Clavis cantici, or, An exposition of the Song of Solomon

The second part concerns Christ's managing of his Church, when he hath gotten it; He doth not immediately dress it by himself, but he lets it out to keepers, as a man having purchased a field, or planted a Vineyard, doth set it, or farm it for such a rent; So hath Christ thought good to commit his Church to keepers, that is, to watchmen and farmers, that by their Ministry, he might in a mediate way promove their edification and salvation, which he accounts his rent: The very same parable, almost in the same words, pressing this scope, is recorded, Matth. 21. 33. A certain householder planted a Vineyard, and let it out unto husband men, and sent servants to gather the fruit; The husband men are the ordinary Office-bearers in the Church (the Scribes and Pharisees did fill that room for the time) the servants are extraordinary Prophets raised up of God, to put them to their duty; so here the keepers are the Ministers, who are entrusted with the Churches edification under Christ, as Stewards are with distributing provision to the Family, or shepherds with feeding their flocks, or a farmer with the labouring of his farm that he possesseth: And this name of keepers given here to Ministers, agreeth well with the names that Ministers have in Scripture, ⟨p. 465⟩watch-men, overseers, stewards, builders, husbandmen, &c. and also with the nature of that office, which, 1 Cor. 3. is to plant and water this Vineyard: And lastly, with the scope of this and the like parables, whereby Christ's mediate way of building up of his Church, by the intervention of Ordinances and Ministers, is expressed. Particular Professors are as Vines, the Ordinances like the press that presseth the grapes, the Ministers like the dressers that dig, dung, prune and water the trees, and put the grapes in the press, and gather the fruits, by applying of these Ordinances convincingly to the consciences of hearers. Next, his setting of this Vineyard, or Church to the keepers, is borrowed from a proprietor, his farming of his heritage, and giving of a lease, or tack under him, to some other, both for the better labouring of his land, and for the furthering of his rent; and this is opposed to his immediate labouring of it himself: So here, as Christ is the proprietor (whose own the Vineyard is) Ministers are the farmers: Which implieth, 1.