"The smell of thy gar

nourishment in her conversation.

"He hath clothed

ments is like the smell of Lebanon." her with the garments of salvation." "Her clothing is of wrought gold." And her humility, meekness, gentleness, love, and purity are sweeter to him than all spices. Doth Christ thus delight in us? and shall we not give him. pleasure? Doth he delight in our faith and trust? and shall we not add to our faith virtue, and trust in him at all times? (2 Peter i. 5). "Is the King's daughter, all glorious within"! and shall not our daily delights be with him who made us so? Is his heart overcome by one chain of our neck, and shall we not be altogether in his service? Shall not our lips continually drop honey, freely, constantly, sweetly, profitably? Are our words as milk and honey to Christ? and shall he not hear our voices? And shall we not be careful to keep our garments unspotted by the flesh, even as his own wedding garment, fragrant as the smell of Lebanon ?

"A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed."-SONG iv. 12.

This knowledge of what we are to Christ would, if but spiritually apprehended and believed, kindle such desires after him as would make us fruitful for his name.

The intensity of his enjoyment in his people, and this illustration of it is only one of a thousand, by which the Holy Ghost endeavours by human language to convey to our hearts and understandings something of the love that is incomprehensible. All the dearest and closest relationships of life are but shadows of the relations in which, by grace, his believing people stand towards him. All the wealth and fulness of created nature is made use of to set forth the wealth of his love for us, the delight he takes in us, and the greatness of his glory in our salvation! And after all "the half is not told us," and cannot be. For notwithstanding all that is revealed concerning the children of the resurrection, the heirs of promise, and the inheritance of the saints in light, it doth not yet appear what we shall be. Even so, no language or illustration, human or divine, can fully convey to us how deeply, tenderly, and unchangeably we are loved! God only knows the love of God! My sister! my spouse! the spouse of Christ, and daughter of the King! As his daughter, God gave the Church to Christ to be espoused, loved, redeemed, and glorified. "Thine they were, and thou gavest them to me."

And to him we are as "mother," "brother," "children,' "dearly beloved," "members of his body," "his portion and inheritance," "his peculiar people," "the jewels of his crown," "his royal diadem in his right hand," "the apple of his eye," ""his rest for ever where he will eternally dwell," "his habitation even now through the Spirit," the fruit of the "travail of his soul," his purchased possession, in which he "delights," and by which he will

eternally "be glorified."

These are a few only of his own

thoughts concerning us.

Can human language convey a fuller idea of the depth and intensity of his love? "A garden enclosed, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed" is my sister, my spouse. Wonderful words! Beautiful imagery. Note well! it is not the saved sinner adoring Christ we listen to here, but it is Christ himself delighting in you and me! May the Holy Ghost open our understandings to apprehend the wondrous beauty of this truth! A garden is a cultivated spot, it was not naturally or originally a garden, it was chosen out of its surroundings, hedged round about, well planted, and watered carefully, and in a sunny aspect. And such a resting place, child of God, art thou, a paradise for Jesus, a "spring shut up, a fountain sealed," and all for Jesus and only for Jesus! A garden is a sunny spot! and he has planted and sheltered you between the light falling from his cross on the one side, and from his glory on the other! A garden needs great labour and continual care, all its plants have been imported, none grew there by nature. A garden is a place of frequent resort to its owner.

"My Beloved is gone down into the beds of spices, to feed in his garden, and to gather lilies." It is not always spring and summer and sunshine in the gardens, for flowers need "night's coolness, the darkness and the dew," and winter frosts and snow, and north winds; but it is not always darkness. The morning cometh, and also the night, and "in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth' (Ps. cx. 3).

"A garden enclosed." What shall we say of its enclosings? "A wall of fire and an encampment of angels is round about her." "As the mountains stand round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people, from henceforth even for ever." Kept by the power of God, set apart for himself, Christ's garden is the habitation of the Holy Ghost, and he has brought in all his wealth with him.

"A spring shut up."

"A wellspring of living water," "the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." "A life hid with Christ in God."

"A fountain sealed." Language implying that there exists a deeper source, from which that fountain springs. Remember, there is a doorway into this enclosed garden, and the Lord bids us enter, "I am the door." O come in, see Christ cometh forth to bid us welcome, for this garden is not only for himself, but for his friends.

Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire with spikenard, spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices."-SONG iv. 13, 14.

HERE Christ is still represented as further contemplating, with delighted enjoyment, his beloved garden, and the graces and fruitfulness that he has bestowed upon her. "Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates." The Septuagint translation is, "a PARADISE of pomegranates." Christ has one paradise above, and another paradise here, and he filleth all in all, and all things were created by him and for him. But, out of all his flowers, one is chosen, "his lily among thorns"! Out of all his birds, one is chosen, "his dove in the clefts of the rock"! Out of all his cities, one is chosen, "his Zion, his rest for ever"! Out of all his worlds, one spot is chosen, “his garden enclosed!" Out of all its waters, one fountain is chosen, "his fountain sealed "! Out of all heaven's fulness, one spring is chosen, himself, that "all our fresh springs may be in him," and out of all creation, one beloved is chosen, "his church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all"! Shall we not pray more earnestly to know the hope of our calling and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in us, that our faith, and hope, and love, may be more worthy of him!