the day long, and that he shall dwell between His shoulders." And in the 60th Psalm it is said of the Church: "that Thy Beloved may be delivered; save with Thy right hand, and hear me." In the New Testament we have this language frequently used of the Church of God. St. Paul, writing to the Saints at Rome, addresses them as "Beloved of God" And when he wrote to the Thessalonians he said to them, "Knowing Brethren Beloved, your election of God." Frequently we have the Church described as the Beloved of God, the Beloved of Jesus, the Beloved of the Spirit, and as the Beloved of one another. Believers are dearly Beloved brethren in the Lord. But we find also, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Beloved of God and of the Church. The Church is speaking in our text: "My Beloved." Now turn to the 5th of Isaiah and read the 1st verse:-"Now will I sing to my Wellbeloved a song of my Beloved touching His vineyard." This song was indited by the Spirit of the Lord, and was to be sung by the Prophet to the glory and praise of the Beloved. "My Wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill." "The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel." This is the exposition of the vineyard. But the Lord Himself is the Beloved, and the Wellbeloved. Now this Wellbeloved seems to me to be the Lord Jesus Christ. He was acknowledged as the Wellbeloved by the Father Himself when he was baptized. For lo a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." And when Jesus was on the mount of transfiguration a voice came from the excellent glory, saying: "This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased."-It is in God's Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Church of God is accepted and complete. Accepted in the Beloved." (Eph. i.) The Bride and the Bridegroom bear the same endearing title, for they are spiritually and mystically one. Christ and the saints are both the Beloved of God.

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Now let us look into the Song of Solomon and see how the Beloved stands in the estimation of the Bride.

In the 1st chapter she speaks of Him thus: "A bundle of Myrrh is my Well-beloved unto me." Again: "My Beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of En-gedi. Behold Thou art fair, my Love; behold Thou art fair, Thou hast dove's eyes. Behold Thou art fair, my Beloved, yea pleasant." (vs. 13 to 16.) This is the Church's estimation of Christ, or as the Bride esteems the Bridegroom. In the 2nd chapter she speaks of Him again; and places Him the chiefest among the sons; the eldest Son; the Beloved Son. "I sat down under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my taste." Most delicious. This fruit includes all the blessings of Christ, which are stored up in Him for His Church. She speaks also of being feasted by Him in His banqueting house, and of the pleasure she had in His company; and how she was comforted, strengthened, and encouraged by His loving and affectionate presence. In the 8th and 9th verses, she shews how ready and willing her Beloved was to help her in her times of need. For her safety, He surmounts every mountain and hill of difficulty and danger. "The voice of my Beloved! behold He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My Beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold He standeth behind our wall, He looketh forth at the windows, shewing Himself through the lattice." You see from these words how ready and willing the Beloved is to help His love, and to show Himself to her for her encouragement. He speaks comfortably to her, and she recognizes the voice of her Beloved. "My Beloved spake and said unto me, Rise up my love, My fair one, and come away." Their mutual interest in each other, is expressed in the 16th verse. "My Beloved is mine, and I am His: He feedeth among the lilies." She could say, "My Beloved is mine," by the gift of my Father;and by the gift of Himself;-and by His personal possession of and dwelling in my soul. "And I am His" by the gift of my Father to Him. "I am His" by the purchase of His Own most precious blood. "I am His' by willing surrender. "I am His" by His Own pow

erful keeping and preservation of me unto His heavenly kingdom. "My Beloved is mine, and I am His." Then again we read in the 4th chapter that this Beloved is He Who is invited by the Bride to come into His garden: "Let my Beloved come into His garden, and eat His pleasant fruits." She has occasion to mourn the absence of her Beloved, in the 5th chapter. But this we shall dwell upon more particularly by and bye. She magnifies His power. But what does she know of His power? She knew that He had power to accomplish all His purposes of grace concerning her. "My Beloved put in His hand by the hole of the door. He knew how to get in to her heart, and to excite her sympathy and love. "And my bowels were moved for Him." Instantly she shews her regard and affection for Him. "I rose up to open to my Beloved." And "I opened to my Beloved; but my Beloved had withdrawn Himself, and was gone." How often this happens in our experience. We want to enjoy the presence of our Lord, and feel His power, but He has withdrawn Himself. The presence or absence of the Lord, is a token of His sovereignty. He has the right to do as He pleases with His Own. The Bride does not speak ill of her Beloved in His absence, but magnifies the excellency and perfection of His Person to the daughters of Jerusalem, saying, "My Beloved is white and ruddy." These words describe the purity and beauty of Christ. He is "the chiefest among ten thousand.” The "standard bearer" in the army of His saints. "His head is as the most fine gold" for its worth, glory, and durability. "His locks are bushy, and black as a raven," for His thoughts and purposes are many and deep, and His ways past finding out. "His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set." The eyes of Christ are full of beauty, purity, and love. He He pursues His designs with fixedness of purpose, and accomplishes His ends. "His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: His lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh." His appearance is lovely, and His speech is graceful

and refreshing. His hands are like gold rings ornamented with beryl. His body is like bright ivory overlaid and adorned with sapphires. His legs are as firm as pillars of marble and choicely set in sockets of the finest gold. His countenance is excellent as the trees of Lebanon. "His mouth is most sweet: yea, He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem." But the daughters of Jerusalem are led to question her. If this be thy Beloved, how is it that He has left thee? "Whither is thy Beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither is thy Beloved turned aside? that we may seek Him with thee," She makes answer in the words of our text:-" My Beloved is gone down into His garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. She still maintains, that she and her Beloved are mutually interested in each other. "I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine: He feedeth among lilies." After this she is seen coming up out of the wilderness of her isolation, "leaning upon her Beloved." May the Spirit of God grant to each of us as sweet an experience, and as lively an interest in our Beloved-Jehovah Jesus as the Bride in the Song had in her Beloved. Let us now notice,

Secondly, Whither is thy Beloved gone? Whither is He turned aside? "My Beloved is gone down into His garden, to the beds of spices." It will be interesting to examine this part of our text in the following order. What is meant by "His garden?" "His garden?" What by What by "the beds of spices?" And what by "His going down" to His garden, and to the beds of spices? If we can give Scriptural answers to these questions, the sense of our text will be apparent.

What is meant by His garden? I need not impress upon you, again and again, that our text is in metaphorical language, and as such, we must treat it. By "His garden," I understand the Church of God in the world. I shall now give you several reasons for my opinion. A garden is a chosen, selected, and separated piece of ground for special purposes. "And the Lord God

planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed." (Gen. iii.) The Church of God, is the Lord's garden in the world, chosen, selected, and separated by Himself and for Himself. The sovereign and distinguishing grace of our Triune Jehovah is herein magnified. Again, a garden is for special purposes, for fruit trees, for choice plants, and beautiful flowers. The Church of God in the world contains fruit trees in abundance. Believers are "trees of righteousness," which bring forth their fruits in due season. Sometimes, believers are like choice and valuable plants. But be it known unto you, that every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. And sometimes believers are like beautiful flowers, "adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things." We do not for a moment contend, that all believers are alike fruitful and beautiful in their graces: we do, however, rejoice when the Church of God in the world, is made to appear openly and manifestly as the garden of the Lord. Again, a garden is generally well watered. "A river went out of Eden to water the garden." "There must be a fountain in the gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon." Now, what is this fountain of living waters in the Church of God? Let us read our Lord's words to the woman of Samaria. He said unto her, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and Who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water." (John iv.) This is marvellous water, the gift of Jehovah Jesus-the Well of Bethlehem, for it becomes a well of water in every believer, springing up into everlasting life. This is indeed the grace of the Spirit of God bubbling up in the hearts of His children, and making them like a well "watered garden." Again, a garden is well kept and attended to. So is the Church of God in the world. We may take the words of Isaiah in proof of what we say "I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." (Isa. xxvii.) "Behold, He that keepeth