Exposition of Song of Solomon, Chapter 1 · Verse 16
VERS. 16.
Behold thou art faire, my beloved, yea, pleaſant: alſo our bed is greene.
THe Church doth expreſſe the great liking ſhe hath of Chriſt's beauty; and thus ſhe doth,
1. By returning back his praiſe, ſaying, Thou art faire, &c.
2. By amplifying and enlarging his beauty, or by adding to his praiſe, by his amiable delectableneſſe, whereby he enflameth her heart, yea, pleaſant.
As for the laſt clauſe: Alſo our bed is green, I think it is to be joyned with the laſt verſe, being a part of that joynt praiſe which belongeth both to Chriſt and his Church, unto which I ſhall refer it.
Behold thou art faire, &c.
The Church returneth the word Japhet, faire, unto Chriſt; as if ſhe ſhould ſay; yea, rather thou art faire, and whatſoever beauty I have, I have it from thee: I am Iaphet, faire, but it is becauſe thou art Japhet, fair, my fairneſſe ſprings out of thee, who art the fountain of ſpirituall beauty, and haſt not the Spirit by meaſure, John 3. 34. But in ſuch fulneſſe, that of thy fulneſſe wee have all received, and grace for grace, John 1. 16. Chriſt is the faireſt of all the ſonnes of Adam, Pſal. 45. 2. From whom the Church receiveth all her fairneſſe and beauty, ſo that ſhee doth not aſſume the praiſe unto her ſelfe, but giveth back to her Beloved, from whom ſhe had received it, and unto whom it was due, according to the practice of the Church, in Pſalm 15. I. Not unto us O LORD, but to thy Name let bee the praiſe. Shee addeth the praiſe of his amiable delectableneſſe.
Yea, pleaſant.
The Church addeth another Epithite of love, ſaying; thou art Nagnim, turned of the Greeks foreign, foreign Jucundus amabilis, decorus, gratus fuit.which implyeth the very ſpring or flowre of beauty, a tearm far before the former, which ſignifies pleaſant, amiable, delightfull, beautifull. Now the Covenant which the Lord made with his people in Zech. 11. 10. is called beauty, or pleaſantneſſe. And Moſes deſired, that the beauty of the Lord might be upon them in the performance of his Covenant, Pſal. 90. 17. And David deſireth to remain in the houſe of the Lord all the dayes of his life, that hee might behold the pleaſantneſſe of the Lord, Pſal. 27. 4.
Now all theſe things were fulfilled and compleated in Chriſt, who by his heavenly Doctrines, and words of grace and conſolation to his people, doth become ſweet as the honey comb unto them, and very pleaſant, All Chriſt's adminiſtrations of the covenant of grace are his ſtaves of beauty and pleaſantneſſe. From this high commendations of the Church given unto Chriſt, Obſerve,
Firſt, That Chriſt is the fountain of all that ſpirituall beauty of the Saints.
As Chriſt had commended her graces, ſo ſhee praiſeth him for the cauſe of thoſe graces. For it is cleare, that the Church hath all her beauty & ornaments from him, it is he that waſheth her, and makes her glorious, Epheſ. 5. 26. It is moſt true, that the beauty and glory of the heavenly new Jeruſalem is exceeding great, as it is ſet forth, Revel. 21. Yet the glory of the Bridegroom Jeſus Chriſt far exceeds in beauty, even as much as the Ocean doth the leſſer ſtreams, for he is the fountaine of all glory and beauty. Hence it is, the Church returneth this praiſe unto him; for he indeed is fair and comely. Who can ſet forth the glory of Chriſt? who can deſcribe his beauty and comelineſſe? Not the carnall men of the world, in whoſe account Chriſt had no forme or comelineſſe upon him, Iſa. 53. 3. And in reſpect of his depreſſed condition in the world, and by reaſon of his deep ſufferings, his viſage was marred more then any man, and his forme more then the ſonnes of men, Iſa. 52. 14. Therefore hee was rejected of men, Iſa. 53. 3. Hee was ſcarce deemed worthy the name of a man; hee had no reſpect or eſtimation in the eys of the men of the world: theſe ſee not his beauty, and therefore praiſe him not: but the Saints doe glory in Chriſt's beauty and comelineſſe, becauſe they ſee him to be the fountaine of glory and praiſe.
Secondly, Obſerve,
The Church doth not ſo much glory in her owne beauty, as ſhee doth in the glory of Chriſt.
The Saints doe indeed glory in their owne beauty; but yet ſo, as they know they have all from Chriſt, and ſo indeed they glory onelyonly in him, according to that in 1 Cor. 1. 31. If any man glory, …er him glory in the Lord. Therefore Chriſt is made all things of God unto us, as wiſedome, righteouſneſſe, ſanctification, and redemption: That no fleſh ſhould glory in his preſence. Thus the Apoſtle attributeth the glory of his life unto Chriſt, Gal. 2. 20. I live (ſaith hee) yet not I, but Chriſt liveth in me: and the life which I…tew live in the fleſh, I live by the faith of the ſonne of God, who loved me, and gave himſelfe for mee. So that wee derive all our life, beauty, and comelineſſe from Chriſt, ſo that wee cannot ſo much glory in our owne beauty, as in the comelineſſe of Chriſt, the fountain of all ſpirituall beauty.
Thirdly, obſerve,
That Chriſt is exceeding delectable and well-pleaſing unto his Church, in all his adminiſtrations of grace unto them.
Chriſt's words are full of grace, and therefore ſweeter then the honey-comb: the performance of his Covenant is beautifull and pleaſant. And indeed Chriſt is the very ſpring or fountain of pleaſantneſſe and beauty: for there is in him a greater meaſure of beauty then is powred upon the Church, as appeareth by the Churches adding another Epithite of love, ſaying, yea, pleaſant, an expreſſion far beyond the former. And this falleth out, becauſe he hath received the Spirit above meaſure, we in meaſure; hee had the Spirit as a fountaine, we as the ſtreams: hee had all glory and beauty as the ſun; we receive of his divine beams, as the bright rayes of his glory darted down upon us. Thus much for the Spouſes commendations of her beloved, either of them having praiſed each other in their ſeverall ſpeeches; in the next place they do both joyntly rejoyce and glory together. Yea, our bed is greene.