The Song of Solomon : and the Lamentations of Jeremiah

S6
THE SONG OF SOLOMON
because it had been placed in the canon. Then why
was it set there ? The natural conclusion to arrive at
under these circumstances is that the scribes who ventured
to put it first among the sacred Megilloth saw
that there was a distinctive value in it. Perhaps, however,
it is too much to say this of them. The word
" Solomon " being attached to the book would seem to
justify its inclusion with other literature which had
received the hall-mark of that great name. Still we
can learn to appreciate it on its own merits, and in so
doing perceive that there is something in it to justify
its right to a niche in the glorious temple of scripture.
Assuredly it was much to make clear in the days of
royal polygamy among the Jews that this gross imitation
of the court life of heathen monarchies was a despicable
and degrading thing, and to set over against it an
attractive picture of true love and simple manners. The
prophets of Israel were continually protesting against a
growing dissoluteness of morals : the Song of Solomon
is a vivid illustration ,of the spirit of their protest.
If the two nations had been content with the rustic
delights so beautifully portrayed in this book, they
might not have fallen into ruin as they did under the
influence of the corruptions of an effete civilisation. If
their people had cherished the graces of purity and
constancy that shine so conspicuously in the character
of the Shulammite they might not have needed to pass
through the purging fires of the captivity.
But while this can be said of the book as it first
appeared among the Jews, a similar estimate of its
function in later ages may also be made. An ideal
representation of fidehty in love under the greatest
provocation to surrender at discretion has a message for
every age. We need not shrink from reading it in