Exposition of the Song of Solomon, Title page – Errata
AN EXPOSITION OF THE Song of Solomon: called CANTICLES. Together with Profitable OBSERVATIONS, collected out of the ſame.
¶Peruſed and publiſhed by WILLIAM GOVGE, Preacher of Gods Word in Black-Friers, London.
Acts 8. 13.
How ſhould I vnderſtand, except ſome man ſhould guide mee?
LONDON, Printed by IOHN BEALE dwelling in Alderſgate ſtreete and are there to be ſolde. 1615.
TO THE AVTHOR OF THIS WORK The Publiſher thereof wiſheth Grace in this world, and Glory in the world to come.
RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL,
IT pleaſed you as a teſtimonie of your louelove, to beſtow theſe your labours on me written with your owne hand: they being mine by a free donation on your part, I think I hauehave power to doe with them what I will. VVherefore I hauehave been bold to publiſh them; knowing that they are wel worth the publiſhing, and that thorough Gods bleſſing they may bring much ſpirituall comf…rt, and profit to Gods Church. Long continued cuſtome requireth that they ſhould hauehave a Patron. What better Patron can they hauehave then the true proper parent? who for eminencie of place can adde great countenance vntounto them, and for excellencie in learning can maintain them. For mine owne part I acknowledge my ſelfe many waies much indebted vntounto your Worp. In teſtimony of my duty and thankfulneſſe, I returne that publikely vntounto you, which priuatly you were pleaſed to beſtow on mee.
Black-Friers London. 25. April 1615. Your Worps. to be commanded in the Lord, WILLIAM GOVGE.
To the Chriſtian Reader.
A Great priuiledge it is, that the Lord hath committed vntounto vsus his diuine Oracles:Rom. 3: 1. … but vntounto thoſe, to whom the tongue wherein they were written is ſtrange and vnknowne, or the myſteries themſelues obſcure and hard to be vnderſtood, what is the benefit of that fauour, if the language be not interpreted, and the myſteries opened? ſhall not theſe Oracles be as the words of a ſealed booke? Read Iſa. 29: 11, 12.It is needfull that as the letter of the Scripture bee interpreted, ſo the myſtery thereof vnfolded. EueryEvery booke of holie writ requireth a faithfull and learned interpreter: but ſome more then other: among and aboue thoſe ſome, this Song of Solomon: and that in regard of the excellency, and of the difficultie thereof. Two things commend the excellency of it: Firſt, the Author; Secondly, the matter. The principall Author is the ſame that by inſpiration gaue the whole Scripture: …. Tim. 3. 16the immediate Pen-man of it was a King,1. King. 4. 29. 30, &c. the moſt wiſe and learned King that euer was. The matter is concerning bReade this Expoſition Chap. 1. Ver. 1.a bleſſed, & ſweet coniunction between Chriſt & his Church, one of the moſt comfortable myſteries of our Christian faith. Two things alſo argue the difficultie of it. 1. The very phraſe and ſtile, which being poeticall is the more obſcure. 2. The manie Rhetoricall allegories, and hyperbolicall metaphors which are hard to be vnderſtood and rightly applied. The cA Song of Songs which is Solomons.title of this Booke pointeth out all theſe points. 1 Plainely it is ſayd to be Solomons. 2 A Song is a kinde of Poeſie, and Poeſies are commonly adorned with allegories and figures. 3. For the dBern. pro ſui excellentia hoc carmen merito Cantica canticorum appellatur ſicut is quoque cui canitur Rex Regum.excellency of it, it is termed a Song of Songs. i. a Song that ſurpaſſeth all other ſongs. eIn Midr. Rom. 3. 2The Iewes (to whom the Oracles of God were firſt committed) termed all the bookes of the Scripture holy: but this the holy of holies: whereby they intimated the excellencie of it. fHier. in proaem: in Ezech. niſi quis apud …os aetatem ſacerdotalis miniſterij .i. trigefimum annum impleuerit, Canticū canticorum legere non permittitur.They permitted none to read it alone till he were thirty yeere olde: whereby they implied the difficultie of it. Is it ſo difficult? ſurely it needeth a learned interpreter. Is it ſo excellent? Surely it deſerueth the beſt paines of a faithfull interpreter. Heerein therefore (good Reader) thou art much beholding to the learned Author of this booke, who hath taken ſo good pains in expounding this rare Song. Such is the Author, ſuch the worke, that neither father nor child need to bee aſhamed of one another. The Author is a man of great place and note in the Commonwealth; his humility will not ſuffer him to hauehave his name made known. Though by profeſſion he be not a Diuine; yet in knowledge of thoſe learned tongues wherein the Scriptures were written, and in vnderſtanding of the myſteries contained in them, he is a very deep & profound Diuine. The many learned treatiſes which he hath made, ſome in Hebrew, other in Engliſh ſome heretofore publiſhed, other still lying by him, are euidences of more then I hauehave ſayd. As for this preſent Treatiſe, I obſerue ſixe worthie points in it to commend it vntounto thee. 1. A true interpretation of the Hebrew text. 2. A ſound expoſition of the ſenſe and meaning of the words. 3. A fit application of the Metaphors, and allegories. 4. A fruitfull collection of doctrines, and obſeruations. 5. Perſpicuit…e. 6. Breuitie. Theſe two laſt ſeldome meet together;Hor. - breu…s eſſe laboro Obſcurus fio. for ſome, labouring to be briefe, are obſcure; other, labouring to be perſpicuous, are taedious: when they meete together they are admirable helpes to vnderſtanding, memory, affection and all. Thus I hauehave ſhewed thee (Chriſtian Reader) that this Song of Songs is worthie to bee expounded; yea that neceſſarie it is, it ſhould bee expounded: that the Author of this worke is well able to performe ſo weightie a worke; and that he hath taken good paines in performing it. Do thou vſe his paines for thine owne good. If thou aske me why I meddle ſo farre in it, as to publiſh it, I anſwere, For thy good; had it not been for me, thou haddeſt not ſeene it: for it ſhould ſeem that the Author long ſince wrot it, and let it lie in his ſtudie, not minding to publiſh it, I being of late with him about other buſineſſe, eſpied it: and reading it deſired him to publiſh it: he vtterlie denied me. I then intreated him to beſtowe it on me; he gaue it me. Thus it was mine. But ſhould I keepe ſuch a pearle of ſo good vſe to all that will vſe it, cloſe and ſecret to my ſelfe? Then might I iuſtly be cenſured, as enuious of thy good. I enuie it not: I would I could doe thee more good; thou ſhouldest be ſure to pertake thereof. But that, while I ſeeke to auoide the blame of Enuie, I may not ſeeme ambitious, know that in this whole worke there is nothing of mine, but all is the Authors own. Hee hath alſo by him, a like Expoſition of the Propheſie of Hoſea; and other treatiſes: I hope to preuaile with him for the publiſhing of them, when …e ſhall ſee the fruit of theſe his labours. The recompence which I deſire is, that thou helpe both the Author of this booke, and the Publiſher thereof with thy prayers to God.
Thine in the Lord, VVILLIAM GOVGE.
AN ADVERTISMENT to the Reader.
SOlomons Song is twice runne ouer in this booke: firſt, the ſenſe is deliuered, then obſeruations collected from thence.
In expounding the Text, the Author hath held himſelfe cloſe to the Hebrewe.
In diuiding the Chapters hee hath had more reſpect to the dependance of matter, then to common cuſtome, for which he hath the example of learned men.
In the latter part of this booke hee hath not ſet downe the whole entire Text, but only ſo much as ſerued to ſhew whence the obſeruations were gathered; becauſe they were at large ſet downe in the former part: If in reading the Obſeruations thou be deſirous to ſee the whole Text, turne to the ſame place in the Expoſition.
Reade the ſeuerall ſections both of the Expoſition and of the Obſeruations, ſo as if they were ioined together without any interruption of the Text: for ſometimes the beginning of one Section dependeth vponupon the latter end of another.
There is one generall point omitted thoroughout the whole booke viz. the ſetting downe of ſuch words, as were needfull to be added in the Text for ſenſe ſake and propriety of our tongue, in a differing letter; it cannot now be amended. I pray thee therefore more diligently marke them: blame not the Author; who, I am ſure, would hauehave ſeene this and other faults redreſſed, if he had reuiſed the ſheetes before they had paſt the preſſe.
Such faults as may ſeeme to hinder the ſenſe, are in the next following page ſet downe.
Errata.
PAge 5 line 2… read larges p. 7 l. 21 theſe paths, p. 9. l. 9. 10 friends p. 17 l. 18. thee could, p. 20 l. 1… he remoneth, p. 29 l. 2… …, p. 23. l. 15 is my, p. 39 l. … owne hurt, p▪ 4 l. 5 what ſhould you …ell him? p. 55 l. 14 lonely, Chap. 18. verſe 2. l. 1. bu… in it, p. 80 l. 29 is rapt.