Obfervations on wisdom, folly, &'c. ECCLESIASTES.

15 Now there was found in it a poor 17 Bleffed art thou, O land, when thy wife man, and he by his wisdom deliver-king is the fon of nobles, and thy princes ed the city; yet no man remembered eat in due season, for ftrength, and not that fame poor man. for drunkenness!

The Creator to be remembered.

Chap. i.

The church's love to Chrift.

creator the Then return to the

REMEMBER, now thy while the tril earth as it was; and the fiuit fhall re

days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

2 While the fun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

3 In the day when the keepers of the house fhall tremble, and the ftrong men fhall bow themfelves, and the grinders ceafe because they are few, and thofe that look out of the windows be darkened,

turn unto God who gave it.

8¶ Vanity of vanities, faith the preacher; all is vanity.

9 And moreover, because the preacher was wife, he ftill taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and fought out, and set in order many proverbs.

10 The preacher fought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

4 And the doors fhall be fhut in the streets, when the found of the grinding II The words of the wife are as goads, is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of and as nails faftened by the mafters of the bird, and all the daughters of musick | assemblies, which are given from one fhall be brought low;

fhepherd.

5 Alfo when they fhall be afraid of that 12 And further, by thefe, my fon, be which is high, and fears shall be in the admonished: of making many books way, and the almond tree fhall-flourish, there is no end; and much study is a and the grafhopper fhall be a burden, weariness of the flesh. and defire fhall fail: becaufe man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the treets:

6 Or ever the filver cord be loofed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

13 T Let us hear the conclufion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For God fhall bring every work into judgment, with every fecret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

CHAP. I.

SOLOMON.

7 Tell me, O thou whom my foul. I The church's love unto Christ. 5 She con-loveth, where thou feedeft, where thou feffeth her deformity, 7 and prayeth to be makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why directed to his flock. 8 Chrift diredleth thould I be as one that turneth afide by her to the fhepherds' tents: 9 and fhewing the flocks of thy companions? his love to her, II giveth her gracious promifes. 12 The church and Christ congratulate each other.

HE fong of fongs, which is Solo

I'mon's.

8 If thou know not, O thou faireft among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids befide the shepherds' tents.

9 I have compared thee, O my love, 2 Let him kifs me with the kiffes of to a company of horses in Pharaoh's his mouth for thy love is better than wine.

3 Because of the favour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured fourth, therefore do the virgins love thee.

chariots.

10 Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. IIT We will make thee borders of gold with Auds of filver:

12 While the king fitteth at his 4 Draw me, we will run after thee: table, my fpikenard fendeth forth the the king hath brought me into his cham-fmell thereof.

bers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, 13 A bundle of myrrh is my wellbe we will remember thy love more than loved unto me; he fhall lie all night wine the upright love thee. betwixt my breafts.

5 I am black, but comely, O ye daughters.of Jerufalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.

6. Look not upon me, becaufe I am black, because the fun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.

14 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of En-gedi 15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou haft doves' eyes. 16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved yea, pleasant: alfo our bed is green.

17 The beams of our house are ceda and our rafters of fir. Nn4

Love of Chrift and his church. SOLOMON's SONG.

CHAP. II.

■ The mutual love of Chrift and his church. 8 The hope, 10 and culling of the church. 14 Chrift's care of the church. 16 The profeffion of the church, her faith and hope. Am the rofe of Sharon, and the lily of the vallies.

I

2 As the lily among thorns, fo is my love among the daughters.

3 As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, fo is my beloved among the fons. I fat down under his fhadow with great delight, and his fruit was fweet to my taste.

4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. 5 Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am fick of love.

The church's fight, &c.

2 I will rife now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will feek him whom my foul loveth: 1 fought him, but I found him not.

3 The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I faid, Saw ye him whom my foul loveth?

4 It was but a little that I paffed from them, but I found him whom my foul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's houfe, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.

I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerufalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye ftir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

6 Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of fmoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincenfe, with

6 His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. 7 I charge you, O ye daughters of Je-all powders of the merchant? rufalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye ftir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

8 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, fkipping upon the hills.

9 My beloved is like a roe, or a young hart behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, fhewing himself through the lattice.

10 My beloved fpake, and faid unto me, Rife up, my love, my fair one, and

come away.

II For, lo, the winter is paft, the rain is over and gone;

12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the finging of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

13 The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arife, my love, my fair one, and come away.

dove, that in the clefts

of the rock, in the fearet places of the

ftairs, let me fee thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for fweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that fpoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

16 ¶ My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.

7 Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threefcore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Ifrael.

8 They all hold fwords, being expert in war: every man bath his fword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.

9 King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.

10 He made the pillars thereof of filver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerufalem.

II Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his efpoufals, and in the day of the gladnefs of his heart.

1

CHAP. IV.

Chrift fetteth forth the graces of the church. & He fheweth his love to her. 16 The church prayeth to be made fit for his prefence. EHOLD, thou art fair, my beBhold, thou the fair thou ball doves' eyes

within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

2 Thy teeth are like a flock of beep that are even fhorn, which came up from the walhing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.

3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy fpeech is comely: thy temples 17 Until the day break, and the fha-are like a piece of a pomegranate within dows flee away, turn, my beloved, and thy locks. be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.

CHAP. III.

The church's fight and victory in temptation. 6 The church glorieth in Chrift.

BY night on my bed I fought him whom

4 Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all fields of mighty men.

5 Thy two breafts are like two young

roes that are twins, which feed among

iny foul loveth: I fought him, but I the lilies. found him not.

6 Until

Christ's love to the church.

Chap. v, vi.

A defcription of Christ. · 6 Until the day break, and the fhadows | 6 I opened to my beloved; but my beflee away, I will get me to the mountain | loved had withdrawn himfelf, and was of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincenfe. gone: my foul failed when he fpake: I 7 Thou art all fair, my love; there is fought him, but I could not find him; I no spot in thee. called him, but he gave me no answer.

8 ¶ Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards.

9

Thou haft ravifhed my heart, my fifter, my spouse; thou haft ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

10 How fair is thy love, my fifter, my fpoufe! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all îpices!

II Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the fmell of thy garments is like the fmell of Lebanon.

12 A garden inclofed is my fifter, my Spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. 13 Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,

14 Spikenard and faffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincenfe; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: 15 A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and ftreams from Lebanon.

7 The watchmen that went about the city found me, they fmote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. 8 I charge you, O daughters of Jerufalem, if ye find beloved, that ye tell my him, that I am fick of love.

9 What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou faireft among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?

To My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefeft among ten thousand.

II His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. 12 His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.

13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as fweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.

14 His hands are as gold rings fet with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with fapphires.

15 His legs are as pillars of marble, fet upon fockets of find gold his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

16 T Awake, O north wind; and come, thou fouth; blow upon my garden, that the fpices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his gar-is den, and eat his pleasant fruits. CHAP. V.

1 Chrift awaketh the church by his calling.
2 The church having a tafle of Chrift's
love is fick of love. 9 A defcription of
Chrift by his graces.

I
Am come into my garden, my fifter,
my fpoufe: I have gathered my myrrh
with my fpice; I have eaten my honey-
comb with my honey; I have drunk my
wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink,
yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

2 I fleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, faying, Open to me, my fifter, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.

3

I have put off my coat; how fhall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how fhall I defile them?

4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.

5 I rofe up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with fweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

16 His mouth is moft fweet: yea, he altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerufalem.

CHAP. VI.

1 The church profeffeth her faith in Christ. 4 Chrift fheweth the graces of the church, 10 and his love toward her.

WHITHER is thy beloved gone,

thou faireft among women? whither is thy beloved turned afide? that we may seek him with thee.

2 My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of fpices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

3 I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.

4 Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerufalem, terrible as an army with banners.

5 Turn away thine from me, for eyes they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.

6 Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.

7 As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks. 8 There

The church's graces.

SOLOMON's SONG.

8 There are threefcore queens, and four score concubines, and virgins with out number.

9 My dove, my undefiled is but one; fhe is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters faw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

10 ¶ Whois fhe that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the fun, and terrible as an army with banners? III went down into the garden of nuts to fee the fruits of the valley, and to fee whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.

12 Or ever I was aware, my foul made me like the chariots of Ammi-radib.

13 Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye fee in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies. CHAP. VII.

A further defcription of the church'sgraces. 10 She profeeth her faith and defire. HOW beautiful are thy feet with fhoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.

2 Thy navel is like around goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat fet about with lilics.

3 Thy two breafts are like two young Toes that are twins.

4 Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Hefhbon, by the gate of Beth-rabbim: thy nofe is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damafcus.

5 Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.

6 How fair and how pleafant art thou, O love, for delights!

7 This thy ftature is like to a palm tree, and thy breafts to clusters of grapes.

8 I faid, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof; How alfo thy breafts fhall be as clusters of the vine, and the fmell of thy nofe like apples;

9 And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down fweetly, caufing the lips of thofe that are afleep to speak.

10 I am my beloved's, and his defire is toward me.

Her love to Chrifi.

13 The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleafant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.

CHAP. VIII.

1 The love of the church to Chriff. 6 The vehemency of love. 8 The ca ling of the Gentiles. 14 Chrift's coming prayed for.

That thou avert as my brother, that fucked the breafts of my mother! auben I fhould find thee without, I would kifs thee; yea, I thould not be defpifed. 2 I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's houfe, who would inftru&t me: I would caufe thee to drink of fpiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.

3 His left handyhould be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.

4 I charge you, O daughters of Jeru falem, that ye ftir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.

5 Who is this that cometh up from the wildernes, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth; there the brought thee forth that bare thee.

6 Set me as a feal upon thine heart, as a feal upon thine arm: for love is ftrong as death; jealoufy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which bath a moft vehement flame.

7 Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the fubftance of his houfe for love, it would utterly be contemned.

8 We have a little fifter, and the hath no breafts: what fhall we do for our fifter in the day when the shall be fpoken for?

9 If the be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of filver and if he be a door, we will inclofe her with boards of cedar.

10 I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour.

II Solomon had a vineyard at Baalhamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of filver.

12 My vineyard, which is mine, is be fore me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thoufand, and thofe that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.

13 Thou that dwelleft in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: caufe me to hear it.

II Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. 12 Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us fee if the vine flourish, whether the 14 Make hafte, my beloved, and tender grapeappear, and thepomegranates be thou like to a roe or to a young bud forth: there will I give thee my loves. upon the mountains of fpices.

hart

THE