Embracing faith is here, to meet My Lord when he appears; Repentance here to wall his feet With floods of joyful tears. Love, joy, and all the heav'nly train, Come thou, to whom I all devote, O my beloved Lord; Lo! all that's from thy fulnefs got 'Tis thine to plant, and prune, and dress; In thee my all I ftill poffefs, To thee my all I owe. 1 The Love of the Church to CHRIST.-The Vehemency of Love.-The calling of the Gentiles.-The Church prayeth for CHRIST's coming. The CHURCH's Words. Verse 1. O that thou wert as my brother, that fucked the breafts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kifs thee; yea,* Ifbould not be defpifed. So fweet I find thy heav'nly charms, Still more and more I bode; And long to clafp within my arms A whole incarnate God. O would thou as my brother wert, Heb. They fball not defpife me. Yea, in the op'nest, patent place, Hell could reproach thy church of old, But now the Son is giv'n†, I'm bold To him I'll give the higheft room, That deign'd to blefs the virgin's womb, And human nature wed. My God's my brother now in dress; And if he would allow't, Though hell fhould mock my fond carrefs, Verse 2. I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's boufe, who would inftruct me: I would cause thee to drink of the Spiced wine, and of the juice of my pomegranates. I would attend and ufher thee Into my mother's home; Then would her courts inftructive be,! Her children would thy glory fee, Did they thy prefence fhare : And I for entertaining thee Would bring my choiceft fare. Well were the feaft beftow'd on thee; For thine my graces are, Who, when thou comes to feed with me, + Ifa. ix. 6. Verfe 3. His left-band * fhould be under my bead, and bis right-hand fhould embrace me † Lo! he defcending from above, In anfwer to my pray'r, I'm clofely guarded with his pow'r, For my folace 'gainst fin and death, O welcome bleft and happy hour, Ӧ Verfe 4. I charge you, O daughters of Jerufalem, that ye ftir not up, nor awake my Love until be pleafe. O Salem's daughters, now, I pray, And charge you, ftand in awe This heav'nly quiet marr not ye Why fhould you rob yourselves and me Of fuch uncommon joys! His fimiles are free, he comes and gocs; The happy hour is this: Why fhould you prove fuch wretched foes, To interrupt the blifs! See these words more largely fpoken to, Chap. ii. 7. and iii. 5. Heb. Why fould you flir up? or, why awake, &c. My glorious Lord now refts within While he allows his vifit fweet, O may I never grieve his Sp'rit, The COMPANIONS Words. Verle 5. (Who is this that cometh up from the wilder nefs, leaning upon her Beloved?)— What fair and lovely bride is this! How boldly does fhe in his name, His bofom is the pillow foft On which her head doth reft Lo! how on his almighty arms Her fir'd affections upward tow'r, Afcending from the wildernefs And, ftrongly bent for heav'nly blifs, The CHURCH's Words. I raised thee up under the apple-tree: there thy + Thee in the Hebrew has the mark of the mafculine gender. 4 To mens applaufe, with mighty maze, But, Lord, with thee, who art my praise, Such fweet experience, Lord, I had I rais'd thee up in fecret pray'r, Thy mother too that brought thee forth, The faints beneath thy fruitful shade, Thy fhadow thus to them and me That more and more I long to fee Verfe 6. Set me as a feal upon thine beart, as a feal upon thine arm : Grant, Lord, my name engrav'd may be And by confirming marks reveal Grant alfo, Lord, my love to thee May firmly be impreft: And let thy name my fignet be |