An exposition on the whole booke of Solomons song,: commonly called the canticles. Wherein the text is explained and usefull observations raised thereupon. / By John Robotham, preacher of the gospel.

VERS. 15.

Take us the Foxes, the little Foxes that spoile the Vines: for our Vines have tender grapes.

HEre the Church repeateth a speech of Christ which concerneth his care over the faithfull, that' should walke up in a close communion with himselfe. The parts are these two.

First, A commandement for taking and apprehen∣ding the adversaries, great and small, laid downe un∣der the terme of Foxes, Take us the Foxes, &c.

Secondly, A reason thereof, and this is drawne.

First from the nature of the Foxes, which is to de∣voure, That spoile the Vines &c.

Secondly, From the time of the Vines weaknesse, when it is said, For our Vines have tender grapes, &c.

Take us the Foxes, &c.

Christs command is to restraine (the foxes, the little foxes) the enemies of the Church, of greater or lesser power: Hence observe, Christs care over his Church, he is careful that it be not spoiled by devouring beasts: he keepes his Vineyard in his owne hand, and will see that it shall not run to utter ruine.

The Foxes, the little Foxes, &c.

By Foxes, wee may understand, either sinnes, or persons, because both of them are hurtfull unto the Spouse.

First, Every sinne may well be compared to a Foxe.

• 1. As Foxes hide in the holes of the earth, Matth. 8. 20. So are sinnes hidden in the deceitfull heart of man.
• 2. As the Foxe is both subtile and harmefull: so is sinne.

Secondly, Personall adversaries of the Church may well be compared to foxes, those who labour the ru∣ine of the Church, and these are either false teachers or bloody Tyrants.

First, False Prophets, and false Teachers are so compared by the Prophet, Ezek. 13. 4. O Israel, thy Prophets are like the Foxes in the Desarts. And such are by Christ likned to Wolves, Matth. 7. 12. such as these may well be called Foxes.

First, For craft and subtiltie; the Apostle tels us, They tuansforme themselves into the Apostles of Christ, 2 Cor. 11. 13. Such Apostles (saith he) are deceitfull workers; that is, who seeme to labour in the Vineyard of Christ, and seeme to be zealous, as if they sought nothing but Gods glorie, when they seek their owne gaine and advantage most of all.

Secondly, In respect of their crooked and perverse wayes; for so a Fox is noted, for his rolling in and out with turnings and windings; and thus David speakes of the wicked, and those that are enemies of the Church, But these (saith he) that turne aside by their crooked wayes, lead them forth with the workers of iniqui∣tic, &c. Psal. 125. 5. Such as Apostate from the truth, or, such as are ignorantly zealous, that thinke they doe God good service, to destroy the Saints; Such I say turne aside, and walke in crooked

wayes, wasting and destroying the Vines of Christ.

Secondly, Bloody and cruell Tyrants are compared to a Foxe, as Christ called Herod a Foxe, Luke 13. 32. because of his subtiltie, and fraudulent disposition. In like manner the Apostle tels us, that he was Delivered out of the mouth of the Lion, 2 Tim. 4. 17. Some by the Lion understand the Emperour Nero, so called for his rage and crueltie, as for the most part, Tyrants and pow∣erfull enemies of the Church are called: As the Mo∣ther of the Princes of Israel is said to be a Lionesse: And shee lieth downe among Lyons, and she nourisheth her whelps (to wit, tyrannicall Kings) among young Lyons, Ezek. 19. 2. that is, the mother of the Kings, to wit, the peo∣ple of the Jewes, and Jerusalem, which have brought them forth, hath been full of blood and violence, and hath brought forth Kings of the same nature. The powerfull enemies of the Church are often called Ly∣ons, as in Psal. 35. 17. and 91. 13 Pro. 28. Jer. 2. 15. and 4. 7. And Marsyas certifying his Patron at Rome, of the death of Tyberius, useth this phrase, the Li••n is dead; as Josephus re∣porteth. In Rev. 19. 20. we•• reade of the Beast and the false Prophet, by which Beast, some understand to be the persecuting magistrate, as the false Prophet to be the persecuting Priest.

The Pope is a kinde of a mixt Foxe, having power civill and ecclesiastical, usurping both swords, the tem∣porall sword over all Princes, and the spirituall sword over all Churches. Besides all these, wee may come neerer home, and see many of these mysticall foxes, in every Towne and Citty, persecuting the Saints, and spoiling the tender vines of Christ.

Now wee passe to the reasons of this command, and

first from the devouring nature of these adversaries in the words following.

That spoile our Vines.

Spoile, or, corrupt our Vine-yards, that is, by devou∣ring the grapes: as Foxes spoile and destroy the Vines; so false Prophets, oppressours, and Tyrants destroy the Church: of the first sort the Apostle speakes of, and saith, their word eateth as the Canker, 2 Tim. 2. 17. And of such the Lord complaineth, Many Pastors have corrupted my Vineyard, Jer. 12. 10. In this place Pa∣stors may be applyed unto false Prophets, or unto the tyrannicall Kings and Princes of Babylon.

The last reason is taken from the fruitfulnesse of the Vine, in these words.

For our Vines have tender grapes.

For, in the Hebrew and, which word is often used instead of for, as in Psal. 60. 13. And in Genesis 12. 19.

Our Vines, or, our Vineyards: By the Vinyard and Vine, is understood the Church of Christ, and the Gospel: The Prophet saith, I will sing to my well-beloved, a song of my beloved, of his Vine-yard, Isa. 5. 1. and the Vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant, &c. chap. 5. 7. But now wee must know, that there are two sorts of Vines, the one of Jerusalem, the other of sodome, as Moses speaketh, For their Vine is the Vine of sodome, and of the Vines of Gomorrah, their grapes are grapes of gaule, their clusters be bitter, their wine is the poyson of Dragons, and the cruell gaule of Aspes, &c.

Deut. 32. 31. Therefore it must not be the Vine of sodome, but the Vine of Jerusalem, which wee are to understand here. This Vine is the Spouse of Christ, and all the faithfull are labourers in the Lords Vine∣yard.

Tender grapes, which doe but begin to bud, and shew themselves, even in the beginnings of the fruits of reli∣gion: Foxes labour to destroy these, as Herod sought to destroy Christ at the beginning of his dayes, and Pha∣raoh the men. Children of Israel at their birth, that so Israel might be no more a Nation. These Foxes there∣fore both great and small, must therefore be taken and destroyed. The words being thus unfolded, let us take notice of these observations.

First, Observe.

That the Spouse of Christ is alwayes troubled with some enemies.

There are alwayes those of greater or lesser power to afflict the Church, there will alway be some San-bal∣lat or Tobiah, or some such to nible at the Vines of Christ of this, the Scripture is full of testimonies.

Secondly, Observe.

That these enemies of the Spouse, are of a devouring nature.

That spoile our Vines, &c. Foxes are hurtfull to the la∣bour of the husband-man. samson being wrongd by the Philistims, tooke three hundred Foxes, and with their tailes set on fire, burnt their corne, with their Vine∣yards and Olives. There have been alwayes false Tea∣chers, as in Moses time, their stood up Jannes and Jam∣bres; and how many of Baals Prophets were there in the time of Elias? and when was the Spouse of Christ free from persecution of tyrannicall Kings and Prin∣ces?

This is then the Churches portion, and therefore not to be wondred at.

Thirdly, Observe.

That Christ doth cherish the least buddings of grace in his Saints.

For our Vines have tender grapes: When a Vine brings forth wild grapes, Christ will take away the hedge of his vineyard, and it shall be eaten up, Isa. 5. 4. But on the contrary, Christ tels us, that every branch that beareth fruit, shall be purged, that it may bring forth more fruit Joh. 15. 1, 2. so that Christ hath great care to pre∣serve young and tender fruit.

Fourthly, Observe.

That such as would by subtiltie and tyrannie destroy the tender plants of Christ are to be restrained. Take us the Foxes.

First, for false Prophets, they are to be discovered, and refused of their errour, and after all, judg'd, and cast out of the Church; he that will deny the doctrine of the Gospell, wee must not receive him, neither bid him God-speed, Joh. 2. 10. But in the end, Christ himselfe will restraine both the Beast and the false Pro∣phet, as in Revel. 19. 20. And the Beast was taken, and with him the false Prophet, that wrought miracles before him, &c. These were both cast alive into a Lake of fire bur∣ning with brimstone. Therefore let all persecuting em∣perours, Kings, and Priests know, that the time will come that Christ will take them and chaine, them up, or else destroy them, and in that he sayes, these shall be taken alive: it notes out unto us, the great and hor∣rible torments, that they shall indure, and that is cal∣led the Lake of fire, to wit, an exquisite torment thereby resembled.

Notes

• Joseph. aniiq. lib. 18. cap 6.