VER. 12. My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: Thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and they that keep the fruit thereof two hundred. This is consistently enough put into the mouth of the spouse; and we find her, so early as in the 1st chapter of the Song, entering on the subject of her vineyard, which I then explained, and may now refer to that explanation, only with this difference, which is indeed a material one, that she then lamented the neglected state of her vineyard; but now, upon being brought into the king's chambers,' and strengthened by repeated indications of his enlivening love, she speaks of it in high strains of delight, as producing fruit, to the satisfaction of her Beloved, and of all concerned. My vineyard, , sheli, quæ mihi, which is mine, as in distinction from the vineyard in Baal-hamon, is before me, ", lepni, in my presence, the dear and daily object of my attention and culture, filling the face of the ́ world with fruit'. Thou, O Solomon, shalt have a thousand". A certain man planted a vineyard, 6 and let it out to husbandmen—and sent to receive from them of the fruit of the vineyard';' which St Paul calls doing all to the glory of God 4.? They that keep the fruit thereof two hundred. If this be extended to a general comprehension, we may see the application of it in the parable of the vineyard, Isaiah xxvii. 6. 2 See above, ver. II. 4 1 Cor. x. 31. yard', Call the labourers, and give them their ⚫ hire, beginning from the last unto the first.' But if it is to be restricted, as there is more reason to think it is, to the particular class of keepers, watchmen, ' or overseers,' it may be explained by the apostolic provision for the ministers of religion, that they ' who serve at the altar should live by the altar 2 or by our Saviour's expressive declaration 3, He 'that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit ⚫ unto life eternal, that both he that soweth, and he that reapeth, may rejoice together: Which spiritualizing declaration St Paul extends to all ranks and classes of faithful labourers, without distinction 5, Become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting 'life.' Let us attend too, as no circumstance from which instruction may be drawn should escape us, to the proportion stated here, between the Beloved's share of the fruits of the vineyard, and that allotted to the keepers- To Solomon, a thousand; to the keepers, two hundred among them. In all our labours therefore, whether as appointed keepers, or individual labourers, and in all the fruits that may result from these labours, let the Beloved have by far the largest share, as of necessary and effective operation, so likewise of most justly deserved, glory, honour, and praise! I St Matth. xx. 21 Cor. ix. 7-14. repeated Gal. vi. 6. and 1 Tim. v. 17. VER. 3 St John iv. 36. 4 See St Luke viii. 5. expounded ver. 11. 5 Rom, vi. 22. VER. 13. Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it. This, whether request or injunction, by the feminine termination of the participle ♫, haishbth, quæ habitas, is clearly directed to the spouse, but from what quarter is not so evident. The bringing in the companions, mentioned above', creates a difficulty in any view. It may indeed, for aught material that can be adduced to the contrary, have been put by the Poet into the little sister's mouth; and in that light may pass for a request, in plain terms, thus, Thou who, though once in danger of 'wandering in uncertain paths, and turning aside by 'the flocks of the companions, art now happily settled in a secure residence of delight and instruction, · under the eye of thy Beloved, since the compa'nions (good or bad) have had the opportunity of hearkening to thy voice, extend the same favour 'to me, and make me likewise to hear it.' Have they not heard? says St Paul, yes verily, their 'sound' went into all the earth, and their words • unto the ends of the world.' Or, if we must go along with the current of interpretation, and assign this verse to the Beloved, it will then appear an injunction, blended, as is his usual way, with a gentle touch of tacit reproof for former deviations, and a call upon the spouse now, in her present 6 state * Chap. i. 7. and there explained, 2 Rom. x. 18. state of intimate connexion with him, to forsake and turn away from all companions, and direct her voice (neither to saints nor angels, but) to HIM, and to HIM only. Let me hear thy voice, UN, hashmioni,' the same word used before, where it is said, Let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice1. Either one or other of these different, but not contrary, senses, must be the meaning here, and may be improved and enlarged upon without further explication. VER. 14.-Make haste, my Beloved, and be thou like to a roe, or a young hart, upon the mountains of spices. This concluding address is similar to, and much in the same language with, one that we had met with before; only, that the mountains there were called mountains of Bether, division,' here they are of spices, ", beshmim, agoμara, some aromatic substance that was a chief ingredient in the holy anointing oil, much used in an emblematical sense; and which, having been already described in my remarks on the word Bether, does not seem to require any farther illustration. I cannot conclude, however, without taking notice of an observation made by the Paraphraser, whose criticisms I have so often had occasion to bring into viewThe latter part of this chapter, from the 8th verse,' he 1 Chap, ii. 14. 2 Chap. ii. 17. 3 Exod. xxx. 23-25. he says, ' is the most difficult part of the Poem, as 'to the literal sense, for, as to the typical, it is plain enough.' Now, if this part be typical, why not the whole? And if the typical sense be plainer here than the literal, may it not be so through the rest of the piece? In that case, why have so much pains been taken, such a shew of learning displayed about the literal, to the neglect of the typical? Indeed, there are many parts of the Bible-history which equally require a knowledge of the typical sense to explain and reconcile them; and it is from the neglect of this, and looking only at the literal sense, that all the idle sneers and cavils against it are drawn. God forgive the fools, and open their eyes! 1 VOL. II 2 Y PSALMI |