An exposition of the Song of Solomon: called Canticles Together with profitable obseruations, collected out of the same. Perused and published by William Gouge, preacher of Gods Word in Black-Friers, London.

CHVRCH.

VERS. 2.

O let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth, for thy Loues are excellent bet∣ter then wine.

The Church (whose heart the Spirit of Christ had before knit vnto him) beginneth to wooe her loue: and crying out in a passion, desireth his em∣bracings: That he would be present with her, ioine himselfe vnto her, and remaine hers for euer. This vehement desire, this ardency of affection she shew∣eth to be most iust & reasonable, and fortifieth the equity, the honesty, the necessity, the fruite, and commodity thereof, diuersly and many waies. First the excellency of this loue is wonderfull, aboue all the pleasures and delights of the world: especially if it come not single but accompanied with a large nesse and a bounty from him, that it may be called Loues in the plurall. What wine so pleasant to the taste?

VERR. 3.

Because of the smell of thy good ointmens thy name is as an ointment powred foorth. Therefore the Virgins loue thee.

What ointment so fragrant to the smell? Was that which shead vpon Aarons head, trickled downe his beard, and wet the hemmes of his gar∣ment? or the costly ointment, that Alablaster boxe of pure Nard, the Spickenard which shee powred vpon our Sauiour Christ, that filled all the house with the sweetnesse of the smell? Take which you will, and the best ointments els, they are not worthy to be named, when thine ointments, the ioy of gladnesse wherewith God hath annointed thee a∣boue thy fellowes, and which thou powrest forth to the comfort of the world, & the refreshing of thy Saints that haue any sence, and spirituall smell, are talked of. I speake not of my loue as present with me when I enioy his sweet selfe, and haue him in mine armes. No. Eye hath neuer seen, eare hath ne∣uer heard, heart cannot conceiue the sweetnes of those delights. But I speake of the verie remem∣brance of him, absent and away. Thwit me not here with any carnall loue, or loue to steale my heart from God; farre be that from my thoughts: I meane nothing but that which is holy, chast, pure, maidenly, and virgin-like, free as well from bodily pollution and vncleannesse; as from spirituall for∣nication against my spouse.

VERS, 4.

Draw me, after thee will we runne. Let the King bring mee into his priu••e cham∣bers. We will reioice and be glad in thee. We will record thy loues better then wine. They

shall record them who in all rightnes do loue thee

They that will follow vaine vanities and forsake their owne mercy, let them doe it. But I will eleaue to thee. This comming, and eleauing vnto Christ, is I confesse a diuine worke, the worke of God himself, & steps beyond the reach of man, which no humane foote can tread, no wit can climbe vnto or comprehend, vnlesse it be framed and fashioned from aboue. A worke which of all others vvee are most vntoward to, of such difficulty that wee must be drawen, and haled, and violently pulled out of our selues, before wee can once settle about it, ha∣uing neither power, nor so much as will vnto it; for what finde I in my selfe to egge, and prouoke me thereunto? Whatsoeuer I haue within me, or without me, from the top vnto the toe, from the head vnto the heeles, is an vtter enemy, and doth oppose and set it selfe against it; yet I desire tho∣rough the working of his holy spirit (for euen the desire and first thought doth come from him,) not onely to walke in the pathes, (which notwith∣standing O happy men that so doe, and how few there bee that find the same) but to runne in them with all my might and maine, with faith, hope, pa∣tience, and obedience to follo•• thee: O let my feete be shod and made nimble for to doe it. But who (thinke you?) is the person whom thus I loue, and am so enamoured with? Verely the King him∣selfe our Soueraigne Lord, CHRIST, the God of glory, worthy to be loued of all, able to draw a••l

vnto his loue, and to make all the gates, and doores of our heart to be set open to him. What may be the place whether we runne so fast, and would so faine hie our selues vnto? It is his owne priuie chambers, his Church, and house heere, and after this his heauenly tabernacles, where better it is to be one hower then in the Palaces of all other Kings a thousand yeeres beside. The fruites and effects that come from it, are admirable, and diuine: ioy in the holy Ghost, spirituall mirth and gladnesse. For the hauing whereof where, or who is he (shew me the man, if he be a man and not a very beast) that would not bid al the Iolity of the world adew. It is a ioy cannot well bee hidden: it will shew it selfe and fill our mouthes with the praises of his name, with Psalmes, hymnes, and spirituall songs, all too little, too too litttle for him. Neither will I (my selfe alone) take pleasure in this duty, I and mine, all my friends and followers, whosoeuer they be that loue thee, will vncessantly performe the same: you prophane get you farie away. The praises of God beseeme not your mouthes. These pretious Iewels, such pearles are not for swines s••outes. So holy a worke belongeth to holy men: It is for them whose hearts are cleane, pure, san∣ctified, which waike in all integrity and in the righ∣teousnesse of their waies. These our God doth call; their tongues he fines and fi••es, to be the trumpet∣ters of his glory:

Thus, and by those arguments (twelue in number) the Church setteth forh, amplifieth,

and enlargeth the summe of her most holy de∣sires.

VERSE 5

I am black, but comly, O daughters of Ie∣rusalem: Like to the Kedarenes that dwell in tents: but I am also like to those that dwell in the curtaines of Solomon.

Now because it is the property of true loue to be desirous that others also may haue a liking of the thing beloued, shee remoueth the lets and hin∣drances that may keepe her friend and fellows (in Gods election members of the Church) from com∣ming vnto CHRIST, confessing there is nothing outwardly in her to bee seene that can giue con∣content or make her bee liked, but inwardly, in the hidden man shee is amiable and full of beauty: for this daughter of the King is all glorious within, foule in her selfe and black, euen cole black, as black as any black-more, or if any thing bee more black then it, through sinne, both originall and actuall, that maketh her to com short of the glory of God, and to be subiect to death and condemnation: but through CHRIST, and the righteousnesse shee hath in him, she is goodly and glorious as Solomons courtly traine.

VERS. 6.

Looke not vpon mee because I am blackish, because the Sunne hath cast his beames vp∣on me, because the sonnes of my mother in∣censed against me, haue made mee a keeper

of other vine-yards: mine owne vine-yard I haue not kept.

Three things indeed there bee which lay her o∣pen, though washed, though iustified, though sanc∣tified through CHRIST, to ignomie and re∣proach. All which notwithstanding shee is not to be despised, since none of them, nor they all are a∣ble to obscure the brightnes of Gods glory in her; first the remnants of sinne that still cleaue vnto her, and are so many foule spots in her faire face: ma∣king her blackish, though not cole black. Second∣ly afflictions, as it were the schorching of the Sun. Lastly her infirmitie, that thorough the peeuish∣nesse of some which beare the face of bretheren, not able to endure wholsome doctrine, and the sweete yoke of IESVS CHRISTS, but making stirres and discords in the Church, and teaching insteed of Christs lores their owne fantasies, and pleasures, shee hath in weaknesse been driuen to yeeld in many things contrary to the duty and place which God hath set her in.

VERS. 7.

Shewe mee O thou whom my soule lo∣ueth, where thou feedest, where thou makest flock to lie downe at noone: for why should I bee as one that pitcheth her tents by the flocks of thy companions.

Wherefore she saith she will goe to the Arch∣bishoppe, and chiefe sheppard of her soule, of him

to learne how to carry her selfe in the Church, which is the house of the liuing God, to be ordered by those Lawes onely that hee himselfe the most wise house-holder hath prescribed. Heereupon she turneth her speech to Christ, telling him, hee onely is her delght. All his ordinances she accoun∣teth right in all things, and that shee hateth euerie lying path. And therefore prayeth him to teach her where hee feedeth with his Word and Sacraments, where at noone day hee maketh his sheepe to rest: for both feeding and resting, who∣ly and in all things her desire is to be at his directi∣on. And euen then when others repast themselues and take their meales, shee can not be in quiet vn∣lesse shee bee with him. That so ranging her selfe among his other sheepe she may bee kept from ha∣uing any thing to doe with strange shepheards, that in name participate with CHRIST, but in truth are none of his.