The Song of the Beloved Concerning His Vineyard, Part 2 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
The louelove and mercy of God, expreſſed in this, that he built a Tower, or great thing in the middes of the Vineyard, verſe 2.
AS the Lord was moſt diligent and carefull to encloſe, cleanſe, & plant his Vineyard, ſo alſo he ſpared no …ſt to beawtifie, to fortifie, to gard and …rniſh the ſame. For now the ProphetThe building of the Tower. …yth, that he builded *Migdal bethocho.Migdal bethocho, …at is, a great or high thing in the middes …ereof. This word is tranſlated into …reeke Pyrgos, which we call a Tower. …he Prophet meaneth, that the Lord …ade ſome mightie monument, or great …orke in the middes or chiefe place of …e Vineyard, and would, that by the …ilding thereof, we ſhould note his louelove and affection to the place. 2. by the gr… neſſe of the worke▪ his coſt, expenc… care and regard. 3. by the placing ther… of, his exquiſite wiſedome and proſp… tion.
2. For men do commonly build ho… ſesWhere mē build, they delight in the place. in thoſe places whereof they hauehave … pleaſure and delight. And this had … Lord to this place, where he had ſet … name, as the Pſalmiſt ſayth, and where… Pſal. 78. 69.he would that his owne ſonne ſhould… horne. Of this Vineyard, he ſayd by … Prophet Hoſeah: When Iſrael was a chil… Hoſ. 11. 1.then I loued him. And of the ſame he ſay… by Ieremy: I hauehave loued thee with an eu… Iere 31. 3 4.lasting louelove, therefore with merciemercy I ha… drawen thee. And thu… ſingeth the P… miſt thereof, The Lord hath choſen … Pſal 132. 14. 15.to be an habitation for himſelfe: he h… longed for her, who ſayth: This ſhall … reſt for euer, here will I dwell: for I hau… delight therein. Therefore to make … he ſaith: I will build thee, and thou ſhall … builded, ô virgine Iſrael. Againe, I with … Ieremy. 44.you, and not destroy you.
3. And as in building there is beſtow… 3 The building of a A Tower requireth both coſt and labour.coſt & labour: ſo the building of a Tow… requireth an vnmeaſurable charge & la…our: but the Lord buildeth a Tower: allu…ng to the manner of thoſe builders, …hich being very rich and wealthy, ſpare …ither coſt nor labour to build and ſet … that which ſhal be moſt pleaſing vntounto …eir harts in the places wherin they hauehave delight to dwell. Thus, when Dauid …ouided for the building of the Temple, … heaped vp a wonderfull treaſure and …re of all things belonging to the ſame. …nd thus, to take away all occaſions of …eſtioning, how this great matter ſhould … accompliſhed; the Prophet doth not …ly tell vsus, that all the Earth is the Lords …h the plenty thereof: but alſo ſayth, …t the zeale of the Lord ſhall bring to …e that which he hath deuiſed, neither …ll the greatneſſe of the coſt, nor the meaſurableneſſe of the labour, hinder … p…poſe therein.
He buildeth not this Tower in a …ner or by-place of the vineyard, but in4 The place of the Tower. … middes thereof: alluding to them …t build their houſes in the middes, or …he moſt conuenient places of their in…itances. Thus the Lord as moſt wiſe and prouident, hath diſpoſed all his wor… How God hath diſpoſed his works. Gen. 1. 31.in the beſt order (as we ſee in the mighti… works of the Creation he hath done) an… hath ordred all things to be moſt fit an… conuenient for the proſperitie and goo… of his Saints. And thus hath he done fo… vsus: therefore let vsus alſo yeeld our ſelue… What we muſt do.fit for the Lords building, and edifie on… another: let vsus bee thankfull vntounto h… Grace, for ſuch his great coſt and care be … ſtowed in and for vsus; neither let vsus m… mure to beſtow of that the Lord hat… giuen vsus, towards the aduancement of hi… glory, and the comfort of our brethren … moreouer, let vsus (after his holy example … vſe and employ the wiſdome, reaſon a… iudgement which he hath adorned … ſelues with, to the right ordring of all o… actions and affaires.
5. It hath pleaſed ſome to conclud… this great edifice or building in …nter… plation: but it liketh me better, that by th… ſame we vnderſtand either the great m… tropolitan citie of the Iewes, namely Ier… ſalem, or rather the Temple which Sal… mon builded therein, not only by the co… mandement of Dauid his father, but al… by the will, power, and authoritie of …e Lord: and therefore was chiefely at…buted to the Lord himſelfe, as the …ſalmiſt ſaith, He choſe the tribe of Iu…h, euen the hill of Zion which he loued, …d there he builded his Temple on high, and …id the foundation of it like the ground which … hath made continuall. Pſal. 78. 70. And of …ruſalem he ſaith againe: Hieruſalem is …ilded as a City that is wel compact together … it ſelf, whereunto the tribes, euen the tribes … the Lord, go vp to teſtifie to Iſrael, to praiſe …e name of the Lord, Pſal. 122. 1.
6. Neither may the place be amiſſeThe good policie or gouernmēt of the Iſraelites. …ansferred to the good gouernment and …ell ordred common-wealth of Iſrael, to …d for the which the Lord raiſed vp, in, …d among them, ſometimes moſt wiſe & …liant Captaines, as Moſes and Ioſuah; …metime prudent and vpright Iudges, as …arach, Gedeon, Samuel: ſometimes moſt …oble and famous Kings (eſpecially in Iu…ah) as Dauid, Salomon, Iehoſophat, H…ze…ah, Ioſiah, and ſuch others, which are alſo …gnified by this Edifice or Tower. And …f theſe ſpeaketh Dauid, when he ſingeth …us: Peace be within thy walles or Towers, and prosperitie within thy palaces.
7. By this Tower may likewiſe be vnderſtoodThe great works of God. the great and wonderfull worke… of God, wrought and declared openly, and in the middes of this people, of the which the bookes of Moſes, of Ioſuah, of th… Iudges, of Samuel, of the Kings, of theReade Pſal. 105 27. and P…al 40. verſe …. Chronicles, and of the Prophets, do a… large teſtifie, whereof alſo the ſweet… Pſalmiſt of Iſrael hath in many places ſpoken at large. Neither was there eue… any nation vnderunder the heauens, to whom God came ſo neare, as he came vntounto theDeut. 4. 7. 8. 33 3…. and 10. 21. Iſraelites in all that they called vntounto hi… for: nor was there any nation ſo grea… that had ordinances and lawes ſo righteous: nor was there euer any people that heard the voyce of God ſpeaking out of the middes of a fier: nor hath the Lord aſſayed to go and take him a nation from among nations, by ſo many tentations, and ſignes, and wonders, and warre… and a mightie hand, and a ſtretched o… arme, and by great feare, as Moſes plainly told them.
8. Finally, this great worke or Tower, doth not vnaptly ſignifie that myſterie of Godlineſſe, whereof S. Paule The myſterie of godlineſſe.…ake, ſaying: Gneat is the mysterie of …odlineſſe: for God was made manifeſt in 1. Tim. 3. 16.…e fleſh, was iustified in the Spirit, was …ene among the Angels, was preached … the Gentiles, was beleeued on in the …orld, and was receiued vp into Glory. This … that new and ſtrange thing, whereof …oth Ieremy, and Iſayah, yea and Daniel, Iſa 7. 14. and 19. 5. Iere. 31. 2….…d other Prophets, hauehave ſo plainely …oken and propheſied. A worke ſur…aſſing all other in greatneſſe: a won…er, farre beyond all other wonders to …e maruailed at. The building of this …difice is of more value, coſt, and care, …en the building of Heuah of the ribGen. 2. 22. …f Adam.
9. And this is applyed accordingThe vſes of a Tower. … the ſundrie vſes of a Tower, which …e among ſome others, theſe foure: …at is to ſay: Firſt, the Tower is buil…ed for a beawtie to the place; Se…ondly, for a meete proſpect and watch …nto the extreme borders, or as a gard … the ſame: Thirdly, for a defence …nd preſeruatiue for them that bee …ithin it: Fourthly, for a terrour and deſtruction to them that be withou… it. And ſo (indeede) eueryevery of theſe grea… edifices before mentioned (as they are, and may be wiſely conſidered) did bewtiſie and adorne this people with high glorie: did yeeld them a right watchfull regard and proſpect vntounto eueryevery part and member of their Common-wealth: did ſtrongly arme, defend and preſerue them that dwelled vnderunder the ſhadowe thereof, and aſtoniſhed and vanquiſhed their foes on euerie ſide.
10. Thus hath the Prophet declared,The happy ſtate of thē which hauehave the preſēce of God. not onelyonly what coſt and charge the Lor… beſtowed on the people of Iſrael, to expreſſe his louelove & affection towards them… but alſo how proſperous and happie wa… the ſtate and condition of that people, ſo long as the Lord was preſent among thē with his louelove, grace, merciemercy and bleſſings. And (indeed) this was their glorie, in the middeſt of them (as the Lord ſaid by the Prophet Zacharie:) this was their wiſedome,Zach. 2. 5. this was their defence, and this was their victorie and triumph ouer their enemies.