The Pulpit Commentary — Song of Songs — Section 176

approach of the bride, aud perhaps also of the queenly grace of her movements. The opening words remind us of the prophecy of Isaiah, quoted by St. Paul in Rom. x. 16, "How beantiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisbeth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; tbnt saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth I" (Isa. lii. 7). W c have learned to see in the l1ride of the Song of Songs a figure of the Church, which is the bride of Christ. The mission of the Church is to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever the Lord commanded" (Matt. xxviii. 19). The heavenly Bridegroom is with the bride while she obeys his precept; for he adds," Lo, I am with yon all the days, even uuto the end of the ages." Therefore "the Spirit and the bride say, Come" (Rev. xx. 17). The Church, taught and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, calls men to the knowledge of Christ. Her feet are beautiful as, "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" (Eph. vi. 16), she moves ever onward, bringing the light of truth into the regions that were lying in liarkness •and the shadow of death. Missionary work is a most important part of the duty of the Church; when carried on in faith and love and forgetfulness of self, it is beautiful in the sight of God. • II. PRAISES IN DETAIL. 1. Of Mr clothing. The chox:us begins by praising, not simply ihe feet, but the sandalled feet, of the bride; they admire her sandals. From this we may infer that other terms used here relate rather to the clothing which c0vered the various parts of the body. It is the royal robes, with their ornaments and embroidery, which are like rows of jewels, or like a round goblet (see the word trans- lated "round" in Isa. iii. 18, where it is rendered, "round tires like the moon"), or like a heap of wheat set about with lilies. Comp. Ps. xlv. 9, 13, 14, "Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen· in, gold of Ophir." " The king's daughter is all glorious within:' her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee." So the bride, the Lawb's wife, shall be "arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints" (Rev. xix. 8). '"rhe king's daughter is all glorious within." The Hebrew word, indeed, means" within the palace," in the inner apartment. But we know that the adorning of the Church, when she appears " as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev. xxi. 2), is "not that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of we:aring of gold, or of putting on of apparel, but the hidden man of the heart " (1 Pet. iii. 3, 4). She will then be all glorious within, in the spiritual sense of the word, a glorious Church, holy and without blemish; and the Christian soul must even now put on tLat white linen which is the righteousness of saints, with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. Indeed, "our righteousnesses are but as filthy rags" (Isa. lxiv. 6); but Christ "of God is made uuto us Wisdom and Righteousness" (1 Cor. i. 30); and St. Paul teaches us that "as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. ~i. 27). We must " keep ourselves pure" (1 Tim. v. 22); we must take jealous and anxious heed so to live in the faith of Christ and in the communion of the Holy Ghost as to keep that white robe unspotted from the world (Jas. i. 27). And if we have marred and stained. it, as, alas ! we too often do, by carelessness and sin, we must come to God in humble penitence and confession, asking him to give us grace to wash our robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb; for we believe that the blood of Jesus Christ: cleanseth from all sin, and that even they who have fallen into grievous sin may, if· they tum to God in sorrow and contrition, be made "whiter than snow" (Ps. Ii. 7). The king's daughter must be all glorious within; she must put on the wedding- garment of righteousness. Let ns seek that costly robe to be our own; we may gam it throucrh the grace of Christ if we earnestly desire it, hungering and thirsting after it. 2. Uf herself. Her neck was white as the ivory which King Solomon importe_d an.d usr;d largely for purposes of decoration (1 Kings x. 18, 22); her eyes in their liquid beauty were like the pools at Heshbon; her brow stately as. the tower of Lcuauon; her head beautiful ae the summit of Carmel; her hair like the deepeYt shade of Tyria~~ purple-the king (the chorus continues) is held captive inite tresses. The l>·.a 11ty ·A t1e bride is a stately, regal beauty; her neck and her brow are compared to otr, vn. 1-13.] THB SONG OF SOLOMON. 167