Union and Communion

OR

THOUGHTS ON THE

SONG OF SOLOMON

BY J. HUDSON TAYLOR, M. R. C. S. 

FOREWORD BY REV. J. STUART HOLDEN, M. A. 

_THIRD EDITION_

 MORGAN & SCOTT, 12 PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, LONDON, E. C. 

 CHINA INLAND MISSION, NEWINGTON GREEN, LONDON, N. 

 PHILADELPHIA, TORONTO, MELBOURNE, SHANGHAI

FOREWORD

THIS little book, whose design is to lead the devout Bible-student intothe Green Pastures of the Good Shepherd, thence to the Banqueting Houseof the King, and thence to the service of the Vineyard, is one of theabiding legacies of Mr. Hudson Taylor to the Church. In the power of anevident unction from the Holy One, he has been enabled herein to unfoldin simplest language the deep truth of the believer's personal unionwith The Lord, which under symbol and imagery is the subject of The Songof Songs. And in so doing he has ministered an unfailing guidance to oneof the most commonly neglected and misunderstood of the SacredScriptures. For how many have said in bewilderment at the richness oflanguage and profusion of figure which both conceal and reveal itsmeaning, "How can I understand except some man should guide me?" It issafe to say that these pages cannot fail to help and bless all such. 

To those who knew him, Mr. Hudson Taylor's life was in the nature ofemphasis upon the value of this small volume. For what he here expoundshe also exemplified. If his words indicate the possibility andblessedness of union with Christ, his whole life declared it in actualexperience. He lived as one who was "married to Another, even to Him Whois raised from the dead"; and as the outcome of that union he broughtforth "fruit unto God. " What he was has given a meaning and confirmationto what he has here said, which cannot be exaggerated. It is inevitablethat there are those who will read and reject as mystical andunpractical, that which is so directly concerned with the intimacies offellowship with the unseen Lord. I would, however, venture to remindsuch that the writer of these pages founded the China Inland Mission! Hetranslated his vision of the Beloved into life-long strenuous service, and so kept it undimmed through all the years of a life which has hadhardly a parallel in these our days. 

This is really the commendation of the following short chapters. Theyproclaim an Evangel which has been distilled from experience, and format least a track through this fenced portion of God's Word, which willlead many an one who treads it into the joys of Emmanuel's land. 

 J. STUART HOLDEN. 

 ST. PAUL'S, PORTMAN SQUARE, LONDON, W. _June 1, 1914. _

CONTENTS

 PAGE

 INTRODUCTORY 1

 THE TITLE 7

 SECTION I THE UNSATISFIED LIFE AND ITS REMEDY 8

 SECTION II COMMUNION BROKEN--RESTORATION 27

 SECTION III THE JOY OF UNBROKEN COMMUNION 37

 SECTION IV COMMUNION AGAIN BROKEN--RESTORATION 47

 SECTION V FRUITS OF RECOGNIZED UNION 58

 SECTION VI UNRESTRAINED COMMUNION 70

 APPENDIX 83

THE SONG OF SOLOMON

INTRODUCTORY

THE great purpose towards which all the dispensational dealings of GODare tending, is revealed to us in the fifteenth chapter of the FirstEpistle of Paul to the Corinthians: "That GOD may be all in all. " Withthis agrees the teaching of our LORD in John xvii. 3: "And this is (theobject of) life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true GOD, and JESUS CHRIST, whom Thou hast sent. " This being so, shall we not actwisely by keeping this object ever in view in our daily life and studyof GOD'S holy Word?

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable, andhence no part is, or can be, neglected without loss. Few portions of theWord will help the devout student more in the pursuit of thisall-important "knowledge of GOD" than the too-much neglected "Song ofSolomon. " Like other portions of the Word of GOD, this book has itsdifficulties. But so have all the works of GOD. Is not the fact thatthey surpass our unaided powers of comprehension and research a"sign-manual" of divinity? Can feeble man expect to grasp divine power, or to understand and interpret the works or the providences of theAll-wise? And if not, is it surprising that His Word also needssuperhuman wisdom for its interpretation? Thanks be to GOD, theillumination of the HOLY GHOST is promised to all who seek for it: whatmore can we desire?

Read without the key, this book is specially unintelligible, but thatkey is easily found in the express teachings of the New Testament. TheIncarnate Word is the true key to the written Word; but even before theincarnation, the devout student of the Old Testament would find muchhelp to the understanding of the sacred mysteries of this book in theprophetic writings; for there Israel was taught that her MAKER was herHUSBAND. John the Baptist, the last of the prophets, recognized theBridegroom in the person of CHRIST, and said, "He that hath the bride isthe Bridegroom: but the friend of the Bridegroom, which standeth andheareth Him, rejoiceth greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice: thismy joy therefore is fulfilled. " Paul, in the fifth chapter of theEpistle to the Ephesians, goes still further, and teaches that the unionof CHRIST with His Church, and her subjection to Him, underlies the veryrelationship of marriage, and affords the pattern for every godly union. 

In Solomon, the bridegroom king, as well as author of this poem, wehave a type of our LORD, the true Prince of peace, in His coming reign. Then will be found not merely His bride, the Church, but also a willingpeople, His subjects, over whom He shall reign gloriously. Then distantpotentates will bring their wealth, and will behold the glory of theenthroned KING, proving Him with hard questions, as once came the Queenof Sheba to King Solomon; and blessed will they be to whom thisprivilege is accorded. A brief glance will suffice them for a lifetime;but what shall be the royal dignity and blessedness of the risen andexalted bride! For ever with her LORD, for ever like her LORD, for everconscious that His desire is toward her, she will share alike His heartand His throne. Can a study of the book which helps us to understandthese mysteries of grace and love be other than most profitable?

It is interesting to notice the contrast between this book and thatpreceding it. The Book of Ecclesiastes teaches emphatically that "Vanityof vanities, all is vanity": and is thus the necessary introduction tothe Song of Solomon, which shows how true blessing and satisfaction areto be possessed. In like manner our SAVIOUR'S teaching in the fourth ofJohn points out in a word the powerlessness of earthly things to givelasting satisfaction, in striking contrast with the flow of blessingthat results from the presence of the HOLY GHOST (whose work it is, notto reveal Himself but CHRIST as the Bridegroom of the soul); "Whosoeverdrinketh of this water shall thirst again; but whosoever drinketh of thewater that I shall give him shall never thirst: but the water that Ishall give him shall be in him a well of water springingup"--overflowing, on and on--"unto everlasting life. "

We shall find it helpful to consider the book in six sections:--. 

 I. THE UNSATISFIED LIFE AND ITS REMEDY. Chap. I. 2-ii. 7. 

 II. COMMUNION BROKEN. RESTORATION. Chap. Ii. 8-iii. 5. 

 III. UNBROKEN COMMUNION. Chap. Iii. 6-v. 1. 

 IV. COMMUNION AGAIN BROKEN. RESTORATION. Chap. V. 2-vi. 10. 

 V. FRUITS OF RECOGNIZED UNION. Chap. Vi. 11-viii. 4. 

 VI. UNRESTRAINED COMMUNION. Chap. Viii. 5-14. 

In each of these sections we shall find the speakers to be--the bride, the Bridegroom, and the daughters of Jerusalem; it is not usuallydifficult to ascertain the speaker, though in some of the versesdifferent conclusions have been arrived at. The bride speaks of theBridegroom as "her Beloved"; the Bridegroom speaks of her as "His love, "while the address of the daughters of Jerusalem is more varied. In thefirst four sections they style her "the fairest among women, " but in thefifth she is spoken of as "the Shulamite, " or the King's bride, and alsoas the "Prince's daughter. "

The student of this book will find great help in suitableBible-marking. A horizontal line marking off the address of eachspeaker, with a double line to divide the sections, would be useful, asalso perpendicular lines in the margin to indicate the speaker. We haveourselves ruled a single line to connect the verses which contain theutterances of the bride; a double line to indicate those of theBridegroom, and a waved line to indicate the addresses of the daughtersof Jerusalem. 

It will be observed that the bride is the chief speaker in Sections I. , II. , and is much occupied with herself; but in Section III. , where thecommunion is unbroken, she has little to say, and appears as the hearer;the daughters of Jerusalem give a long address, and the Bridegroom Hislongest. In that section for the first time He calls her His bride, andallures her to fellowship in service. In Section IV. The bride again isthe chief speaker, but after her restoration the Bridegroom speaks atlength, and "upbraideth not. " In Section V. , as we noticed, the bride isno longer called "the fairest among women, " but claims herself to be, and is recognized as, the royal bride. In Section VI. The Bridegroomclaims her from her very birth, and not merely from her espousals, asGOD in Ezekiel xvi. Claimed Israel. 

 In the secret of His presence How my soul delights to hide! Oh, how precious are the lessons Which I learn at JESUS' side: Earthly cares can never vex me, Neither trials lay me low; For when Satan comes to vex me, To the secret place I go!

THE SONG OF SOLOMON

THE TITLE

"_The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's. _"

WELL may this book be called _the_ Song of Songs! There is no song likeit. Read aright, it brings a gladness to the heart which is as farbeyond the joy of earthly things as heaven is higher than the earth. Ithas been well said that this is a song which grace alone can teach, andexperience alone can learn. Our SAVIOUR, speaking of the union of thebranch with the vine, adds, "These things have I spoken unto you, thatMy joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John xv. 11). And the beloved disciple, writing of Him who "was from thebeginning, " who "was with the FATHER, and was manifested unto us, " inorder that we might share the fellowship which He enjoyed, also says, "These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. " Union withCHRIST, and abiding in CHRIST, what do they not secure? Peace, perfectpeace; rest, constant rest; answers to all our prayers; victory over allour foes; pure, holy living; ever-increasing fruitfulness. All, all ofthese are the glad outcome of abiding in CHRIST. To deepen this union, to make more constant this abiding, is the practical use of thisprecious Book. 

SECTION I

THE UNSATISFIED LIFE AND ITS REMEDY

Cant. I. 2-ii. 7

THERE is no difficulty in recognizing the bride as the speaker in verses2-7. The words are not those of one dead in trespasses and sins, to whomthe LORD is as a root out of a dry ground--without form and comeliness. The speaker has had her eyes opened to behold His beauty, and longs fora fuller enjoyment of His love. 

 Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth: For Thy love[1] is better than wine. 

It is well that it should be so; it marks a distinct stage in thedevelopment of the life of grace in the soul. And this recordedexperience gives, as it were, a Divine warrant for the desire forsensible manifestations of His presence--sensible communications of Hislove. It was not always so with her. Once she was contented in Hisabsence--other society and other occupations sufficed her; but now itcan never be so again. The world can never be to her what it once was;the betrothed bride has learnt to love her LORD, and no other societythan His can satisfy her. His visits may be occasional and may be brief;but they are precious times of enjoyment. Their memory is cherished inthe intervals, and their repetition longed for. There is no realsatisfaction in His absence, and yet, alas! He is not always with her:He comes and goes. Now her joy in Him is a heaven below; but again sheis longing, and longing in vain, for His presence. Like theever-changing tide, her experience is an ebbing and flowing one; it mayeven be that unrest is the rule, satisfaction the exception. Is there nohelp for this? must it always continue so? Has He, can He have createdthese unquenchable longings only to tantalize them? Strange indeed itwould be if this were the case. Yet are there not many of the LORD'Speople whose habitual experience corresponds with hers? They know notthe rest, the joy of abiding in CHRIST; and they know not how to attainto it, nor why it is not theirs. Are there not many who look back to thedelightful times of their first espousals, who, so far from findingricher inheritance in CHRIST than they then had, are even conscious thatthey have lost their first love, and might express their experience inthe sad lament:--

 Where is the blessedness I knew When first I saw the Lord?

Others, again, who may not have lost their first love, may yet befeeling that the occasional interruptions to communion are becoming moreand more unbearable, as the world becomes less and He becomes more. Hisabsence is an ever-increasing distress. "'Oh that I knew where I mightfind Him!' 'Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth: for Thy loveis better than wine. ' Would that His love were strong and constant likemine, and that He never withdrew the light of His countenance!"

Poor mistaken one! There is a love far stronger than thine waiting, longing for satisfaction. The Bridegroom is waiting for thee all thetime; the conditions that debar His approach are all of thine ownmaking. Take the right place before Him, and He will be most ready, mostglad, to "Satisfy thy deepest longings, to meet, supply thine everyneed. " What should we think of a betrothed one whose conceit andself-will prevented not only the consummation of her own joy, but of hiswho had given her his heart? Though never at rest in his absence, shecannot trust him fully; and she does not care to give up her own name, her own rights and possessions, her own will to him who has becomenecessary for her happiness. She would fain claim him fully, withoutgiving up herself fully to him; but it can never be: while she retainsher own name, she can never claim his. She may not promise to love andhonour if she will not also promise to obey: and till her love reachesthat point of surrender she must remain an unsatisfied lover--shecannot, as a satisfied bride, find rest in the home of her husband. While she retains her own will, and the control of her own possessions, she must be content to live on her own resources; she cannot claim his. 

Could there be a sadder proof of the extent and reality of the Fall thanthe deep-seated distrust of our loving LORD and MASTER which makes ushesitate to give ourselves entirely up to Him, which fears that He mightrequire something beyond our powers, or call for something that weshould find it hard to give or to do? The real secret of an unsatisfiedlife lies too often in an unsurrendered will. And yet how foolish, aswell as how wrong, this is! Do we fancy that we are wiser than He? orthat our love for ourselves is more tender and strong than His? or thatwe know ourselves better than He does? How our distrust must grieve andwound afresh the tender heart of Him who was for us the Man of Sorrows!What would be the feelings of an earthly bridegroom if he discoveredthat his bride-elect was dreading to marry him, lest, when he had thepower, he should render her life insupportable? Yet how many of theLORD'S redeemed ones treat Him just so! No wonder they are neither happynor satisfied!

 * * * * *

But true love cannot be stationary; it must either decline or grow. Despite all the unworthy fears of our poor hearts, Divine love isdestined to conquer. The bride exclaims:--

 Thine ointments have a goodly fragrance; Thy name is as ointment poured forth; Therefore do the virgins love Thee. 

There was no such ointment as that with which the High Priest wasanointed: our Bridegroom is a Priest as well as a King. The tremblingbride cannot wholly dismiss her fears; but the unrest and the longingbecome unbearable, and she determines to surrender all, and come whatmay to follow fully. She will yield her very self to Him, heart andhand, influence and possessions. Nothing can be so insupportable as Hisabsence! If He lead to another Moriah, or even to a Calvary, she willfollow Him. 

 Draw me: we will run after Thee!

But ah! what follows? A wondrously glad surprise. No Moriah, no Calvary;on the contrary, a KING! When the heart submits, then JESUS reigns. Andwhen JESUS reigns, there _is_ rest. 

And where does He lead His bride?

 The King hath brought me into His chambers. 

Not first to the banqueting house--that will come in due season; butfirst to be alone with Himself. 

How perfect! Could we be satisfied to meet a beloved one only in public?No; we want to take such an one aside--to have him all to ourselves. Sowith our MASTER: He takes His now fully consecrated bride aside, totaste and enjoy the sacred intimacies of His wondrous love. TheBridegroom of His Church longs for communion with His people more thanthey long for fellowship with Him, and often has to cry:--

 Let Me see thy countenance, let Me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. 

Are we not all too apt to seek Him rather because of our need than forHis joy and pleasure? This should not be. We do not admire selfishchildren who only think of what they can get from their parents, and areunmindful of the pleasure that they may give or the service that theymay render. But are not we in danger of forgetting that pleasing GODmeans giving Him pleasure? Some of us look back to the time when thewords "To please GOD" meant no more than not to sin against Him, not togrieve Him; but would the love of earthly parents be satisfied with themere absence of disobedience? Or a bridegroom, if his bride only soughthim for the supply of her own need?

A word about the morning watch may not be out of place here. There is notime so profitably spent as the early hour given to JESUS only. Do wegive sufficient attention to this hour? If possible, it should beredeemed; nothing can make up for it. We must take time to be holy! Oneother thought. When we bring our questions to GOD, do we not sometimeseither go on to offer some other petition, or leave the closet withoutwaiting for replies? Does not this seem to show little expectation of ananswer, and little desire for one? Should we like to be treated so?Quiet waiting before GOD would save from many a mistake and from many asorrow. 

We have found the bride making a glad discovery of a KING--her KING--andnot a cross, as she expected; this is the first-fruit of herconsecration. 

 We will be glad and rejoice in Thee, We will make mention of Thy love more than of wine: Rightly do they love Thee. 

Another discovery not less important awaits her. She has seen the faceof the KING, and as the rising sun reveals that which was hidden in thedarkness, so His light has revealed her blackness to her. "Ah, " shecries, "I am black";--"But comely, " interjects the Bridegroom, withinimitable grace and tenderness. "Nay, 'black as the tents of Kedar, '"she continues. "Yet to Me, " He responds, "thou art 'comely as thecurtains of Solomon!'" Nothing humbles the soul like sacred and intimatecommunion with the LORD; yet there is a sweet joy in feeling that _He_knows _all_, and, notwithstanding, loves us still. Things once called"little negligences" are seen with new eyes in "the secret of Hispresence. " There we see the mistake, the sin, of not keeping our ownvineyard. This the bride confesses:--

 Look not upon me, because I am swarthy, Because the sun hath scorched me. My mother's sons were incensed against me, They made me keeper of the vineyards; But mine own vineyard have I not kept. 

Our attention is here drawn to a danger which is pre-eminently one ofthis day: the intense activity of our times may lead to zeal in service, _to the neglect of personal communion_; but such neglect will not onlylessen the value of the service, but tend to incapacitate us for thehighest service. If we are watchful over the souls of others, andneglect our own--if we are seeking to remove motes from our brother'seye, unmindful of the beam in our own, we shall often be disappointedwith our powerlessness to help our brethren, while our MASTER will notbe less disappointed in us. Let us never forget that what we are is moreimportant than what we do; and that all fruit borne when not abiding inCHRIST must be fruit of the flesh, and not of the SPIRIT. The sin ofneglected communion may be forgiven, and yet the effect remainpermanently; as wounds when healed often leave a scar behind. 

 * * * * *

We now come to a very sweet evidence of the reality of the heart-unionof the bride with her LORD. She is one with the GOOD SHEPHERD: her heartat once goes instinctively forth to the feeding of the flock; but shewould tread in the footsteps of Him whom her soul loveth, and wouldneither labour alone, nor in other companionship than His own:--

 Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, Where Thou feedest Thy flock, where Thou makest it to rest at noon: For why should I be as one that is veiled Beside the flocks of Thy companions?

She will not mistake the society of His servants for that of theirMASTER. 

 If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, And feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents. 

These are the words of the daughters of Jerusalem, and give a correctreply to her questionings. Let her show her love to her LORD by feedingHis sheep, by caring for His lambs (see John xxi. 15-17), and she neednot fear to miss His presence. While sharing with other under-shepherdsin caring for His flock she will find the CHIEF SHEPHERD at her side, and enjoy the tokens of His approval. It will be service _with_ JESUS aswell as _for_ JESUS. 

But far sweeter than the reply of the daughters of Jerusalem is thevoice of the Bridegroom, who now speaks Himself. It is the living fruitof her heart-oneness with Him that makes His love break forth in thejoyful utterances of verses 9-11. For it is not only true that our lovefor our LORD will show itself in feeding His sheep, but that He who whenon earth said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least ofthese My brethren, ye have done it unto Me, " has His own heart-lovestirred, and not infrequently specially reveals Himself to those who areministering for Him. 

The commendation of the bride in verse 9 is one of strikingappropriateness and beauty:--

 I have compared thee, O My love, To a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots. 

It will be remembered that horses originally came out of Egypt, andthat the pure breed still found in Arabia was during Solomon's reignbrought by his merchants for all the kings of the East. Those selectedfor Pharaoh's own chariot would not only be of the purest blood andperfect in proportion and symmetry, but also perfect in training, docileand obedient; they would know no will but that of the charioteer, andthe only object of their existence would be to carry the kingwhithersoever he would go. So should it be with the Church of CHRIST;one body with many members, indwelt and guided by one SPIRIT; holdingthe HEAD, and knowing no will but His; her rapid and harmonious movementshould cause His kingdom to progress throughout the world. 

Many years ago a beloved friend, returning from the East by the overlandroute, made the journey from Suez to Cairo in the cumbrous diligencethen in use. The passengers on landing took their places, about a dozenwild young horses were harnessed with ropes to the vehicle, the drivertook his seat and cracked his whip, and the horses dashed off, some tothe right, some to the left, and others forward, causing the coach tostart with a bound, and as suddenly to stop, with the effect of firstthrowing those sitting in the front seat into the laps of those sittingbehind, and then of reversing the operation. With the aid of sufficientArabs running on each side to keep these wild animals progressing in theright direction the passengers were jerked and jolted, bruised andshaken, until, on reaching their destination, they were too wearied andsore to take the rest they so much needed. 

Is not the Church of GOD to-day more like these untrained steeds than acompany of horses in Pharaoh's chariot? And while self-will and disunionare apparent in the Church, can we wonder that the world still lieth inthe wicked one, and that the great heathen nations are barely touched?

Changing His simile, the Bridegroom continues:--

 Thy cheeks are comely with plaits of hair, Thy neck with strings of jewels. We will make thee plaits of gold With studs of silver. 

The bride is not only beautiful and useful to her LORD, she is alsoadorned, and it is His delight to add to her adornments. Nor are Hisgifts perishable flowers, or trinkets destitute of intrinsic value: thefinest of the gold, the purest of the silver, and the most precious andlasting of the jewels are the gifts of the Royal Bridegroom to Hisspouse; and these, plaited amongst her own hair, increase His pleasurewho has bestowed them. 

 * * * * *

In verses 12-14 the bride responds:--

 While the King sat at His table My spikenard sent forth its fragrance. 

It is in His presence and through His grace that whatever of fragranceor beauty may be found in us comes forth. Of Him as its source, throughHim as its instrument, and to Him as its end, is all that is graciousand divine. But _HE HIMSELF_ is better far than all that His grace worksin us. 

 My Beloved is unto me as a bundle of myrrh, That lieth betwixt my breasts. My Beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna-flowers In the vineyards of En-gedi. 

Well is it when our eyes are filled with His beauty and our hearts areoccupied with Him. In the measure in which this is true of us we shallrecognize the correlative truth that His great heart is occupied withus. Note the response of the Bridegroom:--

 Behold, thou art fair, My love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are as dove's. 

How can the Bridegroom truthfully use such words of one who recognizesherself as

 Black as the tents of Kedar?

And still more strong are the Bridegroom's words in chap. Iv. 7:--

 Thou art all fair, My love; And there is no spot in thee. 

We shall find the solution of this difficulty in 2 Cor. Iii. Moses incontemplation of the Divine glory became so transformed that theIsraelites were not able to look on the glory of his countenance. "Weall, with unveiled face [beholding and] reflecting as a mirror the gloryof the LORD, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory[_i. E. _ the brightness caught from His glory transforms us to glory], even as from the _Lord_ the SPIRIT. " Every mirror has two surfaces; theone is dull and unreflecting, and is all spots; but when the reflectingsurface is turned fully towards us we see no spot, we see our own image. So while the bride is delighting in the beauty of the Bridegroom Hebeholds His own image in her; there is no spot in that: it is all fair. May we ever present this reflection to His gaze, and to the world inwhich we live for the very purpose of reflecting Him. 

Note again His words:--

 Thine eyes are as dove's, or

 Thou hast dove's eyes. 

The hawk is a beautiful bird, and has beautiful eyes, quick andpenetrating; but the Bridegroom desires not hawk's eyes in His bride. The tender eyes of the innocent dove are those which He admires. It wasas a dove that the HOLY SPIRIT came upon Him at His baptism, and thedove-like character is that which He seeks for in each of His people. 

The reason why David was not permitted to build the Temple was a verysignificant one. His life was far from perfect; and his mistakes andsins have been faithfully recorded by the HOLY SPIRIT. They brought uponhim GOD'S chastenings, yet it was not any of these that disqualified himfrom building the Temple, but rather his warlike spirit; and this thoughmany of his battles, if not all, were for the establishment of GOD'SKingdom and the fulfilment of His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Solomon, the Prince of Peace, alone could build the Temple. If we wouldbe soul-winners and build up the Church, which is His Temple, let usnote this: not by discussion nor by argument, but by lifting up CHRISTshall we draw men unto Him. 

 * * * * *

We now come to the reply of the bride. He has called her fair; wiselyand well does she reply:--

 Behold Thou art fair, my Beloved, yea, pleasant: Also our couch is green. The beams of our house are cedars, And our rafters are firs. I am (but) a rose of Sharon, A lily of the valleys. 

The last words are often quoted as though they were the utterance ofthe Bridegroom, but we believe erroneously. The bride says in effect, Thou callest me fair and pleasant, the fairness and pleasantness areThine; I am but a wild flower, a lowly, scentless rose of Sharon (_i. E. _the autumn crocus), or a lily of the valley. 

To this the Bridegroom responds: "Be it so; but if a wild flower, yet

 As a lily among thorns, So is My love among the daughters. 

Again the bride replies:--

 As the apple-tree (the citron) among the trees of the wood, So is my Beloved among the sons. I sat down under His shadow with great delight, And His fruit was sweet to my taste. 

The citron is a beautiful evergreen, affording delightful shade as wellas refreshing fruit. A humble wild flower herself, she recognizes herBridegroom as a noble tree, alike ornamental and fruitful. Shade fromthe burning sun, refreshment and rest she finds in Him. What a contrasther present position and feelings to those with which this sectioncommenced! He knew full well the cause of all her fears; her distrustsprang from her ignorance of Himself, so He took her aside, and in thesweet intimacies of mutual love her fears and distrust have vanished, like the mists of the morning before the rising sun. 

But now that she has learned to know Him, she has a further experienceof His love. He is not ashamed to acknowledge her publicly. 

 He brought me to the banqueting house, And His banner over me was love. 

The house of wine is now as appropriate as the King's chambers were. Fearlessly and without shame she can sit at His side, His acknowledgedspouse, the bride of His choice. Overwhelmed with His love sheexclaims:--

 Stay ye me with raisins, comfort me with apples: For I am sick of love. His left hand is under my head, And His right hand doth embrace me. 

Now she finds the blessedness of being possessed. No longer her own, heart-rest is alike her right and her enjoyment; and so the Bridegroomwould have it. 

 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes, and by the hinds of the field, That ye stir not up nor awake My love, Until she[2] please. 

It is never by His will that our rest in Him is disturbed. 

 You may always be abiding, If you will, at JESUS' side; In the secret of His presence You may every moment hide. 

There is no change in His love; He is the same yesterday, to-day, andfor ever. To us He promises, "I will never leave thee, never fail thee, nor forsake thee"; and His earnest exhortation and command is, "Abide inMe, and I in you. "

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Loves = endearments, caresses. 

[2] The pronoun here and in chapter iii. 5, and viii. 4, should not be"he" as A. V. , nor "it" as R. V. , but "she. "

SECTION II

COMMUNION BROKEN--RESTORATION

Cant. Ii. 8-iii. 5

 _"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them. "_--Heb. Ii. 1 (R. V. ). 

AT the close of the first section we left the bride satisfied and atrest in the arms of her Beloved, who had charged the daughters ofJerusalem not to stir up nor awaken His love until she please. We mightwell suppose that a union so complete, a satisfaction so full, wouldnever be interrupted by failure on the part of the happy bride. But, alas, the experience of most of us shows how easily communion withCHRIST may be broken, and how needful are the exhortations of our LORDto those who are indeed branches of the true Vine, and cleansed by theWord which He has spoken, to abide in Him. The failure is never on Hisside. "Lo, I am with you alway. " But, alas, the bride often forgets theexhortation addressed to her in Ps. Xlv. :--

 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; So shall the KING greatly desire thy beauty: For He is thy Lord; and worship thou Him. 

In this section the bride has drifted back from her position ofblessing into a state of worldliness. Perhaps the very restfulness ofher new-found joy made her feel too secure: perhaps she thought that, sofar as she was concerned, there was no need for the exhortation, "Littlechildren, keep yourselves from idols. " Or she may have thought that thelove of the world was so thoroughly taken away that she might safely goback, and, by a little compromise on her part, she might win her friendsto follow her LORD too. Perhaps she scarcely thought at all: glad thatshe was saved and free, she forgot that the current--the course of thisworld--was against her; and insensibly glided, drifted back to thatposition out of which she was called, unaware all the time ofbacksliding. It is not necessary, when the current is against us, toturn the boat's head down the stream in order to drift: or for a runnerin a race to turn back in order to miss the prize. 

Ah, how often the enemy succeeds, by one device or another, in temptingthe believer away from that position of entire consecration to CHRIST inwhich alone the fulness of His power and of His love can be experienced. We say the fulness of His power and of His love; for he may not haveceased to love his LORD. In the passage before us the bride still lovesHim truly, though not wholly; there is still a power in His Word whichis not unfelt, though she no longer renders instant obedience. Shelittle realizes how she is wronging her LORD, and how real is the wallof separation between them. To her, worldliness seems as but a littlething: she has not realized the solemn truth of many passages in theWord of GOD that speak in no measured terms of the folly, the danger, the sin of friendship with the world. 

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If anyman love the world, the love of the FATHER is not in him. "

"Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmitywith GOD? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world makethhimself an enemy of GOD. "

"Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship haverighteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness?And what concord hath CHRIST with Belial? or what portion hath abeliever with an unbeliever? . . . Wherefore:--

 Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the LORD, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you, And will be to you a FATHER, And ye shall be to Me sons and daughters, saith the LORD ALMIGHTY. 

We have to take our choice: we cannot enjoy both the world and CHRIST. 

The bride had not learned this: she would fain enjoy both, with nothought of their incompatibility. She observes with joy the approach ofthe Bridegroom. 

 The voice of my Beloved: Behold He cometh Leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills. My Beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart; Behold He standeth behind our wall, He looketh in at the windows, He glanceth through the lattice. 

The heart of the bride leaps on hearing the voice of her Beloved, as Hecomes in search of her. He has crossed the hills; He draws near to her;He stands behind the wall; He even looks in at the windows; with tenderand touching words He woos her to come forth to Him. He utters noreproach, and His loving entreaties sink deep in her memory. 

 My Beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, My love, My fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing of birds is come, And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs, And the vines are in blossom, They give forth their fragrance. Arise, My love, My fair one, and come away. 

All nature is responsive to the return of the summer, wilt thou, Mybride, be irresponsive to My love?

 Arise, My love, My fair one, and come away. 

Can such pleading be in vain? Alas, it can, it was!

In yet more touching words the Bridegroom continues:--

 O My dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the steep place, Let Me see thy countenance, let Me hear thy voice: For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. 

Wonderful thought! that God should desire fellowship with us; and thatHe whose love once made Him the Man of Sorrows may now be made the Manof Joys by the loving devotion of human hearts. 

But strong as is His love, and His desire for His bride, He can come nofurther. Where she now is He can never come. But surely she will goforth to Him. Has He not a claim upon her? She feels and enjoys Hislove, will she let His desire count for nothing? For, let us notice, itis not here the bride longing in vain for her LORD, but the Bridegroomwho is seeking for her. Alas that He should seek in vain!

 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vineyards; For our vineyards are in blossom, He continues. The enemies may be small, but the mischief done great. Alittle spray of blossom, so tiny as to be scarcely perceived, is easilyspoiled, but thereby the fruitfulness of a whole branch may be for everdestroyed. And how numerous the little foxes are! Little compromiseswith the world; disobedience to the still small voice in little things;little indulgences of the flesh to the neglect of duty; little strokesof policy; doing evil in little things that good may come; and thebeauty and the fruitfulness of the vine are sacrificed!

We have a sad illustration of the deceitfulness of sin in the responseof the bride. Instead of bounding forth to meet Him, she first comfortsher own heart by the remembrance of His faithfulness, and of her unionwith Him:--

 My Beloved is mine, and I am His: He feedeth _His flock_ among the lilies. 

My position is one of security, I have no need to be concerned aboutit. He is mine, and I am His; and nought can alter that relationship. Ican find Him now at any time, He feedeth His flock among the lilies. While the sun of prosperity shines upon me I may safely enjoy myselfhere without Him. Should trial and darkness come He will be sure not tofail me. 

 Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, Turn, my Beloved, and be Thou like a gazelle or a young hart Upon the mountains of Bether. 

Careless of His desire, she thus lightly dismisses Him, with thethought: A little later I may enjoy His love; and the grieved Bridegroomdeparts!

Poor foolish bride! she will soon find that the things that oncesatisfied her can satisfy no longer; and that it is easier to turn adeaf ear to His tender call than to recall or find her absent LORD. 

The day became cool, and the shadows did flee away; but He returned not. Then in the solemn night she discovered her mistake: It was dark, andshe was alone. Retiring to rest she still hoped for His return--thelesson that worldliness is an absolute bar to full communion stillunlearned. 

 By night on my bed I sought Him whom my soul loveth: I sought Him, but I found Him not!

She waits and wearies: His absence becomes insupportable:--

 _I said_, I will rise now, and go about the city, In the streets and in the broad ways, I will seek Him whom my soul loveth: I sought Him, but I found Him not!

How different her position from what it might have been! Instead ofseeking Him alone, desolate and in the dark, she might have gone forthwith Him in the sunshine, leaning upon His arm. She might have exchangedthe partial view of her Beloved through the lattice, when she could nolonger say "Nothing between, " for the joy of His embrace, and His publicconfession of her as His chosen bride!

 The watchmen that go about the city found me: _To whom I said_, Saw ye Him whom my soul loveth? It was but a little that I passed from them, When I found Him whom my soul loveth. 

She had already obeyed His command, "Arise, and come away. " Fearless ofreproach, she was seeking Him in the dark; and when she began to confessher LORD, she soon found Him and was restored to His favour:--

 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. 

Jerusalem above is the mother of us all. There it is that communion isenjoyed, not in worldly ways or self-willed indulgence. 

Communion fully restored, the section closes, as did the first, with theloving charge of the Bridegroom that none should disturb His bride:--

 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the roes, and by the hinds of the field, (By all that is loving and beautiful and constant), That ye stir not up, nor awake My love, Until she[3] please. 

May we all, while living down here, in the world, but not of it, findour home in the heavenly places to which we have been raised, and inwhich we are seated together with CHRIST. Sent into the world to witnessfor our MASTER, may we ever be strangers there, ready to confess Him thetrue object of our soul's devotion. 

 How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! My soul longeth, yea even fainteth for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out unto the living GOD. Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: They will be still praising Thee. . . . A day in Thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my GOD Than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD GOD is a Sun and Shield: The LORD will give grace and glory: No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, Blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee!

FOOTNOTE:

[3] See note on p. 26. 

SECTION III

THE JOY OF UNBROKEN COMMUNION

Cant. Iii. 6-v. 1

 O JESU, KING most wonderful, Thou CONQUEROR renown'd, Thou sweetness most ineffable, In whom all joys are found! Thee, JESU, may our voices bless; Thee may we love alone; And ever in our lives express The image of Thine own. 

WE have been mainly occupied in Sections I. And II. With the words andthe experiences of the bride; in marked contrast to this, in thissection our attention is first called to the Bridegroom, and then it isfrom Himself that we hear of the bride, as the object of His love, andthe delight of His heart. The daughters of Jerusalem are the firstspeakers. 

 Who is this that cometh up out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, With all powders of the merchant?

They themselves give the reply:--

 King Solomon made himself a car of state Of the wood of Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof of silver, The bottom thereof of gold, the seat of it of purple, The midst thereof being paved with love (love-gifts), From the daughters of Jerusalem. Behold, it is the litter of Solomon; Threescore mighty men are about it, Of the mighty men of Israel, They all handle the sword, _and_ are expert in war: Every man hath his sword upon his thigh, Because of fear in the night. 

In these verses the bride is not mentioned; she is eclipsed in thegrandeur and the state of her royal Bridegroom; nevertheless, she isboth enjoying and sharing it. The very air is perfumed by the smoke ofthe incense that ascends pillar-like to the clouds; and all thatsafeguards the position of the Bridegroom Himself, and shows forth Hisdignity, safeguards also the accompanying bride, the sharer of Hisglory. The car of state in which they sit is built of fragrant cedarfrom Lebanon, and the finest of the gold and silver have been lavishedin its construction. The fragrant wood typifies the beauty of sanctifiedhumanity, while the gold reminds us of the divine glory of our LORD, andthe silver of the purity and preciousness of His redeemed and peerlessChurch. The imperial purple with which it is lined tells us of theGentiles--the daughter of Tyre has been there with her gift; while thelove-gifts of the daughters of Jerusalem accord with the prophecy, "Eventhe rich among the people shall intreat thy favour. "

These are the things that attract the attention of the daughters ofJerusalem, but the bride is occupied with the King Himself, and sheexclaims:--

 Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon, With the crown wherewith His mother hath crowned Him in the day of His espousals, And in the day of the gladness of His heart. 

The crowned KING is everything to her, and she would have Him to be soto the daughters of Zion likewise. She dwells with delight on thegladness of His heart in the day of His espousals, for now she is notoccupied with Him for her _own_ sake, but rejoices in His joy in findingin her _His_ satisfaction. Do we sufficiently cultivate this unselfishdesire to be all for JESUS, and to do all for His pleasure? Or are weconscious that we principally go to Him for our own sakes, or at bestfor the sake of our fellow-creatures? How much of prayer there is thatbegins and ends with the creature, forgetful of the privilege of givingjoy to the Creator! Yet it is only when He sees in our unselfish loveand devotion to Him the reflection of His own that His heart can feelfull satisfaction, and pour itself forth in precious utterances of lovesuch as those which we find in the following words:--

 Behold, thou art fair, My love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are _as_ dove's behind thy veil; Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of Mount Gilead; Thy teeth are like a flock _of ewes_ that are _newly_ shorn, Which are come up from the washing. Which are all of them in pairs, And none is bereaved among them. Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, And thy speech is comely, etc. (See verses 3-5. )

We have already found the explanation of the fairness of the bride inher reflecting like a mirror the beauty of the Bridegroom. Well may Hewith satisfaction describe her beauty while she is thus occupied withHimself! The lips that speak only of Him are like a thread of scarlet;the mouth or speech which has no word of self, or for self, is comely inHis sight. 

How sweet His words of appreciation and commendation were to the bridewe can well imagine; but her joy was too deep for expression; she wassilent in her love. She would not _now_ think of sending Him away untilthe day be cool and the shadows flee away. 

Still less does the Bridegroom think of finding His joy apart from Hisbride. He says:--

 Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, I will get Me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense. 

Separation never comes from His side. He is always ready for communionwith a prepared heart, and in this happy communion the bride becomesever fairer, and more like to her LORD. She is being progressivelychanged into His image, from one degree of glory to another, through thewondrous working of the HOLY SPIRIT, until the Bridegroom can declare:--

 Thou art all fair, My love; And there is no spot on thee. 

And now she is _fit for service_, and to it the Bridegroom woos her;she will not now misrepresent Him:--

 Come with Me from Lebanon, _My_ bride, With Me from Lebanon; Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Senir and Hermon, From the lions' dens, From the mountains of the leopards. 

"Come with Me. " It is always so. If our SAVIOUR says, "Go ye thereforeand disciple all nations, " He precedes it by, "All power is given untoMe, " and follows it by, "Lo, I am with you always. " Or if, as here, Hecalls His bride to come, it is still "with Me, " and it is _in connectionwith this loving invitation_ that for the first time He changes the word"My love, " for the still more endearing one, "My bride. "

What are lions' dens when the Lion of the tribe of Judah is with us; ormountains of leopards, when He is at our side! "I will fear no evil, forThou art with me. " On the other hand, it is while thus facing dangers, and toiling with Him in service, that He says:--

 Thou hast ravished My heart, My sister, _My_ bride; Thou hast ravished My heart with one look from thine eyes, With one chain of thy neck. 

Is it not wonderful how the heart of our Beloved can be thus ravishedwith the love of one who is prepared to accept His invitation, and goforth with Him seeking to rescue the perishing! The marginal reading ofthe Revised Version is very significant: "Thou hast ravished My heart, "or "Thou hast given me courage. " If the Bridegroom's heart may beencouraged by the fidelity and loving companionship of his bride, it isnot surprising that we may cheer and encourage one another in our mutualservice. St. Paul had a steep mountain of difficulty to climb when hewas being led as a captive to Rome, not knowing the things that awaitedhim there; but when the brethren met him at the Appii Forum he thankedGod and took courage. May we ever thus strengthen one another's hands inGod!

But to resume. The Bridegroom cheers the toilsome ascents, and the steeppathways of danger, with sweet communications of His love:--

 How fair is thy love, My sister, _My_ bride! How much better is thy love than wine! And the smell of thine ointments than all manner of spices! Thy lips, O _My_ bride, drop as the honeycomb: Honey and milk are under thy tongue; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. A garden shut up is My sister, _My_ bride; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy shoots are a paradise of pomegranates, with precious fruits; Henna with spikenard plants, Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices. _Thou art_ a fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And flowing streams from Lebanon. 

Engaged with the Bridegroom in seeking to rescue the perishing, theutterances of her lips are to Him as honey and the honeycomb; and figureis piled upon figure to express His satisfaction and joy. She is agarden full of precious fruits and delightful perfumes, but a gardenenclosed; the fruit she bears may bring blessing to many, but the gardenis for Himself alone; she is a fountain, but a spring shut up, afountain sealed. And yet again she is a fountain of gardens, a well ofliving waters and flowing streams from Lebanon: she carries fertilityand imparts refreshment wherever she goes; and yet it is all of Him andfor Him. 

The bride now speaks for the second time in this section. As her firstutterance was of Him, so now her second is for Him; self is found inneither. 

 Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my Beloved come into His garden, And eat His precious fruits. 

She is ready for any experience: the north wind and the south may blowupon her garden, if only the spices thereof may flow out to regale herLORD by their fragrance. He has called her His garden, a paradise ofpomegranates and precious fruits; let Him come into it and eat Hisprecious fruits. 

To this the Bridegroom replies:--

 I am come into My garden, My sister, _My_ bride: I have gathered My myrrh with My spice; I have eaten My honeycomb with My honey; I have drunk My wine with My milk. 

Now, when she calls, He answers at once. When she is only for her LORD, He assures her that He finds all His satisfaction in her. 

The section closes by the bride's invitation to His friends and hers, aswell as to Himself:--

 Eat, O friends; Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O Beloved. 

The consecration of all to our MASTER, far from lessening our power toimpart, increases both our power and our joy in ministration. The fiveloaves and two fishes of the disciples, first given up to and blessed bythe LORD, were abundant supply for the needy multitudes, and grew, inthe act of distribution, into a store of which twelve hampers full offragments remained when all were fully satisfied. 

We have, then, in this beautiful section, as we have seen, a picture ofunbroken communion and its delightful issues. May our lives correspond!First, one with the KING, then speaking of the KING; the joy ofcommunion leading to fellowship in service, to a being all for JESUS, ready for any experience that will fit for further service, surrenderingall to Him, and willing to minister all for Him. There is no room forlove of the world here, for union with CHRIST has filled the heart;there is nothing for the gratification of the world, for all has beensealed and is kept for the MASTER'S use. 

 JESUS, my life is Thine! And evermore shall be Hidden in Thee. For nothing can untwine Thy life from mine. 

SECTION IV

COMMUNION AGAIN BROKEN--RESTORATION

Cant. V. 2-vi. 10

THE fourth section commences with an address of the bride to thedaughters of Jerusalem, in which she narrates her recent sad experience, and entreats their help in her trouble. The presence and comfort of herBridegroom are again lost to her; not this time by relapse intoworldliness, but by slothful self-indulgence. 

We are not told of the steps that led to her failure; of how self againfound place in her heart. Perhaps spiritual pride in the achievementswhich grace enabled her to accomplish was the cause; or, not improbably, a cherished satisfaction in the _blessing_ she had received, instead ofin the BLESSER Himself, may have led to the separation. She seems tohave been largely unconscious of her declension; self-occupied andself-contented, she scarcely noticed His absence; she was resting, resting alone, --never asking where He had gone, or how He was employed. And more than this, the door of her chamber was not only closed, butbarred; an evidence that His return was neither eagerly desired norexpected. 

Yet her heart was not far from Him: there was a music in His voice thatawakened echoes in her soul such as no other voice could have stirred. She was still "a garden shut up, a fountain sealed, " so far as the worldwas concerned. The snare this time was the more dangerous and insidiousbecause it was quite unsuspected. Let us look at her narrative:--

 I was asleep, but my heart waked: It is the voice of my Beloved that knocketh saying, Open to Me, My sister, My love, My dove, My undefiled: For My head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night. 

How often the position of the Bridegroom is that of a knocking Suitoroutside, as in His epistle to the Laodicean[4] Church: "Behold, I standat the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, Iwill come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. " It is sadthat He should be outside a closed door--that He should need to knock;but still more sad that He should knock, and knock in vain at the doorof any heart which has become His own. In this case it is not the_position_ of the bride that is wrong; if it were, His word as beforewould be, "Arise, and come away"; whereas now His word is, "Open to Me, My sister, My love. " It was her _condition_ of self-satisfaction andlove of ease that closed the door. 

Very touching are His words: "Open to Me, My sister" (He is thefirst-born among many brethren), "My love" (the object of My heart'sdevotion), "My dove" (one who has been endued with many of the gifts andgraces of the HOLY SPIRIT), "My undefiled" (washed, renewed, andcleansed for Me); and He urges her to open by reference to His owncondition:--

 My head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night. 

Why is it that His head is filled with the dew? Because His heart is ashepherd-heart. There are those whom the FATHER has given to Him who arewandering on the dark mountains of sin: many, oh, how many, have neverheard the SHEPHERD'S voice; many, too, who were once in the fold havewandered away--far away from its safe shelter. The heart that never canforget, the love that never can fail, _must_ seek the wandering sheepuntil the lost one has been found: "My FATHER worketh hitherto, and Iwork. " And will she, who so recently was at His side, who joyfullybraved the dens of lions and the mountains of leopards, will she leaveHim to seek alone the wandering and the lost?

 Open to Me, My sister, My love, My dove, My undefiled: For My head is filled with dew, My locks with the drops of the night. 

We do not know a more touching entreaty in the Word of GOD, and sadindeed is the reply of the bride:--

 I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

How sadly possible it is to take delight in conferences andconventions, to feast on all the good things that are brought before us, and yet to be unprepared to go out from them to self-denying efforts torescue the perishing; to delight in the rest of faith while forgetful tofight the good fight of faith; to dwell upon the cleansing and thepurity effected by faith, but to have little thought for the poor soulsstruggling in the mire of sin. If we can put off our coat when He wouldhave us keep it on; if we can wash our feet while He is wandering aloneupon the mountains, is there not sad want of fellowship with our LORD?

Meeting with no response from the tardy bride, her

 Beloved put in His hand by the hole of the door, And "her" heart was moved for Him. 

But, alas, the door was not only latched, but barred; and His effort tosecure an entrance was in vain. 

 I rose up to open to my Beloved; And my hands dropped with myrrh, And my fingers with liquid myrrh, Upon the handles of the bolt. I opened to my Beloved; But my Beloved had withdrawn Himself, and was gone. My soul had failed me when He spake. 

When, all too late, the bride did arise, she seems to have been moreconcerned to anoint herself with the liquid myrrh than to speedilywelcome her waiting LORD; more occupied with her own graces than withHis desire. No words of welcome were uttered, though her heart failedwithin her; and the grieved One had withdrawn Himself before she wasready to receive Him. Again (as in the third chapter) she had to goforth alone to seek her LORD; and this time her experiences were muchmore painful than on the former occasion. 

 I sought Him, but I could not find Him; I called Him, but He gave me no answer. The watchmen that go about the city found me, They smote me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls took away my mantle from me. 

Her first relapse had been one of inexperience; if a second relapse hadbeen brought about by inadvertence she should at least have been readyand prompt when summoned to obey. It is not a little thing to fall intothe habit of being tardy in obedience, even in the case of a believer:in the case of the unbeliever the final issue of disobedience isinexpressibly awful:--

 Turn you at My reproof: Behold, I will pour out My SPIRIT unto you, I will make known My words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded; . . . I also will laugh in the day of your calamity. . . . Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; They shall seek Me diligently, but they shall not find Me. 

The backsliding of the bride, though painful, was not final; for it wasfollowed by true repentance. She went forth into the darkness and soughtHim; she called, but He responded not, and the watchmen finding her, both smote and wounded her. They appear to have appreciated the gravityof her declension more correctly than she had done. Believers may beblinded to their own inconsistencies; others, however, note them; andthe higher the position with regard to our LORD the more surely will anyfailure be visited with reproach. 

Wounded, dishonoured, unsuccessful in her search, and almost in despair, the bride turns to the daughters of Jerusalem; and recounting the storyof her sorrows, adjures _them_ to tell her Beloved that she is notunfaithful or unmindful of Him. 

 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my Beloved, That ye tell Him, that I am sick of love. 

The reply of the daughters of Jerusalem shows very clearly that thesorrow-stricken bride, wandering in the dark, is not recognized as thebride of the KING, though her personal beauty does not escape notice. 

 What is thy Beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? What is thy Beloved more than another beloved, That thou dost so adjure us?

This question, implying that her Beloved was no more than any other, stirs her soul to its deepest depths; and, forgetting herself, she poursout from the fulness of her heart a soul-ravishing description of theglory and beauty of her LORD. 

 My Beloved is white and ruddy, The chiefest among ten thousand. 

(see verses 10-16, concluding with)

 His mouth is most sweet: yea, He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. 

It is interesting to compare the bride's description of the Bridegroomwith the descriptions of "the Ancient of Days" in Dan. Vii. 9, 10, andof our risen LORD in Rev. I. 13-16. The differences are verycharacteristic. 

In Dan. Vii. We see the Ancient of Days seated on the throne ofjudgment; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head likethe pure wool; His throne and His wheels were as burning fire, and afiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. The Son of Man wasbrought near before Him, and received from Him dominion, and glory, andan everlasting kingdom that shall not be destroyed. In Rev. I. We seethe Son of Man Himself clothed with a garment down to the foot, and Hishead and His hair were white as wool, white as snow; but the bride seesher Bridegroom in all the vigour of youth, with locks "bushy, and blackas a raven. " The eyes of the risen SAVIOUR are described as "a flame offire, " but His bride sees them "like doves beside the water brooks. " InRevelation "His voice is as the voice of many waters . . . And out of Hismouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword. " To the bride, His lips are aslilies, dropping liquid myrrh, and His mouth most sweet. The countenanceof the risen SAVIOUR was "as the sun shineth in his strength, " and theeffect of the vision on John--"when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as onedead"--was not unlike the effect of the vision given to Saul as heneared Damascus. But to His bride "His aspect is like Lebanon, excellentas the cedars. " The LION of the tribe of Judah is to His own bride theKING of love; and, with full heart and beaming face, she so recounts Hisbeauties that the daughters of Jerusalem are seized with strong desireto seek Him with her, that they also may behold His beauty. 

 Whither is thy Beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither hath thy Beloved turned Him, That we may seek Him with thee?

The bride replies:--

 My Beloved is gone down to His garden, to the beds of spices, To feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine: He feedeth His flock among the lilies. 

Forlorn and desolate as she might appear she still knows herself as theobject of His affections, and claims Him as her own. This expression, "Iam my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine, " is similar to that found inthe second chapter, "My Beloved is mine, and I am His"; and yet withnoteworthy difference. Then her first thought of CHRIST was of her claimupon Him: His claim upon her was secondary. Now she thinks first of Hisclaim; and only afterwards mentions her own. We see a still furtherdevelopment of grace in chap. Vii. 10, where the bride, losing sight ofher claim altogether, says:--

 I am my Beloved's, And His desire is toward me. 

No sooner has she uttered these words and acknowledged herself as Hisrightful possession--a claim which she had practically repudiated whenshe kept Him barred out--than her Bridegroom Himself appears; and withno upbraiding word, but in tenderest love, tells her how beautiful sheis in His eyes, and speaks her praise to the daughters of Jerusalem. 

To her He says:--

 Thou art beautiful, O My love, as Tirzah, [the beautiful city of Samaria, ] Comely as Jerusalem, [the glorious city of the great KING, ] Terrible [or rather brilliant] as an army with banners. Turn away thine eyes from Me, For they have overcome Me. (See vv. 4-7. )

Then, turning to the daughters of Jerusalem, He exclaims:--

 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, And maidens without number. My dove, My perfect one, is but one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; Yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her, saying, Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, Fair as the moon, Clear as the sun, Brilliant as an army with banners?

Thus the section closes with communion fully restored; the bridereinstated and openly acknowledged by the Bridegroom as His own peerlesscompanion and friend. The painful experience through which the bride haspassed has been fraught with lasting good, and we have no furtherindication of interrupted communion, but in the remaining sections findonly joy and fruitfulness. 

FOOTNOTE:

[4] The Church of Popular Opinion, as pointed out by the Rev. CharlesFox in an address at Keswick, as the Church of Philadelphia is theChurch of Brotherly Love. 

SECTION V

FRUITS OF RECOGNIZED UNION

Cant. Vi. 11-viii. 4

IN the second and fourth sections of this book we found the communion ofthe bride broken; in the former by backsliding into worldliness, and inthe latter through slothful ease and self-satisfaction. The presentsection, like the third, is one of unbroken communion. It is opened bythe words of the bride:--

 I went down into the garden of nuts, To see the green plants of the valley, To see whether the vine budded, _And_ the pomegranates were in flower. Or ever I was aware, my soul set me _Among_ the chariots of my willing people. 

As in the commencement of Section III. , the bride, in unbrokencommunion with her LORD, was present though unmentioned until she madeher presence evident by her address to the daughters of Zion; so in thissection the presence of the KING is unnoted until He Himself addressesHis bride. But she is one with her LORD as she engages in His service!His promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, " is ever fulfilled to her; and Hehas no more to woo her to arise and come away; to tell her that His"head is filled with dew, " His "locks with the drops of the night"; orto urge her if she love Him to feed His sheep and care for His lambs. Herself His garden, she does not forget to tend it, nor keep thevineyards of others while her own is neglected. _With_ Him as well as_for_ Him, she goes to the garden of nuts. So thorough is the unionbetween them that many commentators have felt difficulty in decidingwhether the bride or the Bridegroom was the speaker, and really it is apoint of little moment; for, as we have said, both were there, and ofone mind; yet we believe we are right in attributing these words to thebride, as she is the one addressed by the daughters of Jerusalem, andthe one who speaks to them in reply. 

The bride and Bridegroom appear to have been discovered by their willingpeople while thus engaged in the happy fellowship of fruitful service, and the bride, or ever she was aware, found herself seated among thechariots of her people--_her_ people as well as _His_. 

The daughters of Jerusalem would fain call her back:--

 Return, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may look upon thee. 

There is no question now as to who she is, nor why her Beloved is morethan another beloved; He is recognized as King Solomon, and to her isgiven the same name, only in its feminine form (Shulammite). 

Some have seen in these words, "Return, return, " an indication of therapture of the Church; and explain some parts of the subsequent context, which appear inconsistent with this view, as resumptive rather thanprogressive. Interesting as is this thought, and well as it wouldexplain the absence of _reference_ to the KING in the preceding verses, we are not inclined to accept it; but look on the whole song asprogressive, and its last words as being equivalent to the closing wordsof the Book of Revelation, "Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, LORD JESUS. " We do not therefore look upon the departure of the bridefrom her garden as being other than temporary. 

The bride replies to the daughters of Jerusalem:--

 Why will ye look upon the Shulammite?

or, as in the Authorized Version, What will ye see in the Shulamite?

In the presence of the KING, she cannot conceive why any attentionshould be paid to her. As Moses, coming down from the mount, wasunconscious that his face shone with a divine glory, so was it here withthe bride. But we may learn this very important lesson, that many who donot see the beauty of the LORD, will not fail to admire His reflectedbeauty in His bride. The eager look of the daughters of Jerusalemsurprised the bride, and she says, You might be looking "upon the danceof Mahanaim"--the dance of two companies of Israel's fairestdaughters--instead of upon one who has no claim for attention, save thatshe is the chosen, though unworthy, bride of the glorious KING. 

The daughters of Jerusalem have no difficulty in replying to herquestion, and recognizing her as of royal birth--"O Prince'sdaughter"--as well as of queenly dignity, they describe in true andOriental language the tenfold beauties of her person; from her feet toher head they see only beauty and perfection. What a contrast to herstate by nature! Once "from the sole of the foot even unto the head" was"but wounds, and bruises, and festering sores"; now her feet are "shodwith the preparation of the Gospel of peace, " and the very hair of thehead proclaims her a Nazarite indeed; "the KING" Himself "is heldcaptive in the tresses thereof. "

But One, more to her than the daughters of Jerusalem, responded to herunaffected question, "What will ye see in the Shulamite?" The BridegroomHimself replies to it:--

 How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!

He sees in her the beauties and the fruitfulness of the tall andupright palm, of the graceful and clinging vine, of the fragrant andevergreen citron. Grace has made her like the palm-tree, the emblemalike of uprightness and of fruitfulness. The fruit of the date-palm ismore valued than bread by the Oriental traveller, so great is itssustaining power; and the fruit-bearing powers of the tree do not passaway; as age increases the fruit becomes more perfect as well as moreabundant. 

 The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree: He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They that are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our GOD. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; They shall be full of sap and green. 

But why are the righteous made so upright and flourishing?

 To show that the LORD is upright; He is my ROCK, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. 

One with our LORD, it is ours to _show forth_ His graces and virtues, toreflect His beauty, to be His faithful witnesses. 

The palm is also the emblem of victory; it raises its beautiful crowntowards the heavens, fearless of the heat of the sultry sun, or of theburning hot wind from the desert. From its beauty it was one of theornaments of Solomon's, as it is to be of Ezekiel's temple. When ourSAVIOUR was received at Jerusalem as the KING of Israel the people tookbranches of palm-trees and went forth to meet Him; and in the gloriousday of His espousals, "a great multitude, which no man" can "number, ofall nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, " shall stand "beforethe throne and before the LAMB, clothed with white robes"; and withpalms of victory in their hands shall ascribe their "salvation to ourGOD which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the LAMB. "

But if she resembles the palm she also resembles the vine. Much sheneeds the culture of the Husbandman, and well does she repay it. Abidingin CHRIST, the true source of fruitfulness, she brings forth clusters ofgrapes, luscious and refreshing, as well as sustaining, like the fruitof the palm--luscious and refreshing to Himself, the owner of thevineyard, as well as to the weary, thirsty world in which He has placedit. 

The vine has its own suggestive lessons: it needs and seeks support;the sharp knife of the pruner often cuts away unsparingly its tendergarlands, and mars its appearance, while increasing its fruitfulness. Ithas been beautifully written:--

 The living Vine, CHRIST chose it for Himself:-- GOD gave to man for use and sustenance Corn, wine, and oil, and each of these is good: And CHRIST is Bread of life and Light of life. But yet, He did not choose the summer corn, That shoots up straight and free in one quick growth. And has its day, is done, and springs no more; Nor yet the olive, all whose boughs are spread In the soft air, and never lose a leaf, Flowering and fruitful in perpetual peace; But only this, for Him and His is one, -- That everlasting, ever-quickening Vine, That gives the heat and passion of the world, Through its own life-blood, still renewed and shed. . . . . . . The Vine from every living limb bleeds wine; Is it the poorer for that spirit shed? The drunkard and the wanton drink thereof; Are they the richer for that gift's excess? _Measure thy life by loss instead of gain;_ _Not by the wine drunk, but the wine poured forth;_ _For love's strength standeth in love's sacrifice;_ _And whoso suffers most, hath most to give. _

Yet one figure more is used by the Bridegroom: "The smell of thy breath[is] like apples, " or rather citrons. In the first section the brideexclaims:--

 As the citron-tree among the trees of the wood, So is my Beloved among the sons. I delighted and sat down under His shadow, And His fruit was sweet to my taste. 

Here we find the outcome of that communion. The citrons on which she hadfed perfumed her breath, and imparted to her their delicious odour. TheBridegroom concludes his description:--

 Thy mouth [is] like the best wine, That goeth down smoothly-- For my Beloved--

interjects the bride, Causing the lips of those that are asleep to move. 

How wondrous the grace that has made the bride of CHRIST to be all thisto her Beloved! Upright as the palm, victorious, and evermore fruitfulas she grows heavenward; gentle and tender as the Vine, self-forgetfuland self-sacrificing, not merely bearing fruit in spite of adversity, but bearing her richest fruits through it;--feasting on her Beloved, asshe rests beneath His shade, and thereby partaking of Hisfragrance;--what has grace not done for her! And what must be her joy infinding, ever more fully, the satisfaction of the glorious Bridegroom inthe lowly wild flower He has made His bride, and beautified with His owngraces and virtues!

 I am my Beloved's, And His desire is toward me, she gladly exclaims. Now it is none of self or for self, but all of Theeand for Thee. And if such be the sweet fruits of going down to thegarden of nuts, and caring for His garden with Him, she will need noconstraining to continue in this blessed service. 

 Come, my Beloved, let us go forth into the field; Let us lodge in the villages. 

She is not ashamed of her lowly origin, for she fears no shame: perfectlove has cast out fear. The royal state of the King, with its pomp andgrandeur, may be enjoyed by-and-by: now, more sweet with Him at her sideto make the garden fruitful; to give to Him all manner of preciousfruits, new and old, which she has laid up in store for Him; and best ofall to satisfy Him with her own love. Not only is she contented withthis fellowship of service, but she could fain wish that there were nohonours and duties to claim His attention, and for the moment to lessenthe joy of His presence. 

 Oh that Thou wert as my brother, That sucked the breasts of my mother! _When_ I should find Thee without, I would kiss Thee; Yea, and none would despise me. 

Would that she could care for Him, and claim His whole attention, as asister might care for a brother. She is deeply conscious that He hasrichly endowed her, and that she is as nothing compared with Him; butinstead of proudly dwelling upon what she has done through Him, shewould fain that it were possible for her to be the giver and Him thereceiver. Far removed is this from the grudging thought, that must sograte upon the heart of our LORD, "I do not think that GOD requires thisof me"; or, "Must I give up that, if I am to be a Christian?" Truedevotion will rather ask to be allowed to give, and will count as lossall which may not be given up for the LORD'S sake--"I count all thingsbut loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of CHRIST JESUS my LORD. "

This longing desire to be more to Him does not, however, blind her tothe consciousness that she needs His guidance, and that He is her true, her only Instructor. 

 I would lead Thee, _and_ bring Thee into my mother's house, That Thou mightest instruct me; I would cause Thee to drink of spiced wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate. 

I would give Thee my best, and yet would myself seek all my rest andsatisfaction in Thee. 

 His left hand _should_ be under my head, And His right hand should embrace me. 

And thus the section closes. There is nothing sweeter to the Bridegroomor to the bride than this hallowed and unhindered communion; and againHe adjures the daughters of Jerusalem, in slightly different form:--

 Why should ye stir up, or why awake My love, Until she[5] please?

Hallowed communion indeed! May we ever enjoy it; and abiding in CHRIST, we shall sing, in the familiar words of the well-known hymn--

 Both Thine arms are clasped around me, And my head is on Thy breast; And my weary soul hath found Thee Such a perfect, perfect rest! Blessed JESUS, Now I know that I am blest. 

FOOTNOTE:

[5] See note on p. 26. 

SECTION VI

UNRESTRAINED COMMUNION

Cant. Viii. 5-14

WE have now reached the closing section of this book, which, as we haveseen, is a poem describing the life of a believer on earth. Beginning inSection I. (Cant. I. 2-ii. 7) with the unsatisfied longings of anespoused one--longings which could only be met by her unreservedsurrender to the Bridegroom of her soul--we find that when the surrenderwas made, instead of the cross she had so much feared she found a King, the KING of LOVE, who both satisfied her deepest longings, and found Hisown satisfaction in her. 

The second section (Cant. Ii. 8-iii. 5) showed failure on her part; shewas lured back again into the world, and soon found that her Belovedcould not follow her there; then with full purpose of heart going forthto seek Him, and confessing His name, her search was successful, and hercommunion was restored. 

The third section (Cant. Iii. 6-v. 1. ) told of unbroken communion. Abiding in Christ, she was the sharer of His security and His glory. Shedraws the attention, however, of the daughters of Jerusalem from theseoutward things to her KING Himself. And, while she is thus occupied withHim, and would have others so occupied, she finds that her royalBridegroom is delighting in her, and inviting her to fellowship ofservice, fearless of dens of lions and mountains of leopards. 

The fourth section (Cant. V. 2-vi. 10), however, shows again failure;not as before through worldliness, but rather through spiritual prideand sloth. Restoration now was much more difficult; but again when shewent forth diligently to seek her LORD, and so confessed Him as to leadothers to long to find Him with her, He revealed Himself and thecommunion was restored, to be interrupted no more. 

The fifth section (Cant. Vi. 11-viii. 4), as we have seen, describes notonly the mutual satisfaction and delight of the bride and Bridegroom ineach other, but the recognition of her position and her beauty by thedaughters of Jerusalem. 

And now in the sixth section (Cant. Viii. 5-14) we come to the closingscene of the book. In it the bride is seen leaning upon her Beloved, asking Him to bind her yet more firmly to Himself, and occupying herselfin His vineyard, until He calls her away from earthly service. To thislast section we shall now give our attention more particularly. 

It opens, as did the third, by an inquiry or exclamation of thedaughters of Jerusalem. There they asked, "Who is this that cometh outof the wilderness like pillars of smoke, etc. ?" but then their attentionwas claimed by the pomp and state of the KING, not by His person, nor bythat of His bride. Here they are attracted by the happy position of thebride in relation to her Beloved, and not by their surroundings. 

 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her Beloved?

It is through the bride that attention is drawn to the Bridegroom;their union and communion are now open and manifest. For the last timethe wilderness is mentioned; but sweetly solaced by the presence of theBridegroom, it is _no wilderness to the bride_. In all the trustfulnessof confiding love she is seen leaning upon her Beloved. He is herstrength, her joy, her pride, and her prize; while she is His peculiartreasure, the object of His tenderest care. All His resources of wisdomand might are hers; though journeying she is at rest, though in thewilderness she is satisfied, while leaning upon her Beloved. 

Wonderful, however, as are the revelations of grace and love to theheart taught by the HOLY SPIRIT through the relationship of bride andBridegroom, the CHRIST of GOD is more than Bridegroom to His people. Hewho when on earth was able to say, "Before Abraham was, I am, " hereclaims His bride from her very birth, and not alone from her espousals. Before she knew Him, He knew her; and of this He reminds her in thewords:--

 I raised thee up under the citron-tree; There thy mother brought thee forth. 

He takes delight in her beauty, but that is not so much the cause as theeffect of His love; for He took her up when she had no comeliness. Thelove that has made her what she is, and now takes delight in her, is nota fickle love, nor need she fear its change. 

Gladly does the bride recognize this truth, that she is indeed His own, and she exclaims:

 Set me as a seal upon Thine heart, as a seal upon Thine arm; For love is strong as death; Jealousy (ardent love) is cruel (retentive) as the grave; The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, A very flame of the LORD. 

The High Priest bore the names of the twelve tribes upon his heart, eachname being engraved as a seal in the costly and imperishable stonechosen by GOD, each seal or stone being set in the purest gold; helikewise bore the same names upon his shoulders, indicating that boththe love and the strength of the High Priest were pledged on behalf ofthe tribes of Israel. The bride would be thus upborne by Him who isalike her Prophet, Priest, and King, for love is strong as death; andjealousy, or ardent love, retentive as the grave. Not that she doubtsthe constancy of her Beloved, but that she has learned, alas! theinconstancy of her own heart; and she would be bound to the heart andarm of her Beloved as with chains and settings of gold, ever the emblemof divinity. Thus the Psalmist prayed, "Bind the sacrifice with cords, _even_ unto the horns of the altar. "

It is comparatively easy to lay the sacrifice on the altar thatsanctifies the gift, but it requires divine compulsion--the cords oflove--to retain it there. So here the bride would be set and fixed onthe heart and on the arm of Him who is henceforth to be her all in all, that she may evermore trust only in that love, be sustained only by thatpower. 

Do we not all need to learn a lesson from this? and to pray to be keptfrom turning to Egypt for help, from trusting in horses and chariots, from putting confidence in princes, or in the son of man, rather than inthe living GOD? How the Kings of Israel, who had won great triumphs byfaith, sometimes turned aside to heathen nations in their later years!The LORD keep His people from this snare. 

The bride continues: "The flashes of love are flashes of fire, a veryflame of the LORD. " It is worthy of note that this is the onlyoccurrence of this word "LORD" in this book. But how could it be omittedhere? For love is of GOD, and GOD is love. 

To her request the Bridegroom replies with reassuring words:--

 Many waters cannot quench love, Neither can the floods drown it: If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, It would utterly be contemned. 

The love which grace has begotten in the heart of the bride is itselfdivine and persistent; many waters cannot quench it, nor the floodsdrown it. Suffering and pain, bereavement and loss may test itsconstancy, but they will not quench it. Its source is not human ornatural; like the life, it is hidden with CHRIST in GOD. What "shallseparate us from the love of CHRIST? shall tribulation, or distress, orpersecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . Nay, inall these things we are more than conquerors, through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, norprincipalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, norheight, nor depth, nor any other creation [R. V. Margin], shall be ableto separate us from the love of GOD, which is in CHRIST JESUS our LORD. "Our love to GOD is secured by GOD'S love to us. To the soul reallyrescued by grace, no bribe to forsake GOD'S love will be finallysuccessful. "If a man would give all the substance of his house forlove, it would utterly be contemned. "

Freed from anxiety on her own account, the happy bride next asksguidance, and fellowship in service with her LORD, on behalf of thosewho have not yet reached her favoured position. 

 We have a little sister, And she hath no breasts: What shall we do for our sister In the day when she shall be spoken for?

How beautifully her conscious union with the Bridegroom appears in herexpressions. "_We_ have a little sister, " not _I_ have, etc. ; "whatshall _we_ do for our sister, " etc. ? She has now no privaterelationships nor interests; in all things she is one with Him. And wesee a further development of grace in the very question. Towards theclose of the last section she recognized the Bridegroom as herInstructor. She will not now make her own plans about her little sister, and ask His acquiescence in them; she will rather learn what histhoughts are, and have fellowship with Him in His plans. 

How much anxiety and care the children of GOD would be spared if theylearned to act in this way! Is it not too common to make the best plansthat we can, and to carry them out as best we may, feeling all the whilea great burden of responsibility, and earnestly asking the LORD to help_us_? Whereas if we always let _Him_ be our Instructor in service, andleft the responsibility with _Him_, our strength would not be exhaustedwith worry and anxiety, but would all be at His disposal, and accomplishHis ends. 

In the little sister, as yet immature, may we not see the elect of GOD, given to CHRIST in GOD'S purpose, but not yet brought into savingrelation to Him? And perhaps also those babes in CHRIST who as yet needfeeding with milk and not with meat, but who, with such care, will indue time become experienced believers, fitted for the service of theLORD? Then they will be spoken for, and called into that department ofservice for which He has prepared them. 

The Bridegroom replies:--

 If she be a wall, We will build upon her battlements of silver; And if she be a door, We will inclose her with boards of cedar. 

In this reply the Bridegroom sweetly recognizes His oneness with Hisbride, in the same way as she has shown her conscious oneness with Him. As she says, "What shall _we_ do for our sister?" so He replies, "_We_will build . . . _we_ will inclose, " etc. He will not carry out Hispurposes of grace irrespective of His bride, but will work with andthrough her. What can be done for this sister, however, will depend uponwhat she becomes. If she be a wall, built upon the true foundation, strong and stable, she shall be adorned and beautified with battlementsof silver; but if unstable and easily moved to and fro like a door, suchtreatment will be as impossible as unsuitable; she will need to beinclosed with boards of cedar, hedged in with restraints, for her ownprotection. 

The bride rejoicingly responds, "I am a wall"; she knows the foundationon which she is built, there is no "if" in her case; she is conscious ofhaving found favour in the eyes of her Beloved. Naphtali's blessing ishers: she is "satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of theLORD. "

But what is taught by the connection of this happy consciousness withthe lines which follow?

 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; He let out the vineyard unto keepers; Every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand _pieces_ of silver. My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: Thou, O Solomon, shalt have the thousand, And those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred. 

The connection is, we believe, one of great importance, teaching usthat what she _was_ (by grace) was more important than what she _did_;and that she did not work in order to earn favour, but being assured offavour, gave her love free scope to show itself in service. The brideknew her relationship to her LORD, and His love to her; and in herdetermination that He should have the thousand pieces of silver, herconcern was that her vineyard should not produce less for her Solomonthan His vineyard at Baal-hamon; her vineyard was herself, and shedesired for her LORD much fruit. She would see, too, that the keepers ofthe vineyard, those who were her companions in its culture, and whoministered in word and doctrine, were well rewarded; she would notmuzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn; a full tithe, nay a doubletithe, was to be the portion of those who kept the fruit and labouredwith her in the vineyard. 

 * * * * *

How long this happy service continues, and how soon it is to beterminated, we cannot tell; He who calls His servants to dwell in thegardens, and cultivate them for Him--as Adam of old was placed in theparadise of GOD--alone knows the limit of this service. Sooner or laterthe rest will come, the burden and heat of the last day will have beenborne, the last conflict will be over, and the voice of the Bridegroomwill be heard addressing His loved one:--

 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, The companions hearken to thy voice: Cause Me to hear it. 

Thy service among the companions is finished; thou hast fought the goodfight, thou hast kept the faith, thou hast finished thy course;henceforth there is laid up for thee the crown of righteousness, and theBridegroom Himself shall be thine exceeding great reward!

Well may the bride let Him hear her voice, and, springing forth in heartto meet Him, cry:--

 Make haste, my Beloved, And be Thou like to a roe or to a young hart Upon the mountains of spices!

She no longer asks Him, as in the second section:--

 Turn, my Beloved, and be Thou like a roe or a young hart Upon the mountains of Bether [separation]. 

She has never again wished Him to turn away from her, for there are nomountains of Bether to those who are abiding in CHRIST; now there aremountains of spices. He who inhabits the praises of Israel, which rise, like the incense of spices, from His people's hearts, is invited by Hisbride to make haste, to come quickly, and be like a roe or young hartupon the mountains of spices. 

Very sweet is the presence of our LORD, as by His SPIRIT He dwells amongHis people, while they serve Him below; but here there are many thornsin every path, which call for watchful care; and it is meet that now weshould suffer with our LORD, in order that we may hereafter be glorifiedtogether. The day, however, is soon coming in which He will bring us upout of the earthly gardens and associations to the palace of the greatKING. There His people "shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more;neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the LAMB, whichis in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them untoliving fountains of waters; and GOD shall wipe away all tears from theireyes. "

 The SPIRIT and the bride say, Come! . . . Surely I come quickly. Amen; even so, come, LORD JESUS!

APPENDIX

THE DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM

THE question is frequently asked, Who are represented by the daughtersof Jerusalem?

They are clearly not the bride, yet they are not far removed from her. They know where the Bridegroom makes His flock to rest at noon; they arecharged by the Bridegroom not to stir up nor awaken His love when sherests, abiding in Him; they draw attention to the Bridegroom as withdignity and pomp He comes up from the wilderness; their love-gifts adornHis chariot of state; they are appealed to by the bride for help infinding her Beloved, and, stirred by her impassioned description of Hisbeauty, they desire to seek Him with her; they describe very fully thebeauty of the bride, but, on the other hand, we never find them occupiedwith the _person_ of the Bridegroom; _He_ is not all in all to them;they mind outward and earthly things. 

Do they not represent those who, if not actually saved, are very nearit; or, if saved, are only half-saved? who are for the present moreconcerned about the things of this world than the things of GOD? Toadvance their own interests, to secure their own comfort, concerns themmore than to be in all things pleasing to the LORD. They _may_ form partof that great company spoken of in Rev. Vii. 9-17, who come out of thegreat tribulation, but they will not form part of the 144, 000, "thefirst-fruits unto GOD and to the LAMB" (Rev. Xiv. 1-5). They haveforgotten the warning of our LORD in Luke xxi. 34-36; and hence they arenot "accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come topass, and to stand before the SON of Man. " They have not, with Paul, counted "all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge ofCHRIST JESUS the Lord, " and hence they do _not_ "attain unto" _that_resurrection from among the dead, which Paul felt he might miss, butaimed to attain unto. 

We wish to place on record our solemn conviction that not all who areChristians, or think themselves to be such, will attain to thatresurrection of which St. Paul speaks in Phil. Iii. 11, or will thusmeet the LORD in the air. Unto those who by lives of consecrationmanifest that they are not of the world, but are looking for Him, "Hewill appear without sin unto salvation. "

 _Printed by_ R. & R. CLARK, LIMITED, _Edinburgh. _

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Transcriber's Note: Text uses both Shulamite and Shulammite.