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A27602
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An exposition of the divinely prophetick Song of Songs which is Solomons beginning with the reign of David and Solomon, ending in the glorious kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ / adjusted to the expositor's line of time, and illustrating it, and composed into verse by T. Beverley.
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Beverley, Thomas.
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1687
(1687)
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Wing B2143; ESTC R10740
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98,849
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88
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AN EXPOSITION OF THE Divinely Prophetick SONG OF SONGS WHICH IS SOLOMONS Beginning with the Reign of David and Solomon Ending in the Glorious Kingdom of our Lord JESUS CHRIST Adjusted to the Expositor's Line of Time and Illustrating it And Composed into VERSE By T Beverley London Printed for the Author 1687. THE PREFACE TO THE Exposition of Solomon's Song by way of Justificacation that the Exposition ought to be Prophetical THAT This Book of Holy Scripture hath been under a high Character of Honour in the Church of God and hath Imprinted an Awe and Veneration of it self upon the Minds of Wise and Holy Men is out of doubt both among Jews and Christians It is enough known that the Jews prohibit any to read it till the Sacerdotal or Thirtieth Year of Age Now though this may savor of an over Fear which in Religious Matters dwells at the next door to Superstition Yet still it shews of how sublime a Majesty and Estimation this Song appear'd to them And with the same profound Reverence all Christians approach it who have any serious Sense of the Dread due to Sacred Oracles This Thing therefore is not of any doubt But it is a Question of much greater Intricacy and Perplexity what the drift scope and design of so uncontestably a Divine and Spiritual Song is The generality of Interpreters look upon it as a Catholick seat or Universe of Allegories representing the Mystical Communion betwixt Christ and his Spouse the Church and every Believing Soul in it Now although I defer as much as Any of the most Devoted to such Holy Spiritual and Heavenly Meditations as are deriv'd with Advantages of Piety and Prudence from this stupendious Allegory Yet I cannot for this very great Reason Rest in that Expository Sentiment that makes it the grand scope of the Holy Spirit to give Rist to such Meditations And this is my Reason All parts of Scripture have some so limited determinate defined scope and end that they cannot be misled from it by any Interpretation But it cannot be imagin'd or with any semblance suppos'd that from this Song there can be drawn a Frame or Platform either of the state of the Church or of particular Souls in Relation to their Communion with Christ or of Religious Discipline or Rules of Life that should traverse and cut with variety of Motions backward and forward that so Indefinite variety that these so manifold both new and repeated Emblematisms require If then there be not a Frame and Model to stint and confine Interpretation this Song must be left to the differing Phantasies of all its Interpreters how many soever and nothing left to controll or correct them who do but keep to the general Analogy of pious Sense and natural Knowledge For when the whole Universe serves the Images of thiâ— Sacred Poesie and that every Sprig may some way resemble God It may consequently be made serviceable to some spiritual Meditation and moral Document and so proportionably seeing the Communion betwixt Christ and his Church is of the same Divine Spiritual and Holy Nature every Particle of Nature used in this Song shall be subject to as many Descants upon it as there are Ingenies to extract them agreeably to that foresaid Analogy of Faith and common Philosophy And so the Song and the several parts of it unstable as Water having no consistent Figure of their own shall receive sâ—ape from every Vessel the Interpreter brings to it But it surpasses my Understanding or Belief that so infinitely Wise and divinely Prudent an Author as the Holy Spirit should write in such a Laxity as this Known to whom are all his Works of Scripture from the beginning to the end and all the various Censures and Senses each Iota of them shall undergo and hath supreme and determinate Counsels of his own which shall Over-rule them all And so in this Song And indeed if this Liberty and Largeness of Interpretation were allowed It would yet be never possible to give any decent and congruous Agreement betwixt the Spouse of Christ and a Company of Horses in Pharaohs Chariot Teeth like a Flock of Sheep bearing Twins Eyes as Fish pools Locks bushy and black as a Raven that should express the Communion betwixt Christ and his Church without some other Key of Interpretation that keeps the whole Tight to such a Frame and Model of things as was before desir'd There are some Interpreters therefore though so very few as hardly to escape the Note of singularity and of very Venerable Name who have understood by it a portraicture of the various States through which the Kingdom of Christ hath pass'd in relation to his Church and so reciprocally of his Church in relation to his Kingdom And from these I confess I receiv'd the first Thoughts that such a Table is most agreeable to this Divine Composure And herein I am not asham'd to acknowledgde I have borrowed most light from that very Admirable Man Mr. Brightman with whom Mr. Cotton that great Light of the Church of God in New England Symbolises And yet I have retired from them in a careful Avoidance to press these Divine Figures too hard lest wringing them should bring forth Blood or to make the pursuit too far lest the Exposition should be too curious and minute For in all Prophetical Expositions I think there is most safety of Truth in resting upon the Bulk and Body of Scripture Prophecy and of History when only Humane History leads the Application but when Sacred History conducts it One may be much more bold or where the Instance is singular and notorious as in Antiochus Epiphanes And as I have retired in these particularities of Interpretation from those two by me so honoured Expositors of this Song so I have as freely dissented from them wheresoever I see Reason And upon this occasion I take liberty to make this Digression and to observe It is a very frivolous Undertaking to attempt to blâ—st the Interpretation of Prophetical Interpreters as of Mr Mede Mr. Brightman and that to me above all others most Indear'd Name of the most Learned Pious and Honoured Dr. More on Daniel and the Apocalypse and Others Because either Events have not answered their Calculations or because they differ among themselves For herein is the great Mistake Men are angry These Prophetical Expositors do not as inspired Writers give Oracles Whereas God may wonderfully and beyond the ordinary standard assist his Servants in some grand Points to bring Light into the World and to make great Efforts into the retired parts of Scripture viz. the Prophecies and yet leave them in many Particulars to the Fallibility of their own Minds and so to Mistakes For this is the Distinction betwixt the immediate Assistances of God vouchsafed to the Sacred Pen-men and Those whom he leads by the Mediation of their own Learning Search and Judgment To the one He dictates wholly from himself To the other by an Excitation of their Faculties to
Grace I stood so Fair That as a Princely Spouse with Royal Air Surround'd I Favour found And His Delight Is now to Honour me with Spousal Right Chorus A Description of the Supreme Kingdom of Christ under the Parable of Solomon's Royal Vineyard King Schelom had a Royal Vineyard plac'd So that Hamon's Name its Grandeur grac'd Princely Abundance that Great Name Imports This Schelom could not Grasp within the Efforts Of his own Eye though Greatest Wisest King With Caution therefore that each Farmer bring A thousand Silverings He Lets it out Thus to his State the Circle runs about The Fruits in Silver thus return'd supply By Right th' Expence of Schelom's Dignity The King While This some shade to th' Royal Vineyard gives That I call Mine as Paint gives to what Lives How Dark yet and how Dead are still the Lines How short of the Great Life For my True Vines With their whole Plat are always in my Eye Each Keeper that I place I will stand by And by my Eye Guide All No Errour shall So much as in a Point this State Appall For as my Saints alike my Vineyard keep So I Them All whose Eye 's ne're chain'd by sleep Chorus The Thousand then whole Glories perfect Sum To Thee the Great the Schelom True must Come Two Hundred without hazard Run Reward Those Thou acceptest as thy Vineyards Guard Now as the Parrity Aggrands the Rate So that no Loss can be Blesses the State How Royal is't that the chief Shepherds Ten Two as reward Communicates For when Old Salem's Priest-hood Decimate but one In Ten to a Community the Tone Of Bless'd Salem's Priests is stretch'd alike And to each Saint twice one in ten doth strike For when Ten Hundred to the King doth Rise Two Hundred to each Saint He doth demise For ev'ry Saint's a Priest and keeps the Vine Himself The Vineyard by an equall Line Rises from every Vine So the Reward Runs Equal to this Equal Priestly Guard This is Essential Glory yet Degrees May vary as in Light the Stars One sees The King Oh Thou that in the Gardens yet dost Dwell Which to Mount Paradise of God shall swell In Beauty and in Fruits Now Now that All Is thus prepar'd My Spouse I 'de hear thy Call Ecchoed by every Saint in Harmonie And then I Come I quickly Come to Thee The Spouse My Voice Lord Jesus Thou shalt hear thy Bride One Spirit Tunes to say with Holy Pride At such a Day Approaching Come yea Come As youthful Harts and Roes on Hills do Roame With Bounds so Quick that ev'ry where They'reseen Thou on the Spicy Mount without all screen Of shade be seen let no Dark Spot appear Unguilded by thy Lightning Quick each where So let the Redolency of thy Air Perfume each Point and no Ill Blast empair Those sweetest Breaths Now be there no Delay Haste thee Lord Jesus Come yea Come Away Thee to Annoint the Mount of Spices Grows And to an Endless Royal UNGUENT Flows THE EXPOSITOR'S CONCLUSION THough not in Babel's Land but Babel's Times This Sion's Song I sing As its sweet Chimes I Skill not to Tune High So the Repike Of untun'd Ears its True sounds back do strike With Disacceptance But One Decad more Of Years to Light springs Prophecies deep store Then will a New Composure soon Enflame Each Salem's Daughter to Rechant the same Then I Great Schelom's Humble Poet whom Contempt now Locks into a silent Tomb Shall by the Comment of those Brighter Days Rise better Understood and Crown'd with Bays This in Diviner Warmths I dare Predict And if before that Time My Soul 's Relic't Lye down On it This Epitaph let Sit IN PROPHECY ON SONG OF SONGS HE WRITT To Him be Glory by Jesus Christ for Ever Amen FINIS The end of the 70 years * At Cyrus his first year the same 3459 when began Daniels 2300 Even Morn and after 75 years of the words going forth the 70 weeks of years The same 33. and 34 years The beginning of the 1260 Days It is done It is done Christ says The Answer of all Notes explaining the Senſe. a Christ is plainly the Truth of what Solomon was the Shadow or Image And his Wives both Jewish and of the Gentiles most especially Pharaohs Daughter are fit Emblems of the Church Notes explaining the Senſe. b A Prayer for the Assistance of the Divine Spirit in so mystical a Book Notes explaining Words. 1 Solomon from the Hebrew Schelomoh Notes explaining the Senſe. c Allow this a Prophecy as undoubtedly it must as hath been set out in the Preface and it must be above all the Names of Prophecy in the world Notes explaining Words. 2 The great Pagan Prophetess suppos'd yet to foretell Christ Notes explaining Words. 3 Heathen Oracles struck dumb by Christ the Great Pan or Shepherd as Plutarch witnesseth Rev. 19. 9. Notes explaining the Senſe. d It runs from David to Christs Supreme Kingdom Notes explaining Words. 1 Holy Veils or Likenesses in Parables Notes explaining Words. 2 Make famous Notes explaining the Senſe. e The Song hath great Sense even where the Types are lowest and plainest Notes explaining Words. 3 Full of Sense Notes explaining the Senſe. f There is by the several words used My Love or Beloved by the Spouse my Love or Companion Spouse Sister Spouse by Christ and Persons of a Third or middle betwixt both and calling Christ the King a plain distinction of the Persons viz. The Spouse of the King the King the Chorus or Quire of Saints g The kisses of Christ's Lips are a most proper Emblem of David's time because David was so eminent a Prophet and King and the Pen-man of so excellent a Book of Scripture so full of Divine Truth as the Book of Psalms wherein are also so great discoveries of Christ's Kingdom Notes explaining Words. 4 or Quire Notes explaining Words. 5 Grieves with Notes explaining Words. 6 Rejoyces with Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth Notes explaining Words. 7 A rich Drink Notes explaining Words. 8 Flowes out Thy Love is better than Wine Notes explaining Words. 9 Mutual Discourses Because of the Savour of thy Good Oyntments Notes explaining Words. 1 Christ Dan. 9. 25. Notes explaining Words. 2 nam'd Notes explaining the Senſe. h This Symbol also of Oyntments is most proper to David God's Annointed whose Anointing with holy Oyl and to an Everlasting Kingdom is so often mention'd in Scripture from which Annointing Saul was rejected Now all this referrs to Christ the true Prince David or Messiah whom David though his Son in spirit calls Lord. Thy Name is as Oyntment poured out Notes explaining Words. 3 Small Motes flying from Bodies Notes explaining the Senſe. i An Emblem of which were those Songs of the Women Saul hath kill'd his thousands and David his ten thousands 1 Sam. 18. 7. k Solomon a Prince of Peace had this the great Glory of his Reign That he built the Temple elegantly here call'd Chambers viz. of Love and State l Wine is an Empharical Symbol or Representation of the Dedication of the Temple with those magnificent Feasts The remembring of the Love of Christ more than Wine implies Solomon's Fall into Idolatry and yet the sincere