A Key to Open Scripture Metaphors, Book 3 · Part 4 · Subpart 2
The Kisses of Christ's Mouth.
Cant. 1.2.
Let him kiss me with the Kisses of his Mouth, for thy Love is better than Wine.
LEt him (that is, Christ) kiss me. By these Expressions (saith Ainsworth, and others) the Church desireth to have Christ manifested in the Flesh.Ainsworth Guild, Sibbs. Durham. Wil…on, Glass…us, Illyricus, in locum. Others, by Kisses, understand most friendly, familiar, and sensible Manifestations of Love, for they are so amongst Friends; as 'twas betwixt Jonathan and David, and so 'tis between Husband and Wife. It is evident that Kisses are mentioned on sundry Occasions, used for divers Ends, and signifying several Things.
1. We read of a Kiss of Salutation, 1 Sam. 20.41. 1 Thess. 5.26.
2. A Kiss of Valediction, Ruth 2.9.
3. A Kiss of Reconciliation, 2 Sam. 14.33.
4. A Kiss of Subjection, Psal. 2.12.
5. A Kiss of Approbation, Prov. 2.4.
6. A Kiss of Adoration, 1 Kings 19.18.
7. A trayterous Kiss, Mat. 26.49.
8. A Kiss of Affection, Gen. 45.15.
And since the Church desires, in the Plural Number, Kisses of Christ's Mouth, it may refer,
1. To a Kiss of Reconciliation, or Manifestation of Peace, Unity, and Friendship.
2. A Kiss of Affection, which is very sweet, to have Christ express or manifest his gracious Love to her.
3. A Kiss of Approbation which is (saith Mr. Guild) sweetest of all.
The Text is purely Allegorical, as the whole Song is acknowledged to be by all Divines.
METAPHOR.
KIsses betoken Love and Good-Will to the Party they are given to.
II. They betoken a hearty Conjunction, and cordial Union of two Parties.
III. They betoken such a Friendship, as allows a Liberty of Access and Communication at all times.
IV. They leave such Impressions, as engage the Affections to a future Remembrance of the Object.
V. They oblige the Giver to shew further Favours, and Acts of Love and Kindness, to the Party he bestows them on.
VI. They are a Confirmation of the endeared Love and Reality we profess.
VII. They are the Privilege and Right (in a more peculiar manner) of Covenant-Relations, as Husband and Wife, &c.
VIII. In Reconciliation, (after a seeming Breach between dear Relations) they are highly prized and longed for by the Party offending.
IX. A Kiss is look'd upon as a very high Honour, when received by an inferior Person from a great King or Prince, and begets in others a longing after the like Manifestation of Sovereign Grace and Favour.
X. They are very sweet and comfortable to very dear Friends, after long absence.
XI. They are the first Ceremony or Initiation of kind and comfortable Entertainment; as in the case of the profuse and extravagant Prodigal.… 1….20
XII. To be admitted to kiss the hand of a Prince, is a great Honour, because of his Royalty and Grandure; but to kiss his Mouth, is extraordinary, and only allowed to great Favourites.
Parallel.
THe Spouse in the Text desires of the Lord Jesus, Tokens, or further Manifestations of his Love and Good-Will to her.
II. The Church desires further Tokens and Assurances of that blessed Conjunction and Union, that is between her self and the Lord Jesus Christ.
III. Gracious Souls desire a more near Access unto Christ, and spiritual Intimacy and Communion with him: O when wilt thou come unto me! 'Tis the Voice of my Beloved that knocketh. Cant 5.2. Isa. 26.9.With my Soul have I desired thee in the Night.
IV. The Spouse desires such Favour, and Manifestations of Christ's Love and Grace, that she may never forget his Love: We will remember his Love more than Wine.Cant. 1.4.
V. The Spouse desires (as doth every gracious Soul) that Christ would lay himself under such Obligations of Love and Friendship to her, that he may never forget her. The Death of Christ is the greatest Expression of his Affection to his Elect. Let him seal up his Love to us by the Kisses of his Mouth, viz. by his gracious Promises, and we are sure enough.
VI. The Spouse desires the greatest Confirmation of Christ's Love and gratious Affection to her, to have clear Evidence of her Union with him, and eternal Life.
VII. Manifestations of Christ's Love do belong properly to the Church, and covenanted People of God. Hence the Spouse presumes to speak thus unto her Beloved, Let him kiss me with the Kisses of his Mouth: I have the Liberty and Privilege to request it of him.
VIII. Manifestations of Christ's Love are greatly prized by gracious Persons, after there hath been a seeming Strangeness or Breach in their Apprehension between them, knowing they were wholly in the fault, and the only Cause of the Breach.
IX. The Love-Tokens, or Expressions of Christ's blessed Favour to the Spouse, make the Daughters of Jerusalem to long after Christ's Love and Favour as well as she: Whither is thy Beloved gone, Cant. 6.1.O thou fairest among Women, that we may seek him with thee? This was after she had declared, His Mouth is most sweet, Cant. 5.16he is altogether lovely.
X. How sweet and exceeding comfortable are the Kisses of Christ's Mouth, or Evidences of his Love, after a long time of spiritual Desertion.
XI. Manifestations of Christ's and the Father's Love, are glorious Tokens or Acts of Acceptance of poor Sinners, who having been very vile and rebellious, return home at last to their Father's House, and embrace a precious Saviour.
XII. The Kisses of Christ's Mouth, (who is the only King and blessed Potentate of Heaven and Earth) are an infinite Honour; can a poor Creature be more eminently dignified?
Let him kiss me with the Kisses of his Mouth.
AinsworthBY Mouth, Annotators generally understand is meant his holy Word, or his own lovely and gracious Doctrine; that is, Let me have expressions, or give evidence of thy Love to me from thy Word: Kiss me with the Kisses of thy Mouth, by a Metonymy of the Cause, viz. Cum causa organica, sive sermonis formandi instrumentum, pro ipso sermone sive loquelâ ponitur: That is, when the Organical Cause, or the Instrument that forms Speech, is put for the Speech it self; as the Mouth is put for Testimony, Deut. 17.6. & 15.19. Mat. 18.16. which is expounded, John 8.17. It is also written in your Law, that the Testimony of two Men is true. The Mouth is also put for a Command or Appointment, as Gen. 45.21. where the Mouth of Pharaoh (so 'tis in the Hebrew) signifies the Command of Pharaoh: So the Mouth of the Lord is put for his Command, Word, and Appointment, Exod. 17.1. Numb. 3.16, 39. & 20.24. & 27.14. Deut. 1.26, 43. & 34.5. Where the Hebrew foreign juxta Os Domini, at the Mouth of the Lord, (with us translated Word) is by the Targum attributed to Jonath. Ʋziel, rendred foreign ad osculum Verbi Domini, To the Kiss of the Word of the Lord. Lying Lips do not become a Prince; that is, lying Words. Now the Reason why the Church desires Kisses of Christ's Mouth, may be as followeth.
METAPHOR.
KIsses of the Mouth are Expressions of high Favour, much more than to kiss the Hand.
II. Kisses of the Mouth have Virtue in them; they tend to encrease Love in the Object, or beget more ardent Affection.
III. Kisses of the Mouth are plain and visible Evidences of cordial Affections, and many times put a Person out of doubt about the Reality of the Giver's Love.
IV. The Mouth is the Instrument or Medium to convey the inward Conceptions of the Heart and Mind, (whether it respects Thoughts or Actions,) to the Knowledg and Understanding of others.
Parallel.
CHrist in a high manner expresses his Favour and exceeding great Affection unto his People in his Word: I lay down my Life for my Sheep. Joh. 10.15 Joh. 15.13Greater Love than this hath no Man.
II. Evidences of Christ's Love from his Word and gracious Promises are full of Life and Virtue; they wonderfully draw out the Soul in Love and Longings after Christ. How did that sweet Word (or Kiss) of Christ to Mary endear her to the Lord Jesus; Woman, Luk. 7.49, 50.thy Sins are forgiven thee.
III. Evidences or Manifestations of Christ's Love to a believing Soul, are clear Demonstrations of Christ's real Affection. When a Promise is set home, and imprinted upon the Soul or Spirit of a doubting Christian, it causes all his Fears to flie away:Psal. 110.49. Remember thy Word unto thy Servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.
IV. The Word of Christ is the Way or glorious Medium he makes use of, to convey or make known those gracious,Joh. 1.1. Mat. 11.27 Heb 11, 2. Joh. 10 10 Joh. 20.30 high, and eternal Conceptions of his Heart and Mind to his Elect; also hereby he opens and explains to us the End of his Coming into the World, and his Design in dying, and in all things he did, which otherwise would have been hard to us to have found out.
METAPHOR.
OThers many times kiss them they do not love, out of Complement.
II. Others give sometimes a flattering and dissembling Kiss, like that of Absalom's kissing the People, thinking thereby to steal away their Hearts from David his Father.
III. Others salute Persons oftentimes with an unchast and wanton Kiss.
IV. Others kiss when they design to murther. Thus Joab kissed Abner, and slew him; Judas our Saviour, and thereby betrayed him.
Disparity.
CHrist never vouchsafes any the Kisses of his Mouth, but to those that he dearly loves.
II. Christ always, when he vouchsafes his gracious Favour to any Soul, doth it in all Simplicity and Integrity of Heart, in his Heart is no Guile or Deceit.
III. All Christ's Kisses are holy, chast, heavenly, harmless and innocent.
IV. Christ's design is to save those whom he kisses: He came to seek and to save that which was lost. I come that ye might have Life.
Inferences.
FRom hence we may perceive what a vast difference there is betwixt the Godly and the Wicked: The one have their Hearts set upon heavenly Objects, the other on carnal; the Desires of the one are holy, heavenly, and spiritual; the Desires of the other are fleshly, earthly, and sensual.
II. If the Kisses of a Saviour, or Evidences of his Love are so sweet, methinks this should stir up all to desire Kisses of Christ's Mouth.
III. It may be some Souls are ready to enquire, How may I come to attain this great Happiness and Honour, to be embraced in the Arms of the Lord Jesus?
1. Wouldest thou have the Kisses of his Mouth? Thou must with Mary Magdalen, fall down, and first kiss his Feet, and bedew them with the Tears of a broken Heart; be humbled for thy Sin.
2. If thou wouldest have him give thee a Kiss of Reconciliation and Affection, do thou kiss him with a Kiss of Subjection:Psal 2 15.… Kiss the Son lest he be angry.
If thou wantest Motives, take these following:
1. The Father presents his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, before your Eyes in the Gospel (as he doth the like himself) as a Person every way deserving your Love and Affection, to see whether you will respect him or not.
2. The Father highly honoureth the Son; he hath given all things into his hand, he is his Heir.
3. The Father hath sent him into the World, to seek himself a Spouse.
4. He became Flesh, that he might be a fit Object for Sinners.
5. Christ hath a great desire to give himself unto you, and so become yours for ever.
6. He hath abundance of Love, great and strong Affection.
7. Christ left his Glory, and came into the World in a low and contemptible condition, and denied himself for thy sake; and wilt not thou accept of him?
8. Shall he die, and come through a Sea of Blood to engage thy Affection? and wilt not thou yield him a Kiss of Subjection?
9. Shall he send his Ministers, as Spokes-men, to entreat you? and will you say, Nay?
10. Shall he move you by the Motions of his Spirit, and Checks of Conscience? and will you still refuse to close in with him?
11. Shall he knock loud and long, and cry continually to you? and can you still stand it out against him?
12. VVill not your Gain and Preferment be great? what Honour and Dignity, excelling Union with Christ, can you think to meet withal?
13. Are not you like to be miserable at last, if you die before you have an Interest in him: If any love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
IV. But some may say, How comes it to pass the Spouse is so bold, and thus familiarly speaks to Christ, Let him kiss me? Should not Fervor of Affection have with it Humility of Reverenee?
To this says Bernard, Nè causamini presumptionem, ubi affectio urget; reclamat pudor, s…d urget am…r, qui nec consilio temperatur, nec pudore fraenatur. Be not presumptuous, where Affection presses forward; be neither kept back by Advice, nor restrained by B…shfulness, in your Approaches to Christ. Besides, Saints, who truly love Christ, may boldly come to Christ. Tokens of Love, and Evidences of Divine Favour, are the proper Rights and Privileges of Believers; they may be bold with their dearest Friend.