Verse 11.-Come my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.

Here we discover the lively and zealous concern of all that are truly taught of the Lord, being awakened by the power of an endless life, to the grand concern of the immortal soul: all such see the necessity of soliciting by prayer the company of their Lord, the beloved of souls, to go forth with them into the field of labour; that with his holy help and presence they may work the works of God. Alas, such is the weakness of man, he can do nothing without the help of his Lord; and being sensible of this, the spouse invites him to "lodge in the villages," as every awakened mind will be concerned to do; to seek by prayer, that the Lordshould be with them in all their towns and villages, night and day. See Ruth i, 16.

Verse 12.-Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear,

and the pomegranates bud forth; there will I give thee my loves.

May we learn from this verse to habituate ourselves to early rising, with close attention to the vineyard of the heart, that the vine there planted by the Lord of the vineyard may be in a flourishing state; that the tender grape may appear, and the pomegranate bud: thus teaching us to look for the shootings forth of the divine life in the soul; the lively exercise of the graces of the spirit, in all holy breathings after him who is

the resurrection and the life of the redeemed of the Lord. Oh, the magnitude of the love of God to his Church and People. See St. John xiii, 35.

Verse 13.-The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which

I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.

The graces of the spirit, when in lively exercise, are a perfume most grateful to the Lord; and such will ever be found pleasant in the eyes of Him with whom we have to do; for the Lord loveth an early sacrifice, and a cheerful giver: and the diligent and obedient soul may be said to be laying up for himself a treasure in the heavens, where "neither moth nor rust doth corrupt; and where thieves do not break through, nor steal." The treasure thus laid up in Heaven by the poor soul will be received again a thousand-fold; for eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man," as man, "what the Lord has laid up for them that love him;" therefore may every one that reads these lines be diligent, that he may receive a full reward. See 2 John, 8.

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CHAPTER VIII.

Verse 1-0 that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee

without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.

In this chapter or verse we find the spouse most anxiously concerned to be more intimately acquainted with her Lord and Master, whom her soul loved; and as a token of her affection to him, as an elder brother, she could not refrain from kissing him with the kisses of her mouth. Such is the love of heaven-born souls to their Lord and Master, that they are heard to cry, "whom have we in heaven but thee, and there are none on the earth we desire in comparison with thee." May this be the happy experience of all that read these lines.

Verse 2.-I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.

"I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house," says the spouse, meaning the Church. Such is the concern of all the redeemed of the Lord, who have tasted of the good word of life, and of the powers of the world to come: they are anxious to take their Lord with them wherever they go, that others may embrace him as the "altogether lovely;" for where he

enters, he causeth the graces of the spirit to flow in the souls of those that receive Him, like "spiced wine;" and he their Lord is pleased to accept from them, as their offering, that which he hath first given them.

Verse 3.-His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.

In this verse we may learn that the everlasting arms of the Almighty are ever underneath and around his people, by night and by day. See Isaiah xli, 10.

Verse 4.-I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.

As this verse occurs three times, no explanation need here be given.

Verse 5.-Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee

forth; there she brought thee forth that bare thec.

We may well enquire, "who is this that cometh up out of the wilderness," when we behold men who have been living in open rebellion coming up out of the wilderness of sin to the help of the Lord, and to the house of our God, to join in prayer and praise with the people thereof; leaning upon Christ, the Lamb of God, their only hope; whose mercy had been shewn to them in answer to the prayer of the Church: "I," says the spouse, raised thee up under the apple tree;" the

result of agonizing prayer under the apple tree, or at the feet of Jesus. So in the exercise of living faith, her mother, the Church, brought her forth to praise the Lord.

Verse 6.-Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm; for love is strong as death; jealousy

is cruel as the grave; the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.

Settlements of a binding nature amongst men are confirmed by a seal, as a testimony of the covenant between them; so likewise, and in like manner, the spouse wishes to be set as a seal upon the heart of her Lord; "for love, "she says, "is strong as death, and jealousy cruel as the grave; the coals thereof are coals of fire." Such is the heat of the love in the souls of many of the saints of our God, when led to behold the King in his beauty, with the eye of living faith; and in the heat of such holy love she would be "cruel as the grave;" for in the jealousy of her heart she would be ready to pluck out her right eye, or part with any member of her body, rather than do any thing to grieve her Lord. The coals of such love have a "vehement flame."

Verse 7.—Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the sub

stance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

The soul once having tasted of the good word of life and of the powers of the world to come, it is no easy