Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_600.lzh/4_646.TXT

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stands, shewing his resentment of them, and in order
to demolish them, and get admittance: he is repre-
,sen ted here, as nearer than when she first saw him,
even at her very home. He Iooketh forth at the win-
dows; this is coming nearer still; for, by the manner
of the expression, it seems that he was within-doors,
since he is said, not to look through-the windows, but
to look forth at _them, meaning the ordinances; which
are that to the church as windows to a house, the
means of letting in light into the souls of men; and
where Christ shews himself, in his glory and beauty,
· as kings and great personages look out at windows to
shew themselves to their people: though Christ may
also be said to look in at, those windows, to observe
the behaviour of his people in his house and ordinances,
.with what attention, affection, faith, and reverence, they
wait upon him in them. Shewing hhnself through the
lattice; by which may be meant the same things, only
a larger and clearer discovery of Christ in them, of
which ordinances are the means; and yet, unless Christ
· shews himself throngh them, he cannot be seen in
them: and a belwid being prefixed to these gradual
discoveries of himself, shew them to be wonderful! a
.glance of him behind the wall is surprising; his look-
.rag in at the windows still more so; but his s.14ewing
himself, in all his glories and exceilencies, through the
lattice, is enough to throw into the greateast rapture,
to till with joy unspeakable and full of gldry ! Some
tender the wordflourishing{n}, like a rose or Iily, or like
· a vine, orjessamine; which grow up by a window or
lattice, and, seen through them, took very pleasant and
delightful. But the allusion is rather to the quick-
 sighted roe, or young hart; which, as it is remarkable
for its swiftness, referred to, ver. 8, so for the sharp-
ness of its sight; P!iny ° says it is never dim-sighted;
it has its name dorcas, in Greek, from its sight.
Ver. 10. My beloved spake, and said unto me, &c.]
Christ, the church's beloved, being so near her, she
could distinctly hear and understand what he spoke,
and relate the very words: or, he answered to me {p}; to
a secret petition, put up to him for a more ful{ enjoy-
merit of him; for there is mental as well as vocal
prayer, which Christ, as God omniscient, knows full
well, and gives answer to: ofthis may be an answer
to her petitions in ver. 5. and as some in vet. 6. how-
ever, Christ said something after related, that she well
knew he spake, and not ,-.nother, and to her in parti-
cular. What he said follows: rise up, my love, my
fair one, and come awa!/ ; the affectionate and endear-
ing titles of love and .fair one, have been met with and
explained, on oh. i. 5, 8, 9.- and are repeated to shew
his ardent love to her, notwithstanding the frame she
was in, which was very probably a slothful one, by
the exhortations given; and to remove her discourage-
ments, arising fro,n her present state; and to prevail
upon her to get up from her bed of carnal sloth and
seeurity, at least to shake off her indolence; and to
quit her seat and company, and go along with him, or
where he should direct, since it would be to her own
advantage: for the words may be rendered, rise ttpfor
thyselj, and come away for thyself {q}; it will turn to thy
account, and to do otherwise will be detrimental to
thee. The arguments follow.
Vet. 11. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over
and gone.] A season of the year which keeps persons
within-doors, makes going abroad unsafe, unpleasant.
and uncomfortable; very unfit for travelling, roads
bad, rivers unpassable, and journeying very difficult;
but now this season being over, and the spring come,
the weather fair, and every thing gay and pleasant, it
is inviting to be abroad; winter is by some writers {r}
used not for the season of the year, but for a storm or
tempest. Thus the winter and rain may be descriptive
of the state and condition of Jews and C, entiles before
the coming of Christ{s}, and wvhich then ceased; it
having been a stormy dispensation with the one, and a
time of darkness and ignorance with the other, Heb.
xii. 18---e7. Acts xvii. 30. or rather it may in general
represent the state of God's people both before and
after conversion; before conversion it is a time of
darkness,coldness, barrenness, and unfruitfulhess; and
which are removed by the powerful and efficacious
grace of Christ: and after conversion it is often a win-
ter-season with them, through the blustering winds of
Satan's temptations; the storms of impending wrath
tbr sin, as they imagine; the nipping blasts of perse-
cution, and sharp and severe afflictions they are at
times exposed unto: moreover, they are often in great
darkness of soul, clouds interpose between Christ and
them; a great deal of coldness attends them, their
hearts are frozen up and hard, and no impression made
on them by the preaching of the word, or by the pro-
vidences of God; there is a cbiluess in their love to
God and Christ, his people, ordinances, cause, and in-
terest; great barrenness and unfi'uitfi,iness in them,
they look like trees in winter, and no appearance of
fruit on them; their hands are sealed up from work-
ing, and they become indolent and inactive; and by
all these fellowship with Christ is greatly interrupted:
but, when the spring returns again, light breaks in upon
them, and their hearts are melted with a sense of love;
they become lively in their frames, and in the exercise
of grace, and are fruitful in good works; and enjoy
much catmness and serenity, peace and joy in the Holy
Ghost: sometimes they think the winter is not over
when it is, and fear more storms are behind, even of
divine wrath and vengeance, though without reason;
since Christ has bore all wrath for them, and has satis-
fied law and justice, and has delivered them fi'om wrath
to Come; and he that has done this says, the winter is
past, &c.
Ver. lc2.. The flowers appear on the earth, &c.] One
of the first signs of the spring being come {t}; and make
the season delightful and pleasant; the sun returning


{n} \^Uyum\^ efflorescens, Piscator, Michaelis, so Ainsworth.
{o} Nat. Hist. l. 28. c. 11.
{p} \^hne\^ respondit, Montanus, Vatablus, Piscator, Marckius, Mi-
chaelis.
{q} \^Kl yklw Kl ymwq\^ surge tibi, & abi tibi, Montanus, Cocceius; so
Vatablus, Marckius.
{r} Grandaevumque patrem supplex, miseranda rogabo unam hyemem.
Statii Achill. l. 1. v. 50, 51. Vid. Valer. Flacc. l. 1. v. 197.
{s} Ante adventum Christi hyems erat, venit Christus, fecit aestatem,
Ambros. Enarrat. in Psal. cxviii. octon. 7. p. 821.
{t} Ver praebet flores, Ovid. de Remed. Amor. l. 1. v. 188. Omnia
tum florent, ibid Metamorph. l. 15. Fab. 3. So flowers are called
\~tekna earov\~, the children of the spring, in Athenaei Deipnosoph. l. 13.
c. 9. P. 608. Vernus sequitur color, omnis in herbas turget humus,
Claudian. de Rapt. Proserp. l. 2. v. 90.