Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_600.lzh/4_667.TXT

Text File | 1994-09-30 | 7KB | 128 lines

0beylug his commands, and taking every proper step
to enjoy communion with him, would be a defiling her;
whereas it was the reverse of these that did it: from
the whole it appears, that not only these excuses were
idle and frivolous, but sinful; she slighted the means
Christ made use of to awaken her, by calling and knock-
ing; she sinned against light and knowledge, sleeping
on, when she knew it was the voice of her beloved;
she acted a disingenuous part in inviting Christ into
Iris garden, and then presently fell asleep; and then en-
deavoured to shift the blame from herself, as if she was
no ways culpable, but what was desired was either dif-
ticult, or unreasonable, or unlawful; she appears guilty
of great ingratitude, and discovers the height of folly
in preferring her present ease to the company of Christ.
Vet. 4. 3I:! beloved put in his hand by the hole of the
door, &c.] To remove the bolt or bar which kept him
from entering in. By the door is meant the door of
her heart, which was in a great measure shut against
Christ, through the prevalence of corruption; and the
hole in it shews that it was not entirely shut up, there
was a little love broke out from her to him; a little
light broke in from him upon her; but her heart was
much natrowed and straitened, her grace low in exer-
else, yet there were some faith, some love, &c. where-
fore Christ takes the advantage of the little hole or
crevice there was, and put in his hand; which is to be
understood of powerful and efficacious grace, and the
exertion of it on her; which is as necessary to awake
a drowsy saint, and reclaim a backsliding professor,
and to quicken to the exercise of grace, and perform-
ance of duty, as to the conversion of a sinner, Acts xi.
22. and this is a proof of the greatness of Christ's love
to his church; that notwithstanding her rude carriage
to him, he does not utterly tbrsake her, but left some-
thing behind that wrought upon her; as well as of his
mighty power, in that what calls, knocks, raps, good
words, and melting language, could not do, his hand
did at once. And my bowels were moved for him; the
passions of her soul; her grief and sorrow for sin, in
using him in So ill a manner; her shame for being
guilty of such ingra.titude ;. her fear lest he should ut-
terly depart from her; her love, which had been chill
and cold, now began to kindle and appear in flames;
her heart, and the desires of it, were in motion towards
him; and a hearty concern appeared that he should be
used so unfriendly by her; that his company and com-
munion with him should be slighted,who had so greatly
loved her, and endured so much for her; other effects
follow.
Vet. 5. I rose up to open to my beloved, &c.] As
soon as touched by the hand of mighty grace, she not
only resolved to rise, but actually rose, and that di-
rectly, not being easy to lie any longer on her bed of
carnal security; being now made heartily and tho-
roughly willing to let in her beloved, who she supposed
was still at the door; but in that she was mistaken;
however she met with a rich experience of his grace
and goodness. And my hands dropped with myrrh,
and my .fingers with sweet-smelling myrrh, upon the
handles of the lock; when she put her hand upon it to
draw it back, and let her beloved in; the myrrh,
which he had gathered, vet. 1, and left there when he
put in l;is hand at the hole of the door: the allusion
seems to be to lovers shut out, who used to cover the
threshold of the door with flowers, and anoint the
door-posts with sweet-smelling ointment f: as by the
door is meant the heart of the church, so by the lock,
which fastened and kept it shut, unbelief may be de-
signed; and by the handles of it lukewarmhess and
sluggishness, which strengthen unbelief, and keep the
heart closer shut against Christ; and by her hands and
fingers, faith in exercise, artended with the fruits of it,
attempting to draw back the lock of unbelief; whicit
whilst the church was trying to do, she met with some
fresh experience of the grace of Christ: her hands and
fingers dropped with sweet-smelling myrrh, passing or
current{g}; such as weeps and drops from the tree of it-
self, and, being liquid, runs upon and overflows the
hands and fingers; and being excellent and valuable,
i,s passing or current as money; and the odour of it
.diffusive, it passes afar off: now this is either to be un-
derstood of myrrh brought by the church, a pot of
ointment of it to anoint her beloved with, who had
been long waiting at her door in the night-season, to
refresh him with it; and this pot being broke unawares,
or designedly, or being in a panic her hands shook, the
myrrh run over her hands and fingers as she was
drawing back the lock; which may denote that her
grace was now in exercise and on the flow, in great
abundance; which put her on her duty, and which
became odorous and acceptable to Christ: or it may
signify myrrh brought and left there by Christ; and
may express the abundance of grace from him, com-
municated by him, to draw and allure her to him, to
supple and soften her hard heart, to take off the stiff-
ness of her will, and the rustiness of her affections, and
make the lock of unbelief draw back easier, and so open
a way for himself into her heart; and to excite grace
in her, her faith and love, and cause her to come forth
in exercise on him :. and her hands and fingers dropping
herewith shews that all the grace a believer has is
fi'om Christ, from whom, in the way of his duty, he
receives a large measure of it: whilst the church was
on her bed of sloth there was no flow of sweet-smell-
ing myrrh; but, now she is up arid doing her duty,
her hands and fingers are overflowed with it.
Vet. 6. I opened to my beloved, &c.] Which was
what he desired, and was done in virtue of his putting
in his hand by the hole of the door; or by the exertion
of his efficacious grace, working in her both to will and
to do, without which it would not have been done;
namely, her heart dilated, the desires and affections of
her soul enlarged towards Christ, and every grace
drawn forth and exercised on him; and though the
heart of a believer is sometimes shut to Christ, yet
'when it is opened, it is only patent to him; the church
thought Christ was still at the door, and might be the
more confirmed in it by what she found on the handles
of the lock; but lo her mistake, but my beloved had


{f} At lachrymans exclusus amator,---posteisque superbos unguit
amaracino, Lucret. l. 4. prope finem.
{g} \^rbe rwm\^ myrrham transeuntem, Pagninus, Montanus, &c. pro-
bam, Tigurine version; lachrymantem, Bochart; quam Dioscorides
vocat Myrrham Galiraeam.