The Pulpit Commentary — Song of Songs — Section 24

eacrament. His presence in the heart is the food, the life of the soul. "He th11t cometh unto me," he S11ith, "shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." And he_ m_aketh his flock to rest at noon. In the hot sultry noon of life, amid t~uble~ and_an~1et_1es and cares, he giveth rest. The weary and the heavy-laden accept his gracious mv1tat10n; they find rest-rest for their souls. There is no other rest for this restless, anxious soul of ours, but only that rest which he giveth-rest in the Lord. He ~an give r~st i:O the midst of trouble, rest even in the busy noon of life; such rest as Damel found ID his many cares, when he knee\ed upon his knees and made his supplica- tions three times a day; such rest as St. Paul found when he had learned to count all things as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord. 2. Her fears. Compare Gesenius, s.v., "Lest I be as one who faints by the flocks of thy com- panions; lest I should wander in search of thee from flock to flock, languid even to fainting through the noontide heat." The bride seeks the king himself. His com- panions may be kind and good, but they are not the beloved. 'l'he soul seeks the good Shepherd. Other shepherds may be doing what they can to feed the flock of God (see 1 Pet. v. 2-4), bnt they can only bring the flock to the chief Shepherd. He is the Desire of all nations; he only is the Saviour; without him we can do nothing. It is not safe to wander from flock to flock, to heap up to ourselves teachers (2 Tim. iv. 3). We must seek Christ himself, for the true sheep are his; they hear his voice and follow him. They that are his shall never perish; no man is able to pluck them out of his Father's hand. But they must not listen to other voices which are not his; they must watch with earnest attention for the voice of the good Shepherd, and attend to every intimation of his will; they mnst ask him with loving entreaty-" 0 thou whom my soul lovcth "-by what way, in what path, he is to be found; they must not weary them- selves in wandering from teacher to teacher, seeking always, like the Athenians, to hear some new things; they must walk in the old paths, where is the good way; and they will find rest, for they will find, not Solomon, whose name means "peace," but the Prince of Peace himself, who giveth peace, the peace of God, to all who seek his face with faithful and true hearts. III. THE COUNSEL OF THE DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM. 1. The address. " 0 thou fairest among women." The bride is addressed by the chorus in the same words in two other places (eh. v. 9; vi. 1). She had described herself as" black, but comely." 'l'he daughters of Jerusalem see in her the fairest among women. Jerusalem was the holy city, the dwelling-place of the great King. Her daughters are the saints, the children of the kingdom. The true Christian knows his own sinfulness, though he feels with thankfulness the work of grace within his heart; other Christians recognize in him the beauty of holiness. '!'here must be no jealoueies among the people of God; they must not dispute among themselves, as even apostles once did, who should be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven; they must gladly acknowledge the workings of the grace of God in other Christian souls; they will do so the more generously, the nearer they themselves are to the Lord. 2. The direction. "If thou know not," they say; as if to intimate that one so highly favoured must surely know the way herself. 'l'hey can but guide her to the old way where all the saints have walked; she must follow the tracks of the sheep, the footsteps of the flock. 'fhey have followed the good Shepherd; she must do the like. "Be ye followers of me," said St. Paul, "even as I also am of Christ." It is good to read the lives of the saints, to study the graces of holy men. Holy Scripture bids us to follow their faith, considering the end of their conversation. But the bride is also told to feed her kids beside the shepherds' tents. We shall most surely find the Lord in faithful work for him. If he is to us what he was to the bride, " O thou whom my soul loveth ; " if we can say in truth, " Lord, thou knowest all things ; thou knowest that I love thee," we shall surely hear his voice speaking in our hearts, "Feed my lambs;" "Feed my sheep." Those who, like St. Paul, labour m~st abundantly for Christ (if only that labour is wrought in faith and love) are eure, like St. Paul, themselves to win Christ and to be found in him. "He that watereth shall be watered also himself;" "They that tum many to righteousness shall shine as the stars for ever and ever." Christ is most surely found by those faithful servants who do their best to bring others to the Lord. Vers. 9-17.-Tl,e comm•mion q/ tl.e bridegroom and the 'lrride. L TBE APPBOAOR OH, I. 1-17.] THE SONG OF SOLOMON. 13