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and invitation of Jesus Christ may be looked upon as directed either to her that is already actually the spouse of Christ, or her that is called and invited to be his spouse, that is, already his spouse no otherwise than in his gracious election. So the Gentiles are called a sister in the last chapter of this song, even before they were in a church estate, before she had any breasts. So in the xliii. of Isaiah, where respect is had to the calling of the Gentiles, God calls those his sons and daughters, that were so as yet, only in his decree of election. Ver. 6. "I will say to the north, Give up ; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth."

Lebanon, Amana, Shenir, and Hermon, were certain noted mountains in the wilderness, in the confines of the land of Canaan, that were wild and uninhabited. Hence the wonderful work of God in turning barbarous and heathenish countries to Christianity, is compared to the turning such a wild forest as Lebanon into a fruitful field. Isai. xxix. 17. "Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?" They were mountains that were haunts of wild beasts, and probably some of them at least very much frequented by lions and leopards, those most fierce and terrible of wild beasts; they were places where lions had their dens, and either these or some other noted mountains in the wilderness, were so frequented by leopards, that they were called the mountains of the leopards. It is from such places as these that the spouse, or she that is invited to be the spouse, is invited to look to Jesus Christ, where she was without the limits of the pleasant land of Canaan, wandering and lost in a howling wilderness, where she was in continual danger of being devoured and falling a prey to those terrible creatures. Christ graciously calls and invites her to look to him from the tops of these desolate mountains towards the land of Canaan, and towards the holy city Jerusalem, where he dwelt, though far off; yea, to come with him; for Christ is come into this wilderness to seek and to save her that is lost, to come and leave those horrid places, and come and dwell with him in the pleasant land, yea, in the city Jerusalem, that is the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth. Yea, though the lions had actually seized her, and carried her into their dens, there to be a feast for them, yet Christ calls and encourages her to look to him from the lions' dens.

David represents his praying to God in a state of exile and in distressing circumstances, by his remembering God from the land of the Hermonites. Ps. xlii. 6." Christ saves souls out of the dens of lions, as he did Daniel, and out of the

mouths of wild beasts, as David did the lamb from the mouth of the lion and the bear. He invites sinners that are naturally under the dominion of Satan, that roaring lion that goes about seeking whom he may devour; and invites saints under the greatest darkness and distresses, and temptations, and buffetings of Satan, to look to him.

[435] Cant. iv. 9. "Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck." What that one chain of the spouse's neck is, that does so peculiarly ravish the heart of Christ, we may learn by Ps. xlv. 10, 11, "Forget thine own people, and thy Father's house; so shall the king greatly desire thy beauty." The thing here recommended to the spouse, in order to the king's greatly desiring, or being ravished with her beauty, is poverty of spirit. That this peculiarly delights and attracts the heart of Christ, is agreeable to many scriptures. 1 Peter iii. 2, 3. "Whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and wearing of gold, and putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." This is in a peculiar manner a sweet savour to God. Ps. li. 17. This in a peculiar manner draws the eye of God, Isai. Ix. 2, and 'attracts his presence. Isai. lvii. 15. Ps. xxxiv. 18. Or perhaps it may be the eye of faith that includes poverty of spirit and love. These graces being exercised in faith, are peculiarly acceptable; faith derives beauty from Christ's righteousness, by which all mixture of deformity is hid.

[489] Cant. v. 14. "His belly is as bright ivory, overlaid with sapphires." The word is the same in the original, which in ver. 4, is rendered bowels, and wherever it is attributed to God, it denotes affection, and is rendered bowels, as Isai. lxiii. 15. Jer. xxxi. 20, his affection is said to be like bright ivory overlaid with sapphires, representing the justice and mercy which are both so perfectly exercised, and manifested in him, in the work of redemption. The bright, or pure white ivory, represents his perfect justice. Solomon's throne of justice was ivory, which substance was chosen to be the mother of his throne in all probability, because it fitly represented justice; as the throne of Christ at the day of judgment, Rev. xx., is represented as a great white throne. His belly was overlaid with sapphires, being a precious stone of a beautiful azure or sky blue, the softest of all the colours, to represent mercy. Thus the throne of God had the appearance of sapphire, Ezek. i. 26, to signify that he sat on a throne of grace.

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[85] Cant. vi. 13. "What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies," or, "the company of Mahanaim." The two armies that are the company of Mahanaim are the church of God in earth and in heaven; the company of Jacob and the company of the angels, see Gen. xxxii. 2; or the church militant, and the church triumphant, for both these armies make one spouse of Jesus Christ.

[490] Cant. vii. 1. "How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter!" This is to signify the amiableness of her conversation, and that her conversation is not naturally amiable, but that this beauty of conversation is put upon her. And another thing implied is, that she was prepared for travel, as the people in Egypt were, to have their shoes on their feet. Exod. xii. 11. So the apostle directs that Christians should have their feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, Eph. vi. 15, i. e. a preparation for travel according to the gospel, and by the gospel of peace.

To the same scope is what follows-" The joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hand of a cunning workman." The joints, the knees, and hips, are especially the seat and means of motion in walking. When it is said, The joints of thy thighs are the work of a cunning workman, this may be explained by that of the apostle, Eph. i. 10; "We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath fore-ordained that they should walk in them." The whole body of the church is fitly joined together, by joints and bands; the joints are kept firm, and fit for their proper motion and operation by mutual charity, holy love and union, and communion of saints.

[491] Cant. vii. 2. "Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor." The navel, according to the ancient notions they had of things, was the seat of health. Prov. iii. 8. "It shall be health to thy navel." Job xl. 16. "His force is in the navel of his belly." So that the thing which is here most probably represented is the spiritual health of the church: her navel is compared to a goblet which wanteth not liquor, i. e. full of wine, that enlivening, invigorating liquor. The word signifies mixture or temperament, or wine mixed or tempered; that is, wine that is so prepared as to make it the most agreeable and wholesome; (see Prov. xxiii. 30. and ix. 2;) probably the same may be meant that is called spiced wine, in chap. viii. 2.

[492] Cant. vii. 4. "Thine eyes are like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim." It seems there were two or more noted fishpools near to the city of Heshbon, the chief

city in the country of Moab, by one of the gates of that city, called the gate of Bath-rabbim, i. e. the gate of the house of the multitude, probably so called because at that gate was an house for the resort of the multitudes that resorted to these pools for the sake of the water of that pool, and fish which were caught there, and to wash themselves there, and perhaps these pools might be remarkable for the clearness of the water, and their fitness to exhibit a true and distinct image of the multitudes that resorted thither, wherein men might see themselves as they were, and might see the spots and filth which they would wash off, and wherein was a true representation of other things. So that the thing signified by the eyes of the spouse may be the spiritual knowledge and understanding of the church, by which she has a true knowledge of herself and her own pollutions, and also a true representation or idea of other things. And also hereby may be signified the benevolence and bountifulness of the eyes of a true saint, so that they as it were yield meat and drink to a multitude, as it is probable these fishpools did. Proverbs xxii. 9.

[493] Cant. vii. 4. "Thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon, which looketh towards Damascus.” The tower of Lebanon, looking towards Damascus, was probably some tower built in Lebanon, on the frontier next to the kingdom of Damascus, to watch over that country, and for the defence of Israel from its inhabitants. By the account which history gives of Damascus, it was a magnificent city, and an exceeding pleasant, delightful place, like a mere garden of pleasure, and, therefore, it is called the city of praise and joy, Jer. xl. 25; and in Amos, i. 2, is called Beth-Eden, or the house of Eden. Men of carnal minds would prefer the land to the land of Israel, that God calls the pleasant land, and the glory of all lands. Naaman, the Syrian, contemned the waters of Israel in comparison of Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus. And it seems their religion and worship was exceedingly pompous, tending much to please a vain carnal mind that favours the things of men more than the things of God. King Ahaz was greatly taken up with the curious fashion and workmanship of the altar he saw there, and he sent to Urijah the priest, a pattern of it, that he might make one like it in the courts of God's house, and chose rather to offer his sacrifice on this new altar than on the altar of the Lord. 2 Kings xvi. 10, &c.

The nose is the organ of smelling; therefore here the church is commended for her spiritual scent, which was a good defence to her from corrupt doctrines, and false ways of worship of men's invention, however specious and fair, and tending much more to please a carnal taste than the true religion of Jesus Christ.

Pomp and magnificence, and the curious iuventions of men, and the things which men's wisdom teaches, please men of corrupt minds, but a true saint, through a spiritual taste or scent, nauseates those things, and is defended from them. This spiritual scent is the best defence from those things that would corrupt her mind from the simplicity that is in Christ.

[494] Cant. vii. 5. "Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, (or crimson, as it is in the margin,) and the hair of thine head like purple." If by head here be understood the eldership of the church; then her head is compared to Carmel, probably because Carmel was a very fruitful hill, and an high hill, whose fruits were seen at a distance, as Christ compares his disciples to a city set on an hill whose works could not be hid. (See Note on chap. iv. 1.) The hair is the fruit of the head, and may represent both the doctrine and conversation of faithful ministers, who know nothing, and favour of nothing either in their doctrine or life, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified, and so their preaching and walk is, as it were, coloured with his blood. And this also may be signified by it that the holy doctrine and conversation of ministers are a princely ornament to them purple, being the colour of the robes of princes.

But, perhaps, by the head of the spouse, here may be meant the doctrine which she holds, the doctrine of the gospel, which is represented as a glorious crown on her head in Rev. xii. 1. This may be compared to Carmel, that fruitful hill, because it is the doctrine that is according to godliness or to crimson, because Jesus Christ and him crucified, or Christ's shedding his blood, is the sum and substance of it.

[495] Cant. vii. 7. "And thy breasts to clusters of grapes." By her breasts here, most probably is intended, the grace of love, or spiritual complacency; affection to her husband and his chil dren. The bosom is put for love; so Christ is said to be in the bosom of the Father. This agrees with that in Prov. v. 19. Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times, and be thou ravished always with her love." Christ's love is compared to wine, chap. i. And so in the love of the spouse, chap. iv. 10. "How much better is thy love than wine!" And here her breasts are compared 10 clusters of grapes. See No. 488.

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[496] Cant vii. 8. "And the smell of thy nose like apples." As by the roof of the mouth in the next verse, is not intended simply the roof of the mouth itself, as though that were exceedingly pleasant to the bridegroom, this being a part of the body that is hidden; but thereby is probably meant the speech which comes from the mouth: so here, by the nose, is not meant the nose itself, but the breath; so the bridegroom would hereby signify that the

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