Clavis cantici, or, An exposition of the Song of Solomon

2. The scope of her discourse to them, is to prevent their stumbling at the Cross, or being deterred from godliness, because of any blackness or spots that were to be seen in her; it ⟨p. 77⟩being a great stumbling to weak Professors, to see sufferings accompany tenderness (especially when it is persecuted, and pursued by professors of the same truth) as also, to see infirmities and sinful blemishes in persons eminently Godly: Now her scope is, for their edification, to condescend to satisfy them in both.

2. The scope of her discourse to them, is to prevent their stumbling at the Crosse, or being deterred from godlinesse, because of any blacknesse or spots that were to be seen in her; it ⟨p. 77⟩being a great stumbling to weak Professors, to see sufferings accompany tendernesse (especially when it is persecuted, and pursued by professors of the same truth) as also, to see infirmities and sinful blemishes in persons eminently Godly: Now her scope is, for their edification, to condescend to satisfie them in both.

3. The reason why she breaks in with this discourse, upon the back of the former (which shows the connection) may be two-fold, 1. To remove an objection that might be made, if any should say, What needs all this rejoicing? Are ye not both stained with sin, and blackened with suffering? She answers by a distinction, granting that in part she was black, and that was truth, yet that blackness was not inconsistent with comeliness, which she clears, and that therefore she might in part rejoice also. The other way that this depends on the former is, that she may further her project of engaging others to rejoice with her, she endeavours to remove these two occasions of stumbling (taken from the failings and sufferings of the Godly) out of the way of weak Professors, that she may get them alongst with her; and so it agrees well with the scope.

3. The reason why she breaks in with this discourse, upon the back of the former (which shews the connexion) may be two-fold, 1. To remove an objection that might be made, if any should say, What needs all this rejoicing? Are ye not both stained with sin, and blackned with suffering? She answers by a distinction, granting that in part she was black, and that was truth, yet that blacknesse was not inconsistent with comlinesse, which she clears, and that therefore she might in part rejoice also. The other way that this depends on the former is, that she may further her project of ingaging others to rejoice with her, she endeavours to remove these two occasions of stumbling (taken from the failings and sufferings of the Godly) out of the way of weak Professors, that she may get them alongst with her; and so it agrees well with the scope.