1 . A strong desire of the church of nearer communion with Christ ; and then,
2. Some declining again in affection.
3. After this we have her recovery and regaining again of love ; after which,
4. The church falls again into a declining of affection ; whereupon follows a further strangeness of Christ to her than before, which continues until,
5. That the church, perceiving of Christ's constant affection unto her, notwithstanding her unkind dealing, recovers, and cleaves faster to Christ than ever , chap. iii.
These passages agree to the experience of the best Christians in the state of their own lives. This observation must carry strength through this whole song, that there is the same regard of the ivliole church, and of every particidar member, in regard of the chiefest privileges and graces that accom- pany salvation. There is the same reason of every drop of water as of the * That is, ' deadened.' — G. f That is, ' represented.' — G.
Cant. IV. 16. J ' awake, o north wind ! ' 7
whole ocean, all is water; and of every spark of fire as of the whole element of fire, all is fire. Of those homogeneal bodies, as we call them, there is the same respect of the part and of the whole. And therefore, as the whole church is the spouse of Christ, so is every particular Christian ; and as the whole church desires still nearer communion with Christ, so doth every parti- cular member. But to come to the words, ' I am come into my garden,' &c.
This chapter is not so well broken and divided from the former as it might have been, for it were better and more consequent* that the last verse of the former chapter were added to the beginning of this.
' Aivake, 0 north ivind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may Jioiv out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits,'' Cant. iv. 16.
And therefore, by reason of connection of this chapter with the former verse, we will fii'st speak somewhat of it briefly, only to make way for that which follows. The words contain —
1. A turning of Christ's speech to the winds to blow upon his garden, with the end why, ' that the spices thereof may flow out.'
2. We have an invitation of Christ, by the church, to come into his garden, with the end, ' to eat his pleasant fruits.'
Quest. It may be a question whether this command be the words of Christ or the desire of his spouse ?
Ans. The words are spoken by Christ, because he calls it ' my garden,' and the church after invites him to eat of ' his pleasant fruits,' not of hers. Yet the words may be likewise an answer to a former secret desire of the church, whereof the order is this : The chm-ch being sensible of some dead- ness of spirit, secretly desires some further quickening. Chi'ist then answers those desires by commanding the winds to blow upon her. For ordinarily Christ first stirs up desires, and then answers the desires of his own Spirit by further increase, as here, ' Awake, thou north wind ; and come, thou south ; and blow upon my garden,' &c.
1. For the first point named, we see here that Christ sends forth his Spirit, ivith command to all means, under the name of ' north and south wind,' to farther the fruitfulness of his church. The wind is nature's fan. What winds are to the garden, that the Spirit of Christ, in the use of means, is to the soul. From compaiison fetched from Christ's command- ing the winds, we may in general observe, that all creatures stand in obedience to Christ, as ready at a word, whensoever he speaks to them. They are all, as it were, asleep until he awakes them. He can call for the wind out of his treasures when he pleases : he holds them in his fist, Prov. xxx. 4.
Use. Which may comfort all those that are Christ's, that they are under one that hath all creatures at his beck under him to do them service, and at his check to do them no harm. This drew the disciples in admiration to say, * What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the seas obey him ? ' Mat. viii. 27. And cannot the same pov/er still the winds and waves of the chm'ches and states, and cause a sudden calm, if, as the dis- ciples, we awake him with our prayers.
2. Secondly, we see here that Christ speaks to icinds contrary one to another, both in regard of the coasts from whence they blow, and in their quality ; but both agree in this, that both are necessary for the garden : where we see that the courses that Christ takes, and the means that he uses with his church, may seem contrary ; but by a wise ordering, all agree in the wholesome issue. A prosperous and an afllicted condition ai'e contrary : a
* That is, ' in sequence.' — G.
8 BOWELS OPENED. [SeRMON I.
mild and a sharp course may seem to cross one another ; yet sweetly they agree in this, that as the church needeth both, so Christ useth both for the church's good. The north is a nipping wind, and the south a cherishing wind ; therefore the south wind is the welcomer and sweeter after the north wind hath blown. But howsoever, all things are ours : ' Paul, ApoUos, Cephas, things present and to come, life, death,' &c., 1 Cor. iii. 21, 22; * all things work together for good to us, being in Christ,' Rom. viii. 28.