John Trapp on Song of Solomon 1:15-16

Verſ. 15. Behold, thou art fair my love] Or, My fellow-friend, as verſ. 9. And as ſhe is his Love, ſo he is her Beloved, verſ. 16. and as hee commends her, ſo ſhee him no leſs. This ſhould bee all the ſtrife betwixt married couples, who ſhould out-ſtrip the other in mutual melting-heartedneſs, and all loving reſpects either to other, in all paſſages, carriages, and behaviours whatſoever betwixt them: accuſtoming themſelves, as here, to ſpeak kindly and cheerfully one to the other. This is that that will infinitely ſweeten and beautifie the married Eſtate: it will make marriage a merry-age, which elſe will prove a marr-age. And here, let husbands learn to love their wives, as Chriſt loved the Church, Epheſ. 5.25. celebrating her beauty in a ſong, repeating her juſt praiſes, to ſhew his heartineſs therein, and inviting others with an Ecce, to the due contemplation thereof. Behold thou art all fair, my Love, behold thou art fair: Non eſt ficta aut frigida haec laudatio, this is no feigned or frigid commendation, but ſuch as proceeds from entire affection, and breathes abundance of good will. Full well might the Prophet tell the Church: Surely as the Bridegroom rejoyceth over the Bride, ſo ſhall thy God rejoyce over thee, Iſa. 62.5. And again, The Lord thy God will rejoyce over thee with joy, hee will reſt in his love, and ſeek no further, hee will joy over thee with ſinging, Zeph. 3.17. The Church had acknowledged, verſ. 5. that ſhe was black, or at leaſt blackiſh, and yet, by way of Apology too, ſhee had pleaded that ſhee was comely, and ſo, not to bee ſlighted. But Chriſt affirms her fair, yea twice fair, yea the faireſt among women (ſic ſuum cuique pulchrum, ſo doth hee even erre in her love, as the Wiſe-man phraſeth it, Prov. 5.19.) as himſelf is ſaid to bee the faireſt amongſt men, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Theog. Pſal. 45.2. where the Hebrew word likewiſe is of double-form (Thou art fair, thou art fair above the Sons of Adam) to note out double, that is excellent beauty, ſuch as draweth love and liking: Now it is a Maxim in the Civil Law, Ʋxor fulget radiis mariti, The wife ſhineth with her husbands beams, ſo doth the Church with Chriſts graces, wherewith ſhee is decked, as Rebecca did with Iſaac's Jewels. Read Ezek. 16.2, 3, 4, 5, &c. and you will ſee that all the Churches beauty is borrowed. The Maids that were brought to Ahaſhueroſh, beſides their own native beauty, they were firſt purified and perfumed before hee choſe one, Eſth. 1. But here it is otherwiſe altogether. For when the Church was in her blood, in her blood, in her blood (three ſeveral times it is ſo ſaid, that wee might the better obſerve it, and bee affected with it) Chriſt ſanctified and cleanſed her with the waſhing of water by the word, that hee might preſent her to himſelf a glorious Church, holy and without blemiſh, Epheſ. 5.26, 27. But a bloody Spouſe ſhee was to him,Rev. 1.5. who loved her, and waſhed her with his blood.

Thou haſt Doves eyes] Sweet, amiable, ſingle, and chaſte. In the eyes beauty ſits, and ſhines more than in any part of the body beſides. [non-Latin text not transcribed], &c. apud Homerum. Blunts voyages. The Turks tell their deſperate Devotoes of beautiful women, with full eyes, in their fools paradiſe; and thereby hearten them on to bold attempts. The Hebrews ſay, that in oculis, loculis, poculis, the heart of a man ſhews it ſelf. The Church is here ſaid not to have Eagles, Vultures, Foxes, Apes eyes, but Doves eyes. Now, Felle columba caret, roſtro non caedit, & ungues Poſſidet innocuos, puraque grana legit.

The Dove hath her name in the Hebrew, from a root that ſignifieth to oppreſs and make a prey of any, as poor people, ſtrangers, fatherleſs, [non-Latin text not transcribed] &c. Jer. 50.16 becauſe (belike) this creature is ſubject to the prey and ſpoil of Hawks, when purſued, they ſave themſelves by flight, not fight. (The Prophet Jonah was ſo called, as ſome think, quod columbae inſtar aufugeret, becauſe hee fled as a Dove, when God ſent him to Nineveh, but not with the wings of a Dove) Sometimes ſitting in their Dove-cotes, they ſee their neſts deſtroyed, their young ones taken away, and killed before their eyes, never offering to reſcue or revenge, which all other fowls do ſeem in ſome ſort to do. This is very appliable to the perſecuted Church; [non-Latin text not transcribed]. as may bee ſeen in the Lamentations, and Martyrologies. In Greek, the Dove hath her name from her exceeding love to her Mate and young ones. [non-Latin text not transcribed], ſaith Ariſtotle, they kiſs one another: the Church likewiſe kiſſeth Chriſt, and is interchangeably kiſſed of Chriſt, [non-Latin text not transcribed] ab [non-Latin text not transcribed] ſimul & [non-Latin text not transcribed], traho. Pſal. 2.12. Cant. 1.1. being drawn together by a mutual dear affection (as the Apoſtles word imports, Heb. 11.13.) As if at any time the Dove and her Mate fall out and fight; ſhortly after, Quae modo pugnarunt, jungunt ſua roſtra columbae, Quarum blanditias, verbaque murmur habet.

Differences may ariſe between Chriſt and his Spouſe (ſhee may thank her ſelf, for hee grieves her not willingly, Lam. 3.35. Ille dolet quoties cogitur eſſe ferox) and ſome houſhold-words ſhee may have from him: but ſoon after, hee takes her into the wilderneſs, and ſpeaks to her heart, Hoſ. 2.14. yea hee takes her into his Wine-cellar, Cant. 2.4. then when one would think hee ſhould carry her into a dungeon rather. Hee kiſſes her (as Doves do one another) with the kiſſes of his mouth, then when one would think hee ſhould, upon ſuch high provocations, kick her, nay kill her, then hee ſhews her matchleſs mercy, ſuch as no man would ſhew his wife, Jer. 3.1.22. For hee is God, and not man, yea ſuch a ſin-pardoning God as never was heard of, Micah 7.18. If there bee but a Doves eye in the heads of any of his, a columbine ſimplicity, if ſimple to do evil, bunglers at it, and have nothing to ſay in defence of it, when it is done, Rom. 16.19. the amends is made: and love, with her long mantle, covers a multitude of ſins, Prov. 10.12.

Inter Romanos dicebatur, Tu Caius ego Caia. So here the Spouſe, I am Japha, becauſe thou art Japhe. Joppa a fair haven Town had its name from this root; like as the fair havens, Act. 27.8. and the beautiful gate. Act. 3.2.Verſ. 16. Behold thou art fair my Beloved, yea pleaſant] Behold thou art fair my Love, &c. ſaid hee to her. It were fitter a fair deal for mee to ſay ſo to thee, ſaith ſhee here to him: ſith all my beauty is but borrowed of thee, it is but a ſpark of thy flame, a drop of thine Ocean: if I ſhine at all, it is with thy beams onely: if I bee any whit comely, it is with the comelineſs that thou haſt put upon mee. Chriſt as a man (how much more as God bleſſed for ever?) was fairer by far than all the children of men, Pſal. 45.2. becauſe free from ſin, and full of grace and truth, as in Ezek. 28.7. there is mentioned beauty of Wiſdome. And thePlato. Heathen Philoſopher could ſay, that if moral wiſdome (how much more ſpiritual?) could bee ſeen with mortal eyes, it would draw all mens hearts unto it ſelf. But beſides his inward beauty, which was unconceiveable (inaſmuch as in him, as in a Temple, the fulneſs of the Godhead dwelt bodily, that is, perſonally) in the body of Chriſt, there was a moſt fair form, and a Divine face. Hee had a good complexion, and ſuch a comely countenance, as did expreſs a Divinity in him. If St. Stephens face, when hee ſtood before the Council, ſhone like an Angels face, Act. 6.15. and if his eye could peirce the Heavens, Act. 7.55. how much more (may wee think) Chriſt did? True it is, that by reaſon of his ſufferings in the fleſh, his viſage was marred more than any mans, and his form more than the ſons of men, Iſa. 52.14. And, hee had no form nor comelineſs, viz. in the eyes of his perverſe Country-men, who when they ſaw him, they could diſcern no ſuch beauty wherefore they ſhould ſo deſire him: Hee was deſpiſed and rejected of men: for why? Hee was a man of ſorrows, and acquainted with grief, which had ſo drunk up his ſpirits,John 8.57 and furrowed his fair face, that at little paſt thirty years of age, hee was reckoned to bee towards fifty, hee ſeemed to the Jews to bee much elder than hee was indeed, as ſome are of opinion.

[non-Latin text not transcribed] Sept. The Spring or flower of beauty. Yea pleaſant] Sweet as a flower, ſweet as an hony-comb, Mell in ore, melos in aure, jubilum in corde, ſweet to the ſoul, and health to the bones, Prov. 16.24. Hee that hath once but lightly taſted how ſweet the Lord Chriſt is, doth ſoon diſ-reliſh, yea loathe, in compariſon, all this worlds homely fare, taſteleſs fooleries.

Ovid. Met. lib. 15 Clitorio quicunque ſitim de fonte levarit, Vina fugit, gaudetque meris abſtemius undis.

Yea our bed is green] Our Bridal-bed: which was wont to bee decked with Garlands and green bows. Or, our Bedſted (ſo it may bee rendred) is green, made of green and growing timber, as Chriſts houſe is built of living and thriving ſtones, 1 Pet. 2.5. There is a perpetual greenneſs (the fruit of the vegetative Spirit of God within them) upon all Chriſts Olive-trees, Pſal. 52.8. And theſe green things muſt not bee hurt, Rev. 9.4. Or if they bee by a wound at the root, ſo as that they ſuffer a fit of barrenneſs, or ſeem to be ſapleſs, yet they ſhall revireſcere, recover their former greenneſs, as the Philippians did, and had a new ſpring after a ſharp winter: they had deflouriſhed for a time, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. but now reflouriſhed, Phil. 4.16.