Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_600.lzh/4_634.TXT

Text File | 1994-09-29 | 7KB | 131 lines

regard to his word and worship, to his truths and or-
dinances; and to his people, to conversation and com-
munion with them. By these virgins are meant either
congregational churches that strictly adhere to Christ,
and to his pure worship; or particular believers, for
their inviolate attachment to him; for the singleness
and sincerity of their love to him; for their incorrupt.
hess in the doctrine of faith; for the truth and spiritu-
ality of their worship; for the purity of their lives and
conversations; for their beauty and comeliness through
Christ; for their gay and costly attire, being clothed
with his righteousness; and for their modest behaviour,
having the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.
Ver. 4. Draw me, &c.] With the cords of love, for
what draw lovers to each other more strongly ? under
the influence of that they cannot bear to be without
each other's company. Aben Ezra takes these words
to be sDoken by the virgins, who every one of them
said thi's, proimsing upon it to follow after the drawer;
but they are rather the request of the church, desirous
of nearer and more intimate communion with Christ.;
for this is not to be understood of drawing at first c,0n-
version, as the fruit of love, and under the influence of
grace, Jer. xxxi. 3. John vi. 44. but of being brought
nearer to Christ, and to enjoy more of him. We will run
after thee; the church and the virgins, she and her com-
panions, or particular believers; every oneof them in
their respective stations would act with more rigour
upon such drawings; would run in a way of duty, follow
Christ, and walk in his steps; and as they had him for
an example, and according to his word, and in the ways
of his commandments: or that we may run after thee{s};
intimatiug that there is no running without drawing;
no following Christ, at least no running after him
with alacrity and cheerfulness, without being drawn
by his love, and influenced by his grace. The King
hath brought me into his chambers: the blessing she
sought after, and was so solicitous for in the pre-
ceding verses; namely, to have the marriage con-
-summated, to be owned by Christ as his spouse and
bride, by taking her home, and introducing her into the
nuptial chatnber; by putting her into the enjoyment
of himself, and the possession of Iris substance: and
this being done by him as King of saints, yea, of
the world, shewed great condescension on his part,
and great honour bestowed on her; since by this act,
as he was King, she was declared queen ! We will be
glad and rejoice in thee: she and her bridemaids, the
virgins that artended her; that is, when he should in-
troduce her into his chambers, as some trender the
words; then they should express their joy and glad-
ness on that occasion; and that in the greatness, glory,
and fitness of his person; in the fulness of grace
in him; in the blessings of grace from him; in what
he has done for, and is to his church and people; in
the olfices he bears, and in the relatious he stands
in to them; and particularly that of a husband, now
declared. We will remember thy love more than wine:
which, upon the introduction of the bride to the
bridegroom, might be pientifully. drank; of the pre-
ferableness of Christ's love to wine, see the note on
ver. o.. it may design more particularly the love of'
Christ, expressed at this time of solemnizing the mar-
riage between him and his church in an open man-
ner, Hos. if. 19. and which would never be forgotten :
Christ's love is remembered when thought of and ree-
dstated upon; when faith is exercised on it, and the
desires of the soul are drawn after it, and the affections
set upon it; and when it is often spoken of to others,
being uppermost in the mind; saints under the Gospel
dispensation have an ordinance for this purpose, to,
commemorate the love of Christ. The upright love thee;
or uprightnesses{u}; men of upright hearts and conyeras-.
tions, who have right spirits renewed in them; or
Israelites indeed, in whom there is no guile; who have
the truth of grace in them, walk uprightly according
to the rule of God's word, and the Gospel of Christ ;.
and do all they do sincerely, from a principle of 1ove,
and with a view to the glory of God; such love Christ
superlatively, sincerely, fervently, and constantly; and
love him rightly, or most uprightly, as. some {w} render the
phrase.
Ver. 5. I am black, but comely, 0 ye daughters of
Jerusalem, &c.] The church having obtained of Christ,
what she wanted, turns to the daughters of Jerusa-
lem, the same perhaps with the virgins her compa-
nions; they seem to be young converts, it may be
not yet members of the visible church, but had a great
respect for the church, and she for them; and who,
though they had but a small knowledge of Christ
her beloved, yet were desirous of knowing more of
him, and seeking him with her; see ch. iii. 9--1..1. and
v. 8, 9. and vi. 1. to these she gives.. this character of
herself, that she was black in herself", through original
sin and actual transgression; in her own eyes, through
indwelling sin, and many infirmities, spots, and ble-
mishes in life; and in the eyes of the world, through
afflictions, persecutions., and reproaches, she was at--
tended with, and so with them the offscouring of all
things: but comely in the eyes of Christ, called by him
h is fair one, the fairest among women, and even all fair,
ver. S. 15. and ch. iv. 7. through his comelinessput upon
her, the imputation of his righteousness to her; :through
the beauties of holiness upon her; through,the sanctify-
ing influences of his Spirit; and, being inn church-
state, walking in Gospel order, attending to the com-
mands and ordinances of Christ; and so beautiful as
Tirzah, and comely as Jerusalem, ch. vi. 4. and upon
all accounts desirable {y} to Christ, and to his people, as
the word may be rendered. .As the tents of Kedar, as
the curtains of Solomon: each of which are thought by
some to refer to both parts of her character; and sup-
pose that the tents of Kedar, though they might look
mean without, were full of wealth and riches within;
and Solomon's curtains, or hangings, might have an
outward covering not so rich and .beautiful as they
were within-side; but rather the blackness of the
church is designed by the one, and her comeliness by


{s} \^huwrn\^ ut curramus, so some in Marckius.
{t} Quum introduxerit me, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, so Schmidt.
{u} \^Myrvym\^ \~euyuthv\~, Sept. rectitudines, Montanus, Vatablus, Marckius,
Michaelis,so some in Vatablus.
{w} Junius & Tremellius, so Cocceius and Jarchi.
{x} Nigra per naturam, formosa per gratiam, Aug. de Tempore,
serm. 201. p. 354. tom. 10. Fusca per culpam, decora per gratiam,
Ambros. in Psal. cxviii. octon. 2. col. 881. tom. 2.
{y} \^hwan\^ optabilis, Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Mercerus;
so Aben Ezra.