Song of Solomon 5

The flowers in the garden die, but a man's portion remains: So outward things die and change, but (Psalm 73:26) you are the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. 2. In case of sadness of spirit, when God seems to cast off the soul in dejection (Song of Solomon 5:6), "My…

She that is in love, will commend her lover. The love-sick spouse extols Christ, she makes a panegyrical oration of his worth, that she might persuade others to be in love with him (Song of Solomon 5:11). His head is as the most fine gold.

Thus let us be as doves for sanctity, cleansing ourselves from all pollution both of flesh and spirit (2 Corinthians 7:1). Christ's dove is pure (Song of Solomon 5:2): "My dove, my undefiled." Let us keep pure among dregs.

When the light is withdrawn, dew falls: yet we may see a rainbow in the cloud, the love of a Father in all this. 1. God hereby quickens grace; perhaps grace lay dormant (Song of Solomon 5:2), it was as fire in the embers, and God withdraws comfort to invigorate and exercise grac…

This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. Cant. 5. verse 1. I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse, I have gathered my Myrrhe with my spice, I have eaten my honey-combe with my honey, I have drunke my wine with my milke: eate, O friends, drinke…

As the neglect of holy duties in which God offered to draw near to us — as the sacraments, etc. So in Song of Solomon 5:4-7, Christ stood at the door and knocked, that is, moved the heart of the church there to pray or perform the like duty in which he is accustomed to come into…

Christians who do not enjoy communion with God, yet if they think they have not lost him are secure and lazy in prayer. But if they once apprehend that he is gone or that they are in danger of losing him, then they will seek him the world over until they find him (Song of Solomo…

Answer: This place favors not universal grace, for these at whose door Christ knocks are chosen which believe and are converted: and he knocks at their hearts, partly by his word, partly by afflictions, that he might stir up their languishing faith, and increase and confirm his…

Yes, and we must so follow Paul (as he followed Christ, 1 Corinthians 11:1) in reforming the abuses crept into the Church of Corinth, reducing all things to the first institution: with a what I received from the Lord, that I delivered to you (1 Corinthians 11:23). We condemne no…

When persons are generally uncompliant with such outward means as they cannot but acknowledge do contain warning from this, and invitation to another frame. So the Spouse acknowledges, that it was the voice of her beloved that knocked, saying, Open to me my Spouse, my Love, my D…

What resemblance there might be therein to the divine person of Christ, which sustained the humane nature in its duties, that Bread of Life which was provided for the Church, it may be is not easie to declare. Howbeit the Head of Christ is said to be as the most fine gold (Canti…

But what is the true believer's comfort here in this World, for the present, so far as he is, and acts like a believer, like himself? Answer: One main thing in which it lies, is this: namely, in what he can get and enjoy of God here: hence let his hopes stand never so fast, he c…

He sees so much of his heart that he dares not trust it. 2. A righteous man is wise to know Jesus Christ: the natural man hears of Christ by the hearing of the ear, but he does not know him (Song of Solomon 5:9). What is your beloved more than another beloved?

In one place thus (Canticles 4:8): Come away from Lebanon, my sister, my spouse, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of leopards: Christ's love is hot and burning, he thinketh we tarry too long from his embraces. So (Canticles 5:2) Open to me my sister, my spouse, &c. Chris…

His Turtle-dove, Psal. 74. 19. His Spouse, Cant. 5. 2. His Orchard of Pomgranates, Cant. 4. 13.

Nor do we 2. mean, that every common operation of the Spirit, whether illumination of the mind, or a touch on the affections (such as may be in temporaries and apostates, as is clear in Matthew 13:20-21; Hebrews 6:4 and downward) is conversion; there is a great difference betwee…

4. It's set out under the similitude of standing and knocking at a door, because the gospel brings Christ a knocking and calling hard at sinners' doors (Revelation 3:20), Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man will hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to h…

A seventh expression is, (2 Chronicles 30:8) where, when Hezekiah is writing to the degenerate tribes to come home again, he bids them, yield themselves to the Lord, in the original it is, give the hand to the Lord, even as two men who have been at odds and variance, or have bro…

For when we speak of love to Christ, it is not a pretext or apprehension of love, that will be taken for love, but such love as has these qualifications. First, if Christ be loved, He will be esteemed of, as the most excellent thing, or person, the most excellent bargain, the mo…

Let all mutinous thoughts about his dealings with you, be silenced with, It's the Lord; let not too much dwelling on the thoughts of your affliction, to the filling of your heart still with sorrow, incapacitate you for, nor divert you from, humble asking the Lord, what he aims a…

It's a heart of Flint and [reconstructed: Adamant], that spits at Evangelic love: Law-love is Love; Evangelic love is more than love, it's the Gold, the flower of Christ's wheat, and of his finest Love. Song of Solomon 5:6 — I rose up to open to my beloved, but my beloved had wi…

But it was not Scripture-light, but wild-fire; for the method of Christ's drawing in the Scripture is not Enthusiastical, up at secret election at first. There is no doubt we put Christ away from us after conversion (Song of Solomon 5:1), and that so Christ saves us against our…

1. When Christ cannot obtain and win the consent and good-liking of the sinner to his love, he ravishes, and with strong hand draws the sinner to himself, when invitations do not the business, and he knocks, and we will not open, then a more powerful work must follow. (Song of S…

(John 11:26): He that lives and believes in me, shall never die. 5. What greater reason than to hear this (Song of Solomon 5:2): Open to me, my sister, my dove, my love, my undefiled. And wisdom's voice is sweet (Proverbs 7:14): Hearken to me therefore, O you children, and atten…

Indeed, the Head over all things to the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23). The Chieftain of ten thousands, indeed, of all the Lord's millions, and hosts in heaven and earth (Song of Songs 5:10). When all the created expressi…

If a man be a husband, yet not a father, or a brother; but Christ is all: no one relation being sufficient to express his love, with which he loves and owns us. And therefore he calls his Church both Sister and Spouse (Song of Solomon 5:1). 3. He is the pattern and exemplar of a…

First, in our minds, we then indeed worship Christ, when we have him in high estimation. The worship, and honor that we owe to Christ, is to have him in high esteem (Song of Solomon 5:10). She, the Spouse there may well call him her beloved, Christ is my Christ, when he is to me…

Here the spiritual banquet does not always last, Heaven is a perpetual feast, but we must not look upon earth to be feasted always with spiritual suavities. There is no permanency, but perpetual vicissitudes in our enjoyments within time, we have clear and cloudy days in the wor…

He waits at the door of our hearts, and stands knocking to be let in (Revelation 3:20). Nay he calls to us standing without, Open to me my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is full of dew, and my locks with the drops of the night (Song of Solomon 5:2). Woe to y…

We may fully indulge our spiritual appetite after these holy pleasures. Christ will then say, as in Song of Solomon 5:1: 'Eat, O friends; drink, yes, drink abundantly, O beloved.' And this shall be our entertainment to all eternity!

2. All regenerating, quickening, sanctifying, assisting grace is his: 1. John 5:21: he quickens whom he pleases; he walks among dead souls, and says to whom he will, Live. And 2. he sanctifies by his Spirit whom he pleases (John 4:14); all the living waters of saving grace are c…

When God at any time draws nigh to a soul by his Spirit, in his word, with gracious words of peace and love, giving a sense of his kindness upon the heart by the Holy Ghost, so that it is filled with joy unspeakable and glorious thereon; for this soul, upon a temptation, a diver…

These it fills the mind with in many and various thoughts, still representing him more and more amiable and more desirable unto the soul. So does the Spouse upon the like occasion, as you may see at large, Song of Solomon 5:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. being at some loss for h…

Indeed, we should sing, for cheering our disposition, and mitigating and sweetening our crosses. So does the Bride here sing her sufferings (Song of Solomon 1:6; Song of Solomon 5:7) when she was smitten. Indeed, her desertions, she puts these also in a song.

Beside this, I say, this direction must take place in all times, whenever the Church has such a trial to wrestle with, otherwise it were not suitable to Christ's scope, nor commensurable with her need: Now for many hundreds of years the Church wanted Magistrates, to put this dir…

The scope shows, that it is a night of [reconstructed: desolation] she is under, through the want of Christ's presence whom she loves; His presence, who is the Sun of Righteousness with healing under his wings, makes the believer's day; and his absence, is their night, and makes…

2. As it respects believers, who are called Lilies (Song of Solomon 2:16, and 6:2) and so it says, 1. That all believers have one pasture, they feed together as a flock does. 2. That one believer loves and delights in the company of another, they are the excellent and the lilies…

8. It is sometimes useful to suspend explicit following of our own case, (especially when those who are present seem strangers to it) and to condescend to insist upon the case of others for their edification; thus does the Bride with the daughters. More particularly, in the word…

The second part of the commendation is to the same scope, The joints of your thighs, &c. It's the coupling and turnings of them, as the word bears; they are also useful in motion, and help the feet to stir, the same thing is intended as in (Song of Solomon 5:15) by his thighs or…

The third motive or reason (which depends on the former two) is, yet I should not be despised, or, they should not despise me: that is, although I found you without, and were seen kissing you, and by confident boldness delighting in you; yet, if you were familiar with me as my b…

They are cited as having authority, and not to get it; and therefore there are many scriptures in the Old Testament, which were never cited in the New: although it may be said, there are many near resemblances (at least) in the New Testament, to diverse passages in this Song; as…

Now if we will for instance, consider some such places as these, My beloved is mine, etc. I called, but he gave me no answer, they yield plain doctrines, as other plain Scriptures do: and therefore, seeing it's one continued Song, and each of these dark and plain places answer o…

Through your precepts I get understanding. This looking-glass of the Word clearly represents Christ: it sets him forth in his person, nature, offices, as most precious and eligible (Song of Solomon 5:16). He is altogether lovely; he is a wonder of beauty, a paradise of delight.

1. He suffered great poverty, so that he had not "where to lay his head," Matthew 8:20, and commonly used to lodge abroad in the open air, for want of a shelter to betake himself to; as you will see is manifest, if you compare the following places together, which I shall but nam…

Christ speaks and opens the Scriptures to them, and their hearts burn within them (Luke 24:32). Every word of Christ casts in a fiery coal of love: every sitting down under the apple-tree brings sweetness; he has influences by which he brings on love-sickness (Canticles 5:7, 8).…

3. To wait upon the flowings of the Spirit, which out of holy sovereignty comes in a larger measure, than is ordinary, as an high spring-tide; as my heart is confirmed or prepared, my heart is confirmed or prepared. Is 1. To welcome and adore the Lord in these high manifestation…

2. We often suffer the heart to cool and obey not the Spirit in his heavenly disposition, and let the fire die out, and the furnace cool. 3. It were good if we did not counter-work heavenly dispositions by refusing and shifting (Canticles 5:3) of God, and the actings of his Spir…

18. Of spiritual savouriness. Cant. 5. v. 8. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him that I am sick of love. 9. What is your beloved more than another beloved, O you fairest among women? what is your beloved more than another beloved, th…

And whatever be the kind; for even Christ had so much the more sorrow, at the withdrawing influences of the comforts that immediately flowed from the Godhead personally united, and this was Christ's hell in part; therefore we are to look upon desertions in the Song of Solomon as…

2. Because a natural heat in literal stirring does preparatively work upon the soul (though not by way of any Gospel-promise) to make it ready to receive an influence of believing. Moses his wondering at the bushes burning, and it was not consumed, made him draw near to see more…