Works of Joseph Hall, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
Dialogue. The Church, to CHRIST.
1. Let him kiſſe me with the kiſſes of his mouth; for thy louelove is beter than wine.
OH that he would beſtow vponupon me the comfortable teſtimonies of his louelove, and that he would vouchſafe me yet a neerer coniunction with himſelfe; as in glorie hereafter, ſo for the meane time in his ſenſible graces! For thy louelove, O my Sauiour, and theſe fruits of it, are more ſweet vntounto mee, than all earthly delicates can be to the bodily taſte.
2. Becauſe of the ſauour of thy good ointments, thy name is as an ointment powred out: therefore the Virgins louelove thee.
Yea, ſo wonderfully pleaſant are the ſauours of thoſe graces that are in thee, wherewith I deſire to be endued, that all whom thou haſt bleſſed with the ſenſe thereof, make as high and deare account of thy Goſpell, whereby they are wrought, as of ſome precious ointment, or perfume: the delight whereof is ſuch, that (hereupon) the pure and holy ſoules of the faithfull place their whole affection vponupon thee.
3. Draw mee, we will runne after thee: the King hath brought mee into his chambers, wee will reioice, and bee glad in thee: we will remember thy louelove, more than wine, the righteous doe louelove thee.
Pull me therefore out from the bondage of my ſinnes: deliuer mee from the world, and doe thou powerfully incline my will and affections toward thee: and in ſpight of all tentations, giuegive mee ſtrength to cleaue vntounto thee; and then both I, and all thoſe faithfull children thou haſt giuen mee, ſhall all at once with ſpeed and earneſtneſſe walke to thee, and with thee: yea, when once my Royall and glorious Husband hath brought me both into theſe lower roomes of his ſpirituall treaſures on earth, and into his heauenly chambers of glory, then will we reioice and be glad in none, but thee, which ſhalt be all in all to vsus: then will wee celebrate and magnifie thy louelove aboue all the pleaſures we found vponupon earth; for all of vsus thy righteous ones, both Angels and Saints, are inflamed with the louelove of thee.
4. I am blacke, O daughters of Ieruſalem, but comely: If I be as the tents of Kedar, yet I am as the curtaines of Salomon.
Neuer vpbraid me (O yee forraine congregations) that I ſeeme in outward appearance diſcoloured by my infirmities, and duskiſh with tribulations: for whatſoeuer I ſeeme to you, I am yet inwardly well-fauoured in the eies of Him whom I ſeeke to pleaſe; and though I be to you blacke, like the tents of the Arabian ſhepheards; yet to him, and in him, I am glorious and beautifull, like the Curtaines of Salomon.
5. Regard yee me not, becauſe I am blacke: for the Sunne hath looked vponupon mee; the ſonnes of my mother were angry againſt me: they made me keeper of the vines; but I kept not mine owne vine.
Looke not therefore diſdainfully vponupon me, becauſe I am blackiſh, and darke of hiew: for this colour is not ſo much naturall to mee, as cauſed by that continuall heat of afflictions wherewith I hauehave beene vſually ſcorched: neither this, ſo much vponupon my owne iuſt deſert, as vponupon the rage and enuie of my falſe brethren, the world: who would needs force vponupon me the obſeruation of their idolatrous religions, and ſuperſtitious impieties; through whoſe wicked importunitie and my owne weakneſſe, I hauehave not ſo intirely kept the ſincere truth of God committed to me, as I ought.
6. Shew me, O thou whom my ſoule loueth, where thou feedeſt, where thou lieſt at noone: for why ſhould I be as ſhe that turneth aſide to the flocks of thy companions.
Now therefore that I am ſome little ſtarted aſide from thee, O thou whom my ſoule notwithſtanding dearely loueth, ſhew me, I beſeech thee, where, and in what wholſome and diuine paſtures thou (like a good ſhepherd) feedeſt and reſteſt thy flocks with comfortable refreſhings, in the extremitie of theſe hot perſecutions: for how can it ſtand with thy glorie, that I ſhould through thy neglect, thus ſuſpiciouſly wander vp and downe, amongſt the congregations of them that both command and practiſe the worſhip of falſe gods?
CHRIST, to the Church.
7. If thou know not, O thou the faireſt among women, get thee forth by the ſteps of the flocke, and ſeed thy Kids aboue the tents of the ſhepherds.
IF thou know not, O thou my Church, whom I both eſteeme and hauehave made moſt beautifull by my merits, and thy ſanctification, ſtay not amongſt theſe falſe worſhippers, but follow the holy ſteps of thoſe bleſſed Patriarkes, Prophets, Apoſtles, which hauehave beene my true and ancient flocke, who hauehave both knowne my voice, and followed mee; and feed thou my weake and tender ones with this their ſpirituall food of life, farre aboue the carnall reach of thoſe other falſe teachers.
8. I hauehave compared thee, O my louelove, to the troupes of horſes in the Chariots of Pharaoh.
Such is mine eſtimation of thee, O my LoueLove, that ſo farre as the choiſeſt Egyptian horſes of Pharaoh, for comely ſhape, for honourable ſeruice, for ſtrength and ſpeed, exceed all other, ſo farre thou excelleſt all that may be compared with thee.
9. Thy cheekes are comely with rowes of ſtones, and thy necke with chaines.
Thoſe parts of thee, which both are the ſeats of beautie, and moſt conſpicuous to the eye, are gloriouſly adorned with the graces of my ſanctification; which are for their worth as ſo many precious borders of the goodlieſt ſtones, or chaines of pearle.
10. We will make thee borders of gold, with ſtuds of ſiluer.
And though thou be already thus ſet forth; yet I and my Father hauehave purpoſed a further ornament vntounto thee, in the more plentifull effuſion of our Spirit vponupon thee: which ſhall bee to thy former deckings, in ſtead of pure gold curiouſly wrought with ſpecks of ſiluer.
The Church.
11. While the King was at his repaſt, my ſpikenard gaue the ſmell thereof.
BEhold (O ye daughters) euen now, whiles my Lord and King ſeemes farre diſtant from mee, and ſits in the Throne of heauen amongſt the companies of Angels (who attend around vponupon him) yet now doe I finde him preſent with mee in ſpirit: euen now the ſweet influence of his graces, like to ſome precious ointment, ſpreads it ſelfe ouer my ſoule, and returnes a pleaſant ſauour into his owne noſthrils.
12. My welbeloued is as a bundle of myrrh vntounto me, lying betweene my breſts.
And though I be thus delightfull to my Sauiour, yet nothing ſo much as hee is vntounto mee: for loe, as ſome fragrant pomander of myrrh, laid betweene the breſts, ſends vp a moſt comfortable ſent; ſo his louelove, laid cloſe vntounto my heart, doth ſtill giuegive mee continuall and vnſpeakable refreſhings.
13. My welbeloued is as a cluſter of Cypers vntounto me among the vines of Engeddy.
Or if any thing can be of more excellent vertue, ſuch ſmell as the cluſters of Cypers berries, within the fruitfulſt, pleaſantſt, and richeſt vineyards and gardens of Iudaea, yeeld vntounto the paſſengers; ſuch and more delectable doe I finde the ſauour of his grace to mee.
CHRIST.
14. My LoueLove, behold, thou art faire, thine eies are like the Doues.
NEither doeſt thou on my part loſe any of thy louelove, O my deare Church: for behold, in mine eies, thus clothed as thou art with my righteouſneſſe, oh how faire and glorious thou art! how aboue all compariſon glorious and faire! Thine eies, which are thy ſeers, (Prophets, Apoſtles, Miniſters) and thoſe inward eies, whereby thou ſeeſt him that is inuiſible, are full of grace, chaſtitie, ſimplicitie.
The Church.
15. My welbeloued, behold, thou art faire and pleaſant: alſo our bed is greene.
NAy then (O my ſweet Sauiour and Spouſe) thou alone art that faire & pleaſant one indeed, from whoſe fulneſſe I confeſſe to hauehave receiued all this little meaſure of my ſpirituall beautie: and behold, from this our mutuall delight, and heauenly coniunction, there ariſeth a plentifull and flouriſhing increaſe of thy faithfull ones in all places, and through all times.
16. The beames of our houſe are Cedars, our galleries are of Firre.
And behold, the congregations of Saints, the places where we doe ſweetly conuerſe and walke together, are both firme and during (like Cedars amongſt the trees) not ſubiect, through thy protecting grace, to vtter corruption; and through thy fauourable acceptation and word (like to galleries of ſweet wood) full of pleaſure and contentment.