John Trapp on Song of Solomon 4:1

CHAP. IV. Verſ. 1. Behold thou art fair, my Love, behold thou art fair.]

THou art, thou art, and I am much taken with it, ſo that I cannot but ſet an Ecce admirantis upon it, I am ſo rapt and raviſhed: yea I would that others alſo ſhould behold it, and bee enamoured with it. As the Church called upon her Daughters of Zion, in the laſt verſe of the former chapter, to go forth and ſee her Bridegroom in all his bravery, and to help to crown him:Ezek. 16.14 ſo here interchangeably, Chriſt calls upon all ſorts to contemplate his beautiful Bride in all the comelineſs that hee hath put upon her, and that Crown of twelve Stars that hee hath ſet upon her head, Rev. 12.1. ſo that in every thing ſhee is enriched by him, and cometh behind in no gift, 1 Cor. 1.5, 7.

Thou haſt Doves eyes] Particularly Chriſt commendeth her eyes, hair, teeth, lips, temples, neck and breaſts. Hee that would praiſe another, is careful to take in whatſoever of him may bee thought praiſe-worthy. Chriſt onely is able to give his Church her due commendation; becauſe hee onely knows all men; And needeth not that any ſhould teſtifie of man, for hee knoweth what is in man, John 2.24, 25. All others that ſhall undertake ſuch a buſineſs, had need ſay as Mr. Bradford the Martyr ſaith of that Peerleſs King Edward the Sixth.Serm. of Repent. 37 So many things are to bee ſpoken in commendation of Gods graces in this childe (who yet was but one of thoſe many that make up the Church, but yet ſuch an one, that as hee was the chifeſt, ſo I think the holieſt and godlieſt in the Realm of England, Pictores pulchram abſolutamque faciem raro niſi in pejus effingunt. ſaith the ſame bleſſed Bradford,) that as Saluſt writeth of Carthage, I had rather ſpeak nothing, than too little, in that too much is too little. An exact face (ſaith Pliny) is ſeldome drawn but with great diſadvantage: how much more when a bungler hath it in hand? In which regard Alexander the Great forbade his pourtraiture to bee painted by any other than Apelles, or to bee carved by any other but Lyſippus, men famous in thoſe faculties. Behold here one that goes far beyond them both, (the greateſt Artiſan in the world) penſilling out to the life, and ſetting forth a complete Character of his deareſt Spouſe, whom hee had in his heart to dye, Exod. 28.29 2 Cor. 7.3 2 Cor. 11. and to live with, as the High-Prieſt had the twelve Tribes, and St. Paul his Corinthians, though the more hee loved, the leſs hee was beloved. But to come to her particular praiſes, Thou haſt Doves eyes, that is, fair, full, clear, chaſt. See the Note on chap. 1.15. Eyes the true Church hath, and thoſe both opened and enlightened, Act. 26.18. Shee cries not up ignorance as the Mother of Devotion, neither doth ſhee ſend forth blind guides, to require blind obedience, as the Popiſh Padres do with their novices; to put out the eyes of thoſe poor miſ-lead and muzzled Ignoramuſſes, and to lead them blind-fold into the midſt of their deadly enemies, as Eliſha did the Syrians into Samaria. The Church here deſcribed, hath (as Solomons wiſe man) her eyes in her head: yea, ſhee hath two eyes, when the reſt of the world hath but one, (as the Chinois vainly brag of themſelves) a praiſe proper to the Church of Chriſt,Deſcription of the world, chap. of China. Shee lifteth not up her eyes unto Idols, Ezek. 18.6. but to the Holy One of Iſrael, Iſa. 17.7. her eyes are Doves eyes. Every childe of Chriſts Church hath a ſpiritual eye-ſight, an inſight into the Myſtery of Chriſt, communication of Chriſts ſecrets, the mind of Chriſt, 1 Cor. 2.15. Shee hath no blind children: for though born blind, yet Chriſt hath anointed them with his eye-ſalve, Rev. 3.18. and given both light and ſight. But by eyes here wee are chiefly to underſtand Paſtours and Miniſters, thoſe Seers (as they were called of old, 1 Sam. 9.9.) thoſe lights of the world,John 5. Mat. 5.14, 15, 16. burning and ſhining lights, as the Baptist was called, whoſe Office is to bee to Gods people, inſtead of eyes, Numb. 10.31. and to open the eyes of the blind, to turn them from darkneſs to light, and from the power of Satan to God, &c. Act. 26.18. And theſe are to have Doves eyes, ſeeking to preſent unto Chriſt every man chaſt and pure in the ſimplicity of the Goſpel, 2 Cor. 11.2, 3.

Within thy locks] Seemly tied up and covered (as the word imports) without pride or affectation, not laid out, as the manner is, of vain and unſhame-faced women, but thick, fair, and modeſtly made up: to ſhew the Churches modeſty and humility, which is the knot of every virtue, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. and ornament of every grace, as St. Peters word holds it forth, 1 Pet. 5.5.

Their hair is as a flock of Goats, &c.] They are fat and well-liking; and ſo their hair lay ſmooth, ſlick, and ſhining: By the Churches hair here, may bee meant the community of true Chriſtians, that, being as the hair innumerable, do adhere to Chriſt, as to their head; and have a promiſe that not one hair of that ſacred head ſhall fall to the ground: and that if any ſon of Belial ſhall offer to ſhear or ſhave them,2 Sam. 10. hee ſhall anſwer it as dearly as the Ammonites did the like abuſe done to Davids Embaſſadours.