Loves Intercourse Between the Lamb and His Bride, Treatise · Chapter 1 · Verse 13
Verſe. 13. A bundle of mirrh is my well be loved unto me, He ſhall lye all night betwixt my breaſts.
Here the Church profeſtes her ſpirituall comfort which ſhe had in Chriſt and of his death and reſurrection; the feeling whereof is like a ſweet odour to a believing ſoul, and which ſhe would be ſo carefull to conſerve, and apply in all eſtates, unto her ſelfe by the work of faith, that all the night time of his life, or of affliction and tentation (noted, by a dark time) ſhe would make Him her continuall joy and comfort, ſolacing her ſelfe in him, and that he ſhould lye between her breaſts, and conſtantly dwell in her heart, by Faith and true affection.
She compares him then to a bundle of Mirrhe, or Noſegay, ſuch as is uſually made of moſt pleaſant and ſweet Flowers, for delighting ſight and ſmell, and which Maidens did ſet in their boſomes between their breaſt, that ſo they might have the ſweet ſavour thereof alwaies in their noſe.
In which word we have 1. how ſhe calls him, 2. Whereunto ſhe compares him, to wit, to myrrh and a bundle of myrrh, 3. to whom he is ſo, to wit, to her 4. where ſhe places him, between her Breaſts, and 5. How long ſhall he lye there, to wit, all the Night.
Firſt then, ſhe calls him her beloved (whereof v. 7.) whom for power and authority before ſhe called, a King, v. 12. and whoſe power ſhould confound her, if his love did not comfort her; and to whom ſhe againe as a King, owes loyalty and ſubjection, and as her bleſſed bridegoom ſhe profeſſes to him love and affection.
Next, ſhe compares him to Myrrh, which was one of the gifts wherewith the wiſe men of the Eaſt honoured Chriſt at his birth, Math. 2. & with which & aloes his body alſo was imbalmed after his death, Joh. 19. 39. and which likewiſe was the firſt and ſpeciall ingredient of the holy annointing oyle, that vvas appoynted to be made, for annoynting Aaron and the Tabernacle with the pertinents thereof, being of a ſvveet and odoriferous ſmell, as the reſt of the ſweet ſpices were of that conpoſition, and whereby is ſignified the ſweet comfort that the Chriſtian ſoul, indued with ſpirituall ſenſes, finds in Chriſt cruciſied, to whom ſinne is firſt ſowre, Exod. 30. 23.
Neither contents ſhe her ſelf to compare Him only to Myrrh, but to a bundle of Myrrh, to ſhow unto us 1. the abundance of that ſpirituall comfort that comes from him to a believing ſoul, as a greater ſmell is yeelded by a bundle of ſweet flovvers or ſpices, than comes from a ſingle flovver or a graine of ſpice. As likewiſe to ſhovv 2. that as from every flovver in a bundle, there comes a ſvveet ſmell; even ſo from every thing conſiderable in Chriſt there ariſes comfort whether we conſider his natures or offices, his birth and conception, his holy life, death, buriall, reſurrection, and aſcention, and now his interceſſion at his Fathers right hand til he come againe to judgement. So that as the carcaſe of Sampſons dead Lyon was ſo full of Hony, that Sampſon did not only eat abundantly thereof himſelfe, but gave thereof alſo to others, Judge. 14. 9. ſo is Chriſt Jeſus ſo full of comfort, that the believing ſoul may not only have enough to it ſelf, but to impart by inſtruction for the comfort of others. 3 to ſhevv that the Church and every true elect ſoul cannot be content vvith a little of Chriſt, but to injoy much of him, and the power of his death and reſurrection, till they fully injoy him in glory, as Pſal. 17. 15.
Thirdly, vve have to conſider, to whom is Chriſt a bundle of ſvveet and fragrant myrrh, It is to his Church and every godly ſoul, therefore ſayes ſhe, by a ſpeech of faith and application, he ſhall be to me a bundle of myrrh: vvherein vve ſee. 1. the Churches holy reſolution, that let others (as it is ſaid by Iſaiah) and contemne them as they pleaſe Iſa. 53. 3. not knovving his vvorth, being as Aeſop's Cock: but as for her, (as Joſhua proteſted what he vvould do, Joſua 24. 15.) ſhe ſhould hold him in ſingular eſtimation, ſo that he ſhould be to her as a bundle of Myrrh, which ſhe ſhould place betvveen her breaſts.
2. We ſee vvhat is the proper act of faith, to vvit, as Thomas ſaid, my God and my Lord; even ſo by a particular application of Chriſt as her Saviour to her ſoul, ſhe ſaies He ſhall be to me, &c. and herein indeed ſtands the very true comfort of a Chriſtian, as in the locks of Sampſons hair conſiſted his ſtrength, vvithout vvhichwhich particular application (like old Simeons imbracing of Chriſt in his armes,) the ſoul could have no comfort at all, more then the divels, vvho knew him and confeſſes that he is a Saviour, but not to them: and therefore the prophet ſayes, For unto us a Child is born, &c. Iſai. 9. 6. And the Angel in like manner ſaid at his birth, For unto you is born a Saviour which is Chriſt the Lord.
3. We ſee, that although Chriſt be full of fragrant ſweetneſſe, yet he is not ſo to every one, eſpecially vvhoſe ſouls are ſtuffed with groſſe humours, or delight vvith the filthy ſvvine in the ſtinking ſmell and puddle of fleſhly luſts but he is ſo only to his ovvn church and true members thereof, vvho being renevved in the inner man, have their ſenſes othervviſe exerciſed, to deteſt all ſort of ſinne, and ſinfull pleaſures as a moſt noiſeſome and ſtinking hemlock, and to eſteem Chriſt only and the graces thot flow from him, moſt fragrant ann delightfull.
Fourthly, the part vvherein ſhe places him, it is, He ſhall lye between her Breasts, or to be laid at, or, to her very heart: and indeed juſtly may and ſhould he be laid there. 1. becauſe He is the only true cordiall to a Chriſtian or ſick ſoul: and, 2. becauſe, whereas other bundles of ſvveet Flovvers or noſegayes are ſo kept in the breaſt, by being placed betvveen them; He ſhall be the keeper and gardian of the heart, being placed on or in the heart, and ſo ſhall be ornamentum pectoris, as a pleaſant noſegay, et munimentum cordis, like a breſt plate of proof, Pſalm. 84. 11. a decking of the one and a defence of the other, from evill ſuggeſtions, and Satans wicked temptations, or, as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks, both a Sun and a ſhield.
She ſayes likewiſe, that ſhe will lay him between her breaſts, 1. for remembrance and contemplation that ſhe may have him ſtill in remembrance and before her eyes, to looke upon; as Iſrael did upon the braſen Serpent; or as the names of the twelve tribes were on the high Prieſts breſtplate: 2. for delight and conſolation, as for that end, to delight the eye by colour, and comfort the braine by ſmell, maides uſe to put noſegayes between their breaſts: and therefore alſo for ſpirituall delight, as the moſt beautifull object the eye of faith can look upon, and for the moſt pleaſant and ſweet ſmelling or ſavour to the ſoul, Cant. 2. 1. He is compared to the Roſe of the Field, and to the Lillie of the Vallyes: 3. for care and conſervation, as they put ſuch thi…gs which they would keep and not loſe, in their breaſt or boſome; for which end ſaid David, that he hid Gods word in his heart, Pſalm. 119. 11. and the Virgin Mary, that ſhe laid up her Sonnes words in her heart, to wit, that they might not be loſt or forgotten: 4. for ornament and decoration, for which end we are bidden to put on the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, He being the moſt beautifull ornament that ever was put on the ſoul, and whereby the Kings daughter is ſaid to be beautifull within, Pſalm. 45. and perfect through my comelineſſe (ſayes the Lord) which I put upon thee, Ezekiel. 16. 14.
Fifthly, ſhe ſhowes how long He ſhall lye there, to wit, all night: novv by night is underſtood in Scripture, 1. the time of affliction and trouble, as Iſai. 21. 12: 2. the day of death, as Joh. 9. 4: and 3. the time of our life here on earth, as it is ſpecially to be underſtood here, ſo called or compared, 1. as the night is darke, and therefore they who walke in the night-time have a Lanthorne carried before them; ſo in this life-time there is darkneſſe of ignorance, and no light have we to direct our walking that we ſtumble not or fall into ſinne and damnation, but the Lanterne of Gods Word, as the Pſalmiſt ſhews us. 2. The night is the moſt dangerous time for ſurpriſing or robbing by enemies, and therefore they vvatch in the night time; even ſo this life-time is moſt dangerous for ſurpriſing by our ſpirituall enemie, and robbing us of Gods favour and graces: and therefore we are exhorted ever to watch and pray that we enter not into temptation, 3. The night time is melancholious; and ſo is our life, wherein we ſow in teares, 4. The ſtarres ſhine in the night; and ſo ſhould our Chriſtian vertues ſhine. And 5. as after the night-time the Sunne ariſes, and then followes the lightſome day; even ſo after the night time of this life to the godly ſhall the Sunne of righteouſneſs ariſe, and be cleerly ſeen and then ſhall follow an eternall day, that never ſhall have an end.
Obſervations.
1. We ſee, by the Church in comparing Chriſt to pure mirrhe, as it is called, Exodus. 30. 23. vvhichwhich vvas very coſtly, and precious, as may be ſeen, Matth. 2. 11. the high eſteeme that the Church and every true member has of Chriſt, counting nothing ſo worthy and of ſuch ſvveetneſſe and excellency as Chriſt, which made the Apoſtle to ſay, as 1 Cor. 2. 2. and that in compariſon of him, he counted all things loſſe and dung.
2. As the Church eſteemes him highly, ſo ſutably ſhe places him highly, to wit, in her heart, and between her breaſts the ſeat of affection and repoſe; which we will never do, till we learne to eſteem him highly, and which is the cauſe why ſome place the world, the honour, profit, and pleaſures thereof in their hearts, and not as Rev. 12. 1. becauſe they eſteem more highly of thoſe things than of Chriſt.
As the heart is Chriſts proper place, and the Chriſtian's duty, ſo likewiſe thereby we may ſee the Chriſtian's dignity, he is verus Chriſtopher, and beares Chriſt in a more excellent manner, then the vigin Mary, quae non tam in utero portando, quàm in animâ credendo beata fuit. And therefore to whom that honour is not granted which vvas to her, yet this is not denyed, to bear him in our breaſt; and if our breſts gave him not ſuck, yet let them give him harbour; neither let us miſplace him, as many do, ſome in the eare onelyonly, and ſome in their tongue by pra…ling, yea and ſome treading him under foot.
4. We ſee, that we muſt not harbour him as a gueſt for a ſhort time, but he muſt lye all the night time of this life between our breaſts, and as the prophet Zechary ſpeaks he muſt dvvell vvith us, Zech. 8. 3. or as himſelfe ſpeaks, he muſt make abode with us, Joh. 14. 23. joyning with piety perſeverance: for he only that continues faithfull to the death ſhall receive the Crown of Life, Rev. 2. 10.
5. Not only in the whole time of our life generally, but ſpecially, in the gloomy night of affliction, and ſhadowiſh black night of death, (as it is called, Pſalm. 23. 4.) we ſee how and in whom to find the ſweetneſſe of comfort, even from Chriſt all averly, who bore the Croſſe before us, and by his death hath triumphed over death, and made it ſtingleſs and a ſhadowiſh valley only, to us.