culation of the blood) cease : so curious is the contexture of the human frame, that its life is as easily and as suddenly destroyed as the motion of some complex machine is stopped, by loosing a cord, 7 or breaking a bowl, or disordering a single wheel. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it, to be fixed in its proper everlasting abode. This is the end of human life, and thus have I largely demonstrated the proposition I set out with. 8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all [is] vanity. 9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, [and] set in order many proverbs; this discourse is not a hasty performance, but the result of deep reflection and careful observa10 tion. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words and [that which was] written [was] upright, [even] words of truth; 11 he designed to please as far as he could consistent with truth. The words of the wise [are] as goads, and as nails fastened [by] the masters of assemblies, the words of the preacher are not only true but affecting; like goads quickening us to duty; or like nails that take fast hold, and leave an abiding impression upon the mind, when driven by the masters of assemblies, the preachers of truth, [which] are given from one shepherd; an allusion to the master shepherd, who gives a goad to him that drives the plough, or a nail to him that is to repair a building ; 80 God, the great shepherd, has teachers and officers under him; no goads, no nails, are like his 12 word. And further, by these, by what has been said already, my son, be admonished: of making many books [there is] no end; I could easily write large volumes of these matters, but that is needless, seeing things necessarily lie in a narrow compass; and much study [is] a weariness of the flesh; a man may tire himself, and waste his strength and spirits in search of natural knowledge, but never arrive at full satisfaction. 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, my great design and the most important end of all I have said, viz. Fear God and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man; his whole duty and interest, for this weighty reason, 14 with which I conclude; For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil; though here all things come alike to all, our intentions as well as actions shall then be rewarded or punished, according to their respective natures. REFLECTIONS. LET be e him who gave them their being, o ET young people be entreated to attend to Solomon's ad consider what duties they owe him, to make a sense of him familiar to their minds, and to live in his fear and love; for this will soften the infirmities of age, or reconcile them to an early death. 2. This beautiful description of the infirmities of old age may be serviceable to all; particularly to old persons, to whom it ought to be familiar, and who should feel the force of every part of the description. Old age was the same in Solomon's days as in ours; its infirmities nothing but what are common to men, and therefore should be patiently borne. Let us pity the aged, endeavour to make their burdens as light as possible, and not increase them by contempt or neglect. 3. If all that Solomon has said of the vanity of the world does not convince us, great will be our folly and guilt; we shall ere long know the truth of it by bitter experience, and be ashamed of not believing him sooner. He has plainly proved the fact, and shown that it always was and will be fact. His conclusions are the result of divine inspiration, as well as close observation of men and things. We are not put off with trite remarks, and what comes next to hand; but have the strongest arguments methodically ranged, and all the arts of eloquence used to enforce his admonitions. Therefore let us believe that all is vanity, and act consistently with such a belief. Especially, 4. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. It cannot be too often repeated: to stand in awe of God, worship him religiously, and observe all his commandments, is the whole of man. This knowledge is plain. To compose and read many books is needless. If the scriptures will not make us wise, no other books will. Remember that this ought to be the principal care of all, young and old, rich and poor; for there is a day coming when every work and secret thing shall be brought into judgment. And let us remember that we are then to give an account of what attention we have paid to this book, and what advantage we have gained by this illustration of it. The SONG of SOLOMON.* 1 2 CHAP. I. Let him kiss which [is] Solomon's. THE song of songs, w his mouth: for thy love [is] better 3 than wine. Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name [is as] ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins 4 love thee. Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright 5 love thee. I [am] black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jeru6 salem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I [am] black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; [but] mine own vine7 yard have I not kept. Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest [thy flock] to rest at noon for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? 8 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the 9 shepherds' tents. I have compared thee, O my love, to a com10 pany of horses in Pharaoh's chariots. Thy cheeks are comely 11 with rows [of jewels,] thy neck with chains [of gold.] We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver. 12 While the king [sitteth] at his table, my spikenard sendeth 13 forth the smell thereof. A bundle of myrrh [is] my well belov14 ed unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. My be loved [is] unto me [as] a cluster of camphire in the vineyards 15 of Engedi. Behold, thou [art] fair, my love; behold, thou [art] 16 fair; thou [hast] dove's eyes. Behold, thou [art] fair, my be17 loved, yea, pleasant also our bed [is] green. The beams of our house [are] cedar, [and] our rafters of fir. * There is neither exposition nor improvement of the chapters of this Book in Mr. Orton's manuscripts. Whatever might have been his opinion of the authenticity of that Book, or the propriety of admitting it into the sacred Canon, this I am well satisfied of, that he thought it improper to be read or expounded either in public or in families. Edit. 1 2 CHAP. II. [AM] the rose of Sharon, [and] the lily of the vallies. As the lily among thorns, so [is] my love among the daugh3 ters. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so [is] my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with 4 great delight, and his fruit [was] sweet to my taste. 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] 6 sick of love. His left hand [is] under my head, and his right 7 hand doth embrace me. I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake [my] love, till he please. 8 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon 9 the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a roe, or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lat10 tice. My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, 11 my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the 12 rain is over [and] gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing [of birds] is come, and the voice of the tur13 tle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines [with] the tender grape give a [good] smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. 14 O my dove [that art] in the clefts of the rock, in the secret [places] of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet [is] thy voice, and thy countenance [is] 15 comely. Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines [have] tender grapes. 16 My beloved, [is] mine, and I [am] his he feedeth among 17 the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether. CHAP. III. 1 Y night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth 2 go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. 3 The watchmen that go about the city, found me: [to whom I said,] Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? [It was] but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that 5 conceived me. I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake [my] love, till he please. 6 Who [is] this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all pow7 ders of the merchant? Behold his bed, which [is] Solomon's ; three score valiant men [are] about it, of the valiant of Israel. 8 They all hold swords, [being] expert in war: every man [hath] 9 his sword upon his thigh, because of fear in the night. King 10 Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof [of] silver, the bottom thereof [of] gold, the covering of it [of] purple, the midst thereof being 11 paved [with] love, for the daughters of Jerusalem. Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart. 1 CHAP. IV. EHOLD, thou [art] fair, my love; behold, thou [art] fair 2 a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. Thy teeth [are] like a flock [of sheep that are even] shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none [is] 3 barren among them. Thy lips [are] like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech [is] comely: thy temples [are] like a piece of 4 a pomegranate within thy locks. Thy neck [is] like the tower of David builded for an armory, whereon there hang a thousand 5 bucklers, all shields of mighty men. Thy two breasts [are] like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies. 6. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to 7 the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. Thou 8 [art] all fair, my love; [there is] no spot in thee. Come with me from Lebanon, [my] spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, 9 from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards. Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, [my] spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy 10 neck. How fair is thy love, my sister, [my] spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine oint11 ments than all spices! Thy lips, ( [my] spouse, drop [as] the honeycomb honey and milk [are] under thy tongue; and the 12 smell of thy garments [is] like the smell of Lebanon. A gar den inclosed [is] my sister, [my] spouse; a spring shut up, a 13 fountain sealed. Thy plants [are] an orchard of pomegranates, 14 with pleasant fruits; camphire with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; 15 myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. 16 Awake, O north wind; and come thou south; blow upon my garden, [that] the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits. |