a ſweet ſmelling ſavour to God and Men,and which there, and rhere on'y,are poured forth. Thus Chriſt direCts his Bride, to wir, parti- cular Believers,where they may find and enjoy him, namely in his Church and Ordinagces.
thee c.
b Itis needleſs to mention the ſeveral beauties of all thy parts,for in one word thou art wholly beautiful,and it may be ſaid moretruly of thee than it ws of Ablalom,z2 Sam. 14. 25. that from the ſole of thy Foot to the crown of thy Head there is no blemiſh in thee c Which 3s not to be underſtood ſimply and abſolutely,as if the Peo- ple of God were really perfe&t, and free from all ſin, bur either x. Comparatively, no ſuch ſpot or blemith as is in wicked Men, or, as is incoaliſtent with true Grace,of which Moſes ſpeaks,Deur. 32.5. Or :.[n cegard of Gods gracious acceprtation,in which reſp-& he is ſaid, avt to behold iniquity inJacob, Numb. 23.21. God doth not look upon chem with a ſevere Eye,as they are in themſelves, but in & through Chriſt in whonrhe accepts them,as if they were perfeQ,parrly, be- cauſeir is their chief deſign,defire,and endeavour to be fo, an part= ly becauſe Chr {t 1arh undertaken to make them ſo, Eph. 5. 25, 27, and they ſhal one day be ſuch.
8 Come with me 4 fromLebanon e,my ſpouſe f,with me from Lebanon:look g from the top of AmanaZ,from
from the mountains of tte leopatds &. | d Unto the Mountains of Myrrhe, &c. mertioned v,6. e A known Mountain in the Ncrrhof Canaan, which is ſometimes men. tioned asa pleaſantand glorious place, as Cant, 5; x5, Ia. SCE Hoſ. 14. 6, &c in regard of its goodly Cedars; and ſometimes as a barren Wilderneſs, as 1/a. 29. 17. and feat of Wild Beaſts, as 2 Kin, 14. 9, &c- Which latter ſenſe ſeems more? agreeable,borh to the OP= poſition which is here racitly made between his Mountain and the mountainof Myrrhz, and to the quality of the other mountains here joyned with Lebanon, and to the laſt clauſe of the verſe. f This is the firft time that Chriſt gives her this name, which he now doth borh to encourage and oblige her to go with him. e To the place co which I invite thee to go,which from thoſe high Mountains thou -naiſt eaſily behold, the ſight of which will certainly enflame thee with deſire to go thither.He alludes roMoſcs his beholding the promi- ſ-dLand from mount Piſgah-h Not thit Amana which divided S)FiS from Cilicia, which was too remote from theſe parts, but another of that name not far from Lebanon. i Which may be thenames of two tops of the ſame Mountain,as Horeb and Sinai ieem to kave been ' Or, Shenir, or ( the copulative, and, beiog put disjunively for o as if 15 in many places, which have bzen obſerved before ) Hey mon, for this Mountain is called both Shenir and Hermon, Dent, z,. gr
fo the later name, Hermon, may be added to the former, as being
s N 4 be frer
called a Mountarn of Myrrhe & Frankincenſe,becauſe of the abundance of
ichin prophetical Writings is called a Moune
ceptable ſervices which are there offered to God, and for the Preci= ous Gifts and Graces,and Comforrs of the Holy Spirir,which are of
z, I will getme tothe mountain of myrrhe, and to the *Ch:3
the cop of Shenic and Hermon 4, from the lions dens, *Deu.3.9-
17.
Heb. z Theſe words are uttered by the Bride, Ch. 2. v. 17. an4 here res #!e9tbe.
7 * Thou art all fair b, my love, there is no ſpot in *Epb 5.47
Chz P. I V. | |
l Or, taken away my bearte
| Ch:r:3.
| + Heb: barred.
tOr, eye preſs,
Chap. IV.
- ſee on Ch. 1: 2, 4+ 5 Of the Gifts and Graces of Gods Spirit, where-
- ouſneſs wherewith I have cloathed and "adorned thee. Chriit and
*ter known to the Iſraelites: From theſe or other ſuch likeMoun- ck are inhabired by Lions and Leopards, Which ſeems to be added as an Argument to move the Spoute to go with him, be- cauſe the places where now ſhe was, were not only barren, butalſo dangerous,as being the Habitations of Tyranrs and Perſecurors,and wild or ſavage People, who are oft deſcribed by the names of wild
zaſts, whoſe natures they have and whoſe prafices they imitate,
9 Thou haſt || raviſhed my heart/, my lifter mm, my ſpouſe ; thou haſt raviſhed my heart with one of thy
eyes », with one Chain of thy neck 0.
{ Tam overcome with thy beauty,and therefore am ſo deſirous of thy company. w2 So he calls her,partly becauſe both he and ſhe had one and the ſame Fathers, to wit, God, yea, and Mother too, being both at this time born in and of the Common-wealth and Church of Iſrael; and partly to ſhew the greatneſs of his Love to her,which iS ſach as caanot.be ſufficiently expreſſed by any oneRelation,but muſt borrow the PerfeQions and AffeCtions of all ro deſcribe it, n With one glance of one of thine Eyes. By which phraſe he intimates the Modeſty and Humility of the Church,which was aſhamed or atraid to look fully and dire&ly upon the Bridegroom with both her Eyes, and withal alludes to the ancient cuſtom of Virgins,who uſed to cc- ver theirFaces with a vail,& to look out only with one of theirEyes for the dire&ion oftheir ſteps. By thisone Eye he ſeems to mean that fundamental Grace of Faith, by which Chriftians look upon Chriſt, and diſcern his beauty,and which is precious in the fight of God
and of Chriſt, oWith one of thoſe other Graces and Perfe&tions wherewith thou art adorned. How then ſhouldI be raviſhed if thou did diſcover both thine Eyes,and thy whole Countenancejandall thy excellent Gifrs and Graces, |
"10 How fair p 5: thy love 9g, my ſiſter, my ſpouſe ! * how much better is thy love than wines! and theſmell
of thine ointments s than all ſpices ! Pp : þ How amiable and acceptable to me. q I do not diſdain thylove, as I might do, but take it kindly, and priſe it highly. » Of which
wath chou art anointed... Compare 1/s. 61, 1. 1 John 2. 20,27. |
* x1 Thy lips,O my ſpouſe,drop «s the honey-comb : : honey and milk « areunder thy tongue *,and the {mel} of thy garments y is like the ſmell of Lebanon =,
t# Thy Speeches both to me in Prayer and Praiſes,and to men for their Edification,are highly acceptable tome. » Words more [weet #ad comfortable thanHoney orMilk.xBy which Phraſe he may poſ- ſibly mrtimare;thar her words were nor uttered 1n Hypocriſie, or with evil deſign,as many fair and ſmooth Speeches zre, but proceed from her very heart which is under her Tongue,as m:ſchief 13 ſaid tro be un- ger bis Tongue,Pfal. 10.71who deviſed it in his Heart.y Of that Rightc=