Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_600.lzh/4_666.TXT

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vency and spirituality in them, and seem willing to
continue so; see the note on' Matt. xxv. 6. but the
church here was not so overcome with sleep but her
heart was awake. Jarchi, and some ancient Jewish
writers {z}, interpret this and the former clause of diffe-
rent persons; the former, I sleep, of the bride; this,
my heart waketh, of the bridegroom; and then the
sense is, though I am in a sleepy frame, he who is
heart, a phrase used by lovers {a}, my soul, my life, my
all, he never slumbers nor sleeps, he watches over me
night and day, lest any hurt me; but both clauses are
rather to be understood of the same person differently
considered, as having two principles of grace and cor-
ruption, as the church has, which are represented as
two persons; see Rom. vii. 18, 20. Ephes. iv. 22, 24.
Gal. v. 17. as the carnal part in her prevailed, she was
the sleeping I; as the new man, or principle of grace
appeared, her heart was awake; for, notwithstanding
her' sleepy frame, she had some thoughts of Christ,
and 'stirring of affection to him; Some convictions of
her sin, and some desires of being ht her duty per-
haps, though overpowered by the fleshly part; the
spirit was willing, but the flesh weak. Christ's car-
riage to his church in this case follows, and is"Ob-
served by her; he spoke  to her so loud, that
sleepy she heard him, and owns it, it is the
my beloved: in the ministration of the Gospel,
is to be distinguished from the voice of a stranger, even
when dull and sleepy under hearing it, and-little af-
fected with it. Christ was the church's beloved still,
had an affection for him, though not thoroughly awaked
by his voice, but sleeps on still; this method failing, he
takes another, or repeats the same with an additional
circumstance, that knocketh, saying, open to me: which
is to be understood not so much of his knocking by the
ministry of the word to awaken her out of sleep, but
in a providential way, by taking in his hand the rod
of affliction, or scourge of persecution, and lashing
therewith in order to bring her out of her carnal se-
curity; see Rev. iii. 20. and he not only knocked but
called, sa!ting, open to me, open the door unto me, and
let me in; so lovers are represented as at the door or
gate to get admittance, and know not which to call
most hard and cruel, the door or their lovers: there
is an emphasis on the word me; me, thy Lord, thy head,
thy husband, thy friend, that loves thee so dearly; to
whom her heart was shut,. her affections contracted,
her desires towards him languid; wherefore he im-
portunes her to open to him, which denotes an en-
larging of her affections to him, an exercise of grace
on him, an expression of the desires of her soul unto
· him; which yet could not be done without efficacious
grace exerted, as iu ver. 4. but, the more to win upon
her, he gives her good words, and the most endearing
titles, expressive of love and relation, my sister,
love, my dove, my undefiled, which are all made use of
before, excepting the last; see ch. i. 9, 14. and iv. 9.
that is, my undefiled, which she was, not as a descend-
ant of Adam, nor as in herself, but as washed iu the
blood of Christ, instilled by his righteousness, and
sanctified by his spirit; and as having been enabled by
divine grace to preserve her chastity, and keep the bed
ttndefi. led; not guilty of spiritual adultery among all
her infirmities, even idolatry and superstition; see
Rev. xiv. 4. or my perfect one {c}; not in a legal, but in
an evangelical sense, being completely redeemed, per-
fectlyjustitled, fully pardoned, and sanctified in every
part, though not to the highest degree; and perfect
in Christ, though not in herself: other arguments
follow to engage her attention to his request. For
head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of
the night; through standing so long at the door, in the
night-season, waiting to be let in; so lovers represent
their case in such circumstances, as dealt very hardly
with a: by which may be meant the sufferings of Christ,
either in the persons of his ministers, who are exposed
to tim rage and reproach of men for ministering in his
name to the church; or which he endured in his own
person, in his estate of humiliation; and particularly
in the night he was betrayed, and during the time of
darkness he hung upon the cross, when he bore the
sins of his people, and his father's wrath; compared
to dew, and drops of the night, because of the multitude
of them he endured in soul and body, and because so
uncomfortable to human nature; though as dew is
useful and fructifying to the earth, so were these the
means of many fluits and blessings of grace, and of
bringing many souls to glory; now though these ar-
guments were expressed in the most strong, moving,
and melting language, yet were ineffectual.
Ver. 3. I have put off my coat, &c.] In order to
lie down on her bed at night, and take her ease;
meaning her conversation-garments, which she had
not been careful of to keep, but had betook herself to
carnal ease and rest, and was off her watch and guard,
Neh. iv. 23. Rev. xvi. 15. and being at ease, and free
from trouble, affliction, and persecution, was unwill-
ing to arise and go with her beloved, lest she should
meet with the same trials and sufferings as before, for
the sake of him and his Gospel; which may be greatly
the sense of her next words. How shall I put it on ?
which suggests an apprehension of difficulty in doing
it, it being easier to drop the performance of duty than
to take it up again; and shews slothfulness and slug-
gishness, being 1oth and not knowing how to bring her-
self to it; and an aversion of the carnal and fieshly part
unto it; yea, as if she thougkt it was unreasonable in
Christ to desire it of her, when it was but her reasonable
service; or as if she imagined it was dangerous, and
would be detrimental to her rest, and prejudicial to her
health. I have washed my feet; as persons used to do
when come off of a journey, and about to go to bed
being weary; as she was bf spiritual exercises, and of
the observance of ordinances and duties, and so betook
herself to carnal case, and from which being called ar-
gues, how shall I defile them ? by rising out of bed, and
treading on the floor, and going to the door to let her
beloved in; as if hearkening to the voice of Christ,


{z} Pesikta in Jarchi, & Tanchuma in Yalkut in loc.
{a} Meum mel, meum cor, Plauti Poenulus, Act. 1. Sc. 2. v. 154, 170,
175. Meum corculum, melliculum, ibid. Casina, Act. 4. Sc. 4. v. 14.
{b} Janua vel domina, &c. Propert Eleg. 16. v. 17, 18, 19.
{c} \^ytmt\^ \~teleia mou\~, Sept.; perfecta mea, Montanus, Tigurine version,
Marckius; integra mea, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius,
Michaelis.
{d} Me mediae moctes, &c. Propert. ut supra, v. 22, &c,.
{e}  Homer, Odyss. 19. v. 31.