proporiions,and beantiful aſpe&,which doubtleſs were in this aswell
as in the reſt of Solomons Buildings: © Which words ſeem to be added
to diſtinguiſh this from another Tower or Building, in, or near to
Jeruſalem, which was called he houſe of the forreſt of Lebanon, 1Kings
7: 2. :
"Or. crim. , F Thins head w upon thee x is like ||Carmel y,and the
bo hair of thine head like purple z ; the king is Þ held in the galleries 4. | F- -
s Which may ſignifie the Churches Mind or Underſtanding which is ſeated in the head.x which is uponthee,or above the reſt of thy Body.y Eminent and pleaſant to the Eye and fruitful as MountCar= mel was,as hath been formerly'noted. Which may note that terMind was adorned & repleniſhed with knowledge and other excellentGifts of the Holy Gholt. Or, as others render it, ike crimſon or purple, which is called Carmel, 2 Chrin, 2.7. & 3- 14.becauſe thoſe fiſhes our of which theyhad their purple,weretaken in theSea borderingupon Mount Carmel:And ſo the ſame thing is repeated in the next clauſe in other words. z Which colour was anciently much eſteemed,and commended as by facred,ſo alſo by prophane Writers. # In which he walketh,and having once eſpied thee, is captivated by thee,and unable or unwilling either todepart,or to take off hisEyes from thee as if he were faſt boundand chained to thee. The galleries may note either the Ordinances,or rather theChurches,in which Chriſt walk- etb, Rev: 2. r. in which Chriſt and Believers converſe together.
6 How fair and how pleaſant art thou, O love, for
C 4 NF £6
delightsc * |
6 Ir were infinite to reckon up all the particulars of thy Beauty, in one word,thou art univerſally amiable beyond Expreſſion. c For thoſe various lovely features whichare ia thee ,and for the great and omen delights which are or may be enjoyed in converſing with TACe,
7 This thy ſtature is like a palm-tree 4, and thy
breaſts to clufterse of grapes f.
ES 4 Ta!l and ftraighr, or upright, as a Tree> And he ſeems to
mention thePalm-rree.rarher than any other,partly becauſe it grows more dire&ly upward than other Trees;and partly becauſe ir is con- ftantly green and flouriſhing,and groweth upward n ſpighr of all preflures,and therefore was uſed 19 feſtival ſolemnities,Lev. 23: 40. fohn 12,13, and wasa ſymbol of ViQory, Rev: 7:9. In all which reſp«&s it fitly repreſents the ſtare of Believers. e Large,and round and full ofjuice. See on v.z. This particu'ar is added as an evidence of her maturity and mar:ied eſtate,and of her fruitfulnefs. f Which word may eaſily be ſupp'ied out of thenexrt Verſe; Although the fruit of the Palm=-tree alſo is faidto grow in cluſters.
8 I faid g, I willgo up to the palm-tree b,T will take hold of the boughs thereof;: now alſo thy breaſts ſhall be as cluſters of the vine,and the ſmell of thy noſe & like apples /. |
g Within my ſelf, I reſolved. h I will climb up, that fo I may take hold, as it follows of the boughs, which do nor grow out of the ſides, as in other Trees, but only at the rop of ir. 7 Partly to prune and dreſs themyand partly to gather the fruit. Whereby 1s ſignifi: 4 Chriſts care of his Church,and his delight in her. & Of thy breath, which i5 ufe called che breathof, or in, 2 mans noſtrils, Gen, 7. 32.1/a.
* 2, 22, Lam, 4. 20. LEirher 1. Common Apples, which ſometimes | Yield a very pleatant ſmell ; Or 2, Odifcrous Apples. .'See on * Chap. 2.5%
*Prov:23 for my beloved »,* that goeth down Þ ſweetly p cauſing TY the lips || of thoſe that areaſleep, co ſpeak 9g. ; fraight] m Either 1. Thy {p:ech, the palare be'ng one of the principal In” lor,sf 4 ſtruwents of Speech.: Or racher 2. Thy raſte, whereofthe Palate or ®%ient, Roof of the Moi:th 1s rhe moſt proper and principal inſtrument, 0b 34: 3- Butthe=n this isnor to be underſtood actively of her taſte 3 bur paſſively ofriie raite!or relith, which her beloved had of her ; * as in the foregoing clauſe, he ſmell of her noſew:s rot meant ſubje&i- ; vely or a&tively of :hat C:nſe of tmelling which was feared in her bs t Noſe, bur objectively or paffively of the breath ofhie; Nottrils which
9 And the roof of thy mouth » like the beſt wines |
= |
5&4 Us
E Chap.V1 ; was ſweer to the ſmell of her beJoved, = Grateful and. refrefhing. 0 Either r. For thee my beioved, who reapeſt the comfort znd be- | nefit of that pleaſure which T rake in thez: Or 2. For me thy beloved, or according to thy uſual exprefſion,for my beloved. Which words Chriſt takes as it were out of her Mouth, . and. repeats them emphatically, Which agrees very well to the ſtile and vfage of theſe dramatical and amatorious Writings, And this claute furcher intia« mates the Churches Loy alry or bairbfuinels ro. Chriſt, that ſhe rea ſerves her ſelf, & all herLoves for Ciriſt a/ore.p Whereas bad Wine either goeth dewn ſlowly ar.d tedioufly,or is not permitted, to £0 down.at all.; Heb.tha: walketh direftly, or, char moverh it ſelf arizh, which is givenas the: CharaQer of good Wine; Prov:23; 31. q Cau= ſing the moſt dull and ſtupid, and fleepy-headed perſons to ſpeaks and that fluently and eloquently, which is a commen etfe& cf good 10.* T am my beloveds r,and his dsfire is cowardsme s. 7Ch:2:188
- 7 This and the following verſes conrain the - wards of the Bride, © 6:3» [if in anſwer to the Bridegrooms. moſt indearing Exprefſions delivered | in the foregoing verics: : I perceive, and am fully fatisfied,' rhas he heartily loves me.. It is my duty tq have my deſire towards him as my Husband,according to Gods Sentence, Gen. 3916, butit is a wouderfu] condeſceſion in hjm, that his delire is towards mz. .. 11 Come,my beloved,let us go forth into the field t: let us lodge in the: villages s: . > $5 ax. 4 ra D # Thar being retired from the-crowd, | we may more freely and ſweetly converſe together, and may obſerve the Nate of the fruits of the Earth. «In one of the villages, as Ciries is put for oze of the Cities, Judg, 12,7: .... : | SY os + ._ 12 Lerus get up early x tothe vineyards y, let us ſee fHeb:ope if the vines flouriſh, whether the tender grapes + appear
and the pomegrantes bud forth z, there will I giveches * my loves 4. 1