Exposition of Song of Solomon, Chapter 2 · Verse 10,11,12,13
VERS. 10, 11, 12. 13.
My beloved ſpake and ſaid unto me, riſe my love, my faire one and come away.
For loe, the winter is paſt, the raine is over and gone.
The flowers appeare on the earth, the time of the ſinging of Birds is come, and the voice of the Turtle is heard in our Land.
The fig-tree putteth forth her greene figs, and the Vines with the tender grape give a good ſmell: ariſe my love, my faire one, and come away.
HEre wee are to obſerve, a beginning of Meſſiahs ſpeech to his Church, which is continued to the end of the 15. verſe, and all this recounted by the mouth of the Spouſe, ſhe taking upon her the perſon of her beloved, as it were, declaring what words he uſed unto her, who calleth her up to higher attainements, and to a morefull communion with himſelfe. The Church heard Chriſts voice a farre off, ſhe ſaw him approaching neerer unto her, an comming ſwiftly: and now being come ſo neere (as through the grates, he made himſelfe knowne unto her) he anſwers her loudly, and ſpeakes more comfortably unto her.
In theſe foure verſes wee have.
Firſt, Chriſts call unto his Church: yet uttered by the Church herſelfe: as ſhe before had deſire Chriſt to draw neere unto her; ſo now Chriſt deſireth his Spouſe to draw neere unto him, in theſe words, My Beloved ſpake, and ſaid unto me, riſe up my love, &c.
Secondly, Obſerve the reaſon given of Chriſts call; and that is drawne from the opportunity and fitneſſe of the time for coming unto him.
Firſt, Becauſe the Winter is paſt, ver. 11.
Secondly, Becauſe the Spring was come, verſ. 12. 13.
Laſtly, Wee have the former call and exhortation of Chriſt renewed, verſe 13. Ariſe my love, my faire one, and come away.
Firſt, we have Chriſts Exhortation to his Church; My beloved ſpake and ſaid unto me, ariſe my love, my faire one, and come away.
In this ſpeech of Chriſt unto his Church, are to be conſidered two things.
Firſt, Thoſe amiable Epithites given by him unto her.
Secondly, The words of his exhortation, and both theſe in this tenth verſe, and for the reſt, you ſhall have the particulars in their due place.
Firſt, The Epithites or Titles given to the Church, are two.
Firſt, My love.
Secondly, My faire one,
Secondly, The exhortation, Ariſe thou, and come away.
Firſt, Wee have Chriſts ſpeech, calling his Church from her preſent eſtate and place of affliction, unto a better, and more glorious condition: or from her carnal ſecurity wherein ſhe lay, to follow him in faith and love of the Goſpell, ſaying:
My Beloved ſpake, and ſaid unto me.
Chriſt is the Churches Beloved: The Hebrew word dodi, my beloved, whereof comes David; in Engliſh, beloved, a terme given by the father from heaven to his Sonne here on earth, when he ſaid; This is my Beloved Sonne, Matt. 3. ult. figured out by the ancient beloved, David. Chriſt is the Husband of his Spouſe, and nothing will content a believer, but the enjoyment of the Beloved.
Spake, or anſwered, the word Gnanah, ſignifies ſo to ſpeake, as is by way of anſwering. Arias Montanus foreign Reſpond it. … ſignifies alſo to ſing by … when one part anſwereth another in ſinging.renders it, delectus meus reſpondit, my beloved anſwered. Now in that the Church ſaith, he anſwered, it doth not only argue Chriſts readineſſe to help his Church, but alſo that there was ſome queſtion or demand uſed before of the Church, whereunto this anſwer of Chriſt was framed.
Wee finde ſuch ſudden anſwers often in the Goſpel, even before any queſtion was propounded, And… anſwered and ſaid, &c. which ſome terme an Heb…iſme, or forme of ſpeech uſed of the Hebrews, even then, when no demand went before. But I rather thinke, that Chriſt anſwereth ſomething, that the Church deſired before.
Now wee muſt conſider, that the Church ſpeakes unto Chriſt two manner of ways.
Firſt, By a vocall ſpeech, whereto the voice of the bodie, is required: and ſuch ſpeech as this, wee finde not divers times in the Goſpel, nor here, whereto the anſwer may have relation.
Secondly, The Churches ſpeech is only mentall, which is only begotten in the minde: and Chriſt doth very often in the Goſpell, frame an anſwer to the thoughts of his hearers, and ſo Moſes was heard to cry, when he uttered never a word: and thus the ſouls of the Martyrs under the Altar are introduced, crying, How long Lord, holy and true, Revel. 6. Now wee may gueſſe the Churches demand by the anſwer, which tends to the drawing of her forth of an uncomfortable condition, to a comfortable ſtate; as it were out of winter ſtormes into a pleaſant ſpring; her demand then (by Analogie of reaſon) muſt be this. O my beloved Saviour, how long will it be, before I am delivered from this calamitie and bondage, when ſhall I be freed from the burthen of legall ceremonies, and from the rudiments of the world, and carnall Ordinances? When ſhall I be taken from under the School-maſter of the Law, that I may be no longer under Tutors and Governours? whereunto Chriſt anſwereth in effect thus, Even now is the time of the flouriſhing Spring, therefore ariſe and come away.
Hence Obſerve.
That Chriſt doth anſwer every gracious deſire of his Saints.
The Church had not uttered one word, but only deſired more comfortable times, and Chriſt gives her in the anſwer of her deſire, The Lord prepares the heart, and heares the prayer, Pſal. 10. 17. The Lord doth as well heare and anſwer the prayer of the minde, and of the heart, as the prayer of the lips. Davids purpoſe to build the Lord an houſe, was accepted as well as Solomons actuall building of it.
Thus farre Chriſts ſpeech in generall, containing Chriſts anſwer to the ſecret deſire of his Church.
Let us come to the Speech it ſelfe. And firſt of thoſe two Epithites given by him unto his Church.
My love, my faire one.
My love, Or my fellow friend, my companion, familiar: ſo named of feeding together, and converſing one with another, and ſo partaking each of others good or evill. This title of love is often given by Chriſt to his Church, ſometimes a Husband is called by this name, friend, as in Jer. 3. 20. there is mention made of a wife, that deales treacherouſly with her friend: So Chriſt gives a title unto his Church, ſuitable unto her, as ſhe is his Spouſe, and he her Husband.
Hence Obſerve.
That Chriſts love, ſeates it ſelfe in his Church.
The Church is the maine object of his love, it is united to that, and is not ſcattered to other objects: who can imagine what Chriſts love is to his Churh; As the Father hath loved me, ſo have I loved you, ſaith Chriſt to his Diſciples, Joh. 15. 9. None can underſtand with what love the Father lov'd the Son: no more can any define and fully ſet out what Chriſts love is unto the Saints. The Apoſtle would have the Epheſians able to comprehend with all Saints, the bredth and length, the depth and height of the love of God in Chriſt: but yet for all that he concludes, that it paſſeth knowledge, Epheſ. 3. 18. 19. And indeed there is no love comparable to this love of Chriſt, which is above the love of women, of father or mother, or any earthly love whatſoever.
Thus much for the firſt Epithite.
The ſecond followeth.
My faire one.
The Hebrew word Japheh, faire, ſignifieth not onelyonly faire and beautifull in colour, but in comely proportion foreign Pulcer, elegans, venuſius.and elegancy, ſuch as draweth love and liking. The Churches fairneſſe is by reaſon of the graces and ſpirituall beauty of faith, hope, love, patience, and ſuch like graces, wherewith God in Chriſt had beautified her. It is a very faire terme for the greater to give unto the leſſer, for Chriſt to give unto his Church: yea, it is a ſigne of ſingular affection for Chriſt to give unto his Church before ſhee was ariſen, before ſhee was comencer unto his preſence. Hence Obſerve,
That the Church is exceeding beautifull and faire in Chriſts account. Hence it is he gives here ſuch a ſoulraviſhing title, My faire one, &c. It is a very high expreſſion for Chriſt to give to his Church, but he who knows beſt what the Church is, calls her my faire one. But how comes the Church to be thus faire? Her fairneſſe is a derivative beauty, ſhee is faire and comely in that ſhee is the Spouſe of Chriſt, and cloathed with the robes of his righteouſneſſe: for ſo ſoone as ever we are united to Chriſt, our ſins are upon him, and his righteouſneſs upon us, and therefore in Chriſt the Church is comely. It is Chriſt that gives us life, and puts excellent Ornaments upon us to cover our nakedneſſe, and decks us with Jewells and Chaines of gold, &c. and ſo we become beautifull in his ſight, Ezek. 16. 10, 13. It is Chriſt that cleanſeth her by the waſhing of water by the word, that he might preſent her to himſelfe a glorious Church, not having ſpot or wrincle, or any ſuch thing, but that ſhee …ould be holy, without blemiſh, Epheſ. 5. 26, 27. So much for the two amiable Epithites given by Chriſt unto his Church: in the next place followeth his Exhortation, and that is laid downe in other two words.
Riſe up, and come away.
Riſe up thou) or riſe up for thy ſelfe, and for thy good; foreign Surge tibi.ſit not ſtill under darkneſſe and ſuperſtition, lye no longer under the burthen of legall rites and ceremonies, for the time is comming on that thou ſhalt not be under rudiments and traditions, but under a more pure Goſpel diſpenſation. Thus the Apoſtle bids us ariſe from ſin, he ſaith, Awake thou that ſleepeſt, and ariſe from the dead, and Chriſt ſhall give thee light, Epheſ. 5. 13. That is, let us ſit no longer in ſin, but ariſe, that Chriſt may give us light.
Come away.
Or goe thou, or get thee away for thy ſelfe. As God ſaid to Abraham, goe thou, or goe for thy ſelfe, Gen. 12. 1. foreign Et abi abi.ſignifying, that though no other would, yet he ſhould for his owne good, get him out from that idolatrous place. The Church is not onelyonly to ariſe and ſtand ſtill, but being ariſen, to come roundly away, as it is ſaid or Matthew, that he aroſe and followed Chriſt, Mat. 9. 9. And James and John leſt their Nets and followed him. Now Obſerve from this Exhortation of Chriſt to his Church.
Firſt, That there remaineth ſome lump of corruption in the Saints of Chriſt. Elſe what need Chriſt call his Church from that ſecurity and Earthly-mindedneſſe, but that ſhee was willing to ſit downe in this world, and to have her affections ſomewhat entangled with the cares and pleaſures of the fleſh. Hence it is that Chriſt calls her with his continuall voice ſounding in her ears, ariſe, O thou whom I love, which art faire in my ſight, and come away. We are ready to mind earthly things, and to ſet up our reſt here, but alas! the holy City, where is our freedome, is above: indeed worldlings are not moved at all with the voyce of Chriſt, for they can feele no taſt nor-ſweetneſſe but in worldly things, and it is death to them to heare the voyce of Chriſt to ſay, Ariſe and come away: they cannot willingly part with their treaſure whereon they have ſet their hearts; that is to ſay, their Gold, their Silver, their Houſes, and their Lands: but ſuch are not worthy of Chriſt: but let all the Saints hearken unto Chriſt's voyce, and follow the Lamb whitherſoever he goes.
Secondly Obſerve,
That Chriſt doth graciouſly invite his people to come from thoſe things he would have them to forſake.. Ariſe, and come away for thy ſelfe, or for thy good. Thus the Lord calls to his people to come out from that darkneſſe they were in, ſaying, Ariſe, ſhine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is riſen upon thee: for behold the darkneſſe ſhall cover the Earth, and groſſe darkneſſe the people: but the Lord ſhall riſe upon thee, and his glory ſhall be ſeene upon thee, Iſa. 60. I. When the Lord ſhined forth upon his people in more glorious diſcoveries of himſelfe, he calls them away from their former condition: when the Lord diſcovered himſelfe in a Goſpell diſpenſation, his people were no longer to ſit under the darke cloud of legall ceremonies. Therefore let us follow the Lords call unto any diſpenſation of his, and not to be over confident of our preſent ways, we muſt remember the Lord did depart out of the Sanctuary into the Temple, and out of the Temple into the miniſtry of John Baptiſt, and out of John Baptiſt into that of Chriſt and his Apoſtles. We know not what the Lord may yet bring us unto; there are many glorious Prophecyes yet to be fulfilled, and many glorious things are ſpoken of the new Jeruſalem which ſhall deſcend downe from above, where there ſhall be no need of the light of the Sun, or of the Moon. If the Lord ſhall call us from thoſe wayes wherein we have injoyed God formerly, unto an higher diſpenſation: let us be willing to heare his voyce, and to follow the Lamb whitherſoever he goeth: Our happineſſe lies not ſo much in this or that forme, but in the injoyment of our beloved.
So much for Chriſts Exhortation to his Church: the Reaſon of his Exhortation followeth.