Exposition of Song of Solomon, Chapter 1 · Verse 17
VERS. 17.
The beames of our houſe are Cedar, and our rafters of Firre,
This joynt ſpeech of Chriſt and his Church contains a glorious declaration.
1. The place of conception, or the increaſe of the children of the Church, in theſe words, our bed is green.
2. The place of ſpirituall education and inſtruction, that is, in the houſes.
Which houſes of Chriſt are ſet forth by their adjuncts, Beames and Galleries.
Theſe beams and galleries are ſet forth by the matter they were of: the beams were Cedar, the galleries were Firre.
Our bed is greene.
The Hebrew word ſignifies a bed, or Bed-ſteed: Beds foreign Lectus, ſponda.were uſed to reſt and ſleep on, as in Pſal. 132. 3, 4. And ſometimes they did uſe to ſit upon beds at their Feaſts and Banquets, as in Eſth. 1. 5, 6. For it was a cuſtome in thoſe eaſtern Countreys, to uſe beds in ſtead of tables, that ſo ſoone as they had eaten, they might preſently goe to ſleep: whence it is, that the Prophet propheſieth againſt thoſe that lie upon beds of ivory, and ſtretch themſelves upon their couches, and eate the lambs out of the Flocke, &c. Amos 6. 4. See alſo Ezek. 23. 41. And John 13. 25. Again, the high Altars and places of offering ſacrifice are called beds, Iſa. 57. 7. Ʋpon a lofty & high mountain haſt thou ſet thy bed, even thither wenteſt thou up to offer ſacrifice, ſaith the Lord by the Prophet: that is, thine Altars haſt thou ſet up a loft in open view; like an impudent Strumpet, that ſheweth her filthineſſe in the ſight of others, as wee read in Ezek. 16. 24, 25.
Our bed is greene.
The word tranſlated greene, ſignifies to flouriſh, to foreign inde. foreign Vireſ ere.be fruitfull, and to waxe ſtrong, and of force: it is not ſo much meant of colour, as of budding forth and flouriſhing, like trees and plants in the time of ſpring, when things are green and flouriſhing.
The word is often applyed unto men, ſetting forth their flouriſhing and proſperous eſtate: hence it is ſaid in Iob 15. 32. That a wicked man ſhall be cut off before his time, and his branch ſhall not be greene. That is, his flouriſhing eſtate and condition ſhall end before his time; for he ſhall not ſo exalt himſelf in proſperity, as he had thought to have done. And David ſpeaking of the proſperity of the wicked, ſaith, I have ſeene the wicked in great power, and ſpreading himſelfe like a green bay tree, Pſal. 37. 35. That is, freſh and flouriſhing, as Nebuchadnezzar ſaid, I was at reſt in my houſe, and greene (or flouriſhing) in my Palace. And David ſpeaking of his proſperity, likeneth himſelfe to a green, or flouriſhing olive-tree in the houſe of God, Pſ. 52. 8. Now by this compariſion, or ſimilitude of a bed, by which the Church became ſo flouriſhing and fruitfull; we may underſtand,
1. The flouriſhing, fruitfull, increaſing condition of the Saints, who ſhall bring forth fruit in old age, they ſhall be fat and greene (or flouriſhing) Pſal. 92. 14. That is, they ſprout or grow up in ſtature and fruitfullneſſe, through the bleſſing of God, and the increaſings of his grace, in whoſe houſe they are planted, according to that of the Apoſtle in 1 Cor. 3. 6. I have planted, Apollo watered, but God giveth the increaſe. The Saints are fruitfull in every good worke, and increaſing in the knowledge of God, Col. 1. 6. 10. or,
2. We may underſtand it of the ſpirituall increaſe of the faithfull, which are begotten by the ſeed of the word: Chriſt by the power of his word and Spirit ſoweth the ſeed of his word, the Saints as the ground, receive the ſeed into the midſt of their hearts, by which means they as ſpirituall Sons and Daughters are begotten unto Chriſt. Thus we have it in Pſal. 45. 16. Inſtead of thy fathers ſhall be thy children, whom thou mayeſt make Princes in all the Earth. This is meant of the ſucceeding Chriſtians, that by the immortall ſeed of the word are begotten to Chriſt and his Church, he being their Father, Iſa. 9. 6. And ſo is that heavenly Jeruſalem, which ſeeketh her ſalvation, not by the firſt Covenant of the Law, but by the ſecond of the Goſpell, which is ſaid to be above, becauſe it hath its Originall from Heaven: ſhee is called the Mother of us all, Gal. 4. 26. For as Sara was the Mother of Iſaac, the true and proper Heir of his Father Abraham; ſo is this Heavenly Jeruſalem, to wit, the Church of Chriſt, the mother of all the faithfull, who are Heirs of the Kingdome of Chriſt. We may take either, or both of theſe Interpretations. Now according to the firſt, if we take the meaning of theſe words for the fruitfull and increaſing condition of the Saints in the knowledge of God, and in the graces of his Spirit: Obſerve,
Firſt, That the Saints become flouriſhing and fruitfull by the communion they have with Jeſus Chriſt. Hence it is the Apoſtle prays that the Collosſians might be fruitfull in every good worke, and increaſing in the knowledge of God. Unto this are all the Saints exhorted, Epheſ. 4. 15. But ſpeaking the truth in love (ſaith the Apoſtle) that yee may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Chriſt. The Apoſtle ſpeaks of the ſpirituall growth of the whole body of Chriſt, and every Member thereof, who were to beare an earneſt affection to the truth, whereby they might grow in Chriſt, for he quickneth and cheriſheth his Church, which conſiſteth of diverſe Members, and gives unto each of them a ſuitable meaſure and proportion; and by this effectuall working in the meaſure of every part, maketh increaſe of the body, unto the ediſying of it ſelfe in love, ver. 16. Now we muſt know, that this ſpirituall growth doth not flow from any principle of nature, but it is Chriſt thet miniſtreth vigour and ſtrength above nature. For which obſerve the phraſe in Pſal. 92. 14. ſpeaking of the righteous, ſaith, He ſhall bring forth fruit in old age: In the Originall it is, in grayneſſe, or hary age. Now in old age, when naturall ſtrength is decayed, none can be foreign cunicio.fruitfull without a ſupernaturall ſupply of ſtrength and vigour. Hence it is, that David prayeth unto the Lord, ſaying, Caſt me not off in the time of old age, forſake me not when my ſtrength faileth, now alſo when I am old and gray-headed, O God forſake me not, untill I have ſhewed thy ſtrength unto this Generation, & thy power to every one that is to come, Pſal. 71. 9. 18. It is ſaid of Sara, that ſhee received strength to conceive ſeed, and was delivered of a child, when ſhee was paſt age: And he (to wit Abraham) as good as dead, &c. Heb. 11. 11, 12. So are the Saints, as it were, paſt age, and dead by nature, therefore they muſt (as Sara) receive ſtrength from Chriſt to conceive and bring forth the fruits of the Spirit.
Secondly, if we underſtand the words of the ſpirituall increaſe of the Saints, begotten unto Chriſt by the ſeed of the word: Obſerve,
That multitudes of Children are borne unto Chriſt, which are begotten by the immortall ſeed of the word. For by this phraſe Our bed is greene, noteth unto us the fertility of Children (to wit of Sons and Daughters) ariſing from the womb of the Church, eſpecially of the Gentiles. The Evangelicall Prophet ſeing this, it cauſed him to cry out in this wiſe. The deſolate hath more Children then the married wife. And becauſe of the multitudes that ſhould come in and imbrace Chriſt, he addeth, Enlarge the place of thy Tents, and let them ſtretch forth the Curtaines of thy habitations, &c. Iſa. 54. 1, 2. The Prophet ſpeaks as if ſo many ſhould come in to Chriſt, that ſhe ſhould ſeeme to want roome to receive them; and therefore bids her ſtretch forth her curtaines, alluding to the Tents in which they dwelt. And in Chap. 66. 8. he crieth out by way of admiration, Who hath heard ſuch a thing? ſhall the Earth be made to bring forth in one day? or ſhall a Nation be borne at once? for as ſoone as Zion travailed, ſhee brought forth her children. By this the Prophet doth intimate the multitudes of thoſe that ſhould ſuddenly be borne a new, and begotten unto Chriſt by the publication of the Goſpell, which was figured out by thoſe multitudes that returned on a ſuddaine from Babylon, as if a whole Nation had been borne in one day. This was the promiſe that the Lord made to Abraham, and it is not to be limited to his Children after the fleſh, but to his Children of the promiſe, that his ſeed ſhould be as the ſtarrs, and as the duſt for multitude, Gen. 28. 14. And at the firſt promulgation of the Goſpell, there were daily added unto the Church, Acts 2. 47. And the Saviour of the Goſpell was manifeſt in every place, 2 Cor. 2. 14. Hence it was that Beleivers after Chriſts aſcention were called foreign, The multitude of them that believed. And it was Prophecyed that Ten men ſhall take hold out of all Languages of the Nations, of the skirt of him that is a Jew, ſaying, we will goe with you, for we have heard that God is with you, Zech. 8. 20. 23. That is, many of the Nations ſhould imbrace the truth, which in former times were reſtrained within the Nation of the Jewes, according to the Prophecy in Geneſ. 9. 27. where it is ſaid, God ſhall inlarge Japhet, and he ſhall dwell in the Tents of Shem, &c. But we muſt not make univerſality the note of the Saints, for univerſality is common to Antichriſtian Idolatours. The whore was to ſet upon many waters, which were peoples, and multitudes, and Nations, and tongues: and the Kings of the earth were to be made drunk with the wine of her fornications, and all the Nations to drinke thereof, Revel. 17. 15. 18. 3. Therefore we muſt underſtand the Church of Chriſt to be numerous in her ſelfe, and not comparatively, ſetting her with the world; but to be many comparatively with the old Church of the Jewes, for more are the children of the deſolate then of the married wife, Iſa. 54. 1.
To conclude, this ſpirituall birth is that which concernes both Chriſt and his Church; for the union of Chriſt and his Church is the cauſe of ſuch an everlaſting greenneſſe and fruitfullneſſe. Chriſt is as the Agent, and the Church in her ſenſes and affections is the patient: Chriſt ſoweth the ſeed of his word, and the Church as the ground receiveth the ſeed, that ſo between them are many ſpirituall Sons and daughters begotten unto God. Hence they doe mutually and jointly rejoyce and ſing at the Churches inlargement. It is not ſaid My bed, but our bed, thereby ſhewing that it concernes them both. The heavenly procreation of many ſpirituall Sons and daughters, and the freſh and flouriſhing ſpringing of thoſe goodly plants which are thus borne of the Spirit of God, is matter of joy and rejoycing both to Chriſt and his Church.
Thus much for the place of conception, now followeth the place of ſpirituall education.