The Pulpit Commentary — Song of Songs — Section 59

brigMness into the poorest abode; the true Light "lighteth every man" (John i. 9). 2. The call. Those first words of love are treasured up in the memory of th3 bride; 11he remembers every tone of the bridegroom's voice, the place, the time, all the surroundings. The Hebrew word is that which the Lord used when he called the little daughter of Jairus from the sleep of death~" Talitha, cumi." So now he calls his chosen one by one: " Rise up." They that have ears to hear listen to the gracious voice, and, like Matthew the publican, rise and follow Christ. The soul must sleep no longer when that call is heard; it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation near at hand. When he bids us rise, we must he up and doin 6 ; we must ask, "Lord, what wouldest thou have me to do?" we must follow whither he is leading, and give him the love which in his love he desireth. His call is sweet, exceedingly full of gracious love: "My love, my fair one." "My love," perhaps better, "my friend" (see eh. i. 9). The Lord would have his Church "a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing." The Church, alas I is not without spot; it is stained with many sins; it numbers many evil men within its fold. But the Lorn snid of the twelve, the first germ of the Church, "Ye are the light of the worhl," "Ye are the salt of the earth," though there was a Judas among them; and so now his great love for the Church makes the Church with all her faults fair in the Bridegroom's eyes. Whatever beauty of holiness she possesses comes only from his beauty, who in his love has chosen her, and brought her near to himself, making her shine with the reflec- tion of his light, who is the true Light. But the call comes, not only to the Church in the aggregate, but in God'i:; good time to each elect soul. The Lord knows his own; he calls them by their name. "Jesus said unto her, Mary." .And they who answer, "Rabboni, my Master," are fair in the Bridegroom's sight. Each awakened soul, as it rises and comes to Christ, and sees something of his heavenly beauty, and of its own deformity and unworthiness, is filled with thankful wonder. There are, alas! so many stains of sin, and yet he says, "My fair one ; " so much weakness and unbelief and selfishness, and yet, "My fair one;" so much ingratitude and hardness of heart, and yet, "My fair one." It is the Saviour's great love which makes our sinful souls fair in his sight. If there is any answering love in our hearts; if we rise when he bids us and come to him; if we can say in any sincerity, though, alas l it•must be with trembling and a deep sense of sin, "Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee; "-then the soul that gives its love to Christ, though feebly and imperfectly, is fair in the sight of the Bridegroom. For it is our love that he sceketb. Love covereth a multitude of sins: "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much." The soul that hears the Bridegroom's call must rise and come away; it must give the whole heart to Christ, and come away from other masters, soying, " Rabboni, my Master," and giving itself wholly to the one Master's love; it must come away daily from every little thing which tends to impede its communion with the Lord, or to deaden its sense of his love and presence; it must part with lower ambitions, lower desires, if it is to win the pearl of great price, the hidden treasure. So we are told in Ps. xiv., which is so like the Song of Songs, " Hearken, 0 daughter, and consider : incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; so shall the King have pleasure in thy beauty." The soul comes; for the Lord's call is very sacred, and touches the heart with thrilling power. The soul comes ; for the joys to which he invites us are beyond oll comparison more blessed and holy than all besides. The winter is past when the Lord's voice is heard-the winter of coldness and iudifference and unbelief; the spring of hope and holy joy begins; the heart singeth unto the Lord, maki~g in its_eif a melody which is the foretaste of the new song which only the redeeweo of the Lord can learn ; the voice of the holy Dove is heard in the heart, which then becomes '· our land "-tho kingdom of God. "And his that gentle voice we hear, Soft as the breath of even, That oheoks each fanlt, that calms each fear, And speaks of heaven." When the Holy Spirit dwelleth in the heart, the 6g tree is no longer barren, the Lord's vineyard no longer briugeth forth wild grapes; there is promise of the fruits of the Spirit in ever fuller abundance. Again the Bridegroom calls in the earnestness of his 48 THE SONG OF SOLOMON, [on. u. 1-1'7.