from the union in his character of such gracious condescension and such divine grandeur.

The Lord Jesus leads his people along to greater displays of the riches of his grace and of holy joy— as pleasures were found in the banqueting-house, richer and more varied than under the apple-tree. In chap. i., ver. 4, he is represented as bringing us into "his chambers," the place of his intimate friends;in chap. i. ver. 12, as feasting us at his table, with a repast of holy joys; here, he is set forth as bringing us into the midst of means for securing the most abundant exhilaration and gladness of heart, where, like a person in the king's house of wine, we may be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of his house and may drink of the river of his pleasures. The foregoing passages show different stages of spiritual enjoyment, increasing in degree till they are the greatest possible. Ver. 4.

In all these manifestations to us, his banner over us is love. As the banner rallies for the defence of even the weakest citizen all the strength of the state -is his protection-so, the divine love is our defence against all evils, and secures for us all the aid that may be drawn from all the other attributes of God. As the banner shows the country of the soldier, it is by possessing love that we are seen to be citizens of heaven. As the soldier exults in the flag of his country, the saint glories in the consciousness of the divine love, and in having love shed abroad in the heart.

In the three following verses, viz. 5, 6, 7, is a

representation of the state of the believer, when, thus overshadowed by divine love, he is in the banqueting-house, in the full enjoyment of these overflowing riches of heavenly grace, to the greatest degree possible for man. 1. The state of the soul at times of the greatest spiritual enjoyment, "sick of love,” ver. 5-filled with communications of love almost beyond its power to bear. 2. The feelings had at such seasons, ver. 6; great contrition and humility-the head was sinking; the consciousness of being sweetly and powerfully sustained by the Lord Jesus, through his imputed righteousness and by his inward grace, "His left hand is under my head;" we feel ourselves drawn very near to Jesus, "His right hand doth embrace me." 3. The desires then had, are-to be stayed or sustained by the fruits of the tree, the doctrines and promises of the gospel, "Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples," ver. 5, and-to guard against any thing likely to make our beloved withdraw, "I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, &c." ver. 7.

As these overpowering manifestations of love cannot be expected to continue without interruption, and Jesus will for wise purposes withdraw from the soul, in verses 8 and 9 is set forth the way in which he returns and manifests himself after such withdrawal. In his approach, he makes us hear his voice, even when afar off, ver. 8. "The voice of my beloved, &c.” He comes with perfect ease, over all obstacles intervening in consequence of sin, ver. 8; he comes unexpectedly, often surprising us by his grace, when we

are looking not for it. Having thus returned, he cannot be enjoyed by us without much to hinder the full manifestations of his excellence and glory. Walls yet intervene between us and him; he is very near to us, but the vision of his glory is obscured, and the sound of his voice deadened by the barriers behind which he stands, the walls of the dungeon in which we are now confined, the walls of our earthly house of this tabernacle, of our present mortal state, ver. 8. At the utmost, we can now get nothing more than very partial glimpses of the glory of Christ, such as may be had of a person showing himself through the obscurity of a lattice. Ver. 9.

While in our present state, we are thus in the condition of persons in a dungeon with the doors thrown open, like Peter's, Acts xii. 7, and Jesus is standing without, in the invisible world, looking on us kindly through the lattice, and addressing us through the bars; he tries to allure us away from our darkness, loathsomeness, and chains, abroad into that bright and glorious world where he has gone to prepare a place for us-saying, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away, &c." He addresses us in language of the tenderest love" My love, my fair one." Loving us so strongly, he is even more desirous to have us with him where he is in glory, than we can be to depart and be with him. As motives for alluring us away from earth to heaven, he says that in the world to which he would draw us-" the winter is past;" there the curse, which has fallen so heavily even on the ground as to cause the desolations of winter, is

for ever done away-all is fresh and uninterrupted spring. "The rain is over and gone;" afflictions and sorrows, all the former things are passed away. “The flowers appear on the earth;" every thing is there budding and bursting with beauty. "The time of the singing of birds is come;" there, all is vocal with enchanting melody, and even the inanimate creation are joining in the chorus. "And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;" the burden of that music is love. "The fig-tree putteth forth her green figs;" there, every thing is found that can gratify our capabilities of enjoyment. Hence, he says, "Come away" from the sin and sorrows, &c. &c. of earth, come away to the skies, &c. Ver. 10-13.

The saint who is thus loved and allured by the Lord Jesus, is often found in the rough, afflictive scenes of this life, and in seclusion from the world, "in the clefts of the rock;" but he encourages us not to be disheartened by a sense of unworthiness, or cast down by sorrow, for the voice of such persons, however broken by contrition, is sweet to him, and their countenance, though marked with tears of penitence, is pleasant in his sight. Ver. 14.

Those who would be pleasant to Jesus, and enjoy frequent visits, such as mentioned in the foregoing verses, viz. 8-13, must be careful to guard against sin, and especially little sins; "the little foxes" will spoil the vines with tender grapes. Ver. 15.

Those who thus watch, and act, and love-who enjoy these manifestations of the beloved-may use the language of full assurance, and feel the amazing rich

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ness of the inheritance they have in Jesus. 1 Cor. iii. 22-23; John xvii. 10. The friendship and union existing between Jesus and his people, is of the most intimate and confidential kind; and as the feedingplace of the young hart is the place of his strongest desire, and though he may withdraw for a time from his pasture grounds, to them he must return; so, Jesus loves the dwelling-place among his saints, Ps. lxxvii. 2; lxxviii. 68; and though he seems to withdraw at seasons, he will not forsake us utterly, but will come back in his own good time, and make his abode with Ver. 16.

us.

As these delightful visits of the beloved, the times when he comes over the hills and feeds among the lilies, must be interrupted, the saint here prays that he would repeat them as often as possible, until the day of eternal blessedness break, and the shadows now closing around us, for ever flee away. Ver. 17.

CHAPTER III.

This chapter consists of two parts, verses 1-5, showing the earnestness with which the believing soul seeks its absent Lord; and verses 6-11, illustrating the magnificence of the mode in which the saint is carried onward to glory.

The first verse, together with those following to the fifth, is connected with the last verse of the foregoing chapter. The prayer there offered for the repetition, as often as possible, of those precious interviews with Jesus, during the dark and lonely scenes of this life,