Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth
With all her heart, cordially and sincerely; for, notwithstanding
her sinful compliance with others, and neglect of her own
affairs, she had not lost her love to Christ; and, being sensible
of her sin and folly, whereby she was deprived of his company,
and communion with him, applies to him to guide, direct, and
restore her wandering soul; and particularly inform her
where,
says she, thou feedest;
that is his flock, like a shepherd: for this phrase supposes him
to be a shepherd, as he is, of God's choosing, appointing, and
setting up, the chief, the good, the great, and only Shepherd of
the sheep; and that he has a flock to feed, which is but one, and
a little one, is his property, given him by God, purchased by his
blood, called a flock of slaughter, and yet a beautiful one, he
has undertook to feed; and feeding it includes the whole business
of a shepherd, in leading the sheep into pastures, protecting
them from all enemies, restoring them when wandering, healing
their diseases, watching over them in the night seasons, and
making all necessary provisions for them. Or, "tell me how thou
feedest" F6; the manner of it, and with what;
which he does by his ministers, word, and ordinances; with
himself, the bread of life; with the doctrines and promises of
the Gospel, and with the discoveries of his love; where
thou makest [thy flocks] to rest at noon,
either at the noon of temptation, when Satan's fiery darts fly
thick and fast; when Christ is a shadow and shelter in his
person, grace, blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, ( Isaiah 25:4 Isaiah 25:5 ) ; or the
noon of affliction, when he makes their bed in it, and gives them
rest from adversity; or the noon of persecution, when Christ
leads his flocks to cooling shades, and gives them rest in
himself, when troubled by others: the allusion, is to shepherds,
in hot countries, leading their flocks to some shady place, where
they may be sheltered from the scorching heat of the sun; which,
as Virgil says F7, was at the fourth hour, or ten
o'clock, two hours before noon; we read of (probatia meshmbriazonta) F8, sheep
nooning themselves, or lying down at noon, under a shade, by a
fountain, asleep; for why should I be as one that turneth
aside by the flocks of thy
companions?
not real associates with Christ, that keep company with him, and
are attached to his word and ordinances; but false friends,
hypocrites and heretics F9, rivals with him, who set up schemes
of worship and doctrine in opposition to his; such as Papists,
Socinians, &c. now such false teachers have had their flocks
in all ages, such as have followed them, and have formed separate
societies; and therefore the church, sensible of their
craftiness, and her own weakness, and liableness to go astray,
desires she might not be under, and left to such a temptation, as
to apostatize from Christ, and join to such persons and their
flocks, or seem to do so: or, "be as one that covereth herself",
or "is covered" F11; as a harlot; so Tamar, ( Genesis
38:14 ) ; or as a widow in mourning; she chose not to be, or
to be thought to be, either as one that left her husband, an
unchaste woman; or had lost her husband, or as if she had none,
when neither was the case: or, "as one that spreads the tent"
F12; by the flocks of such; as if in
communion with them, and joining with them in feeding their
flocks; and therefore desires she might speedily know where
Christ was, and go to him, that such an aspersion or suspicion
might at once be wiped from her.