I. TnE SUMMONS. 1. Its no.tore. There is the knoclc which demo.nds attention, and there is the speech which o.rticulately conveys the appeal. Christ comes to the world, and comes to the heart, with such tokens of Divine authority as demand that heed sho11lrJ he given to hiH embaaso.ge. '!.'be euperno.turo.l o.rrests the attention even of the careless and the unspirituo.l. 'l'bo.t in Christianity which is of the nature of portent, the "mighty works" which have been exhibited, summon men to yield their reverent attention to a Divine communication. But the miracle is a "sign." The di8play of prlwer i~ revela- tion of a wisdom, a love, which are deeper and more sacred than itself. The knock that arouses is followed by the speech that instructs, guides, comforts, inspires. Authority is not blind; it accompanies the appeal to the intelligence, to the heart. 2. The danger of neglecUng it. To give no heed to the Divine appeal, to sleep on when God himself is calling,-this is to despise the Highest, to wrong our own soul, to increase our insensibility and to confirm ourselves in spiritual deadness, and to tempt the departure of the heavenly Visitor. 3. The duty of welcoming and responding to it. Thill appears both from the dignity of him who knocks, his right to the affection, gratitude, and devotion of the soul ; and from the complete dependence of the soul upon his friend- ship for its highest welfare. II. '!.'HE RESPONSE. When Christ" stands at the door and knocks," there is b•lt one thing to do-to open wide to him, the Beloved, the door of the heart. This is the true response, and it should be: 1. Glad. His absence is mourned, his presence is desired; hie summons, therefore, should be joyfully acknowledged. The heart may well beat strong with gladness, high with hope, when the voice of Jesus is heard; for it is "the voice of the Beloved." 2. Grateful. The picture is one of poetic pathos and beauty. The head of the Beloved is filled with dew, his locks with the drops of the night. How suggestive of what the Saviour has endured for our sake, of his earthly humiliation, of his compassionate sacrifice! The contemplation of Christ's weakness and weariness, distress and anguish, all endured for us, is enough to awaken the strongest sentiments of gratitude on our part. 'l'o whom are we indebted as we are to him? Who has such claims upon our heart's gratitude and devotion? What language can justly depict the moral debasement of those who are unaffected by a spectacle so touching as that of the Redeemer, the" Man of sorrows," appealing for admission to the nature he died to save and bless? 3. Immediate. Delay is here altogether out of place. The sensitive and responsive nature is forward to exclaim, "Apparitio tua est apertio ! "-" 'l'o see thee is to open to thee!" The hesitation and apologies described in the dream are intro- duced to show, by suggestion of contrast, how utterly unsuited they are to the circum- stances and the occasion. 4. Eager and expectant. " My heart was moved for him ; I rose to open to my Beloved." 'l'he hope is fulfilled, the prayer is answered, the vision is realized, Christ has come. With him all Divine blessings approach the soul. 'l'he prospect of his entrance into the spiritual nature is the prospect of a fellowship and intimacy fraught with purest joys and tenderest consolations-a fellowship and intimacy which will never fail to bless, and which no power on earth can avail to darken or to close.-T. Ver. 6.-Tlie di·eam of distress. No passage in the Canticles is more pathetic than this. Whilst the prevalent tone of the Soag of Songs is a tone of joyful love, we meet here with the sentiment of anxious sorrow. We are remiuded of the grief of Mary, when, on the resurrection-morn, she exclaimed, "They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him." A true transcript of the moods to which experience is subject I And not without spirit.ual lessons which may be turned to true profit. I. A TRANSIENT El!TBANGEMENT AND BRIEF WITHDRAWAL. There have been periods in the history of the Church of Christ, resembling the captivity of Israel in the East, when the countenance of the Lord has been hidden from the sight of his people. The heart, which knoweth its own bitterness, is now and again conscious of a want of happy fellowship with the best and dearest Friend. But it is not Christ who changes. When the sun is eclipsed, it does not cease to shine, though its beams may not reach the earth. And when Christ is hidden, he remains himself "the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever,'.' But s_omet~i?g has.come betwe~n the Sun of ~i_ght~usness and the soul which derives all its spmtual light from him, and the v1s1on 1s obscured. THE SONG OF SOLOMON. [en. v. 1-16,
Selfi~hncss, worldliness, unbelief, me.y hinder the soul from enjoying the Saviour's prc~once 1md p:mce. The fault is not his, but ours. II. DrsTRF:SSING SYMPTOMS OF BU0H ES'rBANGEMENT AND WITHDRAWAL, How ~imple and how touching is the complaint of the bride I "I sought him, but I could not find him; I ea.lied him, but he gave me no answer." Yet it is the nature of Christ to delight in the quest and the cry of those he loves, to reveal himself to ~uoh as over read~, to Rpproach and to bless. There may, however, be a reason, and foith c1mnot question that there is a reason, for the withholding of an immediate response. '!'here may be on the Saviour's part a perception that a stronger confidence, a more evident dC'sire, a truer love, are needed, and are thus only to be called forth. It may bo well tha~ for a season the soul should suffer for its sin, that it may be encouraged to deeper pemtence and to more fen,ent prayer. III. AFFECTIONATE YEARNING TRE EARNEST OF SPEEDY RECON0ILU.TION AND RENEWED HAPPINESS. The parable represents the bride as sad and anxious, as endurin" bitter disappointment, as oppressed by the heartless insult and injury of thos~ indifferent to her woes; yet as retaining all her love, and only concerned as soon as may be to find l1er beloved. A true picture of the devout and affectionate friend of Christ, who is only drawn to him the closer by the sorrowful experiences and repeated trials of life. When the Christian offends his Lord, it is a good sign that he is not really forsaken, it is an earnest of the restoration of fellowship, if he ardently desires reconciliation, and takes measures to recover the favour which for a season he has lost. The beauty of Christ appears the more inimitable and supreme, the fellowship of Christ appears the more precious and desirable. And this being so, the hour is surely near when the face of Christ shall appear in um:louded benignity, when the voice of Christ shall be beard uttering Divine assurances and promises in tones of kindliest friend- ship.-T.