EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS (5)

Verse 12.—“With a gift.” Those who sold their property, came with presents to entreat the face of this “queen,” and “laid what they brought at the apostles’ feet.” Warm then was love in the church.—Augustine.

Verse 12.—“The rich.” They are, indeed, rich in grace, whose graces are not hindered by riches, whose souls prosper when their bodies prosper, as the apostle John speaks in his third Epistle; or, who, as ’tis prophesied in this verse, being full of worldly blessings, are yet hungry and eager in their pursuit after Christ. “The daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour,” saith the Psalmist; that is, either the favour of Christ himself, or the favour of the church, by reason of that spiritual excellence and inward glory which she hath received from Christ. Now, to see the rich bring their gifts, and, which is the thing chiefly aimed at here, giving up themselves to Christ, this is a rare sight, and a remarkable work of grace.—Joseph Caryl.

Verse 13.—“The king’s daughter is all glorious within,” etc. When the children of God recollect their glorious and heavenly pedigree, they endeavour to excel others, both in the beautiful disposition of soul, and manner of life. “The king’s daughter,” that is, the daughter of the heavenly Father, who is also the bride of the king’s Son; every believing soul “is all glorious,” adorned with a holiness not only glorious to herself, but also to the Father and the Bridegroom, and is the beginning of a heavenly glory; and that chiefly “within,” not only when she appears abroad, and presents herself to the view of men, but also when she sits in the inner bed-chamber in the secret exercises of religion, in which she in private pleases the Father and the Bridegroom, who having a regard to the inward man, she above all endeavours to keep that pure and chaste. Her clothing is of “gold;” in comparison of which whatever excellency natural men were even possessed of, is but a shining vanity; nay, it was “wrought” gold, curiously beautified with various resemblances, which represents the perfections of God himself; and of different colours, on account of the different yet harmoniously corresponding graces of the Holy Spirit; or of needlework of the Phrygian embroiderers, or rather the work of the cunning workman, mentioned in Cant. vii. 1. Nor is the spouse only beautiful within, but also without; “holding forth the word of life,” Phil. ii. 16, she practises charity, glorifies Christ, edifies her neighbour, and in this manner she is brought unto the king, worthy to be presented to him. This is the only way by which we are to endeavour to obtain familiarity with him, and the sweetest intercourse of the chastest love, both on earth and in heaven.—Hermann Witsius. 1636-1708.

Verse 13.—“The king’s daughter is all glorious within.” The meaning is, either, (1.) that her chief glory consisted in this, that she was admitted to such a familiar privacy with the king; or, (2.) that when she sat in the inmost rooms of the king’s palace, she was there in her greatest glory, because those rooms were most gorgeously set forth with all kinds of bravery and glorious furniture; or, (3.) that she used to be gloriously attired, not only when she went abroad in public, but also when she stayed within, as being indeed adorned (which may be implied) only for the delight of the king, and not that others might gaze upon her; or, (4.)—which I like best—that the inward virtues and endowments of her mind were her greatest ornament and glory.—Arthur Jackson.

Verse 13.—“All glorious within.” Saints must shine by the comeliness of Christ, as a gracious husband labours to change his spouse into his own image and likeness by kindnesses, precepts, and example, that he may take the more delight in her person; so does our spiritual Solomon change the hue of his Egyptian queen to deem of things and persons as her Lord and husband judges, and frames her spirit to delight in doing his will and pleasure, and take the highest solace in obedience, to enjoy a heavenly freedom, mixed with amiable and joyful reverence. He roots out of her heart all changeable affections and worldly fancies, and hankering longings after the fond fashions of Shechem, and all carnal inclinations to the daughters of Canaan’s lineage, and all the beggarly humours of the besotted world, and to pass by with a holy scorn all the pitiful pageantry of this perishing and fading life, and rise to a mean estimate of the baubles and trifles that enchant a carnal heart. At length she arrives to a noble and generous judgment, counting all but dung and dross that she may win Christ. As her prince of life was crucified by the world for her redemption, so she begins to be crucified to it in token of conformity to him, and at length becomes “all glorious within.”—Samuel Lee, in “The Triumph of Mercy,” 1676.

Verse 13.—“Within.” The ark was pitched within with the same pitch with which it was pitched without withal; such is the sincere man, within and without alike, inside and outside, all one. Yea, he is rather better than he shows, as the “king’s daughter,” whose outside might sometimes be sackcloth, yet was “all glorious within, and her inward garments of wrought gold.” Or as the temple, outwardly nothing but wood and stone to be seen, inwardly all rich and beautiful, especially the sanctum sanctorum (when the veil was drawn) was all gold. The very floor, as well as the roof, was overlaid with gold. 1 Kings vi. 30.—John Sheffield.

Verse 13.—“Her clothing is of wrought gold.” Some read it purled works, or closures of gold, enamelled gold, such as precious stones were set in, which were exceeding splendid and glorious; such were the clothes of service in the tabernacle, and the garments and robes of the high priest, which shadowed forth Christ’s righteousness. Exod. xxviii. 11-14; Exod. xxxix. 1-6.—William Troughton.

Verse 13.—About this time, Father La Combe was called to preach on some public occasion. The new doctrine, as it was termed, was not altogether a secret. Public curiosity had become excited. He chose for his text the passage in Psalm xlv. 13, “The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.” By the king he understood Christ; by the king’s daughter, the church. His doctrine was, whatever might be true in regard to men’s original depravity, that those who are truly given to Christ, and are in full harmony with him, are delivered from it: that is to say, are “all glorious within.” Like Christ, they love God with a love free from selfishness, with pure love. Like Christ, they are come to do the will of the Father. Christ is formed in them. They not only have faith in Christ, and faith in God through Christ, but, as the result of this faith, they have Christ’s disposition. They are now in a situation to say of themselves individually, in the language of the apostle Paul, “I live, and yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” He did not maintain that all Christians are necessarily the subjects of this advanced state of Christian experience, but endeavoured to show that this is a possible state; that, however intense human depravity may be, the grace of God has power to overcome it; that the example of Christ, the full and rich promises, and even the commands, give encouragement to effort, and confidence in ultimate victory.—From the “Life, Religious Opinions and Experiences of Madame de la Mothe Guyon.”

Verse 14.—“The virgins, her companions that follow her, shall be brought unto thee.” The highest and most excellent Christian cannot say, I have no need of thee: the queen will not be without any of her true companions. As it is in the body natural, so it is in the church of Christ, or body mystical; all the members being fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love. Eph. iv. 16; Col. ii. 19.—William Troughton.

Verse 14.—“The virgins her companions that follow her.” These are members of the church, but the figure of a bridal train is employed to sustain the allegory. What a bright train the Royal Bride will have as she goes forth to meet the Bridegroom. Kings’ daughters will be there, for every crowned head on earth shall one day bow at the foot of the cross. The daughter of Tyre shall be there—Tyre, the ancient emporium of the nations—to show that the merchandise of the world shall be holiness to the Lord. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Jews and Gentiles will be there—representatives from all peoples, and tongues, and nations. They are “virgins.” They keep themselves unspotted from the world. They are weaned from its idols; they dread its contaminations. Their first care is to preserve the whiteness of their souls by daily washing in the blood of the Lamb.... They “follow” the royal Bride. They keep by her side in storm and sunshine. They follow her in the regeneration. They follow her in the search after her Beloved. Song iii. 2, 3. They follow her to the green pastures and the still waters. They follow her without the camp bearing his reproach. Like Ruth, they leave father and mother to follow her. Ruth i. 16. Like Caleb, they follow the Lord fully. When a crisis comes, and the question, “Who is on the Lord’s side?” involves heavy issues, and hollow-hearted professors fly away like swallows before the storm, they follow her. When persecution comes, and Christ’s faithful witnesses have to prophesy clothed in sackcloth, and perhaps to pass through a baptism of blood to the crown, they follow her: like Peden, when—the bloodhounds of persecution in full chase after him, and the lone moor his home—he thought of Richard Cameron gone to glory, and sighed, “Oh, to be with Richie!”—Duncan Macgregor, M.A., in “The Shepherd of Israel; or, Illustrations of the Inner Life,” 1869.

Verse 15.—“With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought.” No marriage was ever consummated with that triumphal solemnity as the marriage of Christ and believers shall be in heaven. Among the Jews the marriage house was called bethillulah—the house of praise; there was joy on all hands, but not like the joy that will be in heaven when believers, the spouse of Christ, shall be brought thither. God the Father will rejoice to behold the blessed accomplishment and consummation of that glorious design and project of his love. Jesus Christ the Bridegroom will rejoice to see the travail of his soul, the blessed birth and issue of all his bitter pangs and agonies. Isaiah liii. 11. The Holy Spirit will rejoice to see the complement and perfection of that sanctifying design which was committed to his hand (2 Cor. v. 5); to see those souls, whom he once found as rough stones, now to shine as the bright polished stones of the spiritual temple. Angels will rejoice; great was the joy when the foundation of this design was laid, in the incarnation of Christ (Luke ii. 13); great, therefore, must their joy be when the topstone is set up with shouting, crying, Grace, grace. The saints themselves shall rejoice unspeakably, when they shall enter into the king’s palace, and be for ever with the Lord. 1 Thess. iv. 17. Indeed, there will be joy on all hands, except among the devils and damned, who shall gnash their teeth with envy, at the everlasting advancement and glory of believers.—John Flavel.

Verse 15.—“They shall be brought.” Reader! do not fail to observe the manner of expression, the church is brought, she doth not come of herself. No, she must be convinced, converted, made willing. No one can come to Christ, except the Father, who hath sent Christ, draw him. John vi. 44.—Robert Hawker, D.D.

Verse 15.—“They shall enter into the king’s palace.” There are two rich palaces mentioned in this Psalm: the one an ivory palace (verse 8), whereby is signified the assemblies of the saints, and ordinances of divine worship, in which the Lord manifests himself graciously. Here the presence of the Lord is sweet and amiable. Cant. i. 8; Psalm lxxxiv. 2. The other “palace” is mentioned in this fifteenth verse, and it is a palace of glory, a palace more bright and splendid than the finest gold, glorious mansions. John xiv. 2.—William Troughton.

Verse 16.—“Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children.” O church of God, think not thyself abandoned then, because thou seest not Peter, nor seest Paul—seest not those through whom thou wast born. Out of thine own offspring has a body of “fathers” been raised up to thee.—Augustine.

Verse 16.—“Thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.” The new connexion is glorious to the King. Many were his glorious and royal ancestors down to Jesse, but now there are born to him, the Eternal King, sons as the dew from the womb of the morning (Ps. cx. 3), who shall, as princes, occupy the thrones of the world. So our Lord promised to his disciples, “Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matt. xix. 28. And Paul says, “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?” 1 Cor. vi. 2.—Augustus F. Tholuck.