While I the rofe and lily fair
Join'd as my title claim,
My love, the bride, muft have a fhare
Of my enamel'd name.
Mine image the fo harmless bears
Amidst a furious broil;
She as a lily fair appears
Ev'n in a thorny foil.
Among the daughters of defpite,
The offspring of the earth,
Her lily-form, fo lovely white,
Shews her fuperior birth.
Befet with briers, that pierce and pain,
Yet precious in my view;
She pure and harmless does remain
Among the noxious crew.
The whole of Satan's children are
A field of hurtful thorns,
Enrag'd by hell, to fcratch and mar
The flow'r that heav'n adorns.
But I'll provide in this turmoil
My lily with a shield,
And afterward a better foil,
My glorious azure field.
Ver. 3. As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, fo is my Beloved among the fons.
My deareft Lord has won my heart
With his mellifluous tongue,
That gives unworthy me a part
Both in his name and fong.
He to my need his names doth fuit
As if he could not be
A rofe and lily of repute,
Without adorning me.
His fav'ry titles thus made known,
In fuch endearing ways,
As warp his name within my own,
Provoke my heart to praise.
Awake, my foul, commend his grace,
And fing the living tree,
Who by fuch apples of folace
Commends himfelf to thee.
Above the daughters of the earth
Does he extol my name?
Above the fons of higher birth
I will his praife proclaim.
As garden apple-tees excel
The forreft's barren race?
So fhines my Lord o'er mortals all
With a fuperior grace.
His fruit fo fweet, his form fo fair,
His healing leaves fo broad;
This tree of life bears no compare
With fons of men or God.
Created fhrubs, wild gourds be gone,
I Climb a higher tree;
Jefus, the living God, alone
Yields fhade and fap to me.
-I fat down under bis fhadow with great delight, and
bis fruit was sweet to my taste.
What fool foever difagrees,
My fweet experience proves,
That Jefus is the tree of trees,
Among a thousand groves.
From paradife, within he grows,
He fpreads his branches vaft,
To give sweet fhade for my repofe,
Sweet fruit for my repaft.
When fore fatigu'd, I fat by faith
Beneath his cooling fhade;
Skreen'd from the heat of fcorching wrath,
My fhelter'd foul was glad.
The fhadow of his righteousness,
The covert of his blood,
When confcious guilt and dread oppress,
A happy peace conclude.
This fhadow fhields me from the fire
That ftrikes the dread and awe,
The flaming Heav'n's incenfed ire
And Sinai's fiery law.
Such fhelter this thick fhade imparts,
That no temptation fierce,
No feather'd fhafts, nor fiery darts,
Can once the fhadow pierce.
When Chrift my fkreen is interpos'd,
Between the flames and me,
My joyful heart and lips unclos'd
Adore the glorious tree.
No-mortal tongue can speak the blifs
That in his fhade is giv'n;
For then I'm fafe from all diftrefs,
And taste an early heav'n.
The tree does with immortal food
My fainting foul folace,
With fruits the purchase of his blood,
The apples of his grace.
O here's the tree of life, that gives
The virtue finners need,
Enliv'ning fruit, and healing leaves,
To raise and cure the dead. †
Pardons, and promises, and joys,
Upon his branches grow;
Which, bending down, with gentle poife,
Unload themselves below.
Laden with grace, his fruit he drops,
And spreads my table o'er,
To please my tafte, and feed my hopes,
Until I feast in glore.
Ver. 4. He brought me to the banquetting-boufe, and
bis banner over me was love.
Who but my Lord, the living tree,
My leader alfo is,
That brings me near to taste and fee
This love and grace of his?
Because my fall, he kindly thought,
Did nature's pow'r difplace;
To his wine-cellars I was brought
By his almighty grace.
Brought from his garden, to his houfe,
To tafte more joy divine;
From fipping of the apple-juice,
To drink the fpiced wine.
With fweet and ravishing folace
My foul was feasted there,
In ordinances of his grace,
The houfe of his repair.
And lo! the royal flag display'd,
Dy'd with the bleeding vine,
Along my folemn entrance led
Into his house of wine.
With flying colours did I move,
And march triumphantly;
For then was love, victorious love,
His banner lifted high.
This fignal of his grace adorn'd
That ftately march of mine;
And for my entertainment turn'd
My water into wine.
Love's conqu'ring flag, for war so near,
Did all my fins fubdue;
Love led the van, love fenc'd the rear,
Love dafh'd the hellifh crew.
My fainting heart was giv'n o'er,
Till with his enfign fpread,
My Standard-bearer went before,
And all the furies fled.
Soul, now to arms; love fights and wins;
This banner guards my life:
Almighty Love will flay my fins,
And end the bloody ftrife.
+ Y
Still therefore to purfue the chafe,
Till I triumph above;
I'll mind the banquet of his grace,
The banner of his love:
With love he march'd, with love he led,
With love he arm'd my breaft;
With love he drew, with love he fed,
With love he crown'd the feaft!
Ver. 5. Stay me with flaggons, comfort † me with
apples; for I am fick of love.
Lo! while my mem'ry does review
His matchlefs bleeding love,
My fpirit falls a-bleeding too,
My bowels melt and move.
O ye whofe office is to bear
The veffels of his grace,
Bring flaggons full of comfort here,
And apples of folace.
Large veffels fetch, without delay,
With cordials from above:
Hafte, ere my fpirits fwoon away;
I'm fick, I'm fick of love!
I'm overcome; I faint, I fail,
Till love fhall love relieve;
More love divine the wound can heal
That love divine did give.
The agent Chrift alone I view,
Though now my foul that faints
In ficknefs raves of aid from you,
That are but inftruments.
Fill out the wine my Lord did bleed
To stay and ftrengthen me:
The deeper in his love I wade,
The fweeter fill is he.
Straw me with apples all along;
Their tafte does fo furprise, I'd ly and roll myself among Thefe fruits of paradife.
*Here the verbs are in the plural number, ftay ye me,
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