii. 8</A>),
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but now it was otherwise. She still continued her affection to him,
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still it was <I>he whom her soul loved,</I> that bond of the covenant
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still continued firm. "<I>Though he slay me, I will trust in him;</I>
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though he leave me, I will love him. When I have him not in my arms, I
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have him in my heart." But she wanted the communion she used to have
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with him, as David when he <I>thirsted for God, for the living God.</I>
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She sought him, but,
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1. It was <I>by night on her bed;</I> it was late and lazy seeking. Her
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understanding was clouded; it was by night, in the dark. Her affections
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were chilled, it was on her bed half asleep. The wise virgins
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slumbered in the absence of the bridegroom. It was a dark time with the
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believer; she saw not her signs, and yet she sought them. Those whose
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souls love Jesus Christ will continue to seek him even in silence and
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solitude: their <I>reins</I> instruct them to do so, even <I>in the
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night season.</I>
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2. She failed in her endeavour. Sometimes he is <I>found of those that
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seek him not</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+65:1">Isa. lxv. 1</A>),
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but here he is not found of one that sought him, either for punishment
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of her corruptions, her slothfulness and security (we miss of comfort
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because we do not seek it aright), or for the exercises of grace, her
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faith and patience, to try whether she will continue seeking. The woman
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of Canaan sought Christ, and found him not at first, that she might
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find him, at length, so much the more to her honour and comfort.</P>
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<P>
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II. How she had sought him in vain abroad,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>.
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She had made trial of secret worship, and had gone through the duties
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of the closet, had remembered him on her bed and meditated on him in
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the <I>night-watches</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+63:6">Ps. lxiii. 6</A>),
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but she did not meet with comfort. <I>My sore ran in the night,</I>
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and then <I>I remembered God and was troubled,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+77:2,3">Ps. lxxvii. 2, 3</A>.
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And yet she is not driven off by the disappointment from the use of
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further means; she resolves, "<I>I will rise now;</I> I will not lie
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here if I cannot find my beloved here, nor be content if he be
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withdrawn. <I>I will rise now</I> without delay, and seek him
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immediately, lest he withdraw further from me." Those that would seek
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Christ so as to find him must lose no time. "<I>I will rise</I> out of
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a warm bed, and go out in a cold dark night, in quest of my beloved."
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Those that see Christ must not startle at difficulties. "<I>I will
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rise, and go about the city,</I> the holy city, in the streets, and the
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broad-ways;" for she knew he was not to be found in any blind by-ways.
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We must seek in the city, in Jerusalem, which was a type of the
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gospel-church. The likeliest place to find Christ is in the temple
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+2:46">Luke ii. 46</A>),
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in the streets of the gospel-church, in holy ordinances, where the
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children of Zion pass and repass at all hours. She had a good purpose
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when she said, <I>I will arise now,</I> but the good performance was
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all in all. She arose, and <I>sought him</I> (those that are in pursuit
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of Christ, the knowledge of him and communion with him, must turn every
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stone, seek every where), and yet she <I>found him not;</I> she was
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still unsatisfied, uneasy, as Job, when he looked on all sides, but
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could not perceive any tokens of the divine favour
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+23:8,9">Job xxiii. 8, 9</A>),
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and the Psalmist often, when he complained that God hid his face from
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him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+88:14">Ps. lxxxviii. 14</A>.
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We may be in the way of our duty and yet may miss the comfort, for
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<I>the wind bloweth where it listeth.</I> How heavy is the accent on
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this repeated complaint: <I>I sought him, but I found him not!</I> like
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that of Mary Magdalen, <I>They have taken away my Lord, and I know not
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where they have laid him,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+20:13">John xx. 13</A>.</P>
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<P>
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III. How she enquired of the watchmen concerning him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>.
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In the night the watchmen <I>go about the city,</I> for the
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preservation of its peace and safety, to guide and assist the honest
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and quiet, as well as to be a check upon those that are disorderly;
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these met her in her walks, and she asked them if they could give her
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any tidings of her beloved. In the streets and broad-ways of Jerusalem
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she might meet with enough to divert her from her pursuit and to
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entertain her, though she could not meet her beloved; but she regards
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none in comparison with him. Gracious souls press through crowds of
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other delights and contentments in pursuit of Christ, whom they prefer
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before their chief joy. Mary Magdalen sees angels in the sepulchre, but
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that will not do unless she see Jesus. <I>Saw you him whom my soul
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loveth?</I> Note, We must evince the sincerity of our love to Christ by
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our solicitous enquiries after him. <I>The children of the
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bride-chamber will mourn when the bridegroom is taken away</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+9:15">Matt. ix. 15</A>),
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especially for the sin which provoked him to withdraw; and, if we do
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so, we shall be in care to recover the sense of his favour and diligent
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and constant in the use of proper means in order thereunto. We must
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search the scriptures, be much in prayer, keep close to ordinances, and
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all with this upon our heart, <I>Saw you him whom my soul loveth?</I>
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Those only who have seen Christ themselves are likely to direct others
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to a sight of him. When the Greeks came to worship at the feast they
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applied to Philip, with such an address as this of the spouse to the
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watchmen, <I>Sir, we would see Jesus,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+12:21">John xii. 21</A>.</P>
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<P>
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IV. How she found him at last,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>.
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She <I>passed from</I> the watchmen as soon as she perceived they could
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give her no tidings of her beloved; she would not stay with them,
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because he was not among them, but went on seeking, for (as Ainsworth
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observes) the society neither of brethren, nor of the church, nor of
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ministers, can comfort the afflicted conscience unless Christ himself
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be apprehended by faith. But soon after she parted from the watchmen
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she found him whom she sought, and then called him <I>him whom my soul
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loveth,</I> with as much delight as before with desire. Note, Those
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that continue seeking Christ shall find him at last, and when perhaps
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they were almost ready to despair of finding him. See
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+42:7,8,77:9,10,Isa+54:7,8">Ps. xlii. 7, 8; lxxvii. 9, 10; Isa. liv. 7, 8</A>.
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Disappointments must not drive us away from gracious pursuits. Hold
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out, faith and patience; <I>the vision is for an appointed time,</I>
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and, though the watchman can give us no account of it, <I>at the
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end</I> it shall itself <I>speak and not lie;</I> and the comfort that
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comes in after long waiting, in the use of means, will be so much the
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sweeter at last.</P>
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<P>
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V. How close she kept to him when she had found him. She is now as much
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in fear of losing him as before she was in care to find him: <I>I held
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him,</I> held him fast, as the women, when they met with Christ after
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his resurrection, <I>held him by the feet, and worshipped him,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+28:9">Matt. xxviii. 9</A>.
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"<I>I would not let him go.</I> Not only, I would never do any thing to
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provoke him to depart, but I would by faith and prayer prevail with him
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to stay, and by the exercise of grace preserve inward peace." Those
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that know how hard comfort is come by, and how dearly it is bought,
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will be afraid of forfeiting it and playing it away, and will think
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nothing too much to do to keep it safe. <I>Non minor est virtus quam
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quærere parta tueri</I>--<I>As much is implied in securing our
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acquisitions as in making them.</I> Those that have laid hold on wisdom
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must <I>retain her,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+3:18">Prov. iii. 18</A>.
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Those that hold Christ fast in the arms of faith and love shall <I>not
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let him go;</I> he will abide with them.</P>
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<P>
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VI. How desirous she was to make others acquainted with him: "<I>I
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brought him to my mother's house,</I> that all my relations, all who
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are dear to me, might have the benefit of communion with him." When
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Zaccheus found Christ, or rather was found of him, <I>salvation came to
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his house,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+19:9">Luke xix. 9</A>.
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Wherever we find Christ we must take him home with us to our houses,
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especially to our hearts. The church is our mother, and we should be
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concerned for her interests, that she may have Christ present with her
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and be earnest in prayer for his presence with his people and ministers
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always. Those that enjoy the tokens of Christ's favour to their own
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souls should desire that the church, and all religious assemblies in
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their public capacity, might likewise enjoy the tokens of his
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favour.</P>
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<P>
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VII. What care she was in that no disturbance might be given him
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>);
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she repeats the charge she had before given
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+2:7"><I>ch.</I> ii. 7</A>)
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to the <I>daughters of Jerusalem</I> not to <I>stir up or awake her
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love.</I> When she <I>had brought him into her mother's house,</I>
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among her sisters, she gives them a strict charge to keep all quiet and
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in good order, to be very observant of him, careful to please him, and
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afraid of offending him. The charge given to the church in the
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wilderness concerning the angel of the covenant, who was among them,
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explains this.
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+23:21">Exod. xxiii. 21</A>,
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<I>Beware of him and obey his voice;</I> <I>provoke him not.</I> See
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that none of you stir out of your places, lest you disturb him, but
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<I>with quietness work and mind your own business;</I> make no noise;
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let all <I>clamour and bitterness be put</I> far <I>from you,</I> for
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that <I>grieves the Holy Spirit of God,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eph+4:30,31">Eph. iv. 30, 31</A>.
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Some make this to be Christ's charge to the <I>daughters of
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Jerusalem</I> not to disturb or disquiet his church, nor trouble the
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minds of the disciples; for Christ is very tender of the peace of his
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church, and all the members of it, even the little ones; and those that
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trouble them <I>shall bear their judgment,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ga+5:10">Gal. v. 10</A>.</P>
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<A NAME="So3_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Love of the Church to Christ.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>6 Who <I>is</I> this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars
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of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders
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of the merchant?
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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These are the words of the <I>daughters of Jerusalem,</I> to whom the
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charge was given,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>.
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They had looked shily upon the bride because she was black
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+1:6"><I>ch.</I> i. 6</A>);
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but now they admire her, and speak of her with great respect: <I>Who is
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this?</I> How beautiful she looks! Who would have expected such a
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comely and magnificent person to <I>come out of the wilderness?</I> As,
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when Christ rode in triumph into Jerusalem, they said, <I>Who is
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this?</I> And of the accession of strangers to the church she herself
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says, with wonder
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+49:21">Isa. xlix. 21</A>),
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<I>Who has begotten me these?</I>
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1. This is applicable to the Jewish church, when, after forty years'
|
|
wandering in the wilderness, they came out of it, to take a glorious
|
|
possession of the land of promise; and this may very well be
|
|
illustrated by what Balaam said of them at that time, when they
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ascended <I>out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke,</I> and he
|
|
stood admiring them: <I>From the top of the rocks I see him. How goodly
|
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are thy tents, O Jacob!</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Nu+23:9,24:5">Num. xxiii. 9; xxiv. 5</A>.
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2. It is applicable to any public deliverance of the church of God, as
|
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particularly of Babylon, the Old-Testament and the New-Testament
|
|
Babylon; then the church is <I>like pillars of smoke,</I> ascending
|
|
upwards in devout affections, the incense of praise, from which, as
|
|
from Noah's sacrifice, God <I>smells a sweet savour;</I> then she is
|
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amiable in the eyes of her friends, and her enemies too cannot but have
|
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a veneration for her, and <I>worship at her feet, knowing that God has
|
|
loved her,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+3:9">Rev. iii. 9</A>.
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Sometimes the <I>fear of the Jews</I> was upon their neighbours, when
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they saw that <I>God was with them of a truth,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Es+8:17">Esth. viii. 17</A>.
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3. It is applicable to the recovery of a gracious soul out of a state
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of desertion and despondency.
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(1.) She ascends <I>out of the wilderness,</I> the dry and barren land,
|
|
where there is <I>no way,</I> where there is <I>no water,</I> where
|
|
travellers are still in want and ever at a loss; here a poor soul may
|
|
long be left to wander, but shall come up, at last, under the conduct
|
|
of the Comforter.
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|
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(2.) She comes up <I>like pillars of smoke,</I> like a cloud of incense
|
|
ascending from the altar or the smoke of the burnt-offerings. This
|
|
intimates a fire of pious and devout affections in the soul, whence
|
|
this smoke arises, and the mounting of the soul heaven-ward in this
|
|
smoke (as
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jdg+13:20">Judges xiii. 20</A>),
|
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|
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the heart lifted up to God in the heavens, <I>as the sparks fly
|
|
upward.</I> Christ's return to the soul gives life to its devotion, and
|
|
its communion with God is most reviving when it ascends <I>out of a
|
|
wilderness.</I>
|
|
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(3.) She is <I>perfumed with myrrh and frankincense.</I> She is
|
|
replenished with the graces of God's Spirit, which are as sweet spices,
|
|
or as the holy incense, which, being now kindled by his gracious
|
|
returns, sends forth a very fragrant smell. Her devotions being now
|
|
peculiarly lively, she is not only acceptable to God, but amiable in
|
|
the eyes of others also, who are ready to cry out with admiration,
|
|
<I>Who is this?</I> What a monument of mercy is this! The graces and
|
|
comforts with which she is <I>perfumed</I> are called the <I>powders of
|
|
the merchant,</I> for they are far-fetched and dear-bought, by our Lord
|
|
Jesus, that blessed merchant, who took a long voyage, and was at vast
|
|
expense, no less than that of his own blood, to purchase them for us.
|
|
They are not the products of our own soil, nor the growth of our own
|
|
country; no, they are imported from the heavenly Canaan, the better
|
|
country.</P>
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|
<A NAME="So3_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="So3_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="So3_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="So3_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="So3_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Love of the Church to Christ.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>7 Behold his bed, which <I>is</I> Solomon's; threescore valiant men
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<I>are</I> about it, of the valiant of Israel.
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8 They all hold swords, <I>being</I> expert in war: every man <I>hath</I>
|
|
his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.
|
|
9 King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.
|
|
10 He made the pillars thereof <I>of</I> silver, the bottom thereof
|
|
<I>of</I> gold, the covering of it <I>of</I> purple, the midst thereof
|
|
being paved <I>with</I> love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.
|
|
11 Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon
|
|
with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his
|
|
espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
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|
<I>The daughters of Jerusalem</I> stood admiring the spouse and
|
|
commending her, but she overlooks their praises, is not puffed up with
|
|
them, but transfers all the glory to Christ, and directs them to look
|
|
off from her to him, recommends him to their esteem, and sets herself
|
|
to applaud him. Here he is three times called <I>Solomon,</I> and we
|
|
have that name but three times besides in all this song,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+1:5,8:11,12"><I>ch.</I> i. 5; viii. 11, 12</A>.
|
|
|
|
It is Christ that is here meant, who is greater than Solomon, and of
|
|
whom Solomon was an illustrious type for his wisdom and wealth, and
|
|
especially his building the temple.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Three things she admires him for:--</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. The safety of his bed
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>Behold his bed,</I> even <I>Solomon's,</I> very rich and fine; for
|
|
such <I>the curtains of Solomon</I> were. <I>His bed, which is above
|
|
Solomon's,</I> so some read it. Christ's bed, though he had <I>not
|
|
where to lay his head,</I> is better than Solomon's best bed. The
|
|
church is his bed, for he has said of it. <I>This is my rest for
|
|
ever;</I> <I>here will I dwell.</I> The hearts of believers are his
|
|
bed, for he lies all night between their breasts,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eph+3:17">Eph. iii. 17</A>.
|
|
|
|
Heaven is his bed, the rest into which he entered when he had done his
|
|
work. Or it may be meant of the sweet repose and satisfaction which
|
|
gracious souls enjoy in communion with him; it is called <I>his
|
|
bed,</I> because, though we are admitted to it, and therefore it is
|
|
called <I>our bed</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+1:16"><I>ch.</I> i. 16</A>),
|
|
|
|
yet it is his peace that is our rest,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+14:27">John xiv. 27</A>.
|
|
|
|
<I>I will give you rest,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+11:28">Matt. xi. 28</A>.
|
|
|
|
It <I>is Solomon's bed,</I> whose name signifies <I>peace,</I> because
|
|
in his days Judah and Israel <I>dwelt safely under their vines and
|
|
fig-trees.</I> That which she admires his bed for is the guard that
|
|
surrounded it. Those that rest in Christ not only dwell at ease (many
|
|
do so who yet are in the greatest danger) but they dwell in safety.
|
|
Their holy serenity is under the protection of a holy security. This
|
|
bed had <I>threescore valiant men about it,</I> as yeomen of the guard,
|
|
or the band of gentlemen-pensioners; they are <I>of the valiant of
|
|
Israel,</I> and a great many bold and brave men David's reign had
|
|
produced. The life-guard men are well armed: <I>They all hold
|
|
swords,</I> and know how to hold them; they are <I>expert in war,</I>
|
|
well skilled in all the arts of it. They are posted about the bed at a
|
|
convenient distance. They are in a posture of defence, <I>every
|
|
man</I> with <I>his sword upon his thigh</I> and his hand upon his
|
|
sword, ready to draw upon the first alarm, and this <I>because of fear
|
|
in the night,</I> because of the danger feared; for the lives of
|
|
princes, even the wisest and best, as they are more precious, so they
|
|
are more exposed, and require to be more guarded than the lives of
|
|
common persons. Or, <I>because of the fear</I> of it, and the
|
|
apprehension which the spouse may have of danger, these guards are set
|
|
for her satisfaction, that she may be <I>quiet from the fear of
|
|
evil,</I> which believers themselves are subject to, especially <I>in
|
|
the night,</I> when they are under a cloud as to their spiritual state,
|
|
or in any outward trouble more than ordinary. Christ himself was under
|
|
the special protection of his Father in his whole undertaking. <I>In
|
|
the shadow of his hand he hid me</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+49:2">Isa. xlix. 2</A>);
|
|
|
|
he had legions of angels at his command. The church is well guarded;
|
|
more are with her than against her. Lest any hurt this vineyard, God
|
|
himself <I>keeps it night and day</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+27:2,3">Isa. xxvii. 2, 3</A>);
|
|
|
|
particular believers, when they repose themselves in Christ and with
|
|
him, though it may be night-time with them, and they may have their
|
|
<I>fears in the night,</I> and yet safe, as safe as Solomon himself in
|
|
the midst of his guards; the angels have a charge concerning them,
|
|
ministers are appointed to <I>watch for their souls,</I> and
|
|
<I>they</I> ought to be <I>valiant</I> men, <I>expert in</I> the
|
|
spiritual warfare, holding <I>the sword of the Spirit, which is the
|
|
word of God,</I> and having that girt <I>upon their thigh,</I> always
|
|
ready to them for the silencing <I>of the fears</I> of God's people
|
|
<I>in the night.</I> All the attributes of God are engaged for the
|
|
safety of believers; they are kept as in a strong-hold by his power
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Pe+1:5">1 Pet. i. 5</A>),
|
|
|
|
are safe in <I>his name</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+18:10">Prov. xviii. 10</A>),
|
|
|
|
his peace protects those in whom it rules
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Php+4:7">Phil. iv. 7</A>),
|
|
|
|
and the effect of righteousness in them is <I>quietness</I> and
|
|
<I>assurance,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+32:17">Isa. xxxii. 17</A>.
|
|
|
|
Our danger is from <I>the rulers of the darkness of this world,</I> but
|
|
we are safe in the <I>armour of light.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. The splendour of his chariot,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:9,10"><I>v.</I> 9, 10</A>.
|
|
|
|
As Christ and believers rest in safety under a sufficient guard, so
|
|
when they appear publicly, as kings in their coaches of state, they
|
|
appear in great magnificence. This chariot was of Solomon's own
|
|
contriving and making, the materials very rich, <I>silver,</I> and
|
|
<I>gold,</I> and <I>cedar,</I> and <I>purple.</I> He made it for
|
|
himself, and yet made it <I>for the daughters of Jerusalem,</I> to
|
|
oblige them. Some by this <I>chariot,</I> or <I>coach,</I> or
|
|
<I>chaise</I> (the word is nowhere else used in scripture), understand
|
|
the human nature of Christ, in which the divine nature rode as in an
|
|
open chariot. It was a divine workmanship (<I>A body hast thou prepared
|
|
me</I>); the structure was very fine, but that which was at the bottom
|
|
of it was love, pure love to the children of men. Others make it to
|
|
represent the everlasting gospel, in which, as in an open chariot,
|
|
Christ shows himself, and as in a chariot of war rides forth
|
|
triumphantly, <I>conquering and to conquer. The pillars,</I> the seven
|
|
pillars
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+9:1">Prov. ix. 1</A>),
|
|
|
|
are of <I>silver,</I> for the words of the Lord are <I>as silver
|
|
tried</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+12:6">Ps. xii. 6</A>),
|
|
|
|
nay, they are better <I>than thousands of gold and silver.</I> It is
|
|
hung with <I>purple,</I> a princely colour; all the adornings of it are
|
|
dyed in the precious blood of Christ, and that gives them this colour.
|
|
But that which completes the glory of it is <I>love;</I> <I>it is paved
|
|
with love,</I> it is lined with love, not love of strangers, as
|
|
Solomon's was in the days of his defection, but <I>love</I> of <I>the
|
|
daughters of Jerusalem,</I> a holy <I>love.</I> Silver is better than
|
|
cedar, gold than silver, but love is better than gold, better than all,
|
|
and it is put last, for nothing can be better than that. The gospel is
|
|
all <I>love.</I> Mr. Durham applies it to the covenant of redemption,
|
|
the way of our salvation, as it is contrived in the eternal counsel of
|
|
God, and manifested to us in the scriptures. This is that work of
|
|
Christ himself wherein the glory of his grace and love to sinners most
|
|
eminently appears, and which makes him amiable and admirable in the
|
|
eyes of believers. In this covenant love is conveyed to them, and they
|
|
are carried in it to the perfection of love, and, as it were, ride in
|
|
triumph. It is admirably framed and contrived, both for the glory of
|
|
Christ and for the comfort of believers. It is <I>well ordered in all
|
|
things, and sure</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+23:5">2 Sam. xxiii. 5</A>);
|
|
|
|
it has <I>pillars</I> that cannot be shaken, it is <I>made of the wood
|
|
of Lebanon,</I> which can never rot; the basis of it is <I>gold,</I>
|
|
the most lasting metal; the blood of the covenant, that rich
|
|
<I>purple,</I> is the cover of this chariot, by which believers are
|
|
sheltered from the wind and storms of divine wrath, and the troubles of
|
|
this world; but the midst of it, and that which is all in all in it, is
|
|
<I>love,</I> that <I>love of Christ which surpasses knowledge</I> and
|
|
the dimensions of which are immeasurable.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. The lustre of his royal person, when he appears in his greatest
|
|
pomp,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=So+3:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>.
|
|
|
|
Here observe,</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
1. The call that is given to the <I>daughters of Zion</I> to acquaint
|
|
themselves with the glories of <I>king Solomon: Go forth, and
|
|
behold</I> him. The multitude of the spectators adds to the beauty of a
|
|
splendid cavalcade. Christ, in his gospel, manifests himself. Let each
|
|
of us add to the number of those that give honour to him, by giving
|
|
themselves the satisfaction of looking upon him. Who should pay
|
|
respects to Zion's king but Zion's daughters? They have reason to
|
|
rejoice greatly when he comes,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+9:9">Zec. ix. 9</A>.
|
|
|
|
(1.) <I>Behold him</I> then. Look with pleasure upon Christ in his
|
|
glory. Look upon him with an eye of faith, with a fixed eye. Here is a
|
|
sight worth seeing; <I>behold,</I> and admire him, <I>behold,</I> and
|
|
love him; look upon him, and know him again.
|
|
|
|
(2.) <I>Go forth and behold</I> him; go off from the world, as those
|
|
that see no beauty and excellency in it in comparison with what is to
|
|
be seen in the Lord Jesus. Go out of yourselves, and let the light of
|
|
his transcendent beauty put you out of conceit with yourselves. <I>Go
|
|
forth</I> to the place where he is to be seen, to the street through
|
|
which he passes, as Zaccheus.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
2. The direction that is given them to take special notice of that
|
|
which they would not see every day, and that was his <I>crown,</I>
|
|
either the crown of gold, adorned with jewels, which he wore on his
|
|
coronation-day (Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, though she did not procure
|
|
that for him, yet, by her seasonable interposal, she helped to secure
|
|
it to him when Adonijah was catching at it), or the garland or crown of
|
|
flowers and green tied with ribbons which his mother made for him, to
|
|
adorn the solemnity of his nuptials. Perhaps Solomon's coronation day
|
|
was his marriage-day, <I>the day of his espousals,</I> when the garland
|
|
his mother crowned him with was added to the crown his people crowned
|
|
him with. Applying this to Christ, it speaks,
|
|
|
|
(1.) The many honours put upon him, and the power and dominion he is
|
|
entrusted with: <I>Go forth,</I> and see king Jesus, <I>with the crown
|
|
wherewith his</I> Father <I>crowned him,</I> when he declared him his
|
|
<I>beloved Son, in whom</I> he was <I>well-pleased,</I> when he <I>set
|
|
him as King upon his holy hill of Zion,</I> when he advanced him to his
|
|
own right hand, and invested him with a sovereign authority, both <I>in
|
|
heaven and in earth,</I> and <I>put all things under his feet.</I>
|
|
|
|
(2.) The dishonour put upon him by his persecutors. Some apply it to
|
|
the <I>crown of thorns</I> with which <I>his mother,</I> the Jewish
|
|
church, <I>crowned him</I> on the day of his death, which was <I>the
|
|
day of his espousals</I> to his church, when he <I>loved it, and gave
|
|
himself for it</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eph+5:25">Eph. v. 25</A>);
|
|
|
|
and it is observable that when he was <I>brought forth wearing the
|
|
crown of thorns Pilate said,</I> and said it to the <I>daughters of
|
|
Zion, Behold the man.</I>
|
|
|
|
(3.) It seems especially to mean the honour done him by his church, as
|
|
his mother, and by all true believers, in whose hearts he is formed,
|
|
and of whom he has said, <I>These are my mother, my sister, and
|
|
brother,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+12:50">Matt. xii. 50</A>.
|
|
|
|
They give him the glory of his undertaking; to him is glory <I>in the
|
|
church,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eph+3:21">Eph. iii. 21</A>.
|
|
|
|
When believers accept of him as theirs, and join themselves to him in
|
|
an everlasting covenant,
|
|
|
|
[1.] It is his coronation-day in their souls. Before conversion they
|
|
were crowning themselves, but then they begin to crown Christ, and
|
|
continue to do so from that day forward. They appointed him their head;
|
|
they bring <I>every thought into obedience to</I> him; they set up his
|
|
throne in their hearts, and cast all their crowns at his feet.
|
|
|
|
[2.] It is <I>the day of his espousals,</I> in which he betroths them
|
|
to him for ever in lovingkindness and in mercies, joins them to himself
|
|
in faith and love, and gives himself to them in the promises and all he
|
|
has, to be theirs. <I>Thou shalt not be for another, so will I also be
|
|
for thee,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ho+3:3">Hos. iii. 3</A>.
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And to him they are presented as <I>chaste virgins.</I>
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[3.] It is <I>the day of the gladness of his heart;</I> he is pleased
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with the honour that his people do him, pleased with the progress of
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his interest among them. Does <I>Satan fall</I> before them? <I>In that
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hour Jesus rejoices in spirit,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+10:18,21">Luke x. 18, 21</A>.
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There is joy in heaven over repenting sinners; the family is glad when
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the prodigal son returns. <I>Go forth and behold</I> Christ's grace
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toward sinners, as his <I>crown,</I> his brightest glory.</P>
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