The Pulpit Commentary — Song of Songs — Section 122

indefiniterie.,s of the lang11,a,ge is iMt-Nl.otive, "How fair I " He does not say how precious it is. It is not the language of precise, calculating logic. It Is the limguage (If st-rong feeling. It is the generous e.iaculation of the heBrt-" How fair I " This is spoken after the manner of tnen. When the intdlect is overborne by emotion, wo hm, k into an oxc!Rmation, and say, almost in a spirit of inquiry, "How lovely I how fair!" As if we would say, "We cannot measure the worth; if any one else can, let him say." 2. It is the love of tender i·elationship. "My sister, my spouse." 'l'his mention of earthly relatives is used by wny of comparison. What form of love amoncr us is winsome, valued, precious? l<'or sweetness nnd purity, what love is lilcc ~ sister's? For strength and generousness, what affection like thnt of e. wife? Jesus combines these both in his thought. Blend the love of sister and wife into one, and cYen then this poorly represents the love which Jesus discovers in us glowing for himself. Rf! sets more value upon our love than we set upon the love of our most intimate friend. 3. The language impresses us by a comparuim. "It is better than wine." As at a banquet one's bodily sensations are refreshed and quickened 9:nd gladdened with choice wine, so Jesus finds a cordial more refreshing, more inspiring, in his creature's love. To his inmost soul this love of man is a luxury. He has many sourre- of enjoyment in heaven, but this enjoyment is his choicest. The love of his ransomed is bis rarest, sweetest joy. When in his lifetime he sat down to meat at the Pharisee's table, the tears of the penitent harlot were more delicious fare than Simon's choicest wine. It is possible that, though the angels "excel in strength," they may be deficient in love. Anyhow, our shalJow, inconstant, imperfect love is precious in the eyes of Immanuel; it is e. fountain of joy to his heart. II. OBSERVE CHRIST'S APPRECIATION OF OUR HOLY INFLUEN0E. How much better is "the scent of thy perfumes than all spices"! In the East the dwellings are not so sweet e.s in our own land. Want of general cleanliness, want of water, w~nt of drainage, will account for this. As a consequence, unguents and perfumes a.bout the person are very common. So in the hallowed savour of our piety there is a delicate fragrance very acceptable to Jesus. Our influence over others is something undefinable, yet very potent. It pertains to every habit of life, to every tone of voice, to every expression of countenance. It lives in a smile or in a tear; and results, begun in the minutest circumstance, stretch far away into the great eternity. Jesus highly esteems this quiet, mystic influence. It is e. fragrant atmosphere created by love, and, like the savour of Mary's spikenard, it fills the house. Obdurate men may ridicule our pious words; they cannot ridicule nor resist the influence of a holy life. Our humility, our heavenly-mindedness, our consecrated zeal, diffuse a delicate perfume, like the subtle scent of roeee, which every man of refinement appreciates, and in it Jesus finds delight. It is richer and rarer than all the spices of Araby. Ill MARK THE FACT THAT JESUS GREATLY ESTEEMS A CHIUSTIAN'B TESTIMONY, " Thy lips drop as the honeycomb." The gift of speech is a noble endowment conferred on us by God. It distinguishes man above the animals. The human voice, either in oratory or in song, bas potent enchantment for men. Speech is man's glory. By it he rules a. nation. By it he enlightens and inspires the young. By it he moulds the destinies of mankind. Jesus loves to see. this endowment consecrated to his cause, He loves to hear our testimony to his goodness. He loves to hear our pious songs. On one occasion Jesus cast out a. demon from a man who was dumb, and immediately tLe dumb man spake. So, when Jesus "sheds a.broad his love in our hearts," our lips cannot be silent. The desire to speak of his grace will be like a fire in our bones. A ~trange impulse stirs within to make all men know of his mighty virtue, and the tongue of the dumb will be unloosed. As the richest, sweetest of all honey ie that which drops freely and first from the honeycomb, so the words of our fresh, warm love are "ery sweet in the ear of Jesus. He intertwines the welfare of his kingdom with human speech, for he has ordained preaching to be his great weapon in the sacred cru£ade with sin. If we did but remember that Jesus is always a. hearer-a generous, appreciative hearer---of all that drops from our lips, should we not take care that he beard only what was true and kind and beautiful? Should we not be eager to "order onr conversation aright "and to have our speech like the droppings of the honeycomb? JV. MARK THAT J.E~Ufl APPRECIATES OUR PUDPOSES TO PLEASE HIM. When David conceived U:ie thought that he would build a substantial temple to Jehovah, and the Oil. IV, 1-10,] THE SONG OF SOLOMON. 111