Exposition of the Song of Solomon, Chapter 5 · Verse 10
BRIDE.
Vers. 10.
My Beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.
From vers. 10. to the end (which contains the fourth part of the Chapter) the Bride speaks: and (in answer to the daughters of Ierusalem their question) in a sweet, pithy, taking-manner commends her Beloved. She is not long in returning answer to their question, as being fully clear and ready to demonstrate Christ her Beloved his worth above all; and as impatient that any other should be put in competition with him, (especially by the daughters of Ierusalem, whose edification she studies by this to promove) instantly she steps in with a large commendation of Christ, (though in few words) whereby, she doth so demonstrate him to be an Object infinitly worthy to be her souls Beloved beyond all others, that Chap. 6. 1. they as convinced yield, acknowledging that her Beloved was preferable to all other beloveds, and that therefore they are ingaged to love and seek him with her.
In this commendation, she, 1. asserts Christ's preferablenesse in the general, vers. 10. 2. She confirmes and illustrates it in particulars, to vers. 16. And then, 3. Vers. 16. sums it up in an universal expression, as being in it's particulars inexpressible. Lastly, Having fully proved her assertion, she resumes the conclusion as unanswerable, This (saith she) is my beloved, a singular beloved indeed, and therefore it's no wonder that I am so serious in pursuing after him, and so sick of love to him, and so much pained at the very heart for the want of him.
The first general in this 10. vers. sets out Christ positively, and comparatively: Do you ask (saith she) what my Beloved is? he is a non-such, an incomparable Beloved, he is white and ruddy, O so lovely as he is in himself! and being compared with all others, he hath the preheminence by far, as being the chiefest among ten thousands, By white and ruddy, we are to conceive Christ's qualifications, according to the strain of the Allegory, there being no bodily qualification set out here, Christ at that time not being incarnat, yet even then was he white and ruddy: The due and just mixture of these colours maketh a man lovely, and evidenceth a good complexion of body; so by them in Christ is understood a concurrence of all fit qualifications and excellencies, that may make him lovely to the soul, when by faith looked upon, and taken up; there is sweet beauty and comelinesse, or a comely, beautiful sweetnesse that lusters and shines in him, through the excellent qualifications wherewith he is furnished, as the Husband of his Church, that ravisheth spiritual affections far beyond the greatest beauty that can be in the fairest face; for, indeed he is fairer than the sons of men, There is nothing that may make a Mediator lovely but it is here. Again, as if that did not fully set out his amiablenesse, she adds, He is the chiefest among ten thousand: This is a definite great number for an indefinite; In sum it's this, there are many beloveds indeed in the world, but compare them all with Christ, they are nothing to him, without all controversie he is the chiefest, 1 Cor. 8. 5, 6. For, though there be gods many, and lords many (to the world) yet to us there is but one God, and one Lord Iesus; in all the world there is but one Christ. The word used here is, He is the standart-bearer, or it may be rendered passively, He is standarted above ten thousand; all tending to the same scope: Love ky…hes it's …ethorick in seeking words to prefer Christ, as having indignation that his precedency and preheminence (who is above all things, Col. 1. 17.) should so much as once be questioned: It's like, that in these times the most comely persons were chosen to carry the standart, a piece of dignity being thereby put upon them; So then, if all the most choice, comely, and excellent persons in the world were mustered together, Christ would be preferred eminently and deservedly above them all. Whence, Observe, 1. That Christ is the most lovely and excellent Object that men can set their eyes on, that they can cast their love and affection upon: There is not such … one as Christ, either for the spiritual soul-ravishing beauty that is in him, or the excellent desirable effects that flow from him. O what a singular description is it which follows, if it were understood …2. Christ is the most singularly excellent Husband that ever was closed with: Under that relation he is commended here, as singularly lovely, and loving; It's a most honorable, comfortable, happy, and every way satisfying match to have him for a Husband. 3. Christ's worth in it self is not expressible, and whatever he can be compared with, he doth exceedingly surpasse it. 4. Where right thoghts of Christ are, there is nothing admitted to compete with him, other excellencies and beloveds are in their greatest beauty darkned beside him; he is set up as chief, and they are not to be taken notice of beside him, but to be accounted losse and dung. 5. Christ's absence, when believers are right, will never lessen their esteem of him, but even then believers will be warm and fresh in their love to him, and high in their esteem of him. 6. Neither will the great mistakes of others, shake believers that have a through esteem of Christ's worth, but will rather with holy zeal awake them to commend him the more. 7. As where there is true love to Christ, there Christ will be lovely; so when he is looked on as lovely, that makes the heart to flow and abound with holy rhethorick in commendations of him. 8. True love to Christ, and to others for his sake, will not suffer one to despise the weaknesse of another, but make them rather take occasion from it, to honour him and edifie them so much the more, as the Bride doth he…e in answering the question proposed. 9. The more neerly and fully any thing be compared with Christ, though it be otherwise lovely, yet then it will be seen to be nothing, he so infinitly excells all things he can be compared with; and it's ignorance of him that makes other things get such a place in mens affections: but, when once they are set for-against him, he is found preferable, as incomparably chief, for dignity, riches, and satisfaction, or whatsoever is delightsome, desirable and truly excellent, vers. 11, 12, 13. &c.
She passeth from the general, to demonstrat it in particulars, and therein she insists in the following verses. If it should be asked, why she descends into particulars, especially now, considering her deserted case? I answer, for these good reasons, 1. That she might the more fully demonstrat, and the more satisfyingly unfold Christ's worth; For, his worth cannot be soon nor easily told, nor conceived, nor soon believed by others, it needs to be demonstrated, amplified and insisted upon; yet, his worth can bide the tryal: There is no truth may more fully and demonstratively be made out than this, that Christ is a most excellent object of love, and infinitly preferable to all others. 2. This is for the edifying of the daughters of Ierusalem, and in reference to their question, that they might be the more convinced and satisfied anent the incomparable worth and matchlesse excellency of her beloved, she brancheth it forth and insists upon it, that so a deeper impression of it might be left upon their hearts. Obs. 1. There is nothing more useful for the gaining and edifying of others, than to help them to the right uptaking of Christ's worth. 2. That is a great part of the work that should take up Christians in their fellowship together, to be spending their mutual conferences on that subject for one anothers instruction. 3. To edifie another, is no diversion from pursuing after him, to souls that love Christ, and would be helped by others to meet with him; This is well consistent with her pursuing after sensible presence for her self, to stay a while instructing them. A third reason of her insisting is, that it's suitable unto, and agrees well with her own sad condition, when he is away, she loves to think and speak of him, and of his lovelinesse, and that gives her some ease. Obs. Where love to Christ is, there will be a delight in speaking of him, and setting out his commendation, even when he is absent; it's a kind of ease to tell over his qualifications when he is absent. 2. It's a good diversion under a deserted condition, and a suitable way to an outgate, to be dwelling rather upon the excellency of Christ, than on the comfortlesse aggravations of our own sad condition; this is more honourable to Christ, more edifying to others, and more pleasant to our selves: O, it's sweet to think of him! It's more useful also for confirming of our faith in him, for warming our affections to him, and for keeping the mind stayed in dependence on him for the outgate: Every attribute or property of his, is a cordial to a soul fainting under a deserted case. 4. Her insisting on this subject, shews the nature of true love to Christ, that a soul affected with it, being once entered to speak of this theme or subject (namely the excellency of Christ) it expatiats in it, and is not soon withdrawn from it: This (to say so) is the very native element of it, and it doth the heart good to enumerat, and tell over distinctly the commendable qualifications and excellencies of Christ: all which (being his own) are unspeakably delightsome and refreshing to reckon: If there were any good measure of love to Christ in mens hearts, they would not be easily withdrawn from meditating on him, nor from speaking of him; and the great haunt that other things have in our heart, and the rarity of any expression that tends to Christ's commendation, shews plainly that there are (alace!) other beloveds abounding with us beside him.
In opening of the following particulars, we would consider, 1. The scope, which is to demonstrat, that Christ Jesus is altogether lovely and desirable beyond all other things, that the hearts of men are set upon; The question proposed, vers. 9. and the closing answer to it, vers. 16. makes this clear. This then being the scope, these particulars must be so taken up, as they best contribute to clear this scope, and so must necessarily imply the excellencies that are in Jesus Christ; The Mediator himself being as the body, and the several qualifications, properties and excellencies wherewith he is furnished, being as the several members, and parts of that body. Now, seing Jesus Christ is so excellent himself, and these being instanced as the choice excellencies that are in him, they must needs be exceeding and passing excellent, as the aggreging and heightning of every commendation doth shew: There will be need therefore of much sobriety, holy admiration and reverence, in the opening of them, lest we spill so excellent a subject as is the transcendent excellency of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2. That the Spirit intends by these parts, distinct considerations of Christ's lovelinesse in so many distinct particulars, seems also to be without all question; for, the particular enumeration is brought in to demonstrat this general, that he is the chiefest among ten thousand, which is done (as it were) by an induction of so many commendable things that are in him: Beside in other Scriptures, and especially, Rev. 1. 13, 14. where our Lord is thus considered, and also in the second and third Chapter of that book of the Revelation, particular respect is had to the foresaid description, and these parts are there (being equivalent to them that are here mentioned) expounded of diverse attributes and properties of his, and not unlike in many things to the description following, as the particulars will clear. Consider, 3. that it is both difficult and dangerous to be peremptory in the application of these particulars to the object described, it being so exceeding glorious, and the Spirits expressions so very comprehensive, we dar not so limit the words to one thing, as if they were exclusive of another, nor say this is meant and no other thing; although such and such things as have a necessary connexion with the scope to confirm it, may warrantably be included, and for instances pitched upon, especially when from the Analogy that is in the expressions which are borrowed, and from other Scriptures, we have some ground to fix upon: but to be sure, the words would be so taken up as they best afford the most solid general doctrines, which are sometimes (because of our darknesse, and to prevent our curiosity) to be rested in; for, whatever be meant, it's Christ, and he by these commendations is set forth as most excellent: That all these are to describe a divine person, and no humane body, we conceive so clear that it needs no advertisement. 4. All these parts hold him forth, not only as excellent in himself, but as lovely to his people, and as making up their priviledge and happinesse in having an interest in him to be theirs; and therefore as this is the scope, so it's to be applyed as setting out his excellency, and the blessednesse of all that have him for theirs; as on the contrary, to cry down all beloveds of the world, of whom these things cannot be said, for they are singularly peculiar to him.