I rose up to open to my beloved
As soon as touched by the hand of mighty grace, she not only
resolved to rise, but actually rose, and that directly, not being
easy to lie any longer on her bed of carnal security; being now
made heartily and thoroughly willing to let in her beloved, who
she supposed was still at the door; but in that she was mistaken;
however she met with a rich experience of his grace and goodness;
and my hands dropped [with] myrrh, and my fingers [with]
sweet
smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock;
when she put her hand upon it to draw it back, and let her
beloved in; the myrrh, which he had gathered, ( Song of
Solomon 5:1 ) , and left there when he put in his hand at the
hole of the door: the allusion seems to be to lovers shut out,
who used to cover the threshold of the door with flowers, and
anoint the door posts with sweet smelling ointment F6: as by
the "door" is meant the heart of the church, so by the "lock",
which fastened and kept it shut, unbelief may be designed; and by
the "handles" of it lukewarmness and sluggishness, which
strengthen unbelief, and keep the heart closer shut against
Christ; and by her "hands" and "fingers", faith in exercise,
attended with the fruits of it, attempting to draw back the lock
of unbelief; which while the church was trying to do, she met
with some fresh experience of the grace of Christ: her "hands
[and] fingers dropped with sweet smelling myrrh, passing" or
"current" F7; such as weeps and drops from the
tree of itself, and, being liquid, runs upon and overflows the
hands and fingers; and being excellent and valuable, is passing
or current as money; and the odour of it diffusive, it passes
afar off: now this is either to be understood of myrrh brought by
the church, a pot of ointment of it to anoint her beloved with,
who had been long waiting at her door in the night season, to
refresh him with it; and this pot being broke unawares, or
designedly, or being in a panic her hands shook, the myrrh run
over her hands and fingers as she was drawing back the lock;
which may denote that her grace was now in exercise and on the
flow, in great abundance; which put her on her duty, and which
became odorous and acceptable to Christ: or it may signify myrrh
brought and left there by Christ; and may express the abundance
of grace from him, communicated by him, to draw and allure her to
him, to supple and soften her hard heart, to take off the
stiffness of her will, and the rustiness of her affections, and
make the lock of unbelief draw back easier, and so open a way for
himself into her heart; and to excite grace in her, her faith and
love, and cause her to come forth in exercise on him: and her
hands and fingers "dropping" herewith shows that all the grace a
believer has is from Christ, from whom, in the way of his duty,
he receives a large measure of it: while the church was on her
bed of sloth there was no flow of sweet smelling myrrh; but, now
she is up and doing her duty, her hands and fingers are
overflowed with it.
F6 "At lachrymans exclusus amator,----posteisque superbos unguit amaracino", Lucret. l. 4. prope finem.
F7 (rbe rwm) "myrrham transeuntem", Pagninus, Montanus "probam", Tigurine version; "lachrymantem", Bochart; "quam Dioscorides vocat Myrrham Galiraeam".