The Pulpit Commentary — Song of Songs — Section 164

fied," As his" meat and drink" when here on el\rth was "to do the will of" the Father, ><o now his sustenance is those fruits of the Spirit which abound in his true Ohurch. And he "~nthers lilies." "He shall gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom" (Isa. xl.). Whenever a }lure and holy soul, like those of children and of saints, is transplanted from the earthly garden to the heave11ly, that is the gathering of the l, Iics. "0 death, where is t.l1y sting?" Thus doth the soul that loves Christ instruct ,>thcrs. IV. GAINS THE OBJECT OF ITS SEARCH. (Ver. 3.) "I am my Beloved's . . . mine." It is the declaration of holy rapture in the consciousness of Christ's love. '!'hey that seek him shall find him. '!'here may -be, there are, seasons when we fenr we have lost him, but they shl\ll surely be succeeded by such blessed seasons when the soul shall sing in her joy, "My Beloved is mine," etc. (ver. 3).--S. C. Vers. 4-10 and eh, vii. 1-9.-The friendship of the world. Those who take the literal and historic view of this song see here a repetition of Solomon's attempts to bend to his will the ma.iden whom he sought t-0 win. It is a repetition of eh. iv. 1-6. And in the extravagance of his flattery, his mention of her terribleness, hie telling of his many queens and concubines, his huge harem, all of whom he says he will set aside for her- all this is like what he would say. Now, it all might be, as it generally has been, taken allegorically, as we have taken it in eh. iv. l-5, and as setting forth Christ's estimate of his Church. But here the representations are yet more extravagant and even gross, so that we prefer to take them as telling of that which is evil rather than good; as the language, not of Christ, but of the world, bis foe, in attempting to win from him those who a.re his. Let it, then, teach us concerning this friendship of the world- I. FLATTERY IS EVER ONE OF ITS FORMS. It is compelled to adopt this in order to hide away the fatal issue of its friendship. Like as the vampire is said to fan its victim with its wings, soothing and stupefying it so that it ma.y the more surely destroy it, thns the world soothes and .sends asleep by its flatteries the soul it would destroy. II. Tms FLATTERY HAS MARKED OBARACTEBISTICS. 1. It is extravagant. cc. what is here said in the verses selected concerning her of whom th_ey speak. How monstrous are the representations as addressed to any maiden I And are not the conceits the world engenders in men's souls of this order? 2. It is always fearful, of losing its prey. (Ver. 4, "Terrible as an army;" also ver. 10.) These expressions seem t-0 indicate con- sciousness that the soul was as yet anything but fully won. 3. Has no originality. It says the same things over and over egain. See about her "hair," her "teeth," her "cheeks" (vers. 5, 6, 7; cf. eh. iv. 1-5). And still every poor fool that the world successfully flatters is plied with the same worn-out arguments, and, alas! yields to them. 4. Sensuous and sensual. (Cf. ver. 8 and eh. vii. 1-9.) The baser instincts are the world's happy hunting-grounds. It knows that it can get a. response there when there is none eh;ewhere. 5. Ruthless and cruel. (Ver. 9.) The flatterer professes, but let all such professions be doubted vehemently-that he would sacrifice all the rest for her whom he would now win. For her, the "dove," whom he, the hawk, would devour, the three score queens and the four score concubines and the virgins without number (ver. 8) should all be set aside and lose favour. Anything, no matter bow unjust, so Solomon may please bis sensual phantasy. They who are ruthless in winning will be ruthless when they have won (cf. poor Anne Boleyn). Oh, the all-devouring world! Its "words are smoother than butter," but" the poison of asps is under its lips." III. TnUE LOVE WILL REJECT IT. Such love is the lthuriel-like spear which detects at once what it is. So this maiden, type of the redeemed soul, will have none ofit (cf. eh. vii. 10). And here is suggested-what, indeed, is the theme of the whole song-the invincible strength of the true love of Christ in the soul. Let us have that, and no flatteries or blandishments of the world, nor its fierce frowns either, shall seduce us from him whose we are and whose we hope ever to be. Such love will be "terrible," must Le so, to all who would come against it. Christ's love to us is so infinite that, therefore, 11othing less than these many dr.ead words of his .about the everlasting fire can serve t-0 tell of Lis wrath against tliat and those who would destroy us for whom he died. And if we love him as we should, we shall give no quarter to sin; it will be to us "tho nbominable thing which I hate," even as to him. Oh, may tliis love dwell in us richly L.IJ<l for evermore !-S. C. orr, vr. 1-13,1 1 fHE SONG OF SOLOMON. ----------------------------- --- -