The Pulpit Commentary — Song of Songs — Section 146

upon our path; we do not perceive it. We have no conscious communion with Jesns. \Ve find no nourishment in the sacred Word. The ordinances of the sancttrn.ry have lost their charm. We do not grow in grace. \Ve make no procrress heavenward. It i~ inglorious in11ction. 2. It is a bl(//TY/,(1,ble condition. We are s;rvants of God, and to sleep is to waste our :Master's time. It is an act of unfaithfulness. The Son of Gori has <>ntrusted to us the campaign against error and sin; yet, lo l we sleep on the battle- ficl,l. Tens of thournnds round about us know nothing of God's salvation• and yet we sleep. Satan is busy ensnaring men in the pitfalls of vice; and yet we' sleep. The he!Lthen world it1 waiting to hear Heaven's gospel; now and again a voice booms across the ~ea, "Come over and help us I" yet we sleep. Our own crown is imperilled; yet we sleep. Tbis brief life is slipping from us; the day of service will soon terminate; the great assize is close at hand ; yet we sleep. Is it not matter for self-condemnation? 3. It is a state of peril. A time of sleep is the time for robbers to do their evil work; and we imperil the heavenly treasures when we slothfully sleep. Our wily adversary lies in wait for our unguarded moments. If he can breathe upon the Church a spirit of slumber, he has gained a great advantage for himself. To lull Christians into sleep ia his most successful stratagem. In one of his parables Jesus tells us that "while men slept, the enemy sowed his tares." Saul, the King of Israel, exposed his life to imminent danger when he slept in the cave. "If a man is insensible to the deadly paralysis that is creeping over him, he is not far from death. And if we Christians become insensible to our sin, or insensible to our dependence on Christ, or insensible to God's claims, we are in great danger. What if God should say to us, "They prefer their sleep: •let them ·alone" l Then our sleep would deepen into the collapse of death. 4. Spiritual sleep entails loss. How much of spiritual blessing the eleven lost, when they slept in Gethsemane, no tongue can tell. We lose the approval of a good conscience, and that is a serious loss. We lose the approving smile of Christ, and that is a loss far greater. We lose the vigour of our piety. We lose the freshnesjl of enthusiasm. We lose courage. We lose spiritual enjoyment. We lose self-respect. A sense of shame sweeps over the soul. The temperature of our love has gone down. Instead of pressing forward, we have gone backward. It is a loss immea- surable. II. HERE IS A VERY PROMISING BIGN. "My heart waketh." How true is this record to the facts in ourselves I 'l'he heart is the spiritual organ that wakes first. Fur the heart is the seat of feeling, desire, and affection. '!'he heart must move before the will, and the witrbefore the·feet. 1. This language denotes disquietu,de. The man is neither quite asleep nor quite awake. This is an uncomfortable state. It denotes :i. divided heart. It is not altogether with Christ nor altogether with the world. We cannot endure the thought of leaving Obrist, and so forego the hope of heaven. \Ve like some of the experiences of religion. But then we love self in about an equal proportion. W c grasp as much pleasure as we can. Hence this vacillation. This is a great loss of Christ's friendship; a sin to tr-eat Jesus thus. This self-indulgence now will produce n. large frnHage of remorse by-and-by. 2. It is a good sign that this indecision is recognized. It might have been otherwise. The sin might have been unfelt. Conscience might have been drugged with the opiate of self-confidence. When a Christian perceives his own imperfections, and confesses them, there is manifestly some spiritual life within. His state is not hopeless. God's Spirit has not withdrawn his activities from that man. If he will diligently follow the light which he has, it wilt lead him to his true home and rest. 3. This language indicates desire/or a better state. The heart is the seat of desire, and, thank God, the heart is awake. lf this desire be not overpowered by stronger desires of an evil sort, all will yet be well. This desire, unhindered, will work Hke leaven, till it has leavened the whole man. It \\'ill disturb the man's peace until it is gratified. This desire is the work of God's good Spirit; and, if we will only yield to his quickening influence, he will make desire ripen into resolve, and resolve into action.. A man's desires are a gauge of the man's c:h£Lracter. "As a ma.u thinketh in his bee.rt, so is he." 4. It is another good sign when a sleepy (Jhristian recognizes <Jhrist's voice. "It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh." The bride in our text not merely heard a sound, but she was so far awake as to know that it wn.s her lover's voice. It is a foct that we hear the voice of one we know, and of one we love, much sooner than we hear the voice of a stranger. A mother will hear tile cry of 136 'l'HE SONG OF SOLOMON. [cu. v. 1-lG,