Exposition of the Song of Solomon, Chapter 5 · Verse 4
Vers. 4.
My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.
There follow; in this fourth verse, a second step of Christ's carriage, with the effects of it: He gives not over, but puts in his finger, and powerfully makes application to her, by a saving work of the Spirit upon her heart, which hath the desired and designed effect following upon it; she riseth and openeth.
In this we have, 1. The mean applyed and made use of. 2. The manner of application. (for that the worker is the Beloved himself, is clear) The mean in his hand, which in Scripture signifieth three things, when attributed to God, 1. His Omnipotency, whereby he doth what he pleaseth, Exod. 15. 6. Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: And, Exod. 8. 19. it's said, This is the finger of God, that is, his power. 2. It's taken for the Spirit, or the common operations of the Spirit, whereby miracles, beyond the power of man are wrought; as by comparing Matth. 12. 28. with Luke 11. 20. will be clear. 3. It's taken for the saving work of the Spirit, applyed for the working of faith in the elect at the first, or renewing and confirming of it afterward in believers; as, Acts 11. 21. The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed. This is it which is pointed at, Isa. 53. 1. where, Who hath believed? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? are made of equal extent: And so especially it's to be taken here, as the scope clears, to wit, for the immediat powerfull work of the Spirit, made use of in the working of faith, as a key is made use of for the opening of a door.
The way of applying this mean, is, he put in his hand by the hole of the door: where (following the similitude of a husbands standing at a shut door, and not geting entry) he shews what he did, when knocking prevailed not; to wit, he took an effectual way of opening it himself, which is ordinary by putting in the key, or somewhat else at the hole of the door: So Christ by his Spirit made open the heart, in a kindly native way, not by breaking open, but by opening; he indeed having the key by which hearts are opened, even the key of David, that opens and no man shuts, and shuts …and no man opens, Rev. 3. 7. Which words do shew, 1. That beside the call of the word, and any common conviction that is thereby wrought in the heart, there is in the conversion of sinners, an immediat, real, powerful and peculiar work of the Spirit that accompanies the word. 2. That the application of this is necessary, and that men being now asleep, and dead in sin, cannot without that be stirred and quickned by the most powerful external Ordinances, or common operations: Nay, even to the believers reviving, from his backslidden and drousie case, this work if omnipotency is needful. 3. This work of the Spirit is effectual, and when peculiarly applyed by Christ, cannot be frustrat; for, he puts in his hand, and the effect follows. 4. Although it be a most powerful work, yet it works kindly, and brings about the effect without wronging of the natural faculties of the soul, but makes use of them formally for bringing forth the effect, as one that openeth a door by the lock, makes use of a key, but doth not hurt nor destroy the lock: There is therefore no inconsistency betwixt Christ's opening and ours; for, he co-acts not nor forceth the will, but sweetly determins it, so that it cannot but be willing; he takes away unwillingness from it, and makes it willing, Psal. 110. 3. Christ hath the keyes of hearts, and can open and shut at his pleasure, without wronging of them. 5. Grace being the work of a high-hand, it cannot be easie to procure welcome to Jesus Christ even amongst believers, and much lesse with others, who have no principle of grace within to co-operat with Christ. 6. Christ Jesus as he is a most powerful worker, so is the work of his power most free, soveraign and wonderful; which clearly appeareth in that it is applyed on the back of such a slighting answer, and not before: Yea, 7. Often-times the work of grace surprizeth his own, when they are in a most unsuitable case, and when in respect of their deserving they might have expected the quite contrary; certainly, we are not obliged to our freewill for our conversion, but to his Spirit; nor to our predispositions for his applying of it, but to his own grace, who in his gracious way of dealing with his people, comes over many obstructions, and packs up (to say so) many affronts and injuries.
If any should ask, why Christ did not apply this work, and put in his hand at first, but suspends it till he had gotten a refusal, and be now at the very withdrawing? Answ. 1. He doth this to shew the Soveraignty of grace, that works as well when it will, as on whom it will: Grace must not be limited by us in the manner or time of it's working, more than in it's work, or subject matter upon which it worketh. 2. By this he discovereth, what believers would be without his grace (and so would teach them to walk humbly) which otherwise had not so well appeared. 3. His wisdom and tendernesse appears herein, that he will not withdraw from her, and leave her lifelesse too, but ere he awake challenges in her, he will make her lively in the exercise of her graces; otherwise she might have lyen still in her deadnesse: Christ times his operations, his appearings and withdrawings with much tendernesse, wisdom and discretion.
This work of the Spirit puts a stir in the Bride, which vents it self in four steps. 1. Her bowels are moved. 2. She ariseth. 3. Her fingers drop with Myrrhe. 4. She opens. All which may be considered, either, 1. As effects following the work of the Spirit, whereby she is recovered from such a condition: Or, 2. As duties lying on a believer: Or, 3. As they hold out the order of the effects wrought by the Spirit. In general, it holds forth, 1. That the work of the Spirit, when it's effectually applyed, makes a very great, palpable and universal change upon the persons in whom it works: There is a great difference betwixt the Brides carriage here, and what it was, vers. 3. 2. Although it be not absolutly necessary, nor ordinary for a believer, to know the instant of his conversion; yet, when the change is suddain, and from an extremity of a sinful condition, it will be discernable, and the fruits following the change will be the more palpable. 3. A believer would endeavour to be clear in the change of his condition; and when this clearnesse is attained by the distinct uptaking of the several fruits of the change, it is very useful and profitable for establishing the believer in the confidence of his interest in Christ, and that there is a saving change wrought in him; So here, the Bride both asserts him to be her beloved, and likewise the reality of the change he had wrought in her.
The first effect, is, my bowels were moved for him; Which, in short, holds forth the kindly exercise of serious repentance, affecting and stinging (as it were) the very inward bowels, for slighting Christ so long: which will be cleared by considering, 1. What is meant by bowels. 2. What by moving of the bowels. 3. What that is, for him. By bowels, are understood either sorrow, and that in an intense degree, as, Iob 30. 27. my bowels boyled. Lam. 1. 20. My bowels are troubled. And Ier. 4. 19. My bowels, my bowels, I am pained at the very heart: Or, bowels are taken for affection and tender love in the highest degree, such as mothers have to the children of their womb, Philip. 2. 1, 2. If there be any bowels. And Philemon, v. 12. Receive him that is my own bowels. Thus they are taken, Isa. 63. 15. Where are thy bowels? and frequently elsewhere, both in the Old and New Testament. By moving of the bowels (or sounding, or making a noise, as the word is elsewhere trauslated, Isa. 10. 11. and 63. 15.) is understood a sensible stirring of the affections, when they begin to stound, and that kindly, and in a most affectionat manner, either severally, or jointly, such as is the turning of the bowels, Hos. 11. and the troubling of the bowels, Jer. 31. 18, 19, 20. It's even such as is kindly sympathy with persons that are dearly beloved, when any sad change befalls them: It's called the yerning of the bowels, spoken of that mother, 1 King. 3. 26. who was so affected towards her child, out of love to him, that she had rather quite him to the other woman that was not his mother, than see him divided, her bowels were so hot towards him; (another thing than was in any on-looker) It's the same word here, which shews, that this motion of the Brides bowels proceeded from love to Christ, and from sorrow for wronging of him, which two jumbled her within, and pierced and stounded her to the heart, as a kindly parent useth to be for the death or distresse of his only child, which is the character of true repentance, Zech. 12. 10, 11. 3. For him, holds out, 1. The procuring-cause of this trouble, that it was for wronging of Christ, and the slighting of so kind an husband and friend, that, that stounded her at the heart above all, as, Zech. 12. 10. They shall look on him whom they have pierced, and mourn for him. 2. It holds forth the final cause wherefore she was so stirred and moved; It was for him, that is, that she might injoy him, as the word is, Hos. 7. 14. They assemble themselves for corn and wine, that is, to obtain them: So her bowels were moved for, or after him, to obtain and injoy him: And thus, sense of the wrong done to him, in her by-past unkindly carriage to him, and desire to recover him again, so affects her, as if it were the pangs of a travelling woman, till Christ be again formed in her heart. Obs. 1. The first work of the Spirit, is, by powerful convictions to beget evangelick repentance in the heart, and to make the soul sensible of bypast failings, Act. 2. 37. This although it be not in time before faith, nor in nature (for, seing it proceeds from love, it supposeth faith) yet it's the first sensible effect, that sinners (surprised in a sinful condition) are touched with, and it's never separat from, but alwayes joined with, the exercise of faith, Zech. 12. 10. 2. This work of repentance is necessary to be renewed, even in believers after their failings, and it is the way by which they recover; Christ's Bride is thus affected, and it becomes them well who have sin, to be deeply moved and afflicted with the sense of it. 3. Where most love to Christ is, and where most sincerity hath been, when a wakening comes, it will be the more sensible, and affect the heart the more throughly. Particularly, we may gather hence these properties of true repentance or godly sorrow. 1. Godly sorrow is no fruit of nature, but is a work and effect of the Spirit of Christ, and a peculiar saving grace, beyond common conviction, and a believer is not the worker of it in himself. 2. This sorrow consists most in the inward pangs and stings of the heart, wherein love to Christ, and indignation against our selves for wronging of him, strugle, and put all within, in a stir. 3. True repentance is different from, and beyond convictions, and challenges (which the Bride had before when this was wanting in her) and makes another kind of impression, and a more sensible touch upon the heart and inward bowels: I say not that it's alway terrible; for, that is accidental to it, but sensible it is. 4. Though this godly sorrow affect the heart deeply, yet doth it work kindly, sweetly and affectionatly, as a mothers affection warms to her child, or, as a man is troubled for his first-born: Love hath a main influence upon, and goeth alongst in, this godly sorrow, both in the rise of it, love kindles this heart-indignation; and also in the exercise of it, love to Christ keeps it lively; and in the manner how it vents it self, it makes it a kindly and no torturing or terrible exercise. 5. Nothing more affects a kindly repenting heart, truly touched with godly sorrow, than that it should have sinned against Christ It's own hazard is not the predominant cause of this sorrow (she is clear of her interest still) nor is it any sad event that might follow, which so affects her (though she was not senselesse as to these) but it is for him, and his cause, and not her own, that she is thus moved: The Spirits conviction, Ioh. 16. 8. is, because they believe not on me. 6. Considering the words with what follows, I rose, &c. and comparing them with what went before, Observe, That true repentance brings forth alwayes a change in a believers carriage to the better, in those things by which Christ their Beloved was formerly provocked; and it doth stir up to universal activenesse, in the study of holinesse: This makes her arise from the lazinesse in which she formerly was. 7. Consider, that she rests not till first she open to Christ, and thereafter obtain his presence, which sheweth, that where true repentance is, the soul will never sit down on challenges, convictions, or making a-mends in the conversation, or any thing in self; but it will be restlesse until by faith it close with Christ; yea, it will be pressing after the intimation of his favour, on the back of any peace attained in closing with him, as David doth, Psal. 51.