Exposition of Song of Solomon, Chapter 5 · Verse 6
VERS. 6.
The watchmen that went about the Citie found me, they they ſmot me, they wounded me; the keepers of the wals tooke away my vale from me.
THere is contained in this verſe, the third calmity of the Church, viz. that Chriſt her head being abſent from her, and ſhee labouring to ſeeke him, falleth in to ſundrie dangers and diſtreſſes: yea, all become noy ſome and hurtfull unto her, even thoſe that ſhould have kept and preſerved her, from all violence and injuric, they did abuſe and beat her, vea, cruelly wound her, and deale fraudulently with her, as the particulars ſhew.
The injuries that the Spouſe did here undergoe are two.
Firſt, She is beaten and wounded.
Secondly, Her vaile is taken from her.
The inſtruments of her affliction are deſcribed to be.
Firſt, The watchmen of the Citie.
Secondly, The keepers of the wall.
The Watchmen that went about the City found me, &c.
Theſe watchmen are ſaid to be ſuch as goe about the City, which noteth their painfullneſſe and diligence, as of thoſe that watch and ward in the City day and night, meaning the officers of the Church, as before was noted, in Chap. 3. 3. where the ſelfe-ſame thing is put downe, ſaving that there is no mention made of their abuſing of her, but onelyonly of her demand, who thereby could tell where he was that her ſoul loved. Now we have the carriage of theſe watchmen.
They ſmote me, they wounded me.
They ſmote me. That is, with reproaches and evill ſpeeches; for ſmiting is ſometimes with the Tongue, as in Jer. 18. 18. Come let us ſmite him with the tongue. To ſmite is to hurt or afflict by any meanes whatſoever; it's ſaid of Chriſt in reſpect of his ſufferings, that he was ſtricken, ſmitten, and afflicted of God, Iſa. 53. 4. Now in that theſe watchmen ſmite the Spouſe, they appeare more cruell and enraged then before, in Chap. 3. 3. neither doth the Church enquire of theſe watchmen after her beloved, but they find her ſeeking of Chriſt, out of their way and courſe, and therefore they abuſe her, they diſcourage her, they take her as an evill doer, they deale injuriouſly with her. She addeth.
They wounded me.
In that ſhe ſpeaketh thus without a particle to joyne them (which manner of ſpeech the Rhetoritians call Aſyndeton) ſhe doth it, both to ſhew her owne vehemeney, and the quick diſpatch that theſe evill Watchmen made in ſo ill intreating of her: and therefore in that ſhe addeth that word wounding, after ſmiting, ſhe doth, as it were, by a gradation, paint out their wickedneſſe and her owne miſery, becauſe many may faint and be ſmitten, and yet not be wounded, for wounding is to draw blood, a further degree of hurt then ſmiting, as appears in 1 Kings 20. 37. where it is ſaid, a certaine man ſmote one of the Sons of the Prophets ſo, that in ſmiting of him he wounded him. So the huſbandmen wounded the Lords ſervant. By this wounding of the Spouſe is then meant the higheſt degree of afflicting of her, the worſt dealing of the Watchmen with her.
It followeth.
The keepers of the wall tooke away my Vaile from me.
The keepers, or, the Watchmen of the walls, to wit, ſuch as had a continuall ſtanding allowed them, both to deſcry the enemies, and to repell them alſo, if they can: neither the running watch, nor the ſtanding watch favoured me; but both ſorts cruelly intreated me. Theſe Watchmen are meant the Miniſters of the Church and City of God; for the Prieſts and Levites kept of old the watch or charge of the Lord, as appears in Numb. 3. 7, 8. And it is ſaid in Iſa. 62. 6. I have ſet Watchmen upon thy walls, O Jeruſalem, which ſhall never hold their peace day nor night, &c. But theſe Watchmen here ſeems to be ſuch as are ſpoken of in Iſa. 56. 10. Blind watchmen, and dumb dogs, ſuch as could doe nothing but rend and teare the flock of Chriſt.
Some underſtand by the Watchmen the Miniſters of the Church, and by the keepers of the wall, Magiſtrates, ſuch as are called Gods, Pſal. 82. 6. And theſe many times direct the point of the ſword againſt the Church. Miniſters and Magiſtrates, when they are filled with envy and malice at the graces of the Spirit in the Saints, are both alike perſecutors.
Now what it was that theſe watchmen performed againſt the Spouſe, and what their carriage was towards her, is declared in the words following.
They tooke away the Vaile from me.
The Hebrew word here Tranſlated Vaile, or Scarfe, hath its name of ſpreading, becauſe women ſpread foreign Inde. Hiphill. foreign Extendit, expandit.them over their heads to cover them: and it hath its ſignification alſo of thinneſſe, becauſe it was made of the fineſt and pureſt linnen that could be gotten. Such Vails were worne of women in a double reſpect.
Firſt, For ornament and adorning, as appears in Iſa. 3. 23.
Secondly, In token of ſubjection and obedience, for this ſee Gen. 20. 16. Alſo Gen. 24. 65. 1 Cor. 11. 5, 6, 7.
Then, the taking away of the Veile notes 2. things.
1. As it was an ornament, as in the Old Teſtament, a Vaile was that which covered women for modeſty, ſo it was an honourable Ornament. They tooke away the Vaile. That is, that wherewith the Spouſe was covered, they tooke away that which made her comely, and laid her open, and as it were naked, by calumnies and reproaches, caſting all the mire and dirt they could upon her. They tooke away the Vaile of the Spouſe, when they tooke away her credit and eſteeme, when they lay open her infirmities and weakneſſes. So ſhe was ſpoiled of her good name, and reputation, and counted among the light … lewd women, for ſo they uſed to deale with diſhoneſt women, disfiguring their faces, ſtripping them out of their cloaths, and taking away their faire Jewells, as appears by Ezek. 23. 25, 26.
2. As the Vaile is a token of ſubjection, it's taken away when they draw the Spouſe from Chriſt, and her ſubjection to him, by falſe doctrines and humane traditions and inventions of men, by preſſing humane devices upon the Spouſe, and ſo take her off from obſerving thoſe things that Chriſt hath given her in truſt to obſerve. Thoſe that deſire to ſit high in the conſciences of people, and ſo make them undutifull, they take away the Vaile of ſubjection from them, making them to obſerve humane traditions more then Chriſts Commandements.
Now in that the Spouſe is thus vexed and afflicted by theſe evill watchmen, who were ſuch as ſeemed to be in place of ſuperintendency and miniſtry, ſuch as pretended at leaſt to have the greateſt care of her, for theſe to ſmite her, wound her, and take away her Vaile: this was moſt ſavage dealing, and the very higheſt of perſecution.
Hence Obſerve,
That thoſe that ſeeme to be of great eſteeme, and of the higheſt Office in the Church, preve many times the bittereſt enemies of the Church. Who were more bitter enemies in Chriſts time then the Scribes, Phariſees, and Prieſts? And who were the greateſt enemies of the Church in the time of the Prophets, but falſe Prieſts and Prophets. The perſecuting Magiſtrate pretends he is in Gods ſtead, as they are called Gods, Pſal. 82. 6. They ſhould governe as God himſelfe would governe; but al…s, wofull experience tells us that they doe conerary to the truth. As for Miniſters, they call themſelves the Embaſſadors of Chriſt, and therefore ſtrengthen the feeble knees, and bind up the broken hearted, and the like: But alas, we ſee many of theſe turne the edge of the ſword againſt the Saints. The Prophets of God doe complaine of the wicked Prieſts in the time of the Law, how they did afflict the godly: And may not the ſame complaint be made ſtill? even now in the days of the Goſpell, how are the Saints ſtill vexed with many of that Tribe. What is the cauſe they be ſo much dlſpleaſed? Surely becauſe the Saints ſeeke after Chriſt, and that out of their way and order: they will beare any diſorder ſaving that: men may be carnall, formall, yea, and profane too, and ſuch are no trouble to their ſpirits; like the blind Phariſoes, if there be any exceſſe of ryot, theſe watchmen can beare it well enough, but if any ſeeke acquaintance with Chriſt, and not in their way, that is intollerable, that is to their diſgrace, upon ſuch they fall, they beat and wound them; yea, they take away their Vaile: they doe deface and diſhonour them all they can, for they make them as odious as they can; they terme them that be Saints, and ſeeke after Chriſt, Hereticks, Scihſmaticks, Elaſphemers, and the like: they lay all the moſt vile reproaches upon them they can deviſe. Now for the Saints, this need not trouble them, when theſe things come to paſſe, that ſuch as pretend to have office, and ſuperintendency over the Church, doe beat, wound, and diſgrace her. Did not the builders refuſe Chriſt himſelfe, the head corner ſtone? What marvaile then, though they beat his Servants and vex his people. How was Chriſt judged of the Prieſts and Phariſees in his time? And this hath been the lot of the Church in all ages, the Saints were called Hereticks, and Schiſmaticks, the Vaile was taken off. O what cruelty is this? What ſavage men are theſe that thus beat and wound the Spouſe of Chriſt? Yea, marke well how they be: They be the watchmen that pretend to be Miniſters and Embaſſadors of Chriſt for to feed his flock, who of all others ſhould chiefly defend and comfort them: now for theſe to beat and wound the Spouſe, and take away her Vaile, this is intollerable wickedneſſe, this is the higheſt impiety.
To conclude, truth hath alwayes a ſaracht face; falſhood, and formality for the moſt part goe under glorious attire, as that of decency and uniformity, and the like. There is no queſtion, that ſuch as are carnall Formaliſts, Phariſaicall Profeſſors, would perſecute Chriſt if he were in the fleſh, as now they perſecute his imageand ſpirit in his Saints, when they ſmite and wound and take away their Vaile from them. Thus much for this time.