Exposition of Song of Solomon, Chapter 5 · Verse 3,4
VERS. 3, 4.
My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowells were moved for him.
I roſe to open to my beloved, &c.
IN theſe and the 3. following Verſes, we have the iſſue of the Spouſes negligence, that Chriſt abſented and withdrew himſelfe. There are three things ſet downe of what befell the Spouſe.
1. Chriſts withdrawing of himſelfe, he leaveth her for a time to her ſelfe, and to her owne wayes; but it is ſaid, My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the doore. Chriſt did not wholly leave his Spouſe though he did withdraw: and therefore,
2. We have Chriſts gracious dealing with her, not wholly withdrawing himſelfe, but puts his finger into the hole of the doore, and thereby leaves ſome ſweetneſſe behind him before his departure, So that her hands dropped downe Myrrhe, &c.
3. The ſucceſſe of Chriſts departure, and withdrawing of himſelfe, Her bowells were moved in her, which were hard before, whereupon ſhe opens to her beloved, as now being willing to receive him, but he is not at her call ready to be found, he was gone and paſt, not indeed, but according to her ſence and feeling, and that onelyonly for a time. After this, like one that falleth into a ſwoone, ſhe is void of inward comfort, and ſence of Chriſts preſence, where ſhe ſaith, My ſoule failed when he ſpake, that is, when I remembred the words which he did ſpeake.
And laſtly, ſhe cannot find her beloved, ſhe then enquires of the Watch-men of the City, but ſhe receiveth no comfort from them, but they are like Jobs friends, of whom it is ſaid, Cold comforters are you all, Job 16. 2. for they wound her conſcience, and diſgracefully uſe her, where it is ſaid, They tooke away her Veile from her. So in her preſent apprehenſion, ſhe paſſeth all meanes of recovery, yet in the following verſes, ſhe doth recover her ſelfe againe, becauſe Chriſt left her not wholly, but leaves ſome of his ſweetneſſe behind him before he departed from her.
My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the doore.
The Spouſe is no ſooner fallen into this ſpirituall languor and drouſineſſe, making excuſes for her ſloath and ſecurity, but Chriſt comes to rouſe her up, and that firſt by withdrawing himſelfe after a ſort from her, but yet he will firſt leave that behind him, that ſhall both raiſe her up to ſeek after him, and ſupport her in her afflictions. My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the doore, &c.
My beloved put in) or, (as it is in the Hebrew) ſent his hand, or, put it forth: the putting forth of the hand foreign Miſit, emi ſit, demiſis, im miſit.uſually ſignifies the effecting of ſome work; as in Gen. 3. 22. & 12. 10. Hereby is noted, that Chriſt had ſome enterprize on the Spouſe, he was not willing ſhe ſhould be at eaſe in her fleſhly and carnall condition.
His hand, that is, his ſpirit, by which he moved upon her, by which he went to awake her. For as the finger of God (in Luke 11. 20.) meaneth the Spirit of God, ſo doth his Hand. Hence it is ſaid, that when the Spirit of the Lord went out with the miniſtry of the Diſciples, The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed, and turned to the Lord, Acts 11. 19. So in that it is ſaid, Chriſt put in his hand it's meant, he did inwardly move upon her heart, by the ſweet and ſecret opperation of his glorious Spirit.
In at the hole) or, downe by the hole, towit, of the doore, as it's added in our Tranſlation. The ſimilitude is taken from hence, when a doore is locked, yet there is a key-hole at which one may put in his hand, or look in, and ſo here, when the hearts of the faithfull be after a ſort locked up, and Chriſt ſtandeth at the doore of the heart, and calleth, and knocketh, yet they doe not open unto him, but make excuſes, he findeth ſome little entrance or hole, as through the doore, to put in his hand of ſpirit, to touch the inward parts of the heart; that ſo he might leave ſome print of his fingers before he did depart.
Hence Obſerve,
That Chriſt never leaves his Spouſe ſo, but that he leaves ſome prints of his ſpirit and grace behind him, upon her ſoul. Hence it is, the ſoule doth ſo linger after him, when he hath withdrawne himſelfe, and never reſts untill it finds him againe. There is never a finall deſertion, as we ſee here. Chriſt puts his hand in at the doore, he leaves ſome inward workings of his gracious ſpirit, to quicken the ſoule to ſeek after him, and alſo to ſupport it in its affliction. Chriſt ſtands at the doore, and leaves Myrrhe behind him, ſomething in the heart that cauſeth a reſtleſſe longing after Chriſt, as appears by that which followeth this touch of his Spirit.
And my bowells were moved for him.
Some read the words thus, My heart was affectioned toward him. Maſter Ainſworth thus, My bowells made a troubled noiſe, or ſounded within me. Whereby is meant, that all the inward affections and powers of the mind, are moved with griefe and ſorrow. Now ſhe is grieved and diſpleaſed with her ſelfe, now ſhe lamenteth her owne folly, that ſhe was ſo undutifull towards her beloved, now her heart is againe wrapt with love of him, now ſhe will entertaine him. Hereby is ſignified then all her diſquietneſſe and ſorrow of heart for her beloved, whom ſhe had ſo neglected, and put from her, when he deſired to come in. Thus the Prophet declares his ſorrow, by ſaying, My bowells, my bowells, I am pained at my very heart, my heart maketh a noyſe, I cannot hold my peace, Jer. 4. 19. And ſo God himſelfe, in pity of Ephraims calamity, faith, My bowels ſounded (or were troubled) for him, I will ſurely have mercy on him, ſaith the Lord, Jer. 31. 20. So here, the Spouſe, by the ſounding of her bowells, ſheweth the griefe and ſorrow of her heart, her mourning and languiſhing after her beloved.
Hence Obſerve,
Firſt, That the power of Chriſts Spirit makes a great change in thoſe into whom it comes. Behold here the power of the Spirit, what an alteration it makes in men, how far it changeth them from that which they were before: downe goeth the power of the fleſh where it commeth. An example of it you may ſee in the Apoſtles of Chriſt: how weake and how fearfull were they at Chriſts ſufferings, but after the holy Ghoſt came downe upon them in the day of Pentecoſt, of a company of weake and trembling Lambs, they became ſo many mighty Lyons, they feared not the whole world. So it is with all Saints, they be heavy, and lumpiſh and dull, when the fleſh hath the ſtroke, and beareth the ſway, every ſmall impediment is a hinderance, and miniſtreth ſome excuſe to keep them back, and the excuſes ſeem alſo to be reaſonable, but when the touch of the holy Spirit commeth, that Chriſt put in his hand at the hole of the doore, then there is a quickneſſe, a life and moving, then nothing can let, but they will ſeeke Chriſt. It is a wonderfull change and alteration that the Lord makes in man, when he putteth downe the fleſh, and raigneth himſelfe by the power of his Spirit. We remaine dull, ſlow, fearfull, weake and negligent, becauſe we reſt in our owne power ſo much, and in the power of the ſpirit ſo little.
Object. But ſome will ſay, Doth not Chriſt dwell alwayes in the hearts of his people? How then is it ſaid that Chriſt knocketh to have them open unto him, and let him in, and they make excuſes to put him off? Or how is it then that he toucheth them with his ſpirit now, which they had before?
Anſw. We muſt note, that there be degrees of the meaſure of the gifts of the Spirit. The Apoſtles had the ſpirit before Chriſts aſcenſion, but not in that meaſure as afterward: ſo alſo Chriſt dwelleth in all the Saints, even in thoſe that have the leaſt ſparke of true light, but he knoketh to have them open the doors of their hearts wider, and to receive him after a more full manner. And thus we have the Pſalmiſt, ſaying, Lift up your heads yee gates, and be ye lift up yee everlaſting dooes, and the King of glory ſhall come in, Pſal. 24. we muſt ſet our hearts wide open, that Chriſt may come in, and reigne over us, and wholly ſway us by the Scepter of his Spirit.
Secondly Obſerve,
That Chriſt never ſo deſerts his Spouſe, but leaves ſomething behind him which makes her ſenſible of his abſence, and reſtleſſe in her deſires after him. Hence the Spouſe is troubled in ſpirit, ſorrow and calamity preſently fell upon her, when ſhe faith, My bowells were moved for him. That is, my heart was affectioned towards him, all my inward affections and powers of my mind were moved with griefe and ſorrow, I was reſtleſſe in my ſpirit after him, nothing in the world would content me but the injoyment of my beloved, and communion with him, whom once I enjoyed with unſpeakable delight. Theſe, and ſuch like affections was the Spouſe moved withall. The Spouſe is not only affected inwardly in her mind, but ſhe is alſo ſtirred up to ſeeke after her beloved, as appears in the following verſe.