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

And we conceive prayer, or the believers speech to God, is especially here understood; partly, because prayer gets this same commendation to be sweet and comely, Chap. 2. 14. and partly, because mutual communication in words among believers, is expressed afterward more clearly, vers. 11. though it is not to be excluded here.

The fifth part of her commendation (or the fifth character or property of the Bride) is in these words, Thy Temples are like a piece of a Pomegranate within thy locks. The temples are that part of the face, that are betwixt the ears and the eyes; and sometimes ⟨p. 209⟩the signification is so large, as they take in the cheeks; they are a special part, wherein the beauty of the face consists, and are the proper seat of shamefastness and modesty, wherein blushing appears. The commendation is two sold, 1. They are like a piece of a Pomegranate: They who write of it say, it is a fruit, which when broken (as here the mentioning of a piece thereof signifies) is pleasant with red and white spots, not unlike blushing in a pleasant face. The second commendation is, that these temples are within her locks, of the colour of a Pomegranate, but not discernible fully (as the eyes also were, vers. 1.) yet something observable; As sometimes modesty will make blushing, and again will seek to cover it, when hardly will it be gotten done. Here we take tenderness, shamefastness, modesty in spiritual things, and blushing before God to be understood; Christ's Bride hath a tenderness that is soon affected with wrongs done to him, she easily resents them; and this is opposite to affrontednesse and a whores fore-head, which cannot be ashamed, than which nothing is more displeasing to Christ, and unbecoming to his Bride; here the temples are not hard, (as the brow that is of brass) but like a piece of a Pomegranate, opposite to it; here it is not stretched out impudently, but covered within the locks, and not shameless and affronted that cannot blush, but coloured (to say so) with shamefastness and blushing, which though they seek to hide, yet it appears in them. And this application being safe in it self, and agreeable to the scope: (which shows what Christ is delighted with in her) And this being a main piece of her beauty, and also suitable to the commendation, there is no hazard to fix on it; for, without this she would not be so lovely. Now we may easily conceive, that this tenderness, modesty or blushing, is not any natural endowment, which appears in the carriage of man to man; but it is a saving grace, which especially is to be found in believers carriage before Christ, as being their Lord and Husband: and it evidenceth it self in believers in these, or the like steps. 1.