Ver. 1. Now will I sing.] Now, or, Now I pray, as stirring up his hearers to attention; for here beginneth his third sermon. He had endeavoured, but with little good effect, to convince them of their detestable unthankfulness, apostasy, and other enormities, in prose. Now he resolves to try another course, and to be unto them as a poet rather than a prophet, if haply they might be taken by the sweetness of his verse, and loveliness of his voice. (Ezekiel 33:32) “ Metra parant animos, comprendunt plurima paucis: Aures delectant, pristina commemorant.” True it is that poets, for the most part, are dulcissime vani, most sweetly vain, as Augustine said of Homer. And some have noted well concerning St Paul, that citing his countryman, Aratus (for he was a Cilician), he nameth him not, but only saith, “Certain of your own poets,” (Acts 17:28) notwithstanding the piety of his beginning, ‘ Εκ Διος αρχωμεθα, or the divineness of his subject, the heavens—more sublime and pure matter than useth to be in the wanton pages of other poets. But our divine poet is of another alloy, and his holy song is of the same strain with that of Moses, of Deborah and Barak, of Hannah, of David, — qui noster Orpheus est, saith Euthymius, the “sweet singer of Israel,” (2 Samuel 23:1) -of Solomon with his Song of Songs; saving that this is lugubre carmen, saith Oecolampadius, et tragediae quam comediae similius, a lamentable ditty, and more like a tragedy than a comedy; for, though the prophet beginneth merrily, yet he endeth heavily; it is of “mercy and judgment” that he singeth. To my well beloved,] i.e., To Christ, the Church’s bridegroom, cuius amicus et administer sum, whose paranymph [advocate] I am and well wisher; (John 3:29 2 Corinthians 11:2,3) some render it for my beloved, or in his defence. A song.] Or, Poem, whereto this first verse is the proem or preface. A spiritual song it is, most artificially composed, and set out with the most exquisite skill that might be. Of my beloved.] Of him whom my soul loveth; [as Song of Solomon 1:7] Jonathan loved David (1.) With a love of union; (1 Samuel 18:1) (2.) With a love of complacence; (Isaiah 5:19) (3.) With a love of benevolence. (Isaiah 20:4) So doth a gracious heart love Jesus Christ. My Love was crucified, said Ignatius, whose heart was even a lump of love. Touching his vineyard.] That degenerate plant of a strange vine unto him, (Jeremiah 2:21) the plantation and supplantation whereof is here, first, Parabolically propounded; secondly, More plainly expounded. Some read it, “to his vineyard”; others, “for his vineyard.” See Matthew 21:33,34 Mr 12:1,2 Lu 20:9,16. My beloved.] See how oft he harps upon this sweet string, and cannot come off. What a man loveth he will be talking of, as the huntsman of his hounds, the drunkard of his cups, the worldling of his wealth, &c. Ten times in eight verses together doth St Paul mention the name of Jesus, (1 Corinthians 1:1-4 7-10) showing thereby that it was to him mel in ore, melos in aure, iubilum in corde, the sweetest music. Hath a vineyard.] So the Church is here (Isaiah 5:7) and elsewhere frequently and fitly styled: Confert autem vineae, saith Oecolampadius. To a vineyard is the Church compared for sundry reasons; as the great care men take about it, the great delight they take in it, the sweet fruits they expect from it, the great worth of its fruit, the little worth of its stem (Ezekiel 15:3) if it prove fruitless, the lowly and feeble condition thereof, the continual need it hath to be dressed, supported, sheltered, pruned. αιρει, καθαιρει, (John 15:2) amputat, putat. In a very fruitful hill.] Heb., In a horn the son of oil, that is, a horny hill, bowing like a halfmoon, and so exposed to the sunbeams all the day long. Some say that Judea lieth in the form of a horn, like as the low countries do in the form of a lion, unde Leo Belgicus. The “son of oil,” or “fatness,” that is, exceeding fat; Judea is called Sumen totius orbis, the friutful mother of all the earth, a land “flowing with milk and honey,” (Ezekiel 20:6) a very cornucopia of all comforts. Basil telleth us that it was a tradition of great antiquity, that Adam, when he was thrust out of paradise, ut dolorem leniret, for a mitigation of his grief, chose Judea, that most fruitful country, for a place to dwell in; whence it is that Sodom and her sisters, which were a part of that country, are said to be “pleasant as the garden of God.” (Genesis 13:10) Rom. xii. Nulla possessio maiorem operam requirit. -Cato. Itali dicunt, Vinea est tinea. Soli antemeridiano, meridiano atque postmeridiano expositus. -Pisc.
Ver. 2. And he fenced it.] Maceria munivit; he hedged it in, or walled it about, protecting his people from the rage of enemies wherewith that country was begirt. God was “a wall of fire to them,” (Zechariah 2:5) and a wall of water to them, [as Exodus 14:22] whence their land, though part of the continent, is called “an island,” (Isaiah 26:6) not only because separated from other countries, but because secured and made media insuperabilis unda. And gathered out the stones thereof.] He not only cast out the C anaanites, but flatly forbade idolatry, and all other wickednesses, παντα τα σκανδαλα, every scandal or rock of offence that might hinder their growth, or turn them out of the way. (Hebrews 12:13) And planted it with the choicest vine.] Heb., Sorek; the vines of which place (Judges 16:4) may seem to be the best and choicest, like as now in Germany are the vines of Herbipolis. See Jeremiah 2:21. The saints of God are noble plants, and of choice spirits; they are the chiefest personages, and of highest account in heaven. And built a tower in the midst of it.] For both beauty, defence, and convenience. This may be meant of Jerusalem, or the temple therein, that “tower of the flock,” and the “stronghold of the daughter of God’s people.” (Micah 4:8) Religion set up in the power and purity of it, is the beauty and bulwark of any place. And also made a winepress therein.] For the pressing of the grapes, and saving of the vine; but, alas! that labour might have been saved for any grapes he got, or wine he made. “ Fallitur augurio spes bona saepe suo. ” Little good is done many times by the most pressing and piercing exhortations and argumeuts used by God’s faithful prophets. And he looked that it should bring forth grapes,] i.e., Good grapes, as little thinking ut opera perdatur et spes eludatur, to have lost all his care and cost, as he did. For who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock and eateth not of the milk of the flock? (1 Corinthians 9:7) And it brought forth wild grapes.] Stinking stuff, as the word signifieth, that which was naught and noisome: grapes of Sodom and clusters of Gomorrah. (Deuteronomy 32:32,33) He looked for the “fruit of the Spirit”; but behold the “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19) No whit answerable to his continual care, culture, and custody, they made him, as one saith, a contumacious and contumelious retribution. Thus the wicked answer Heaven’s kindness with an ungrateful wickedness. Pro Sepivit alii vertunt Fodit, pastinavit, plantavit.