Ver. 14. His bands are as gold rings fet with the beryl: bis belly is as bright ivory overlaid with Sapphires. His hands are fairer to behold, Though once nail'd to the tree, The love about his heart that twines Still firm, without decay, In inftances unnumber'd thines With sparkling bright array. Verse 15. His legs are as pillars of marble, fet upon fockets of fine gold. His countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. His legs like marble pillars ftand On golden fockets fine; So firm's the throne of his command, His countenance more lofty is More excellent than all its trees So high, fo eminent is he, Heb. bowels, the fame word as in verse 4. Verse 16. His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is *alto gether lovely. Lo! his bleft mouth, that once did taste The bitter gall for me, With charms divinely fweet is grac'd, Unto the laft degree. Grace pour'd into his lips, alway His mouth a triple heav'n imports, A triple doom to dafh their sports How hard, though fweet, this limning task! He is (if what he is, you afk) All over loves, in fum. How weak my tongue his glory fings, Which drowns feraphic art; He's all difiderable things, And charms in ev'ry part. And in created human drefs Their tongues that do his glory speak, I wrong his name with words fo faint, Nor half his worth declare; Can finite pencils ever paint The infinitely fair? This is my Beloved; this is my Friend, O daughters of Ferufalem. He is all defires My union to his perfon dear Bears fuch fubftantial blifs; All mortal loves and friendship here Are but the fhade of this. Whatever fweet relations be 'Mong creatures great or fmall, There's infinite difparity Between him and them all. Yet how much in himfelf he is, The more I hold his glory forth, Now this, O Salem's progeny, С НА Р. VI. The Church profeffeth her Faith in CHRIST.-CHRIST fheweth the Graces of the Church, and his Love towards her. The COMPANIONS Words. Verse 1. Whither is thy Beloved gone, O thou faireft among women? whither is thy Beloved gone afide ? that we may feek him with thee. SUCH glorious things are told by thee His feekers too we fain would be, Thy holy walk and talk is fuch, Thy countenance fo fair; We think whom thou commend'ft fo much Must be beyond compare. O where is thy Beloved gone! The CHURCH's Words. Verfe 2. My Beloved is gone down into bis garden, to the beds of Spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather' lilies. Lo! my Belov'd, though he enthron'd In glory keeps his place, He plants, he waters every tree, And in his young plantation feeds, He gathers there his chofen crop Of lilies without toil; And, when full ripe, he picks them up, Th' affemblies of his growing faints Are ftill his chief repair: Whoe'er his gracious prefence wants, May feek with fuccefs there. Verfe 3. I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine: be feedeth among the lilies*. See this more largely explained, Chap. ii. 16. Though now my Lord from me abfcond, In's temple oft I have him found, And, though from me to fenfe he hides, My faith holds fast his name: That, though behind the fhade he hides, He keeps his feafts of love. The ordinances of his grace There I have feen his glorious face, And you may fee him there. CHRIST'S Words. Ver. 4. Thou art beautiful, O my Love, as Tirzab, comely as Ferufalem, terrible as an army with banners. How comely is the bride, I fee, Who thus mine abfence wail'd, And kindly thought and spoke of me Ev'n when my face was vail'd! Thy zeal for me when I withdrew. I did forgive, and have forgot, Thy holy foul, from fin remote, |