The bride is only a figure, and as there is the church which has a nearer place than any of the others that are in heaven, so Jerusalem-or Zion if you will-will have a special place near to Messiah on the earth. The Lord's heart, surely, is large enough both for heaven and earth. He who is God as well as man-He who is the Head of the church as well as the Head of the Jew-loves and will love them both with the fullest and most fervent love.
Consequently, as in the Old Testament we have a bride who is clearly defined and most unquestionably not the church, so in the New Testament we have a bride that is fully brought out, and that bride is as clearly the church and not Jerusalem as in the Old Testament it is Jerusalem and not the church. This, I think, will help very considerably in understanding the Song of Solomon. [471