That all the relatives might tafte

My prefent wondrous blifs,

Who faint with famine in the wafte
And howling wilderness.

With ardent zeal befought I him,

To let his bleffing fall On mystical Jerufalem,

The mother of us all.

'Tis writ in Zion's infant-roll,

This man and that man there
Was born again t; and there my foul
First drew the vital air.

I therefore beg'd, her offspring free
Might have with peaceful days,
The pleasure of his company
In his approved ways.

His prefence to her houfe I fought,
Its ruins to repair;

To ftrengthen what his hands had wrought,
And fhew his glory there.

I pray'd him to my native home,

As his belov'd refort;

Nor did my Lord refufe to come
And grace his facred court.
For there he fill'd oft to the brim
My cup of joy; and there
His love to me, and mine to him,
Did mutual tokens fhare.

I found, to my experience glad,
That, in the wrestling way,
The God of Jacob never faid
The feed of Jacob, nay.

Verfe 5. I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerufalem, by the roes, and by the binds of the field, that ye ftir not up nor awake my love till be please *.

My Lord does now his joyful reft

In Zion's bofom take;

Wo to the fin, th' unwelcome guest,

This fweet repofe fhall break.

+ Pfalm lxxxvii. 5.

* See Chap. ii. 7. the fame words; but here they relate to Christ's prefence in the church, the mother's houfe, that that be not marred.

Ye daughters of Jerufalem,
That love to him profefs,

Take care you do not lofe the gem,
The joy that ye poffefs.

While fome delight in hinds and roes,

And from alarms would fhield
Their foon-difturbed, foft repofe,
Upon the open field.

Shall we awake our deareft Love,
With vain and earthly noife,
That may provoke him to remove,
And dafh our prefent joys?

If fome affect the rural charms
And pleafures of the field,
A dearer love is in our arms
Than ever earth could yield.
If they their pleafing trifles would
All undisturb'd enjoy;

Shan't we our dearest darling hold
And hug without annoy?

Ye then that of my mother's house
The fons and daughters are,
Be careful, while he itays with us,
Left ye the pleafure mar.

While he vouchfafes to be our guest,
And grace our public inn,
Let none of us difturb his reft,
By Heav'n-provoking fin.

In love he comes and goes, and fo
May leave his holy hill:

But woe to us, if off he go

In wrath, againit his will.

His will and pleasure is a law,

To which we muft fubmit:

But never tempt him to withdraw,

Until he judge it fit.

The COMPANIONS Words.

Verse 6. Who is this † that cometh out of the wil

Tbis, here, is in the feminine gender; q.d. Who is SHE that cometh up? &c.

dernefs like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrb and frankincenfe, and all powders of the merchant?

What bride is this, in bright aray,
With precious bleffings ftor'd,
That gives us folemn charge to pay
Such homage to her Lord?
Up from the defart fee her move,
And climb the azure fkies;
As from the glowing altar's ftove
The fmoaky pillars rife.
Her heart inflam'd with holy fire
In the devouteft mode,
Adventures boldly to aspire

Unto the throne of God.
As tow'ring fmoke in air ferene,
With ftately rifing heads,
Majeftic mounts above the plain
In lofty pyramids :

See how her warm'd affections tow'r,
And, with a heav'nly air,
Contempt on earthly glory pour,

As worthlefs of her care.

Perfum'd with myrrh and incenfe fweet,
She fmells like flow'ry spring,
With fav'ry graces, odours meet
To entertain her King.
No precious powders from afar,

Of which the merchant boasts,
Like thefe her grateful odours are,
Brought from IMMANUEL'S coafts.
So wondrous are the charms we fpy,
So rich the broider'd robe;
Her darling fplendor blinds our eye,
And blazes o'er the globe.

The CHURCH's Words.

Verfe 7. Bebold bis bed which is Salomon's,

+ See Chap. i. 16.

O friends, what mean you, with surprise,

On mortal me to gaze?

From borrow'd beauty turn your eyes

To uncreated rays.

Behold the King magnificent,

Who me fo richly clad;
Whom Solomon the opulent *,
Did typify and fhade.

Come, fee his equipage prepar'd,
And enfigns of renown;
His ftately bed, his royal guard
His chariot, and his crown.
His bed of flate in Zion flands,
Within the royal court;

For there the bleffing heav'n commands,
There is his lov'd refort.

There, ftill remains, as prophets vouch,
And holy fcriptures, tell,

The Heir of heav'n's embroider'd couch
For hugging heirs of hell.

This is my reft, here will I stay,
In facred lines he faid +;
And, till he can his word unfay,
He'll never change his bed.
'Tis here, with pleasure unexpreft,
Our mutual loves combine,

On eafy downs of holy rest,
And fellowship divine.

The furniture and coft immenfe
About the bed may clear,

An infinitely greater Prince
Than Solomon is here.

-Threefcore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Ifrael. Verfe 8. They all bold fwords, being expert in war; every man bath bis fword upon bis thigh, because of fear in the night.

Behold the royal guard, to fence
His bed on ev'ry side;

To fhew the fplendor of the Prince,

The fafety of the bride.

Rich. † Psalm cxxxii. 14.

A num'rous hoft of nobler knights

Than Solomon's brigade"
Of fixty valiant Ifraelites

Around his iv'ry bed.

For, lo! the refling-place to guard
The hofts of God combine;
Thoufands of angels all prepar'd,
And attributes divine.

.. The lowest rank that rails the bed
Are watchmen of the night,
Who ftand as fentries in the fhade,
Until the morning-light.

Of thefe the faithful to their Prince
No naked foldiers are,

But arm'd complete for bold defence,
As mighty fons of war.

By long experiece skilful grown
They in the field command;
And val'rous for the heav'nly crown
They fight with fword in hand.
The Spirit's fword each ready wears
Clofe girded by his fide,

The word of God, to ftill the fears
Of Jefus' royal bride.

When nightly dread her quiet mar,
Their fwords filence the fright,

And from the holy fpot debar

The terrors of the night.

Yea, Zion's King himfelf acclaims
To be their fhield and fhade;

His blood, his word, his oath, his names
Defend the royal bed.

The fentry is almighty wings,

*

For fubfidy prepar'd:

What fleeping couch of earthly kings

Can boast of fuch a guard?

Amidst night-fhades that fear fuggeft,
Amidst † menacing harms,
They ly fecure, whofe bed of rest
Is ftrong IMMANUEL's arms.