Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Dedication 3 – Biblical commentary 6
To the Vertuous, and his very good Friend, the Lady Poines, Wife to my much honoured Patron, Maurice Barrow, of Beningham Esquire, grace and peace from Jesus Christ.
HAving by Gods assistance (most worthy Lady) finished this difficult, but most profitable worke, upon a Booke of holy Scripture, wherein abundance of Divine treasure lyeth hid, beyond that, which one by the bare reading thereof would conceive; I thought it would not be unacceptable to your Ladiship to commend it, as to all Christians in generall, for the light, and instructions contained herein, so to your selfe in speciall, as a testimony of my best respects unto you, for your undeserved favour towards me, ever since you first knew me. After my writing upon the whole Bible, first upon the New Testament, and then upon the Old, and all the Bookes therein contained, wherein I laboured many yeares (and that, I hope not unprofitably to those, that make use of my Labours) the good God that strengthened me, a most infirme man, to that great work, still prolonging this my fraile life; I thought that it would much more availe for the edification of the Reader, to adde upon some of the most usefull Bookes of Scripture to the light given in the Exposition, profitable observations, most genuinely flowing here-from; and therefore finding this little booke, being rightly understood, to be full hereof, but by almost all men passed over, without finding them out, I have also obtained help from above, to make my worke hereupon yet more compleat, by raising; and prosecuting somewhat largely many good instructions throughout all this Song, and by turning it into English Meeter, and that so, as by the helpe hereof it may be understood in every passage; and if any shall delight to sing such holy Hymnes, he may now sing them with understanding; For the matter herein contained, although it be a Love-Song, there is nothing in it vaine, or carnall, but Spirituall, and heavenly, all of the greatest moment in the world, viz. the Incarnation of Christ, whereby two Natures were joyned in one Person, the one unseen, and the other seen; the excellency of Christ in all his parts, and the excellency of the Church, or faithfull Soule in all hers; the sweet savour made by the Apostles going out to preach the Gospel, the spreading of Christs name; the conversion of the Gentiles, then of the Jewes, and after that againe of more Gentiles; the mutuall love and delight, which Christ and his Church take in each other; and lastly, Christs coming the second time to Judgement, the consummation of this world, and the everlasting Life to come, as appeareth in briefe, in the method set forth at the end of this Booke; and now what is my desire, but that the People of God may injoy the benefit hereof, they that hitherto have not tasted of the sweetnesse of Divine contemplations, having their mindes now elevated hereunto, and they that have, being more raised up, and through the joy and comfort found herein, the better able to beware the of sad condition of these troublesome times, for which we have need of all helps, that though the earth shake, and the mountaines be cast into the midst of the Sea, as the Psalmist speaketh, yet we through patience, and comfort of the Scriptures, may be established in the good way, and so have hope that maketh not ashamed.
Amongst the many miscries of these times it is not the least, that the study of the holy Scriptures, which is now most necessary, is most neglected, to the great discouragement both of Writers and Printers, and the great detriment of the Soule, because as Chrysostom saith of worldly men, that pleaded their many worldly businesses, as a Supersedeas to the reading of the Scriptures; what sayest thou (O Man) hast thou no need to read the Scriptures, because thou art full of worldly imployments, let Clerkes read them, who have nothing else to doe? Thou hast most need of all others to read them, because thou art, as one upon the Sea, tossed with tempests, and in continuall hazzard of drowning, that hereby thou maist have comfort; so I may say to those that live in these times, will yee lay the holy Scriptures, and Bookes written hereupon aside, because the times are troublesome? the more troubles we are intangled withall, the more need we have to pray, and read, that through Spirituall joy in so doing, our mindes may be eased of our griefe, at the hearing, and seeing, and feeling thereof, and we may the more patiently beare all our oppressions, and miseries, and be kept on in the right way, without declining to the right hand, or to the left, till we come at the end hereof, the salvation of our soules; To which salvation that we may come in his good time, the Lord sanctifie us by his Truth, his Word, through the daily exercising of our selves in the reading, hearing, and meditating thereupon, and by his grace ordering our lives and actions accordingly to the end of our dayes.
Now the God of all grace and mercy make this a meanes to confirme, inlighten, strengthen, and stablish you in every good way and worke, to the coming of our Lord Jesus, that your soule may then be found to be one of those, in this Booke so highly commended, to his glory, and your everlasting blisse.
Yours in the Lord John Mayer.
The Preface.
THe Hebrewes, when they would set forth a most excellent thing, doe it by doubling the word; and so Salomon intituling this his Booke, A Song of Songs, prepareth the Reader to expect not a Song, like unto other amorous Songs, made by vaine men, to please the fleshly minded, but a most excellent and Divine Song, things pertaining to fleshly love being mentioned, but those that pertaine to Spirituall love allegorically set forth hereby.
By descending, saith Gregory, to base carnall love of Breasts, and other Greg. Magnus.parts of the body beloved, he seeketh to draw us up to Holy love, under the chasse he hideth the good Corne; and if any man in reading this, lookes to the Letter and no further, and derideth it, as unworthy to come into the number of holy Writings, he eates but the chaffe with the Beast; he that is a man will finde out the Corne under the chaffe, and feed thereupon. The Letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life, and so doth this Song, being Spiritually understood, it quickneth the Soule to the love of Christ; but literally, it carryeth away to fleshly Lust, which is to destruction. And it is thus set forth, and not plainly, because things only plainly taught affect us not so much, as ordinary a matter, which may easily be had, but that which is fetcht out of the hidden parts of a rock; neither are Divine things so well understood, but by things sensible; wherefore he speaketh according to that which we know by sence, that we may the better attaine to the knowledge of that which transcendeth all Humane sence and reason; as Christ taught all things concerning the Kingdome of Heaven by Parables, we must imitate the Lord therefore in his Resurrection, becoming now a new Creature, and not tasting things pertaining to the body, as before; so we in reading this most excellent Song must rise up above carnall sence, tasting all that is here said by a new kind of taste, old things being past with us, and all things now becoming new. He that doth not thus, cometh to the great Kings Nuptiall feast without a wedding Garment, and so instead of being inlightned hereby, incurreth the danger of being cast into utter darknesse for ever.
And it is worth the noting, that this Booke is placed after Ecclesiastes, and the Proverbs, upon good reason, because in the Proverbs are set forth things Morall, wherein it is needfull for a man to be first instructed, that he may learne to be wise, both in things Divine and Humane; in Ecclesiastes, the vanity of all worldly things, both profits, pleasures, and knowledge, if the feare and love of God concurreth not here-with. Then the Soule being thus prepared, in this Song he setteth forth matters of Divine contemplation, for the ravishing thereof with the love of Christ, as that she may, in respect of this, despise all other things, and be even in this life incomparably solaced herewith; which cannot be but in him, that well digesteth Ecclesiastes, and so is in his soule gone from these fading vanities.