Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Song of Songs
Book: Song of Songs
Chapter: 4
Overview:
Christ sets forth the graces of the
Church.
(1-7) Christ's
Love to the
Church.
(8-15) The
Church desires further influences
of Divine
Grace.
(16)
1-7 If each of these comparisons has a meaning applicable to
the graces of the
Church, or of the
Faithful Christian, they are
not clearly known; and great mistakes are made
By fanciful
guesses. The mountain of
Myrrh appears to mean the mountain
Moriah,
On which the
Temple was built, where the
Incense was
burned, and the people worshipped the
Lord. This was his
residence till the shadows of the
Law given to
Moses were
dispersed
By the breaking of the
Gospel Day, and the rising of
the
Sun of
Righteousness. And though, in respect of his human
nature,
Christ is absent from his
Church On Earth, and will
continue to be
So till the heavenly
Day break, yet he is
spiritually present in his ordinances, and with his people. How
fair and comely are believers, when justified in
Christ's
Righteousness, and adorned with spiritual graces! when their
thoughts, words, and deeds, though imperfect, are pure,
manifesting a
Heart nourished
By the
Gospel!
8-15 Observe the gracious
Call Christ gives to the
Church. It
is, 1. A precept;
So this is
Christ's
Call to his
Church to come
off from the world. These hills seem pleasant, but there are in
them
Lions' dens; they are mountains of the leopards. 2. As a
promise; many shall be brought as members of the
Church, from
every point. The
Church shall be delivered from her persecutors
in due time, though now she dwells among
Lions, Ps 57:4.
Christ's
Heart is upon his
Church; his treasure is therein; and
he delights in the
Affection she has for him; its working in the
Heart, and its
Works in the
Life. The odours wherewith the
Spouse is perfumed, are as the
Gifts and graces of the
Spirit.
Love and obedience to
God are more pleasing to
Christ than
Sacrifice or
Incense.
Christ having
Put upon his
Spouse the
White raiment of his own
Righteousness, and the
Righteousness of
saints, and perfumed it with holy joy and comfort, he is
Well
pleased with it. And
Christ walks in his garden unseen. A hedge
of protection is made around, which all the powers of
Darkness
cannot break through. The souls of believers are as
Gardens
enclosed, where is a
Well of living water, Joh 4:14; 7:38, the
influences of the Holy
Spirit. The world knows not these wells
of
Salvation, nor can any opposer corrupt this
Fountain. Saints
in the
Church, and graces in the saints, are fitly compared to
fruits and
Spices. They are planted, and do not grow of
themselves. They are precious; they are the blessings of this
Earth. They will be kept to good purpose when
Flowers are
withered.
Grace, when ended in
Glory, will last for ever.
Christ
is the source which makes these
Gardens fruitful; even a
Well of
living waters.
16 The
Church prays for the influences of the blessed
Spirit,
to make this garden fruitful. Graces in the soul are as
Spices
in these
Gardens, that in them which is valuable and useful. The
blessed
Spirit, in his work upon the soul, is as the wind. There
is the north wind of conviction, and the
South wind of comfort.
He stirs up good affections, and
Works in us both to will and to
do that which is good. The
Church invites
Christ. Let him have
the honour of all the garden produces, and let us have the
comfort of his acceptance of it. We can invite him to nothing
but what is his own already. The believer can have
No joy of the
fruits, unless they redound some way or other to the
Glory of
Christ. Let us then seek to keep separate from the world, as a
garden enclosed, and to avoid conformity thereto.