Exposition of Song of Solomon, Chapter 5 · Verse 9
VERS. 9.
My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefe among ten thouſand.
The Spouſe in her reply to the Daughters of Jeruſalem, maketh a lively deſcription of Chriſt.
Firſt, before we enter upon the particulars, we may conſider in generall, how ſhe ſetteth forth here the riches, the dignity, the glory and beauty of Chriſt. When the daughters of Jeruſalem, are ſo inquiſitive for to know him: ſhe deſcribeth him at large, to the end, that it may appeare there is good cauſe to move ſo earneſtly after him, and that it might be known what a rich Jewell they obtaine, that doe find him. So that indeed, notwithſtanding her great diſtraction of mind, her ſpeeches are ſtill godly, and her whole communication is nothing elſe but a kind of Sermon, or preaching of the goodneſſe, merit, and worthineſſe of Jeſus Chriſt.
Hence Obſerve in the generall.
That no perſecution can ſilence the Spouſe, ſo as to hinder and keepe her back from publiſhing and declaring the glory and the praiſe of her wel-beloved. It is an uſuall thing for the world to ſtorme, to gnaſh their teeth, yea, to fret, and rage, when Chriſt is laid open in the rich treaſures of his grace and glory; yet for all their fury and rage, the Saints will not be ſilent, but deſcribe him and lay him forth in his higheſt glory and excellency. Then however the Spouſe was perſecuted and abuſed by the watchmen, ſhe proceeds to ſet forth her beloved, ſaying.
My beloved is white and ruddy, &c.
Firſt, the Spouſe deſcribes her beloved in generall, ſaying, My beloved is white and ruddy, &c.
Secondly, ſhe ſets him forth in particular, and doth enumerate and reckon up all his parts, from top to toe (as we uſe to ſay) ſetting him forth by all the members of his body, as the following verſes ſhew.
In generall ſhe deſcribes Chriſt two wayes.
1. Poſitively, My beloved is white and ruddy.
2. Comparatively, The chiefe among ten thouſand.
My beloved is white and ruddy, &c.
The Spouſe deſcribeth Chriſt unto the daughters of Jeruſalem, by his ſurpaſſing beauty and comelineſſe, to the end, ſhe may attract and draw forth, both her owne affections, and theirs alſo after him. Chriſt is here ſet forth, as a goodly young man, whoſe image is pourtrayed by his viſible qualities, his colours, and by the members of his body. But this is not meant of the aſpect and face, of the outward lineaments and proportion of his body: although his comelineſſe in that behalfe need not to be doubted of: but of his ſpirituall beauty and gracefulneſſe.
My beloved is white and ruddy, ſaith ſhe, the mixture of theſe two colours makes a beautifull and good complexion. White and red, as they ſhew the beſt temparature in man, ſo here it may denote in Chriſt his divine nature, and his humane nature: for white is like the appearance of God, as we may ſee in the Viſion in Dan. 7. 9. he appeared all white as ſnow, and pure as fine wooll. And man had his name Adam, of Adamah, the red mould of the Earth, out of which he was taken, Gen. 2. 7. Chriſt is called the ſecond Adam, 1 Cor. 15. 45. And was partaker of our fleſh and blood, Heb. 2. 14.
Or, we may underſtand by Chriſts whiteneſſe, his righteouſneſſe and innocency, as he was without ſpot, without ſin, being the immaculate Lamb, free from all defilements: And thus the Saints are ſaid to be cloathed in white rayment, which is their righteouſneſſe, Revel. 19. 14. So that theſe words may allude to the Candidus & rubicundus, Chriſtus eſſe perhibetur, quia nullum omnino peccatum faciens juſtitiae plenitudinem ex integro tenuit, & famen, tanquam peccator eſſet, ad mortis paſſionem acceſſit. Greg. in Cant. 5.Prophets deſcription of the Nazarite, whom, that he may figure the glory of Chriſt, he deſcribeth him to be more white then milke, more pure then ſnow, more ruddy then the Carbuncle, more orient then the Saphire, Lam. 4. 7. By which outward beauty is underſtood in ward holineſſe. And then by his redneſſe we may underſtand his bloody ſufferings, for we are ſaid to be waſhed and cleanſed by his blood, as the Apoſtle John ſaith, The blood of Chriſt cleanſeth us from all ſin, 1 John 1.
Againe laſtly, we may underſtand by his whiteneſſe, his adminiſtrations, and then it denotes his grace, mercy, meekneſſe, and patience, he is very mild and gentle in all his wayes. And likewiſe by his redneſſe his vengeance and juſtice on his enemies: for he is ſaid to have his Garments dipt in blood, Iſa. 63. 1, 2. Now this temparament, and mingling of white and red after ſuch a myſticall manner in Chriſt, denotes his ſurpaſſing beauty, makes him of high account to his Saints, and enflames their affections to imbrace him, and follow him; for theſe two colours together doe ſhew a right excellent conſtitution of body, and alſo a very perfect beauty. This ruddy or ſanguine complexion is commended in David, 1 Sam. 16. 12. And both theſe colours of white and red are joyned together, the whiteneſſe maketh the redneſſe more freſh and faire, and the redneſſe diſcerneth the whiteneſſe from paleneſſe of face, or flegmatick complexion: both which colours, if they concurre in any earthly creature, eſpecially ſuch as be young, make the ſame to be moſt of all liked: how much more then ſhould they, conſidered ſpiritually in Chriſt (in reſpect of whom all earthly things are but a ſhadow) not onelyonly be excellent in him, but draw us to be enamoured with him.
Hence Obſerve,
That Chriſt is one in whom is rare beauty. The Pſalmiſt deſcribes him to be ſo, when he ſays, Thou art fairer then the Children of Adam, Pſal. 45. 3. The Apoſtles beheld his glory as the onelyonly begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, John 1. 16. By the onelyonly begotten is meant, he that came from the boſome of God, with the glory of the Father upon him. And Chriſt in his glory had his face ſhining as the Sun, Mat. 17. 2. For he was full of his Fathers glory, In him dwellt all the fullneſſe of the God-head bodily, Col. 2. 9. It was God appeared gloriouſly in our fleſh, ſhining forth in his glorious beams through his Sonne: So that Chriſt is glorious by the indwellings of God, by his righteouſneſſe, wiſdome, power, goodneſſe, glorious in all his offices and adminiſtration, dealing in much meekneſſe and gentleneſſe with his people, and in as great juſtice and wrath with his enemies. Thus Chriſt is deſcribed poſitively to be all glorious and faire, in that it is ſaid he is white and ruddy. It followeth, that his glory is farther ſet forth, comparatively.
The chiefe among ten thouſand.
As Chriſt is glorious and excellent, ſo he doth excell foreign Vexillavit, Ʋnde. foreign Vexillatus.all others, all creatures whatſoever, even men and Angells, and therefore ſhe ſaith, He is the chiefe of ten thouſand: Or, as the words are in the Hebrew, Having the banner of above ten thouſand. Chriſt is the Standard-bearer of ten thouſand, that excells all other creatures in the world. The Spouſe uſeth a metaphor taken from the war, as alſo putteth a number certaine for an uncertaine, to expreſſe the commendations of her beloved. Now the Banner or Enſigne is a warlike inſtrument, and commonly the bearer thereof, one of the chiefeſt, and talleſt, and mightieſt men: and among ten thouſand men a man may find many goodly countenances, but yet ſaith ſhe, for found and naturall moyſture, and for a moſt temperate and beautifull colour: Looke among infinite numbers of people, yea, among all the Sons of Adam, you ſhall not find one or any, any way matchable with my beloved. The Standard or Enſigne is that, under which the whole Army doe encamp, as appears, Num. 2. Here Chriſt is ſet forth above all, to be Gods Standard-bearer, to be ſet up for an Enſigne of the Nations, Iſa. 11. 10. And all the Armies in Heaven and Earth follow him, Rev. 19. 10. The Saints worſhip him, Angells they adore him, for he is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah; the firſt borne of God, ſet above all the Kings of the Earth, as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaketh.
Now in that Chriſt is ſet forth comparatively, to be more excellent then ten thouſand.
Hence Obſerve.
That as Chriſt is glorious and beautifull: ſo he is incomparable beyond all others.
Take the very quinteſſence and perfection of all creatures, and extract all the glorie out of them, and it will be nothing in compariſon to Chriſts glorie. Adam in innocency in his firſt created glorie, and morall righteouſnes, was but a type, a figure of the ſon of God. Indeed Adam had the perfection of all creatures; but Chriſt had all the perfections of God himſelfe, his wiſdome, power, goodneſſe, and glorie, Chriſt is that ſecond Adam, the Lord from heaven, the Lord of glorie, the brightneſſe of Gods face and glory, the expreſſe image of his perſon, the inviſible God, the life manifeſted, the word of God, the Alpha and Omega, this is he that is Immanuel, or God with us. Thus much for the generall diſcription of Chriſt. Now followeth that which is more particular.