'might not hear? But the Lord hearkened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written ' in his presence.'

But from the following couplet it should appear that solitude might be the motive of retirement. The church is compared to a solitary dove, hiding among the rocks; and therefore her Lord calls upon her to come forth from her solitude, to shew her countenance and express her love. This hint will afford several useful reflections.

1. There is an ill-timed and improper solitude. In the primitive church, in times of persecution, there were many who had not the courage to confess Christ boldly, who yet dared not treacherously renounce him; and what should these do? They retired into solitude; there at once to avoid their enemies and enjoy their God. This was the origin of the hermetic life, which was afterward carried to excess; and weak, though sincere, Christians, fled from the standard of the cross, though they loved and would not renounce it. But there were others more noble than these, who were not ashamed nor afraid to avow their attachment to their crucified Redeemer before kings. The one sought to avail themselves of their Lord's permission, when persecuted in one city to flee to another: the other aspired to crowns of martyrdom-and they attained them.

The gentle voice of Christ reproves the timid conduct of his weak disciples- Come forward,'

as if he had said without a figure-' come forward, and own yourselves to be mine.-Let me see thy ' countenance and hear thy voice'.'

But there is probably another allusion. The solitary dove retires to moan' among the rocks, and sadly entertain her sorrows with the echo of her own complaints. How true a picture of many a distressed believer-but let such listen to the call of the beloved.

'The winter is past :'-then why mourn among the rocks. The gospel abounds with motives and grounds of joy, and is full of topics of consolation. You are a sinner :-to such only is the gospel addressed.-You are a great sinner :you have the more need then to seek a "great "salvation." You have multiplied transgressions: and he has promised to multiply pardons. You cannot repent: it is his office to give repentance as well as remission of sins. But you have no faith: "O ye of little faith, wherefore do ye "doubt?" Why fly from the Saviour you so much need? To whom will ye go? he only has the words of eternal life.-Why then waste your com

1 The following Hindostan Ode, by the Emperor Shah Aulum, presents us with exactly the same form of expres

sion.

Shew me thy face, O my love!

Let me hear thy voice, ere you quit me.'

Oriental Col. vol. II. p. 394.

2 The wild dove who soothes me with her notes, like me has a dejected heart.' Poetry.

Carlyle's specimens of Arab.

plaints on the winds, and increase your griefs, by reverberating them among the echoing rocks? Let him see your countenance-let him hear your voice. Go then to the throne of grace, shew thyself cheerful in his house of prayer: for to him thy voice is sweet, and thy countenance is comely. The world may deride thy cries, and ridicule thy grief; but tears of penitence are pearls in his sight; and the sighings of a contrite heart are melody in his ears.

Ver. 15.

Virgins. Take for us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines,

For our vines have tender buds,

These words are evidently the language of the chorus, and seem addressed by the virgins to the companions of the bridegroom, requesting their protection and defence, under the metaphor of defending the vineyard from the foxes, which not only disturb the vineyard, and devour the grapes ; but gnaw the branches and roots, so as to destroy the vines. It should be remembered that the Jewish weddings were commonly attended with a guard; and this was particularly the case in the present instance. See chap. III, 7.

It is pretty well agreed among the commentators and divines, that by foxes here may be allegorically understood false prophets among the Jews, and false or heretical teachers among ourselves. This idea is certainly scriptural. EzEKIEL says, "O Israel, thy prophets are like foxes in the desert." What do foxes in the

desert? No doubt they lie in wait for prey; watching for any animal that may fall within their power, of which they may be able to make a prey. On this character I beg to offer a few remarks.

The Fox is the emblem of treachery, and his character, I apprehend, comprizes two things, cunning and cruelty. This gives us the true description of a false prophet and an heresiarch. He is a man of an artful head and a hard heart. The object of the false prophet was to mislead the Israelite from the worship of the true God to the adoration of idols. The character of the heretic is that of an artful sectary, who endeavours to withdraw Christians from the simplicity of Christ, in order to raise a party, or a name. The attentive reader may observe, in the New Testament, a strong line of distinction between mistaken brethren and heretical teachers. To the former is. shewn all tenderness and compassion: to the latter none. This can only be accounted for by marking the difference of character. Heretical teachers have a base and corrupt design: they are charged with" cunning craftiness," whereby they "lie in wait to deceive:" mistaken brethren are deluded and deceived.

By little foxes may perhaps be meant the jackalls, which though small are most dangerous and destructive; for the jackall often precedes

1 The LXX, and some Heb. copies, omit the second word, foxes; and read, Take us the little foxes,' &c.

the lion, and is proverbially his provider. Even this may be allegorized without violence. Those are the most dangerous errors which have the worst moral tendency. Those erroneous teachers who labour to set aside the Saviour, or to smooth the way to sin, may be too justly considered as the agents of him who, as "a roaring li“on, goeth about, seeking whom he may devour."

It is commanded to take these foxes: i. e. to detect, expose, and antidote their errors, and separate them from our communion and it were well if the professed ministers of Christ went no farther. Such expressions have been too often perverted to imply the power of the sword; and Peter's sword we know was early stained with blood. The reason given is, that they spoil or destroy the tender grapes. Foxes, it seems, live and fatten upon grapes. Stript of its allegorical dress the meaning evidently is,

1. That such persons live on the spoil of others: they devour widows houses, and for a pretence • make long prayers.'

2. That these heretics prey upon young Christians, and destroy the promise of their tender blossoms, and their early buds. The weaker age, the weaker sex, and the weaker talents, are peculiarly their prey' they lead captive silly women.'

It may be a useful improvement of this verse, to point out some of the pretences that false teachers employ to delude weak minds-and some traits of weakness that expose certain characters to their deceptions.