Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.
Ver. 11. Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion,] i.e., All ye faithful souls which follow the Lord Christ, the Lamb that stands upon Mount Zion. Revelation 14:1 ; Rev 14:4 Ye shall not need to go far - and yet far ye would go, I daresay, to see such a gallant sight as King Solomon in his royalty: the Queen of Sheba did - behold he is at hand, "Tell ye the daughters of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh," &c. Mat 21:5 Go forth therefore, forth of yourselves, forth from your friends, means, all, as Abraham did, and the holy apostles, confessors, and martyrs, and as the Church is bid to do, "forget also thine own people, and thy father's house." Psa 45:10 Good Nazianzen was glad that he had something of value - to wit, his Athenian learning - to part with for Christ. Horreo quicquid de meo est, ut meus sim, saith Bernard. He that will come to me, must go utterly out of himself, saith our Saviour. All St Paul's care was, that he might be found in Christ, but lost in himself. Ambula in timore et contemptu tui, et ora Christum, ut ipse tun omnia faciat, et tu nihil facias, sed sis sabbatum Christi, saith Luther, a Walk in the fear and contempt of thyself, and rest thy spirit in Christ; this is to go forth to see King Solomon crowned, yea, this is to set the crown upon Christ's head. When Queen Elizabeth undertook the protection of the Netherlands against the Spaniard, all princes admired her fortitude; and the king of Sweden said, that she had now taken the diadem from her own head, and set it upon the doubtful chance of war. b He that forsakes all for Christ, and puts himself by faith under his protection, submitting to the sceptre of his kingdom, and "sending a lamb to this ruler of the land," Isa 16:1 in token of homage and fealty, his "eyes shall see the King in his beauty"; and instead of a Vivat Rex, Let the king live, he shall break forth into this glorious acclamation, "The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king, and he will save us." Isaiah 33:17 ; Isa 33:22 It was St Augustine's wish that he might see Romam in flore, Paulum in ore, et Christum in corpore, Rome, as of old, flourishing; Paul, as he did once, preaching; and Christ, as in the days of his flesh, going up and down doing good. There are those who hold, that by Solomon crowned here is meant Christ incarnated, taking flesh, as a crown, off his mother Mary; and that this was "the day of his espousals," when "the Word was made flesh," and "the day of the gladness of his heart," when he "rejoiced in the habitable part of God's earth," - that is, in the human nature, wherein the fulness of the Godhead dwelt bodily - "and his delights were with the sons of men." Pro 8:31 Some understand it to be the crown of thorns set upon him by his mother, the synagogue. Others, the resurrection, and that name above all names Php 2:9 that he got by his death. I am of Mercer's mind, who expounds it to be that glory which Christ hath when he is preached up as the sole and absolute Saviour, and so believed on in the world, 1Ti 3:16 that the obedience of faith is yielded unto him. When faith and obedience make a perfect pair of compasses, then Christ's head is compassed with a crown. Faith, as the one foot, is pitched upon the crown of Christ's head; while obedience, as the other, walks about in a perfect circle of good duties, "whereby he is made glad." Psa 45:8
a Epist. ad Gabr. Vydym.
b Camb. Elisab., Anno 1585.