The dove is a creature innocent and harmless, beautiful, cleanly, and chaste; sociable and fruitful, weak and timorous, of a mournful voice, and swift in flying; all which is suitable to the church and people of God: they are harmless and inoffensive in their lives and conversations; they are beautiful through the righteousness of Christ on them, and the grace of the Spirit in them; they are clean through the word Christ has spoken, and having their hearts purified by faith; they are as chaste virgins espoused to Christ, and their love to him is single and unfeigned; they cleave to him, are fruitful in grace and good works; and the church being espoused to Christ brings forth many souls unto him in regeneration; saints carry on a social worship and delight in each other’s company; they are weak and timorous, being persecuted and oppressed by the men of the world; and mourn for their own sins and others, and often for the loss of Christ’s presence; and are swift in flying to him for safety and protection. Under this character the church is said to be in the clefts of the rock , the usual place where the dove makes its nest, ( Jeremiah 48:28); or retires to it for safety f162 . Adrichomius says f163 , there was a stone tower near Jerusalem, to the south of the mount of Olives, called “petra columbarum”, “the rock of the doves”, where often five thousand were kept at once, to which there may be an allusion here; or else it may have respect to the place where doves are forced to fly when pursued by the hawk, even into a hollow rock, as described by Homer f164 ; and may be expressive of the state of the church under persecution, when obliged to flee into holes and corners, and caves of the earth; when the Lord is a hiding place to her, in his love, and grace, and power; and particularly Christ is the Rock of his people, so called for height, strength, and duration, and they are the inhabitants of this Rock; and who was typified by the rock in the wilderness, and particularly by that into the clefts of which Moses was put, when the glory of the Lord passed before him: moreover, the clefts of this rock may design the wounds of Christ, which are opened for the salvation of men; and where saints dwell by faith, and are secure from every enemy f165 . The Ethiopic version is, “in the shadow of the rock”, to which Christ is compared, ( Isaiah 32:2); and so the Septuagint version, “in the covering of the rock”, which is no other than the shade of it. Likewise the church is said to be in the secret [places] of the stairs ; Christ is the stairs or steps by which saints ascend up to God, have access to and communion with him; and the secret places may have respect to the justifying righteousness of Christ, and atonement by him, hidden to other men, but revealed to them; and whither in distress they betake themselves, and are sheltered from sin, law, hell, and death, and dwell in safety. Though as such places are dark and dusty, and whither the dove, or any other creature, may in danger betake itself, so upon the whole both this and the preceding clause may design the dark, uncomfortable, and solitary condition the church was in through fear of enemies; in which situation Christ addresses her, saying, let me see thy countenance , or “face”; and encourages her to appear more publicly in, his house and courts for worship, and present herself before him, and look him full in the face, and with open face behold his glory, and not be shamefaced and fearful; not to be afraid of any thing, but come out of her lurking holes, and be seen abroad by himself and others, since the stormy weather was over, and everything was pleasant and agreeable; let me hear thy voice ; in prayer to him and praise of him, commending the glories and: excellencies of his person, and giving thanks to him for the blessings of his grace; for sweet [is] thy voice ; pleasant, harmonious, melodious, having a mixture of notes in it, as the word signifies; and so exceeds the voice of a natural dove, which is not very harmonious: Herodotus makes mention of a dove that spoke with a human voice; and such a voice Christ’s dove speaks with, and it is sweet; that is, pleasant and delightful to him, who loves to hear his people relate the gracious experiences of his goodness, and speak well of his truths and ordinances; prayer is sweet music to him, and praise pleases him better than all burnt offerings; and thy countenance [is] comely ; fair and beautiful, and therefore need not cover her face, or hang down her head, as if ashamed to be seen, since she was in the eye of Christ a perfection of beauty.

Matthew Henry Commentary

Song 2:1-7 Believers are beautiful, as clothed in the righteousness of Christ; and fragrant, as adorned with the graces of his Spirit; an they thrive under the refreshing beams of the Sun of righteousness. The lily is a very noble plant in the East; it grows to a considerabl height, but has a weak stem. The church is weak in herself, yet is strong in Him that supports her. The wicked, the daughters of thi world, who have no love to Christ, are as thorns, worthless an useless, noxious and hurtful. Corruptions are thorns in the flesh; but the lily now among thorns, shall be transplanted into that paradis where there is no brier or thorn. The world is a barren tree to the soul; but Christ is a fruitful one. And when poor souls are parche with convictions of sin, with the terrors of the law, or the trouble of this world, weary and heavy laden, they may find rest in Christ. It is not enough to pass by this shadow, but we must sit down under it Believers have tasted that the Lord Jesus is gracious; his fruits ar all the precious privileges of the new covenant, purchased by his blood, and communicated by his Spirit; promises are sweet to believer, and precepts also. Pardons are sweet, and peace of conscienc sweet. If our mouths are out of taste for the pleasures of sin, Divin consolations will be sweet to us. Christ brings the soul to seek and to find comforts through his ordinances, which are as a banqueting-hous where his saints feast with him. The love of Christ, manifested by his death, and by his word, is the banner he displays, and believers resor to it. How much better is it with the soul when sick from love to Christ, than when surfeited with the love of this world! And thoug Christ seemed to have withdrawn, yet he was even then a very presen help. All his saints are in his hand, which tenderly holds their achin heads. Finding Christ thus nigh to her, the soul is in great care tha her communion with him is not interrupted. We easily grieve the Spiri by wrong tempers. Let those who have comfort, fear sinning it away.

Song 2:8-13 The church pleases herself with thoughts of furthe communion with Christ. None besides can speak to the heart. She see him come. This may be applied to the prospect the Old Testament saint had of Christ's coming in the flesh. He comes as pleased with his ow undertaking. He comes speedily. Even when Christ seems to forsake, it is but for a moment; he will soon return with everlastin loving-kindness. The saints of old saw him, appearing through the sacrifices and ceremonial institutions. We see him through a glas darkly, as he manifests himself through the lattices. Christ invite the new convert to arise from sloth and despondency, and to leave sin and worldly vanities, for union and communion with him. The winter ma mean years passed in ignorance and sin, unfruitful and miserable, or storms and tempests that accompanied his conviction of guilt an danger. Even the unripe fruits of holiness are pleasant unto Him whose grace has produced them. All these encouraging tokens and evidences of Divine favour, are motives to the soul to follow Christ more fully Arise then, and come away from the world and the flesh, come int fellowship with Christ. This blessed change is owing wholly to the approaches and influences of the Sun of righteousness.

Song 2:14-17 The church is Christ's dove; she returns to him, as he Noah. Christ is the Rock, in whom alone she can think herself safe, an find herself easy, as a dove in the hole of a rock, when struck at by the birds of prey. Christ calls her to come boldly to the throne of grace, having a great High Priest there, to tell what her request is Speak freely, fear not a slight or a repulse. The voice of prayer is sweet and acceptable to God; those who are sanctified have the bes comeliness. The first risings of sinful thoughts and desires, the beginnings of trifling pursuits which waste the time, trifling visits small departures from truth, whatever would admit some conformity to the world; all these, and many more, are little foxes which must be removed. This is a charge to believers to mortify their sinfu appetites and passions, which are as little foxes, that destroy their graces and comforts, and crush good beginnings. Whatever we find hinderance to us in that which is good, we must put away. He feedet among the lilies; this shows Christ's gracious presence amon believers. He is kind to all his people. It becomes them to believ this, when under desertion and absence, and so to ward off temptations The shadows of the Jewish dispensation were dispelled by the dawning of the gospel day. And a day of comfort will come after a night of desertion. Come over the mountains of Bether, "the mountains tha divide," looking forward to that day of light and love. Christ wil come over every separating mountain to take us home to himself __________________________________________________________________

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