Exposition of Song of Solomon, Chapter 1 · Verse 14
Verſ. 14.
My Beloved is unto me as a cluſter of camphyre (or Cypres) in the Vineyards of Engedi.
The Church goeth on in commending her Beloved, and the graces ſhee receiveth from him, comparing him to another ſweet ſmelling thing: as before ſhee had reſembled him to Spiknard, Verſ. 12. and to myrrhe, Verſ. 13. So here to the ſweet berries or cluſters of the Cypres Tree.
In the words obſerve,
1. A declaration of Meſſiah's ſweetneſſe, he being compared to camphyre or cypres.
This ſweetneſſe of his is amplified,
Firſt, by the quantity, it is a cluſter of camphyre.
Secondly, by the place where it is to be had, in the Vineyards of Engendi.
2. A note of propriety; My beloved is unto me, &c. as in the precedent verſe.
A cluſter of Camphire.
Camphire is a ſweet gum, and for ſmell much like unto Spikenard: Cyprus is a tree, whoſe fruit groweth in cluſters, and is very ſweet. The Hebrew word Caphar, foreign Texit, operuit nomen ſignificat expiatio, re demptionis pretium, Exod. 21. 30.from which Camphire, and alſo Cyprus ſeemeth to be derived, ſignifieth to cover, or plaiſter over, Gen. 6. 14. The cover which was laid upon the Arke, is ſet forth by a word derived from this, and it is applyed to the covering or appeaſing of an angry countenance, Gen. 32. 20. To pacifie wrath, Pſal. 78. 38. It is alſo uſed to ſignifie propitiation, favour, and mercy, as in Deut. 21. 8. It is often uſed to expiate and purge away uncleanneſſe, and to make attonement. Thus it was applyed to things under the Law, ſee Levit. 16. 33. and 23. 27. This may note unto us the ſweetneſſe of Chriſts redemption, and the fruits of his death, whereby hee became as a cluſter of redemption unto his people; for as a cluſter conſiſteth of many berries compact together into one bunch, ſo the redemption of Chriſt hath all mercy, grace, and love compacted together: there is no grace, but it is in the cluſter of mans redemption; as mercy, juſtice, power, wiſedome, love, and free grace, all theſe are gloriouſly manifeſted in the worke of our redemption.
Now all the graces of our redemption in Chriſt have a fragrancy and a ſweet odour with them, they are likea cluſter of camphire for their ſweet odoriferous ſmell, whereby the Saints are continually refreſhed and comforted.
In the Vineyards of Engedi.
Engedi was the name of a place in the Tribe of Judah, appeareth, Joſh. 15. 62. It ſhould ſeem to be a City famous for ſweet ſmelling trees, and of a very fruitfull ſoile, for Gardens and Vineyards. This City Engedi, was ſometimes a place of ſafeguard and defence unto David, when he hid himſelf from the fury of Saul, as in 1 Sam. 24. It was called Hazazon Tamar, 2 Chron. 20. 2. where Jehoſaphat prayed, and was delivered from his Enemies. It was alſo a place full of rocks and wild goats, adjoyning to the Sea-coſt. This noteth unto us the great victories which the Church obtaineth by Chriſt: hee hath brought a full redemption unto his people, and will give them victory over all their enemyes.
The word Engedi … or Gnen-gedi, is a compounded foreignword: the firſt part ſignifieth an eye or fountaine; the latter part of the word ſignifies a Kid, or a company: hereof it was that Leah's adopted ſonne Gad tooke his name, which ſignifies a troop, or company. Conſidering the rocks and wild Goats in the bounds of Engedi, here may be an alluſion from thoſe young Goats, who from the Rocks, would not onelyonly caſt their eyes upon the Fountaines below, which were their watering places; but alſo upon the Vineyards, deſiring to root up and ſpoil the Plants there. But as the owners of the Vines would wall and fence their Vineyards in ſuch a manner, that theſe Goates or Kidds, which longing and bleating after the pleaſant plants, could not come to ſpoile them: even ſo it is with the wicked perſecutors of the world, they may ſee and cry after the Saints, and much deſire their deſtruction: but Chriſt the owner of this Vineyard hath ſet a hedg about his Saints, as hee did about Job, ſo that Satan could not touch his ſoule: and Chriſt himſelf is a wall of fire round about his Church, Zech. 2. 5. where the holy Ghoſt alludeth to the practice of Travailers in the Wilderneſſe, who ſurrounded themſelves with a fire, and did thereby fray away the wild beaſts, and kept them off from annoying them: Chriſt is ſuch a defence unto his people, and therefore they muſt needs be in great ſafety, who have ſuch a defence, notwithſtanding all the attempts of the wicked againſt them.
As for theſe words of propriety and affection: My beloved is unto me, &c. Having ſpoken of them in the precedent verſe, I ſhall not repeat them again but ſhall only give you two or three Obſervations from this verſe.
Firſt, Obſerve,
That redemption by Chriſt, and the fruits thereof are very ſavoury and delightfull unto the Saints. The pardon of ſinne, and reconciliation with God through Jeſus Chriſt, with that ſpiritual peace flowing from thence, with all thoſe heavenly graces that follow and accompany this redemption; theſe cannot but be very delightfull and precious unto the Saints, yea, and much more precious and ſweet then all camphire, and Cyprus trees are unto any worldly ſenſe. Here is, as it were, a cluſter of graces compacted together, and that do ſhine forth together moſt gloriouſly, being the very life of a Chriſtians joy and comfort. In our redemption there is, as I ſaid before, a cluſter or heap of mercies and graces compacted together, as rich mercy extended to the veſſels of mercy, the Sts are made veſſels of mercy, & by redemption, theſe veſſels are filled full of mercy, mercy is manifeſted upon them. There is alſo rich love in our redemption, in that the Father gave his Sonne to death for us: and the Son alſo gave himſelfe, and laid down his life for us; greater love then this was never ſhewn by any.
Again, Free grace doth exalt it ſelfe in this work alſo; for we were bought with a price, & that not with our own, but with the precious blood of Jeſus Chriſt.
In a word, in our redemption all the attributes of God ſhine forth moſt gloriouſly; as for juſtice, it is honoured, becauſe it is ſatisfied: and for mercy, it is enlarged, and hath a portion aſwel as juſtice: his power is magnified in effecting ſuch a glorious work, and his wiſdome in finding out, and in contriving, and in finiſhing the worke of our redemption. Here are graces compact together, even as cluſters of berries on the Cyprus tree: Thus Chriſt is ſweet to his Saints, in redeeming and ſaving of them; hee is like a cluſter of camphire, or of cyprus.
Secondly, obſerve,
That Chriſt will be a ſafeguard and ſhelter for his Saints in the middest of the greateſt dangers.
Wicked men may look down from their mountain, and behold the Saints in Chriſts vineyard, and deſire much to ſpoile thoſe tender plants, but Chriſt will be a wall of defence unto them. Thus David declareth the Lord to be his defence, and hee expreſſeth it nine times together, in Pſal. 18. 2. The Lord (ſaith he) is my rocke, and fortreſſe, &c. Two names of a rock are in this verſe; the firſt is Selaugh, a firm ſtony rock; the latter is Tſur, a ſtrong or ſharp rocke: he is ſaith hee, My deliverer, my God, my ſtrength in whom I will truſt, my buckler, and the horn of my ſalvation, and my high tower.
A horn ſignifieth power and ſtrength, Pſalm. 92. 11. and therefore they ſignifie the great Monarchs and Kings of the world, Dan. 8. 21. An high tower hath it's name in Hebrew Miſgah, which is an exaltation; that is an high Tower or Fort, wherein men are protected from danger and invaſion: and he addes, my refuge, that is, ſaving me from all wrong and violence of men: And this is that which Chriſt hath promiſed to his Sains, never to leave them, nor forſake them, Heb. 13. 5.
There are no leſſe then five negatives in this place, to ſtrengthen and confirm our faith in the truth of the promiſe: And it is, as if he ſhould have ſaid, I will in no wiſe, whatſoever come of it, at any time forſake thee, mine eye ſhall be ſtill over thee, and I will watch over thee for good continually. So the Lord promiſeth to be with his people in the greateſt danger, when they paſſe through the water, and when they walke through the fire, Iſa. 43. 2. Fire and water are two moſt devouring Elements; good ſervants, but bad maſters, as we ſay; and therefore here they are put for all other perillous and dangerous kinds: Chriſt will ſave and deliver his people from them all. We read, Dan. 3. 25. That the three children were caſt into the fiery furnace: but what ſaid the Tyrant? I ſee foure (ſaith hee) and the fourth is like the Sonne of God. And in all probability it was ſo, it being uſuall under the Old Teſtament for Chriſt upon ſome weighty occaſions to appeare in humane ſhape. Thus Chriſt will be with his people in the furnace of affliction, and either he will preſerve them in, or deliver them out of trouble; hee will ſo ſanctifie affliction, that it ſhall prove a very bleſſing unto them.
3. From the note of propriety, my beloved is unto me, &c. Obſerve,
That the Saints only have the right feeling and ſenſe of Chriſts ſweetneſſe.
They only are redeemed and ſanctified by Chriſt, they alone feele the free remiſſion of ſins, and reconciliation with God through Jeſus Chriſt: from whence ariſeth this ſweet refreſhing peace and ſpirituall joy in their ſouls. The men of the world doe ſmell the ſweet ſavour of many earthly things, and doe abundantly delight in them; but this divine and ſpirituall ſweetneſſe of Chriſt they do not ſmell.
This is no great wonder neither; for let the ſun ſhine never ſo bright, and yet hee that is blind cannot perceive it. So let him that is without ſenſe of ſmelling come among ſweet ſavours, yet he ſmelleth no ſweetneſſe at all: Thus Chriſt is preached abroad in the world, and he is as it were a box of precious ointment powred forth; but yet for all this, the men of the world are ſo ſtuffed with the ſtinking ſavours of carnall luſts, which ſeem more delightſome unto them; as that they cannot ſmell any ſpirituall ſweetneſſe in Chriſt at all: ſo that when the Saints are exceedingly moved and taken with the ſweet ſavours of Chriſt, yet others are nothing taken with thoſe ſpirituall ſavours and that becauſe they ſavour not the things of God. Then the Saints only are perfumed with Chriſts ſweetneſſe, ſo that their hearts for love of him doe deſpiſe unclean luſts and carnall pleaſures, aſpiring unto the heavens in their ſoules, where Chriſt is, who is their happineſſe, their joy, and their treaſure, whom they fix, as it were, a bundle of ſweet myrrhe between their breaſts, and doe ſmel a ſweet ſavour in his redemption and mediation, even as a cluſter of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi. Thus much for the commendations of the Spouſe concerning her Beloved.