born of the Spirit, is spirit." The meaning of the words, therefore, is, bringing Christ into the heart —“that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith' (Eph. iii. 17). "My little children," writes the apostle, "of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you" (Gal. iv. 19). How wonderful that our souls should be the chambers in which Jesus dwells!

"I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house," &c. There is a very powerful meaning in these words, in the connection in which they stand. The Bride had lost her own personal communion with Jesus (ver. 1-3), and had to seek him abroad "in the city." He was, so to speak, absent from "the chamber" of her heart, and this she could not bear. Truly the night of life must ever be a restless one, if passed alone without Jesus!

But this restlessness of the Bride was the proof of her sincerity. This is exactly the test of the true child of God, as distinguished from the mere professor. The one is content with a general knowledge of Christ, as present with his Church, &c., but the other can be satisfied with nothing short of direct, personal appropriation of him-a bringing of him home to the secret "chambers" of the soul, and a holy constraining of him to abide there! "I held him, and would not let him go."

CHRIST.

Ver. 5. "I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love till she please." This holy determination to hold fast her beloved, is graciously responded to by him, in a repeated charge to the daughters of Jerusalem that they should not disturb her (comp. chap. ii. 7). These are happy seasons, indeed, when for a time the soul rests by faith in the arms of her beloved-leaning on his bosom, in actual realization of "the communion of the Holy Ghost." Words fail to give utterance to what it is, but St. John seemed peculiarly to enter into the experience of it, when he said, "Truly, our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1 John i. 3). This season of repose, however, is soon exchanged for wilderness journeyings. Israel could only rest while the pillar of

cloud and of fire "tarried." Oh! how sweet it will be when our journey of love is ended, and we plunge into the ocean fulness of the God of love for all eternity!

Ver. 6. "Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness, like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?"

The use of the feminine gender here, in the original, proves these words to be spoken of the

Bride. "Who is she that cometh out of the wilder. ness?"

There is evident reference to the wilderness history of the children of Israel, and to the tabernacle worship, from whence the acceptable incense of prayer and praise was ever ascending-" incense of spices" being offered upon the golden altar every morning, "for a perpetual incense before the Lord" (Exod. xxx. 1-8). For thus every step of the way was rendered fragrant to the Lord. "Who is she that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke (or smoke of burning incense), perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?" It is a precious thought to believers, that even now, in the wilderness of this world, they may yield such sweet fragrance to Jesus.

And it has been beautifully remarked, that 66 some realize much of the wilderness character of this world, and a keen sense of its privations, who but little apprehend it as the place in which they may collect abundance of precious things to enhance their joys hereafter. But associations of trial are not the only ones to be linked with the wilderness; and though, as natural persons, we know nothing of myrrh and frankincense,' and our privations only elicit murmurings and unbelief; yet, as renewed in Christ, they become the very means of developing our Christian graces. And, laden with these fruits,

of desert origin, we shall one day, like the Bride, come up out of the wilderness, and remember it only as the place where we gathered the fragrance to be for ever attached to our persons in heaven. Who will complain, then, of the trials and discipline which have been the means of enabling him to obtain these powders of the merchant,' and thus to yield to the Lord a perfume unpossessed by any angel above?"

These are precious considerations to such as are (as yet) but coming out of "the wilderness." Our "forty years" wandering there is not in vain. But it is merely glanced at here. For this chapter contains within itself a brief, and yet comprehensive summary of the Church's history.

In ver.

6, its "wilderness" character is referred to. In ver. 7, 8, it is seen as the Church "militant here on earth."

In ver. 9, 10, Christ is seen dwelling in believers, as the members of his body; and in ver. 11, there is the final consummation in the kingdom of glory.

Ver. 7. "Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel."

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The word rendered "bed" is properly a litter," or travelling conveyance, still keeping up the idea in the preceding verse of journeying. It is the temporary resting-place of the king. "Behold his

bed, which is Solomon's." The allusion appears to be to the tabernacle, of which it is written, "The ark of God dwelleth within curtains;" and so God himself speaks of having "walked in a tent, and in a tabernacle," in all the places where he walked with the children of Israel (2 Sam. vii. 2, 6, 7). The ark was the symbol of his presence, and the tabernacle was its "resting-place" (Numb. x. 33-36). Around it the tribes of Israel were encamped throughout their armies, every man by his own standard (Numb. i. and ii.)—as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.

Thus the "bed," or resting-place, of king Solomon, stands in most striking contrast to the bed of carnal sloth and ease, spoken of by the Bride in ver. 1-the one, a place of idle security; the other, of active service.

Ver. 8. "They all hold swords, being expert in war."

"Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," &c., and fight manfully under the banners of the Captain of your salvation-" For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds" (Eph. vi. 17; 2 Cor. x. 4). The Christian life is one of continual warfare, "there is no casting off weapons." "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers," &c. (Eph. vi. 12).