Cânticos 8

¹ OThe Church called of the Gentiles speaks thus to the Church of Jerusalem.that thou [wert] as my brother, that was nourished at the breasts of my mother! [when] I should find thee outside, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.

² I will leade thee and bring thee into my mothers house: there thou shalt teache me: and I will cause thee to drinke spiced wine, and newe wine of the pomegranate.

³ Read (Son_2:6).His left hand [should be] under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.

⁴ Read (Son_3:5).I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not, nor awake [my] love, until he please.

⁵ (Who is this that commeth vp out of the wildernesse, leaning vpon her welbeloued?) I raysed thee vp vnder an apple tree: there thy mother conceiued thee: there she coceiued that bare thee.

⁶ The spouse desires Christ to be joined in perpetual love with him.Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm: for love [is] strong as death; jealousy [is] cruel as the grave: the coals of it [are] coals of fire, [which hath a] most vehement flame.

⁷ Much water can not quench loue, neither can the floods drowne it: If a man should giue all the substance of his house for loue, they would greatly contemne it.

⁸ The Jewish Church speaks this of the Church of the Gentiles.We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?

⁹ If she is sure and fast, she is fit for her husband to dwell in.If she [is] a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she [is] a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar.

¹⁰ The Church promises fidelity and constancy.I [am] a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.

¹¹ This is the vineyard of the Lord hired out, (Mat_21:33).Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard to keepers; every one for the fruit of it was to bring a thousand [pieces] of silver.

¹² But my vineyarde which is mine, is before me: to thee, O Salomon appertaineth a thousand pieces of siluer, and two hundreth to them that keepe the fruite thereof.

¹³ Thou that dwellest in theChrist dwells in his Church, whose voice the faithful hear.gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear [it].

¹⁴ The Church desires Christ that if he depart from them, yet he would haste to help them in their troubles.Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of spices.