hate life. The heart becomes weary of research, and after all one dies like another. The world is ruined as a system, and death cuts the thread of thoughts and projects, and annihilates all connection between the most skilful workman and the fruit of his labours. What profit has it been to him? There is a time for all things, and man must do each in its season, and enjoy that which God gives on his way. But God is the same in all his works, that men should fear before Him. He knows that God will judge the righteous and the wicked; but as far as man's knowledge extends, he dies as the beast dies, and who can tell what becomes of him afterwards. There is no question here of the revelation of the world to come, but only of the conclusions drawn from experience of what takes place in this world. The knowledge of God teaches that there is a judgment; to man, all is darkness beyond the present life.

The fourth chapter expresses the deep sorrow caused by the crying injustice of a sinful world, the unredressed wrongs, which compose the history of our race, and which, in fact, make the history of man insupportable to one who has a sense of natural justice, and creates the desire to put an end to it. Labour and sloth alike bring their quota of distress. Nevertheless, in the midst of this quicksand in which there is no standing, we see the thought of God arise, giving a firm foundation to heart and mind. This is in the beginning of chap. v. He demands respect from man. The folly of the heart is indeed folly in His presence. That which takes away the vain hope of earthly happiness, gives a more true joy to the heart that becomes wise, and therefore joyful in separating itself from the world. There is, therefore, the grace also of patience. The self-sufficient effort to be righteous, only ends in shame; to be active in evil, ends in death. Finally, to strive after wisdom by the knowledge of things below is labour in vain. He has found two things-1st, with respect to woman judged by the experience of the world, he has found none good; amongst men, one in a thousand: and, in a word, that God made man upright, but he has sought out many inventions apart from God.

God must be honoured, and the king also, to whom God has given authority. We see, too, in chapters ix. and x.. how little every thing here meets the apparent capacity of man; and even when this capacity is real, how little it is esteemed. Nevertheless, the wisdom of the upright and the folly of the fool have each their own consequences, and after all, God judges. To sum up the whole, God must be remembered, and that before weakness and old age overtake us. For the manifest conclusion of all that has been said is, "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man.'

The chief subject then of this book, is the folly of all man's efforts in seeking happiness here below, and that the wisdom which judges all this, only renders man still more unhappy. And then, all this experience, on the part of one who possessed the highest capacity, is put in contrast with the simple principle of all true wisdom -submission and obedience to God, who knows all things, and who governs all things, because "God shall bring every work into judgment.'

If we remember that this book gives us the experience of man, and the reasonings of man on all that happens under the sun, there is no difficulty in those passages that have the semblance of infidelity. The experience of man is necessarily infidel. He confesses his ignorance; for beyond that which is seen, experience can know nothing. But the solution of all moral problems is above that which is seen. The book of Ecclesiastes makes this manifest. The only rule of life then is to fear the God who disposes of our life, who judges every action all the days of the life of our vanity. There is no question, in this book, of grace or of redemption, but only of the experience of this present life, and of that which God has said with respect to it, namely, His law, His commandments, and the consequent judgment. That which is decreed to man.

A few under the law might say these things, after having had the experience of all that God could give man to favor him in this position, and in view of the judgment of God that is connected with it.

No XIX.

THE SONG OF SONGS.

THIS book takes up the Jew, or at least the remnant in quite another aspect. It tells of the affections that the King can create in their heart, and by which He draws them to Himself. However strong these affections may be, they are not developed according to the position in which Christian affections, properly so called, are formed. They differ in this respect. They do not possess the profound repose and sweetness of an affection that flows from a relationship already formed, known, and fully appreciated; the bonds of which are formed and recognised, that counts upon the full and constant acknowledgment of the relationship, and that each party enjoys, as a certain thing, in the heart of the other. The desire of one who loves, and is seeking the affections of the beloved object, is not the sweet, entire, and established affection of the wife, with whom marriage has formed an indissoluble union. To the former, the relationship is the consequence of the state of heart; to the latter, the state of heart is the consequence of the relationship. Now, although the marriage of the Lamb is not yet come, nevertheless, on account of the revelation which has been made to us, and of the accomplishment of our salvation, this latter character of affection is that which is proper to the Church. Praise and glory be to God for it! We know in whom we have believed. The strength and energy of desire is, however, still maintained, because glory and the marriage of the Lamb are yet future. What a position is that of the Church! The entire confidence of the Bride, the ardent expectation of the Betrothed of the Lord, whose love, however, is well known; an expectation that is linked with the glory in which He will come to receive her to himself; to be for ever with Him. This is not the position of the Jew. The point for him is to know that his Beloved is his. That is the question. That there is a principle in common, is true. Christ loves His Church, He loves

His earthly people. He loves the soul that He draws to Himself. So that there is a moral application to ourselves which is very precious. Nevertheless, it is important that we distinguish and do not apply to the Church that which relates to Israel. Otherwise we shall not have the right character of affection, and shall fail in that which is due to Christ.

The Song of Songs gives, then, the re-establishment of the relations between Christ and the remnant, in order that by exercise of heart-necessary on account of their position-they may be confirmed in the assurance of His love, and in the knowledge that all is of grace, and a grace that can never fail. Then is He fully known as Solomon. His heart becomes like the chariot of His willing people (Ammi-nadib), which carries Him away. Having thus given the general idea, we shall point out some features that are developed in the course of this book, and that possess a moral import of great interest to ourselves.

"Oh that thou wert as my brother, when I should find thee without I would kiss thee!" Nevertheless, the Spirit of God, desiring to assure the heart of the remnant of the Saviour's love, we see that the expression of the heart's desire to possess its beloved does not cease until it has gained its object. The heart assures itself according to the operation of the Spirit of prophecy; for, in fact, Christ is for the remnant, and the remnant is for Him. The whole is based on this. But the heart needs to be re-assured, as in a similar case we observe in other passages.

Chap. i. presents in the most clear and simple manner the assurance of the full enjoyment of blessing. After this we find exercises of heart, that lead to a full understanding of the beloved One's affection. There is progress in this intelligence, and that in spite of the faults and slothfulness of heart, which give a fresh value to the affection that is in exercise. This mode of instruction is found in the Psalms, in which the first verses frequently give the thesis and the result, which is reached through circumstances that are afterwards detailed. There is another sign of an affection in exercise, when the rela

tionship is not formally established. The heart is occupied with the qualities, with the features of the beloved One. When, on the contrary, the object is possessed, it is with that object itself the heart is occupied. No doubt the qualities are a source of happiness; but while the position gives the enjoyment of these, it is the person who manifests them that is thought of. The grace, the kindness, or similar qualities may attract the heart, and it is occupied with them. But the relationship once formed, it is the person we think of, whose qualities are now, so to say, our own. The loved one speaks much here of the qualities of her Beloved-she loves to speak of them, and to others. It may be said that the Beloved does so yet more, although He knows the relation in which He stands to her. This is true; but as she is not yet in it, He is fain to re-assure her with respect to her value in His eyes. He therefore speaks constantly of it to herself. Moreover, this is suitable to the position of man and of woman, and so much the more, as it is really Christ Himself in question. Christ, in a certain sense, suffices to Himself. He needs not to go and talk to others of that which is in His heart. His love is a love of grace. But it is infinitely precious to us-when, in our utter unworthiness, we might doubt the possibility of His affection, even because it is so inestimable-and very affecting, as well as precious, to see Him manifesting His sense of her value, that her beauty is perfect in His eyes, that He has observed all her features, that one look has ravished His heart, that His dove, His undefiled, is the only one, that there is no spot in her. There is perfect grace in this re-assuring testimony on the Bridegroom's part. It is the chief subject of His discourse. It is that which her heart needed. There is much more variety in the exercises of her heart; there are even failures and sorrows arising from her faults. There is also an evident progress in her assurance. The Song commences with the Bride's declaration that her heart needs this testimony. She acknowledges that she is black, because of the scorching rays of the sun of affliction. She seeks shelter in the presence of her Beloved, who makes His flock to rest at She would belong to Him only. She fears now

noon.