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150

Ver.6.

Reafons of Chrifts withdrawings.Ch.5 ly and folemnly convinced and condemned the worship of Images: As alfo when Charles the Great did the like fome forty years after,at a Synod in Frankford.

I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawne himselfe, and was gone : my foule failed when be (pake: I fought him, but I could not finde him: I called him, but hee gave me no answer.

I opened to my beloved.] This attempt of the Church in executing in fome places the decrees of thefe Synods, was an opening of the doore to Chrift: Images and Idolatry being shut forth, there is a doore open for Chrift to enter.

But my beloved bad withdrawne himselfe, and was gone.] Chrift did not delight to reveale himself in their publike affem. blies, though Images were in fome places well removed,both because thofe decrees for removing of Images were not generally received and executed, through the coming in of the Bishop of Rome, and because the worship of God was ftill full of Heathenish and Jewish fuperftitions, which Chrift tooke no pleasure in.

My foule failed when hee fpake.] The faithfull in thofe times were affembled

Ch.5. How the Church us'd by her watchmen.
with feare and griefe, to confider how
Chrift now speaketh to them afarre off,
comes not neare to their hearts and con-
sciences; fo that now, though they used
fuch meanes to finde him as the times af-
forded, yet Chrift did take no pleasure
in those meanes, in those worships, norto
their fenfe, in thofe that ufed them.

151

The watchmen that went about the city Ver.7. found me, they fmote me, they wounded me, the keepers of the walls tooke away my vaile from me.

The watchmen that went about the city found mee.] Thefe watchmen are the Bifhops and Minifters of that time; as also the keepers of the wals may well be the Magiftrates: for civill government is a wall of defence to the Church of God.

* Chap.

They found mee.] And yet the Church enquireth not of them, as fhee had done before of other watchmen,* Have you not feen him whom my foule loves? For the knew 3.3. thefe watchmen were of another fpirit,rather wolves in sheeps cloathing,and more ready to beat her from Chrift, then to bring her to Chrift. They fmote me with cenfures of Excommunications,asGregory the third Pope of Rome did Leo. IfauriK 4

CIS

152

The Church wounded by her watchmen. Ch. 5. ricus for his endeavours. Afterwards,when fundry Christians, having intelligence that the Bishops and Doctors were affembled in a temple at Byzantium,to give sentence for reftoring of Images,in the dayes of the Empreffe Irene, came upon them, and forced them with weapons to leave off fuch decrees; these people were afterwarps difarmed aud banished into fundry Iflands. Thus were the faithfull fmitten with the cenfures of Excommunication by the watchmen of the city; of banishment by the keepers of the walls.

They wounded me.] With the Canons of the fecound Councel of Nice; whither that Councell,affembled in the temple of Byzantium, and scattered by the people, was afterwards tranflated by the Councel of the Bishops of Rome. In this Councell Images were againe reftored, to the great griefe of the godly, yea, to the wounding of their hearts. The fentence of a generall Councell in the behalfe of any error is no fmall wound to the whole Church.

They tooke away my vaile from mee.] When they forced the Bishops of Rhodes, Nice, Neo-Cefarea, Hierapolis, and others

to

Ch.5.

Waldenfes why fo called.

to recantation, who before had worthily oppofed Images. To bring men to open recantation, to lay open their nakedneffe, especially when they recant from the truth,is to take away the vaile.

153

Icharge you, O daughters of Ierufalem, Verfe 8. if yee finde my beloved, that ye tell him that I am ficke of love.

I charge you, O daughters of Ierufalem.] The Church finding her felfe fo hardly dealt with by the Minifters and Magiftrates,would not give over her fearch after Chrift; yet now feeketh him in the fellowship of private Chriftians,and stirreth them up to pray for her.

Tell him I am ficke of love.] That is, in your prayers acknowledge that the Church is ready to faile and perish for want of his presence and fellowship in his publike ordinances.

What is thy beloved more then another beloved, o thou fairest among women? &c.]

The Chriftians,the daughters of Jerufalem,from this day forward,to the dayes of Peter Waldus (of whom the Waldenfes tooke their name, were very ignorant of Christ, and therefore they aske who hee

was,

Verfe 9.

144

Ver.10.

The Albingenfes defeat the Pope. Ch.5.

was,

and wherein better then another : But in ftead of him they magnified the Church; Holy mother Church was all in all with them: Her they acknowledged to be fairest among women, though they fee nothing in Chrift better then in another.

My beloved is white and ruddy, &c.] Thus Petrus Waldus, a citizen of Lions, opened Chrift to the daughters of Jerufalem,to the children of the Church,fetting before them the white innocency of true holineffe in him, and the ruddy fcarlet dye of his death. The righteousneffe and death of Chrift plainly, yet powerfully opened by him, brought many to behold Chrift, and to profeffe him; who (when by perfecution stirred up against them by the Bishop of Rome, they were difperfed into many places) multiplied exceeding ly, and being then called Albingenfes, in many battels fought against the fouldiers which Pope Innocent the third had fent against them,under conduct of Simon Mounteford, and others figned with the croffe in many of which the Albingenfes prevailed, helped by Reymund Earle of Thelus,and Peter King of Aragon; though

after

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