We may be too diffident as well as too presumptuous. Christ is indeed our Lord and our God. No one would have been so bold as to address him in the language of ardent affection if we had not warrant for it in Scripture; but as all the warm effusions of Solomon's Song are ratified by his own words where He represents himself as the root of the vine of which we are the branches, the head of the body of which we are members, the friend, the brother, and the bridegroom of his elect, we have full encouragement to repose on his love and protection in all hours of the day or night, approaching boldly to his throne of grace, and coming to Him as to the very God of love of peace and of all consolation. For this is his own invitation to our soul. Rise up, my love, and come away. For lo the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. This is the tenor of Christ's language to souls; this is the strain by which He draws them from sin and sorrow to himself.

But O this winter! This winter of coldness, this winter of sin! This it is that prevents us hearing the voice of love itself. Were it not for this we should discern his love to the soul as plainly as we discern that love which maketh the flowers to appear on the earth, the birds to sing, the voice of the turtle to be heard in the land, the vines to flourish, the gardens to bloom with myrrh and

aloes, and the harts and roes to leap upon the mountains.

Can you my brethren truly say that the winter is past with you, that the rain is over and gone? Do you cherish no lurking desire or habit which Christ condemns? Have you no sin unrepented of? Does nothing impure stand between you and purity itself? Does nothing fraudulent stand between you and truth itself? Does nothing bitter and malicious stand between you and love itself? Do you approach his table and receive the pledges of his love with the hearty desire of being united to Him by spiritually eating his flesh and drinking his blood, and do you bring with you no temper which prevents this union? If so, then the winter is past with you. The darkness of the night is over and gone. You have arisen from the dead, and Christ hath given you light. The day breaks, the shadows flee away. The voice of the turtle, the voice of peace, the voice of joy and love is heard. Your beloved speaks to you and says Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. He draws you that you may run after Him, to the mountain of myrrh, to the hill of frankincense. He comes forth to meet you. He falls on your neck and kisses you. He says Bring hither the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet, and bring hither the fatted calf, and let us eat and be merry. For you are now his fair one, there is no spot in you; you have been cleansed and purified in his blood. He hath blotted out as a

sins.

thick cloud your transgressions, and as a cloud your Fear nothing now but the loss of his love. For that love is the life of your soul. quickening spirit who quickens you.

He is the Though you

were dead in trespasses and sins He gives you to have life in yourselves, the principle of life eternal, which shall survive the shock of the death of the body. He maketh a well of water to spring up within you, a well of water springing up unto everlasting life.

How

Would you my brethren have evidence of this new, this everlasting life, of this love and union between your soul and your Redeemer? should you have love with one with whom you have no acquaintance? And how should you have acquaintance with one with whom you have not intercourse? Frequency of communion must maintain this love between your soul and your Redeemer; and if any thing occur on your part to grieve and to offend him, rest not till it be removed

by your confession and repentance. If you would

have evidences of his love at present, and presages of a more perfect communion with Him after death, pray to Him much, pray to Him often. You have the fountain within you of these consolations; but unless you open it by prayer, it is a fountain sealed. He proffers his love to you. He knocks at the door saying open to me my sister, my love, my undefiled. He knocks at the door of your heart that you may let Him in to sup with you and to be your constant guest. Till we have opened

the door to let Him in to sup with us, till we have opened the door to our beloved, till we have accustomed ourselves to lay open every action, word, and thought to Him, as to our Counsellor, as to our Spouse we shall have very meagre conceptions of his love. For that love is the life of the soul. Where was Adam's happiness when he was constrained to hide himself from the Lord among the trees in the garden of Eden? Paradise itself had no delight for him then. The death of his soul then began when he withdrew from communion with God. Now Christ is come to restore all things. He has restored Paradise, for he hath plainly shown that it is reserved for his redeemed. In the book from whence the text is taken a very lively image is given of the Paradise which He will restore. The most enchanting scenes which a morning sun ever smiled upon are made to describe it; the most fragrant odours which aromatic spices ever sent forth are made to describe it; love and rapture without alloy are made to describe it. In the mean time he restores Paradise to the soul by stamping His own image upon it. But if we would that He should do this for us we must court Him

like the spouse in the Canticle. We must court and not shun his presence, we must not hide ourselves from Him. We must have nothing to hide, nothing to fear. We must not We must not say Lord thou art austere; we must not say I heard thy voice and hid myself, for I was afraid. We must fear nothing but sin, nothing but displeasing Him. Every

other sort of fear is slavish. Fear is unworthy of a man. There is no fear in love; perfect love casteth out fear. Fear hath torment.

Fear binds us in fetters, and casts us into a dungeon. Fear alienates us from Him and prevents us from serving, loving, or pleasing Him. O never shall we know what joy or gladness is till we have cast off this slavish fear and have felt somewhat of His love. Does his word contain nothing but harsh medicine? Are there no cordials in it? Must it, always be a task to approach Him? Shall we never, never learn to approach boldly unto his throne of grace in the spirit of adoption? As a blind man in a dungeon has his darkness increased, but when under the beams of the sun feels something like light and comfort from the sun although he see it not, so it is with us. We are as children, blind from their birth, but under the care of a most benignant guardian. Though we see imperfectly with the eyes of the body, the soul is in darkness; and the more light it has, the more sensible it is of its blind and helpless state, and of its utter dependence on its Redeemer. In this blind and groping state, the reviving and sanctifying influence of Christ's Holy Spirit upon the soul (obtained by scriptural ordinances,) is as apparent as any effect of any cause. The light of grace, incipient of the light of glory, conveys such serenity and complacency, such quickening and comforting, assured, and almost intuitive knowledge to the soul that it is as the crown wherewith