John Trapp on Song of Solomon 1:2

Verſ. 2. Let him kiſs mee with the kiſſes of his mouth] It muſt bee premiſed and remembred, that this Book is penitus allegoricus & parabolicus, as one ſaith, allegorical throughout, and aboundeth all along with types and figures, with parables and ſimilitudes. Quot verba, tot ſacramenta, So many words, ſo many myſteries, ſaith Hierome of the Revelation, Apocalypſin fateor me neſcire exponere, &c. exponat cui Deus conceſſerit. Cajet. Poſſev. in Biblioth. ſelect. which made Cajetan not dare to comment upon it. The like may bee truly affirmed of the Canticles: nay, wee may ſay of it in a ſpecial manner, as Poſſevinus doth of the whole Hebrew Bible, tot eſſe ſacramenta, quot literae, tot myſteria, quot puncta, tot arcana, quot apices. Hence Pſellus in Theodoret asketh pardon for preſuming to expound it. But difficilium facilis eſt venia; &, In magnis voluiſſe ſat eſt. In hard things the pardon is eaſie; and in high things, let a man ſhew his good will, and it ſuffiſeth. The matter of this Book hath been pointed at already: as for the form of it, it is Dramatical and Dialogiſtical. The chief ſpeakers are not Solomon and the Shulamite (as Caſtalio makes it) but Chriſt and his Church.John 3.29 Chriſt alſo hath his Aſſociates (thoſe friends of the Bridegroom) viz. the Prophets, Apoſtles, Paſtors, and Teachers, who put in a word ſometimes. As likewiſe do the fellow-friends of the Bride, viz. whole Churches, or particular Chriſtians. The Bride begins here abruptly (after the manner of a Tragedy) through impatience of love, and an holy impotency of deſire after, not an union onely, but an unity alſo with him whom her ſoul loveth. Let him kiſs mee, &c. Kiſſing is a token of love, 1 Pet. 5.14. Luk. 7.45. and of reconciliation, 2 Sam. 14.33. And albeit [non-Latin text not transcribed] (as Philo obſerveth) Love is not alwaies in a kiſs; Joab and Judas could kiſs and kill, (Caveatur oſculum Iſcarioticum) conſign their treachery with ſo ſweet a ſymbol of amity, yet thoſe that love out of a pure heart fervently, do therefore kiſs,1 Pet. 1.22. as deſiring to transfuſe, if it might bee, the ſouls of either into other, and to become one with the party ſo beloved, and in the beſt ſenſe ſuaviated. That therefore which the Church here deſireth,Heb. 1.1 is, not ſo much Chriſts coming in the fleſh (that God, who at ſundry times, and in divers manners had ſpoken in times paſt unto her by the Prophets, would now ſpeak unto her by his Son, as ſome have ſenſed it) as that ſhee may have utmoſt conjunction to him, and neareſt communion with him, here as much as may bee, and hereafter in all fulneſs of fruition. Let him kiſs mee, and ſo ſeal up his hearty love unto mee, even the ſure mercies of David; with the kiſſes of his mouth; Not with one kiſs onely, with one pledge of his love, but with many (there is no ſatiety, no meaſure, no bounds or bottome of this holy love, as there is in carnal deſires, ubi etiam vota, poſt uſum faſtidio ſunt) Neither covers mee to kiſs his hand (as they deal by Kings) or his feet (as they do the Popes) but his mouth; ſhee would have true kiſſes, the baſia, the buſſes of thoſe lips, whereinto grace is poured, Pſal. 45.3. and where hence thoſe words of grace are uttered,Prov. 31.26 Mat. 5.2, 3, &c. Hee openeth his mouth with wiſdome, and in his lips is the Law of kindneſs. Hence her affectionate deſires, her earneſt pantings, inquietations, and unſatisfiableneſſes. Shee muſt have Chriſt, or elſe ſhee dies; ſhee muſt have the kiſſes of Chriſts mouth, even thoſe ſweet pledges of love in his word, or ſhee cannot bee contented, but will complain, in the confluence of all other comforts, as Abraham did, Gen. 15.2. Lord God, what wilt thou give mee, ſeeing I go childeleſs? Or as Artab[illegible: 1 letter]zus in Xenophon did, (when Cyrus had given him a cup of gold, and Chryſantas a kiſs in token of his ſpecial favour) ſaying, that the cup that hee gave him was nothing ſo good gold, as the kiſs that hee gave Chryſantas. The Poets fable, that the Moon was wont to come down from her orb to kiſs Endymion. It is a certain truth, that Chriſt came down from Heaven to reconcile us to his Father, to unite us to himſelf, and ſtill to communicate unto our ſouls the ſenſe of his love, the feeling of his favour, the ſweet breath of his holy Spirit.

For thy Love is better than Wine] Heb. Loves. The Septuagint and Vulgar render it Ubera; Thy breaſts; but that is not ſo proper, ſith it is the Church that here ſpeaks to Chriſt, and, by the ſudden change of perſon, ſhews the ſtrength and livelineſs of her affection: As by the Plural Loves, ſhee means all fruits of his love, righteouſneſs, peace, joy in the Holy Ghoſt, aſſurance of Heaven, which Mr. Latimer calls the ſweet-meats of the feaſt of a good conſcience. There are other dainty diſhes at that feaſt, but this is the banquet, this is better than Wine, which yet is a very comfortable creature, Pſal. 104.15. and highly ſet by, Pſal. 4.7. Plato calls wine a muſick, miſeriarum humanarum [non-Latin text not transcribed], the chief allayments of mens miſeries.