How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!
Ver. 6. How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights.] Emphatica haec admodum sunt, cum toties exclamatio ponatur, saith one. This is a most emphatic exclamation, proceeding from admiration, and importing that all he could say of her was too little. Well might the prophet say, "As the bridegroom rejoiceth over his bride, so doth thy God over thee." Isa 62:5 Hence he can make no end here of commending her; but, having finished one praise, he presently begins another. This yields infinite matter of comfort to the saints, that Christ loves them so dearly, prizeth them so highly, praiseth them so heartily. Howbeit, let not them hereupon "turn again to folly," Psa 85:8 or give way to carnal security. Laetemur in domino, sed caveamus a recidivo. Argue not from mercy to liberty - that is the devil's logic - but from mercy to duty, as those good souls do. Ezr 9:13-14 Having received such and such, both privative and positive favours, should we again break thy commandments? There is so much unthankfulness and disingenuity in such an entertainment of mercy, that holy Ezra thinks heaven and earth would be ashamed of it. "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" saith the apostle. Rom 6:1 And it is as if he should say, that were most unreasonable, and to a good heart, impossible. A man may as well say the sea burns, or fire cools, as that assurance of Christ's love breeds careless and loose living. They that hold so, know not the compulsive power of Christ's love, 2Co 5:14 nor what belongs to the life of God Eph 4:18