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

So then, if all the most choice, comely, and excellent persons in the world were mustered together, Christ would be preferred eminently and deservedly above them all. Whence, Observe, 1. That Christ is the most lovely and excellent Object that men can set their eyes on, that they can cast their love and affection upon: There is not such […] one as Christ, either for the spiritual soul-ravishing beauty that is in him, or the excellent desirable effects that flow from him. O what a singular description is it which follows, if it were understood •2. Christ is the most singularly excellent Husband that ever was closed with: Under that relation he is commended here, as singularly lovely, and loving; It's a most honourable, comfortable, happy, and every way satisfying match to have him for a Husband. 3. Christ's worth in it self is not expressible, and whatever he can be compared with, he doth exceedingly surpass it. 4. Where right thoughts of Christ are, there is nothing admitted to compete with him, other excellencies and beloveds are in their greatest beauty darkened beside him; he is set up as chief, and they are not to be taken notice of beside him, but to be accounted loss and dung. 5. Christ's absence, when believers are right, will never lessen their esteem of him, but even then believers will be warm and fresh in their love to him, and high in their esteem of him. ⟨p. 300⟩6. Neither will the great mistakes of others, shake believers that have a through esteem of Christ's worth, but will rather with holy zeal awake them to commend him the more. 7. As where there is true love to Christ, there Christ will be lovely; so when he is looked on as lovely, that makes the heart to flow and abound with holy rhetoric in commendations of him. 8. True love to Christ, and to others for his sake, will not suffer one to despise the weakness of another, but make them rather take occasion from it, to honour him and edify them so much the more, as the Bride doth he•e in answering the question proposed. 9. The more nearly and fully any thing be compared with Christ, though it be otherwise lovely, yet then it will be seen to be nothing, he so infinitely excels all things he can be compared with; and it's ignorance of him that makes other things get such a place in mens affections:

So then, if all the most choice, comely, and excellent persons in the world were mustered together, Christ would be preferred eminently and deservedly above them all. Whence, Observe, 1. That Christ is the most lovely and excellent Object that men can set their eyes on, that they can cast their love and affection upon: There is not such one as Christ, either for the spiritual soul-ravishing beauty that is in him, or the excellent desirable effects that flow from him. O what a singular description is it which follows, if it were understood 2. Christ is the most singularly excellent Husband that ever was closed with: Under that relation he is commended here, as singularly lovely, and loving; It's a most honorable, comfortable, happy, and every way satisfying match to have him for a Husband. 3. Christ's worth in it self is not expressible, and whatever he can be compared with, he doth exceedingly surpasse it. 4. Where right thoghts of Christ are, there is nothing admitted to compete with him, other excellencies and beloveds are in their greatest beauty darkned beside him; he is set up as chief, and they are not to be taken notice of beside him, but to be accounted losse and dung. 5. Christ's absence, when believers are right, will never lessen their esteem of him, but even then believers will be warm and fresh in their love to him, and high in their esteem of him.