An Exposition Upon the Book of the Canticles

p. 1CAP. 1. and the summe thereof.

1. The Church being carryed away with the desire of the Bridegrome, desireth to be imbraced of him. 2. She commendeth his sweet sauouring name, 3. And voweth that she wil praise it. 4. She purgeth her selfe from her vnworthinesse. 5. 6. And calleth vppon the bridegrome. 7. Whom the Bridegome instructing, hee beautifieth with deedes and promises. 8. Wherfore reioysing between themselues, they commend and praise one the other.

1 A Song of Songs, which is Schelamons.

2 Let him kisse me, with the kisses of his mouth: for thy loues are good before wine.

3 To smell to, thy oyntmentes are best, thy name spread abroad is as oyntment therefore thy Damselles loue thee.

4 Drawe mee, wee will runne after thee: when the King him selfe shall haue brought me into his inner Chambers, we will reioyce and be glad in thee, we will rehearse thy loue before Wine: p. 2suche as loue thee shall speake of righteous thinges.

5 Blacke I may bee, yet comely am I, O daughters of Ierusalem: I may bee like to the tentes of Kedar, but I am like to them that dwell vnder Schelomons tapistry.

6 Looke not vpon me, because I am somwhat black, because the sunne hath behelde mee, because the sonnes of my mother kindled with wrath against me, haue appointed mee the keper of other vineyards, because I haue not kept to my selfe mine owne Vine.

7 Shew me, O thou whome my soule loueth, where thou feedest, where thou carest, that the flocke may lye down at noone tide: for why should I be, as one that spreadeth the tent, among the flockes of thy companions?

8 Seeing thou knowest not, O thou the fairest of women, go out, follow not the steps of that flock, and feede thy kiddes, aboue the Tents of other shepheards.

9 I do compare thee, O my loue, to the troupe of horses, that are ioyned to Pharaohs chariots.

10 Thy cheekes are comely, as it were with rowes of stones: thy necke, as it were with collers.

11 Wee will make for thee borders of golde, with studdes of siluer.

12 In the mean while that the king is at his repast, he sendeth out his sauour of mard.

p. 213 My beloued is vnto me, as a bundle of myrre, p. 3remayning between my breasts.

14 My beloued is vnto me, as a berry of the Cypres tree, in the Vineyards of Engedi.

15 Behold thou art fayre, my loue, beholde thou art fayre: thine eyes be like the doues eies.

16 Behold thee, thou art fayre, O my beloued, yea thou art pleasaunt, yea, our bed is greene.

17 The beams of our houses, are of Ceder trees, our walking places are of wood like Cypres.

p. 4An exposition vpon the Canticles, otherwise called Schelomons song.

BEfore wee come to open this booke, something would ve marked touching the obscuritie and hardnesse therof, whereof I suppose a duble reason may be yeelded. The one is the sodaine chaunge of the number, tense, and personne, as now speaking singularly, then plurally, now in the present time, anone in the time to come, now in the person of the Bride, and anone in the person of the Bridegrome, or some other. The other is, for that in parables and darke speeches, there is expressed vnto vs, verye diuine and heauenlye matter, the holy Ghost vsing this maner of speaking, not onelye that the eyes of the wicked might be stopped from beholding spiritual comfort: but also that the good might know, that whatsoeuer light they haue, they haue it from him, (for both which see, Math. 13, ver. 11. 12. 13. &c) and also that they might imploy all the vnderstanding they haue, to the comprehending of these, though darke, yet very excellent misteries. Letting passe all necessities, either of the Iewish Rabbinnes, or of the old expositors, and namelye of Origen, wee will content our selues p. 5with a plaine and simple sence of this Booke, wherin Schelomon being the holy ghostes instrument, doth liuely declare, the marter and maner of mariage, which is betwixt Christe and his Church, somtimes setting out the speeches that passe betweene them, making as it were thereby, the betrothment, otherwhiles declaring, the mutuall duties one of them towardes an other, but specially that same great loue of the Bridegrome to his spouse, which is neuer remooued, but alwayes abideth constant, how oft soeuer shee fall awaye, and seeme, as a man would saye, to forsake her husband. If any think this kinde of dealing, to be ouerlight for so graue, & weighty a matter, let them take heed that in the height of their owne hartes, they doe not ouer prowdly censure God and his order, who in many places vseth this similitude or parable of mariage, to expresse his loue to his Church by, and the dutie of the Church towardes him: one or two places shal serue, as Hoschea. 2. 19. I will mary thee vnto me for euer, yea, I will marry thee vnto me in righteousnes, &c. Also, 2. Cor. 11. 2. I haue prepared you for one husbande to presēnt you, as a pure virgin to Christ. And that by this meanes Christes loue is expressed towardes his Church, maye appeare, Ephes. 5. 25. Husbandes, loue your wiues, euen as Christ loued the Church. And the obedience of the Church to Christe, is declared in the same chapter. p. 6ver. 22. 23. 24. Concerning the time when this Booke should be written, nothing can bee sayde of certainty out of the scriptures. Wiherfore leauing coniecturall gesses, let vs cleaue to the certeinty, Gods spirite hath penned it, and by the prouidence of our almighty God it hath beene esteemed in all times, to the end that we, vpon whō the ends of the world are come, might reap and receiue profit and comfort thereby: and yet see somewhat thereof hereafter.