John Trapp on Song of Solomon 1:8

Verſ. 8. If thou know not, O thou faireſt among women] So Chriſt is pleaſed to ſtyle her, who erſt held and called her ſelf black and Sun-burnt, verſ. 5. Nothing more commends us to Chriſt, than humility and lowly-mindedneſs, 1 Pet. 3.5. The daughter of Zion, for this is likened to a comely and delicate woman, her enemies to Shepheards with their flocks, Jer. 6.2, 3. Falſe Prophets alſo have their flocks, ſeducers drag Diſciples after them, Act. 20.30. Faciunt favos & veſpae, faciunt Eccleſias & Marcionitae, ſaith Tertullian, Waſps alſo have their hony-combs, Apes imitate mens actions. Theſe Conventiclers the Church muſt ſtudiouſly decline, and not viam per avia quaerere, ſeek truth by wandring thorow the Thicket of Errours, as Junius, ſaith one, in his time did; who confeſt hee had ſpent two and twenty years in trying Religions, pretending that Scripture, Prove all things. The Spouſe is here directed by the Arch-ſhepheard to repair to the foddering-places, to frequent the publick Aſſemblies; to tread in that Sheep-track; the foot-ſteps of the flock, the Shepheards tents. There Chriſt hath promiſed to feed his Lambs (that have golden fleeces,Exod. 33.12, 7. Acts 10.1, 2. precious ſouls) to call them by name, as hee did Moſes, Cornelius, &c. to teach them great and hidden things, ſuch as they knew not, Jer. 33.3. to give them ſpiritual ſenſes, ability to examine what is doctrinally propounded to them,Joh. 10. to try before they truſt (for all Chriſts Sheep are rational, they know his voice from the voice of a ſtranger) to bee fully perſwaded of the truth that they take up and profeſs, Col. 2.2. Luk. 1.1. to feel the ſweetneſs and goodneſs, the life and power of it within themſelves, Col. 1.9. Job 32.8. to hate falſe doctrines, and thoſe that would perſwade them thereunto, Pſal. 119.104. buzzing doubts into their heads, Rom. 16.17. John 10.5. So that though man or Angel ſhould object againſt the truth they have received, they would not yeeld to him,1 Cor. 11.15 Gal. 1.8, 9. They know that Satan can, and doth transform himſelf into an Angel of light, and can act his part by a good man alſo, as hee did by Peter once and again, Matth. 16.23. Gal. 2.13. and as hee did in our remembrance by Mr. Archer, a holy man, who yet held and broached helliſh opinions. Swenchfeldio non defuit cor bonum, ſed caput regulatum, ſaith Bucholcerus: Swenchfeldius had a good heart, but a wilde head, and ſo became a means of much miſchief to many ſilly ſhallow-headed people, whom hee ſhamefully ſeduced. This to prevent, Chriſt hath given gifts to men, Paſtours and Teachers after his own heart. Guides, to ſpeak unto them the word of God, Heb. 12.7. to ſet in order for them acceptable words, words of truth, that may bee as goads and as nails faſtened by thoſe Maſters of the Aſſemblies, which are given from one Shepheard, Eccleſ. 12.10, 11. in fine, to take heed to themſelves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghoſt hath made them Over-ſeers, to feed the Church of God which hee hath purchaſed with his own blood, Act. 20.28. that they might go in and out, and finde paſtures, ſuch as will breed life, and life in more abundance, John 10, 9, 10.

Go thy way forth by the foot-ſteps of the flock] Add indeavour to thy deſire, up and bee doing: for affection without action is like Rachel (that antient Shepheardeſſe) beautiful, but barren. Get thee forth therefore by the foot-ſteps of the flock, tread in the ſame track that good old Abraham, Iſaac, Jacob, David, Paul, &c. did; who followed the Lamb whitherſoever hee went. Keep to that good old way (the way that is called Holy) and yee ſhall finde reſt to your ſouls. Walk in the foot-ſteps of faithful Abraham, Jer. 6.16 and yee ſhall one day reſt in the boſome of Abraham. Walk in the ſame ſpirit, in the ſame foot-ſteps with Paul and Titus, 1 Pet. 1.9 2 Cor. 12.18. ſo ſhall you ſhortly and ſurely receive the end of your faith, the ſalvation of your ſouls.

And feed thy Kids] The Church alſo is a Shepheardeſſe (as were Laban's and Jethro's daughters) and hath a little little flock of young Goats, that is, of green Chriſtians, who are to bee fed with the ſincere milk of the word, that they may grow thereby, 1 Pet. 2.2.

Beſide the Shepheards tents] Turn to the Under-ſhepheards (the godly Miniſters) and ſo return to the great Shepheard and Biſhop of your ſouls, 1 Pet. 2.25. Hold you cloſe to theſe, and hold faſt the form of wholeſome words, 2 Tim. 1.13. and linger not after unſound and unſavoury doctrines, ſo rife abroad; thoſe murthering morſels that fat men indeed, but it is to the day of ſlaughter. Silly ſheep do eat no graſs more greedily than that which rots them. But thou, O man of God, flye theſe things, and from ſuch ſtand off, 1 Tim. 6.5, 11.