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In this chapter, after the general title of the book, verse 1 the church expresses her strong desires and most ardent wishes for some fresh discoveries of the love of Christ to her, and for communion with him, verse 2. and having tasted of his love, and smelled a sweet savor in his grace, and enjoyed fellowship with him in his house, verses 3, 4. she observes her blackness and uncomeliness in herself, and comeliness in him, the trials and afflictions she met with from others, and her carelessness and negligence of her own affairs, verses 5, 6. and intreats her beloved to direct her, where she might meet with him feeding his flocks and giving them rest; to which he returns a kind and gracious answer, and gives proper instructions where to find him, verses 7, 8. and then commends her beauty, sets forth her amiableness and loveliness by various metaphors, and makes promises of more grace and good things to her, verses 9, 10, 11. when she declares what a value she had for Christ her beloved; and how precious he was unto her, like a bundle of myrrh, and a cluster of camphire, verses 12, 13, 14. and Christ again praises her beauty, and particularly takes notice of her eyes, and her modest look, verse 15. and she returns the encomium back to him, and expresses her pleasure and satisfaction in the house he had built for her, and the furniture of it, verses 16, 17. VERSE 1. The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s. INTENDING, by the assistance of God, to open and explain this mysterious part of the sacred writings, it will be proper, I. To enquire into, and establish the authority of this book. II. Shew the nature of it; it being a Song . III. The excellency of it. it being called the Song of Songs IV. The penman of it; which is Solomon . I. I shall endeavor to prove the divine authority of this book, and vindicate it from those exceptions which are made against it: and, 1st, It was always received by the ancient Jews, to whom the oracles of God were committed , as a very valuable part of the sacred writings; and has been continued in the canon of the scriptures by the Christians in all ages to this very day The Jews had always a very venerable esteem of it, calling it, the holy of holies ; forbidding their children the reading thereof, as well as the first chapter of Genesis , and the beginning and end of the prophecy of Ezekiel , until they were of thirty years of age, because of the mysteriousness and sublimity of it. They say, that Solomon when he was old and near death, the Holy Ghost dwelt upon him, and he composed the books of Proverbs , Song of Songs , and Ecclesiastes . Their ancient book of Zohar asserts, that Solomon composed it “by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit;” as does also the Targum upon this book, and R. Solomon Jarchi , and R. Alben Ezra , in their prefaces to their commentaries upon it; the latter of which has these words; “God forbid, God forbid, says he, that the Song of songs should be written or understood of things obscene; but it is entirely parabolical, and had it not been of very great excellency, it had not been written in the catalogue of the holy scriptures; for of it there has been no controversy, that it defiles the hands:” f6 for though there was once a controversy among the wise men concerning the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes , who afterwards, as it became them, changed their minds; yet there never was any concerning this, as appears from their Mirnah ; where they say that “all the scriptures are holy, but the Song of songs is the holy of holies; and if the wise men have had any controversy, it has been only concerning Ecclesiastes :” so that this book appears to be authentic, according to the mind of the ancient as well as of the modern Jews; and as for the Christians, they have always looked upon it as a part of the holy scripture, a few only excepted, and have all along continued it in the canon as they found and received it. The ancient fathers and councils have always esteemed it sacred and venerable, not to take notice of authorities of a later date. The opinion of Theodorus of Mopsuest , who called the divine authority of this book into question, was condemned in the second council of Constantinople , which was held about the year 553. This book also appears in the catalogue of the canonical books of scripture, established in the council of Laodicea , Can. 59. held about the year 364. It is likewise in Origen’s catalogue, recorded by Eusebius , as well as in that which Melito brought from the East, and sent to his friend Onesimu s, who flourished about the year 140. So that thus far, at least, we can trace up the authority of this book among the Christians: Not to take notice of the canons of the Apostles, in which it stands as a part of canonical scripture: nor the Constitutions of the Apostles with the larger epistles of Ignatius , in which citations are made from this book; which, if genuine, would prove the reception of it in the Christian church still more early; but because they are generally looked upon to be spurious, they are not to be insisted on. And it may be farther observed, that not only Origen , but Hippolytus in the third century, f11 Carpathius, Gregory Nyssene in the fourth, and Theodoret in the fifth, and others in the following centuries, wrote commentaries upon this book; and Eusebius ascribes it to Solomon, and so does Athanasius. f13 2dly, This book was wrote by one that was qeopneusov , divinely inspired; as appears by his being the penman of the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes ; for why he should not be under the inspiration of the same Spirit in writing this, as he was in writing those, there appears no reason to conclude. The objection against it, taken from his great fall into lewdness and idolatry, produced by a late author, avails but little; especially, if, as some think, it should appear that it was written before; or if, with others, it is taken to be wrote after his fall, it will lie as strongly against the book of Ecclesiastes, which is generally allowed to be wrote after, as it does against this: Besides, it has pleased the all-wise God, who gives no account of his matters to his creatures, to make use of men, after very great falls into sin, as Amanuenses of his Holy Spirit, and penmen of the sacred scriptures, as David and Peter. 3dly, The dignity and sublimity of the matter contained herein, shew it to be no human composure; for never man spake or wrote like unto it; it is therefore called the Song of songs , being the most excellent of Songs; which cannot be equaled by any, but surpasses all others, not only human but divine; it is preferred to all scriptural songs, which, as one observes, would be blasphemous to do, was it not of a divine rise and authority. 4thly, The majesty of its style bears a testimony to the divine original of it, which cannot be equaled by the most elaborate performances; it defies all the art and wisdom of man to come near it; and plainly shews itself to be the language of God himself, whose voice is powerful and full of majesty . 5thly, The power and efficacy which it has in and over the hearts of men, is another evidence of its being the word of God; which is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. This book has been profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness ; which are so many arguments of its being given by inspiration of God ; it effectually works in them that believe ; it has been useful to thousands who have had their spiritual senses exercised, for the comfort of their souls, the raising of their affections, the increase of their faith, and their instruction in divine things: the reading and expounding of this excellent portion of scripture have been owned by God for the good of multitudes, who are so many sealing evidences of the authority of it. 6thly, The impartiality of it is another evidence of its divine original: the bride is here frequently introduced proclaiming her own weaknesses and infirmities, as in chapter 1:5, 6. and 3:1. and 5:2, 3. Now was it a mere human composure of Solomon’s , celebrating the amours between him and Pharaoh’s daughter, would it be reasonable to suppose, that he should so manifestly and openly declare the defects and imperfections of his bride? But to consider it as a divine poem, expressing the mutual love between Christ and his church, it agrees very well with the other parts of the sacred writings, wherein the infirmities of God’s own people are not concealed; not even of those who were themselves the penmen of them; which is a strong proof of their divine authority. 7thly, There is a very great agreement between this and other portions of scripture. Now this has been always looked upon as a considerable evidence of the authority of the sacred writings, that though they have been delivered at sundry times, and in divers manners , yet there has been always an entire harmony between them; the which also appears in this part of scripture; for though it is delivered in a mysterious and figurative style, yet it admits of senses which are very agreeable to the proportion or analogy of faith ; nay, in many places of the New Testament, there seems to be manifest allusions to this song, as will be hereafter more particularly observed: but notwithstanding all these evidences of its divine original, there have not been wanting persons who have called in question its sacred authority; as Theodorus of Mopsuest, whose opinion was, that it was not wrote by inspiration, but was only designed by Solomon to celebrate his amours between him and Pharaoh’s daughter; which opinion of his was condemned in the sixth century by the second council of Constantinople, as has been before observed: Castalio in the sixteenth century was condemned for the same opinion, by the senate of Geneva, and was ordered to depart the city upon it: Grotius in the last century seemed to be much of the same mind; and Mr. Whiston in this has attempted in a set tract to weaken the authority of it, and make it appear to be a loose, profane and amorous song: His proposition is this; “The book of Canticles is not a sacred book of the Old Testament; nor was it originally esteemed as such, either by the Jewish or Christian church;” with what truth this is asserted, will in some measure appear from what has been already said. The arguments by which he endeavors to confirm and establish this proposition, are as follow, which I shall particularly consider. 1. Because as he asserts, “It was not written in his younger days, or when he was the good, the wise, the chaste, and the religious man; but long afterwards, when he was become wicked and foolish, and lascivious, and idolatrous.” And he affirms, that there are some very plain and particular chronological characters in this book, which determine it to belong to the latter and worser part of his life, and to that only. And, The first passage in it, which he mentions to confirm this, is Song of Solomon 1:9. where the church is compared to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots ; which he imagines refers to those horses and chariots which Solomon, contrary to an express command, Deuteronomy 17:16 had brought unto him out of Egypt, 1 Kings 10:28,29 when he began to degenerate from his former piety: In answer to which, it may be replied, that the comparison in the text under consideration, is not made to a company of horses brought out of Egypt, which ran in Solomon’s chariots; but to a company of horses in Egypt, which ran in Pharaoh’s chariots; so that this text falls very much short of proving what it is produced for. His other chronological evidence of this book’s belonging to the loose and vicious part of Solomon’s life, is Song of Solomon 7:12. where mention is made of the chariots of Amminadib ; in which he supposes there are more proofs than one of what he contends for; the first is, that here are chariots referred to, as used in Judea, which, he says, we only meet with once before, since the days of Moses, namely, 2 Samuel 8:4 though that appears to be a mistake; for Absalom prepared himself chariots and horsemen, 2 Samuel 15:1 as did also Adonijah, 1 Kings 1:5 both which were before Solomon’s accession to the throne. His other proof from this text is, that this Amminadib was one of the twelve rulers of provinces, who married Taphath the daughter of Solomon, 1 Kings 4:11 and therefore he concludes that Solomon could not be a very young man when he wrote this book. To which I answer, 1st , That it is not Amminadib but Abinadab, that is there mentioned. 2dly , That it was not Abinadab, but the son of Abinadab, that married Solomon’s daughter. 3dly , It is not likely that King Solomon’s son-in-law should be a chariot driver, as this Amminadib is thought to be by many interpreters, who was famous for his skill, courage, and swiftness in driving. 4thly , This is not the proper name of any person, but are two words, as R. Aben Ezra, and R. Solomon Jarchi observe, and should be rendered, the chariots of my free or princely people; and therefore afford no chronological character of any part of Solomon’s life whatever. The last chronological evidence he mentions, page 10, and which he takes to be the principal and most evident one, which shews in what particular time of Solomon’s life this book was written, is chapter 6:8, 9 where mention is made of sixty queens , and eighty concubines , and virgins without number ; which he thinks refers to Solomon’s wicked practice of polygamy, expressly forbidden Deuteronomy 17:17. To which I reply, 1st, That the allusion does not seem to be made to the number of Solomon’s queens and concubines, but to the custom of some princes in the East, which Solomon had in view; for the number of queens and concubines here does not agree with the number of Solomon’s, recorded 1 Kings 11:3 where he is said to have seven hundred wives, and three hundred concubines , which is vastly different from the account which is given here: and if it should be said, that though when he wrote this book, he had not arrived to that prodigious pitch of wickedness in the practice of polygamy, to which he afterwards did; yet he had begun, and gone a great way in it, and had at the time he wrote it, such a number of wives and concubines as are here mentioned, which he refers to. I answer, 2dly, That it is not likely that Solomon should prefer one of his wives, and praise her above all the rest; which would have been the way to have alienated their affections from him, and made her the object of their envy, as well as have raised such domestic feuds and quarrels; which would not easily be laid. Besides, 3dly, It does net seem reasonable to suppose that those other queens and concubines of Solomon’s should speak so much in the praise and commendation of his lawful wife, as these are said to do here; which is not usual for such sort of persons to do. As to those other texts referred to, namely, chapter 1:3, 5 and 2:7 and 3:5, 10, 11 and 5:8, 16 and 6:9 and 8:4, 6, 7 produced by Mr. Whiston, to prove that the person, who is the bridegroom in this song, loved many other women and virgins, of which his spouse is jealous; I need only say, that those texts do indeed express the love of the daughters of Jerusalem to him, and the notice which the spouse took of them, for whom she appears to have a very great value and affection, to whom she often points out her beloved, and directs them to observe the transcendent excellencies and beauties of his person, as well as strictly charges them to give him no disturbance: yet she also signifies her very great love and regard to him; but no where insinuates any wandering affection or wanton love in him unto others, or that she was jealous of him upon that account. 2. His next reason, page 12, 13 is, “that there is no foundation for an allegorical, or mystical sense of this book; there being not the least sign of a sober, virtuous, or divine meaning therein, nor any thing that in the least concerns morality or virtue, God or religion, the Messiah or his kingdom;” which, if true, would indeed go a great way against the authority of it; but I hope the following Exposition will make it appear that there is a good foundation in it for a mystical or allegorical sense, agreeable enough to the analogy of faith; as well as shew that there are many things in it which encourage morality and virtue, promote the cause of God and religion, and concern the Messiah and his kingdom; and Mr Whiston has not thought fit to give any one instance which discover, the contrary. 3. He says, page 13, that “the introduction of double or mystical senses of scripture among the Jews, is much later than the days of Solomon, and cannot therefore be supposed to belong to any book of his writing:” but this does not appear to be true, for surely the speech of Jotham to the men of Shechem, recorded in Judges 9 must be understood in an allegorical or mystical sense; and Nathan’s parable, 2 Samuel 12:1 which was delivered before Solomon’s time. Moreover, the forty-fifth Psalm is of the very same strain, and bears a very near resemblance with this song, which was wrote by David, Solomon’s father: besides, suppose this allegorical and mystical way of writing had not been used before by the inspired writers, it is no argument that it should not be used now, as it was afterwards in the writings of the New Testament, as Mr. Whiston confesses, page 22. 4. Another reason which he produces, page 23, is, that “neither the contemporary nor succeeding writers of the Old Testament, ever quote or allude to this book of Canticles, nor to any part thereof, upon any occasion whatsoever.” The same may be said of many other books of the Old Testament, whose authority was never yet called in question; nor can this be looked upon by judicious persons, a sufficient reason why any of them should. 5. He says, page 24, “The apocryphal writers of the Old Testament, never quote nor allude to this book, nor to any part thereof, upon any occasion whatsoever.” Which I persuade myself, wilt he no wars shocking or stumbling to any thoughtful Christian, nor belooked upon by them as a sufficient objection against the authority of it; had they expressly opposed it, it could not have been very considerably improved against it, much less will their silence have any force to explode it; and yet after all, in Eccl. 47:18. Solomon is admired for his Songs, Proverbs, and Parables. 6. He urges, page 25, that “Philo, the eminent Alexandrian Jew, who was contemporary with Christ and his earliest apostles, and who was prodigious fond of mystical or allegorical senses of scripture, does yet never cite nor allude to this book of Canticles, nor to any part of it, on any occasion whatsoever.” Be it so, that it is not once cited or alluded to in his writings; for though they are voluminous, there are but few citations of scripture in them; yet it does not follow from thence that it must be spurious. Many books in the canon of scripture, whose authority is unquestionable, would yet stand upon a very precarious foundation, if citations out of them and allusions to them in human writings, were absolutely necessary to their continuance in it. 7. What he lays a considerable stress upon, and makes the main foundation for the exclusion of this book, is, that Josephus not only neither cites nor alludes to it, but has also left it out in his catalogue of the sacred writings. That he should neither cite nor allude unto it, in writing a history, need not be wondered at; but if it can be made to appear that it is not to be found in his catalogue, it will indeed be a considerable objection against it. Now the account which Josephus gives of the sacred writings among the Jews is only this, namely, that they had only two and twenty books, five of which are books of Moses, thirteen wrote by the prophets, and the other four contained holy hymns and moral precepts. Now in this account he seems to have regard to the division of the books of the Old Testament into three parts, used by the Jews: which was first, the Law; secondly, the Prophets; and thirdly, the Hagiographa; which our Lord also takes notice of, Luke 24:44 where he saith, These are the words which I spake unto you: while 1 was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me; where by the Psalms is meant the whole third part called the Hagiographa, because it began with that book; which also contained the most plain and manifest testimonies, of the person, office, and sufferings of Christ; more than any other book in that part did. Now the order of the books, according to this division of them, which Josephus has a regard to, was this, namely, In the Law, which was the first division, stood These are the five books of Moses, according to Josephus. 1. Genesis. 2. Exodus. 3. Leviticus. 4. Numbers. 5. Deuteronomy. In the Prophets, which was the second division, stood These are the thirteen books of the prophets, according to Josephus. 1. Joshua. 2. Judges, with Ruth; which make but one book. 3. Samuel 1 and 2 but one book, hence Samuel is called a prophet, Acts 13:20. 4. Kings 1 and 2 but one book. 5. Isaiah. 6. Jeremiah, with the Lamentations, but one book. 7. Ezekiel. 8. Daniel. 9. The twelve minor prophets, but one book. See Mark 1:2; Acts 7:42. 10. Job. 11. Ezra and Nehemiah, but one book. 12. Esther. 13. Chronicles 1 and 2 but one book. In the Hagiographa, which was the third division, stood These are the four books containing holy hymns and moral precepts, according to Josephus. 1. Psalms. 2 . Proverbs. 3. Ecclesiastes. 4. Solomon’s Song; in all twenty-two. From hence it appears, that there is no force in this objection; nor has Mr. Whiston any reason to charge Dean Prideaux with forcing this book of Solomon’s Song into Josephus’s catalogue; for his twenty-two books cannot be made up without it; though the Dean had no manner of reason to leave out the book of Chronicles, seeing Ezra and Nehemiah, which he makes to be two books, are comprehended in one by the Jews, which he himself also observes. The Jews indeed, at this present time, reckon the books of the Old Testament to be twenty-four, and that by making Ruth, which is a continuation of the history of the book of Judges and the Lamentations, which were wrote by Jeremy; and so properly belong to him, two books distinct by themselves; and even in this account of theirs of the sacred writings, this book of Canticles keeps its place, nor did they ever pretend to exclude it. 8. Another argument used by Mr. Whiston, page 29, is, that “our blessed Savior himself does never once make the least allusion to this book, or to any part of it, on any occasion whatsoever.” To this I reply, that it appears plain and manifest, that several phrases used by our Savior bear a near resemblance with, are allusions to, and seem to be taken out of this book: thus the efficacious grace of God is expressed by drawing, John 6:44 agreeable to Song of Solomon 1:4. In his discourse with Nicodemus, he compares the Holy Spirit to the wind, John 3:8 which metaphor is used Song of Solomon 4:16, likewise he seems manifestly to allude in Matthew 13:52 where the instructed Scribe is said to bring forth things new and old , to Song of Solomon 7:13 where the very phrase is used: as also his comparing the church to a vineyard, and letting it out to husbandmen, are very agreeable to, and are the very phrases used Song of Solomon 8:11, 12. To all which might be added, several other resemblances and allusions, which are to be found in the evangelic history, as Matthew 25:1,5 compared with Song of Solomon 5:2 and Matthew 9:13; John 3:29, where Christ is called the bridegroom , and the disciples the children of the bride-chamber , agreeable to the several parties in this song. 9. He says, page 30, that “when St John, the beloved disciple, came at the end of his Revelation, to this very matter of the marriage of the Lamb , or Messias; yet have we not a word of it; that is, this book, nor the least allusion to it, nor to any part of it, whatsoever.” That John, in his book of Revelation, refers and alludes to this of Solomon’s song, seems undeniable; every one may easily observe what a likeness and resemblance there is between the description which the spouse gives of her beloved in Song of Solomon 5 and that which John gives of Christ in Revelation 1. Moreover, the phrase of Christ’s standing at the door, and knocking , Revelation 3:20. manifestly refers unto and plainly appears to be taken out of Song of Solomon 5:2. where the spouse says, It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, etc . Besides, what John says of the marriage of the Lamb, and the preparation of the bride for it if it is not an allusion to, yet it is a confirmation of what is said in this book, where the church is represented as beautifully arrayed and adorned, and as passionately wishing for the consummation of the marriage; nay, this, is spoken of as completed, Song of Solomon 2:16 and the glory and pomp of the solemnity described, Song of Solomon 3:11 with the joy that was expressed on that occasion; for there the day of his espousals is called the day of the gladness of his heart : also it deserves our notice, that those two books of Revelation and Solomon’s Song, conclude much in the same manner. John closes his book of the Revelation, and with it the canon of the scriptures, with a passionate wish for Christ’s second coming, saying, Amen: even so, come, Lord Jesus : and the church concludes the book of Solomon’s Song thus; Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe, or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices . 10. As what he thinks will much prejudice the authority of this book, he says, page 30, that “the writers of the known books of the New Testament, with their earliest companions the apostolical fathers of the first century; St Matthew, St John, St Peter, St Paul, St Mark, St Luke, St James, St Jude, St Clement in his epistles, St Barnabas, that prodigious allegorizer, and St Hermas: I may add, says he, and St Polycarp also, one of their later companions, do never once cite or allude to this book of Canticles, or to any part of it, on any occasion whatsoever.” That the evangelists, Matthew and John, either in using their own, or in recording the words of Christ, have alluded to some passages in this book, I have already shewn; and the same may be said of the other evangelists, Mark and Luke, who mention several of the very same things; for which see Mark 2:19,20 and 12:1; Luke 5:34,35 and 20:9, and it seems very evident, the apostle Paul has reference to it in many passages of his writings, as wilt appear from comparing 2 Corinthians 2:14,15,16; Ephesians 5:2 with Song of Solomon 1:3 as also Colossians 2:16,17; Hebrews 10:1 with Song of Solomon 2:17 and 4:6 to which may be added Ephesians 5:27 compared with Song of Solomon 4:7. So that seeing there are so many passages in several of the writers of the known books of the New Testament, which bear so near a resemblance, and have so manifest an allusion to some parts of this book, it need not much concern us that Clement, Barnabas, Hermas, and Polycarp take no notice of it. 11. What he thinks will much prejudice the authority of this book, is, “that the Apostolical Constitutions give no manner of reason to suppose that this book of Canticles was then looked upon as a book of scripture, but the direct contrary.” Now those books called The Constitutions of the Apostles, by Clement, Mr Whiston looks upon to be truly authentic and apostolical; when they appear manifestly to be spurious, entirely destitute of apostolical authority, are of a much later date than the times of the apostles, and contain several things and doctrines directly opposite unto them. As for instance, praying with the face to the East is enjoined, 1. 2. c. 57. and 1. 7. c. 44. Trigamy is asserted to be an indication of incontinency; and such marriages as are beyond the third, are called manifest fornication, and unquestionable uncleanness, 1. 3. c. 2. Anointing with oil in baptism is enjoined, 1. 3. c. 15, 16, and 1. 7. c. 27, 41, 42. The keeping of the day of Christ’s nativity, Epiphany, the Quadragesima, or Lent, the feast of the passover, and the festivals of the apostles,1. 5. c. 13 and 1. 8. c. 33. Fasting on the fourth and sixth days of the week,1,5. c. 15. Baptizing of infants,1. 6. c. 15. Singing for the dead, and honoring of their relics, 1. 6, c. 30. Nay, praying for saints departed, 1. 8. c. 41, 42, 43, 44. As also crossing with the sign of the cross in the forehead,1. 8. c. 12. Moreover the Lord’s Supper is called an unbloody sacrifice,1. 6. c. 23 and 1. 8. c. 5, 46. It is likewise asserted, that Christ, in the celebration of that ordinance, mixed wine and water in the cup,1. 8. c. 12. Nay, concubines, continuing so, are allowed an admittance to a participation of that sacred ordinance,1. 8 c. 32 with many other things which appear foreign enough from the simplicity of the apostolic age, doctrine, and practice. And now who that reads and considers these things, will ever think that those writings can furnish out an argument sufficient to prejudice the authority of the book of Solomon’s Song? Had any thing been said in them, which was expressly against it, it would scarce have deserved consideration, much less should their silence about it be improved as an evidence against it. And yet after all, it is pretty to observe how much Mr Whiston himself is foiled with two passages in them, which appear to be allusions and references to a passage in this book; the one is in 1. 6. c. 13. where the false apostles are called alwpe>kwn meridev kai< camaizh>lwn a And yet after all, the name of God, Jah, the same with Jehovah, and a contraction of that, is mentioned in it, which is the greatest of the divine names, and is expressive of the being, eternity, and immutability of God. It is in chapter 8:6. hyAtbhlç the flame of God, or Jehovah, which we render a most vehement flame; the sense being increased by the word Jah being added, as the word God to mountains and cedars, in Psalm 36:6 and Psalm 80:10 for these are not one word as Ben Asher thinks, but two according to Ben Naphtali and Aben Ezra; see the exposition of the place.
Since the second edition of this Exposition was published in 1751, I have met with two learned gentlemen, I am sorry for it, and that I am obliged to take notice of them, who think that this book is of a later date than the times of Solomon, and so of course none of his, and which must sap the authority of it. The one observes that the word David, from its first appearance in Ruth, where it is written drd without the yod, continues to be so written through the books of Samuel, Kings, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, but appears with a yod dyrd in the books of Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zechariah; wherefore he suggests, that if it was customary to write this word without a yod till the captivity, and with one after it; then he thinks a strong argument may be drawn from hence against the antiquity of the Canticles, and its being made by Solomon, since this name is written with a yod in Song of Solomon 4:4 the only place in it in which it is used: But in answer to this, it must be said, it is not fact that the word is universally used without the yod in the books mentioned, particularly in the book of Kings: for the authors of the Masorah have observed on 1 Kings 3:14 that it is five times written full, as they call it, that is, with a yod, dyrd three of the places in the book of Kings I have traced out, 1 Kings 3:14; and 11:4, 36 and have found it so written in all the printed copies I have seen; and so it is read by the Eastern Jews in Ezekiel 37:24 and in several printed editions of Ezekiel 34:23. This learned man is aware that it is so written once in Hosea, and twice in Amos; books written two hundred years before the captivity; but then he observes that in the two last places in Bomberg’s edition it has a little circle (o) to mark it for an error, or a faulty word, though none over the word in Hosea: But it should be known, that that circle in hundreds of places is not used to point out any thing faulty in the copy, but is only a mark referring to the margin, and to what is observed there: and be it, that it does point out an error or a faulty word, the same circle is over the word in Canticles, and consequently shews it to be faulty there, and to be corrected and read without the yod, which observation destroys the argument from it; and so it is read in that place in the Talmud without it, and in the ancient book of Zohar; and indeed it seems as if it was read without the yod in the copies seen by the authors of the Masorah, since in their note on 1 Kings 3:14 besides the five places where it is written full, or with the yod, they say it is so written throughout the Chronicles, the twelve minor prophets, and Ezra, which includes Nehemiah, but make no mention of Solomon’s Song; which one would think they would have done, had it been so written there in the copy or copies before them: so that upon the whole, the argument, if it has any force in it, turns out for, and not against the antiquity of Solomon’s Song.
But this matter stands in a dearer light by observing the larger Masorah on 1 Kings 11:4 and on Ezekiel 34:23 in which the five places are mentioned where this word is written full, 1 Kings 3:14 and 11:4, 36, Song of Solomon 4:4, Ezekiel 34:23, in which places this word was originally so written, as well as throughout Chronicles, the twelve prophets, and Ezra; so that in all these places it is marked not as a faulty word, but as rightly written, though different from what it is in other places. The other learned man forms his argument from the use of the word tbhlç in Job 15:30, and in this Song, chapter 8:6 his words are, “I am much deceived if this word be not a strong proof of the age of this poem, (the book of Job) for it is not found but in Ezekiel and the Song of Solomon, the one written during the captivity, and the other after it.”
This proceeds upon a false piece of criticism in a twofold respect; for he adds, “its construction which is evidently ç for rça , and tbhl the constructive form of hbhl flamma, shews very clearly its age; since that manner of abbreviation is not found in the books undoubtedly “written before the captivity.”
For, 1st, this abbreviation appears in books much more ancient than that, not only in the book of Solomon’s Song, the antiquity of which is not to be set aside by this observation, but frequently in the book of Ecclesiastes, undoubtedly written by Solomon, and in the Psalms of David his father before him; for it is not only in psalms without a title, all which are supposed by some to be David’s, as in <19C906> Psalm 129:6,7; 135:2, 8, 10; 136:23, and 146:5 but also in psalms which bear his name, as in <19C203> Psalm 122:3,4; 124:2, 6; <19D302> 133:2, 3 and 144:15; yea it was in use long before the times of David, even in the times of the Judges. Deborah has it in her song, ytmqç ytmqç d[ , Judges 5:7 and in other places in that book, chapter 6:17 and 7:12 and 8:26. 2dly, It is a mistake that the construction of the word tbhlç is ç for rça ; and tbhl ; for ç ; in that word is not servile, but radical, as Aben Ezra and Ben Melech observe; it is an addition to the Hebrew word after the Chaldee manner, and has its derivation from a root in the Chaldee or Syriac language, bhlç , which signifies to kindle, inflame, and burn, as appears, not only from all the Syriac and Chaldee Lexicons, but from the frequent use of the word in the Syriac version of the Old Testament; nor is this the only Chaldee or Syriac word in Solomon’s Song; see chapter 1:17 and 2:11. Though perhaps as this writer from the Chaldaisms, Syriasms, and Arabisms in the book of Job, argues its being a production of a later age than what is usually assigned to it; so another of the same way of thinking and reasoning may conclude from some Chaldee words used in Solomon’s Song that it must be of a later age than his: but why may not Solomon be thought to make use of Chaldee or Syriac words as wall as his father David, who makes use of words in the Syriac signification of them, as in Psalm 51:4 compared with Romans 3:4 and Psalm 60:4 and with Syro-chaldaic affixes, <19A303> Psalm 103:3,4,5 and 115:7, 10? and why may not David and Solomon be thought to understand Chaldee or Syriac as well as Hezekiah’s courtiers? see 2 Kings 18:26 and certainly Solomon must understand it, if what is said of him is true, though I lay no stress upon it, that he wrote the book of Wisdom in the Chaldee language though not by inspiration. Moreover, since the Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, etc. are supposed to be dialects of the same language, why may not a word in one dialect less frequently, used in a book appear in it without determining the age of it? since one dialect may be as early or nearly as early as another, and can be no evidence of a book being of a later production than is generally thought, or of its being written when the purity of the Hebrew language began to decline, and after the dispersion of the Jews throughout the East, when it began to receive a taint of the other dialects, as this writer suggests; for what taint of the other dialects, as he calls it, did the Hebrew language receive in the captivity, and by the dispersion of the Jews? what appearance is there of Chaldaisms, Syriasms, etc. in the book of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, excepting the names of the months, books written after the captivity, more than in any books before, or even so much? are they not written in as pure Hebrew as any of those books, which may be thought to be written when that language was in its greatest purity? and if so, a few words in another dialect here and there in a book, is no rule to judge of a book by, and determine the age of it. Upon the whole, it is irresistably clear, that the sacred and divine authority of this book remains firm and unshaken, notwithstanding the above objections made against it; nor is there any reason for persons to scruple it, much less to reject it from the canon of the scriptures, nor to question in the least the antiquity and authenticity of it. I proceed, II. To consider the nature and subject of this book; it being a Song in which the bride and bridegroom, with their friends and companions, the daughters of Jerusalem, bear their several parts; and it being a divine song, is, no doubt, intended for the glorifying of Christ, the chearing and refreshing of his church, and also the edification of others; for it is the duty of saints to be teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs; singing with grace in their hearts to the Lord.
I shall not enter into the consideration of the controversy, whether singing of the praises of God vocally, is an ordinance to be used under the New Testament, though I firmly believe it to be so; nay, that it is one of the most noble, and most glorious branches of religious worship, it being that which comes nearest to the employment of saints in a glorified state; and what requires a great deal of light, knowledge, experience, faith, and love to perform in a right way and manner; nor shall I need to observe those several cases of conscience concerning singing, which have a very good solution from this tong; such as these, namely, whether the distressed cases of God’s children may be sung, or they sing when in distressed circumstances: whether complaints of their sins, failings and infirmities, may be put into their songs: whether eases different from theirs, yea, such as they have not attained unto, may be sung; as also whether it is lawful to sing the praises of God in mixed assemblies; all which may be answered in the affirmative, and for which this song affords a sufficient foundation; the church here bringing net sorrows and distresses into this song as well as her comforts and privileges, chapter 1:6 and <220301> 3:1 and 5:7; nay, her sins and failings, chapter 1:5, 6 and 5:2, 3, 4. Very different cases are also here sung; yea, such, which, if taken in a strict sense, she had not fully attained to, as in chapter 8:12. Moreover, she sings in the presence of, and joins with the virgins, the daughters of Jerusalem, who seemed in a great measure to be ignorant of Christ, chapter 5:8, 9 and 6:8, 9, 10, all which are largely and judiciously insisted upon by the excellent Mr Durham, in his Exposition of this place, to which I refer the reader: I proceed more particularly to consider the nature and subject of this song; which, 1st, Is not a celebration of the amours between Solomon, and Pharoah’s daughter, which has been the opinion of some, as has been already observed; for there are some things in it which are spoken of this bridegroom, which cannot be applied to Solomon, as that he was both a king and a shepherd, as in chapter 1:4 compared with 5:7 that he was his wife’s brother, and she his sister, chapter 5:2 and <220801> 8:1. Nor is it likely that Solomon would ever give such commendations of himself, as are mentioned in chapter 5:10, etc. There are also many things spoken of the bride, which by no means agree with Pharoah’s daughter, as that she was a keeper of the vineyards, chapter 1:6 and yet a prince’s daughter, chapter <0220701> 7:1 that she should be represented as running about the streets in the night, unattended, chapter 3:2 and be exposed to the blows and contempt of the watchmen, chapter 5:7; besides, several of the descriptions here given of her, if taken in a literal sense, would rather make her appear to be a monster than a beauty, as chapter <220401> 4:1-5 and chapter <220701> 7:1-5 all which agree very well, when understood of Christ and his Church. Nor, 2dly, Is it typical, that is to say, this book does not express the amours and marriage of Solomon and Pharoah’s daughter, as typical of that inexpressible love and marriage-union between Christ and his church; it is true, there is some resemblance between natural and spiritual marriage, as is manifest from Ephesians 5:23,24,25,29,31,32 nor is it altogether to be denied, that Solomon was a type of Christ, in some respects, in his marriage of that person; but that this book is an epithalamium, or nuptial song composed by him on that occasion, and that in such a manner, as at the same time also to be expressive of the love of Christ to his church, must be denied; for Solomon’s marriage with Pharoah’s daughter was at least twenty years before this book was wrote, as appears from chapter 7:4 where mention is made of the tower of Lebanon, by which seems to be meant, the house of the forests of Lebanon: or some tower near unto it; now he was seven years in building the temple, 1 Kings 6:38 and thirteen more in building his own house, 1 Kings 7:1 after which he built this, 5:2. From hence it may be reasonably concluded, that this book was not penned on any such occasion; for Solomon would never write a nuptial song twenty years after his marriage, which should have been sung the same night he was married. M. Bossuet has an ingenious conjecture, though it seems to be without a solid foundation, that whereas the nuptial feast with the Hebrews was kept seven days, this song is to be distributed into seven parts, a part to be sung on each day during the celebration.
The first day, chapter <220101> 1:— 2:6, the second day, chapter 2:7-17, the third day, <220301> chapter 3: — 5:1, the fourth day, chapter 5:2 — 6:9, the fifth day, chapter 6:10 — 7:11, the sixth day, chapter 7:12. — 8:3, the seventh day, chapter 8:4-14.
Nor, 3dly. Is this book prophetic, expressing the state of the church and kingdom of Christ in the several ages of the world, with regard to particular historical facts and events, which had befel or should befal it, either under the Old or New Testament-dispensation; this way indeed go most of the Jewish interpreters, as the Targum, R. Solomon Jarchi, and R.
Aben Ezra; who have been followed by many Christian writers, though with more judgment and greater regard to the analogy of faith, as well as to the times of the New Testament: and who consider this book as describing the state of the church of God, whether the church under the legal dispensation, from the times of David and Solomon; and before, and in, and after the captivity to the birth and death of Christ; or the church under the gospel-dispensation,, in its beginning, progress, various changes, and consummation, as Brightman and Cotton. Others interpret this book as pointing to the several ages and periods of the Christian church, in agreement with the seven churches of Asia, as Cocceius, and those that follow him, Hor-chius, Hofman, and Hennischius; which last writer makes this distribution of them: 1. The church at Ephesus, Song of Soloman 1:5- 17 from the ascension of Christ to heaven, A.C. 33 to 370. 2. The church at Smyrna, Song of Solomon 2:1-17 from A.C. 371 to 707. 3. The church at Pergamos, Song of Solomon 3:1-11 from A.C. 708 to 1045. 4. The church at Thyatira, Song of Solomon 4:1 to chapter 5:1 from A.C. 1046 to 1383. 5. The church at Sardis, Song of Solomon 5:2 to chapter 6:8 from A.C. 1384 to 1721. 6. The church at Philadelphia, Song of Solomon 6:9 to chapter 7:14 from A.C. 1722 to 2059. 7. The church at Laodicea, Song of Solomon 8:1-14 from A.C. 2060, and onwards. But hereby the book is made liable to arbitrary, groundless, and uncertain conjectures, as well as its usefulness for the instruction and consolation of believers, in a great measure, is laid aside; for then such and such parts of it, which regard the church and believers, in such an age or period of time, can only be applied to them that lived at that time, and not to others; whereas all, and every part of this song, the first as well as the last, is applicable to believers in alleges of the world, which is a manifest proof that it cannot be historical, or prophetical. But, 4thly, The whole is figurative and allegorical, abounding with a variety of lively metaphors, and allusions to natural things; and so may be illustrated by the various things of nature, from whence the metaphors are taken, and to which the allusions be, and by the language and behavior of natural lovers to each others and which are to be observed in love-poems, though here expressed more decently and beautifully. This divine poem sets forth in a most striking manner the mutual love, unions and communion, which are between Christ and his church; also expresses the several different frames, cases and circumstances which attend believers in this life; so that they can come into no state or condition, but here is something in this song suited to their experience: which serves much to recommend it to believers, and discovers the excellency of it. Which, III. Comes next to be considered, it being called the Song of songs, for this reason, because it is the most excellent of songs; so the holy of holies is used for the most holy, and the King of kings and Lord of lords, for the greatest King and chiefest Lord. This song. is more excellent than all human songs; there is no comparison between them, either in the subject, stile, or manner of composition: it has the ascendant of all those thousand and five songs which Solomon himself made, of which we read 1 Kings 4:32 nay, is preferable to all scriptural songs; the subject of it being wholly and purposely the love of Christ to his church, its stile is lovely and majestic; the manner of its composition neat and beautiful; and the matter of it full and comprehensive, being suited to all believers, and their several cases: This song indeed contains all others in it, and has nothing wanting and deficient therein. The Jews say in their ancient book of Zohar that “this song comprehends the whole law; the whole work of the creation; the secret of the fathers; the captivity of Egypt, and the coming out of Israel from thence; the song that was sung at the sea; the covenant of mount Sinai; the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness; their entrance into the land of Canaan; the building of the temple; the crown of the holy name; the captivity of Israel among the nations, and their redemption; the resurrection of the dead; and the sabbath of the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come.”
IV. The author or penman of this song is said to be Solomon; the Song of songs, which is Solomon’s, that is, which is of, or concerning Solomon, f30 as the words may be rendered; and so respect the subject of this song, which is Christ, the true Solomon, of whom Solomon was an eminent type, as is at large shewn in several particulars, on chapter 3:7. Now it is he that this song treats of; the transcendent glories and excellencies of his person; his inexpressible love unto, care of, and concern for his church and people, together with the nearness of access unto and sweet communion and fellowship with himself, which he indulges them with, are here particularly expressed and set forth; so that it may well be called the Song of songs, which is concerning Solomon; though, perhaps, the words may regard Solomon as the author and penman of it, who was used by the Holy Ghost as his amanuensis therein, which was no small honor to him; his wisdom, riches, and grandeur, did not set him above an employment of this nature; nay, his, being concerned herein, was a greater honor to him than all the rest: and it may not be amiss to observe, that his royal title, as king of Israel, is here omitted, which yet is put at the beginning of both his other books, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes; the reason may be, either because such a title, expressive of majesty, would not so well have suited a song of loves; or else it is purposely omitted, lest he should be thought to be the king, so frequently spoken of in this song; or rather because that the subject of this song is the King of kings; and therefore, whilst he is speaking of the things which he had made, touching the Mug, he lays aside his own royal title, veils his majesty, and casts his crown at the feet of Him, by whom kings reign, and princes decree justice. The time of his writing this book does not appear very manifest; some think that he wrote it in his youthful days, the subject being love, and the manner of its writing being poetry, both which the youthful age mostly inclines to, and delights in; but it appears from what has been already said, that it was not wrote until twenty years after his marriage, when he could not be a very young man; and so might be written in the middle part of his life, when in the most flourishing circumstances as to body, mind, and estate. Dr Lightfoot is of opinion it might be written in the thirtieth year of his reign, about ten years before his death, after he had built his summerhouse in Lebanon, to which he supposes he alludes in chapter 4:3 and 7:4 and upon his bringing Pharaoh’s daughter to the house prepared for her, 1 Kings 9:24. The Jewish chronologer says, that the books of Proverbs, the Song of songs, and Ecclesiastes, were all written in his old age, as indeed the last seems to be; and perhaps he wrote this also a little before his death, after his fall and repentance, when he had had a larger discovery of the love of God unto his own soul, notwithstanding all his sins, failings, and infirmities; and so a proper person for the Holy Ghost to use in setting forth the greatness of Christ’s love to his people, and the several different states, conditions, cases and circumstances, which they are, at one time or another, brought into in this life, of which he had had a very great experience. But from the title, I shall now proceed to the consideration of the book itself; which thus begins, VERSE 2. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; for thy love is better than wine. HAVING considered the title, now follows the song itself, which begins with these words; and it being dialogue-wise, where several parties are concerned, and do interchangeably speak, it will be therefore necessary, in order to explain them, to consider, I. Who the person is that speaks and begins the song.
II. To whom this speech is directed.
III. The nature of the request that is made. And, IV. The reason of it.
I. Let us consider who the person is that speaks; it appears dearly to be the church and bride of Christ, who here begins and continues speaking to verse 8. She first directs her speech to Christ, in this and the two following verses; in verses 5, 6 she turns herself to the daughters of Jerusalem; and then again to Christ, in verse 7 she begins the song, which, 1st, Does not suppose that she was first in her love to Christ: she was not beforehand with him, neither in her love nor in the expressions, and manifestations of it; for he had loved her with an everlasting love, and therefore had thus sweetly drawn her with the bands of love, to himself.
Christ is first, both in his love and in the discovery of it; for we love him because he first loved us; it is the manifestation of Christ’s love to our souls, which causes us to love him again, and in some way or other to shew it. 2dly, Neither does it suppose, that her love to Christ, and desires of his presence and company, were more ardent than his were to her; for as Christ’s love is prior to ours, so it far exceeds, and is much superior to it; neither can believers be more desirous of Christ’s company than he is of theirs. But, 3dly, It shews that she was impatient of delay, and could not bear his absence any longer; she was sick of love; for hope deferred maketh the heart sick; she had, perhaps, been hoping, waiting for, and expecting his presence a considerable time, and he was not come; therefore growing impatient., breaks out in this abrupt manner, Let him kiss, etc. or, “O that he would kiss me with one of the kisses of his month! I cannot be easy unless he does.” 4thly, She speaks as one who had had experience of Christ’s love; she knew how sweet the kisses of his mouth were, and how delightful his company had been to her in time past; she, had tasted that the Lord was gracious; and therefore was so earnestly desirous of the returns of these love-visits, venting her heart and soul in these passionate wishes and desires. And, 5thly, Though Christ gives the first discoveries of love on his part; yet when the church is espoused unto him, it highly becomes her to shew an affectionate regard unto him, and strong desire after his company.
II. It will be proper to take notice of the person to whom this speech is directed, and that is Christ; and the form of speech here used, is also worthy our regard; here is no particular mention made of any person; no one particularly named, whose company she desired; but only him, let him kiss me, etc. it is a relative without an antecedent, of which we have many instances in scripture, as Psalm 87:1, Isaiah 53:2, Lamentations 3:1 unless we suppose that the antecedent to it is Solomon, in verse 1, let him, that is, Solomon, or Christ, who is Solomon’s antitype, whose song this is, and who is the subject of it; Let him, I say, kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; though the connection seems rather to be with the thoughts of her heart, than with any words before expressed: she had had him so much in her thoughts, and her love was so fixed on him, she knew him so well, and had had so much converse with him, that she thought there was no need to mention his name; but that every one must very well know who she designed; as Mary Magdalen, at Christ’s sepulcher, when Jesus said unto her, ‘Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?’ she supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, ‘Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away,’ John 20:15.
Suppose he had been the gardener, how should he have known who this him was she meant? But she was much in the same frame as the church is here, who speaks of Christ as if there was no other in the world besides him; and indeed he is a nonsuch, the most eminent person in the world, in the believer’s esteem; whose language is, ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee,’ Psalm 73:25. Christ then is the person here spoken of, whom she intends, and to whom she directs her speech.
III. Having taken notice of the person speaking, and to whom this speech is directed, we will now consider the request itself, which is here made, ‘Let him kiss me,’ etc. and this may be considered, either, First, As the request of the church under the Old Testament. And that, 1st, For the manifestation of Christ in the flesh; than which nothing was more passionately longed for, and earnestly desired; many kings and prophets greatly desired it; yea, all the Old Testament saints did more or less pray, as David did, ‘O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion,’ Psalm 14:7, and this they were so vehemently desirous of, because they knew hereby redemption from all evil would be obtained, the curse removed, and all spiritual blessings procured for then; Christ’s incarnation being, like kisses, a pledge and indication of his love, was very desirable to the church, and as appears by her expressions, would be exceeding grateful to all those who were ‘waiting for the consolation of Israel:’ He had sent his prophets, and by them had spoken unto her ‘at sundry times, and in divers manners;’ yet she is not easy and contented herewith, but would have greater displays of his grace, by his appearing in his own person to kiss her with the kisses of his mouth. 2dly, For the doctrines of the gospel, in opposition to the law. Most of the Jewish writers understand, by the kisses of his mouth, the words of the law, which God spake to the people face to face; but that dispensation was not so desirable an one, for ‘they that heard that voice of words, intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more; for they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die,’ Exodus 20:19. The words of the law contain sharp and severe rebukes for sin; pronounce the sinner guilty before God; curse and condemn him, and are the killing letter to him; therefore these are not the kisses of Christ’s mouth, which the church here desires; but rather they are the sweet and comfortable doctrines of the gospel, which may be so called, 1. Because they come from him; they are the words of his mouth, which drop from him ‘like sweet smelling myrrh;’ he is the author of them, he has spoke and delivered them; they proceed alone from him, and it is he that owns, blesses, and makes them useful to men. 2. As kisses they carry in them intimations of his love to souls, to whom they come in power, and in the Holy Ghost; the love of Christ is the great subject of the gospel; it fills all the doctrines thereof, which give a noble display of it, and lead into a farther acquaintance with it. 3. As the kisses of a friend, they are grateful and acceptable to believers; they are more valuable to them than their necessary food, and are preferred by them to all that is dear in life, yea, to life itself, however they are slighted and despised by the men of the world. 4. As kisses, they raise the affections and fill the soul with love to Christ; kisses, as they are indications of, so they are incentives to love.
When the truths of the gospel come with power upon a sinner’s heart, they let in, not only a great deal of light, but also a large measure of love; faith comes hereby, and that works by love, both to Christ and to his gospel. Or, Secondly, We may consider this request as the request of the church, or of every particular believer, for the enjoyments and manifestations of Christ’s love. The manifestation of Christ’s love is very desirable to believers, who would always have it if they could; this is their heaven on earth, and the beginning of glory to them; this comforts them in all their troubles, and is preferred by them to all earthly enjoyments; and may be called the kisses of Christ’s mouth, 1st, Because kisses are evidences and pledges of love amongst nearest relations: Christ stands in, and fills up all relations to his people, and has affections for them suitable to them all; he is a kind and indulgent father, a tender husband, an affectionate brother, and loving friend; of all which he has given, and continues to give, full, and incontestible proofs; of which the kisses of his mouth are plain and undeniable evidences. 2dly, Kisses are tokens of reconciliation and agreement. Now though reconciliation is made by the blood of Christ, rand believers have the comfortable application of it to their souls; yet every time that Christ withdraws his presence from them, they are ready to think that he is angry with them, and is not reconciled unto them; but when he shews himself again, and manifests his love, then they can behold him, and God in him, as reconciled unto them. 3dly, Kisses are incentives to love: there is nothing raises believers love higher to Christ, than the flowing in of his love into their souls; this warms it when cold and chill, raises it to a flame, quickens it when dull, puts it in motion, and sets it at work. 4thly, By this expression the church intends that nearness and familiarity in communion with Christ, which her soul wanted; which was not only to shew himself to her, feed and feast her, and take his walks with her; by all which phrases communion with Christ is sometimes expressed; but to be kissed with the kisses of his mouth, which is yet nearer still: well may the saints be said to be ‘a people near to the Lord;’ what wondrous and surprising grace is this, that Christ should condescend to kiss such vile and sinful creatures as we be! to receive us into such near communion with himself! It is a bold request the church makes, and yet she is in it no bolder than welcome. These are called kisses, in the plural number. 1. To shew the various ways Christ has to manifest his love, sometimes by one providence, and sometimes by another! sometimes in one ordinance, and sometimes in another; he is not tied to one way, but has divers ways, and makes use of various means to shew himself unto his people; he is never at a loss when he thinks fit to do it. 2. To denote the frequent and repeated actings of his love to her soul which she was desirous of; she was for having, not one kiss, but many; one discovery and manifestation of his love and grace after another; yea, many visits from him, until she arrived to the full enjoyment of his love, with himself, in glory. Or, 3. The words may be read thus, Let him kiss me with one of the kisses of his mouth. See chapter 4:9 and then the sense is, “O that I had but one glimpse, one view, one discovery more of his love and grace unto my soul, but one kiss more from his mouth, which is most sweet, and altogether lovely; how great a satisfaction would it be to me, could I have but this request granted!” which way of speaking shews how exceeding grateful the manifestations of Christ’s love are to believers. Moreover it may be observed, that kisses with the ancients were not frequent, but rarely used, and but once when persons were espoused, and as a token of that; and then they were reckoned as husband and wife; on which account it may be it is here desired; since it was after this we hear of the spouse being brought into the nuptial chamber, and of the keeping of the nuptial feast, verse 4-12. Again, These are also said to be the ‘kisses of his mouth;’ which is not to be looked upon as a mere Hebraism, or as a redundancy in expression; but this heaping up of words shews, (1.) The vehemency of her affection, how much her heart was set upon, and how eagerly desirous she was of, communion with Christ; and therefore pours out words, that she might fully express her mind; ‘for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.’ (2.) She mentions the kisses of ‘his mouth,’ in contradistinction to any other; she valued the kisses of no other mouth but Christ’s: the kisses of any mouth were not desirable to her, none but the kisses of his mouth were. (3.) She hereby expresses the singular satisfaction she should take herein; ‘Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth;’ “his mouth, which is sweet and delightful to me; his mouth, whom my soul loves, whom I value and esteem above all others, and in the enjoyment of whom I place my chiefest happiness.” Or, (4). It may point out that particular way and manner in which she was desirous that he would manifest his love unto her, that is, by his word of promise in the gospel; as if she should say, “O that he would manifest himself, and break up his love and grace to my soul, in some kind promise or other, which may drop from his mouth, and be brought home unto me by the Spirit of grace.”
IV. She assigns a reason for this request, ‘for thy love is better than wine;’ here is a sudden change of person, from the third to the second; before she said, ‘let him kiss me,’ etc. now she says, ‘for thy love,’ etc. the reason of which, perhaps, is, because he was absent before, but now present; she had lost sight of him, and speaks of him as at a distance from her; but now he is in view, at the very sight of whom her faith is increased, and her soul fired with love; and having greater nearness to him, grows in her familiarity and boldness with him.
Here we shall, 1. Take notice of the love of Christ, and give some account of the nature and excellency, of it: And, 2. Shew in what respects it is preferable to wine .
First Let us consider this love of Christ, which is so highly commended by the church; in the Hebrew text it is in the plural number, loves to shew, 1st, The various ways in which Christ has discovered it; he shewed it by his suretyship-engagements for the elect in the everlasting covenant of grace and peace, of which he is the surety, mediator, and messenger; he showed it in his assumption of human nature in time; he has given a full display oŁ it, in laying down his life for the sheep, in giving himself a ransom for many, and in offering himself a sacrifice for the sins of all his chosen ones; he has loved them and died for them, loved them and shed his precious blood for them, and in that blood, has washed them from all their sins; he now shews that he loves them, by appearing in the presence of God for them, acting as an advocate with the Father, and preparing’ glory for them; and he will, ere long, come again to take them to himself, that where he is, there they may be also. 2dly, It may intend the various effects of it; all the blessings of grace flow from it, such as vocation, sanctification, justification, adoption, and glorification; all spring from this boundless and matchless love of Christ. 3dly, Being in the plural number, may denote the aboundings of it; it is superabounding love; love that has heights, and depths, and lengths, and breadths; it is immeasurable and unconceiveable; it passeth the perfect knowledge of men and angels. 4thly, The frequent discoveries of it, which are made to the saints; and which, like the waters in Ezekiel’s vision, increase and rise from the ancles to the knees, and from the knees to the loins, and from thence become waters to swim in, a river, an ocean of love which cannot be passed over. 5thly, The great esteem the church had of Christ’s love, which she shows by calling it ‘loves,’ in the plural number, as well as by saying that it was ‘better than wine:’ the excellency of which will farther appear, if we consider the nature and properties of it, which are as follow: 1. As to the original of it, it is free and sovereign; it does not take its rise from any thing in us, or done by us, nothing of this nature moved him to it, but he loved us, because he would love us; nothing out of himself moved him to it; it was not because we were better than others, for we are by nature children of wrath, even as others; he loved us when unlovely; he died for us while we were yet sinners, and ungodly in ourselves, and enemies to himself; our love to him is not the cause of his loving us, but his love to us is the cause of ours: in this he is entirely free and sovereign; he has pitched his love and grace on whom he will, and these he loves freely; he was not moved or influenced by foreseen faith or works, or any deservings of ours whatever; for we neither deserved nor desired his love, neither indeed could we have expected it. 2. As to the time of its commencement, it is from eternity; before the mountains were formed, and the highest part of the dust of the earth was made, he was ‘rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, and his delights were with the sons of men:’ that he loved his people from eternity, is manifest from his engaging as a surety for them; his becoming the mediator of an everlasting covenant; in which he agreed to take care of their persons, and by dying to redeem their lives from destruction, and to bring them to eternal glory; as also from his receiving all grace for them before the world began; all which manifestly shew that he had a love for them; for all the after-actings of his love and grace are but the openings and breakings forth of this love of his, which he bore towards them from everlasting. 3. As to its duration, it is to eternity; ‘having loved his own, which were in the world, he loved them unto the end,’ John 13:1, his love is invariable, unalterable, and unchangeable; it is like himself, ‘the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever;’ all the waters of sin and corruption cannot extinguish it; nor can any creature in heaven, earth, or hell, separate his people from it. 4. As to the degree of it, it is the greatest love, ‘greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,’ John 15:13, but Christ’s love is greater than this, for he hath laid down his life for enemies, and even whilst they were such: here is great love for great sinners, shewn by a great person, one who ‘thought it no robbery to be equal with God:’ and this he shewed by giving himself a ransom for them; such is the greatness of this love, that it cannot fully be expressed by men or angels. 5. As to the quality of it, it is the nearest; that of the nearest relations and friends to each other as of a parent to a child, of an husband to a wife, of brothers, or friends, to each other, are but faint resemblances and mere shadows of this; all fall short of painting and expressing to the life the nature of this love. 6. As to the pattern or form of it, it is as the Father’s love to him; ‘as the Father hath loved me; (says he) so have I loved you,’ John 15:9, as the Father loves Christ, as mediator, with an everlasting, unchangeable, and inseparable love, so does Christ love his people. What surprising grace is this, that Christ should love us with such a love! when there is no comparison between him, who is the object of the one, and them, who are the objects of the other; when we contemplate this amazing love, conceptions fail us to comprehend it, words fall short of expressing it; in eternity only will those surprizing mysteries of grace be unfolded to us. 7. As to any instance of love, none can be compared: with it, it is unparalleled; that of Jonathan’s to David, of one friend’s dying for another, and of those brave Romans who died for their country, which history furnishes us withal, can by no means equal or come near it; scarcely for a righteous man will one die, peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die, says the apostle, Romans 5:7,8 where he alludes to the division of the Jewish nation into three parts, which were these; First, There were µyqydx , or righteous persons, who kept to the external letter of the law, and did, as they imagined, what that required, but would do no more.
Secondly, There were others called µydysj , or good men, who were bountiful and liberal to the poor, and did more than the law required in repairing the temple and maintaining of sacrifices, etc. But, Thirdly, there were another sort who were called µy[çr , or wicked and ungodly persons, who had no regard to the law, profligate wretches, the refuse of the people.
Now for one of these righteous ones, says the apostle, scarce any would die, because what he had done, he was obliged by the law to do; peradventure for one of these good men, one to whom he had been kind and liberal, a person would even dare to die; but who will die for the other sort, the wicked and ungodly? not one; but God commendeth his love towards us, in that while-we were yet sinners, Christ died for us; O matchless and unparalleled love! 8. As to its effect upon the hearts of sinners, it is surprising, comfortable, and rejoicing; for souls, when but just let into it, begin that wonder which will last through out an endless eternity; they now place an ecce, a behold before it, and say as the Jews did of Christ, in regard to Lazarus, behold how he loved him! O how has he loved me, and me! says one and the other; what manner of love is this! it is surprising, wonderful, passing the love of women, as David said concerning Jonathan’s; and it being shed abroad in the heart by the Spirit of God, fills the soul with an universal pleasure, with a joy unspeakable and full of glory; the manifestations and discovery of it bear up the soul under all the trials of life, and make it long to be in glory, that it may have its fill thereof, wherefore it is no wonder the church here prefers it to wine, which, Secondly, We shall now consider, The church had a real value for Christ’s person, and therefore must needs esteem his love; his person being, to her, the chiefest among ten thousands, his love must be preferable to all others; she hath tasted a real sweetness in it, and hath seen the vanity and emptiness of all earthly enjoyments, and therefore prefers it to wine; by which. is intended the most sumptuous banquet, with all the dainties, and delightful entertainments thereof: nothing is so valuable as the love of Christ; O how excellent is thy loving kindness! says the Psalmist, it is better than life, Psalm 36:7. and 63:3. and all the comforts, pleasures, and profits thereof. I will now endeavor to shew, in a few particulars, wherein this love of Christ is better than wine. 1st, It is preferable to it for its antiquity; good old wine is accounted the best; and therefore Christ says, No man having drunk old wine, straightway desireth new: for he saith, the old is better, Luke 5:39.
Age makes wine better, but not oil, as Plutarch observes. Now no wine is comparable to this of Christ’s love, for its antiquity; for, as has been already shewn, it is a love which commences from everlasting; it does not bear date with time, but was before time was, and will be when time shall be no more. The Jews often speak of wine, that has been reserved in the grape ever since the creation of the world, which, they imagine, they shall drink in the earthly kingdom of the Messiah; but this wine of divine love was laid up and reserved in the heart of Christ long before the creation of the world: this excels all other wine for its antiquity. 2dly, It is preferable to wine for its purity; no wine so pure and unmixed as this of Christ’s love; it is wine on the lees well refined, free from all the dregs of deceit, hypocrisy, and dissimulation; it is a love unfeigned, a pure river of water of life. 3dly, It is better than wine, and is preferable to it for its freeness and cheapness; wine is not every one’s liquor, every one’s purse cannot reach it, especially in some countries; but this wine of Christ’s love, is to be had without money, and without price, than which nothing can be cheaper; nor is any thing freer, for it is freely shed abroad in the hearts of God’s people, by the Spirit. 4thly, For the plenty of it, it is preferable to wine; wine, as it is dear, so it is scarce in some places; but this, as it is cheap, and to be had freely, so there is plenty of it: in the marriage at Cana of Galilee, there was want of wine; but there is no want thereof in this feast of love, which Christ has made for his spouse and bride: this is a river, nay, an ocean of love, which flows forth in plentiful streams to poor sinners. 5thly, It is preferable to wine in the effects of it. 1. Wine will revive and chear a man that is of an heavy heart, and therefore it is advised to be given to such, Proverbs 31:6, yet it will not bring a man to life that is dead; but such is the nature of Christ’s love, that when it is conveyed into the heart of a sinner, dead in trespasses and sins, it makes him alive; for whenever it is a time of love to a poor sinner, it is also a time of life; nay, it not only conveys life, but it maintains and supports it and keeps souls from dying; he that has had it shed abroad in his heart, by the Spirit, shall never die the second death. 2. Wine may remove a worldly heaviness, or a sorrow on the account of worldly things, the things of time; but not of spiritual heaviness, or a sorrow on the account of the things or another world, the things of eternity; but the manifestation of Christ’s love to the soul, can remove this sorrow and heaviness, and fill it with a joy unspeakable and full of glory, and give him that ease, comfort, and satisfaction of mind, he is wishing for: 3. If a man drinks never such large draughts of the wine of Christ’s love, it will never hurt him, when other wine, with excessive drinking of it, not only wastes the estates, but consumes the bodies, and destroys the health of men; but of this a man may drink freely and plentifully, without doing himself any hurt; nay, it will be of considerable advantage to him, and therefore says Christ, in chapter <220501> 5:1. Eat, O friends, yea, drink abundantly, O my beloved.
No wonder then that the church was so desirous of enjoying Christ’s presence, and having the manifestations of his love to her soul, seeing his tore is thus better than wine; besides, it may be observed that she makes use of this as an argument with him to obtain her request; and in so doing, shews what a value she had for the love of Christ, how much she esteemed it, as also what it was she expected and sought after, in desiring communion with him.
VERSE 3. Because of the savor of thy good ointments, thy name is as ointment poured forth; therefore do the virgins love thee THE church having mentioned the excellency of Christ’s love, as the reason why she desired such intimate communion with him, proceeds in these words to take notice of his savory ointments and precious name; which were both so delightful, fragrant, and odorous, that even the Virgins, those chaste creatures, were ravished, and had fallen in love with him; and therefore it was no wonder that she, who was his spouse and bride, should express her love to him, and be so desirous of his company. In these words we have, I. The savor of Christ’s ointments expressed.
II. The fragrancy and preciousness of Christ’s name declared:
III. The influence that all this has upon the hearts of the virgins, in attracting their love to Christ: therefore do the virgins love thee.
I. The savor of Christ’s ointments is here expressed by the church, as having knowledge of them herself, and as having observed the effect of them upon the hearts of others. By ointments we are to understand the graces of the Spirit of God, that oil of gladness with which Christ, as mediator, is anointed above his fellows; this was poured out without measure upon him; it is like the precious ointment upon Aaron’s head, that ran down upon his beard, and went down to the skirts of his garments; for this being poured upon Christ, the head, descends to all his members, from him they receive that anointing, which teacheth all things. In explaining these words, I will endeavor, First, T o shew why the graces of the Spirit in Christ, or in his members, are compared to ointments.
Secondly, Why they are called Christ’s ointments.
Thirdly, In what sense they are said to be good. And, Fourthly, What is meant by the savor of them.
First, I shall endeavor to shew why the graces of the Spirit, either in Christ or in saints, are compared to ointments. 1st, With the holy anointing oil, which was made according to a divine prescription and direction, kings, priests, and prophets were formerly anointed, and thereby installed into their several offices: thus Saul, David and Solomon were anointed to be kings; thus Aaron and his sons were anointed to be priests; and thus E1isha was anointed prophet in the room of Elijah: now, as with this anointing oil these were anointed, and thereby installed into their offices; so Christ, with the anointing oil of the Spirit, was anointed, and thereby installed into those offices which he has taken upon him, and bears for the good of his people; it is with this he is anointed to be king, and is set over God’s holy hill of Zion; it is with this he is consecrated a priest for evermore, to offer sacrifice, and make intercession for transgressors; and this same Spirit being upon him, he is anointed therewith a prophet to ‘preach good tidings to the meek.’ Christ: as the glorious God-man, was anointed and installed into his office as mediator, from eternity; his human nature was anointed with the Holy Ghost, at the time of its conception in the virgin’s womb; and more visibly at his baptism, when the Spirit descended upon him as a dove; and still more gloriously at his ascension to, and session at the Father’s right hand, when he received from him the promise of the Spirit, and was made or declared to be both Lord and Christ: and it is with the same unction that saints are by him made kings and priests unto God; kings, because grace reigns in their hearts now, and they shall reign with Christ in glory, for ever hereafter; priests, ‘to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.’ 2dly, With this holy anointing oil, all the vessels of the tabernacle were anointed and made fit for use; to which saints may be compared, who are chosen vessels, vessels of mercy, that were fore-ordained for glory; now these, in their natural state, are not fit for their master’s use; yet when anointed with this unction, they are not only fit for their master’s present use here,, but are prepared for glory hereafter; the saints having the oil of grace, as well as the lamps of profession, are ready to go in with the bridegroom, whenever he comes and calls for them. 3dly, Anointing with oil was made use of for ornament; ‘it makes the face to shine,’ as the Psalmist says, <19A415> Psalm 104:15. Christ, as man and mediator, is adorned with the grace of the Spirit; he is ‘fairer than the children of men;’ and the reason is, because ‘grace is poured into his lips;’ he has a larger measure of this ‘oil of gladness’ than others, and therefore is ‘the perfection of beauty;’ he is ‘white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand;’ and as Christ is, so the saints are adorned herewith, and become beautiful in his eye, being “all glorious within:” by this grace they are purified and prepared, and so presented as a chaste and beautiful virgin to Christ. 4thly, Anointing with oils or ointments was used for chearing and refreshing guests at festivals, being very useful for this purpose in hot countries; the smell of which was very delightful and pleasing; hence Solomon says, ‘Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart,’ Proverbs 27:9.; and for this reason Mary brought ointment and anointed the feet of Jesus, to cool and refresh them while he sat at meat: these ointments, or graces of the Spirit, are the oil of gladness, both to Christ and to his people; in the exercise of them, he, as man, was delighted and refreshed, and so are his saints; the grace of the Spirit is, to them; the oil of joy for mourning; he, by his sweet influences and delightful operations on their souls, powerfully draws forth grace into exercise, and thereby administers much comfort to them; they are oftentimes filled with joy and peace in believing, being made to abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. 5thly, Ointments are useful for mollifying and healing wounds, Isaiah 1:6. these being applied, soften hard tumors, break them, and then heal them; the hearts of sinners are hard and obdurate, being swelled with pride, vanity, and conceit of themselves; bat the ointments of divine grace being applied, softens them, breaks these hard swellings, makes their hearts contrite, and then heals them: Christ, the great physician, acting herein, like the good Samaritan, who had compassion on the wounded man, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine.
Secondly, We will now consider why these ointments are said to be Christ’s. 1st, They are of his making; as he is God, he has an all-sufficiency of grace in himself, underived from any other, and is the author of all grace; this excellent composition is all his own; this ointment is made and prepared by his own hand; the holy anointing oil, though of God’s prescribing,.yet it was not of his making, though according to the composition of it, no other was to be made; but these ointments are not only prescribed, but made by him, that is God; and none can make, according to the composition thereof; which shews the excellency of them. 2dly, He is the subject of them; as God, he is the author and maker, but, as mediator, they are communicated to him; they are poured into him, and upon him without measure; it pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell; they are his, not only because made by him, but because they are in his possession; he is anointed with them above his fellows . 3dly, They are his, because he has a right to dispose of them;they are his own as God, being the maker of them; and they are his own as mediator, being given to him; wherefore he may do what he will with them, as indeed he does; he gives these ointments to whom he will, and he gives them freely and plentifully; he has a fullness of all grace in himself, and from thence saints receive grace for grace. This ointment being poured plentifully upon the head, runs down freely to all the members; these ointments are first Christ’s, and then they are ours; he composed them as God, for our use and service, and they were given to him as mediator, for that purpose; grace in Christ, and grace in us, are of the same nature, though not of the same degree: grace in us is as in its streams, but grace in Christ is as in its fountain; it is but a small measure we have, but it is an infinite, and inexhaustible fullness that is in him; which may serve to recommend Christ to us, and direct us where to go for these oils or ointments.
Thirdly, They are said to be good ointments, or oils; some oils are better than others, and some places produced better than others: Tekoah was the chief place for oil in Judea, and the next to it was Regab beyond Jordan; no doubt but Solomon had the best. The oils or ointments of the true Solomon are best of all. And of ointments there were various sorts, f42a as of roses, lilies, almonds, nard, myrrh, saffron, etc. and Syria, a neighboring country to Judea, was famous for some sorts of ointments, from whence Solomon might be supplied. 1st, They are good in their own nature — are an excellent composition, there is no ingredient in them but what is good; grace, as wrought in us, is called some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel; it is a good work, which being begun, shall be performed until the day of Christ. 2dly, These ointments are both made, and applied by a good hand; for he that has made them,, and he that anoints us with them, is God: The ingredients are net only good, but they are put together by a skillful hand; this unction is made by, and received from the Holy One. 3dly, They are good in their effects: they are good to make the face to shine, to adorn the saints, revive and refresh them; they are good to soften hard hearts, and heal wounded spirits; they are good to anoint the eyes with, and thereby recover, continue, and increase sight. 4thly, They are good in the believers esteem; they have had experience of their nature and effects; and can write probatum est upon each of them; and therefore highly value them, and with very good reason. For, 5thly, These ointments are exceeding rich and costly. The holy anointing oil was rich and cosily, being made of the. principle spices, but not to be comps, red with these; the ingredients of which are preferable to gold and silver, to rubies, and all things that can be thought of or desired; these are precious, rich, and costly ointments indeed. 6thly, Which makes them still more valuable, they never lose their efficacy; dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor; corrupt it so that it loses its virtue, and becomes good for nothing; grace cannot be lost and perish in the saints; the anointing, which they receive, abides in them; it is. an immortal seed, a well of living water, springing up into eternal life; and notwithstanding the dead flies of their sins and corruptions, yet they cannot make the ointment of grace send forth a stinking savor; corruptions do, but grace never will; it is not indeed always in exercise, but it never will lose its nature or its virtue; the saints lamps shall never go out, being supplied with oil from that fullness of it that is in Christ; Fourthly, These ointments are said to have a savor in them; precious ointments have a fragrancy a sweet savor in them, very delightful; a greater savor has the grace of Christ to a believer, who savors not the things of men, but the things of God; for, as the natural man, he receiveth not, that is, he savors not, the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness, unsavory and insipid things unto him: these ointments can no more be savory to a carnal man, than food can be relishing to a man of a vitiated taste, or music be delightful to a deaf man, or colors pleasant to one that is blind; for as the one wants his taste, the other his hearing, and the third his sight, so this man wants his smelling, and therefore these ointments cannot be savory to him; but they are so to the believer, who has his spiritual smelling; now by the savor of these ointments, is intended the manifestation of Christ’s grace unto the soul; the sense and perception which souls have of it, and their interest in it, fill them with pleasure and delight; and it was this which made the virgins love Christ, and the church so desirous of his company. There is an emphasis on the word thy; thy good ointments, none so odorous, so savory, and of so grateful a smell as his; as lovers used to admire and commend each others ointments, by which they sought to recommend themselves. f43 II. The church in these words declares the fragrancy and preciouness of Christ’s name, when she says, that his name is as ointment poured forth. It will be proper to enquire what is intended by the name of Christ, and in what sense that may be said to be as ointment poured forth. 1st, By the name of Christ may be meant his person, this being not an unusual way of speaking in the scripture; thus in Revelation 3:4. ‘Thou hast a few frames,’ that is, persons, ‘even in Sardis,’ etc. and in Matthew 12:21 ‘and in his name shall the Gentiles trust,’ that is, in the person of Christ shall the Gentiles trust; so here thy name is as ointment poured forth, that is, thy person is as delightful, grateful, and odorous to me, as the pouring forth a box of ointment; thou art altogether lovely to me, thy whole person is so; every thing in thee is engaging, and thou hast every thing to render thee desirable to me; all beauty, power, wisdom, and grace, are in thee, that it is no wonder the virgins love thee; for not only thy mouth, but all of thee is lovely and desirable. 2dly, By it may be intended some one, or any of those names by which he is called. As, 1. The Messiah or Christ, which signifies anointed. So that in comparing it to ointment, there may be an allusion to the signification of the name itself, and may more particularly point out which name is intended, even the name Messiah, to which Christ, in the New Testament, answers; which, though not very frequently met with in the Old Testament, yet was well known to the ancient Jews, as appears from their Targums, where it is made use of in upwards of sixty places, in which the Redeemer is treated of; and as it was well known, so it was highly esteemed of by them; they expected him who was to redeem Israel, under this title and character; and when he was come, and had revealed himself unto some, in an exulting manner they said one to another, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ; that name had been always precious to the saints, who waited for the consolation of Israel, and was then like a box of ointment poured forth, exceeding grateful, delightful, and refreshing to them. 2. Another name by which Christ is called, and which may be said to be as ‘ointment poured forth,’ is the name Jesus, which signifies a Savior, and was given him, because he ‘saves his people from their sins.’ Christ is, in the everlasting gospel, revealed as a Savior; it is therein declared, that the design of his coming into the world was to save sinners, and that he has obtained eternal salvation for them, and is both able and willing to save the chief of them; the discovery the gospel makes of him is exceeding delightful and pleasant to awakened sinners. This name Jesus, a Savior, how sweet is it to such who have seen the exceeding sinfulness of sin, themselves lost and undone thereby, and in a perishing state and condition! the news of a Savior are good news and glad ‘tidings of great joy’ unto them; the discovery of it is like the breaking open a box of ointment, and pouring it out; it at once removes the filthy stench of sin from the sinners nostrils, and that sadness and sorrow of heart which arise from the guilt of it upon the conscience. 3. Christ’s name, Immanuel, may be said to be as ‘ointment poured forth,’ which signifies ‘God with us;’ and there are two things in it which make it like ‘ointment poured forth,’ that is, exceeding odorous and grateful to believers. (1.) That he is God; hence they know, and are well assured, that he is able to save them; that the work is not too heavy for him; that he has not undertaken that which he is not able to accomplish, which they would have reason to believe, if he was only a creature: from hence they comfortably conclude, as well they may, that all he did was efficacious, and answered the purposes for which it was done; as that his sacrifice was effectual to atone for and expiate sin; his blood to procure the pardon of it, and thoroughly cleanse from it; his righteousness to justify from all sin, and render them acceptable in the sight of God; and all this, because they are the sacrifice, blood, and righteousness of one that is God. From this name they also gather, that he having taken the care and charge of them, is able to keep them from falling; and that none is able to pluck them out of his hands, no more than they can separate them from his heart, which they could not be so assured of, was he a creature. (2.) Another thing which makes this name like ‘ointment poured forth,’ is, that he is ‘God with us;’ God dwelling and conversing with us, God in our nature, God manifest in the flesh; hence it appears, that he who is the great God, and our Savior, is near akin to us, and we to him; being ‘flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone,’ we are both of one and the same nature, and therefore he is not ashamed to call us brethren; and his assuming our nature, gives him a right, as well as makes him a proper person to be our Goel or Redeemer, whereby all the blessings, which he procured in this nature, are communicated to us, and not to angels; now what makes this name still more sweet, savory and delightful, is, that he, who is Immanuel, God with us, God in our nature, is, and will be on our side; and if God be with us, and for us, who shall be against us? 4. Christ’s name, ‘the Lord our righteousness,’ may be said to be as ‘ointment poured forth,’ by which he is called, Jeremiah 23:6 this is exceeding grateful, sweet and precious to a poor sinner; one who has seen his own righteousness as filthy rags, and as an unclean thing, how does he value Christ as the Lord his righteousness! he counts all things but loss and dung, in comparison of him, and desires only to be found in him, and in his righteousness, and not in his own; but what makes this so exceeding precious to him, is, because it acquits from all sin, and secures from all wrath and condemnation, and renders him spotless, unblameable, and irreproveable in the sight of God. 5. Any, or all of those names of Christ, in Isaiah 9:6 may be said to be as ‘ointment poured forth,’ they being exceeding precious and delightful to believers; such as wonderful, counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, and prince of peace. Christ’s name ‘Wonderful,’ is so; he being wonderful in his incarnation and grace, in his person and offices, in his works, relations and characters; this emits a sweet odor to believers, even like a box of ointment opened to them: and so is his name ‘counsellor;’ under which character he acted from everlasting, consulting with the other two persons, our eternal welfare in the ancient council of peace; and still continues to Bear this character, which he makes good, by giving to us the best advice and most wholesome counsel, and this he does freely and faithfully: his name, ‘the mighty God,’ carries in it as much sweetness and comfort to the believer, as it does greatness and majesty; and that endearing title, the ‘everlasting Father,’ who, as such, loves his children with an everlasting love, and has made everlasting provisions for them, and takes everlasting care of them, fills those he stands thus related to, with the utmost pleasure: and that noble character, the ‘Prince of Peace,’ which he bears on the account of his having, obtained peace by ‘the blood of his cross,’ for rebellious sinners, so sweetly diffuses the odor of his grace, that it charms and captivates the believer’s heart. The names of true lovers are dear to each other, to which the allusion is; they love to hear their names mentioned, which are as precious ointment, as delicious nectar. Or else, 3dly, By Christ’s name, we may understand his Gospel; thus, the apostle Paul is said to be a chosen vessel, to bear the name of Christ before the Gentiles, that is, to preach his gospel to them; he was a vessel full of the precious ointment of the gospel, and his preaching of it was the pouring of it forth, which was exceeding grateful to poor sinners, The gospel to some, is like a box of ointment shut up; it is hid unto them, they know it not, it is a sealed book, a hidden mystery, an unpleasant story, and unsavory words; it sends forth no other savor than that ‘of death unto death;’ but unto others, it is like a box of ointment opened, and poured forth, which diffuses and spreads a sweet and delightful odor abroad. The ministers of the gospel make manifest the savor of Christ’s knowledge in every place where they are sent, and become to some the ‘savor of life unto life;’ they open the box, and pour forth the ointment of the gospel, which coming with power, is received with pleasure; and being ‘worthy of acceptation,’ it sheets with it in the hearts of awakened sinners. 4thly, By the name of Christ, may be intended the fame which was, and still is spread abroad of him: some Jewish writer, expound it of a good name or good report, which Solomon says, ‘is better than precious ointment,’ Ecclesiastes 7:1, and then the sense is this, “such is the fame that is spread abroad of thee, of thy greatness and goodness, of thy beauties and excellencies, that even those who have only heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, and to whom, at present, thou art not known by sight, have fallen in love with thee.”
In the days of Christ’s flesh, his name was renowned, his fame was spread far and near, for the good he did to mankind, in healing the sick, and curing all manner of diseases; for the surprising miracles which he wrought, and for the work of the ministry, which he was engaged in; his matter being excellent and divine, words of grace and wisdom, such as ‘never man spake;’ and his manner of delivery being with power and authority: and now his fame is great, and an excellent report is spread abroad of him, through the preaching of the everlasting gospel, for the mighty achievements of his grace, and what his arm of Almighty power has done, in working out, and bringing in salvation for poor sinners; as also for those peculiar blessings of grace, which souls daily receive from him, as well as for those personal excellencies which are in him; now such a report’ going abroad of him, his name being thus ‘as ointment poured forth,’ the virgins love him, souls flock after him, and come unto him. Which brings me to consider, III. The influence that all this has upon the hearts of others; ‘therefore do the virgins love thee.’ In explaining which clause, I shall endeavor, 1st, To show who are meant by the virgins. 2dly, Give some account of the nature of their love and affection to Christ. 1st, Let us consider who are intended by the virgins. Some think carnal professors are here meant, who are called virgins in scripture, though foolish ones; but their, love is not real, such as this seems to be in the text: others have thought that they are the uncalled and unconverted among the Gentiles, who are not yet espoused to Christ; but they rather appear to be true believers in Christ, by their love to him, for ‘faith works by love;’ and, perhaps, persons lately converted are intended, whose love to Christ is generally warm and lively, and their affections strong, not having as yet met with those chills, nor attended with that coldness and indifference, which too often, and too soon befal God’s children: the first love is the best and strongest, but oftentimes cloth not last tong warm and lively, being gradually chilled with the aboundings of corruption within, and the snares of the world without; though, perhaps, all true believers, whether of a later or of a longer standing, may be understood here, and may be justly called virgins, 1. For their chaste and strict adherence to Christ, their only husband, to whom they are espoused; ‘I have espoused you to one husband,’ says the apostle, ‘that I might present you a chaste virgin to Christ,’ Corinthians 11:2; these being betrothed to him in righteousness, in lovingkindness, in mercies, and in faithfulness, know, own and acknowledge him as their Lord and husband, and stedfastly adhere to him as such; he is a head, both of eminence and influence to them; to him they hold, and him alone they submit unto as such; he is the Savior of the body, the church, and they acknowledge him to be theirs, and will have no other. Their language is, ‘Ashur ahall not save us, neither will we say any more to the works of our hands, Ye are our gods.’ They make use of none, as the mediator between God and them, either as a mediator of redemption, or of intercession, but the Lord Jesus Christ; him they know and love, to him they have given up themselves, and by him they will abide, as their head and husband, their Savior and Mediator. 2. For the singleness of their love and affection to Christ. Their love is not common to all; it is not bestowed upon any creature, but purely reserved for him who alone deserves it; they can every one of them say, ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none on earth that I desire besides thee,’ Psalm 73:25. Christ requires all their love, he will admit of no rival in it, and they are heartily willing to bestow it all upon him. Those who love any creature, or creature-enjoyment more than Christ, or equally with him, are not worthy of him, nor worthy to be called by the name of virgins. 3. For their incorruptness in the doctrine of faith: this is what the apostle seems to have a regard to, when he declared his fervent desire to present the Corinthians, as a chaste virgin to Christ; he was jealous, lest they should be seduced through the subtilty and craftiness of ill-designing men, and their pure minds be corrupted and drawn aside ‘from the simplicity that is in Christ;’ lest they should be polluted with error, and so not answer the character of virgins, which they had hitherto borne, and which he earnestly wished might continue with them. Now virgins are such, who having received, ‘hold fast the faithful word, as they have been taught;’ whose souls having been nourished up in the words of faith, and of good doctrines and established therein, cannot be moved from thence, but will earnestly contend, and strive together ‘for the faith once delivered to the saints.’ 4. For the truth and sincerity of their worship: they are such who ‘worship God in spirit and in truth;’ who make the word of God, and his will therein revealed, the rule to act by, in all solemn and social worship, and not the authorities, customs, and inventions of men; and when they are concerned in any part of religious worship, their desires are, that their hearts and souls may be engaged therein, they are not of those who draw near to God with their mouths, and with their lips honor him, but have removed their hearts far from him, and their fear towards him, taught by the precepts of ‘men;’ for as they have not committed spiritual whoredom, which is idolatry, so they serve the Lord with pure spirits; they desire that whatsoever they do, more especially in divine worship, might be done in faith, from a principle of love to God, and according to his word and will: these are they who are said not to be defiled with women, for they are virgins; ‘these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth,’ Revelation 14:4; in every ordinance and institution of his, which he in his word has pointed out unto them, and marked out for them. 5. For the purity of their lives and conversations; they hold ‘the mystery of the faith,’ not merely notionally and y a profession of it, but ‘in a pure conscience,’ and hereby ‘adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior;’ their garments are, in some measure, kept from being spotted with the ‘pollutions of the world,’ and which they also frequently wash and make ‘white in the blood of the Lamb.’ Besides, that ‘grace of God, which bringeth salvation,’ Titus 2:11,12, that is, the doctrines of grace, which bring the news of salvation by Christ, to poor sinners, ‘teach them, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, they should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;’ which, through the mighty power of God’s grace, they are in some measure enabled to do. 6. For their fairness and beauty. Virgins being fair and beautiful, believers are therefore compared unto them; for though they are black in themselves, yet they are comely in Christ; though full of spots in themselves, yet, as considered in him, they are ‘all fair, and there is no spot’ in them: through that comeliness, which he has put upon them, they are a perfection of beauty, and being so, are the delight of Christ, and wonder of angels. 7. For their gay and costly attire; and yet modest behaviour. Virgins, in their youthful days, if modest, though their attire is gay and splendid, suitable to their age; yet are of a decent and becoming behavior. Believers are richly attired: these virgins appear in cloth of gold, ‘in raiment of needlework,’ curiously wrought, which cannot be matched; they are decked with all kinds of ornaments, with bracelets, chains, rings, and jewels; they have on the glorious robe of Christ’s righteousness, and are adorned with the various graces of the Spirit, which make their behavior decent and modest; for they are not proud and haughty, one of their ornaments being that ‘of a meek and quiet spirit;’ they have low, mean; and humble thoughts of themselves; suitable to their character is their carriage and deportment; for though they are so richly clothed, and so nearly related to the King of kings, yet, like their Lord, are meek and lowly.
Secondly, I shall now proceed to give some account of the love which these virgins bear to Christ: in doing which I shall, 1st, Give some account of the nature of it. 2dly, Shew from whence it arises. And, 3dly, How it manifests itself. 1st, Let us consider the nature and properties of it, 1. It is a superlative love which souls bear to Christ; it: exceeds and excels their love to all creatures, or creature-enjoyments. Christ loves them above all others, and they love him more than all persons or things besides; of all that claim a share in their love, as none deserves, so none has a greater interest therein than himself, 2. It is universal; they love all of Christ, and all that belong to him; they love him in his person, and in all his offices, relations, and characters, which he has took upon him, and by which he is pleased to manifest himself unto them: they love all his saints, be they high or low, rich or poor, and by whatsoever character or denomination, they are distinguished, if it appears that his grace is but wrought in their hearts, and they bear his image and superscription; they love all his commands, ordinances, and institutions; they ‘esteem his precepts concerning all things, to be right,’ and are not partial in their obedience thereunto, 3. It is, or at least ought to be, constant and faithful, as his is to them, and as Jonathan’s was to David: we should love him in adversity, as well as in prosperity, at all times; nothing should separate our love from Christ, as nothing can separate his love from us. 4. It is, or ought to be, fervent and ardent; and so it is usually at first conversion, as has been already observed; and this is called in scripture, the ‘first love,’ which the church at Ephesus was blamed for leaving: not that she had lost her love to Christ, but the fervency thereof was much abated; she began to grow cold and lukewarm in her affections, which is too often the case of God’s people, through the prevailing of corruptions, and an immoderate desire and pursuit after the things of this world; ‘because iniquity shall abound,’ says Christ, ‘the love of many shall wax cold,’ Matthew 24:12. 5. Where there is true love to Christ, it is always hearty and unfeigned: the virgins, true believers, love him ‘with all their heart, and with all their soul;’ they love him ‘in sincerity,’ and from their very hearts can appeal to Him, who is the heart-searching and rein-trying God, as Peter did, and say, ‘Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee,’ John 21:17. Here is no deceit, dissimulation or hypocrisy in their love; though it may be sometimes weak and languid, yet whenever it exerts and shews itself, it is real and hearty; these love not ‘in word only,’ ‘neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.’ 2dly , It will be proper to enquire into the springs and causes of this love, and to observe from whence it arises. And, 1. It springs and arises from a sight of Christ’s loveliness: an unbeliever sees no beauty in Christ, wherefore he should desire him; there is nothing in him lovely to a carnal eye; but one that is ‘made light in the Lord,’ and has but a glimpse of ‘the King in his beauty,’ his heart is won, his soul is ravished and drawn forth in love to him; he admires and desires him above all, and cannot be easy without an interest in him. 2. From a view of his suitableness, as a Savior; the believer not only sees personal and transcendent excellencies in him, which ravish him, but special blessings, which are proper for him; he beholds him as ‘full of grace and truth;’ he smells a sweet savor in his ointments, and that name Jesus , a Savior, becomes exceeding precious to him; he views all righteousness and strength, peace and pardon, light and life, joy and comfort, grace and glory, and all things appertaining: to salvation, every thing to make him comfortable here, and. happy hereafter, in Christ; and therefore says, as David did, ‘I will love thee, O Lord, my strength,’ Psalm 18:1. 3. From a sense of his love and manifestation of it to their souls; ‘we love him,’ says the apostle, ‘because he first loved us,’ 1 John 4:19; our love is not the cause of his, but his is the cause of ours; and it is not merely his loving us, bur the shedding it abroad in our hearts by his Spirit, which draws out our love to him; for though he loved us, yet if he had not some way or other manifested it to us, andovercome our hearts with it, we should still have remained enemies to him; but his giving us the sense and perception of it in our hearts, is what has drawn us to himself, and will keep us there. 4. From a view of union and relation to him; how can persons do otherwise than love him, when they see themselves so nearly united to him, as to be ‘members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones?’ How can they but love him, when they view him standing in and filling up the relations of an indulgent father, a tender husband, a loving brother, and faithful friend unto them? 5. This is more and more increased by enjoying communion with him; the more intimate a believer is with Christ, the oftener he sees him, the more frequent visits he receives from him, and the greater acquaintance and fellowship he has with him, the more he loves him; every sight of him, visit from him, and enjoyment of his presence, add fresh strength and fervency to his love; John, the beloved disciple, who leaned on Christ’s bosom, and had intimate communion with him, had his heart filled with love to him, and wrote the rues; largely of it. But, 3dly , I shall now endeavor to shew how this love manifests itself: and it does so, 1. By a regard to Christ’s commands and ordinances; ‘If ye love me,’ says Christ, keep my commandments; for he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me,’ John 14:15-21, that is, he that hath my commandments written upon his heart, by the finger of the Spirit, according to the tenor of the covenant of grace, and is enabled to keep them by the assistance of my grace and Spirit, he it is that shews his love to me; and therefore, as you say, you love me, shew it by an observance of my commands: and all that love Christ will do so, according to the measure of grace received; they will love the place of divine worship, and have a respect to all his ordinances and institutions; for all his tabernacles are amiable and lovely to them. 2. By a regard, to his truths, the doctrines of the gospel; they receive the truth in the love of it, and value it more than their ‘necessary food;’ they highly esteem the preachers of it. and cannot bear to hear one truth of the gospel spoken against. 3. By a regard to his people; they love the saints, who love Christ, they delight in their company, and take pleasure in conversing with them; they are the ‘excellent in the earth, in whom is all their delight,’ and indeed, where there is no love to the saints, there can be no true love to Christ; for, as the apostle John says, ‘he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen?’ 1 John 4:20. 4. By a regard to his presence; a soul that loves Christ, values the presence of Christ; nothing so desirable to him as that is: and when he has lost sight of Christ, cannot be easy without him, but seeks here and there until he has found him whom his soul loves: he thinks himself never more happy, than when he has Christ’s presence, and never worse than when he is without it. 5. This love manifests itself, by parting with and bearing all for Christ: a soul that truly loves Christ, will part with all that is near and clear to him, for him; he will forsake his own kindred, and his father’s house; he counts Christ ‘the pearl of great price,’ and is therefore willing to quit all he has, that he may but enjoy that; he leaves all, as the disciples did, and follows Christ;and resolves, some what will, that Christ’s God shall be his God, and Christ’s people his people, and where Christ lodges he will lodge, and where he goes he will follow, and cleave close to him, as Ruth did to Naomi. Moreover, he is not only willing to leave and lose all for Christ, but also to bear all for him, that he is pleased to lay upon him, and call him to; he is willing to suffer reproaches, afflictions, and persecutions for the sake of him and his gospel, and to bear any cross whatever he thinks fit to enjoin him; all which he would never be willing to submit to, was not his soul filled with love to Christ; and such a love as this, which springs from such causes, and manifests itself in these ways, is exceeding grateful to Christ, as appears from chapter 4:10.
VERSE Draw me, we will run after thee: The King hath brought me into his chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in thee: We will remember thy love more than wine; The upright love thee.
THE church having taken notice of the excellency of Christ’s love, the savor of his ointments, and preciousness of his name, which made the virgins, her companions, love him; she persists in and continues her request, for communion with him, in these words; in which we have, I. A petition; ‘draw me.’
II. An argument which she makes use of to obtain this request; ‘we will run after thee.’
III. The request granted to her, which is acknowledged by her; ‘the King hath brought me into his chambers.’
IV. The effects thereof, or the influence which this had upon her; ‘we will rejoice,’ etc.
I. Here is a request or petition made by the church to Christ; ‘draw me.’
What she intends hereby will be proper to consider. And, 1st, There is a powerful efficacious drawing of soul to Christ, at conversion, when God calls a poor sinner by his grace, brings him to Christ, enables him to venture upon him, and believe in him for life and salvation; which is what Christ speaks of in John 6:44 when he says, ‘No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me, draw him.’
A soul’s coming to Christ for life, is not the produce of power and free-will in man, but of the grace of God in drawing, though it is not effected by force or compulsion; it is true, the sinner, in his natural estate, ‘is stouthearted, and ‘far from righteousness,’ averse to Christ and the way of salvation by him; but by mighty grace, this stout heart is brought down. and made willing to submit to God’s way of salvation; this obduracy is removed, and hardness of heart taken away by him, who has promised to take away the stony heart, and give an heart of flesh.’ Unconverted sinners are indeed unwilling to come to Christ for life; but those who belong to the election of grace, are made ‘willing in the day of Christ’s power:’ the manslayer did not more willingly flee from the avenger of blood, to the city of refuge, than a sinner, sensible of sin, and the danger of his state, does to Christ for salvation; for though a soul is not brought to Christ; by the power of his free-will, yet he is not brought against his will: drawing does not always suppose force and compulsion; there are other ways of drawing besides that. Thus the fame of a skillful physician draws many people to him; thus music draws the ear; love the heart; and pleasure the mind; as the poet says, ‘Trahit sua quemque voluptas.’ Nor is this done by mere moral suasion, which is what ministers use; knowing the terrors of the Lord, they persuade men: but if the mighty power of grace does not attend their ministry, not one soul will ever be converted; though they represent the joys of heaven and the terrors of hell, in never such a lively manner; speak in never such moving strains, and use the most powerful arguments to win upon souls; yet they will stretch out their ‘hands all the day, to a gainsaying and disobedient people;’ they will return with a ‘who hath believed our report?’ the arm of the Lord not being revealed unto them. God does not act as a mere moral cause in man’s conversion; he does not only propose an object, and then leave the will to choose, but powerfully and effectually works both to will and to do of his own good pleasure; for this drawing is accomplished by the secret and invisible power of his mighty grace: and in this sense is the word used, in Judges 4:7 when Deborah tells Barak, that the Lord had promised, saying, ‘I will DRAW unto thee, to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitudes, and I will deliver him into thine hands;’ that is, ‘I will have the hearts of kings, generals, and captains of armies in my hands, and can turn them as the rivers of waters, whithersoever I will,’ will powerfully and invisibly work upon, move and incline Sisera’s heart to lead his army to the river Kishon, where I will give an instance of my power and goodness in delivering him into thine hands. Thus God powerfully and invisibly works upon the hearts of sinners, bends their wills, slays the enmity of their minds, allures and draws them to Christ, ‘suavi omnipotentia, & omnipotente suavitate,’ ‘by a sweet omnipotence, and an omnipotent sweetness;’ and this he does by revealing Christ unto them, in all his beauty and loveliness, discovering the love of Christ unto their souls; by the kind invitations of his grace, the precious and encouraging promises of the gospel, and the special teachings of his Spirit; all which is an evidence of his everlasting love; for it is, because he hath ‘loved them with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness’ he hath ‘drawn’ them; this is also a fruit of Christ’s death; ‘I, if I be lifted up from the earth,’ says he, meaning his elevation upon the cross, ‘wilt draw all men unto me,’ John 12:32; that is, all that the Father hath given me, and has promised, shall be gathered to me, and whom I shall shed my blood for. Moreover, it is likewise an indication of the weakness and impotence of sinners, seeing they cannot come unless they are drawn; and sufficiently destroys the notion which advances the free-will and power of the creature in conversion: but I apprehend that this is not the drawing intended in this petition, for thus the church had been already drawn.
The Septuagint read it, ‘They have drawn thee: at the smell of thine Ointments, will we run’; that is, the virgins have loved thee, and shewn their love to thee; and this has so took with thine heart, that it has drawn thee after them, they have thy company, which I want; but by the smell of those ointments, which thou carriest about with thee, I, and others, will run after thee, till we find thee: so that Christ, according to this version and sense of the words, is the person drawn, and not the person petitioned to, to draw; though the latter seems best to agree both with the Hebrew text, and the sense of the words.
R. Aben Ezra thinks that they are the words of the virgins, who, every one of them, desire, saying, ‘draw me;’ we,’ every one of us, ‘will run after thee;’ but they seem rather to be the words of the church, desirous of more intimate communion with Christ; for there is, 2dly, A drawing to nearer communion with Christ, which believers oftentimes want, and are desirous of, and which the church had enjoyed; as appears from the following clause in this verse; in which she declares that ‘the king had brought her into his chambers,’ where he conversed with her, and disclosed the secrets of his heart to her: now this petition of hers for nearer communion with him, supposes, 1. A distance between Christ and her; not a distance with regard to union; for believers being one with Christ, they never are, nor can be distanced from him; they are always in this sense, ‘a people near unto the Lord;’ nor is there a distance of affection, for ‘having loved his own, which were in the world, he loves them to the end;’ they can never be separated from his love, seeing they are engraven as a seal upon his heart: but this is a distance as to communion; and, in this sense, Christ does sometimes stand at a distance, and hides himself from his people; as appears by their frequent complaints of it, they then thinking themselves forsaken and. forgotten by him. 2. This petition shews her uneasiness in this condition, and therefore she says, ‘draw me;’ not but that sometimes believers are lukewarm and indifferent; for falling asleep upon a bed of security, they become insensible of their condition, and therefore unconcerned about it; but when they are awakened, and find their beloved gone, their souls are troubled, and being impatient of delay, though in the night, as the church in chapter 3 arise from their beds, and in ‘the streets and broad ways’ seek him, whom their souls love. 3. This request shews the sense she had of her own inability to attain to a state of nearer communion with him: ‘when he hides his face, who can behold him?’ when he stands at a distance, who can come near him? if he is pleased to withdraw his presence, there is no commanding it; the light of his countenance, the enjoyment of his presence, and fellowship with him, are as much the instances of his distinguishing and sovereign grace, and as much depend upon his sovereign pleasure, as the first workings of grace itself; we can no more enjoy the one at pleasure, than we could effect the other; the same Spirit that wrought grace in us at first, must give us access into Christ’s presence; we need now the same bands and cords of love to draw us to Christ, as then we did. 4. It signifies the apprehension she seems to have of danger; draw me, or I shall be drawn away: believers may be sometimes under fearful apprehensions of being drawn away by the corruptions of their nature, the snares of the world, and the temptations of Satan; though they can never be drawn totally and finally from Christ. He has, by the cords of love, drawn them to himself; and though they may not always experience it, yet he will never leave his people till he has brought them safe to glory. 5. It shews that high value and esteem she had for communion with Christ, which makes her so earnestly importune that blessing, and use such pressing and repeated instances for the enjoyment of it; this was the ‘one thing’ she earnestly desired and sought for, yea, preferred to all other enjoyments. Moreover, II. Here is an argument made use of to obtain this request; ‘We will run after thee:’ or else it may be considered as the end of her asking this favor; ‘draw me,’ that we may ‘run after thee.’ Lord, do thou draw, that we may run, which we cannot do, unless thou dost; but if thou wilt, we shall run after thee. Here is a change of persons in these words; first she says, draw me, and then we will run after thee; by whom are meant, she, and the virgins her companions; the church, and particular members: every one in their stations would act with more life and vigor upon such drawings. ‘We will run after thee;’ this is not a running to Christ, as sinners do under apprehension of danger, as to a city of refuge, and saints, as to a place of protection, safety and security; but this is a running after him: Christ is the fore-runner who has gone before us, and left us an example, both in doing and suffering, as the fulfiller of righteousness, and the great captain of our salvation; and we must follow him the Lamb, whithersoever he goeth; and not only follow, but run. Our life is frequently, in scripture, called a race; Christ is the mark we must press after; heaven is the prize we should have in view; and the way or stadium in which we should run, are Christ’s commandments; though our running therein, or performing them, is not the cause of our obtaining the prize; for ‘it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that ‘sheweth mercy;’ yet running herein is our duty; which supposes, 1st, Chearfulness, readiness, and willingness; then, says David, ‘will I run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart,’ <19B932> Psalm 119:32.; that is, I shall observe them more chearfully, readily and willingly; it will remove that backwardness that is in me to duty. 2dly, Swiftness; ‘I made haste, and delayed not, to keen thy commandments,’ <19B960> Psalm 119:60 says the same psalmist such obedience as this, though far more perfectly than we are capable of, do the angels perform in heaven. 3dly, Strength; and this we have not; but there is fullness of it with Christ; who, whilst we are waiting on him, is pleased to renew our strength, so that we ‘mount up with wings as eagles, and run and are not weary, and walk and do not faint.’ Now this is the effect of that drawing, without which there is no running; we cannot set one step forward unless he speak to us, much less can we run, unless he draw us.
III. Here is an account of the request being granted, which she observes with pleasure, ‘the King hath brought me into his chambers;’ though others read it, ‘Let the King bring me, or, O! that the King would bring me, etc.’ and so take it as a continuation of her desires after communion with Christ; but this is for want of knowledge in the Hebrew language, as Mercer observes: others think that the past tense is put for the future, and so read it, ‘The King shall or wilt bring me,’ etc as being expressive of her faith, that she should enjoy what she was desirous of. Junius renders it, ‘When the King shall have brought me,’ etc. and so carries in it the nature of a promise, as to her and her virgins future behavior upon the enjoyment of such a blessing; though I think it is much better rendered by our translators, ‘The King hath brought me,’ etc. and so signifies her enjoyment of the mercy she sought after. Wherein are three things to be considered, 1st, Who this King is, that brought her into his chambers. 2dly, What chambers those are, which he brought her into. 3dly, What is meant by his bringing there, or what this phrase is expressive of. 1st, Who this King is, not Solomon, for ‘a greater than Solomon is here,’ but the Lord Jesus Christ, who is kat ejxoch But, 2dly, What chambers are these which this king is said to bring her into?
Not the temple, into which Solomon introduced the people of Israel, which is the sense some give of the words; though there may be an allusion to the temple, and the chambers thereof, of which mention is made, Chronicles 28:11, 12 and more especially to the holy of holies, which was inaccessible to any but the high priest; as that, which was typified by it, is to any but Christ the high priest, and those who belong to him, to whom he gives access, and who have boldness and liberty to enter into the holiest of all, by the blood of Jesus: nor do I think that by them are meant those everlasting mansions of peace and rest, which are in Christ’s Father’s house, which he is preparing for his spouse, and bride, and into which he, ere long, will introduce her, where they will keep an everlasting nuptial feast; for at present she could not say, that she was brought thither, though she might be assured of it, that she should, by those kind intimations of his love unto her; therefore it seems better to understand them either, 1. Of those chambers of intimate communion and fellowship; which Christ sometimes brings his people into, and of which they are exceeding desirous: this inestimable blessing Christ frequently grants to his people in his ordinances; for he does not always suffer them to stand without, in the outer courts, but sometimes takes them into his inner chambers, where he discloses the secrets of his heart unto them, gives evident intimations of his love, and fills their souls with divine consolation: or else, 2. The doctrines of the gospel, which contain the unsearchable riches of Christ, and the mysteries of his grace) which he brings his people gradually into, and shews them those things which eye hath not seen, neither hath ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived of: He took me, as if she should say, into his chambers, and there more thoroughly instructed me into his mind and will; gave me to know more fully the mysteries of the kingdom; opened all the treasures of his grace, and shewed me all his riches, and glory contained therein. Now this sense suits well with a practice much used by the Jews, who frequently taught in chambers, where they also met together to converse about, and determine matters in religion, as fully appears from their writings; and we have many hints in the New Testament, which confirm it; it was in such a chamber that Christ kept the passover, and instituted the Lord’s Supper, and gave there a discovery of the nature of his death and sufferings to his disciples: in such a room the disciples met together, after his ascension; and in such an one Paul preached till midnight. But, 3dly, What is meant by being brought into these chambers; or what does this phrase import, or express? 1. On Christ’s part. (1.) An acknowledgement of her to be his bride; he having espoused her to himself, and solemnized the marriage among her friends, which was the Jewish custom, takes her home to himself as his spouse and bride, to live and converse with him; leads her into his chambers, and there unlocks all his treasures; shews her all his riches and glory, and puts her into the possession of them. (2.) It imports wonderful condescension in him, that he, who is the King of kings, should vouchsafe to regard such a worthless creature, as the church is in herself; and much more espouse her to himself, and in such a kind, loving and familiar manner, give her access to his person, and all he has, and grant her such intimate communion and fellowship with him. (3.) It shews us, that all our nearness to, and communion with God, are in and through Christ; it is he that gives us ‘access into the grace wherein we stand,’ and leads us into the presence of his Father; he is our only way of access unto him, and acceptance with him. 2. On her part; they being her words, shew, (1.) That she does not ascribe this to herself, but to his powerful and efficacious grace; she was conscious of her own inability, and therefore makes application to him, and, having obtained her desires, acknowledges it to the glory of his grace; who ‘brought, or caused her to come,’ as the word may be rendered, notwithstanding all difficulties and obstructions which lay in the way. (2.) This she does with thankfulness, in an exulting manner, as this way of speaking testifies, and the following words declare: what was before matter of prayer, is now the subject of praise; she owns, with gratitude, as became her, the mercy she had received. (3.) It seems to be in a boasting way and manner that she speaks.
Believers are allowed to glory in the Lord, and boast of what he has done for them, and manifests to them, that his grace may be magnified, others take notice of it, and they be encouraged in their addresses to him: the church here might have an eye to the virgins or daughters of Jerusalem.
IV. We have, in these words, the effects or consequences of the church’s enjoying this valuable blessing, as they appear in her or her members, or her daughters, ‘the virgins.’ 1st, Gladness and rejoicing in Christ; ‘we will be glad and rejoice in thee.’
The several clauses of this text, some think, should be considered thus; f56 the first clause, ‘Draw me,’ as the words of the church; the next, ‘We will run after thee,’ the chorus of the virgins; then the church again says, ‘The King hath brought me into his chambers;’ and after that the virgins, ‘We will be glad, etc.’ but whether the church, or the virgins, or both, are here intended, it is certain, that this is the language of believers, of whose joy Christ is the object: they rejoice, not in themselves, neither in their works, nor graces, nor frames, but in the Lord Jesus Christ: this is one part of the character which the apostle gives of true believers; they are such who ‘rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,’ Philippians 3:3. 1. They rejoice in his person, in his greatness, fitness, fulness, and glory, as he is God and man in one person; for, being so, he is able to be their Savior, a proper person to be a Mediator, has all fullness of grace treasured up in him, and appears to be ‘the brightness of his Father’s glory, and the express image of his person;’ a view of, and communion with, such an one, must needs fill the believer with ‘a joy unspeakable and full of glory,’ 2. They rejoice in what he has done for them; he is the Lord Jehovah, ‘who has done great things for them, whereof they are glad;’ he engaged as their surety in the everlasting covenant, and in the ‘ullness of time’ assumed their nature, finished and made reconciliation for their sins, satisfied Divine Justice, fulfilled a righteous law, brought in and clothed them with an everlasting righteousness, procured the pardon of all their sins; and, in short, has secured all grace and glory for them;and when they consider all this, they cannot but be glad and rejoice in him. 3. They rejoice also in what he is unto them, as well as in what he has done for them; he stands in and fills up all relations to them; he is their ‘everlasting Father,’ their kind and loving brother, their tender and indulgent husband, their constant and faithful friend, and indeed, their ‘all in all;’ he is every thing unto them, for he ‘of God is made unto them, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption;’ and when they consider him under all these endearing characters and relations, it is no wonder that they are heard to say, ‘I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in the God of my salvation, etc.’ 2dly, Another effect of the church enjoying such intimate communion with Christ, is a remembrance of his love; ‘We will remember thy love more than wine.’ I have already, on verse 2. shewn you the preferableness of Christ’s love to wine and shall not here repeat it, but only shew, 1. What it is to remember Christ’s love. 2. Why we should, and why every believer will do so. 1. What it is to remember it. (1.) It is so to record it in our minds, as not to forget it we should, with David, call upon our ‘souls, and all that is within us, to bless his holy name, and forget not all his benefits,’ <19A301> Psalm 103:1,2; and more especially we should not forget his love, from whence they all spring. (2.) We should often meditate upon it; which would not only serve to advance the glory of divine love; but would sweetly ravish our souls, raise our affections, inflame our love, and quicken our faith. (3.) We should constantly observe that ordinance, which Christ has appointed for this purpose, namely, the Lord’s Supper; it being his design in the institution of it, that we should remember him, his broken body and precious blood, and particularly his special love, which appeared in all. (4.) We should so remember it, as to have our desires more strongly after it, and our affections more firmly fixed upon it: Christ’s love is excellent and valuable; it is preferable to life itself, and all the comforts of it; and a frequent revolving it in our minds will enlarge our desires after a greater knowledge of it, and heighten our value for, and esteem of it. (5.) We should so remember it, as to exercise faith in it; for it will bring us but little comfort, and do us but little service, unless we can, in some measure, appropriate it to ourselves, saying, with the apostle, ‘He hath loved me, and hath given himself for me;’ it will afford us no solid joy and comfort, that he has loved others, if we have no reason to hope and believe that he hath loved us; for it is faith’s viewing a peculiar interest in this love, that fixes a sense of it more firmly upon the mind. (6.) It then appears, that this is uppermost in our minds, when we speak and make mention of it to others; and, indeed, that should be the subject of our discourse now, which will be the delightful theme of glorified saints to all eternity. But, 2. Why should we, and why will every believer remember Christ’s love, value and esteem it more than wine? 1. Because it is worthy of remembrance, in its own nature, and in its effects, as has been already shewn; it is ‘better than wine;’ it is great and glorious, stupendous and unparalleled, matchless and boundless, everlasting and unchangeable; it ‘passeth knowledge, and is the source and spring of all the grace we now receive, and of all the glory we are expectants of.’ 2. It would be ungrateful in us not to remember it; should we be unmindful of, and forget this love, and the benefits which spring from it, we should be justly chargeable with the vile sin of ingratitude; and it might be very pertinently returned upon us, what Absalom said to Hushai, ‘Is this thy kindness to thy friend?’ 2 Samuel 16:17. 3. Because he hath remembered us, and that ‘in our low estate, because his mercy endureth for ever;’ even when we were in the depths of sin and misery, could not help ourselves, and were so far from having any love to him, that we were in open rebellion against him; yet such was his amazing love to us, that he raised us ‘beggars from the dunghill, washed us from our sins in his own blood,’ and made ‘us kings and priests to God and his Father; and shall we not remember? can we be forgetful of this love? 4. A remembrance of it promotes our own comfort and edification, serves to make sin odious and detestable, and is oftentimes useful to excite and revive grace, to banish our doubts and fears, and make the person of Christ more precious to us. 3dly, Another effect or consequence of the church’s being brought into the chambers of near fellowship and communion with Christ, is, that the love of his church and people is the more drawn forth to him, who here go under the character of upright ones, ‘the upright love thee;’ or, according to the Hebrew text, ‘uprightnesses love thee;’ the abstract for the concrete; which intends upright men, or men of uprightness, as being the persons who love Christ; unless with R. Sol. Jarchi, we take it to be expressive of the sincerity of their love, and so read it, ‘in uprightnesses, or with an uptight love they love thee:’ R. Aben Ezra thinks it is the adjective of wine, before-mentioned, and intends the excellency, sweetness, and incorruptness of it, as in chapter 7:9 and the sense then is this, ‘we will remember thy love more than wine, yea, more than uptight wine,’ or wine that goes down sweetly, ‘do they love thee:’ though I rather think it intends the character of the persons who love Christ. I have already, on the preceding verse, shewn the nature of this love, with which souls love Christ, from whence it springs, and how it manifests itself; and shall now only consider the character of those persons who are here said to love him, namely, upright ones; and they are, 1. Such who are said to be ‘upright in heart,’ of whom mention is made in <19C404> Psalm 124:4. ‘Do good, O Lord, to them that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts;’ such are they who have a work of grace wrought upon their souls; whose hearts are right with God, and desire to worship him with their whole hearts; who live by faith on Christ, and his righteousness, and whose words and actions are without dissimulation; such are ‘Israelites indeed, in whom there is no guile.’ 2. Who are of an upright conversation, as in Psalm 37:14. These are they who walk according to the rule of God’s word; they are not partial in their observance of his commands, but have a regard to them all; they make a conscience of avoiding lesser, as well as greater sins; and in all their obedience to the divine will, seek the honor and glory of God; and what they do, they do in faith, and from a principle of love to God and Christ. Junius understands this clause of the sincerity and uprightness of the love of the church and her friends to Christ, and reads it in connection with the former thus, ‘We will remember thy love more than wine, and whosoever most uprightly love thee;’ that is, whoever bear a sincere affection to thee will do the same.
VERSE 5. I am black, but comely; O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. THE church in the preceding verses had directed her speech to Christ, where we have observed the request she makes, and the success of it, and also the comfortable and grateful frame of Spirit produced by it: here she turns herself to ‘the daughters of Jerusalem,’ and gives an account of her person and state, and delivers her mind to them in this and the following verse. Wherein may be considered, I. The persons she speaks to, ‘the daughters of Jerusalem.’
II. The character which she gives of her herself.
III. The reason of her so doing.
I. The persons she speaks to, are ‘the daughters of Jerusalem:’ and seeing these are frequently mentioned in this Song, it will be necessary to consider who are meant by them. R. Sol. Jarchi would have them to be the Gentiles, who, he says, are so called, because Jerusalem shall be the metropolis of all nations, according to Ezekiel 16:61. ‘I will give them unto thee for daughters;’ and that they are, in the same sense, ‘the daughters of Jerusalem,’ as the towns of Ekron are called in Joshua 15:45. ‘the daughters of Ekron; but it is much better to understand them of particular churches, of which, ‘Jerusalem that is above,’ or that ‘general assembly, and church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven,’ is the mother; though I rather think, young converts are intended by them, who, perhaps, had not as yet joined themselves to the church, though they had a very great respect for her, as is manifest from chapter 5:9 they seem to be very weak, and their knowledge of Christ but small, yet desirous of knowing him and seeking him with her. (See chapters 5:8 and <220601> 6:1) And it is very evident, that not only the church, but Christ also, had a very great respect for them, from chapter 3:9, 10, 11. They were her friends and companions, distinct from mother’s children, mentioned in the following verse, and were far from being enemies either to Christ or his church.
II. To these persons she gives a character of herself. 1st, She makes a concession that she was black. 2dly, Notwithstanding asserts that she is comely. And, 3dly, Uses some similies to express both by, ‘as the tents of Kedar, the curtains of Solomon.’ 1st, She ingenuously and frankly acknowledges that she was black. This is not to be understood literally of Pharaoh’s daughter, whom Solomon had married; and whose mother, Grotius conjectures, might be an Arabian, and so these words be expressive of her natural complexion; but this is not intended, nor, perhaps, is there so much as an allusion to it; but rather to a shepherdess, or keeper of vineyards, made black by lying in the fields, as the following verse seems to intimate. The Targum applies it to the people of Israel, when they made the calf, and says, that then ‘their faces became as black as the Ethiopians, that dwell in the tents of Kedar; but when they returned, by repentance, and were forgiven, the brightness of the glory of their countenances was increased, as the angels:’ but the words are expressive of the spiritual estate and complexion of the church of Christ, and of all believers in him; who may be said to be black, and comely; black by sin, comely by grace: Black, 1. Upon the account of the many spots, blemishes, and infirmities; for though they are fair and spotless, as considered in Christ, yet they are black and full of spots, as considered in themselves; sin dwells in them and they are sometimes overcome, and carried captive by it; it is always present with them; this body of sin and death, they carry about as their burden; neither will they be rid of it in this life; for ‘if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us’; the most holy and righteous man on earth is not without it; every one is both disturbed and defiled with it, and therefore in this sense may be said to be black; and so the Jewish doctors expound it, of the sinful actions and evil works of the congregation of Israel. 2. The church of Christ may be said to be black, oftentimes on the account of those swarms of hypocrites and heretics that appear in it; there have always been more or less of them in the church, in all ages, which have been ‘spots in their feasts of charity.’ There was a Cain in Adam’s family, a Ham in Noah’s, an Ishmael in Abraham’s, an Esau in Isaac’s, and a Judas among Christ’s disciples; these goats have always been among Christ’s sheep, these tares grow up among his wheat, and will do so, till he shall divide the sheep from the goats, and take his fan in his hand, and thoroughly purge his floor. Now upon the account of these, and the several heresies, schisms, and divisions, which frequently arise, and are made in the church of Christ, she may be said to be black: And also, 3. By reason of the persecutions and reproaches of the world, which the church of Christ, and all believers in him sustain; for they that ‘will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution’ of one kind or another; if not confiscation of goods, fines, imprisonments, racks, tortures, yea death itself, which in some ages of the world, have been the lot of God’s children, yet, at least, loss of their good name, credit, and reputation; for if they are loved by Christ, they must expect to be hated by men; if they have peace in him, in the world they must have tribulation; they may be sure of being vilified by the world, and backbited and reproached by carnal professors; and this is what the church seems to ascribe her blackness to, in the following verse. So in Zohar, this blackness is, by the Jews, expounded of the captivity of the people of Israel. 4. She may be said to be black, with sorrow and mourning; black color not only being the habit of mourners, but does also, in scripture, express grief and sorrow itself. See Jeremiah 8:21 and Jeremiah 14:2. The sins and corruptions of God’s people, oftentimes put them in this mourning habit; as David says, when he was under a sense of his manifold iniquities, ‘I go mourning all the day long,’ Psalm 38:6 or nearer the Hebrew, ‘I go in black all the day long;’ the coldness, hypocrisy, and formality of professors, give them much uneasiness: the many errors and heresies among them, and the persecutions and reproaches, both of the world and carnal professors, produce this black hue and mournful color. 5. They are black in the eyes of the world, which indeed is no wonder; for the men of the world see no beauty nor comeliness in Christ himself, and therefore not any in his people; they being, in their eyes, mean, abject, and contemptible, despised by them, and accounted as the refuse and ‘offscouring of all things.’ But notwithstanding all this she could say, 2dly, That she was comely, that is, beautiful and desireable, having graceful features, and a just symmetry and proportion. Now the church, and every believer in Christ, may be said to be comely. 1. By the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, whereby they are justified from all sin, and stand spotless and irreprovable in God’s sight; their own righteousness is as filthy rags, and rather detracts from, than adds to their comeliness; but Christ’s righteousness being that ‘fine linen, clean, and white,’ with which being arrayed, they are ‘adorned as a bride for her husband,’ they appear perfectly comely through the comeliness which Christ has put upon them; they are no ways comely in themselves, but in Christ they are a perfection of beauty. 2. By the sanctifying grace of the Spirit, whereby they are made new creatures; Christ is formed in their hearts, and they are conformed to him, who is the ‘first born among many brethren;’ his image is impressed upon them, and all the parts of the new man are in a just proportion in them, though not grown up to their perfection; and thus being made partakers of the divine nature, and appearing in the beauties of holiness, they are all glorious and comely within. 3. Believers are so in their church-state, having fellowship with Christ,and with one another, walking together in, and according to the commands and ordinances of Christ Jesus: a church of Christ, in gospel order, is beautiful for situation; all her tabernacles are amiable and lovely; and enjoying the presence of Christ in them, is ‘beautiful as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, and terrible as an army with banners.’ O how comely are the saints in their goings in Zion! a more lovely sight than this can scarce be seen; they are then like a ‘company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots.’ 4. However black believers may be in the eyes of the world, they are certainly comely in the eyes of Christ; who often, in this song, calls his church his ‘fair one,’ and ‘the fairest among women;’ however undesirable she was to others, she was very desirable to him; her eyes, cheeks, lips, teeth, head, hair, neck, etc. are commended and praised by him; so much beauty and comeliness appeared in her, that his heart was even ravished with her; and so long as he thinks her comely, it matters not what opinion others entertain of her. 3dly, She makes use of some similies to express both her blackness and her comeliness, ‘as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.’ Some think that these refer to both parts of her character; and suppose that the tents of Kedar, though they were mean and abject without, yet were full of wealth and riches within; and a number of them together made a fine appearance, as Dr Shaw relates they now do; and that Solomon’s curtains or hangings had an outward covering, which was not so rich and valuable as that within; and so are both designed by the church to represent unto us, that though she was mean and abject in the eyes of the world, yet she was rich, glorious, and beautiful within: the outside of a believer is only seen by the world, and they judge of him accordingly; his inside is hid from them, as the riches of Kedar’s tents, and the fineness of Solomon’s curtains were from those who viewed the outside only; though I rather think her blackness is designed by the one, and her comeliness by the other. 1. For her blackness she compares herself to the tents of Kedar. Kedar was the second son of Ishmael, Genesis 24:13 whose posterity dwelt in the deserts of Arabia, Isaiah 42:11 and their employment being to feed cattle, Isaiah 60:7 they dwelt in tents, <19C004> Psalm 120:4,5 which were made of hair-cloth, and that of goats hair; which being always exposed to the sun and rain, were very black, looked very mean and contemptible: f66 they had no other houses but these; and because they always, dwelt in them, removing and pitching them at pleasure, therefore they were called Scenites. Now the church compares herself to these mean, black and despicable tents, on the account of the sins and infirmities of herself, the carnality and hypocrisy of others, the many errors and heresies she was vexed with, as well as the persecutions and reproaches of men, which oftentimes oppressed her, as has been already observed. 2. For her comeliness, she compares herself to the curtains of Solomon.
The Septuagint read it, wjv derreiv Salwmw>n , as the skins of Solomon; and so the Vulgate Latin likewise; which version Gilbert Foliot f68 following, in his Exposition of this place, says, it is not to be understood of the skins of sheep, goats, or any other animal, but of the very skin of Solomon himself; who being a rich king, and living deliciously, he supposes was very comely and beautiful; to whose fine skin he thinks the church here compares herself, to set forth her comeliness: but this is much better referred by Alcuin, his countryman, to the skins of slain beasts, of which, he thinks, Solomon made tents for himself; though it seems rather to intend those rich hangings of tapestry, which Solomon had, either about his bed, or in the several apartments of his house; which, no doubt, were very rich, costly, and glorious, he being so great and wealthy a prince: or his garments, as Theodoret, see Matthew 6:29; and therefore the church, on the account of her perfect comeliness, thro’ Christ’s righteousness put upon her, and the curious and embroidered work of the Spirit of God in her, as also her walk in gospel-order, compares herself to these curtains or hangings. Moreover, by a metonymy, may be understood, both in this and the preceding comparison, the persons who dwelt in Kedar’s tents, and Solomon’s courtiers, who lived in those apartments of his which were so richly hung; the former being black, and the latter dwelling in the palace of a wealthy king, and faring deliciously, were no doubt, plump and comely: though neither Solomon nor any of his courtiers, could come near the church for beauty and comeliness; and to this sense agrees Junius’s version of the text. But, III. Let us now consider the reason of her giving this account of herself to the daughters of Jerusalem: her design seems to be to obviate what might be objected by, and remove whatever might be discouraging in her to the daughters of Jerusalem, those young converts; they might object to her, Thou talkest of being brought into the king’s chambers, and having nearness of access unto him, how can it be, that one so black as thou art, should be taken notice of by so great a person, and have such nearness to him, who appears to be so mean and so unworthy thereof? To this she answers, by granting, that she was black in herself, but yet was comely, through his comeliness; in him she was prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and it was this that gave her the favor and acceptance she had with him.
Again, It might be objected, How canst thou be cheerful, when thou art so black, loaded with persecutions and afflictions, and hated and despised by all? This she obviates by observing, that the world could not see her inward glory, and therefore passed a wrong judgment upon her; and that the unseen glory, riches, beauty, and perfection in Christ, supported her under all reflections, persecutions, and reproaches.
Also the sins and infirmities which they saw in her, as well as the sufferings she was exposed unto, might stumble those young converts, and be a means to deter them from the ways of Christ, and joining with his church and people; and seeing there was danger of this, therefore she informs them of her beauty as well as of her blackness; of her grace, as welt as of her corruptions; of her glory, as well as of her sufferings; and in doing this, her design is to engage and encourage them to go with her; in all which, she discovers her strength of faith in Christ, and his righteousness, notwithstanding all her sins and sufferings; of which she gives a farther account in the following verse.
VERSE 6.
Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: My mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards but mine own vineyard have I not kept.
THE church, here continues her discourse to the daughters of Jerusalem: And, I. Desires of them, not to look upon her.
II. Gives a reason why she would not have them do so, because I am black; of which blackness she assigns several causes; some of which are mot, near, others more remote. 1st, ‘Because the sun had looked upon her.’ 2dly, ‘Her mother’s children were angry with her.’ 3dly, ‘They had made her the keeper of the vineyards.’ 4thly, This occasioned a neglect of her own; mine own vineyard have I not kept; all which produced this blackness in her; for it was not her true and native color.
I. She desires the daughters of Jerusalem not to look upon her; which may be understood, either, 1. Of a look of scorn and disdain: she was now in suffering circumstances, surrounded with a variety of enemies, exposed to a multitude of troubles, and liable to many failings and infirmities; for which reasons she might be jealous of falling under their scorn and contempt, and therefore says, Look not upon me. The meanness, poverty, and sufferings of the saints, render them contemptible to the world; and the failures and imperfections of their lives are oftentimes thrown in their teeth, and this, too often, by professors themselves; but this we should be very careful of, that we do not treat our fellow-Christians after such a manner: we should be far from slighting a believer under sufferings, or carrying with a disdainful air to a fallen saint; for we should consider, that we also are in the body, and liable to the same temptations. Or else, 2. It means a curious and prying look into her failings and infirmities; conscious she was to herself of them, but knew it was not their duty, tho’ perhaps they too often made it their business, to look into them. There are some who are never better, than when thus employed, in exposing of the saints; they watch for their haltings, and are glad to report and spread a tale of the infirmities of their brethren; their eyes pierce like vultures, and fasten upon nothing else but corruption: but such a curious, prying look as this, is condemned by Christ, Matthew 7:3,4,5. ‘And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye,’ etc. If God did as strictly observe and mark our iniquities, as we are too apt to mark one another’s, what would become of us! This consideration should deter us from a practice so vile in itself, so dishonorable to religion, and which is so highly resented by Christ. 3. It may also signify a looking with delight and pleasure at her afflictions and falls, which, perhaps, she was suspicious of: this was what Edom was blamed for, in Obadiah v. 12, 13. ‘but thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother,’ that is, with joy and pleasure, as the following words shew; ‘neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah, in the day of their destruction,’ etc. believers should be so far from such a temper as this is, that they should rather sympathize with them in their sufferings and fails, than triumph over them; for ‘let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.’ Or, 4. She would not have them look upon her as persons astonished and amazed at her present sufferings, as though some strange and unaccountable thing had happened to her; for they need not be surprised, when they consider, that Christ, her head and husband, the holy and the harmless one, was treated after the same, yea, after a much worse manner; that the sufferings which she underwent, were but what were appointed for her, and would all end in God’s glory, and her own good; therefore she would have them not be startled at them, nor be discouraged by them from joining with her. 5. She would have them not to look at her blackness only, but also at her beauty; it is true, she was black in herself, and that she acknowledges; but then she was comely in Christ, and that she would have them take notice of, as well as the other: she would have them look upon Christ, who is ‘white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand,’ who is altogether lovely and exceeding comely, and consider her in him, and not as she was in herself, for that might be frightening and discouraging to them.
II. She proceeds to give the reason why she would not have them look upon her, because, says she, ‘I am black;’ she had said this before; but here she uses the same word in another form, which some think is to diminish the signification of it, and that she was not so black as they thought her to be, or had represented her; and read it ‘blackish,’ or ‘somewhat black’; f71 though the doubling of the radicals seems rather to increase the signification, as in other places, see Psalm 45:5; Proverbs 8:31 and therefore should be read, ‘because I am very black or exceeding black; f72 and this she here mentions again with this addition, that she might have an opportunity to give an account of the particular reasons thereof; which reasons are as follow: 1st, She declares, that one reason of her blackness was, ‘because the sun had looked upon her.’ The Ethiopic version has it, ‘because the sun hath not looked upon me,’ that is, not kindly and gently, which would be pleasant and delightful; but severely, as to scorch her, and therefore looked black: and so Ambrose reads the words; but interprets them of the Sun of righteousness, who had not shone upon her, being deprived of which she had not attended to her devotion and observance of the commands, which had brought blackness upon her. 1. The Targum expounds this of the congregation of Israel, which was made black by the idolatrous worship of the sun and moon; against this, a law was provided, it was strictly prohibited by God, Deuteronomy 17:3 but yet was very early in the world; most nations under the sun fell into it; some worshipped the sun under one name, and some under another, and all paid a regard unto it; this idolatrous worship seems to have obtained in Job’s time, see Job 31:26,27 and the Jewish nation was not exempt from it; they frequently fell into it. and were blackened by it, see Kings 23:5-11, Ezekiel 8:16, for idolatry, error, and superstition, will make the church black. 2. Others understand it of Christ, ‘the Sun of righteousness;’ and that she was made black, either by suffering for him, or else by being in his company, in whose presence, all other beauty, but his oxen, vanishes and disappears. Thus a person that is not of a fair complexion, being in the company of one that is, looks abundantly worse than if viewed alone:
Christ’s beauty infinitely exceeds any that is in us; there is no comparison between them; we look black, exceeding black, when compared to Christ.
But, 3. I should rather choose to understand it of the sun of persecution, for under this name it goes in Matthew 13:6 compared with v. 21, and this seems to suit better with the church’s present state and circumstances; and, indeed, every one ‘that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution,’ from the tongues, if not from the hands of men: and this persecution, which the church underwent, seems to be a very vehement one, in that she compares it to the looks and scorchings of the sun; and it must continue some time upon her, to make and leave such visible marks and impressions upon it; and yet she patiently endured all, and bravely ‘bore the heat and burden of the day,’ and seems to be no more ashamed of her sufferings, than she was of the person and cause for whom she suffered. The allusion is to persons burnt with the sun, and so made black or swarthy, as in some countries; and especially to such who are much in the fields, and employed in rural work, as the church is represented as a keeper of vineyards and of flocks of sheep, in the following words. 2dly, Her “mother’s children were angry with her.” To her outward persecutions were added intestine broils; it is therefore no wonder she looked so black as she did: oftentimes a man’s worst enemies are those of his own house. The Targum by mother’s children understands the false prophets, who taught the congregation of Israel to serve idols, and walk in the statutes of the people; by reason of which, she served not the Lord, neither walked in his statutes, nor kept his precepts and his laws. R. Sol.
Jarchi thinks the Egyptians are intended, among whom the Israelites were brought up; many of whom came along with them out of Egypt, and were frequently the cause of their falling into sin: but rather we are to understand by mother’s children, either, 1. Indwelling sins and corruptions, which are produced with nature; lust conceived, as soon as we were conceived; nay, we were conceived with it, and in it, as the Psalmist says, Psalm 51:5. “Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me;” which brought forth sin in us, as soon as we were brought forth into the world: and these indwelling lusts and corruptions proclaim war against us; these war against the soul, and sometimes “bring it into captivity to the law of sin which is in the members;” they frequently draw us away to the performance of sinful actions, making us the keepers of other vineyards, and often divert us from our duty, and cause us to neglect it; they hinder us from doing the good we would; for “when we would do goods evil is present with us;” and so we may be said not to keep our own vineyard Or else, 2. Carnal professors may be here intended, who are members of the same society, externally children of the same mother, who profess themselves of the holy city, are pretenders to godliness, but enemies to it; such are they, who have “a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof,” in themselves, and hate it in others; which, perhaps, may be one reason why these children that were born after the flesh, these false brethren, were angry with the church here; as they frequently are at her zealous defense and vindication of gospel-truths and ordinances, in the power and purity of them, and at her faithful reproofs and admonitions to them and others, throwing all the scandal and reproach upon her that possibly they can: now these are generally her most bitter and implacable enemies, are thorns in her side, and give her the greatest uneasiness; causing more grief and trouble to her, than all her sufferings and persecution from the world; for hereby they blacken and lessen her reputation and character, more than any other whatever; and yet bear it she must, and patiently she ought to endure it; Christ himself was not free from it; for who were more bitter and implacable enemies to him and his gospel, than the Jews, God’s professing people, and the chief among them, the high-priests and Pharisees? 3dly, She says ‘they made her the keeper of the vineyards,’ as an effect of their anger to her, and this, no doubt, added to her blackness; for being obliged to lie abroad in the fields, to keep the vineyards, she was exposed to the scorching sunbeams, and thereby got the hue she appeared with; this employment being not only very slavish, but base, mean, and reproachful; it was what was usually done by the poorer sort, and was much below the honor and dignity she was raised unto. By vineyards may be meant false churches; and by her keeping them, her falling in with their corrupt worship, and observance of the vain traditions and ordinances of men; which Christ complains of, and condemns in the Jewish church, who ‘made the commandment of God of none effect by their traditions:’ But this the church was obliged unto by her mother’s children; her compliance does not seem to be voluntary, but forced, and she complains of it as an imposition; ‘they made me,’ that is, forced and obliged me to do it. And this produced, 4thly, A neglect of her own vineyard, ‘but mine own vineyard have I not kept;’ which still increased her blackness through outward persecution, intestine broils, and a sinful compliance to human traditions, arising either from fear or weakness, or both, her own vineyard, the church, or her own soul, was neglected, and the affairs of it; her duty and business incumbent on her, the religious exercise she ought to have been employed in: with the Romans, neglect of fields and vineyards came under the notice of the censors, and did not go unpunished. Every believer has talents more or less given him to occupy, grace to exercise, gifts to use, and a part assigned him in the Lord’s vineyard, to labor in; and when these things are neglected by him, either through the fear of men, or the corruptions of his own heart, he may be said, not to have kept his vineyard; which, perhaps, sometimes is like his who was ‘void of understanding, which was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof;’ but when he is sensible of it, he will acknowledge and bewail it, as the church does here; she does not go about to extenuate her sin, by the anger of her mother’s children, nor by their obliging her to keep other vineyards, but ingenuously acknowledges that it was her fault to neglect her own; which, as it was prejudicial to herself, so it was highly resented by Christ, who thereupon removed his presence from her; for she seems to be at a loss to know where he was, as is manifest from the following words.
VERSE 7.
Tell me, (O thou whom my soul loveth), where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flocks to rest at noon: For why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions.
THE church having, in the two former verses, directed her speech to the daughters of Jerusalem, and given them an account of herself, and present condition, with the reasons thereof, which she did, in order to solve their objections, and remove all discouragements from them that might arise from thence; and being sensible of her weaknesss and sinfulness in complying with, and embracing the traditions and doctrines of men, in which she found no solid food for her soul; she therefore makes application to Christ, the great shepherd of the sheep, that he would feed, refresh, guide, direct, and restore her wandering soul. In these words are, I. A request made unto him.
II. Some arguments used by her to prevail upon him.
I. Here is a request made by the church of Christ, which consists of two parts.
First. To know where he feedeth; ‘Tell me where thou feedest.’
Secondly, That he would inform her where he rested and refreshed his flock in the heat of the day, ‘where thou makest thy flocks to rest at noon;’ both which we shall enter into a consideration of.
First, She desires to know where Christ fed; which is to be understood not passively, where he himself was fed, or where he fed himself; but actively, where he fed others, namely his flock; which, though not expressed in the original text, must be understood; and it may be observed here, that God’s own children sometimes may be at a loss to know where Christ feeds; which may arise, either from the prevailings of corruptions in them, whereby they have stepped out of the ways of Christ; or from the hidings of God’s face, and the withdrawings of the Sun of righteousness, or from the violent temptations of Satan, and fierce persecutions of the world; but when they are hungry, and desirous of spiritual food, they will enquire after it, and are very jealous, lest they should not be fed by Christ, and with the wholesome words of faith and sound doctrine; therefore in these straits they make their application to Christ, and him only, who ‘feeds his flock like a shepherd;’ which branch of Christ’s work and office we shall now consider; and shall endeavor to shew, 1st , What this phrase supposes and intends, as referred to Christ. 2dly, What he feeds his flock with. 3dly, How, after what manner, and by what means he feeds them. 4thly , Where he does so. 1st, It will be proper to enquire what is supposed and intended by Christ’s feeding souls. 1. It supposes that Christ is a shepherd; and he frequently calls himself so, in John 10. The scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament, do abundantly testify that he bears this character, and stands in this relation to his people, where he is called God’s shepherd, ‘Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts,’ Zechariah 13:7 now he is so called because he is the shepherd, whom God the Father hath approved of, chosen, appointed, set up, and sent to be the shepherd of the sheep; who, as such, died for the sheep and rose again, and as such must give an account unto the Father, of all the sheep which he has intrusted him with; he must bring in the full number, yea, must not have one of them wanting. He is also called the chief shepherd; ‘And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory, which fadeth not away,’ 1 Peter 5:4 which title he well deserves; for he that is God’s shepherd, is also God’s fellow, entirely equal to him in the dignity of his nature, and in the fullness of his power and glory; all other shepherds are under him, they receive their commissions from him, have their several flocks assigned to them by him, are furnished with abilities from him to feed them; to him, at last, must they give an account of themselves, their work, and the flocks that were put under their care, and from him shall they receive the never-fading crown of glory. He likewise calls himself the good shepherd; ‘I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep,’ John 10:11, and he may very justly call himself so, for so he was to him that employed him, and so he is to those who are made his care and charge; he was faithful to his Father, that appointed him, and is merciful and compassionate to, careful and tender of the sheep committed to his trust; of which, a greater proof cannot be given, than his laying down his life for them. He is called the great shepherd; ‘Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep,’ Hebrews 13:20 which will manifestly appear, if we consider the dignity of his person, being the Son of God; the nature of his flock, the souls of men, therefore he is called ‘the shepherd and bishop of souls;’ and also the largeness of his abilities for this work: he has an exquisite knowledge of them, he can call them all by name; he is endued with infinite wisdom and prudence to manage and order his flock aright; has an almighty arm to protect and defend them from all their enemies; is furnished with large supplies of grace for them, and bears an inexpressible love unto them. Finally, he is the one, and the only shepherd; ‘I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them,’ Ezekiel 34:23, not but that there are other shepherds, which are under Christ, and whom he employs in his service, to feed his flock; but Christ is the chief and principle; God the Father never did, nor ever will set up any other; he is the only shepherd that owns the flock, having purchased it with his own blood, and he alone is able to take care of it. 2. Feeding being applied to Christ, not only supposes that he is a shepherd, but also that he has a flock to feed; ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd,’ Isaiah 40:11. All the elect are Christ’s flock, they are ‘his people, and the sheep of his pasture;’ the Father has given them to him, and has put them into his hands; he has also purchased them with his blood, and calls them by his grace: hence they know his voice, follow his steps, believe in him, and therefore shall never perish, but have everlasting life. Which flock is, 1. A distinct one; it is distinguished from all others, by electing, redeeming, and efficacious grace; Christ’s sheep are distinct from the world’s goats, and Satan’s wolves in sheeps clothing, and will one day be separated and manifestly distinguished, not only from the open enemies of Christ, but also from all painted hypocrites, and carnal professors, 2. Though this flock is divided into many parts and branches, yet it is but one flock; for, as there are but ‘one fold, and one shepherd,’ so there is but one flock under the care of this shepherd; though there are many particular flocks or churches here on earth, yet there is but one general assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven.’ 3. This is but a little flock; ‘Fear not, little flock, etc.’ Luke 12:32.
Christ’s cote of sheep are little and contemptible in the eyes of the world; and are low and mean in their own eyes; they are few in number, when compared with the world’s goats, though when all appear together in glory, they will be a ‘great multitude, which no man can number.’ 4. It is called a flock of slaughter: Thus said the Father to the Son, ‘Feed the flock of the slaughter,’ and he replied, ‘I will feed the flock of the slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock,’ Zechariah 11:4-7, and it is so called, because it is exposed to the cruelty and barbarity of open and avowed enemies, and to the ravenings of wolves in sheeps clothing; the saints, for the sake of Christ and his gospel, have been ‘killed all the day long, and accounted as sheep for the slaughter,’ Romans 8:36. 5. Nevertheless it is a beautiful flock, as the people of the Jews are called in Jeremiah 13:20; the saints are beautiful in Christ’s eyes, being clothed with his spotless righteousness, washed in his precious blood, and sanctified by his Spirit; therefore, however black they may be in their own eyes, or in the eyes of others, they are comely and delightful in the eyes of Christ. 3. This act of feeding, takes in and comprehends the whole work and business of a faithful shepherd towards his flock; all which Christ fully and exactly performs, 1. He knows them distinctly, and takes a particular account of them; he knows them so, that he can call them all by name; he knew them full well in his father’s gift of them to him, and so he did when he shed his precious blood for them; he knew distinctly all that he died fort and in effectual calling, he sets his mark, stamps his image on them, that it may also appear, both to themselves and others, to whose flock they belong; he took a particular account of them, when the Father put them into his hands, and made them his care and charge, and they shall ‘again pass under the hands of him that telleth them;’ for he will take care that not one of them shall be lost, but shall be all safely folded in heaven. 2. He not only, as a shepherd, takes a particular account of his flock, but he also leads them out, goes before them, and they follow him; he leads them out of the barren pastures of sin, and leads them into the green pastures of his love and grace; he goes before them as an example to the flock, of love, meekness, humility, patience, etc. and they follow him, in an observance of his ordinances, and in an obedience to his commands, till he has safely conducted them to glory. 3. He protects them from all their enemies; Christ’s flock is exposed unto, and surrounded by many a roaring lion; ravenous wolves, and snarling dogs stand ready to devour it, had they but as large a permission, and as good an opportunity as they desire; but as David defended his father’s sheep from the lion and the bear, so does Christ defend his; he has power enough to do it, and there is not wanting in him, either will, courage, or diligence. 4. He restores his sheep, when they have wandered and strayed from the fold; as it is natural for sheep to go astray, so at as common to Christ’s sheep, not only before, but after conversion; ‘I have gone astray like a lost sheep,’ says David, <19B9176> Psalm 119:176. ‘seek thy servant;’ Christ does so, when his sheep go astray, he seeks every where until he has found them; when he lays them upon his shoulders, and brings them into his fold again, rejoicing; he restores their souls to their former life and liveliness, and ‘leads them in the paths of righteousness, for his own name’s sake.’ 5. He heals all their diseases; there are many diseases which sheep are liable to, and therefore had need to be well looked after; so there are many diseases which Christ’s sheep are liable to, but they are all healed by him; he binds up the broken hearted, strengthens the weak, heals the sick and wounded; none ever die of their diseases; he is a sovereign, free, universal and infallible physician. 6. He watches over them in the night seasons, as the shepherds of Bethlehem did over their flocks; he watches over them night and day, in the dark and cloudy day, in the night of affliction, temptation and desertion; he never leaves them, nor forsakes them. 7. In short, he makes all necessary provisions for them; so that they shall not, neither can they want any good thing; he takes care that they shall have the best of food, and what is most suitable and proper for them; he has all fullness of grace treasured up in him, and he freely distributes it among them as they stand in need.
Having thus taken notice of what is supposed and intended in this act of feeding, I shall now consider, 2dly, ‘What Christ feeds his flock with,’ and that is, 1. With himself, who is ‘the bread of life,’ which being fed upon by faith, supports and maintains the life of God’s children; and such are the nature, virtue, and efficacy of it, that if a man eat thereof, he shall never hunger after the sinful pleasures of this life, so as he has heretofore done; he shall also never die the second death, but shall live spiritually here, and eternally with Christ hereafter. Christ’s ‘flesh is meat’ indeed, and ‘his blood is drink indeed;’ and the believing soul tastes a sweetness therein, and receives nourishment from hence. Christ is the hidden manna, the food of the wilderness, which faith lives upon, whilst travelling through it. O how richly are the saints fed, whose food is Christ himself! 2. He feeds them with the gospel, the doctrines and promises of it; the doctrines of the gospel are ‘the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ,’ in which believers are nourished up; these are sweet to their taste, the joy and rejoicing of their hearts, and are esteemed by them more than their necessary food; the promises of the gospel are ‘exceedingly great and precious;’ faith often lives upon them; the whole gospel furnishes the believer with a variety of food; in it are milk for babes and meat for strong men; there is what is suitable to the dispositions, tastes, and constitutions of all God’s children. 3. He feeds them with the discoveries of his love and grace; he brings them into his ‘banqueting-house,’ and his ‘banner over them is love;’ there he gives his best wine, and revives and refreshes their fainting and drooping souls with it; he not only feeds them with himself, ‘the bread of life,’ but he also sheds abroad his love in their hearts, which is ‘better than wine;’ and thus, with both these, from time to time, does he regale them; and in making such comfortable repasts for them, which they largely feed upon, they ‘grow stronger and stronger,’ until, at length, they become perfect men in Christ Jesus. But, 3dly, ‘How, after what manner, and by what means does Christ feed his flock?’ This is the part of the church’s request; for so the words may be read, ‘Tell me how thou feedest, and how thou makest thy flocks to rest at noon. Now, Christ feeds his flock: 1. By his ministers, who are his under-shepherds, to whom he gives commissions to feed his flock, saying, as he did to Peter, John 21:15,16,17: ‘Feed my lambs, feed my sheep;’ who receive food from Christ, the great Shepherd, and have suitable gifts and graces bestowed upon them, that they may feed souls ‘with knowledge and understanding,’ that is, with the doctrines of the gospel; which is the food Christ would have his fed with, as has been shewn already. 2. He feeds them by his ordinances, which are ‘breasts of consolation’ to his people, out of which they suck, and are satisfied. Christ oftentimes makes a feast for his people, in his ordinances, and bids them welcome, and says, ‘Eat, O friends, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved;’ and their faith feeds heartily upon ‘the goodness and fatness of his house.’ 3. He does all this by his Spirit; it is the Spirit of Christ that takes Christ, and the things of Christ, and sets them before us, for faith to feed and live upon; it is he that applies the doctrines, and seals the promises of the gospel to us; and it is he that sheds abroad the love of Christ in us; the ministry of the word, and the ordinances of the gospel, are the means of feeding souls; but these would be dry breasts, and would fall short of satisfying and refreshing them; were they not attended with the Spirit of Christ. 4thly, The last enquiry is, Where does Christ feed? To this I answer, in the gardens, his several and particular churches, according to chapter 6:2. ‘My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens.’ Would any, with the church, know where Christ feeds? It is where his gospel is powerfully preached, his ordinances purely administered, and the laws of his house faithfully put in execution: this may then serve as a direction to such enquiring souls, who would be glad to know where Christ feeds, that they may feed with him; let such seek after a gospel ministry and sit under it; or a church in gospel-order, and give up themselves unto it, to walk with the saints, in all the ordinances, and commands of Christ. So much for the first part of the request. It remains to be observed, Secondly, That the church is also desirous to know where Christ ‘makes his flock to rest at noon;’ and there was a great deal of reason for her to make such a request as this, for it was noon with her; the sun was in its meridian, in its full strength, and had looked upon her, as she declares in the former verse. The allusion is to shepherds in hot countries, leading their flocks to some shady place, where they may be sheltered from the scorching heat of the sun; which, as Virgil says, was at the fourth hour, or ten o’clock, two hours before noon. We read of prozatisheep nooning themselves, or lying down at noon, under a shade by a fountain asleep. Some by noon understand the noon of the everlasting day of the saints’ happiness and felicity in heaven, where Christ feeds his elect with joys that will never end; ‘leads them to fountains of living water, wipes all tears from their eyes,’ and gives them an everlasting rest from all their toil and labor; but I think, by it we are rather to understand, either, 1. The noon of temptation, which is sometimes very hot, fierce and violent; Satan throws his fiery darts, thick and fast, which oftentimes give the believer much uneasiness; he is ‘in heaviness through manifold temptations;’ but Christ makes him to lie down quietly, and rest safely; which he does, either by shading him from the violent heat thereof, or by supporting him under it, or else by giving him deliverance from it. Christ has sweet resting-places for his people, in the time of temptation, and would you know where and what they are? I answer, the fullness and allsufficiency of grace, which is in him, is what he makes a believing soul sweetly to rest in, at such a time; when he is pleased to say unto it, as he did to the apostle Paul, when in such a case, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee:’ such sweet resting-places, in times of temptation, are also his precious blood, which always speaks peace and pardon, and is of an eternal efficacy; his spotless righteousness, in which, as neither law nor justice, so neither can Satan find any flaw; as likewise, his atoning sacrifice, by which he has effectually ‘put away sin,’ and perfected for ever them that are sanctified; and so is his advocateship and intercession, in the discharge of which, he pleads the believer’s cause, answers all Satan’s charges and accusations exhibited against him, and prays for him, ‘that his faith fail not;’ moreover, the covenant of grace is another resting-place, which stands firm and sure, and the promises thereof are absolute, unconditional, and shall never fail. Now these are some of those sweet resting-places, in which Christ causes his people to lie down and rest in the noon-time of temptation: or else, by noon may be meant, 2. The noon of affliction, which is sometimes very sharp and severe upon God’s children; so that as Job says, chapter 30:30. their skin is black upon them, and their bones are burnt with the heat thereof;’ they have generally a large share of afflictions in this world; this sun oftentimes smites them very severely: but Christ has his resting-places for them, where he makes them lie down and rest, which are such as the world know nothing of; he grants them his presences and goes along with them, when they walk through the fire, or through the water, so that the one shall not kindle upon them, nor the other overflow them; he puts underneath his everlasting arms, and supports them under all their trials; he makes their beds in their affliction, so that it becomes easy to them; he discovers his love and grace to their souls, and gives them views of their interest in him; he remembers his word of promise to them, on which he has caused them to hope; lets them see that all their afflictions are in love, that they are all working for their good, and when he thinks proper, he delivers them; and upon such pillows, and in such resting-places as these, does he cause his people to lie down, where ‘he gives his beloved sleep,’ in the noon-time of affliction: Or else, 3. By the noon may be meant the noon of persecution; and this, indeed, seems to be the case of the church here; the sun of persecution had scorched her; and her ‘mother’s children were angry with her;’ and therefore, being in distress and anguish of soul, she desires to know unto what cooling and refreshing shades Christ used to lead his flock at such a time. It is an allusion to shepherds, as before observed, who, in those hot countries, used to lead their flocks in the heat of the day, which is at noon, to some cool and shady place, where they might repose themselves, and be preserved from the vehemence of the scorching sun. Most of the Jewish writers interpret it of the captivity oŁ the people of Israel, which was a time of tribulation and distress unto them: the heat of persecution seems chiefly intended, which fiery trial oftentimes befalls God’s children; but Christ has his resting-places for them, at such a time, and under such a trial; he will ‘recompense tribulation to them that trouble his people,’ but to those that are troubled, that is, with persecution, he will ‘give rest with us,’ says the apostle, 2 Thessalonians 1:6,7: rest here, and rest hereafter; he gives liberty of soul when in prison, and fills with an unspeakable joy, even when both their goods and good names are spoiled, and taken away from them; he gives them a peace under all the racks and tortures, cruelty and barbarity that are exercised upon them by their enemies, which passeth all understanding; they find such rest, satisfaction, and contentment in the person, blood, and righteousness of Christ, that they choose rather with Moses, ‘to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin, which are but for a season,’ Hebrews 11:25.
Thirdly, The arguments she makes use of to obtain her request, which are these, 1st, She argues from her strong love and affection to him; ‘Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth:’ it is true, these words may be considered as an endearing title which she gave to him; but yet they seem more strongly to express her singular esteem of him, and her sincere and unfeigned love and affection to him, than those usual titles, my love, or my beloved, do; which love of hers might be very well improved as an argument to obtain her request, thus. ‘O thou who art the great Shepherd of the sheep, tell me in what pastures thou art graciously pleased to feed thy flock, and to what cooling shades thou dost lead them, in the heat of the day, to screen them from the scorching sun. She who makes this humble request unto thee, though mean and unworthy of thy notice, yet is one that loves thee with all her heart and soul; who, though of late, through the weakness and sinfulness of her own heart, and through the fear and force of others, has stepped aside from thy commandments to the doctrines and traditions of men; yet, being made sensible of her weakness and folly therein, cannot be easy to continue among those false teachers and worshippers; and therefore, from a real love to thy person, a respect to thine ordinances, and a regard to thy glory, humbly desires to be informed of these things.’
Now, though the church knew full well that her love to Christ could merit nothing, nor deserve a gracious answer from him; yet she was sensible that expressions of love were very pleasing to him, and therefore she takes this method. The nature, causes and actings of a soul’s love to Christ have been shewn on verse 3. 2dly, She argues and expostulates with him, on the account of her present case, and what was likely to befal her, if he did not give her some speedy directions; ‘for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?’ There is much difficulty and difference in the rendering of the Hebrew word, which we translate ‘as one that turneth aside’; f83 some render it ‘as one that covereth herself, or is covered’, either as an harlot; so Tamar covered herself, which made Judah take her to be an harlot, Genesis 38:14, or as a widow in mourning, it being the custom of mourners to cover themselves, Ezekiel 24:17,22, and then the sense is, ‘Why should I be suspected to be an harlot, and looked upon as an unchaste woman, that has left her own husband to follow strangers; when thou, who art the searcher of hearts and trier of reins, knowest that I love thee in sincerity, and am heartily desirous of following thee in thine own ways:’ or se the sense is, ‘Why should I appear in a widow’s dress, and go mourning and sorrowing as if I had no husband: O tell me where thou art, and where I may enjoy thy presence, and be delighted with thy company.’ Junius and Tremellius translate the words thus, ‘Why should I be as one that spreadeth the tent with the flocks of thy companions;’ and give this as the sense, ‘Why should I? I would not, though but for a time, have any conversation with such persons, who pretend to be thy friends, and are not; I cannot bear it, my soul abhors and detests the thoughts of it, though, perhaps, thro’ my weakness and infirmities, I may do it; O therefore tell me quickly, speedily, where thou feedest.’ Others render it ‘as one that wanders about, declinest or turns aside by the flocks of thy companions’: this agrees with our version; and from these words we may observe, 1. That there are some who would be the associates and companions of Christ, who indeed are not; these were not really so, but usurped to themselves an equal power and authority with Christ: such are those who take upon them an arbitrary and lordly government of Christ’s flock, who make and impose laws on the consciences of men, which Christ never established, and who teach doctrines contrary to those which Christ taught, and which are derogatory to his honor and glory: such rivals with. and pretended companions of Christ, are, the pope of Rome, who exalts himself above all that is called God; Arians, who deny Christ’s divinity; Socinians, that oppose his satisfaction; and all self-justiciaries, that advance the doctrine of justification by works, in opposition to justification by his imputed righteousness: but such Christ will not own as his friends, nor suffer to be his rivals and companions; for as his own arm brought salvation to him, so the government is alone upon his shoulders; as he was alone in the purchase and salvation of his flock, so he will be in the government and feeding of it; for his glory, which arises from thence, he will not give to another. Christ never did, nor never will impower any to make new laws, nor coin new doctrines for his church and people. 2. These false and pretended friends and companions of Christ, who are no other than wolves in sheeps clothing, have their flocks. Heretics and false teachers, in all ages, have had their followers, and sometimes large numbers have been drawn away after them; and this God suffers in a judicial way; he gives men up to believe a lie, because they love not the truth; but having itching ears, grew weary of it and want something new: also these are permitted to have their flocks, by themselves, that Christ’s little flock might be distinguished from them, and that those who are chosen, loved, and approved by God, might be made manifest; as also to animate and excite the faithful ministers of the gospel to be constant and assiduous, bold and faithful to preach the doctrines of Christ. and to oppose errors. 3. Believers are very fearful, lest they should, and are very desirous that they might not go aside from the ways of Christ; they are jealous of their own hearts, and are sensible that there is in them a propensity thereunto; they know that Satan uses all the crafty methods, and takes all the opportunities he can to draw them aside, and corrupt their minds from the simplicity that is in Christ; they are apprized of their own weakness, and know that they are not kept by their own power, but that if they are left to themselves, they shall soon divert to crooked paths: and the present case of the church also manifestly shews that God may, for a time, suffer his own children to be carried away with the error of the wicked; but when they are made sensible of it, they will be filled with an holy indignation against it, and make it their principal request at the throne of grace to be delivered out of it, and that their feet may be guided and directed in the paths of Christ: now those who are desirous that they may be kept from turning aside unto, and joining with the flocks of false teachers, who vainly pretend to be the friends and companions of Christ, should abide in the Lord’s inheritance, keep close to Christ’s ways and ordinances, and not believe every spirit, but try them according to the word of God, as the noble Bereans did; they should earnestly beg that the gospel which is preached unto them might effectually work in them, and make deep impressions upon them; so shall they not be ‘like children tossed about with every wind of doctrine.’ But let us hear what directions Christ himself gives to the church in the following words.
VERSE 8.
If thou know not (O thou fairest amonng women!) go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds tents.
SOME think that these are the words of the chorus of virgins or daughters of Jerusalem, by whom she is called ‘the fairest among women,’ in chapters 5:9 and <220601> 6:1 who here instruct and direct her where she might find and come at the sight of her beloved; but the note of R.
Solomon Jarchi is much preferable, which is, that ‘this is the answer of the shepherd;’ for it was to him, and not to the virgins, that she made her application; nor were they capable of giving her any directions in this case, but rather stood in need of some from her, as is manifest from chapters 5:9 and 6:1. In this answer of Christ’s unto the church, are these three things:
I. The commendation he gives her; ‘O thou fairest among women!’
II. A supposition of her ignorance: ‘if thou know not.’
III. A direction to her; ‘go thy way,’ etc.
I. Christ in these words gives the church an excellent commendation, ‘O thou fairest among women;’ in what sense the church is fair and comely has been shown, on verse 5 who, thu’ black in herself, and in her own eyes, yet having Christ’s righteousness imputed to her, and his grace wrought in her, is fair and comely: which commendation here, both in itself. and as it follows upon the account which she gave of herself and state, in the preceding verses, may teach us the following things: 1. That the beauty of the church is very great and exceedingly admired by Christ; as some men are eminent for their strength, courage, and valor, so are some women for their beauty and comeliness; and she being said to be ‘the fairest among women,’ shews that her beauty must be excellent rind surpassing; as he is fairer in her eyes than all the sons, so she is fairer in his than all the daughters of Adam. 2. That believers are fairest in Christ’s eyes, when blackest in their own: she had asserted of herself, in verse 5 that she was black; but here Christ says, that she was ‘the fairest among women.’ The humble believer that has low and mean thoughts of himself, on the account of the. corruption of his nature, the imperfection of his obedience, the weakness and insufficiency of his righteousness, is much more esteemed and valued by Christ, than the proud, haughty and vain-glorious Pharisee; an instance of this we have in Luke 18:13,14. An humble soul is one that looks upon itself as the least of saints, and the chief of sinners; the countenance of such an one blushing at its sins and infirmities, is beautiful and comely in the eyes of Christ, and is a sight exceeding desirable to him; and therefore he says, in chapter 2:14, ‘Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.’ 3. That Christ’s thoughts of believers are not according to those which they have of themselves, nor according to those which the world entertains of them; he ‘seeth not as man seeth,’ neither does he look upon, or judge according to the outward appearance: the believer oftentimes looks upon, and judges of himself, according to his indwelling corruptions, and the inward frames of his soul, and draws black conclusions against himself: the world looks upon the outward, mean, and abject appearance of the saints, and so they become black and contemptible in their eyes; but Christ views them in himself, and in his own righteousness, and considers them in all that glory in which he saw them in the glass of his Father’s purposes and decrees, which glory he has fully, resolved on, and designed to bring them to the actual possession of; and on this account they appear exceeding fair and beautiful in his eyes,4. This excellent commendation of the church given by Christ, shews his amazing and unalterable love to her; he loved her now as well as ever; notwithstanding all her blackness thro’ sins and sufferings, she was as fair in his eyes as ever, nay surpassingly fair, fairer than all others; though she had been negligent of her duty, and had sinfully complied with false and superstitious worship, with the doctrines and traditions of men, and thereby wandered from Christ and his ways, and knew not where he fed and caused his flock to rest; yet upon her first application to him, he gives her such a character, as expresses much love and tenderness, as well as manifests a very great regard to her, in directing and instructing of her: O matchless love! boundless grace!
II. Here is a supposition of her ignorance, ‘if thou know not:’ which is not to be understood, either by way of hesitation or reprehension, as if Christ either doubted of her ignorance, or reproved her for it, but by way of inference from what she had suggested; for this particle if , is not always hypothetic or conditional, but is sometimes illative, see Philippians 2:1, and thus the words may be rendered, ‘seeing thou knowest not,’ so Junius; or ‘because thou knowest not;’ and may be considered as a reason why Christ gave her the following direction and advice, and will lead us to observe these two things: 1. That believers may, in some measure, be ignorant of a great many things in this life; this life is a state of imperfection, both with respect to holiness and knowledge; the greatest believer knows but in part, and sees things but through a glass, darkly; he is ignorant of himself in a great measure, though he may know much of the plague of his own heart, of the corruptions and treachery of it, yet he does not know all; for the heart is ‘deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?’
These words may be rendered from the Hebrew text, thus, ‘If thou know not to thee, or, for thyself,’ so Ainsworth; or, ‘if thou knowest not thyself;’ it is generally looked upon as a pleonasm, yet it may intend,not only the ignorance which was in herself, but also her ignorance of herself.
Again, a believer maybe in some measure ignorant of Christ and his gospel; he may not so fully know his relation and union to him, and interest in him: many of those truths, which concern Christ’s person, grace, and kingdom, may be but obscurely revealed unto him; he may have but a small insight into them: tho’ he may have been long in Christ’s school, yet he may be but a babe in knowledge, and need to be taught ‘the first principles of the oracles of God:’ our knowledge of these things at best is but imperfect, and when compared with that which saints shall have in glory, is very dark and obscure: also believers sometimes may be at a very great loss to know where Christ feeds his church and people; and this has been the case of the saints, as it was the church here, in times of persecution, darkness, and surperstition; they have not only been at a loss for his presence, but they have also been at a loss for his ordinances; they have not only been ignorant where he was, but also they have not known where his gospel was preached in the power, and his ordinances administered in the purity of them. 2. That though Christ’s people are ignorant of a great many things, and of such which, as one would think, they should not be ignorant of, but should make it their principal business to be acquainted with, yet Christ does not upbraid them with it; for ‘he has compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way;’ as their merciful and faithful high priest, he has atoned for their sins, both of ignorance and presumption; and as their prophet he instructs them by his word and Spirit, and ‘guides their feet in the way of peace;’ and therefore the most ignorant soul need not be discouraged from going to Christ for wisdom, counsel and direction; but let him that ‘lacketh wisdom, ask it of him, who giveth liberally to all men, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him,’ James 1:6.
III. Here is a direction which Christ gives her, in answer to her request, which consists of two parts; First, To ‘go forth by the footsteps of the flock.
Secondly, To ‘feed her kids beside the shepherds’ tents.’
First, The first thing which Christ directs and advises her to, is, to ‘go her way forth by the footsteps of the flock.’ Some consider these words, not as a direction to the church, but as spoken by way of resentment to her.
Christ, observing the church was growing uneasy under her trials and temptations, and, as it were, threatening that if he did not relieve her, she would join herself to the flocks of his companions; being ignorant, both of her own beauty, which she had received from him, and of that relation which she stood in to him; as also, that she must expect to meet with more troubles, temptations and trials with him and for him; Christ, I say, observing and resenting this froward temper of hers, and the ignorance that was in her, bids her be gone from his presence, and follow the steps of those flocks which she had mentioned, and see what would be the consequence of it, and whether she would find her account in it or no; and ‘feed her kids,’ that is, give a loose to, and indulge her carnal lusts and corruptions among those persons whom she seemed to have an inclination to: but they seem rather to be spoken by way of direction than resentment; and there are some, who, though they look upon the words as a direction of Christ to the church, yet by ‘the footsteps of the flock,’ understand the paths and ways of those sheep and shepherds, among whom she was, and by whom she was in danger of being carried away, and read the words thus, ‘Go out of those footsteps of the flock, so Junius and Tremellius.
But though, no doubt, the church is here directed and exhorted to depart from the ways of sin, to leave all superstition and idolatry, and come out from among false worshippers; yet I cannot but think that the ‘footsteps of the flock’ are the rule and mark by which she was to go, and keep her eye upon, in finding Christ: and it may be enquired, 1st, What is meant by ‘the flock.’ 2dly, What by ‘the footsteps’ of it, by, and in which the church was to go. 1st, What is meant by ‘the flock;’ and by it we are to understand, the flock which the Father has committed into the hands of Christ, which he has purchased with his own bloods and continually feeds like a shepherd; this is called a flock in the singular number, in opposition to the numerous flocks of those other shepherds mentioned in verse 7, for as there is but one shepherd, who is Christ, so there is but one flock, which is the church; of which flock I have given a more large account on the former verse. 2dly, By ‘the footsteps of the flock,’ are meant the ways and ordinances in which saints by faith walk, in obedience to Christ Jesus; he has left us an example that we should follow his steps; so far as believers walk therein, we should follow and walk in the steps of the same faith which they have done, and in so doing, may, and shall find the presence of Christ Jesus.
From whence may be observed, 1. That we have no reason to expect a new gospel nor new ordinances; but we should enquire for the good old way, which the saints in all ages have trod; no new lights nor new revelations, that have no foundation in the word of God, are to be regarded by us; for ‘we have a more sure word of prophecy, to which we do well if we take heed.’ Christ has in his word established the order of his churches, fixed the ordinances thereof, till his second coming, and marked out the paths in which he would have his people walk; and these are the footsteps of the flock, which saints in all ages should go by. 2. That the faith and obedience of God’s children, as to the substance of them, have been the same in all ages: There is but ‘one faith, one Lord, one baptism;’ the object of faith has been always the same; so have the Spirit and Author of faith, and also the grace itself, as to its nature and actings: there has been but one Lord, who has established laws and ordinances, has a power to require obedience, and to whom, in all ages, it has been given by his saints, both in a way of doing and suffering. 3. That the practices of former saints, both as to their faith and obedience, are to be imitated by us: see Hebrews 6:12 and Hebrews 13:7. but always with this limitation, given by the apostle Paul, ‘Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ,’ 1 Corinthians 11:1, and indeed, no farther should we follow the most eminent saints, for faith and holiness, than as they have trod in those steps which Christ has marked out for them and us. 4. In so doing, we may expect to have our souls fed and nourished, as theirs were, and to enjoy the presence of Christ, as they did; for though our faith and obedience deserve none of all this, yet in walking in Christ’s ways, we have most reason to expect it, being encouraged both by Christ’s promises, and by those many instances and clouds of witnesses that have gone before us. The Targum and R. Sol. Jarchi, understand this part of the direction, of the righteous, in whose steps those that come after should tread.
Secondly, The other part of the direction is, to feed her kids beside the shepherds’ tents. It was common in the eastern countries, as Philo says of the Arabs, not for men only to keep flocks, but women also and young virgins; of women keeping flocks, see Genesis 29:2, Exodus 2:16, the same Josephus says of the Troglodites; and it was an early custom for shepherds to have tents where they fed their flocks: they were as early as the days of Jabal, who was the inventor of them, Genesis 4:20.
Hence the Arabian shepherds, who dwelt in tents, and moved them from place to place for the sake of pasturage, were called Scenites; and, 1st, By shepherds may be meant such who are called the companions of Christ in verse 7. who only had the appearance of shepherds, but were inwardly ravenous wolves: the words may be rendered, ‘Feed thy kids above the shepherds tents, or above the tents of other shepherds;’ so R.
Aben Ezra and Junius; that is, go beyond their tents, and do not pitch thine where theirs are, but carry thy kids farther, into other pastures, and feed them with better and more wholesome food than they give: or else, by them, may be meant the ministers of the gospel, who are Christ’s undershepherds, whose business is to feed Christ’s sheep and lambs, with the soul-refreshing doctrines of the everlasting gospel; who receive their commission from Christ to feed the flock, are furnished with abilities from him for that work, and must give an account unto him; and by, or near the tents of these shepherds, the church is directed to feed her kids. 2. By the tents of these shepherds, may be meant those places of divine worship, where the ministers of Christ usually preach his gospel, and administer his ordinances; which tents or tabernacles are amiable and lovely to believers: the Jewish writers generally understand them of their schools or synagogues. It is an allusion to shepherds’ tents, which are usually pitched where they feed their flocks. 3. By kids may be meant young converts, who, though they are desirous of the sincere milk of the word, that they may grow thereby, yet are but weak in faith, and have but a small degree of knowledge; and therefore should be near the shepherds’ tents, that they may be under their immediate care and inspection; as Christ himself has the strongest affection for these, and takes a special care of them, as in Isaiah 40:11, so he would have his ministers and churches be particularly careful and tender of them: these kids R. Aben Ezra calls hnma ykfq ojligopi>vouv , ‘persons of little faith;’ the very character which Christ gives of his disciples, Matthew 6:30, young converts are not only called kids, because of their faith and knowledge; but kids being young goats, lascivious and of an ill smell f97 may intimate, that notwithstanding the grace which is wrought in them at conversion, yet there still remains sin and corruption in them, disagreeable to themselves and others; as also, that being called by divine grace out of the world, and having separated from the men of it, they did male olere, smell ill, and were become abominable and contemptible to them; and therefore needed much refreshment and encouragement from the church and ministers) that they might not be discouraged and cast down at their own corruptions, nor at the frowns and reproaches of the world. This direction to the church, to feed her kids beside the shepherds tents, where the gospel was preached by Christ’s ministers, shews the necessity and perpetuity of a gospel-ministry, and of gospel-ordinances; and what a value saints should have for them, and also what use they should make of them, as well as informs us of the wretched mistake of those persons who think themselves above hearing the word, and regarding ordinances.
VERSE 9.
I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots. CHRIST having returned a suitable answer, and given proper directions to the church in her present difficulties, enters upon a commendation of her, which is begun in this verse, and continued in the following one. In these words are, I. An affectionate title given to her; ‘O my love.’
II. A comparison which Christ makes of her, ‘to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots.’ And, III. It may be enquired why such a comparison is made and mentioned in this place.
I. Here is a very loving and endearing title given unto her, · my love;’ it may be rendered ‘my friend’; there is a mutual friendship between Christ and believers; the church owns Christ to be her beloved and her friend, and Christ welcomes his church and people to the entertainments of his grace, under the characters of his beloved, and his friends, saying, ‘Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved:’ and he not only calls them so, but uses and treats them as such; he converses with them, and discloses the secrets of his heart unto them; he is a friend to them at all times, in adversity as well as prosperity, and has given the most incontestible proofs of it in his suffering and dying for them. The Septuagint render it, ‘my neighbor:’ the church is Christ’s neighbor; they dwell near to each other; he dwells in their hearts by faith, and they by faith dwell in him: he shews, that he regards his church as his neighbor, by loving her as himself; nay, he has so loved her, as to give himself for her. Again, if we consider this title, according to our version, it well suits the church, who is Christ’s love. 1. Objectively; She is the object of his love, was so from eternity, will be so throughout all time, and when time shall be no more; he has given the fullest proofs of it in his undertaking, as a surety for her, in his assumption of her nature, in dying in her room and stead, and in making satisfaction for all her transgressions. The nature of this love has been shewn already on Song of Solomon 1:2 2. She is Christ’s love subjectively; Christ’s love is fixed upon her, and is shed abroad in her heart, by the Spirit, and this causes love in her soul to him; that so as Christ loves her, she loves him, with a real, hearty, sincere, and superlative love; she is therefore Christ’s love, both because he loves her, and also because she loves him.
II. Here is made, by Christ, a comparison of her, ‘to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots: I have compared thee, O my love, etc.’ that is, I thought and imagined thee to be like unto them, or I have made thee like unto them; which shews that she was not only like unto them, he having asserted her to be so, who must certainly know, but also that this was owing to him, that shew as so: or to my mare, as some render it, f100 which being a present by Pharoah to Solomon, he might have a particular regard for it; nor is such a comparison of a woman a disagreeable one; many women have had their names from this creature, from some celebrated excellence in them, as Hippo, Hippe, Hippia, etc. and the same figure is made use of by various writers. Now the church is compared to a company of horses, to set forth her greatness and excellency, and to Egyptian ones, which were esteemed the best, and to those in Pharoah’s chariots, which, no doubt, were best of all: all believers may very well be compared ‘to a company of horses in Pharoah’s chariots;’ 1. Because the horses in Pharoah’s chariots were a choice and select company, picked and singled out from others, peculiarly for his service: so R. Sol. Jarchi interprets it, ‘a collection of horses,’ which, no doubt, was a choice and curious one; for if there were any more than others, it is very reasonable to suppose, that they were in Pharaoh’s chariots. The church of Christ is a ‘chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, and a peculiar people;’ they are distinguished and separated from others, by electing, redeeming, and. calling grace; they are a collection from the rest of mankind, made by the free, sovereign, and distinguishing grace of God; they are ‘a remnant: according to the election of grace,’ chosen and singled out from others in Christ, before the foundation of the world; they are ‘redeemed from among men, and that out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation;’ whom God is pleased by his mighty, powerful, and efficacious grace to call, even, one of a city, and two of a family, and bring to the participation of peculiar favors and privileges, thro’ Christ, in the church on earth, and with Christ for ever in glory. 2. These horses in Pharoah’s chariots were, no doubt, bought at a very great price; Egyptian horses went at a very great price, in Solomon’s time; a single one was valued at an hundred and fifty shekels of silver: see Kings 10:29. and therefore these, which were bought for Pharaoh’s service, who was king of Egypt, being the best, must be supposed to be bought at a very great price. The church and people of God are bought with a price, and that with a very great one indeed, such a one, that angels and men could never have given; they are purchased, not with ‘corruptible things; as silver and gold;’ no, all the riches in the world amassed together, could not have purchased a single soul, nor have given to God a ransom for it: ‘but they are bought with the precious blood’ of the unblemished and unspotted Son of God; they are bought for the service of the King of kings, and at no less a rate, than at the expence of his own blood and life; the ransom which is given for them is himself; O how valuable must they be to Christ, and how much must they be esteemed by him! 3. These horses, being well fed, looked very beautiful and pleasant.
Believers are fed with the finest of the wheat, with Christ and his fullness; Christ himself is the bread of life, and the hidden manna, which being fed upon by faith, removes hunger, supports life, and preserves from the second death; his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed, which give spiritual and divine refreshment to believers; his grace is represented by wine, milk, and honey, on which his people feeding plentifully, grow and look exceeding delightful and beautiful in his sight. 4. These horses, being the king’s horses, as they were well fed, so, no doubt, they were well taken care of; they had proper persons appointed on purpose to attend upon them, and to supply them with what was necessary for them. Believers in Christ have a guard of angels to attend upon them, who encamp about them, and minister to them; for those ‘ministering spirits are sent forth to minister for them who shall be the heirs of salvation;’ also the ministers of the gospel, being furnished with suitable grace and abilities, are appointed to feed them with the doctrines of the everlasting gospel, and to give to every one ‘their portion of meat in due season.’ Moreover they are not left merely to the care of angels and ministers, but the Lord himself likewise concerns himself for them; when his church is represented as a vineyard, he is said to be the keeper of it, who ‘watches over it night and day lest any hurt it;’ when it is compared to a city, he is the wall of fire round about it; and when to a flock of sheep, he is the shepherd of it; and being here compared to a company of horses, it is owing to the food that he gives them, and the care he takes of them, that they appear ‘as his goodly horse in the battle,’ Zechariah 10:3,5. Horses have been and are much delighted in by princes; and there is no reason to question but that those which ran in Pharaoh’s chariots were so by him; Solomon’s fancy and inclinations ran so strongly this way, and he took so great a delight in those creatures, that he broke through a divine command, Deuteronomy 17:16 compared with 1 Kings 10:29 to satisfy and indulge his carnal pleasure; and many other princes have run prodigious and excessive lengths this way. Julius Caesar set up a marble effigy of his horse in the temple; Antoninus Verus erected a golden image for his. Nero clothed his with a senator’s robe, and told him out a weekly stipend; Poppea Sabina, Nero’s wife, had golden shoes made for hers; Caligula used to invite his to supper, and held out his golden cups to him; he would have made him a consul, as he afterwards made himself a priest, and his horse his colleague; Alexander the great built a city in honor of his Bucephalus; Cimon the Athenian buried his mares by his own sepulcher; and Commodus the emperor buried his horse in the Vatican.
These instances, though vain and sinful, and not to be imitated, yet shew how much some princes have delighted in this sort of creatures. Now, as these creatures were the delight of princes, and, perhaps, of Pharaoh, so are believers the delight of Christ; he first makes them beautiful, and then delights in that beauty which he has put upon them; ‘the Lord taketh pleasure in his people, he will beautify the meek with salvation;’ his heart is often ravished with his own grace in them, and his soul delights in that which he himself has given them; there is nothing in them of their own which can render them acceptable to him, and yet they are his jewels, the apple of his eye, and the delight of his heart. 6. Horses are stately and majestic creatures, especially a company of choice and well fed ones, that run in a chariot, as these were. There is a stateliness and majesty in believers, especially when they are united together in gospel-order, in a church-state: and the majesty, stateliness, and glory of a church of Christ, do not consist in the multitude of members, nor in their outward riches, pomp, and splendor; but in their being all clothed with Christ’s righteousness, and possessed of his grace; in the enjoyment of his presence in ordinances; in their walking in love and unity with each other, and wisely towards them that are without; in having their conversation as becometh the gospel of Christ, and the profession which they make of it, and in shewing a becoming zeal for the truths and ordinances thereof; being thus blessed with these things, they may be truly said to be as stately and majestic as ‘a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots,’ which were well fed, and harnessed in a splendid manner. 7. Horses are very strong creatures, especially, a company of them joined together, as these were; concerning the strength of the horse, the Lord says to Job, chapter 39:19. ‘Hast thou given the horse strength; hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?’ Believers are strong, not in themselves, but in Christ; their strength lies in their head, and in their union to him; they can do nothing of themselves, but’ can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth them;’ having strength communicated to them from him, they can endure all hardships, go through all difficulties, withstand all temptations, and perform all duties which he calls them to: and next to their union to Christ, the strength of a society and company of believers, or a church of Christ, lies in their union and close adherence to each other; they are like the bundle of sticks in the fable, which, whilst kept bound together, could not easily be broke, but when separated from each other, were soon snapped asunder; which consideration should excite mutual love among believers, and an endeavor ‘to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace;’ by doing which, they will not so easily fall a prey to their enemies, but will appear ‘terrible as an army with banners.’ 8. Horses are of an undaunted courage, especially such as are well fed, as these were; an elegant description of the majesty, and undaunted courage of the horse, as given by God himself, may be read in Job 39:20-25.
Believers in Christ ‘are bold as a lion; whilst the wicked flee, whim no man pursueth;’ they remain undaunted at all the reproaches, threatenings, and menaces of men, and cannot be deterred thereby, from the service of Christ; they fear not the wrath of kings and princes; neither can confiscation of goods, imprisonment of body, racks, tortures, or death itself, scare them from a profession of Christ and his gospel; but viewing all these with an undaunted courage, say, ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?’ instances of this we have in Daniel and his companions, the apostles of Christ, the believing Hebrews, whom Paul wrote to, and thousands of martyrs for, and confessors of the truth in all ages. 9. These horses were not employed in ordinary service, in mere drudgery, but were selected for the service of Pharaoh, to run in his chariots. The elect of God being called by divine grace, are not, or at least, they should not be employed in the service and drudgery of sin and Satan; but being subjected to Christ, whom they acknowledge to be their Lord and King, are directed and guided by him, into those paths in which he would have them go, and so readily, chearfully, and swiftly, ‘run the ways of his commandments.’ These are not common, servile horses, which the church is here compared to, but royal ones, such that were in the service of a king. 10. These horses were not wild, nor loose, running at random, but being fitted for service, were joined and coupled together, and so peaceably and orderly drew one way; and perhaps, were all of the same color, and of an equal size and bigness, which is usual in the chariots of princes. The church is not a company of wild and unconverted sinners, running loose, and enjoying their carnal liberty; but of persons, who, by divine grace, are put under the yoke of Christ, being joined together in gospel-bonds, and ‘strive together for the faith of the gospel, worshipping the Lord with one shoulder and one consent;’ and when they are all of the same faith, of the same mind and judgment, speak the same things, and harmoniously agree together, without disorders, contentions, and divisions, then may they be said to be like ‘a company of horses in Pharoah’s chariots.’ But, III. It may be inquired, why this comparison is made and mentioned here; which was, 1. To comfort and support her under the mean apprehensions she had of herself, and also to strengthen her against the reproach and scandal that was thrown upon her by others; therefore Christ lets her know, that tho’ she was black in her own eyes, and slighted and despised by her mother’s children, yet she was glorious in his, for he had compared her to a ‘company of horses,’ etc. 2. To inform her, that she was in a militant state, and that she must not expect much ease and rest, which she seemed to be seeking for in verse 7, and therefore he would have her know, that this was a time for fighting the Lord’s battles against sin, Satan, and the world; and for that purpose he had ‘made her as his goodly horse in the battle,’ Zechariah 10:3. 3. Christ having directed her to tread in the ‘footsteps of the flock,’ and to feed her kids beside the shepherds’ tents, would have her consider, that she must expect trouble, persecution, and opposition from those other shepherds, whose flocks are mentioned as distinct from Christ’s, in verse 7. and therefore to support her under, and comfort her against these, he tells her, that he had ‘compared her, or made her like to a company of horses,’ stout, strong, courageous, warlike, and victorious; and therefore, seeing he had ‘not given her the Spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind,’ she should not be discouraged and dismayed at these troubles and afflictions that came upon her.
VERSE 10. Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. CHRIST in these words continues to give an account of the church’s beauty and glory; and that either in opposition to what she had said in verses 5 & 6, and assures her, that her cheeks and neck were not so black as she imagined; but were like the blushing cheeks of a beautiful woman, adorned with jewels, and her fair neck adorned with bracelets, necklaces and chains of gold or pearl; see Ezekiel 16:11,12; or else he continues the metaphor used in the preceding verse, where he compares her to a ‘company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots’ whose bridles being richly adorned, having chains of gold hung about their necks, as the camels of the kings of Midian had, Judges 8:26, gloriously set forth the beauty of the church; and perhaps, the church’s glory under the Old Testament dispensation is represented in this verse, and a farther increase and display of it under the New Testament dispensation promised in the text. And here, I. Her cheeks are said to be ‘comely, with rows of jewels.’
II. Her ‘neck with chains of gold.’
I. Her cheeks are said to ‘be comely with rows of Jewels:’ the word jewels is not in the Hebrew text, but supplied by our translators; and the word Torim, translated rows, sometimes signifies turtles, which gave occasion to the Septuagint to render the words thus: ‘How beautiful are thy cheeks, as the turtle dove’s.’ R. Aben Ezra thinks that the bridles of those horses, to which she is compared, had the images of turtles upon them; others, f103 that these were some ornaments of women, as jewels and ear-rings, which had the figures of turtles upon them, and therefore were called turtles, or turturellas, according to Drusius; even as those pieces of money, which had the figure of a lamb upon them, are called lambs, Genesis 33:19, Job 42:11. Now the cheeks of the church being said to be comely with these, shew her innocency and harmlessness, her love, chastity, faithfulness and beauty; all which appear in this creature. The Targum renders it bridles, and very well refers it to the law given on mount Sinai to the people of Israel; which is as a bridle, both to restrain persons from sin, who are by nature as the horse and mule, without understanding, and also to guide and direct them in the right way, that they may not depart from it; and on these bridles were rows of jewels or precious stones. The word Tor, which is the singular of this in our text, signifies an order, or disposition, and course of things; see Esther 2:12,15 and is not amiss rendered by our translators, rows, that is, of jewels, or precious stones; and by them are intended, either, 1st, The precepts of the moral law; which, 1. Are beautifully ranked and disposed in order; the precepts thereof are so strictly and closely joined together, that he that offends in one point, breaks the link, and so is guilty of all. 2. These are so many rows of jewels, valuable and excellent, and are ‘more to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold.’ Or else, 2dly, The ordinances of the ceremonial law; which may be compared to rows of jewels,1. For the variety of them; this law is ‘a law of commandments,’ of many commandments, ‘contained in ordinances,’ which, as they were carnal, so they were divers, see Ephesians 2:15, Hebrews 9:10. 2. For the excellency of them, as they prefigured the Lord Jesus Christ; it is true, after Christ the substance was come, they were ‘weak and beggarly elements,’ useless and insignificant; but before Christ’s coming, they were lively representations of him, exceeding useful to the saints, and highly valued by them.
Now the church’s cheeks, that is, the outward face and appearance of the church, were comely and desireable in the eyes of Christ, being adorned with these rows of jewels; her outward conversation being according to the laws of God, she appeared beautiful and delightful, for ‘holiness becomes the house of God’ for ever: there was a beauty in ceremonial worship; the tabernacles of God were amiable to the saints, and the saints themselves were so to Christ, in their attendance on the service and ordinances of God: the statutes and ordinances with which the external face of the church was beautified, were such as were not given to other people during that dispensation; which manifestly shewed that God had a peculiar regard for them.
II. Her neck is said to ‘be comely with chains of gold.’ The word gold is not in the Hebrew text, but supplied by our translators, and the word Charuzim, which is only found in this place, is generally interpreted by the Jewish doctors, chains of gold, or jewels and precious stones bored through and hung in a string, to be wore about the neck. A pearl necklace was in use with great personages; so the eldest daughter of Priamus had collo monile baccatum, a pearl necklace, which A Eneas made a present of to Dido; and such like was the chain of gold beset with amber, presented to Penelope by her suitors, which shone like the sun. And, 1st , I shall enquire what is meant by the church’s neck. 2dly , What by those chains of gold, or precious stones, with which it is adorned and made comely. 1st, By her neck may be meant, either the grace of faith, by which the church cleaves to Christ the head, and exalts him; this is also accompanied with other graces, which are linked together as a chain, and is attended with good works: or else, by it is meant the ministers of the gospel, f109 who, as the neck, are placed in the most eminent part of the body, the church, and are the means of conveying spiritual food from Christ the head, to the members thereof. But of this, see more on chapter 4:4. 2dly, By those chains of gold, with which the church’s neck is beautified and adorned, may be meant, 1. The laws and ordinances of God; which the ministers of the gospel, and members of churches should be careful to observe; and are, as Solomon says, Proverbs 1:9 ‘an ornament of grace unto the head, and chains about the neck,’ of those who regard them. Or, 2. Those diversities of gifts which are bestowed on the ministers of Christ, by which they are made ‘able ministers of the New Testament; and so become useful to many, and appear comely and beautiful, both in the eyes of Christ, and of such souls to whom they minister.’ Or, 3. The various graces of the Spirit, with which, not only ministers, but all believers are adorned; for as sins and vices are so chained and linked together, that where there is one, there is all; so the gr |
