Loves Intercourse Between the Lamb and His Bride, Treatise · Chapter 2 · Verse 11
Verſ. 11. For lo, the winter is paſt, the rain is over and gone. 12. The flowers appear in the earth, the time of the ſinging of birds is come, and the voice of the Turtle is heard in our land. 13. The Fig-tree putteth forth her green figs, and the Vines with the tender grape, give a good ſmel; Ariſe my love, my fair one, and come away.
Here we have the Allegory, under which the Lord doth perſwade the Church to ariſe and come away, out of the eſtate of ſecurity, and from the love of earthly things, to the delight and deſire of heavenly, which is taken from the time of the year, and change thereof; from a cold winter, wherein all things lie as it were dead and barren, ſo that no pleaſure is to be had then in things that grow, unto a pleaſant ſpring, wherein all ſuch things ſpring forth, and bud again: The deſcription of which ſpring-time, he makes from theſe five things: 1 That flowers appear. 2 That birds ſing. 3 That the voice of the Turtle is heard. 4 That the fig-tree putteth forth her green figs. And 5 That the Vine with her tender grape, gives a good ſmell.
By which two ſeaſons is repreſented unto us, both what is the eſtate of all the Elect, before their effectuall calling, and what the ſame is thereafter, when they are regenerate: Before their calling, their hearts are even like the earth in winter, under cold forſts, hard and indured, dead and barren, and liable to the ſtormes of God's wrath and anger; but after they are called, and that they begin to be regenerate, a ſtrange change is wrought in them, from worſe to better; for then, through the influence of grace, and that Sun of Righteouſneſſe, their hearts are chawed, ſoftned, and warmed with his love; the dew of grace deſcends upon them, as dew came down on Gideon's fleece, when the reſt of the earth was dry; the ſweet flowers of heavenly graces do alſo bud, and in their variety appear; there is joy then of the holy Ghoſt, and peace of conſcience, repreſented here by ſinging of birds, and voice of the Turtle; and fructifying in a holy life and converſation, expreſſed by the fruit of the fig-tree, and grape of the vine.
Some alſo do underſtand by this winter ſeaſon, the time of ſtormy perſecution, wherein the Church, like the 7000. in Eliah's time, does lurk, and by this exhortation to ariſe and come away, that our Saviour willes his Church, now in the time of peace and tranquillity enſuing, to ariſe from her larking, and come away after him in an avowed profeſſion of his name, as thoſe Chriſtians did in Constantine's time, who had lurked before in the time of the heathen and perſecuting Emperours.
1. Comparing the time of perſecution and the croſſe, to winter, 1. In regard of the Sharpneſs thereof, like winter, 2. Yet that it is wholſome to the ſoul, as winter is to the body, 3. That it mortifies our corruption, as the winter does hurtfull vermine which otherwiſe would abound; and, 4. That it makes peace the ſweeter, and us the more thankfull for it, as the winter makes the ſpring and ſummer the more acceptable
2. Comparing alſo theſe flowers that then appeare, to the godly, as we ſee, Cant. 2. 2. 1 Becauſe they are delightfull to God, as flowers to us. 2. They grow in grace by the influence of the Sunne of righteouſneſs, as flowers do grow by the influence of the ſunne, 3. They ſmell ſweetly through Chriſt, and by their practice of renewed obedience perfected by him, to God; and, 4. (as here) though in the winter they ſeeme dead and periſhed, yet in the ſpring they appeare and riſe againe, and ſo ſhall the godly riſe at the laſt day, though they ſeeme now quite periſhed, and lye dead in their graves.
3. Comparing alſo the ſinging of the birds, to the rejoyſing of the godly, when God hath granted them peace and deliverance, as we have, Pſ. 126. 2. and who like birds, or ſinging Larks the higher they riſe from an earthly diſpoſition in heavenly comtemplation and ſoaring, the ſweeter they ſing, and are the more melodious in the eares of God.
But it is to be remarked, that with the ſinging of birds the voice of the tur…le which is Gemebunda is joyned, to ſhow that our rejoycing muſt not be in Gods mercies to us, without our mourning for our ſinnes againſt him, as we are exhorted, Pſ. 2. 11. To ſerve the Lord with feare, and rejoyce with trembling.
4. Comparing laſtly, the godly to fig-trees bringing forth ſigs, and vines bringing forth ſweet ſmelling grapes, to ſhow thereby unto us that the truly godly are neither fruitleſſe trees, or barren like that fig-tree which our Saviour curſed; nor yet fruitfull in evill, as thoſe of whom our Lord complaines, Iſay. 5. who in place of ſweet fruit brought forth ſowre grapes; but who being good trees themſelves bring forth ſweet and well ſmelling fruit.
Obſervations.
1. The perſwaſion to ariſe and come away, being taken from the compariſon of the diverſe times of the Winter that was paſt, and the Spring that was now preſent, does teach all ſuch whom God has effectually called from darkneſs to his marvellous light, not to ſleep in ſecurity (as before) nor ſet their hearts on things vain and tranſitory, as they did in the dayes of their ignorance when they lay frozen in their ſinnes, but now having been made partakers of the heavenly calling that they ought to take their ſolace and delight in heavenly things repreſented by theſe pleaſant things ſpoken of in the ſpring.
2. By the diverſity of the nature of theſe two ſeaſons that are ſpoken of, repreſenting our eſtate in nature & under grace, we ought to try our ſelves thereby, in which of theſe eſtates we are: If we find our hearts cold in zeale or the love of God and heavenly things, or hard and obſtinate, and that our life is barren altogether in good works, &c. then we are as yet in the eſtate of nature, and it is yet winter with us; but if we find that the ſweet ſmelling and delectable flowres of grace and holy vertues bud in our ſoul and appeare in our life, that we have hearts to praiſe God and mourne like the turtle for our ſinnes, and that we are fruitfull in holineſs and a godly life, then our winter is paſt, and it is the ſpring with us, or eſtate of grace wherein we ſtand.
3. The repetition or reireration of the former exhortation that is uſed in the end of this 13. verſe to riſe and come away, ſhowes unto us theſe two things, 1. Our Saviour his earneſtneſs of our ſpirituall good and ſalvation, as he teſtified to the Jewes, How oft would he have gathered them as chickens under his wings, but they would nor, and therefore he uſes here as it were line upon line, and precept upon precept, ſaying once, and againe. Ariſe my love, my fair one and come away, 2. This ſhowes the lazineſs of the beſt, and lothneſs (like Lot) to riſe from ſecurity and come away from the affecting of this world, and theſe earthly things that are therein.