John Trapp on Song of Solomon 5:6

Verſ. 6. I opened to my Beloved, but my Beloved had with-drawn himſelf and was gone] Or, Hee was gone, hee was gone; a paſſionate complaint for his departure; which lay ſo much the heavier upon her ſpirit, becauſe by her unworthy uſage of him, ſhee had fooliſhly occaſioned it. Fools, becauſe of their tranſgreſſion and becauſe of their iniquity are afflicted: And when affliction comes with a ſting in the tail, it is very grievous.Pſal. 107.17, 19, 20. But then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble: he ſaveth them out of their diſtreſs; He ſendeth his word and healeth them, he ſendeth for them by his Spirit, and brings them back again into his own boſome, that his baniſhed be not expelled from him (2 Sam. 14.14.) though to themſelves and others, they may for preſent ſeem to bee as water ſpilled on the ground that cannot be gathered up again. Thoſe fragrant foot-ſteps and heart-attracting ſtamps of his favour, that ſweet ſmelling Myrrhe, mentioned in the former verſe, had ſo eneagered and edged her affections, that ſhee could not reſt till ſhee had recovered him. Shee opened unto her beloved, and, preſuming upon his patience,Heu rara hora, & parva mora. Dern. was in good hope to have had him at hand: But patientia laeſa fit furor, Chriſt will not always bear with our evil manners, but hide his face from us, like as we have behaved our ſelves evil in our doings, Micah 3.5. And whereas ſpiritual deſertions are of three ſorts, 1 Cautional, for preventing of ſinne, as Pauls ſeems to be. 2 Probational, for trial and exerciſe of grace, as Jobs. 3 Penal, for chaſtiſement of ſpiritual ſloth and ſluggiſhneſs, as here in the Church; this laſt is farre the heavieſt.

My ſoul failed when hee spake] Or, becauſe of his ſpeech, that ſweet ſpeech of his when hee ſo paſſionately wooed her, ver. 2. Then hee could have no audience nor admittance, now if he would but offer himſelf, hee might bee ſure of both. The word ſpoken doth not always preſently take effect in the hearers, but lies long as the ſeed under a clod, till Chriſt the good husbandman, come with ſome temptation, as with his clotting-beetle, and give it room to riſe. Then as the water caſts up her dead after a time, ſo do their memories caſt up that which ſeemed buried therein, by the help of the Holy Ghoſt their remembrancer: John 14.26. John 2.22. The new birth of ſome, (the recovery of others out of their relapſes) is like the birth of the Elephant, fourteen years after the ſeed is inſerted into the womb. Peter remembred Chriſts words, and repented, Mat. 26.75. If wee remember not what hath been preached unto us, all is loſt, 1 Cor. 15.2. If we leak, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. and let ſlip, actum eſt de nobis, Heb. 2.1. If we keep the Word, the Word will keep us, Prov. 6.22.

I ſought him] So ſoon as recovered out of my ſwoon, I ſet to ſeek him; The Church went not to bed again, to ſleep as before, neither ſtays ſhe longer within, than to caſt her veyl or her ſcarf over her head, without any further dreſs, abroad ſhee gets to ſeek him whom her ſoul loveth. She ſought him by ſerious and ſet meditation of the word and promiſes, but after all that royl and travell ſhee took therein, ſhee found him not. This is the greateſt grief that can befall a good heart in this preſent world: it is to ſuch little better than hell it ſelf. Thou hiddeſt thy face and I was troubled, ſaith David, Pſal. 30.8. Non fruſtra praedicant meptes hominum nitere liquido die, coactanube flacceſcere, ſaith Symmachus. Mens mindes are either clear or cloudy, as the weather is: but more truly, good mens mindes are as Gods countenance is. It is with the godly in deſertion, as with vapours drawn up by the Sun; which when the extracting force of the Sun leaves them, fall down again to the earth. And as in an Eclipſe of the Sun, there is a drooping in the whole frame of nature: ſo it is with the Saints, when Chriſt withdraws himſelf. Hell it ſelf is ſaid to bee a ſeparation from his preſence: the pain of loſs there is worſe than the pain of ſenſe: the tears of hell are not ſufficient to bewail the loſs of heaven.Bern. Laetemur igitur in Domino, ſed caveamus a recidivo.

I called him, but hee gave mee no anſwer] And it was but juſt: for ſhee had dealt ſo by him, ver. 2. Chriſt loves to retaliate. Such a proportion many times one may ſee between ſins and puniſhments, that you may ſay, ſuch a ſin brought forth this affliction, it is ſo like the father. Howbeit, his ear is not heavy that hee cannot hear: but your iniquities have hid his face from you that hee will not hear, Iſa. 59.1, 2. And this the Saints take (as well they may) for a ſore affliction, Lam. 3.8. when to all other their miſeries, hee addeth this, that hee will not come at them, that hee caſteth out their prayers, that hee deals by them as the Lionneſs doth by her young ones, which ſhee ſeems ſometimes to leave, till they have almoſt killed themſelves with roaring. This is to make them more carefull another time. None look at the Sunne but when it is in the eclipſe: Neither prize we (for moſt part) Gods loving countenance, till we have loſt it. In this caſe the courſe is, to ſet up a loud cry after him, as Micah did after his Gods, Judg. 18.23. Or rather as the Church here doth after her beloved, in many ſtrong cries and bitter tears, continuing inſtant in prayer, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Rom. 12.12. The Greek word imports a metaphor from hunting dogges, that give not over the game, till they have got it. For incouragement; See the happy ſucceſs the Church here had: and further, take that ſaying of Brentius, Etiamſi fides tuae nec lucem hominibus, nec calorem cordi tuo afferat, tamen non abjicit Chriſtus, modo incrementum ores, i. e. Although thy faith, as ſmoaking flax, yield neither light to others, nor heat to thine own heart, yet Chriſt will not caſt thee off, ſo thou pray for more, and follow thy work cloſe, till thou have gotten it.