its fruit, and feeding upon the sweetness of Jesus. It is a season of peculiar enjoyment, "great delight."

"Let your soul delight itself in fatness" (Isa. lv. 2; Ps. xxxvii. 4). It were impossible to describe the intensity of a believer's joy at such moments; it can be known only in the act of tasting the fruit from the glorious "Branch" of the Lord (Isa. iv. 2). It is the realised communion which is so unutterably sweet, because it is (as far as it can be by faith) an actual communication of Christ to the soul. Oh, if the foretaste be so unutterable, what will the communion be at His coming, when not "the banqueting-house" below, but the "Marriage Supper of the Lamb," will be our portion! Now, the intensity of the enjoyment is well-nigh overpowering. We have to cry, "Stay me with flagons, for I am sick of love." But then our love will be perfect, like His; and body and soul will be together capable of enjoying his presence, while with his left hand and his right he supports and embraces us for ever!

"Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen."

No such charge as that in ver. 7 will be needed in that day, "I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem," &c. But on earth there will always be a limit to such seasons of hallowed communion" till she please." (Such is the rendering given by some of the best commentators.) When we lose such enjoyments, the fault is our own.

But the heart of Jesus yearns for renewed intercourse. The Bride records his dealings of love in her experience (ver. 8-17). He comes unsought, leaping over hills and mountains of obstacles and difficulties, to reveal himself afresh, and to excite her to press onwards in the Zionward way. She hears his voice, and instantly recognises it (for it is not "the voice of a stranger "), and she treasures up his words, for they are precious, because they are his.

"My Beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love," &c. It seems as if a long dreary "winter" season had intervened since the previous seasons of hallowed communion. But Jesus takes no notice of it, except to say, that it is "past!" How beautifully he leads away the heart from any brooding over past sins, from any resting in present frames and feelings!"Old things are passed away"-think of them no more. "The winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear," &c. It is spring-there is the green fig, and the tender grape, and the yet unripe fruit is precious and fragrant to Jesus. Only there must be no resting in present

attainments. "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away." "Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice." Oh what words of tenderest encouragement! It may be but the early buds of spring, the "first love" of a young Christian; but even then, "Sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely." "I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals," &c. (Jer. ii. 2). "Let me hear thy

voice."

And the Bride does speak, and speaks in the accents of prayer. "Take us the foxes, the little foxes," &c. (ver 15). She is roused to watchfulness now against the "little foxes,' the "secret faults," "the deceitfulness of riches," the subtle sins which "choke the word," and render us unfruitful. And in this conscious integrity of heart, she attains that full assurance of faith which enabled her to exclaim, My Beloved is mine, and I am his " (ver. 16). "For if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God" (1 John iii. 21).

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The assurance of faith again leads on to the "full assurance of hope," which is so strongly expressed in ver. 17, “Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my Beloved," &c. "Now we see through a glass darkly; but then, face to face" (1 Cor. xiii. 12). Now shadows ever and anon cloud our sky and hide the sunshine from us, but when "the day" breaks, "He shall be as the light of the morning when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds" (2 Sam. xxiii. 4). "Mountains of Bether" (i. e., division) are between us and Jesus now, but then we shall be "for ever with the Lord!" O for the breaking of that day, when no dark cloud of sin or sorrow shall ever flit across our path again, but the Lord himself shall be our everlasting light!

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But that day" is not reached without many a dark night" to precede it. True-hearted as the Bride may be, and is, the flesh is as weak as the spirit is willing. And it is no uncommon experience that is described in chap. iii. 1-4, By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth; I sought him, but I found him not."

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This was an indolent way of seeking Christ, and it met with disappointment. For the promise is, "They shall find me when they search for me with all their heart," "fervent in spirit" (Jer. xxix. 13; Rom. xii. 11); and there must be a stirring up of ourselves if we would take hold of Jesus. "The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing" (Prov. xiii. 4). "He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand" (Prov. x. 4). But there was sincerity in the Bride amidst all her indolence. She could not rest without Christ.

There

was no ease for her in Zion if He were not with her there. Therefore she rises, and seeks him in the city and in the streets the public resorts of the citizens of Zion. She did not find him there, however, no, not even when she inquired of the watchmen" (the ministers of Christ) concerning him. And now her sincerity was put to a searching test. Would she give him up? Would the means of grace satisfy her without Him? No!-she passed them by, and continued "seeking for JESUS." And it was "but a little" she passed from them ere she found him—just enough to shew her she was seeking in the right way, but that ordinances in themselves are of no value except he be in them. Blessed experience, she found him!"-him whom she loved. Jesus may exercise our love, but he will never disappoint it.

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Thrice over she declared him to be the object of her love, as thrice over he inquired of Peter if he loved him (John xxi. 15-17), "Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee." Nor will I let thee go again! 66 I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me." It is beautiful to see the Bride leading her Beloved into her innermost chambers, even as He had led her into his (chap. i. 4). It is as though they had unlocked for each other those inmost recesses of the inner man to which none can ever have access but souls that have entered into Jesus, and Jesus into them. Oh, what depths of closest intimacy such communion intimates!

The Lord Jesus, on his part, desires the uninterrupted intercourse thus realised, and repeats his charge to the daughters of Jerusalem, that they should not disturb her till she pleased (ver. 5). They are happy seasons, indeed, when we rest by faith in the arms of our Beloved, leaning on his bosom in actual realisation of "the communion of the Holy Ghost." Such seasons of repose are, however, quickly changed for wilderness journeyings. Israel could only rest while the pillar of cloud "tarried." And the Bride is now seen coming out of the wilderness (ver. 6). It is the Church "militant here on earth." She must be clothed with all the armour of God, for the Christian life is one of continual warfare; "there is no casting off weapons." The enemy goeth about as a roaring lion, and we must not be ignorant of his devices. We must stand with our swords in our hands, ready for any moment of attack; "expert in war" (ver. 7, 8). Our King will be in the midst of us, and will lead us forth to certain victory at the end. And oh, how little shall we think of the toils and conflicts of

the way, the dangers, the fatigues, the sore struggles, and constant daily warfare which has so harassed us on the battlefield, when we behold King Solomon crowned!—when we see the glorious consummation finally attained, the victory won, and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, that he may reign for ever and ever! (ver. 9-11).

In chap. iv. we have the wondrous unfolding of the love of Jesus, expressed continuously until the close of the 16th verse. It is a chapter we must ever return to with increased and increasing amazement, as we learn more of the deep depravity and corruption of our own hearts, and yet see how Jesus puts it all away, and again and again pronounces us "FAIR!" Not content with a mere general declaration of our beauty in his eyes, he deigns to notice each part in particular, until he owns himself " ravished "-his heart 66 taken away !" Oh, how it should humble us to the dust to be so arrayed in "the beauty of the Lord our God," as to be the objects of such delight to Jesus!

He notices the singleness of eye which marks the sincere believer (Matt. vi. 22), in contrast to that "lust of the eye," which is not of the Father, but of the world (ver. 1).

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Thy hair is as a flock of goats"-every lamb in the fold is known and numbered, not one is wanting.

your head are all numbered."

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"The hairs of

Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn," freed from all natural encumbrances (Heb. xii. 1; Mark x. 50), and brought up "from the washing," the fountain open "for sin and for uncleanness," where all defilement is washed away. "None is barren" (lit. "bereaved, or robbed of its young"), but all "enrich their owner!" (Durham).

Their "speech is comely," and they are all joined together in unity of spirit, "like two young roes that are twins," &c. (ver. 1-5).

In short, Jesus discovers "no spot" in his Bride, but pronounces her "all fair," for he "imputeth not iniquity" unto her. "Black" indeed she is in herself yet, clad in His righteousness, how spotless, nay, how lovely, how "perfect!" "A glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing,"-" complete in Him" (Eph. v. 27; Col. ii. 10; Ezek. xvi. 13, 14). O to hide deeper in Jesus, till we feel we are completely covered beneath the robe of his righteousness! Let us oftener study the thought of his heart concerning us.

He longs to have his Bride with himself, and invites her to come, saying, "Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse,

with me." How gracious is every word that proceedeth out of his mouth! "Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given me, be WITH ME where I am."

How He sets his heart upon us! rejoicing over us, even as a bridegroom rejoiceth over his bride. "Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse !" Oh! let us thankfully adore him for letting us be the sources of his joy. It is no self-exaltation to believe these precious truths, it is only glorying "in the Lord," and sharing in his joys. Better is our love to him than wine, sweeter our love than all spices. Our very "garments" are fragrant unto him, for they are the garments of salvation and of praise (Isa. lxi. 3-10), the work of His own Spirit. They catch, too, something of the scent of those "ivory palaces" where we have been with him (Ps. xlv. 8). He makes us so entirely all we are, that he can unfeignedly delight himself in what he has made us. Especially can He enjoy himself in his Church as his garden, full of all manner of precious plants and fruit trees" the trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord." Little do we know of the interest he takes in the silent and solitary growth of those trees; and how he marks the specific character of each and all of them-camphire, spikenard, saffron, calamus, cinnamon, &c.; some growing tall, others creeping along the ground; some for one use, some for another. Yet all pleasant"-all cared for-watered every moment-kept night and day. O to be yielding all the fruit Jesus expects to find in us! not a scanty supply, but fruit an hundredfold, yea, all the fruits of the Spirit; "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness," &c. (Gal. v. 22, 23). Which of us could bear to be the barren fig-tree, disappointing that Beloved One as he comes again and again "seeking fruit and finding none"? Let us seek to be FULL of the Holy Ghost, full of that "living water," which alone can make our plants "fat and flourishing," bringing forth fruit in their season (Ps. i. 3).

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A solemn and very rousing lesson is taught us in the last words of Jesus to his Bride in this chapter. He has surveyed his garden with real delight, and found it well stored with the plants his heavenly Father had planted. But yet, they do not yield him all the fragrance they might. There is a stillness pervading the air which hinders the outgoing of the sweet odours from his sweet spices. It needs that he calls for the north wind to awake, and for the south wind to blow, that the spices" may flow out."

Do not our own hearts say Amen to this, even should it