Songs 1:10 Your cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, your neck with chains of gold. By those chains of gold, with which the Church's neck is beautified and adorned, may be meant, 1. The laws and ordinances of God; which the ministers of the Gospel, and members of Churches, should be careful to observe (Proverbs 1:9). Or, 2. Those diversities of gifts which are bestowed on the ministers of Christ, by which they are made "able ministers of the New Testament"; and so become useful to many, and appear comely and beautiful, both in the eyes of Christ, and of such souls to whom they minister. Or, 3. The various graces of the Spirit, with which, not only ministers, but all believers are adorned; for sins and vices are so chained and linked together, that where there is one, there is all; so the graces of the Spirit are like chains of gold, which are so closely linked together, that they cannot be separated, but where there is one grace there is every grace, which very much beautify and adorn the believer. This chain consists of ten links: (1) Faith. (2) Hope. (3) Love. (4) Humility. (5) Patience. (6) Self-denial. (7) Contentment. (8) A saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. (9) Longsuffering and forbearance. (10) Sincerity. Or, 4. Those blessings of grace which are laid up in an everlasting covenant, come through the blood of Christ, and are communicated to all His people, may be meant by these chains; they go inseparably together; where a person is blessed with one, he is blessed with all: for though our interest in them may be gradually discovered to us, yet are we blessed at once, "with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." Not one of these links can be broken; this golden chain of grace and salvation is described (Romans 8:30). (John Gill, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.WEB: Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels. |
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