112 lines
7.5 KiB
XML
112 lines
7.5 KiB
XML
<div2 id="Song.i" n="i" next="Song.ii" prev="Song" progress="95.57%" title="Introduction">
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<h2 id="Song.i-p0.1">Song of Solomon</h2>
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<hr/>
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<pb id="Song.i-Page_1052" n="1052"/>
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<div class="Center" id="Song.i-p0.3">
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<p id="Song.i-p1"><b>AN</b></p>
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<h3 id="Song.i-p1.1">EXPOSITION,</h3>
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<h4 id="Song.i-p1.2">W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E
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R V A T I O N S,</h4>
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<h5 id="Song.i-p1.3">OF THE</h5>
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<h2 id="Song.i-p1.4">S O N G O F S O L O M O
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N.</h2>
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<hr style="width:2in"/>
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</div>
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<p class="indent" id="Song.i-p2">All <i>scripture,</i> we are sure, <i>is
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given by inspiration of God, and is profitable</i> for the support
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and advancement of the interests of his kingdom among men, and it
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is never the less so for there being found in it some things
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<i>dark and hard to be understood, which those that are unlearned
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and unstable wrest to their own destruction.</i> In our belief both
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of the divine extraction and of the spiritual exposition of this
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book we are confirmed by the ancient, constant, and concurring
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testimony both of the church of the Jews, to whom were <i>committed
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the oracles of God,</i> and who never made any doubt of the
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authority of this book, and of the Christian church, which happily
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succeeds them in that trust and honour. I. It must be confessed, on
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the one hand, that if he who barely reads this book be asked, as
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the eunuch was <i>Understandest thou what thou readest?</i> he will
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have more reason than he had to say, <i>How can I, except some man
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shall guide me?</i> The books of scripture-history and prophecy are
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very much like one another, but this <i>Song of Solomon's</i> is
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very much unlike the songs of his father David; here is not the
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name of God in it; it is never quoted in the New Testament; we find
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not in it any expressions of natural religion or pious devotion,
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no, nor is it introduced by vision, or any of the marks of
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immediate revelation. It seems as hard as any part of scripture to
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be made a <i>savour of life unto life,</i> nay, and to those who
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come to the reading of it with carnal minds and corrupt affections,
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it is in danger of being made a <i>savour of death unto death;</i>
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it is a flower out of which they extract poison; and therefore the
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Jewish doctors advised their young people not to read it till they
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were thirty years old, lest by the abuse of that which is most pure
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and sacred (<i>horrendum dictu—horrible to say!</i>) the flames of
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lust should be kindled with fire from heaven, which is intended for
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the altar only. But, II. It must be confessed, on the other hand,
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that with the help of the many faithful guides we have for the
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understanding of this book it appears to be a very bright and
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powerful ray of heavenly light, admirable fitted to excite pious
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and devout affections in holy souls, to draw out their desires
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towards God, to increase their delight in him, and improve their
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acquaintance and communion with him. It is an allegory, the letter
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of which kills those who rest in that and look no further, but the
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spirit of which gives life, <scripRef id="Song.i-p2.1" osisRef="Bible:2Cor.3.6 Bible:John.6.63" parsed="|2Cor|3|6|0|0;|John|6|63|0|0" passage="2Co 3:6,Joh 6:63">2
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Cor. iii. 6; John vi. 63</scripRef>. It is a parable, which makes
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divine things more difficult to those who do not love them, but
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more plain and pleasant to those who do, <scripRef id="Song.i-p2.2" osisRef="Bible:Matt.13.14 Bible:Matt.13.16" parsed="|Matt|13|14|0|0;|Matt|13|16|0|0" passage="Mt 13:14,16">Matt. xiii. 14, 16</scripRef>. Experienced Christians
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here find a counterpart of their experiences, and to them it is
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intelligible, while <i>those</i> neither understand it nor relish
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it who have no part nor lot in the matter. It is a son, an
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<i>Epithalamium,</i> or nuptial song, wherein, by the expressions
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of love between a bridegroom and his bride, are set forth and
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illustrated the mutual affections that pass between God and a
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distinguished remnant of mankind. It is a pastoral; the bride and
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bridegroom, for the more lively representation of humility and
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innocence, are brought in as a shepherd and his shepherdess. Now,
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1. This song might easily be taken in a spiritual sense by the
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Jewish church, for whose use it was first composed, and was so
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taken, as appears by the Chaldee-Paraphrase and the most ancient
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Jewish expositors. God betrothed the people of Israel to himself;
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he entered into covenant with them, and it was a marriage-covenant.
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He had given abundant proofs of his love to them, and required of
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them that they should love him with all their heart and soul.
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Idolatry was often spoken of as spiritual adultery, and doting upon
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idols, to prevent which this song was penned, representing the
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complacency which God took in Israel and which Israel ought to take
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in God, and encouraging them to continue faithful to him, though he
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might seem sometimes to withdraw and hide himself from them, and to
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wait for the further manifestation of himself in the promised
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Messiah. 2. It may more easily be taken in a spiritual sense by the
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Christian church, because the condescensions and communications of
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divine love appear more rich and free under the gospel than they
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did under the law, and the communion between heaven and earth more
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familiar. God sometimes spoke of himself as the husband of the
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Jewish church (<scripRef id="Song.i-p2.3" osisRef="Bible:Isa.64.5 Bible:Hos.2.16 Bible:Hos.2.19" parsed="|Isa|64|5|0|0;|Hos|2|16|0|0;|Hos|2|19|0|0" passage="Isa 64:5,Ho 2:16,19">Isa. lxiv.
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5, Hos. ii. 16, 19</scripRef>), and rejoiced in it as his bride,
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<scripRef id="Song.i-p2.4" osisRef="Bible:Isa.62.4-Isa.62.5" parsed="|Isa|62|4|62|5" passage="Isa 62:4,5">Isa. lxii. 4, 5</scripRef>. But more
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frequently is Christ represented as the bridegroom of his church
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(<scripRef id="Song.i-p2.5" osisRef="Bible:Matt.25.1 Bible:Rom.7.4 Bible:2Cor.11.2 Bible:Eph.5.32" parsed="|Matt|25|1|0|0;|Rom|7|4|0|0;|2Cor|11|2|0|0;|Eph|5|32|0|0" passage="Mt 25:1,Ro 7:4,2Co 11:2,Eph 5:32">Matt. xxv. 1;
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Rom. vii. 4; 2 Cor. xi. 2; Eph. v. 32</scripRef>), and the church
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as the bride, the Lamb's wife, <scripRef id="Song.i-p2.6" osisRef="Bible:Rev.19.7 Bible:Rev.21.2 Bible:Rev.21.9" parsed="|Rev|19|7|0|0;|Rev|21|2|0|0;|Rev|21|9|0|0" passage="Re 19:7,21:2,9">Rev. xix. 7; xxi. 2, 9</scripRef>. Pursuant to
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this metaphor Christ and the church in general, Christ and
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particular believers, are here discoursing with abundance of mutual
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esteem and endearment. The best key to this book is the <scripRef id="Song.i-p2.7" osisRef="Bible:Ps.45.1-Ps.45.17" parsed="|Ps|45|1|45|17" passage="Ps 45:1-17">45th Psalm</scripRef>, which we find applied
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to Christ in the New Testament, and therefore this ought to be so
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too. It requires some pains to find out what may, probably, be the
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meaning of the Holy Spirit in the several parts of this book; as
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David's songs are many of them level to the capacity of the
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meanest, and there are shallows in them learned, and there are
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depths in it in which an elephant may swim. But, when the meaning
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is found out, it will be of admirable use to excite pious and
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devout affections in us; and the same truths which are plainly laid
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down in other scriptures when they are extracted out of this come
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to the soul with a more pleasing power. When we apply ourselves to
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the study of this book we must not only, with Moses and Joshua,
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<i>put off our shoe from off our foot,</i> and even forget that we
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have bodies, because <i>the place where we stand is holy
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ground,</i> but we must, with John, <i>come up hither,</i> must
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spread our wings, take a noble flight, and soar upwards, till by
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faith and holy love we <i>enter into the holiest,</i> for <i>this
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is no other than the house of God and this is the gate of
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heaven.</i></p>
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</div2> |