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A15991
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Three partes of Salomon his Song of Songs, expounded The first part printed before: but now re-printed and enlarged. The second and third partes neuer printed before. All which parts are here expounded and applied for the readers good. By Henoch Clapham.; Bible. O.T. Song of Solomon. English. Clapham.
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Clapham, Henoch.
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1603
(1603)
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STC 2772; ESTC S116334
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255,503
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332
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his wayes are past finding out For if the Creature could swallow vp all the reason of the Creator God should be finite and God no God The most learned reason the most plaine and readie reason the soberest reason of God his electing reprobating or acting whatsoeuer is this God so willeth or it is because God so wil. An answer soone learned and as readily made and being put in practise it shall stay much babling and vaine iangling that destroies but the hearers As God did choose vs and freely seale vs vp in Christ the rock of our saluation before all time so in time he calls vs and comfortably speaketh vnto vs. Not entitling vs according to that we are in ourselues but as we are in him In our selues a serpentine brood but in him Doues by litle climing towards our head as doues by steps and staires do ascend the Rocke Lect. VII SHew me thy face Hauing awaked his Loue he now exhorteth to shewe her face vnto him or more neere to the hebrue shew thy countenance vnto me Quid eniim per faciem nisi fidem qua à deo cognoscimur what can we vnderstand by the face but faith seeing by it wee are knowne of God Shew me thy Faith saith GOD shew mee thy faith by workes saith man God taketh knowledge of vs face to face when we apprehend Messiah by Faith And for this cause Saint Paul teacheth iustification freely by faith seeing by that we haue peace with God Rom. 5.1 Man taketh knowledge of vs by workes and therefore Saint Iames who was but a man saith Shew me thy faith by workes The first we call internall the second externall iustification the first iustification with God the second with man If thou wouldst be iustified with man first labour thy iustification with God So did Zacheus when he said Behold Lord and so did Isaiah when standing forth with his children he cried Behold and so did the poore man in the gospel when he cried Lord I beleeue If thou canst shew thy countenance boldly to God then neuer feare the face of man And how can we shew our face to God by first being quickened in Christ and at vnion with him by faith for hee it is alone in whome the Father is well pleased Heare him shew thy face to him and he will comfortably shew vs the father for none comes to the father but by him And did we but know the benefiâ—e ensuing our standing bâ—fore his face he should not neede twise to say vnto vs Shâ—w me thy face We cannot shew our face to him but wee shall see the face of him And that which is more while we behold the Glory of Messiah with open face wee are changed into the same Image from glory to glory as by the spirit of the Lord 2. Cor. 3.18 that is whilst by the eye of faith we contemplate Messiah we are turned not into Messiah but into his glorious Image And this conuersion not by any naturall hand but by the operation of the Lords spirit But here this question may be propounded Seeing the Elect are alwayes seene of Christ how comes it that here he craues their sight I answer He desires not her sight in regard of Election bxt of Iustification which is alone by faith as afore For though Paul was elect before time yet had he not faith but in time And that time of his iustification by faith did appeare together with the Ghospels spring-time The Church of the Gentiles had her election euer sealed vp in Christ but shee had not euer faith in Christ. He therefore here desireth his loue to shew her countenance which sometimes appeared not that is to shew the precious effect of faith which alwayes was hers in posse in regard of Gods dâ—cree but not in Esse in present habite or possession Cause me to heare thy voyce What voyce is this which he so desireth to heare Is it the voyce of blasphemie of taking God his name in vaine the voyce of vncleanenesse of haeresie of cursing No Messiah delights not in that voyce Whâ—t then is it euen that voyce which is effected in her by his owne holy spirit As the voyce of preaching his glorious workes the voice of singâ—ng Psalmes hymnes and spirituall songs But speciallie the voyce of sad-glad prayer like to the ioyous swâ—et mourning note of the Doue in the presâ—nce of her mate Sinneâ—addes â—addes this voyce but Faith glads it Sinnâ— drawes his notes downe and sin is the burden of this Song but fâ—ith in Christ carries vp the notes aloft piercing the eare of the highest With this Douelike voyce Messiah is so affected as he entreats his Church to cause him to heare her voyce quasidicat Though I should sâ—eme not to heare thee at the first or second or moe times yeâ— cease not to pray pray continually and pray feruently like to the poore widdow that stil importuned the Iudge the more we pray the more we may and the more he would like to a father who seemeth not to heare his childe because he would much heare the Child seeming to eye another thing when he will indeed not heare any other thing nor eie any other thing with delectation The reason of the one and the other followeth For thy voyce is sweet and thy countenance comely First for the voyce it must needes delight because it is sweet melodious delightsome and piercing Nor maruell seeing all such voyce is the effect of the Holy-ghost the very spirit of Messiah and there must needes be sweet and pleasant to Messiah Would the Lord haue put Dauid so much to prayer had not prayer beene sweet to the Lord Would the heauenly Father haue put his owne Sonne so much to prayer had not his prayer beene as sweet odours continually ascending And would the Holy-ghost haue taught vs Continually to pray to watch in prayer in all things to giue thanks but he knew that the Father and Son did sweetly affect prayer And as the voice of prayer so the voice of reading singing and speaking as the words of God they be all as before hath beene cleared sacrifices of sweet sauour vnto God Chrysostome hauing praised spirituall song he addeth This I speake not to the end that you should onely praise spirituall Songs but to the end you should teach your children and wiues to sing such songs not only in knitting or doing of other worke but specially at the table And of the whole Clemens Alexandrinus writes thus Vniversa eius vita speaking de homine cognit praedito est quidam celebris ac sanctus dies festus Atque ei quidem sacrificia sunt ipsae precâ—s laudes quae ante cibum fiunt scripturarum lectiones psalmi autem hymni dum cibus sumitur antequam eatur cubitum quinetiam noctu rursus orationes A man indued with knowledge his whole life is a certaine honourable and holy festiuall day His sacrifices are very prayers and
first in this assertion for thy voice is sweete Secondly in that conclusion and thy face is comely Now to the Exhortation and his parts My Dove In chap. 1.15 I haue obserued certaine properties of the Doue and hererafter shall haue occasion to adde some other things Heere onely I note Messiahs amiable conceipt of his Church who euen before she appeareth openly is no lesse his Loue then after For as the word Doue expresseth Loue so the word of application My argueth neere loue Which as it ministreth comfort to the Elect euen when their innocencie and simplicitie of spirit is hid in the Rockes cliffes from the eye of men so it further may cause vs to re-eccho Saith Christ to thy soule My loue let thy soule turne backe as by Eccho the same note My loue as Mary hauing hold of Christes feete cryed Rabboni my Lord and Thomas hauing grapled the woundes of Iesus did cry My Lord and my God For the place of this doues mansion here it is The holes of the Rocke c. Some take that here is intended the Churches station or biding plot in the day of persecution who then hideth hir selfe from the sword as a Doue hideth her selfe in the Rockes But that cannot be the proper doctrine here intended all the former ground of this Act remembred A certaine Rabbine vnderstands it of the straits before and behind whereinto the church is driuen hauing the enemie before and behinde the seas before Israel and Pharaohs chariots behinde like to the Doues estate who flying the cruell hawke doth put her body into some Rocks slifter not daring to looke out because of her aduersary without nor daring to creepe much inwards because of the serpent within who lieth hissing against her And this is a double persecution persecution without persecution within Into such straits the faithfull are often driuen and the Lord deliuereth them out of these tentations Othersome as Barnard doe vnderstand this Rocke mystically to imply Christ and the holes to signifie the wounds of Iesus That Christ is the Churches rocke of saluation the Psalmist many times expresseth and is of Saint Paul in 1. Cor. 10.4 plainely expounded But for the holes or caâ—ernes in the Rockes wherein the Elect doe lodge before the Gospels spring euen all the time of the Legall winter they by apt proportion doe rather insinuate the secret councels of God sealed vp in Christ touching the Gentiles eternall election and calling As the Gentiles after their calling are said to be in Christ 1. Cor. 3.1 Ephes. 1.1 and their life hid in Christ Coloss. 3.2 so their election in him according to that of the Apostle Hee namely the Father hath elected vs in him that is in Christ last before mentioned and this before the foundation of the world And saith the same Apostle to the Galatians chap. 3.23 Before faith came that is before the gospels spring We euen Iew and Gentile after a sort were kept vnder the Lawe and shut vp vnto the faith which should afterward be reuealed namely what time the gentiles secretly elected in Christ should publikely be called by the ministerie of Faith Thus the church elected in Christ had hir abode euen before hir caling in Christ yea within the secret stairs lodging pâ—aces of Christ. Euery elect soule there had her place like to a simple innocent Doue in the secret cabines of a Rocke What is the cause of finall glorification present Iustfication What the cause of iustification our effectuall calling What the cause of that calling Election termed also praedestination Whom God hath predestinate them also he called whom hee called them also he iustified and whom hee iustified them also he glorified And so Election is cause of our calling of our iustification glorification But what is the cause of such Election The Rhemists answere good workes Bellarmine maketh a flatte contrary answere lib. 2. cap. 10. de grat saying Electos esse Gratis ante omnem operum praeuisionem Men are elected Gratis that is freely before all foresight of workes Whether of these factions conclude rightly Let vs examine that The Rhemists will haue God to elect man in respect of good workes which hee foresees shall be in that man that is he elects before all time in respect of good workes which shal be in time An opinion voide of common sense that the effect of Election should be the cause of Election that the latter should be the cause of the former That Election is the cause of good workes the Apostle witnesseth saying He hath elected vs in him c. that we should be holy election so the cause of holynesse as the tree going before is cause of the good fruite which commeth after not contrariwise And for this cause the Apostle in Rom. 9.11 calleth it Election not by workes that is without respects of workes introducing to that purpose the electing of Iaakob before hee had done any good Bellarmine so hath the better in concluding that God electeth freely without respect of anie foreseene workes But wil we haue a direct answere from scripture touching the cause of Election The Apostle saith it is The good pleasure of his will who worketh all things after the councell of his owne will Ephe. 15.11 Who will haue mercy on whome he will shew mercy Rom. 9.15.18 So that there is the hiest cause of our election his owne will And therfore well said of Lombard Elegit â—os quos Voluit gratuita misericordia non quia sideles futuri erant sed vt fideles essent God elected those whome he would of his free mercie not because they were to become faithfull but to the end they might become faithfull Ait enim Apostolus misericordiam consecutus sum vt fidelis essem non ait quia fidelis eram for the Apostle saith I haue obtained mercy to the end I might be faithfull hee saieth not because I was faithfull Nor can the nature of God be knowen for onely Actiue and God in all things Agent but it straight teacheth vs to belieue that he dooth all things without all outward respect If any thing in the creature should simply moue or bend his Will then God should bee Passiue hee should suffer man to worke on him which were to make the Creator a Creature and the Creature therein greater than God But the curiositie of mans bottomelesse pitte will somtimes inquire the cause why God so will specially will reprobate Thereto I may thus answere with Austin If I could find out the cause of his will wouldst thou not then enquire for the cause of that cause And so when shoulde there be an end of enquiring But for staying of mans curiositie in such a profound mysterie I thus say with S. Paul in Rom. 9.20 Oh man who art thou which pleads against God Shall the Pot rise vp and demaund why the Potter so willeth Rather with the Apostle in another place conclude admiring O the deepenesse