Verse 2.-I sleep, but my heart waketh; it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my

sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.

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Here we find the spouse to be in a sleepy state: it seems "the spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak;" saying, "I sleep, but my heart waketh :" being made inwardly sensible of the call of her Lord; she says it is the voice of my beloved, craving an admission into my heart; calling me my sister, my love, my dove," my undefiled. This verse cannot but deeply convince every attentive reader of the great and unparalleled love of the Saviour to his Church and people; to continue to knock, and to wait until his "head was filled with dew, and his locks with the drops of the night."

Verse 3.-I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

Here we find the spouse to be in a lethargic state of mind, like many of old, making frivolous excuses, by saying, "I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them ?" Here we may learn, that if we had done all this as described in the text, and had retired to bed, yet if he is pleased to call us up to any active service, we ought instantly to obey; for obedience is better than sacrifice. The command is gone forth, "be thou faithful unto death," and I, saith the Lord, "will give thee a crown of life."

Verse 4.-My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.

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My beloved," says the spouse, "put in his hand by the hole of the door," showing thereby that he is well acquainted with every entrance into the heart; for "he knoweth all things, yea, the deep things of the heart:" for all is naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to do;" but his love to his saints is unsearchable. Behold his love as manifested in his soul when he wept over Jerusalem. See St. Luke, xiii, 34.

Verse 5.-I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

May we, like the Church of old, rise up from our* slumber and open the door of our heart to this heavenly visitor; who teacheth as never man taught. Where he our Lord doth go, he not only enlightens the poor soul, but gives a sweet perfume; yea every place is sweetened and perfumed with his presence: for the spouse acknowledges in the text that her "hands dropped with myrrh, upon the handles of the lock: her Lord having recently put "his hand through the hole of the door," leaving such a perfume that her hands dropped with astonishment at the condescension of her Lord and Master to her soul; and though gone again he had left this sweet perfume: but though he has left her, she still owns him as her beloved, as may be seen in the following verse.

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Verse 6.-I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone; my soul failed

when he spake; I sought him, but could not find him; I called him but he gave me no answer.

"I opened to my beloved," but mark! my beloved was gone. This verse evidently shews the necessity of great watchfulness, and prompt obedience to the voice of truth in the heart, which speaks, and speaks aloud at times: "behold I stand at the door and knock." Oh what condescension is this, that our Lord should knock and knock again, and yet we not rise to let him in no wonder the Lord withdrew; and when she called, he gave her no answer. The text says, she sought him but could not find him; she called upon him but he gave her no answer: all which teaches us to keep close to Jesus, and to hold him fast; not to give way to sloth, or we may have to mourn many days, and to walk in the dark. But still she has a little faith, or I might say great faith, as said one, "though he slay me, yet will I trust in him."

Verse 7.-The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

"The watchmen," or "the keepers of the walls," of Jerusalem" found me", but instead of directing in the right way to the city of my God, they, like many in the present day, smote me and wounded me with reproachful language; and the keepers of those ceremonies, or

leaders of the people, took, as the text says, my veil from me, or character, which is the Christian's veil. Thus she, like many in the present day, is often reproached and wounded by false brethren and by the world: yet with all these trials she pants after her Lord, as may be seen in the next verse.

Verse 8.—I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.

Here we find the spouse like one raised from the dead, and deeply sensible of her own deformity and of her need of her Saviour; making every inquiry for her Lord, saying to her companions and fellow travellers, "I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him I am sick of love." Such is the concern of every one who has tasted that the Lord is good; that when his sensible presence is withdrawn, the soul may well say, "I am sick of love," being deeply distressed at the departure of that Lord, who had become the resurrection and the life of his soul :-I know from experience that "in his presence there is fulness of joy, and at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

Verse 9.-What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?

Alas, many among us may appear outwardly the daughters of Zion, and in whom we sometimes may put great confidence, and they may possibly possess the

root of the matter, but being so much immersed in worldly things, the diligence of their brethren cannot but condemn them; for, from the language of the text, this may be seen by the question put, "what is thy beloved more than another beloved?" yet the Christian character shines so bright before them, that they who are cold and indifferent cannot but acknowledge the true church to be the "fairest among women:" yea, our Lord says of her that she is as a "city set upon a hill, which cannot be hid." O that all who name the name of Jesus would but be more concerned to shew to the world, by a holy living and walking, that they had been with Jesus; thereby declaring that their beloved was altogether lovely.

Verse 10.-My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

"My beloved," says the spouse, "is white and ruddy;" O, every one who has tasted the Lord is good, cannot but exclaim, he is "the chiefest among ten thousand," yea the altogether lovely, and more to be desired than thousands of gold or silver; for in him all fulness dwells: so that the apostle might well say, when he had seen his glory, that he counted all things but as dung and dross, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, his Lord.

Verse 11.-His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.

"His head is as the most fine gold." See Daniel, ii, 33. Christ is that head of gold, for strength and