Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_600.lzh/4_652.TXT

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prevalence of error, heresy, and 'immorality ;. all which
require sobriety, vigilance, prudence, courage, and
faithfulness; and shew the necessity and utility of the
Gospel ministry, and the awfulness of it; and the care
Christ takes 'of his churches, in providing such otticers
iu them. These are said to go about the city, denoting
their industry and diligence; and being in the way of
their duty, they found the church, fell upon her case
iu their ministry, and hit it exactly; which shews
the efficacy of the word under a divine direction;
which finds out sinners, and their sins; saints, and
their particular cases, unknown to ministers; and the
chin'oh, having met with something suitable to her
case under their ministry, took an opportuuity pri-
vately to discourse with them, and put this quest!on
to them, Sato ?de him whom mtj soul ioreth ? meaning
Christ; who was still the object of her love, and up-
permost in her thoughts; whom she thus describes,
without mentioning Iris name, as if he was the only
Him in the world worthy of any regard; which shews
how much he was in her mind, how much the desires
and affections of her soul were .towards him, and that
these ministers needed no other description of him.
No answer is returned to her question that is" re-
corded; not because they were not able to give one,
.nor because they did not; and if they did not, it might
be owing to her haste, not waiting tbr one; and if they
did, she not being able to apply it to her case, no notice
is taken of it: however, though she did not fintl im-
mediate relief by them, yet she met with something
from them that was of use to her afterwards, as ap-
pears by what follows.
Ver. 4. It was but a little that I passed .from them,
&c.] Either .a small moment of time, as the 'fargum
and Aben Ezra; or a little distance of place, that is,
from the watchmen or ministers, from whom she
passed; not through disrespect to them, much less
contempt of them; nor because she received no benetit
at all from them; but her going on shews she did not
rest in means, but looked beyond them, and went on
further in the exercise of her faith, and !lope of finding
her beloved: and meeting with him a little after she
had passed from the ministers suggests that Christ is
not far from his ministers and ordinances; for it fol-
lows, but I found him whom my soul loceth ; which she
expresses with the utmost exultation and pleasure,
which meeting with him must give her, after such long
and fruitless searches, and so many disappointments;
see John i. 41. and for Christ to shew himself, without
which there is no finding him, is a proof of the great-
ness of his love, and of the freehess and sovereignty of
it; and that means, though to be used, are not to be
depended on; nor should we be discouraged when
they fail, since Christ can make himself known with-
out them, as he did here to the church; who says, I
held him, and would not let him go; which on the part
of the church is expressive of her faith in him, signi-
fied by laying hold on him, his person, righteousness,
grace, and strength, Prov. iii. 18. and of her strong
affection to him, grasping and embracing him in her
arms of faith and love; and of her fear and jealousy
lest he should depart from her again; and of her
steady resolution to hold him, wh.atever was the con-
sequence of it: and, on his part, it intimates a seeming
offer to be gone; and a gracious allowance to lay hold
on hitn; and his wonderful condescension to be held
by her; and the delight and pleasure he took in the
exercise of her faith upon him; for it was not against
but with his will he was held by tier; and this site de-
termined to do, and not let go her hold, untii, says she,
I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the
chambers of hcr that conceived .me; the Miusion is to
the tents and apartments women had in tbrmer times,
distinct frot'n their husbands, Gen. xxiv. (57. and xxxi.
33. and all this tnay be understood either of the visi-
ble church, and the ordinances of it, the mother of all
true believers, where they arc born again, brought up
and nourished; and where Christ may be said to be
brought, when his name is professed, his Gospel is
embraced, and his ordinances are submitted to; and
here the church is alesirous of introducing Christ, that
she with others might tnagnify him, anti praise him
for all the instances of his grace and goodness, and
have communiou with him: or else the heart, and the
inmost recesses of it, may berneant; where the incor-
ruptible seed of divine grace is cast; whc,'e the new
creature; connceived, born, and brought up, until it
becomes a perfect man; and where Christ is desired
to be, and to dwell by fitith, and saints may have unin-
terrupted communion. with him: unless ihe heavenly
mansions are intended, the house of the Jerusalem
above, the mother of us all; where saints long to be
with Christ, enjoy him, and never lose his presence
more; till then the church resolves to hold him fast in
the arms of faith, hope, and love, and not let him go.
Vet. 5. I charge you, 0 ye daughters o. f 3erusalem,
&c.] Which are either the words of Christ, ad. juring
the young converts not to disturb the church; who had
now Christ in her arms, taking repose with him, being
wearied with rumring about in search of him: or they
are the words of the church; who having experienced
a long absence of Christ, and having been at much
pains in search of him, and now had found him, was
very unwilling to part with him; and fearing these
young converts should by any unbecoming word or
action provoke him to depart, she gives them a solemn
charge. By the toes and by the hinds of the field, ttlat
ye stir not up, .nor awa/ce my lore, till he please; see the
note on oh. if. 7.
Ver. 6. 1Vho is this that cometh out of the wilderness,
&c.] This is said by the daughters of Jerusalem, ad-
jured iu the preceding verse; who, upon the happy
meeting of Christ and his church, saw a greater glory
and beauty in her than they had seen before; and
therefore put this question, not as ignorant of her, but
as admiring at her. By the wiiderness she is said to
come out of is meant either a state of nature, as Theo-
doret; in which all the elect of God are before con-
version, and out of which they are brought by effica-
cious grace; called a wilderross, because of the bar-
renness and unfi'uitfidncss of persons in such a state;
and because of the perplexed. ways and tracks in it,
which bewilder a man that he knows not which to
take; and because of the want of spiritual provisions
in it; and because of the danger men are ex posed unto
through holes and pits, and beasts of prey: in such a
state God finds Ills people, convinces them of it, and
brings them out of it; which is an instance of sur--