speak, themselves. 4. And even if the words," which is Solomon's," be held to mean that he was the author, Buch ascri,ption need MIIJe no more value than the titles of many of the psalms, which are allowed to be of no authority. f. But we read the words as " concerning Solomon." True, the poem Ii terally understood has nothing to say in his favour; for what was there to sa.y? But if he be a. type a.tall, a.nd we think be is, it is of that greedy, selfish, soul-corrupting world, which would draw a.way the faithful from the pure love of God, a.nd seek to replace that pure love by its own. Shula.mith loved and was beloved. Solomon tried by all manner of enticements to draw her from that love. But he utterly fails, So that the poem is a. parable of the faithful soul and its constancy to its true Lord. By means of a beautiful earthly story, the yet more b11autiful fidelity of the soul truly affianced to God is set forth-a. fidelity tried so as by fire, and therefore more precious than all gold (cf. 1 Pet. i. 6, 7), which might be taken as a text for the interpretation of very much in this book. It was written, probably, near the age of Solomon, but we think subsequently; and by some Israelite belonging to the northern tribes; and from the absence of all praise of Solomon, and the conduct it ascribes to him, the writer was probably hostile to him, perhaps one of those who in Rehoboam's day raised the cry of "To your tents, 0 Isuel ! " and broke a.way from the kingdom of Judah altogether. The poem is sensuous, but not sensual, unless it,be where Solomon is to be understood as speaking, when such speech would be in oharacter. It is Oriental, of course, a.nd not to be interpreted by those far different canons of taste which prevail in. our more Northeru and W estem lands. And it is not a mere story of a maiden's constancy. Were it so, however beautiful (a.nd for remarks on .its beauty cf. Isaac 'faylor's 'Spirit of the Hebrew Poetry'), still it would not, we think, have found a place amongst the sacred writings. We hold it to be an allegory or parable of the soul's true love to God, and, so read, it is like the rest of Holy Scripture, "profitable for doctrine, for reproof," etc. He who has no love of God in his heart, or even little, will never understand it, and had better leave it alone. But to the pure, p.evout, and Christ-loving heart the vision of him who is for them the "altogether lovely" is seen everywhere in it, and delighted in wherever seen.. That vision may we see !-S. C.
. Vers, 2-4.-Desire oJter God. Translated into language more congenial to our ordinary -Christian thought, these :verses may b_e taken as a.. parabolic setting forth of the blessed truth contained in the well-known words of the psalm, "My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God ? " It surely would be ~peaking blasphemy, and an abasement of the Bible, if we were to look on the sensuous words with which these verses begin as meaning nothing more than they say in their ordinary plain and literal meaning. We, therefore, feel bound to lift them up from such low level, and to look upon them as telling-no doubt in a vivid, Oriental way-of the soul's desire after God, the holy thirst of which the verse from the psalm is the expression. And we observe-- I. THAT THE CONSCIOUS POSSESSION OF THE LOVE OF G-0D IS THE SOUL'S DEEP NEED AND DESIRE. Men try all manner of other delights, but they turn out mere apples of Sodom. He who wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes had left untried no single source of earthly joy. All were within his power, and he did his best to get their best out of them. And no doubt he succeeded. But what then? Was he satisfied? did they content him? "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity I "-that is his verdict upon them all. And his experience is that of myriads more, all which goes to prove that the love of God alone can satisfy. "Nostrum cor inquietum est donec requiescat in te." This saying of St. Augustine's is the sober truth, which finds such impassioned expression in our text. And the soul's desire for that love is the fruit of that love. "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me," said our Lord; and it is because of his gracious drawings, the mighty lure with which he attracts our wills, that we are .possessed by this desire. II. 'l'HE DIVINE LOVE IS THE EXHILARATION OF THE SOUL. "Thy love is better than wine." "Be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit," says St. l'aul; and he thereby teaches us, as does the text, that there is a likeness between the two-wine nnd the Spirit of God. Aud the resemblance lie~ here--in the stir and joy of heart which wine for a while causes ; and this, though in no mere physical sense, is the blessed 16 THE SONG OF SOLOMON. roH, I, 1--17.
effect of the Spirit of God. For his office it is to shed abroad the love of God in our l1earts, 11nd the.t causes joy indeed. III. AND IT IS FRAGRANT WHEREVER IT DWELLS, It is likened to "perfume poured forth," and it fills "all the house." IY. THE PURE m HEART LOVE IT. "Therefore d~ the virgins love thee." The <lcsire for the Divine love is not universal-far from it. But "the pure in heart" "see God," and hence their desire.-S. C.