Verse 14.-My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.

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My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire;" thus shewing her love to be sincere towards Him, her Lord and Master, that he was all and in all to her soul; yea the "chiefest amongst ten thousand, and the altogether lovely." May every soul that reads these lines be enabled to adopt the language as his own.

Verse 15.-Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.

However black and deformed the believer may appear in his own eyes, he cannot but rejoice that the Lord has plucked his feet out of the mire and clay of this world; and the very language of Christ in the text to his Church is very humbling to the creature, seeing it is by virtue of his blood our souls are made fair and white, yea lovely in his sight: for he says, "thou art fair, my love; behold thou art fair, thou hast doves' eyes.

Verse 16.-Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea pleasant; also our bed is green.

Well might the Apostle say " he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit;" for here we perceive the great union between Christ and the Church, that we may truly call them one; and where we find the saints, let their name to religion be what it may, we are still all one in Jesus; and we soon feel the kindred spirit that

we are one, for the cry of all is, in the language of the text," behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea pleasant, also our bed is green;" for our rest is in him, yea, in him is all our repose; so that we may well say " our bed is green." See Psalm xxiii, 1, 2.

Verse 17.-The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.

We may here understand, that as Solomon's house was made of cedar and fir both for strength and richness, so is the Christian's hope in Christ both sure and steadfast, rich and firm in him, our life and resurrection.

CHAPTER II.

Verse 1.-I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valley.

"I am the rose of Sharon," says Christ to his Church, and the rose is generally thought to be the king of the flowers for its fragrant smell; and Sharon is a place where it is said the best of roses grow; but mark the condescension of Him who is the bright and morning star, thus to compare himself to the rose, or the lily of the valleys: and we may remember what our Lord said respecting the lily on one occasion, "that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." See St. Matthew vi, 29.

Verse 2.-As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

The Church of Christ in this world, being situated in the midst of a wicked and adulterous generation, may well be compared to a lily amongst thorns; and as the lily excels the thorns for richness and beauty, so does Christ amongst the daughters, the children of his grace, the purchase of his blood; for in him all richness and all fullness dwell, and from him they daily derive that virtue which causeth them to blossom as the lily, and to shew forth its pleasing fragrance though amongst the thorns, their Lord being with them as the rose of Sharon; and shortly these lilies will be transplanted into the heavenly paradise, where there shall be no more thorns to scratch, nor troubles to annoy, nor any sickness, nor pain, for "the lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." See Revelations vii, 19.

Verse 3.-As the apple tree 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.

Here the Church describes her Lord as an "apple tree amongst the trees of a wood," adding, 66 so is my beloved amongst the sons of men;" saying "I sat down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet to my taste." An apple tree amongst

the trees of a wood in its season is indeed a source of refreshment and delight to the weary traveller, if haply fruit be found thereon; but how much more must the soul be refreshed and delighted when favored to sit under the shadow of his almighty wing; for He, and He alone," is the tree of life which beareth fruit every month, and whose leaves are the healing of the nations; and from him all our blessings flow, for in his presence there is fulness of joy, and at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

Verse 4.-He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

Ah! it is the Lord and he only that can lead his children into the banqueting house; and if the Lord leads them they are safely led even unto fountains of living waters, and whose springs never fail; well may the Church say, "this is none other than the house of God; this is none other than the gate of heaven; for he hath brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love."

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Verse 5.-Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples : for I am sick of love.

Here we find the Church, or spouse, opening her mouth wide in holy cravings for flagons of gospel wine, and for the apples of his love to her soul, that she might thereby be comforted, for that her soul was sick of love; from the longings of her soul to know more of him who was and is the resurrection and life of her soul, saying

with the Psalmist, 66

as the hart panteth after the water-brook, so panteth my soul after thee, O my God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?" See Psalm xlii, 1, 2.

Verse 6.-His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.

Here again the spouse is constrained to acknowledge that all her help and strength is in the Lord, and that it is his hand and almighty arm of power that enables her to hold up her head. Ah! indeed it is a truth that the hand of the Lord has embraced us, and held us up all our life long, and to his name be all the praise.

Verse 7.-I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

Here we find the spouse so absorbed in the love of her Lord that she fears interruption from those that are without, saying, "I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please." Such is the delight of holy communion, that when favored to sit at the master's feet, we do not like to be disturbed from holding communion with the Lord of life and glory, from whom all our sure mercies come; for an hour spent with the Lord is better than ten thousand elsewhere.