II. Another indication of the spring's being come
II. Another indication of the spring's being come
And which Christ makes use of as an argument to induce the church to arise and come away, is, that "the time of the singing of birds was come"
The spring, when birds begin to chirp and sing, to couple and build their nests; hence the spring is called ver nidificum.[3598] Some[3599] understand this of the time of cutting and pruning vines, or lopping trees; and to this purpose the Septuagint read the words thus, the time of cutting is come;[3600] which agrees well enough with the first times of the gospel, when Christ's Father acted the part of an husband.. man, and lopped off the unfruitful branches the Jews, engrafted the Gentiles, caused them to bring forth fruit, and pruned them, that they might bring forth more; which seems well enough to agree with the season of the year,[3601] the spring, at which time, especially at the beginning of it, vines were usually cut and pruned; some object to this as unseasonable: by the Targum, it is referred to the "time of cutting, or gathering in the first fruits; as it is also by some[3602] to the gathering of flowers, making of garlands, etc. as well as applied by others[3603] to the time of making incisures in the Balsam or Cyprus-trees in the vineyards of Engedi: but nothing is more agreeable than our version, and which is the sense that is gluten of the word by several Jewish writers[3604] and exactly suits with the gospel-dispensation, in which, "from the uttermost parts of the earth, songs are heard," sung in warbling notes and tuneful lays. by souls called by divine grace; whose usual themes are, the grace and mercy of God the Father, the redeeming love of God the Son, the spiritual blessings in him; the glory of his righteousness to justify them, and the fullness of his grace and power to keep and preserve them: like little birds, they sit and chirp and sing the praises of the Lord, "in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual song;, making melody in their hearts unto him;" and this they do as well as they can in this imperfect life, though their hearts are often out of tune, and they sing with faint and feeble notes; but the time is coming, when they shall be clothed in white, have harps in their hands, hallelujahs in their mouths, and be employed in this delightful service for evermore. But however, this present gospel-dispensation may well be called a "time of the singing of birds," a time of joy and rejoicing, in comparison of the legal one, in which was heard, not the chirping and singing of birds, but "the sound of a trumpet," and "the voice of words," which were awful and terrible. This may not be unfitly applied to the singing of the angelic host those heavenly choiristers, at the birth of Christ (Luke 2:13, 14).