death. Ilia life exhibited a picture of holiness such as the world had never seen, snch RB none of its greatest sages had ever imagined. It stands alone in its pure beaitty, unique, unapproachable. We know that no human intellect could have imagined such n life; no merely human pen could have described it. It is unlike the accepted moral ideals of the time; it stands apart by itself, immeasurably higher than all beside. But it was his death, he said, that should draw all men unto himself. It was the great love manifested upon the cross that would constrain the best and noblest hearts of all times and countries to live no longer to themselves, but unto him who died for them and rose again (2 Cor. v. 14, 15). Therefore he is our Standard-bearer (as the word rendered "chiefest" seems to mean), our bannered One. He is the 0.1ptain of our salvation. He goeth before us, bearing the banner of the cross. The thousands of his disciples follow. And he is the chiefest among ten thousand, marked out and dis- tinguished (as the word may perhaps mean) from all others by his unapproachable holiness, by the infinite power and majesty of his self-sacrificing love. The bride enumerates the various points of excellence which together make up the completeness of the bridegroom's beauty. The Christian loves to meditate upon the various graces which make up the holy beauty of the Saviour's character-his lowliness, his gentleness, his long-suffering kindness, his holy wisdom, his absolute unworldliness, his unselfish devotion to his sacred mission, his meekness, his forbearance, his patience with the many mistakes, the obstinate misunderstandings of his disciples, his endurance, his calm and lofty courage, the majestic bearing which forced even Roman soldiers to exclaim, "Truly this Man was the Son of God." 2. He is altogether lovely. The bride sums up her praises of the bridegroom. " His mouth is most sweet : yea, tl1e whole of him is desires" (for this is the literal translation). The Prophet Haggai, using another form of the same Hebrew word, says, "The Desire of all nations shall come " (Hag. ii. 7). Daniel is called three times "a man of desires" (Dan. ix. 23; x. 11, 19). The Lord Jesus Christ is the Desire of all nations. He is the Messiah, the Consolation of Israel, for whose coming so many faithful hearts had yearned. He spake as never man spake. His mouth was all sweetnesses (the literal rendering), both his holy words and his gracious looks. How often we are told significantly that Jesus looked upon his disciples as if that look was (as indeed it must have been) a thing to be remembered all one's life, full of heavenly'.meaning, full of Divine love! We know what power his words had, what power they have now. The very tones of that most sacred voice must have had an indescribable sweetness. "Jesus said unto her, Mary." That one word was enough. It brought sweet comfort to the penitent, joy unutterable, heart- felt gladness to the mourner. And who can tell the entrancing sweetness of those most blessed words which with all our heart's deepest yearning we long one day to hear, " Come, ye blessed children of my Father" ? Therefore we desire his presence now, "The whole of him is desires." Therefore God's people have "a desire to be with Christ" (like St. Paul, Phil. i. 23); for they know that to be with him here, and still more to be with him in the paradise of God, is "far better "-by much very far better, than the greatest of earthly joys. "The whole of him is desires." Every one of those holiest graces which adorn his perfect character should be to us a subject of loviug study and adoration, with a longing desire to imitate it and to work it in our poor way into our own hearts by the help of the Holy Spirit. He hath all thiu 6s who hath Christ. He hath enough, and more than enough, to satisfy all his desires, to fill all the yearnings of his heart. He will count nll things else as dross-as very dung-in comparison with the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord. Then how earnestly we ought to pray that by the grace of God we may be enabled to mak_e those last words of the bride our very own, "This is my Beloved, and this is my Fnend, 0 daughters of Jerusalem." If he is indeed ours, our Beloved, our Friend, our Saviour, then we have all that we can need for our soul's truest blessedness, both for this life and for the life to come,
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver, 1.-0hrist's response. "I am come," etc. Here we have for the second time the name of " sister" prefixed to that of "spouse," and it seems to teach that this song is SONG OF SOLOMON, II: l::lO THE SONG OF SOLOMON. [CH, V, 1-10,
1i,1t t0 l,e underatood in any mere dry, literal, earthly sense; bi.It is to be regarded in ~uch sp!ritual way as, in fact, most readers have regarded it. How prompt Christ's nns1Yer is! Cf. Isa. lxv. 24, "Before they call I will answer," etc. The soul hears the knock of Christ, opens the door, and at once he comes in (llev. iii.). Of. Jacob "~urcly the Lord was in this place, and I knew it not;" Mary Magdalene at th~ ~cl'ulchre : "She knew not that it was Jesus." In this verse we learn- I. Suca souL 1s CHRIST'S GARDEN. For it has been chosen, separated watered culti,·ated, adorned, made fruitful. ' ' ll. IT HAS CmnsT's PRESENCE AND IS HIS DELIGHT, 1. The aspirations of such ~0ul proves his presence. They are his footprints, though not perceived to be so. Cf. " TLicir eyes were holden, that they should not know him" (Luke xxiv.). He is the ur1perccived Author of its holy desires and purposes. 2. .And he deliyhts in it, Ho calls it "my garden" (cf. on eh. iv. 9-15). III. THE ANGELS ARE SUlifM01'"ED TO SHARE IN HIS DELIGHT. "Eat, 0 my friends." N" ot that we say tl~is_ ad~ress to his "friends" proves this truth, but suggests it. We know that "there 1s JOY m the presence of the angels of God onr," etc. (Luke xv.)• and see Revelation, passim, where the joy of Christ is ever shared in by a.II heaven'. 'l'hey know what transpires here, and they rejoice in what is joyful. They are the "great cloud of witnesses" by which we are surrounded and surveyed. And what gladdens Christ must gladden them. 'l'hey "enter into the joy of their Lord." . The good conduct of those whom we behold makes us glad. Can it be otherwise with them ? What great encouragement, therefore, we have in our Christian life in know- ing that we can further the joy of our Lord and of the holy angels I Be it ours so to do.-S. C.