Loves Intercourse Between the Lamb and His Bride, Treatise · Chapter 1 · Verse 8
Verſe. 8. If thou know not (O thou faireſt among women) go thy way forth by the foot-ſteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beſide the ſhepherds Tents.
The ſpeeches of the Bride ſeeking after her Beloved, are paſt in the former part of this Chapter: now followes what he ſayes to her, in the next Verſe, and then, How each one commends another by courſe, to the end. Her laſt requeſt was, that he would ſhow her, Where he fed, &c. And unto this he anſwers in a ſweet and loving manner, thus, If thou knoweſt not, &c. In which anſwer we have, 1. How he ſtyles her, 2. What he ſayes to her, the firſt part of which is Hypothetick; and the ſecond, directory.
In this ſtyle which he gives her, we have, 1. Wherefore he praiſes her, to wit, for fairneſs or beauty, 2. In what degree, to wit, the ſuperlative, 3. Among whom, to wit, women.
Firſt then, it is from beauty or fairneſs that he praiſes and ſtyles Her, whereof we have already ſpoken, v. 5. Only here let us pray with the Pſalmiſt, Let this thy beauty be upon us, O Lord, Pſ. 90. 17. Not but that the Church and members thereof has many ſpots and blemiſhes, but he beholds the beauty of his ſpouſe ſo far as ſhe is regenerat, and beautified with Heavenly graces, which are his beauty that He has put upon her, as he ſpeaks in Ezekiel; and his love covers all her other infirmities, as it is ſaid, he ſees no iniquity in Jacob, nor beholds any perverſneſs in Iſrael, Num. 23. 21. ſhe is ſo then in his eyes by acceptation being juſtified and ſanctified.
2. She is called not only faire, but faireſt, or moſt fair, to ſhow that the beauty of grace, ſurpaſſes all other beauty, as it is ſaid of the vertuous woman, Many has done vertuouſly, but thou ſurmounts them all, therefore the Church is ſo deſcribed, Pſ. 45. and, Rev. 12. and this her beauty, ſickneſs age nor nothing can deface.
3. She is ſaid to be faireſt amongſt women, 1. Becauſe their beauty is greateſt, and her's is greater then their's of that Sex, 2. To ſhow the Churches excellency beyond all other ſocieties, and therefore compared to a Lilly amongſt thornes.
Next to her Compellation to come to his Speech, and firſt to the Hypothetick part thereof, If thou knoweſt not &c. Which form of ſpeech would ſeem to import, that it is a ſtrange thing that His church ſhould not know, where he feeds his flock, for from the beginning he has ever fed his flock, ſo as his Church has known how, where, and whereby: but yet falſe Teachers have oftentimes ſo farre prevailed, and ſo confidently challenged to themſelves the name and Title of the true Church, and the knowledge of Gods pure worſhip like the Sunne and air in the Revelation, has been oft-times ſo obfuſcat and darkned, that the ſimple and poore ſheep of Chriſt have not known almoſt what way to turne them, till in the end they have had here with the ſpouſe their refuge to Chriſt, to be taught and reſolved by him.
The next part of his ſpeech to her, is directory, directing her where to go, to wit, by the ſteps of the flock. But ſeeing it is the church which makes this requeſt, that He would ſhow her where He feeds, what flock does he feed beſide His Church? Is not ſhe His only flock? What other flock is this then, whoſe ſteps ſhe muſt trace to find Him, and where he feeds? Indeed the Church is but one in reſpect of the unity of faith and charity, and Chriſt feeds no other flock beſide Her. But in reſpect of the diverſity of times and places, ſhe may be diverſly conſidered, and may be ſaid to be divers flocks: and therefore we muſt obſerve here, that this is the prayer of the Church ever on earth militant, and there be who were upon earth in former time, that are now in Heaven, triumphant, whoſe ſteps notwithſtanding in ſacred Hiſtory yet may be ſeene, and what truth they profeſt, and how they worſhipped God. It is this flock then, that He meanes, of true and faithfull worſhippers and whoſe ſteps he willes Her to follow, as the Apostle yet calls to all, ſaying, Follow me, as I follow Chriſt. Alſo it is to be noted that He bids her go forth, Leaving nature, the practice of ſinne, the ſociety of ſeducers, the ſuggeſtion of fleſh and blood. And Next, he bids her feed her kids by the ſhepherds Tents: where we have, 1. What is meant by Her kids, 2. What by the ſhepherds and their Tents, Firſt then, by kids are meant young and tender Chriſtians, for the goats whoſe young ones kids are, being indeed ſometime oppoſed to ſheep ſignifie the wicked, yet uſually alſo they figured in the Law the godly offered up by mortification as ſacrifices to God, Rom. 12. 1. And Chriſt Himſelf was ſignified by goats and kids by the Apoſtles expoſition, Heb. 9. 12. Kids likewiſe they are called, or young goats to ſhow what they are by nature when they are at firſt brought to Chriſt, and to feed on the greene paſture of His word, to wit goatiſh and petulant, till the change by grace and the meanes thereof be wrought upon them, from goats to be Chriſts ſheep appointed for his right Hand, kids alſo for tender age denoting that even from our younger years we ſhould be a ccuſtomed, according to Timotheus's commondation, with the paſture of Gods word to be fed thereby.
Next, by theſe ſhepherds ſpoken of, who fed and guided theſe anicent flocks, are meant, the Holy Prophets and Apoſtles, to whom as Chriſt ſaid to Peter, paſſce oves meas, Chriſt committed his ſheep to feed, and upon whoſe doctrine as the only true foundation, St. Paul declares the whole houſe of God, which is his Church, to be built: and by their Tents, is meant, their writings or the diſplayed and firme doctrine of the truth which they fully and faithfully preached and left unto all poſterity regiſtrate in Scripture.
Obſervations.
1. We ſee, How readily he anſwers her petition, From which we obſerve the Lords promptitude in anſwering the petitions of his own, ſpecially craving ſpirituall things, as He ſhowes us, Luk. 11. 11.
2. Out of the ſtyle he gives her, of being fairest among women, we ſee the difference between the judgment of the blind world and Chriſt's, who not ſeeing the ſpirituall beauty of Chriſts church, Rev. 12. 1. but looking on Her outward baſe and afflicted condition, vilifies her, while as her members are the Lords Jewels, and ſhe is moſt beautifull being juſtified and ſanctified in him, to her Heavenly husband.
3. We ſee here alſo a great comfort to every godly ſoul in temptation, when Satan upbraides unto them their filthineſs and pollution by ſinne, and therefore how can ſo pure and Holy a God delight in them, or count them fair or beautifull? To whom ſuch may reply, that though they be ſo by ſinne, yet being waſhed and ſanctified, they are beautifull in His eyes, who ſees no Iniquity in Jacob, but whoſe blood has clenſed them, his ſpirit renewed them, and whoſe love has covered the multitude of their infirmities.
4. As we ſee the difference betweene the judgment of the blind world and Chriſt's concerning his Church, ſo alſo between Her owne Judgment of her ſelf, and Chriſt's: ſhe ſayed of her ſelf before, I am black; and He ſayes here, that ſhe is moſt beautifull, to reach us to be vile in our own eyes and humble, like the publican, and then the Lord will the more highly eſteeme of us, and exalt us.
5. Whereas in ſuch a meek manner (without rebuking her for her ignorance) He tells her what to do, to wit, to go forth by the foot-ſteps of the flock, and beſides the Tents of the ſhepherds, we ſee a true and ſure directory in his words in the matter of Religion, to wit, to inſiſt in the ſteps of the profeſſion and practiſe of Gods true people who have gone before us, as we find them cleerly ſet before our eyes in the writings of the faithfull ſhepherds of his Church, to wit the Prophets and Holy Apoſtles.
6. We ſee how the godly they not only do good in their life time, but alſo by their good example, regiſtrate in Holy Scripture which they left behind them, being dead, they do good in like manner: therefore, Heb. 11. 4. by that oblation of Abel's, and his faith manifeſted therein, being dead he is ſaid yet to ſpeak, and inſtruct others, how to worſhip good in like faith and ſincerity.
7. Laſtly, we ſee, 1. How will theſe agree, to wit, the flock's foot-ſteps with the ſhepherds Tents, a holy practice in people with ſound doctrine of paſtors: and, 2. That hereby Chriſts flock may be knowne to be his true flock, to wit, by inſiſting in the profeſſion of propheticall and apoſtlicall truth, which is the Tents of theſe here ſpoken of.