ordained that we should walk in them. (Eph. ii. 10.) And there is the fruit of the lips in the way of praise and thanksgiving: "By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." (Heb. xiii. 15, 16.) But these fruits are "His pleasant fruits," and why? Because He is the Author of them. "From Me is thy fruit found." (Hosea xiv. 8.) They grow in His Name and to His Glory. (1 Corinthians x. 31.) I cannot refrain from reading a few verses from the 4th chapter of the Song. Christ having described the graces of the Church in the first few verses, then proceeds to show His great love to and delight which He had in her. "Come with Me from Lebanon, My spouse, with Me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards. Thou hast ravished My heart, My sister, My spouse; thou hast ravished My heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. How fair is thy love, My sister, My spouse! how much better is thy love than mine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! Thy lips, O My spouse, drop as the honeycomb : honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. A garden inclosed is My sister, My spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and Saffrcn; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices; A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon My garden, that the spices thereof may flow out." (verses 8 to 16.) Is not this Christ eating His pleasant fruits? To eat and to drink denote the pleasure and the joy which Christ takes in the prosperity of His saints. The Lord taketh pleasure in His people, and delights in them that fear Him.

(Psalm 149.) Again, He not only feeds and feasts Himself, but He feeds and feasts His beloved friends, for He says, "I am come into My garden, My sister, My spouse: I have gathered My myrrh with My spice; I have eaten My honeycomb with My honey: I have drunk My wine with My milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." (v. 1.) With what does the great Owner of the garden feed His beloved friends? Is it not with Himself? He is the bread of life, which has come down from heaven, and on which all His spiritual seed do feed. (John vi. 47-58.) He is the bread which strengthens and the wine which gladdens. There is suitable food for each person in the garden of the Lord. For babes, there is milk. For those of full age, there is strong meat. For those who like "sweet spices," there are the precious promises. And so we might go on, for He feeds all His friends with knowledge and understanding. He feeds all of them with "royal dainties," and they partake of the fatness of His house, and drink of the river of His pleasures. There is no lack of good things, for He abundantly satisfies all of them with the riches of His goodness. He gives all of them their meat in due season, and disappoints them not. "He eateth in the gardens."

Again, what is meant by the lilies? By the lilies, I understand the saints of God. I may be wrong, but I think that I am right. Whatever may be the exact ideas designed to be conveyed by the metaphor, I shall not do violence to it by attempting to press my ideas of it beyond the spiritual teaching of other portions of the Word of God. The lily is a pure and perfect flower, and so are the saints by virtue of union with Him Who is the "Lily of lilies." He is all fair, and so are they. He is without spot, and so are they. He is perfect, and so are they in Him. The lily is a sweet and fragrant flower, and so are the saints. "His (Christ's) lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh." (v. 13.) What gracious words proceeded out of the mouth of the Saviour when upon earth. The "sweet smelling" of

66

the lily utterly fails to set forth to perfection the sweet sayings of Jesus as they fell upon the believers' ears. The saints, both by their holy life and chaste conversation throw off a fragrance and a sweetness, which other saints appreciate and enjoy, giving God the praise. The lily is a flower of beauty and glory. Some are white, and some are yellow, and others are red, or scarlet. They are gorgeous in their apparel, and so are the saints. I cannot pass over our Lord's words which He addressed to His disciples, as recorded in the 6th of St. Matthew :-" And why take ye thought for raiment ? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith." The scarlet lily of the field was more glorious and gorgeous than King Solomon in all his royal robes. The saints are like the scarlet lily, and so surpass even Solomon when arrayed in all his kingly glory. The beauty and glory of the saints is Jehovah Jesus, the Lily of lilies, and the perfection of beauty. Sometimes the saints may be likened to the "lily of the valleys" for their humility, or to "the lily among thorns" for their trials, afflictions and sufferings. The lily was a pattern for ornament in the temple of Solomon. (1 Kings vii. 22-26; and 2 Chron. iv. 5.) The saints are the lilies of ornament in the Church of God upon earth, and hereafter, they will be the lilies of ornament in heaven to the praise and glory of our Covenant Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Again, what is it for the Beloved to gather lilies? He goes down into the gardens to gather lilies. This is the work of Christ-to gather lilies. In a Covenant and representative way, He gathered these lilies from before the foundation of the world. He was the delight of His Father, and His delights also were with the sons of men. (Prov. viii.) He gathered these lilies meritoriously

in Himself on the cross. Even Caiaphas the high priest prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in One the children of God that were scattered abroad. (John xi. 51, 52.) All this was foretold in the Old Testament:-"Unto Him shall the gathering of the people be." There is also an efficacious gathering together of these lilies or saints to Christ :-" Gather My saints together unto Me; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice." (Psm. 1. 5.) This is gathering of them together to Him by means of the Word and Spirit. Christ also comes down now into His gardens to gather lilies, in order that He may transplant them into His palace grounds above. He gathers them one by one, and removes them with care. Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of His saints. This appears to me to be the meaning of our text. Every sanctified babe dying in Christ is a lily gathered. Every godly youth dying in the Lord, is another lily gathered. Every strong young man triumphing over his spiritual foes, and entering into glory through the Blood of the Lamb, is also a lily gathered. Every Spirit taught, deeply experienced, and greatly tried child of God, falling asleep in the Beloved, is a scarlet lily gathered. All the redeemed of the Lord, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, are to be lilies, perfect and pure, sweet and fragrant, beautiful and glorious, gathered together openly to and in Christ. Then the Lord's lilies will have a voice, and will ascribe unto the Beloved, Who has come down into His garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies, all Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, for ever and ever. Amen! and Amen!!

SERIES VIII. No. 2.

"THE BATTLE BOW."

A SERMON

PREACHED BY THE

Rev. J. BATTERSBY

(Vicar of St. James', Sheffield),

AT VERULAM MISSION CHURCH, KENNINGTON ROAD,

LAMBETH, LONDON,

THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 7TH, 1882.

In the 10th Chapter of the Book of the Prophet Zechariah, and at the 4th verse, you will read the following words : "OUT OF HIM CAME FORTH THE CORNER, OUT OF HIM THE NAIL, OUT OF HIM THE BATTLE BOW, OUT OF HIM

EVERY OPPRESSOR TOGETHER.

There is very little known about the Prophet Zechariah beyond this, that he was one of the captivity, and returned to Jerusalem in the days of Darius, about 520 years before Christ; and there prophesied. Our Prophet was a contemporary of Haggai, as you read in the 5th of Ezra, and the 1st verse; "Then the Prophets, Haggai the Prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them." And again," And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the Prophet and Zechariah the son Iddo. And they builded, and finished it (the house), according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia." (Ezra vi. 14.) This Book of the Prophet Zechariah may be divided into two parts:-First, it