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

Vers. 13. His cheeks are as a bed of Spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like Lilies, dropping sweet-smelling Myrrh.

Vers. 13. His cheeks are as a bed of Spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like Lilies, dropping sweet-smelling Myrrhe.

The fourth and fifth instances of Christ's loveliness, are in this verse. The fourth is, that his cheeks are as a bed of Spices, as sweet flowers: The cheeks being comely, are a special part of the loveliness of the face: His cheeks are here commended from two things, first, they are as a bed of Spices, that is, like garden-beds furnished with excellent smelling and refreshful Spices: It sets out 1. A proportionable height of them, as cheeks are in the face, and as beds are higher than the rest of the ground. 2. A preciousness and sweetness of Spirit-refreshing savour, as such beds use to yield to these who walk in a garden. The second commendation is, as sweet flowers, or as the words may be read, as towers of perfume: It tends to the same purpose, but holds forth an abundance of delight, to the spiritual sense of smelling in the believer, when Christ is made the Object of it; O the sweet savour he finds in him! It's fit to be sober here, these excellencies being mysteries: It's not unlike, that lesser glimpses of Christ's manifestations, whereby he makes himself known, may be understood here; as if she said, he is so lovely, that the least glimpse or wa••e of him, when it is seen, if it were but of his cheek, is very delightsome: And this sense may be gathered, 1. From this, that the cheek is a part of the face and countenance, yet not the full countenance; now by seeing his face and beholding his countenance, often in Scripture (and it's like also, vers. 15.) is understood his most sensible manifestations of himself to his people; by proportion then the cheeks would hold forth the same, though in a lesser measure and lower degree. 2. It makes well for the scope of commending Christ above all, whose incomparable worth by his manifestations, is much evidenced and confirmed to his people, and when a little glimpse of him doth this, how much more would a full view of him demonstrate it? and indeed such a view doth effectually demonstrate