In friendship, there is mutual solace and comfort one in another. Christ deUghteth himself in his love to his church, and his church delighteth her- self in her love to Chi-ist. Christ's delight was to be wnth the sons of men, and ours is to be with him.
In friendship there is a mutual honour and respect one of another ; but here is some diflerence in this friendship. For though Christ calls us friends, and therein in some sort brings himself down to us, yet we must remember that this is a fiiendship of unequals. Christ's honouring of us is his putting honour upon us. Our honouring of him is the giving him the ' honour due to his name,' 1 Chron. xvi. 29. This friendship must be maintained by due respect on our parts. As he is oui- friend, so he is our king, and knows how to correct us if we forget our distance. If he here seem to use us hardly, it is that he may use us the more kindly after. He suffers much for us, therefore we may well allow him the liberty of seasonable con'ecting of us.
He that inspfreth friendship into others will undoubtedly keep the laws of friendship himself, will count our enemies his enemies. The enemies of the chm-ch shall one day know that the church is not friendless.
And as his friendship is sweet, so constant in all conditions. He useth not his friends as we do flowers, regard them only when they are fresh ; but he breeds that in us that may make us such as he may still delight in us. If other friends fail, as friends may fail, yet this friend will never fail us. If we be not ashamed of him, he will never be ashamed of us. How comfortable would our hfe be if we could draw out the comfort that this title oi friend aflbrdeth ! It is a comfortable, a fruitful, an eternal friendship.
' I sleep, but my heart waketh.' Here the church expresseth a change- able passage of her spiritual condition, after she had recovered herself out of a former desertion, expressed in the beginning of the third chapter ; and enjoyed a comfortable intercourse with Christ. Now she faUeth into a deeper desertion and temptation, from the remainder of coiTuption getting strength. The church now falleth asleep, then was awake in the night, and sought her beloved. Here is no present awaking, no seeking ; there no misusage by the watchmen, as here. There she findeth him more speedily ; here she falls sick with love before Christ discovereth himself.
Before we come to the words, observe in general,
Obs. 1. That the state of the Church and evenj Christian is subject to spi- ritual alterations. The church is always ' beloved,' a ' spouse,' a ' friend ; ' but in this one state there falleth out variety of changes. No creatm-e sub-
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ject to so many changes as man. From a state of innocency he fell into a state of corruption. From that he, by grace, is restored to a state of grace, and from grace to glory, where his condition shall be as Christ's now is, and as heaven the place is, altogether unchangeable. And in that state of grace, how many intercourses be there ! the foundation of God's love to us, and grace in us always remaining the same. Once beloved, for ever beloved.
We see here, after a feast, the church falleth asleep. See it in Abra- ham, sometimes ' strong in faith,' sometimes fearful. David sometimes standing, sometimes falling, sometimes recovering himself and standing faster, sometimes triumphing, ' The Lord is the light of my countenance, whom shall I fear ? ' Ps. xxvii. 1 ; sometimes, again, ' I shall one day fall by the hands of Saul,' 1 Sam. xxvii. 1. In the very same psalm he begins with ' Kebuke me not in thy wrath,' and ends with ' Away, ye wicked,' Ps. vi. 1, 10. Elias, though zealous, yet after flies for his life, 1 Kings xix. So Job, Peter, sometimes resolute and valiant, other while sinks for fear, Job vi. ; Mat. xiv. 30.
The reason. The ground is, by reason of variety of outward occurrences working upon the diversity of principles in us, natm-e and grace. Both nature and grace are always active in us in some degi'ee. When corrup- tion gets strength, then we find a sick state creeping upon us, and lose our fonner frame. It is with the soul as with the body. In a certain period of time it gathereth ill humours, which break out into aguish distempers at length ; so the relics of a spiritual disease not carried away, will ripen and gather to a head. This should teach us, when we are well, to study to keep an even com-se, and to watch over the fii'st stirrings, and likewise, if we see some imevenness in our ways, not to censure ourselves or others over harshly. Exact evenness is to be striven after here, but to be enjoyed in another world.
Obs. 2. We see, by comparing the state of the church here with the state of it in the third chapter, that ivhere corruption is not thoroughly purged, and a careful watch kept over the soul, thereafter* a recovery, ivill follow a more dangerous distemper. Corruption will not only strive for life, but for rule. If there had been a thorough reformation in the chm'ch after her former trouble, and a thorough closing with Christ, she would not thus have fallen into a more dangerous condition. We see David, in his later times, falls to ' numbering of the people,' 2 Sam. xxiv. 1, scq.; and Samson, after he had done great services for the church, at length shamefully betrays his strength ; and he that had ruled others submits to be ruled by a base strumpet, Jud. xvi. Jonah, for not thorough repenting for his running from his calling, falls after to quarrel with God himself, Jonah iv. 9. It is the best, therefore, to deal thoroughly with our hearts, else flesh unsubdued will owe us a greater shame, and we shall dishonour our own beginnings. Yet this is the com- fort, that this will occasion deeper humility and hatred of sin in those that are God's, and a faster cleaving to God than ever before, as we see in the church here. Afterwards grace will have the better at last.