Verse 9.-Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.

"Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse ;' what endearing language of the Lord to his Church, and which proves the truth of the word as recorded in St. John xvii, 21. We may remember, that David on one occasion, when his heart had been ravished with the love of Jesus, exclaimed, "Thou art the chiefest among ten thousand, thou art altogether lovely:" and the faithful obedience of the saints is as chains of gold about their neck, in his holy sight.

Verse 10.-How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!

When the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, the souls of all such are led by the constraining influences of the same love, to return the same in prayer and praise to him, who hath gathered them as the lost sheep out of the wilderness; and from off the barren mountains of this world, into the green pastures of his dying love and mark the expression of his love in the text; "how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices" in the eyes of their Lord: for the righteousness of the saints, being from the Lord as their covering, all smell of myrrh, &c. See Psalm xlv, 8, 9.

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Verse 11.-Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb : honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the

smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

Thy lips, O my spouse," &c., were the sweet words that dropped like honey from the mouth of Him" who spake as never man spake." Here the Lord of the vineyard regards the conversation of the saints as honey dropping from the honeycomb, when it is of a heavenly nature: then it may be said, the smell of those heavenly garments is like the "smell of Lebanon," and proves a source of refreshment to their fellow travellers; and is as milk to the babes in Christ, that all may be nourished up in Him, who is God over all, blessed for ever:" and through whom all their labour of love, and works of faith, become perfumed with the myrrh of the Saviour's love, to smell like Lebanon. See Hosea xiv, 6, Deuteronomy iii, 25, and Isaiah XXXV, 2.

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Verse 12. A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

All the saints of our God may be considered as so many gardens enclosed in the hidden man of the heart, which is as a spring shut up, or a fountain sealed; so that all the powers of earth or hell can never destroy the same; being guarded night and day by a heavenly, though an invincible host; yet is daily springing forth in the believer: for it is said to be in him, as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life; and the Apostle speaks of it as a treasure in an earthen vessel, See 2 Cor. iv, 7.

Verse 13.-Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard.

The Church of our God is like a garden full of all precious trees and plants, of the Lord's own right hand planting; trees of righteousness that bring forth abundantly in their season, to the praise and glory of the great husbandman, whose tender and watchful care is over his Church night and day; and who waters the trees thereof every moment; and is as a wall of fire around them continually, to preserve them on every side. And although various are the descriptions of trees in the garden, or Church of the Lord, (as various as the characters of men,) yet all those who are 'planted in the House of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God;" and such will bring forth fruit, richly perfumed with the graces of his spirit, through the efficacy of his own most precious blood.

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Verse 14.-Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.

This verse most beautifully describes the garden of the Lord, full of all inestimable plants of renown; the graces of the spirit being made to flourish in the sons of Zion and such shall be brought to the King in raiment of needle-work; the virgins, her companions that follow her, shall be brought unto thee, with gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought; they shall enter into the King's palace. See Psalm xlv, 14, 15.

Verse 15.-A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.

Our Lord may well be said to be a fountain of gardens, for in him "all fullness dwells," and from him flows those living waters, the streams whereof make glad the whole heritage of God; yea he is a never failing spring. See Ezekiel xlvii, 9, Psalm xlvi, 4, Revelations xxii, 1.

Verse 16.-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 pleasant fruits.

Awake, O north wind, and come thou south; and blow upon my garden," is the continual cry of the Church, that the spirit of the Lord may blow upon the soul; that the graces of the spirit may thereby be brought forth, and that abundantly, to the praise of the great head of the Church. The more he is solicited

to enter the garden of the soul, the more pleased the Lord is to enter, to revive the fruit of his own love, and of his own begetting, from the trees of his own right hand planting; the fruit to him is thus sweet.

CHAPTER V.

Verse 1.-I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea drink abundantly, O beloved.

In this verse we find the answer to the prayer of the spouse or the Church, that was presented to the Lord in the 16th verse of the last chapter, saying, “awake, O north wind, and come thou south: blow upon my garden;" here we find our dear Lord, in answer to prayer, has graciously condescended to come into his garden, in compliance with the request of his saints, saying, “I am come, my sister, my spouse;" shewing thereby his delight with the sons of men, in thus condescending to visit the souls of his saints, saying, "I have gathered my myrrh," with my honey comb," with my honey;" "I have drunk my wine, with my milk;" mark, it is his and all of his own providing: but now behold his gracious invitation to all his saints, "eat, O friends, drink abundantly, O beloved;" for all things were ready. Such is the love of our Lord, that he sent out his servants at supper time to say to those that were bidden, come, for all things are now ready." O what a proof of the love of Jesus, that he is not willing that any should perish, but that all might come to Him and live for ever.