we may learn whence, and how it is, that the tuuk, the midst of this mystical fabric of king Solomon's raising, is said to be retzuph, of, or with love. For the daughters of Jerusalem.-This needs no illustration, as in the sense which I have already assigned to it, the meaning and application are obvious: Or, if hold shall be taken of the Hebrew preposition, mem, (which we read for'), properly signifying 'from,' as the LXX. have rendered it, 'ano Guyaтegwv, 'from the daughters,' and the Socinian Le Clerc, in his degrading way, paraphrases it,' wrought in needle-work, by the daughters of Jerusalem, as a testimony of their love,' let it be observed, that the word, banut (daughters) may, by grammar, be the infinitive of the verb bane, to build; so what goes before may be said to be from the building, the consequences and effects of building Jerusalem, in the sense of the Psalmist's prayer', Build thou the walls of Jerusalem,' and*· except the Lord build the house,' &c. In either of these significations, the application will be the same; the mention of love, as having a relation to Jerusalem, the mother of us all, speaks something beyond the letter, and presents the spiritual explication of this piece of mystical workmanship, in all its emblematical parts, to which the literal sense can give no coherent meaning, but which the humble searcher of the scriptures' will know how and where to adjust. 6 VOL. II. VER. Y y 1 Psalm li. 18, 2 Psalm cxxvii. I. VER. 11.-Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart. By those paraphrasers, who wish our Song to be considered as a Pastoral, much labour has been employed to exemplify the crowning here spoken of, by heathen authorities, and other instances far posterior to this date. But they have not told us when, or where, it was usual for mothers to crown kings, or even bridegrooms: and Solomon stands here in both these characters. The ground of this fancy seems to be the way of pointing the verse in our translation, which joins the crowning to the espousals. But the original may be thus read, Behold king Solomon in the day of his espousals, &c. with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him; and so the espousals will belong to the act of beholding, not to the coronation. The address here is made to daughters, but under a new and particular appellation, which occurs not again in all the Song. Daughters of Zion.-This Zion, we know, was the sacred place of Jerusalem, and is distinguishingly called, The city of David, the belov'ed' Hence the so frequent title of The daugh'ter of Zion,' as the peculium, the chosen, favourite people. So we read in Isaiah, of The virgin, the daughter of Zion,' and of particular threat 1 2 Sam. v. 7. 2 Chap. xxxvii. 22. threatenings' and promises made to her. The Psalmist 3 tells us, that the Lord loveth the gates ' of Zion more than all the tabernacles of Jacob and the famous prophecy of Zechariah 5, is limited by Isaiah, and by the evangelists St Matthew and St John', to the daughter of Zion- Rejoice greatly, fear not, behold thy KING cometh,' &c. All in terms, especially the historical accomplishment in the New Testament, so similar to the invitation before us, that there can be no doubt of its tendency to the same purpose, 'Go forth, ye daughters of Zion, and behold your KING' Or, in the prophetic language, that saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth.' But why, or whence, are they to go forth? The same prophet shall explain this: Depart ye, depart ye,' says he, go ye forth,' (the same word wy, tzau), as alluded to by the apostle, Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,' &c. and by the Apocalypt", I heard a voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people,' &c. The daughters of Zion, the chosen ones, are to go forth out of the earthly Jerusalem, out of the wisdom Y y 2 6 of of the world, out of the bondage of sin, out of the sufficiency of self, before they can see and behold their King. Thus it was that the prophecy was li- · terally fulfilled': Much people went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosannah, Blessed is the King of Israel, &c. the true, the real Solomon, (Son of David *), the Prince of Peace.' 6 In the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.—It is acknowledged that this, and some other such-like expressions, convey the idea of a marriage; and indicate this composition to be something of what is called an epithalamium, or marriage-song. But let it be remembered, that though there be frequent mention of a bridegroom, in character of a king, a beloved, and even many times called by the name of Solomon, yet there is no specification of any particular woman, as such, to whom the title of bride is given. So that all the fine things brought out of the storehouse of imagination, or heathen example, to illustrate the female character here, must either pass as fiction, or be construed in another way. I find much stress laid on the expression in this place, the day of his espousals; and a difference among commentators, whether to fix it to the first or third day of what they call the seven days feast.' But the scripture use of the word day, gives no such handle. The day of thy visitation-this thy day So '-it will come to pass in that day,' &c. are common and well-known scripture phrases. CHRIST'S marrying his church is a continued work, and the whole progress of it is a day, or, as the prophet extends it', a time of love. "In that day, saith the 'Lord, thou shalt call me Ishi, my husband,' &c. ' and I will betroth thee unto me for ever? What particular day is this, I would fain know? And why such affected preciseness about the day of espousals here in the Song? Let scripture decypher scripture, and we shall be at no loss to find out what it unfolds. This day, this time of espousals, is said to be the day, the time of the gladness of his heart. says the prophet Isaiah, in the same style, *, As 'the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee,'-and 5, I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people.' So says Jeremiah, They shall be my people, and I will 'be their God'And I will rejoice over them to 'do them good.' All which is testified of Christ in person, by the evangelist St Luke, ' In that hour, (what hour was this?) Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and 'said,' &c. This grand work, the execution of the eternal counsel of love and mercy, was and is the delight, the joy of his heart, as predicted by the Psalmist", and applied by the apostle', 'I delight 6 1 Ezek. xvi. 8. 3 Ver. 19. 7 Ver. 41. 2 Hosea ii. 16. 4 Isaiah lxii. 5. 6 Ch. xxxii. 38, S Chap. x. 21. 10 Heb. x. 5-10. |