the children of Moab and Ammon and mount Seir gathered themselves together against the children of Israel in Engedi for by the ministry of Jehaziel he made Jehosaphat and his people First more strong in faith to rest on God and his word Secondly more lively and heartily to praise God yea and hee saved them from their enemies themselves not striking a stroke though their enemies the breed of the old Serpent put them before in great feare Behold thou art faire my love behold thou art faire The doubling of the words expresseth the superlative degree by an usuall Hebraisme faire faire that is very faire which sheweth the estate of the Church in Hezekiahs time who returned and set the Priests and Levites in their courses restored their burnt sacrifices and oblations sanctified the Priests called all the people to the Passeover prayed for their healing tooke away all the Images groves and high places Thou hast Doves eyes That is chast and loathing uncleanesse as Pliny reports the Doves to be Hezekiah loathed even the monuments of Idolatrie even the brazen Serpent though sometimes Gods ordinance when once the people went a whoring after it So by this means abuses crept into the Church in the dayes of Joram Uzziah Jotham Ahaz are not recorded till they come to be cleansed lest the joy of the marriage song should be darkened by the mention of so sad occurrences whence also it is that the abuses that crept in after the death of Hezekiah in the dayes of Manasseth and Ammon are not mentioned till their cleansing came recorded in the dayes of Josiah Behold thou art faire my beloved yea pleasant also our bed is greene This is the estate of the Church in the dayes of good Josiah who reformed it to the like estate of purity and beauty as in the daies of Hezekiah yea in this hee exceeded him in taking away the high places which Salomon had built for his wives Idols as also some other corruptions of Ahaz ver 12. and besides hee made all the people to worship the Lord onely and to serve him Yea pleasant It being more then faire so young a man to worke so great a worke of reformation Our bed is greene The house of God was the temple the bed in the house were the ordinances of God wherein God was wont familiarly to embrace his spouse and she him These in Josiahs time flourished in greatest purity so that there was no Passeover like unto his Our bed is greene It is an allusion to the spring time when the worship of God began to flourish againe after a winter time of myrie and dirtie pollutions The beames of our house are Cedar and our Rafters or Walls or Galleries of Firre These words set out the beauty of the Church in regard of the repaires of the Temple made by Josiah The use is to observe the severall beauties and ornaments of the Church which are Use 1 First to enjoy each ordinance of God in his ranke and place It is as if the cheekes or open face of the Church were decked with rowes of jewels Jeroboam made Priests of the basest of the people and such defect or corruption of Gods ordinances is a blemish conspicuous in the face of the Church Use 2 Secondly good Kings ought to put upon their people wholesome Lawes and strait blinding to the purity of Religion and the worship of God It is no impeachment to their Christian liberty as Anabaptists dote but an ornament to their beautie making their neckes comely as with chaines of gold It was the commandement of Asa Whosoever would not seeke the Lord God of Israel should be put to death And Josiah tooke away all the abominations out of all the Countries that pertained to the Children of Israel and made all that were present to serve even to serve the Lord their God Use 3 Thirdly people to be ready to binde themselves by solemne covenant and oath to keepe such Lawes and to assist their Princes in cleansing their uttermost borders and corners of the kingdome from Superstition and Idolatrie and it is no impeachment of Christian liberty to bow to Christian Lawes yea it is the beauty of a Christian Church to weare those chaines those Lawes which were made for the good of the Church and it was their profanesse and rebellion that say Let us breake their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us Use 4 Fourthly Princes to send forth savoury and gracious Ministers into all quarters of their dominions that all their people may taste and feele how sweet the preaching of the word is This is the ornament of a Church when Christian Princes so provide that all places may be furnished with preaching Ministers this is to open a box of Spikenard that the smell thereof may flow forth but to leave them relished with the dregs of Superstition this is a blemish Use 5 Fifthly to see that the nobles and Magistrates countenance Priests and Levites and by their authority to give the free passage to the word and to prevent dissturbances which else might be offered to Ministers in their Churches yea all Magistrates to prevent corruptions in matters whether of Religion or Civill Justice is as if a bundle of Myrrhe should lodge in the breasts of the Church Use 6 Sixthly the Lord Jesus to refresh and strengthen the hearts and spirits of his people in publicke calamities and to save them from the malignity and venome thereof he is then as a cluster of Camphire to the Church in the vineyards of Engedi as he was to Jehosaphat and his people when they knew not what to doe Christ is an ornament and encourageth both Priest Prophet and Prince to sing a Psalm of Thanks-giving And suppose enemies should be as a cluster in the border of the Church how easie a thing is it for God to strengthen and be as a cluster of Camphire to strengthen encourage them against these biting Serpents Use 7 Seventhly not to foster and tolerate inveterate corruptions though received from worthy Ancestors but to hate all abuses in Gods worship even the very monuments of Idolatrie and to take them away as Hezekiah did the brazen Serpent and to set each ordinance of God in his place the Church then is very faire she hath Doves eyes Use 8 Eighthly young Princes to begin betimes to lift up their hearts to redresse abuses in the Church to imitate the best of their predecessors yea and to go beyond them as Josiah did and to restore Gods worship to her native beauty and integrity It is a faire yea a pleasant thing to behold this forwardnesse in any much more in young Princes Use 9 Ninthly to enjoy the worship of God purged from all Superstition Idolatrie and from all devices of men it is as if a bed were greene fresh flourishing and fruitfull In such worship Christ
their suburbs and possessions Christ calleth those the fairest among women who here enquire after him and sell all to follow him so these that want means of salvation at home are desirous to seeke after them and where they finde them there they goe and part with any thing to enjoy the purity of Gods worship and ordinances these in Gods account are the worthiest Christians Use 8 Eighthly here is shewed two marks of the true Chruch of God doe any doubt whether God be God or Baal and doe halt betweene two opinions not knowing whether to joyne with Rome or England Goe then out by the footsteps of the flocks where the faithfull hearing Christs voice resort and will not heare any voyce but Christs follow those now times are such blessed be God as every one may finde out where the Church is but in the case of blacknesse and darknesse enquire then First for such as will heare no voyce but Christs and follow then the footsteps of the flocke see where they feed there joyne your selves Secondly where you finde faithfull ministers Priests as Aarons sonnes and Levites anointed with heavenly graces Thither carry your kids there plant your families to bee fed under such shepheards Use 9 Lastly wee may see here when the Church neglects Gods service God gives her up to the service of forraine Princes to draw as horses in Pharaoh chariots And yet being humbled for this God will have mercy on her and so dispose of it that her service shall not be base for God will make them to draw his yoke though they draw it in the yoke of forraine Princes as Rehoboam and his people did Thy cheeks are comely with rowes of jewels the estate of the Church is here described as it was in the dayes of Abijam in these words Thy cheeks are comely with Jewels and as it was in the dayes of Asa both in the same words and in the words following to the end of the eleventh verse Thy cheeks that is the outward face of the Church are comely with rowes of Jewels that is with keeping their right place and order and manner of Gods owne ordinances This Abijam proclaimeth himselfe to all the house of Israel But as for us saith he the Lord is our God wee have not for saken him the Priests which minister unto the Lord are the sonnes of Aaron and the Levites wait upon that businesse and they burne unto the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense the Shew bread also they set in order upon the pure table It was not so with the House of Israel * though Abijahs heart was not so upright as Davids yet the outward face of the Church her cheeks as it were were comely with the orderly keeping and observing the ordinances of God yea and comely also was the face of the Church looking up to God in distresse which moved him to deliver you from Jeroboam Thy necke with chaines of Gold Chaines of gold are wholsome lawes binding like chaines to keep the worship of God and true Religion pure as gold such Lawes are called chaines This was done in the dayes of Asa when hee removed the Altars of the strange gods pulling downe the high places breaking the Images and cutting downe the groves commanded Judah to seeke the Lord God of their fathers and the people willingly submitted themselves to enter into a covenant or law that upon paine of death all the people should seeke the Lord onely Wee will make thee This sheweth the forwardnesse of the people to joyne with Asa in reforming Religion and adorning the Church as is recorded Borders of gold That is the borders of the kingdome pure as gold by clensing and putting away all the Idols out of all quarters of Judah yea and of Benjamin also and mount Ephraim the very skirts and frontiers and borders of the kingdome Studs of silver In works of gold are such eminent knobs as adorne the works with variety of colours and metall and workmanship Such like eminent works which did adorn Asahs reformation of the Church even to the very borders were these three First his renewing of the Altars of the Lord before the Porch Secondly the deposing of his mother from her Regency for her Idolatrie sake and defacing her Idoll Thirdly the consecrating and bringing into Gods house his fathers and his owne dedicated Vessels of gold and silver While the King sitteth at his table That is whiles Jehosaphat sits at rest and peace refreshing himselfe at home God establishing his kingdome in his hand and giving him riches and honours in abundance My spikenard An ointment of all others most precious of all other spices spikenard is of greatest estimation This the Apostle John calleth very costly wherewith our Saviour Christ was annointed by Mary By spikenard is here meant the preaching of the word which is of all savours the most precious even the savour of life unto life When Jehosaphat was established in rest and peace he sent forth the Priests and Levites to carrie the sweet savour of the word throughout all the cities of Judah A bundle of Myrrhe Myrrhe is an odoriferous tree that sweateth out a sweete gumme called Stacte which is preferred before all others This gumme is also called from the tree Myrrhe his smell is strong and fragrant and fit to preserve from putrefaction and it is of much use in embalming and God himselfe recounteth it amongst the principall spices Betweene my breasts The breasts are those that give milke The sincere milke of the word to the Churches children to wit the Priests and Levites These when Jehosaphat sent forth to give milk to the cities of Judah hee sent with them a company of Noble men Religious Princes who added the more authority to the Priests and Levites and are therefore themselves said to teach in the cities of Judah Thus these Princes were as a bundle of Myrrhe amongst the Priests and the Levites to decide all controversies amongst the people both in matters concerning God and the King to preserve the people and one another free from corruption in all matters whether of Religion or civil Justice Yea and Jehoshaphat himselfe representing Christ the Churches wellbeloved upon earth he rested in the bosome of the Church as a bundle of Myrrhe sweet and strongly preserving the people from corruption from Beersheba to mount Ephraim hee went about throughout all the people to bring them backe againe to the purity of Gods worship As a cluster of Camphire Camphire is a shrub for smell like unto Spikenard wasting the obstruction of the spleene and by the very smell of it making men vegestiores and firmiores more lively and more strong yea and available also against the biteing of serpents such was Christ to his Church when
navell c. The navell and belly are both hidden parts not conspicuous to them without and therefore set forth the two Mysteries or Sacraments of the Church Baptisme and the Lords Supper The Navell serving for the nourishing of the Infant in the wombe resembleth Baptisme nourishing Infants and new borne babes in the wombe of the Church It wanteth not liquor First of the blood of Christ to justifie us from sin Secondly of the Spirit of Christ to sanctifie and cleanse us from sin The belly to wit the Lords Supper is as an heape of wheat for store of excellent and sweet and fine nourishment set about with lillies because onely the faithfull pure Christians shall bee admitted to partake in that Sacrament The Lords Table shall not bee set about with weeds prophane and scandalous sinners but with Lillies worthy Communicants Thy two brests the Teachers of that Church are like two young Roes For their agility skipping up and down to suckle the converts implying that the first Ministry of the Jewes at the conversion of that people shall rather be as the Evangelists bound to no certain place than as Pastors fixed to any setled Congregation which yet outwardly they shall be That are twins First for their likenesse in disposition Secondly brotherly equality Thy neck is as a Tower of Ivory thine eyes like the fish pooles in Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus Thy neck is as a tower of Ivory The neck as above is the faith of the Church joyning Christ his Church together as the neck doth the head and body As a tower for strength of Ivory for preciousnesse for which faith is commended Thine eyes are like the fish pooles in Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim For the abundance of water meaning teachers that they shall yeeld even tears of Repentance at their conversion partly for the great wrong they had done our Saviour partly to consider the unspeakable and undeserved kindnesse of God towards them Thy nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus There was a double house of the forrest of Lebanon the one in Ierusalem built by Solomon so called by way of resemblance In which hee put his golden shields whence Shishak taking them is said to take them out of Ierusalem of this house speaketh Isaiah Isa 22. 8. There was another house built in the forrest of Lebanon as appeareth by this place which is said to looke toward Damascus to distinguish it from the other which is in Ierusalem Lebanon it selfe stood in the utmost Confines of Israel Northward towards Syria and therefore this house built in Lebanon is said to looke toward Damascus the chiefe City of Syria Now Lebanon being full of all manner of sweet and fragrant trees and shrubs and spices the Tower built in Lebanon must needs be compassed with the sweet smelling odours to the great refreshing and delight of such as should lodge in it Hence the nose of this pure Church is compared to this Tower because they that dwell in this Church shall bee wonderfully refreshed with the sweet odours of the Ministry which is the sweet savour of life unto life as also with the savoury conference of good Christians and their faithfull and godly conversation Thine head upon thee is like Carmel and the haire of thine head like purple the King is held in the galleries Thine head upon thee is like Carmel Carmel excelled for fruit and fulnesse in feeding Cattell and therefore is reckoned with Lebanon and Sharon and Bashan famous for fertility The head of the Church under Christ is the Civill Magistrate The meaning then is that the Magistrate of this Church shall yeeld store of sound and sweet nourishment to the people by giving and maintaining free passage to each holy Ordinance of God and also by wholsome Lawes and lastly by good example of godly life The haire of thy head like purple The haire whether it bee the common Christians of the Church that hang upon Christ or the Officers or Servants that hang upon the Magistrates of that Church they are like purple First not onely died in crimson blood of Christ Secondly but also of a royall hue as purple is a princely die all of them as Princes The Officers and Exacters shall bee Peace and Righteousnesse These Officers shall not basely sharke for bribes nor exact for fees nor oppresse for filthy lucre nor pick holes in mens estates to trouble the people and enrich themselves but like purple-clothed Princes be like their Ministers and honour both their Ministers and themselves with Peace and Righteousnesse The King is held in the Rafters For so the word is turned before where the Rafters were understood partly of the Temple Held is alwaies to my remembrance used for holding by constraint bound as a Prisoner The meaning may be then That the King or chiefe Magistrate is bound to bee present at the Ordinances of God in the Temple as any other private Christian which is foretold expresly of this Church when the people goe into the Temple the Prince is commanded to goe in with them when they goe out he shall goe out with them together he shall come in with the first and go out with the last Or what if it imply that their greatest Magistrates shall submit themselves to bee bound with the censures of the Church according to that where the Psalmist telleth of binding of Kings with the Ordinances of God in the Church And Isaiah foretelleth that Kings and Queenes shall bow downe their faces towards the earth unto the Church and licke the dust of their feet both their interpretations stand well together Vse 1 First this doth shew us how to come and appeare beautifull in the eyes of the Lord Jesus which is when wee turne our feet from the estate and wayes and bondage of sin and Satan and come out of the captivity into the liberty of his children when wee claime our Inheritance of the Kingdome of heaven seeking after it above all earthly blessings and walking towards it when we walke confidently in a Christian course then Christ admireth our beauty How beautifull are thy goings with shooes O Princes daughter Yea Christ then esteemeth us as Princes children what matter then if foolish Men account us Peasants and our going with shooes as straight in the instep but wee stand not nor fall not to their judgements but to his who shall judge us to eternall happinesse or misery at the last day He word must stand when eeaven and earth shall fall If he account us vessels of honour we are so indeed who is it that dishonoureth us If men should cast a vessell of gold or silver into the mire and trample upon it yet the vessell is still a vessell of honour good and rich and precious the mire may easily
spirit then are we as Doves unto Jesus Christ Vse 3 A third Use to direct and instruct Ministers and people how to approve themselves and their Congregations in best sort unto Christ Let not Ministers thrust themselves upon their people against their consents but let their people freely accept them and comfortably maintaine them Let the Ministers bee faithfull in dispensing Gods Ordinances and the people obedient to give up themselves to Christ and his truth till both grow up to heavenly and holy purity of worship and life so shall our Congregations bee as Queenes and Doves to Jesus Christ Vse 4 A fourth Use may be to encourage men to wayes of spotlesse Innocency they are not disgracefull but blessed of the Faithfull and praised even of them that are without Vse 5 Fifthly to reprove the children of the separation who reproach the Church in stead of blessing or praising them Vse 6 Sixthly this may teach us to expect a powerfull and glorious calling of the Jewes in all the particulars before described say they bee now as Gideons Fleece dry when the Gentiles are moystned with heavenly dew they shall againe be moystened when we shall seeme dry in comparison of them Though Leah step first into Iacobs Bed and so the lesse comely Church of the Gentiles into the fellowship with Christ yet the Church of the Iewes as beautifull as Rachel shall in the end finde fellowship with Christ The glory of their calling appeares in the Text because the holy Ghost describes her by comparisons not fetched from earthly flowers or metals or jewels but from heavenly lights the Morning Moone Sunne It appeareth further in their unexpected and free readinesse to embrace Christ The power of their calling appears in their earnestnesse and zeale of their Ministry in breaking the hard shell of their hearts wherewith they were formerly inclosed ver 11. In stirring them up to fight manfully and terribly Gods battels against the enimies of the Church ver 13. The Lord speedily hasten the comming of this Shulamite that we may behold her Amen THE CANTICLES OR SONG OF SONGS opened and explained THE TEXT CHAP. 7. HOw beautifull are thy feet with shooes O Princes daughter the joynts of thy thighes are like Jewels the work of the hands of a cunning workman verse 2 Thy navell is like a round goblet which wanteth not liquor thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lillies verse 3 Thy two brests are like two young Roes that are twins verse 4 Thy necke is as a tower of Ivory thine eyes like the fish pooles in Heshbon by the gate of Bath-rabbim thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus verse 5 Thine head upon thee is like Carmel and the haire of thine head like purple the King is held in the galleries verse 6 How fair and how pleasant art thou O love for delights verse 7 This thy stature is like to a palm tree and thy brests to clusters of grapes verse 8 I said I will goe up to the palme tree I will take hold of the boughes thereof now also thy brests shall be as clusters of the vine and the smell of thy nose like apples verse 9 And the roofe of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved that goeth downe sweetly causing the lips of those that are asleep to speake verse 10 I am my beloveds and his desire is towards me verse 11 Come my beloved let us goeforth into the field let us lodge in the villages verse 12 Let us get up early to the vineyards let us see if the vine flourish whether the tender grape appear and the pomegranats bud forth there will I give thee my loves verse 13 The mandrakes give a smell and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits new and old which I have laid up for thee O my beloved THis Chapter to the end of the fourth ver of the eighth Chapter describeth a fourfold estate of the Iewish Church When they shall come to be converted unto the Lord to wit First as it shall be in gathering and growing up v. 1. 5. Secondly as it shall be growne up to her Stature and Maturity v. 6 7. Thirdly as it shall be further enlarged by the accesse of the Gentiles ver 8. 10. Fourthly as it shall multiply and stretch it selfe into the Country villages and throughout the Land of Israel v. 11. v. 4. of Chap. 8. That in ver 11. the Church inviteth Christ and with him her selfe to have recourse into the Country Villages is plaine in the words of the former verses which set forth a threefold estate of the Shulamite converted is evident by the Repetition of the verses ver 3. 7. 8. and all with some difference and the brests are so described ver 3. and set forth an unsetled Ministry quickly stirring up and downe to gather this Church and the scattered Members of it This Church then in gathering is described by ten parts Feet Ioynts of Thighes Navell Belly Brests Necke Eyes Nose Head Haire How beautifull are thy feet with shooes O Princes daughter the joynts of thy thighes are like Iewels the work of the hands of a cunning workman How beautifull are thy feet with shooes O Princes daughter In her feet shod with shooes there is a threefold beauty for it implyeth First her returne out of captivity as on the contrary bare feet is a signe of going into Captivity Secondly her challenging and recovery of her last Inheritance in Israel Ruth 4. 7 8. Thirdly her walking in that peace of conscience which the Gospel prepareth whereas he that walketh barefoot either gathereth a thick brawny skin upon the soles of his feet or if his feet bee more tender hee pricketh them ever and anon with thornes or little sharpe stones as scruples a conscience not furnished with true peace either waxeth senselesse and brawny or else scrupulous anxious all the three things are beautifull and glorious as on the contrary it is a great disturbance and deformity to goe into captivity to sell and foregoe a mans Inheritance to walke unquietly and uncomfortably and if it bee beautifull and glorious to returne out of bodily captivity and to recover the earthly Inheritance how much more is it together with these outward things to joyne a returne out of spirituall captivity and recovery of an everlasting Inheritance as the Iewes shall doe at their conversion O Princes daughter So called First because they are born of God the Prince of Princes Secondly the Iewes converted shall be of much glory and authority even as the Kings of the Earth The joynts of thy thighes c. The word signifies whole bones of the thighes they for their apt and ready turning in their conversion to God are like well wrought pretious Iewels the work of the hand of God the Spirituall workman of all the works of the Church Thy navell c. thy belly is like the