Exposition of Song of Solomon, Chapter 1 · Verse 15,16,17
VERS. 15, 16, 17.
Behold, thou art faire my Love: behold thou art faire, thou haſt doves eyes.
Behold, thou art faire, my beloved, yea, pleaſant: alſo our bed is green.
The beams of our houſe are Cedar, and our rafters of fir.
CHriſt and his Church having already mutually commended each other: now again they doe renew the prayſes one of another, and that more ſuccinctly then before. For this commendations Chriſt beginneth, and the Church followeth after.
1. Chriſt commendeth his Spouſe, verſ. 15.
2. The Spouſe praiſeth her Beloved, verſ. 16.
3. Wee have a concluſion of praiſe joyntly between them both, verſ. 17.
Firſt, Chriſt commendeth his Spouſe: his Eulogie is laid down,
Firſt, By way of preface or introduction, and this is two-fold:
1. By a word of attention; Behold.
2. By a love-title; my love.
Secondly, we have Chriſts aſſertion of his Spouſe, and that is double; thou art faire, thou art faire.
Thirdly, this aſſertion is inlarged by a compariſon; thou haſt doves eyes.
Or wee may take it for Chriſts commending his Spouſe for her properties.
Firſt, for her beauty, as ſhee was made glorious in him, and without ſpot; thou art fair, &c.
Secondly, For her ſpirituall chaſtity; thou haſt doves eyes.
Behold, my love, thou art faire, &c.
It was the whole deſire of the Church to be well favoured, comely, and beautifull in the eyes of Chriſt: now for Chriſt thus to acceept of her, is all ſhee can wiſh or deſire. A ſingular joy it muſt needs be unto her, to be aſſured, and made certain, that ſhe is indeed made beautifull in his ſight. And therefore the Lord to cheer, and to comfort her in the aſſurance thereof, doth pronounce her excellent beauty, which can hardly be uttered with any words, and therefore hee doth preface his ſpeech with a note of attention, ſaying,
Behold, thou art faire, my love, &c.
The Scripture uſeth this word behold, when it would ſtir up the minds of men to conſider ſome rare ſome excellent or wonderfull matter: As, Behold a virgin foreign Eu, ecce, adverbium demonſtrandi, uſurptur in rebus motabilibus.ſhall be with child, &c. And, behold the day of the Lord, ſhall come.
To behold, in it's proper ſignification, is to looke on a thing with our fleſhly eys; but it is uſed to ſignifie a due conſideration, or a due regard of a thing; as, Behold therefore the beautifulneſſe and ſeverity of God, Rom. 11. 12.
Sometimes the word is taken by way of deriſion, as in Gen. 3. 22. where God ſaith concerning Adam, behold the man is become as one of us: but this is leaſt of all meant in this place.
Again, the word behold is taken by way of aſſeveration, to aſſure us of the truth of a thing. And thus it is uſed here; for the Church being ſenſible of her blackneſſe and deformity in Verſ. 5. Chriſt comforteth her againſt that deformity which ſhee ſaw in her ſelfe, by telling her that ſhee was the faireſt among women, Ver. 8. but now to aſſure her of the truth and certainty thereof, he doth preface his commendations with this word of aſſeveration, ſaying, Behold thou art faire, &c.
Laſtly, Behold is prefixed to ſuch phraſes, by which the Lord would raiſe up our thoughts to the higheſt pitch of attention and admiration, to quicken us againſt our dull and miſgiving hearts. The Saints many times thinke worſe of themſelves, then happily Chriſt would have them, and they are hardly drawne to believe that Chriſt hath made them ſo glorious and ſo happy, as he hath done: now that Chriſt might raiſe the hearts of his people againſt ſuch miſgiving thoughts, he doth rouze and ſtir them up by this note of attention, Behold, thou art faire, &c.
So this word of attention, Behold, notes unto us three things.
Firſt, how backward and ſlow of heart we are to beleive the things of-Chriſt, & how dull we are at the beſt; ſo that we alwayes ſtand in need of being quickned and rouzed up by ſuch a word of attention as this, Behold, &c. Hence it is that the Apoſtle exhorts Timothy to ſtir up the gift of God that was in him, 2 Tim. 1. 6. where the word ſtir up ſignifieth to ſtir up fire, or to give life to fire; as fire burneth under aſhes, and is revived, or rekindled foreign Of foreign again, and foreign, to vivifie and put fire.by ſtiring up. This notes unto us, that the gift of God is as it were a certaine flame kindled in our hearts; but our natures are as the aſhes which are ready to cover and choak this fire in us, and the fleſh, and the Devill goe about to put it out, and therefore we on the contrary ſhould labour as much as in us lies, to cheriſh and keep it burning. In this metaphor the Apoſtle ſeemeth to allude to the type of the Prieſts under the Law, who were to cheriſh the holy fire on the Altar, that it might not goe forth: thus our faith and other graces muſt be blowne and ſtirred up: and however we may have the graces of Chriſt in reſpect of the habits of them, yet we ſhould ſtir them up unto their acts, elſe they may lye dead in us, as fire covered with the aſhes. Chriſt would raiſe our hearts from earthly things unto thoſe that are heavenly, from worldly glory unto that which is divine, and from carnall joy unto ſpirituall delight. Chriſt had told the Church before that ſhee was beautifull, but leaſt her dull and miſgiving heart ſhould not believe it, he adds, Behold, thou art faire, &c.
Secondly, It is a note of wonder and admiration, as Behold a Virgin ſhall be with Child. What greater wonder can there be, then for a Virgin to conceive and bring forth a Son? So here, Behold thou art faire: this muſt needs be a wonderfull thing that ſhee that was black and deformed, ſhould be thus beautifull and fair, and that her naturall deformity ſhould be cover'd with a ſupernaturall comelineſſe; this is an admirable thing indeed, and well may it be prefaced with a note of admiration, Behold thou art faire, &c.
Thirdly, it importeth to us an aſſurance of our ſpirituall beauty: for this word Behold is a note of aſſeveration, as I ſaid before, to aſſure us of the truth of the thing. Our hearts are apt to miſgive us, and very unapt to believe the bounty and goodneſſe of Chriſt; we can hardly thinke he will beſtow ſuch glory and happineſſe upon us as he hath promiſed: now that he may take us off from this unbeliefe, he doth declare it to us by this aſſeveration, Behold thou art faire, &c. Thus much for the word of attention, admiration, and aſſeveration: the next thing in the Preface followeth, which is his love title unto his Spouſe.
My love.
The ſame word is uſed here, as was in Verſ. 9. and it ſignifieth a familiar, a fellow-friend, a companion: it hath its name of feeding and converſing together. And thus Chriſt declareth the reaſon of that intercourſe of love betweene him and his people, ſaying, I have called you friends (not Servants) for all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made knowne unto you: And ſaith he, you are my friends if you doe whatſoever I command you, Joh. 15. 15. Now in that Chriſt doth ſo often give unto his Spouſe, this ſweet and lovely title of friend and love, and the like: it manifeſts unto us his ſweet, everlaſting, undying affection unto his Saints, by which he is one and the ſame to his Church for ever.
Hence Obſerve,
That Chriſts love unto his Saints is an everlaſting and an undying love. Chriſts love is eternall and everlaſting: a love that never decayes or waxeth cold, like the ſtone Jul. Solin. in Polyhiſt. cap. 12.Albeſtos, of which Solinus writes of, that being once hot, it can never be cooled againe. The love of Chriſt towards his Saints is like a Fountaine ever flowing, and never dried up, or like the ſacred fire which never went out. The love of Chriſt (whoſe gifts and calling are without repentance, Rom. 11. 29.) is an undying affection that never will decay. Hence ſaith he in Jer. 31. 3. I have loved thee with an everlaſting love. And in another place, With everlaſting kindneſſe will I have mery upon thee. Though the Saints offend Chriſt often, yet he loves them ſtill, he onelyonly purges them and heales them of their ſpirituall maladies, which cannot be done without ſome ſmart; but he doth not a whit leſſen or detract his love from them. Though his people come upon him every day for new ſupplies, yet his goodneſſe is never wearied or tired out; yea, though thouſands, millions of his Saints preſſe upon him at once, yet he hath for them all, and the Fountaine of his love and grace is never emptied. O what a whetſtone ſhould this be to our Spirits? and how ſhould this flame of Chriſt's eternall love towards us kindle a fire of love in our hearts towards him againe? Nothing doth more concilliate and attract love, then love it ſelfe: it would be horrible ingratefull in us, not to ſpend and be ſpent for him that hath lov'd us ſo much as Chriſt hath done; certainly if love doe not draw us unto him nothing will. The acts of Chriſt's love are the cords wherewith he draws ſouls unto himſelfe, I drew them with cords of love, ſaith he, Hoſea 11. 4. And I drew them with loving-kindneſſe, Jer. 31. 3. Nothing will draw us unto Chriſt effectually, if love will not. Thus much for the Preface, the Propoſition followeth.
Thou art faire, thou art faire.
The word Japhah, ſignifies faire or beautifull, not onelyonly foreign Pulcer, elegans, venuſtus, decorus fuit.in colour, but in comely proportion and elegancy, ſuch as draweth love and liking, as you heard in Ver. 8. The Church is called faire by reaſon of the graces, and the ſpirituall beauty of faith, hope, love, patience, wherewith Chriſt hath beautified her.
The doubling of the word increaſeth the ſignification, it expreſſeth the ſuperlative degree, it is an uſuall Hebraiſme to expreſſe that which doth excell by the doubling of the word, as faire, faire, that is, moſt excellent and very faire, for it doth expreſſe the vehemency of the mind, when the Speech is ſo doubled. Sometime we uſe the ſame forme of Speech even among our ſelves, when we would moſt of all villifie one, we ſay, he is naught, he is naught, as Solomon ſaith of the buyer, Prov. 20. 14. In like manner, when we would expreſſe ſomething moſt rare and exellent, we uſe to ſay, it is excellent, it is excellent. Even thus the Lord Jeſus commendeth the beauty of his Church to be moſt rare, excellent, and tranſcendent, that which can hardly be uttered with any words. And thus Chriſt praiſeth the excelling beauty of his Church, not onelyonly to comfort her with all the members thereof, that neither the whole, nor the parts of the whole, ſhould be diſcouraged with their blackneſſe and deformity, but alſo to declare thereby, that ſhee is not onelyonly faire but excellent, tranſcendent, and wonderfull faire and glorious in his ſight.
Hence Obſerve,
That the Saints excell in beauty and are moſt amiable in Chriſt's ſight. It muſt needs be ſo, for Chriſt is made unto them of God, Wiſdome, Righteouſneſſe, Sanctification, and Redemption. Wiſdome for covering their ignorance, Righteouſneſſe for bearing their iniquity, Sanctification for making them holy, Redemption for her full and abſolute Salvation. Although the Church be black, and there be many deformities and ſpots in the Saints, while they are here, yet Chriſt beholdeth his people according to thoſe comely graces and vertues of faith, love, hope, patience, and the like, wherewith he himſelfe hath decked them: and he doth not ſo much regard their ſpots and deformities, becauſe he hath by his ſanctification and cleanſing, waſhed them all away, and made his Church glorious to himſelfe, not having ſpot or wrincle, Epheſ. 5. 26, 27. He will cleanſe us, by the waſhing of water, by the word: it is a promiſe of free juſtification and ſanctification by faith in Chriſt. And the Apoſtle John tells us, That the blood of Chriſt waſheth us from all ſin, 1 John 1. 7. That is, from the guilt of all ſin, and alſo from the filth and ſtaine of ſin. And Paul in Tit. 2. 14. he hath purified unto himſelfe a peculiar people. That is, he hath ſeparated and conſecrated a people holy for himſelfe, zealous of good works. And Chriſt's blood purgeth our Conſciences, Heb. 9. 14. Now in that Chriſt hath waſhed and purged his Church, he hath demonſtrated the greateſt love and liking unto her; according to this we have an expreſſion in Revel. 1. 5. where the Apoſtle ſaith, that he hath loved us, and waſhed us in his blood. The greateſt demonſtration of his love was, in that he ſhed his blood for us for the cleanſing of us from our ſins. Thus the Church is made faire and beautifull in the ſight of Chriſt, even by the waſhings of his blood.
Againe, ſhee is beautifull in reſpect of all thoſe graces that Chriſt hath endowed her withall, as faith, love, hope, patience, and the like. In Ezek. 28. 7. the Prophet mentioneth the beauty of wiſdome. And when the Church ſhall obey Chriſts voice, and forſake her owne naturall corruptions, it is ſaid, he taketh delight in her beauty. Hearken O Daughter, and conſider, and incline thine eare: forget alſo thine owne people, and thy Fathers houſe, ſo ſhall the King greatly deſire thy beauty, &c. Pſa. 45. 10, 11. Thus much for the propoſition, the compariſon follows.
Thou haſt Doves eyes.
Concerning the compariſon betweene the Churches eyes and Doves, let us inquire, firſt, what theſe eyes be, ſecondly, wherein they be compared to Doves.
The Hebrew word that ſignifies an eye, doth alſo ſignifie a Well or Fountaine, becauſe the eye is of a watery foreign Oculus, pe ſynecdochen aſpectus, quia aſpectus eſt in oculo. Per metaphoram fons, ex quo tanquam ex oculo aqua efluit.conſtitution, and becauſe it is the greateſt in let to evill of all the Members of the body, and it being the cauſe of much ſin and miſery, therefore God hath placed in it the greateſt tokens of ſorrow and lamentation.
The eyes of the Saints may be referred to theſe three ſorts: they be Corporall, Mentall, or Perſonall.
1. The corporall or bodily eyes be externall inſtruments ſeated in the head (as the windows of nature) having lids for drawing up, or letting downe, according as the inward ſenſe inſtincteth. Unbridled eyes are ſaid to be full of adultery, 2 Pet. 2. 14. And eyes beholding ſtrange women, Prov. 23. 33. The eye is an inlet to filthineſſe and uncleanneſſe: hence it is Job ſaith, he had made a Covenant with his eyes, Job 31. 1.
2. For mentall eyes, they be the inward ſenſes of nature, as Imagination, Phantaſie, Conceit, &c. all theſe have their ſeat chiefly in the head, commanding all the externall ſenſes as they pleaſe. All which ſenſes are comprehended in the word Minde: now as for the naturall man he mindeth earthly things, Phil. 3. 19. And therefore the Apoſtle enjoyneth the Saints to be renewed in the Spirit of their mind, Epheſ. 4. 23. and that according to the Creation that is in righteouſneſſe and true holineſſe. The mind is the eye of the ſoule, ſo that he meanes not a bodily change, but a change, but a change of the faculties of the ſoul, and that of the higheſt faculty, namely, the underſtanding and reaſon, By which alſo the Spirit of God doth work upon all the inferiour faculties.
3. For perſonall eyes, they be ſuch as be imputed to be ſuch in reſpect of their Office and place: and ſuch are the Miniſters of Chriſt, thoſe that have received ſome excellent gifts from the Lord: as in 1 Cor. 12. 12. 17. If the whole body were an eye (ſaith the Apoſtle) where were the hearing? The Apoſtle ſpeaks this, leſt any ſhould be diſcontented at the meanneſſe of their gifts in compariſon of others, and alſo ſheweth them, that if it were ſo as they deſired, to wit, that all ſhould be quall one to another in the gifts of the Spirit, there would be a deſtruction of the whole body: for it could not be a body unleſſe it were made of many Members knit together, and diverſe one from another. Now Magiſtrates they ſhould be eyes to the Common-wealth: and for ſuch as the Lord hath cloathed with his Spirit for to adminiſter the word of truth, ſuch are as eyes to the Church of Chriſt.
Now I might come to examine what Doves be, to whom theſe eyes are reſembled: they are Birds well knowne amongſt us, and therefore need no perſonall deſcription. A Bird of a right ſimple carriage, and a feeder of the beſt graine, whoſe Song is mourning, very fruitfull, and one that conſtantly returneth to her own home, and very faithfull unto her mate.
Now here Chriſt commendeth the Church for her eyes, becauſe if they be faire, they doe eaſily cover the ſpots and deformities of the reſt of the members of the body. He ſeteth forth the ſimplicity, ſincerity, humility, meekneſſe, but eſpecially the ſpirituall chaſtity of the Church, ſetting forth not only her inward affection, but alſo her outward appearance, ſo that the Church hath no unchaſt looks or countenances (of which we read ſomewhat in Pſal. 44. 17, 18. 20.) but contenteth her ſelfe with Chriſt her only Husband, and even as the Dove, when ſhe hath choſen a match, ſhee keepeth her ſelfe unto him only, and looketh not upon any other, according as the Philoſophers write and affirme of them.
Hence obſerve,
That the ſpirituall chaſtity of the Saints is very beautifull and pleaſing thing in the eyes of Chriſt.
The Lord doth not onelyonly commend the beauty of his Church, but alſo praiſeth her ſpirituall chaſtity, for indeed her ſpirituall chaſtity is a great part of her ſpirituall beauty. The chaſtity of Virgins is much to be commended, and a thing requiſite for all Chriſtians to poſſeſſe their veſſell in holineſſe. Thus alſo is the ſpirituall chaſtity of the Church very commendable and comely, when the Church can be ſaid to be a chaſt and pure virgin given up unto Chriſt. Now as there is the filthineſſe and uncleanneſſe of the fleſh; ſo there is a ſpirituall whoredome often complained of, and condemned in Scripture: Then as in marriage, the Bride-groome doth much delight in the chaſtity and ſimplicity of his Bride: ſo the faithfull ſoule, being married unto Chriſt, there is chaſtity required, a thing delightfull in the eyes of Chriſt.
The Church of Chriſt then muſt not looke after others, or commit ſpirituall whoredome with any; but ſhee muſt keep her faith, hope, love and affection wholly and entirely towards him alone.
To this purpoſe tends that of the Prophet, when he propheſies of a remnant that ſhould forſake idolatry, he ſaith: At that day ſhall a man looke to his maker, and his eyes ſhall have reſpect to the holy one of Iſrael: and he ſhal not looke to the Altars, the work of mens hands, neither ſhall reſpect that which his fingers have made, either the groves or the images, Iſa. 17. 7, 8. In that he nameth groves & images, he hath reſpect to the diverſe ſorts of places which they had to worſhip their Idols: their groves and ſhady places were ſuch as they uſed in the heate of ſummer; and their ſunne-images, ſet in ſun-ſhiny places, which they made uſe of in colder weather: by theſe two therefore, are all ſorts of Idols and idolatrous ſervices deſigned: but the Prophet tells of a remnant, that ſhould eſcape all theſe, and ſhould look to the holy one alone.
They then that embrace the doctrines and inventions of men, worſhipping ſtocks and ſtones, they commit abominable whoredome, according as the word of God chargeth them. Such as imbrace this world, be called adulterers and adultereſſes, Jam. 4. 4. And covetouſneſſe which is idolatry, Col. 3. 5. And ſuch as did forſake the Lord, their eyes went after their idols, Ezek. 20. 24. And ſuch are called eyes, beholding ſtrange women, Prov. 23. 33. Thoſe then that will be faithfull unto the Lord, and be beautifull in his ſight, muſt have doves eyes: they muſt with a ſingle eye of faith looke upon Jeſus Chriſt, and love him, and ſtay upon him alone, and not upon the world, or upon riches, honours, pleaſures, or any worldly contentment whatſoever.
The corporall eye muſt be like the Dove for ſimplicity and chaſtity: this eye (as our Saviour teacheth, Matth. 6.) is the light of the body: and without the eye there is nothing but darknes in the bodie: it is the window of the bodie, which if it be not carefully watched, will be a great inlet of evill. The mentall eye, which is the eye of the ſoule, muſt alſo aſſimilate the Dove in all ſimplicity: and ſo much the rather, muſt the mind be ſimple, chaſt, innocent, becauſe it is the light of the ſoule, and it ſitteth at the ſoules helme, ſteering all the outward ſenſes, according as it's ſelfe pleaſeth. And for thoſe that are perſonall eyes, the Miniſters of the Goſpel, they ſhould prepare the Church for one Husband, even to preſent it as a pure Virgin unto Chriſt, 2 Cor. 11. 2. To conclude, the eye of the ſoule is the light of the ſoule, and that is faith; the delight then that Chriſt taketh in his Saints, is the beauty of this eye of faith; and this beauty ſhall never decay, but wax more and more beautifull. So much for the commendations given by Chriſt: now followeth the like praiſe which his church returneth to him again.