The Pulpit Commentary — Song of Songs — Section 169

nnd peace. She changes deserts into gardenH, and prisons into palaces. Where dark despair awhile reigned, she comes like the light of morning, and opens a new day. V. HERE 1B THE IDEA OF USEFULNESS. "Jt'air as the moon, clear as the sun." A~ the luminaries of night and of day perform an office of unspeakable usefulness to man- kind, so does the true Church. In some respects the Church most resembles the moon. Her light is borrowed, o.n<l hence is enfeebled. She passes oft through manifold phases. The world often obstructs her light. It is only now and then that her light is full- orbed and o.t its best. This shall not always be. Her light shall be soft and gentle, like the light of the moon; yet for clearness and brilliance she shall be like the sun. Who can measure the potent usefulness of light? How destitute of beauty and of life would our earth be without light I If to-morrow the sun should not rise, what conster- nation would prevail in every home of man I The wheels of commerce would stand still. Agriculture would be suspended. Food would speedily be exhausted. All artificial light would soon come to an end, and, before many months had sped, all animal and vegetable life would expire. Equally useful, yea, more beneficent still, is the Church in the moral world. Apart from the truth embodied in the Church, what would mankind know of God, or his relationship to men, or bis purposes of redemption, or bis provision for a higher home? Or what would men know of themselves, their spiritual capacities, their Divine origin, their possible developments, or the resources of Divine help open to them? If you could blot out from existence the Church of Christ, this world would speedily sink into darkness and ruin. Within a single generation of men it would be a chaos, e. pandemonium. Usefulness is predicated .. VI. A FURTHER IDEA IB DEVELOPMENT. "Who is this that looketh forth as the morning?" The morning is a promise and a pledge of perfect day. Light and warmth advance by regular stages until noon is reached. It is a picture of certain progress- advancement along an appointed way. Such is the destined life of the Church. At her birth she was feeble. Politico.I arrogance o.t Jerusalem thought to crush out her life. But she steadily grew, passed safely through the stages of infancy and childhood, until now she appears a full-grown, ruddy maiden. Development is evidently God's order. He places trees at zero, and from the lowest point gives them opportunity to reach the highest. At the present hour the Church's development is an impressive fact. She grows in intelligence, in vigour, in power, in influence, in usefulness, day by day. At no period in her history was the Church of Christ so highly developed as she is to-day. Her progress is assured. VII. HEBE IS ALSO THE IDEA OF CONQUEST AS THE RESULT OF CONFLICT. "Terrible o.s o.n army with banners." The metaphor imports a majesty of active power that moves onward with confident step to overthrow its foes. "Terrible as a bannered host." The Church on earth is e. Church militant. Many regiments of believers make up ono army. This consecrated host of God's elect is commissioned to fight against error, ignorance, superstition, vice, and all immorality. Until the day of complete triumph dnwne, she must station her sentinels, discipline her recruits, boldly contend with sin, and lead men captives to the feet of Christ. In proportion to her internal holiness and unity and zeal she will be "terrible" to uugodly men. The main secret of her terrible- ness is the fact tho.t Jehovah dwells in her midst. As the Canaanites of old feared the host of Israel because the rumour of their power had spread on every side, and the mystic presence of Jehovah wo.s with them, so is it still. The more tho.t evil men discern the tokens of God's presence in the Church, the more they tremble. On the banner of the Church, men see the pattern of the cross. This inspires courage in the o.rmy, but terror among opponents. And the old battle-cry of the Crusaders is still the battle-cry of the Church, "By this we conquer! "-D. Vers.1-8.-Prue love ill true knowledge. Knowledge of phenomena and of physical laws is scientific, o.nd is of the intellect. It is not so with knO\vledge of persons, which is largely intuitive, o.nd depends upon the qualities of the heart. It is sometimes seen that a character, misunderstood by the learned o.nd clever, is apprehended by a very child. A mo.n who is not loved is not truly known; but o.s love grows warmer, it rno.y well be tho.t knowledge grows clearer. It is certainly so with our experimental ncqunintance with our Saviour o.nd Lord. l, CHRIST 1B NOT REALLY KNOWN DY 'l'ROS~ WIIO STUl>Y HIM AT A lHSTANCE. How lflO THE SONG OF SOLOMON. [orr. v1. 1-13,