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THE

GREATER THAN SOLOMON.”

I.

"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."-Cant. v. 2.

EW contrasts can be greater than the chilling dews of night and the balmy warmth of midday; yet each is the production of a merciful Providence. The sun is the important element of divergence between the two. During its absence we exist; under its radiance we rejoice. Such natural truths teach us heavenly and spiritual lessons of the highest import. Jesus is the Sun of Righteousness. Any earth-born cloud that comes between us and Him brings the chills of night into our souls. When He arises with healing in His wings, all mists vanish, and we rejoice. The verse before us is an example of this truth. The Bride had fallen under the influence of night, slumbers having stolen over her senses. But

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the dark shades are not always to triumph. The Lord Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, arrives, and knocks at the door. The sleeper being disturbed, listens attentively to His earnest entreaties for admission.

Beloved children of God, a mine of spiritual truth is hidden in this passage. May the Blessed Lord open its treasures to us, for Christ's sake.

Let us particularly notice that the Bride in the 4th chapter had specially invited her Beloved to come into His garden, the courts of her soul, and eat. In answer to that appeal, He arrives immediately, saying, "I am come." Strange to say, He finds her sleeping. She asked without sufficiently expecting an immediate answer. She pleaded according to her measure of faith. Little, however, did she understand His grace who is more willing to hear than we to pray, and is wont to give more than either we desire or deserve!

The beautiful imagery of this portion of the Song reminds us of the extraordinary scene which occurred in John Mark's house (Acts xii.) With eager energy the Church was pleading for the deliverance of Peter. An immediate answer was vouchsafed. The Beloved responded to their cry. Jailors, fetters, bolts, bars, and prison doors present no barrier to the liberated Peter, who hastens to the house where prayer is wont to be made, and knocks at the door. That knock dis

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closed the slumbering condition of their faith. informed when Rhoda "knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad; but she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished."

Beloved children of God, how frequently we fall into this condition! With trembling eagerness we exclaim, "Let my Beloved come into His garden, and eat His pleasant fruits"-let Him enter into the secret recesses of my soul, and fill me with His presence: and yet how little we expect an immediate answer! By some dispensation of Providence, He is often obliged to arouse us to the fact that He has arrived, and is standing without, knocking.

Let us now consider the Bride's exclamation—“ "I sleep, but my heart waketh.”

Here are two principles set before us-a drowsy self and a wakeful heart. Self, the emblem of the flesh; the heart, the indicator of the renewed man- "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing." As heart answers to heart, so the experience of the child of God still coincides with the feelings of the Apostle. The Holy Spirit sets this before us-“ I find

then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members" (Rom. vii. 21-23).

The unrenewed man is satisfied with his slumbers. His ears are dull of hearing. He cares not to be disturbed, saying—“Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep." It is otherwise with the child of God. Sleep-the slumber of faith, the torpor of the soul-often steals over his spiritual senses; but it is never welcomed. The heart waketh. "Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." He it is who, finding us sleeping, arouses us, saying "What! could ye not watch ?" These two principles very distinctly indicate our danger and our safety. The intense cold of the Alpine snows causes the traveller to long for sleep, and yet his heart waketh. He well knows that to lie down, would be to die: to slumber, never more to look on those he loves. So it is with us. There is something akin to an opiate in the world around us; its tendency is insensibly to lull us to sleep. The things seen and handled are all temporal; we become engrossed by them, and thus are in danger of sleeping to things unseen and eternal. Thank God for

the eye that sees not as we see! Of His vineyard, His people, He has declared-" I, the Lord, do keep it, lest any hurt it: I will guard it night and day." Here is our safety! Yes, grace opens the eyes of our understanding, and it alone keeps them from closing. "By grace are ye saved."

We are, indeed, walking over enchanted ground. Danger and sorrow stand around us on every hand. Oh, for watchfulness, wakefulness! In order to this, the life in the heart must be found near its source, the living God. Did we only realize our true position as risen with Christ, and sitting with Him in the heavenly places, amongst the unslumbering hosts who surround Him; how little influence would the fascinations of a polluted world exercise over us! Nearness to Christ is, therefore, the great antidote to the danger of spiritual sloth. The more engrossed we are with the occupations of the redeemed in heaven, the less will be the influence of earth. We shall be in the condition of men upon a high eminence, who look down, rather than with those in the deep ravine who are looking up. Lord, evermore anoint our eyes with Thine eyesalve, that we may see! Help us to watch and pray, that we enter not into temptation! We are, indeed, feeble, but Thou art our Strength and our Redeemer. Make no long tarrying, O our God!