be full." As an earthly fathor delights to hear the silvery prattle of his little child ann no request from an infant's lips goes unheeded; so our God finds peculiar pleaeu1·; in hearing our voice of childlike appeal. Before we finish our petition, the answer is on the way. 2. This reqtt&t is an outcome of Christ's rekitionship to us. Since he has entered into intimate and affectionate union with us--ay, mado with us a marriage covenant-it follows that communion with us is a thing to be desired. If he had not been willing to live with us on familiar and reciprocal terms, he would not have entered into this mystic and organio union. Having made the greater sacrifice, he will not retrain from the lesser. It is not his fault that his intercourse with us is not more frequent, more close, more t1ensibly enjoyed. He is ever asking us to treat him ae our bosom-Fiiend, and to trust him for every kind of need. It is as if he said to us, "You tell your troubles unto others; why not tell them unto me? Cause me to hear thy voice ! " Would a loyal wife tell her cares and her griefs to one· and to another, while refraining from speak mg of them to her husband? Would not this be a scandalous folly? Hence Jesus says to us," Tell me everything. There is nothing that disturbs your peace which is not a ea.re to me." We are chargeµ. to" cast all our care upox;t. him." And our simple duty is," in everything ... to make known our wants unto God." 3. This request ef Ghrist wiU serve as a corrective. To remember that Jeslll! wanJs:to bear our voice, will this not often be a check upon our speech ? Th9se hasty or unk:ind words of ours respecting another, did not Jesus hear them? Or, if we. are forming in our minds an ungenerous estimate of a neighbour, does not Jesu~ whisper to us, "Ca.use '/7/R, to hea.r thy voice"? Even thoughts a.re heard by him. The voice that Jesus hears is not always the voice that others bea.r. They hear the words ,which escape the lips. Jesus he.a.rs the intention uppermost in the mind. Jesus hea.rs the " still small voice " of our motives. Our every feeling, our every ambition,. has a voice, a.nd Jesus says, "Let me hear it." It is for our good that he should hear it alL My best Beloved is ever listening. How sofi;_,and loving and true should my voice always be! I must "set .a watch on the doqr of my lips, tha~ I sin not witl;i my tongue." 1
1 V. THE CmtISTIAN's RESPONSE TO HIS Loxn's R_EQUEST. " Make l:iaste, my Beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young ha.rt upon the moun~ins of spices." . 1. Note the promptness ef true obedience. Jesus had said, " Cause me, to. bear thy voice." Forth~ witn the loving soul responds, "Lord, thou sbalt hear it. Come,. Lord Jesus; come. quickly!" No word could be more welcome to Jesus than that. lt is as if the spouse bad said, "Mayhap my voice may express feelings and inclinations which are very faulty; but do thou, beloved One, come, and thou wilt correct all faultiness. Thy presence will be food and medicine, rest a.nd growth, in one. The 'one thing needful ' is thyself. I pass by all the streams of help ; I come to the Fountain~head. .Thou a.rt the Fount of life. • All my springs a.re in thee.' " Love is swift to obey 2. Ye~ absence is for a time expedient. The night is a.s needful to the plant as the day. Wii;iter . is as useful to agriculture a.s summer; It was expedient for the first apostles that, Christ's visible presence should be withdrawn. They learnt to use :the wisdom and the courage which he had given them. They gave themselves more to the study of Scripture and to prayer. They showed fa.r mor_e enthusiasm and zeal than when he was among them. We see, as a. fact, that great adva,ntage accrued to them from the departure of Jesus. So is it still. We have from him all the help we need, ,ve have his mighty Spirit in our souls. To h,lve the visible presence of Jesus would fill us with a. new rapture. But enjoyment is not the main thi~g now. We want personal holiness a.nd personal consecration; these a.re a.tta.ined t];irough faith. 3.. ':f'he Ghristi,an interprets this comma,nd of Christ a,s afresh proef of his.·love. Did he say, " Cause me to hear thy voice"? then this is a love-token. He would not.desire to hear my voice unless he loved me. What delicate reminders of his loy~ does our fmmanuel give! How he devises to do us good, and plans to give us pleasure I And the moro love grows, the stronger grows the desire to 5ee him as he is. We long to ha.n near11~ access to Christ, without a veil between. 4. Love is impatient of all de?ay. We cannot climb to the heavenly heights, or sometimes we would. Hence, if there is to be a meeting between Christ and me, he must come down to me. Where he dwells must be a mountain---a mountain of fragrant spice. As mountains a.re the eminences of IJ.ature, the loftiest parts of this material globe, so they help us to ascend to those (III. VIII, l-14.] THE SONG OF SOLOMON. 207
empyrcal heights, where true purity resides, where the Highest dwells. Love can conquer every hindrance. Love annihilates distance and time. Already Love dwells in the future. To her eye the final consummation is reached; and hence she sincr8 0 "Come, Lord Jesus; come quickly I "-D. '