debts to the uttermost farthing; as if through Christ no paternal heart had been opened in heaven; and as if there were no such thing as free grace to justify the sinner, requiring nothing, but bestowing all. What can possibly arise from so partial a consideration of our state but dejection and anguish. Go forth, thou afflicted soul, from the gloomy melancholy corner of thy poor heart. Go forth to the pleasure garden of Gethsemane; visit Gabbatha, and the accursed tree of Golgotha view the wedding garment, the glory that is there prepared, and which Eternal Love presents to every longing sinner, let his inward state be ever so wretched. Such sights and contemplations, in spite of the dreary state of thy soul, will revive thy courage. Go forth also from thy great pretensions. Thy desires are too vast; thou requirest greater things than have been promised to the children of God in this world. Thou wouldst taste and see;. but this is the time of faith, away, away, with such pretensions. Dost thou desire the sweets and pleasures of heaven? Rejoice, O sinner, if thou hast grace;. and let grace suffice thee. Thou wouldst wish the Lord to lead thee in the way which thou thyself prescribest. Go forth from these wishes! Offer them as a sacrifice. Go forth from thy own will, and enter quietly and confidingly into the will of God! Let him do with thee what he pleaseth; or wilt thou be his counseller? Let Him provide for thee, and thou wilt do well. All this the Lord requires, when he commands to go forth.'

Let us now inquire what further counsel the Lord gives her! Go forth,' he says, by the footsteps of the flock.' The tendency of this advice likewise is to re

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store peace to the dejected Shulamite. In the first place, it contains a serious reproof, similar to that which was given to Peter; when not altogether satisfied with the career marked out for him by the Lord, he pointed to John, to whom so rough a course was not assigned, and presumed to ask, And what shall this man do?' To which the Lord replied, What is that to thee? follow thou me.' He says the same to Shulamite, in the words, Go forth by the footsteps of the flock. Observe the sheep; they do not wander where they please, but they quietly and silently follow their shepherd. Do thou likewise, my beloved Shulamite. Consider what happens when one of the lambs goes a little astray from the fold, how the Shepherd employs every means to restore it. Somewhat similar is the way that I deal with my sheep.' This is what the Bridegroom will in the first place intimate to her. But at the same time he will point out the way in which she may again obtain consolation. 'Yes,' he will say, 'I perceive clearly that thou no longer knowest thyself, O thou fairest among women. Thou art a child of God; but thou believest it not, and art a stranger to thyself. Thou art born again; but thou art no longer sensible of it. Thou art clothed with my righteousness, and hast every reason to be joyful; but thou canst not believe it. And why not? Because thou feelest thyself barren, and thy spiritual life is not in a flourishing state. But that is no ground for despair. Go forth by the footsteps of the flock.' And Shulamite would certainly have done. So. But what are we to understand that she has done? She has observed other children of God, has considered the ways of the saints; and what has she there discov

ered? That she is no solitary bird upon the housetop; and that her experience has nothing peculiar, or unusual. Where did she find the footsteps of the saints? Alas! not always on verdant and luxuriant pastures, but most frequently on rugged paths and obscure crossroads, in barren deserts and dreary wastes. The most favored servants of God she has heard complain; Ah! my tongue cleaveth to the roof of my mouth; my strength is dried up like a potsherd! The most holy she has seen prostrate in the dust, groaning and complaining.

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And yet, miserable, as they were, the Lord was with them; they were still the people after God's own heart, the apple of his eye, his peculiar care. But in due time they had again their hours of refreshment; and showers of rain descended upon the parched and withered meadows; and at length, after all the difficulties upon earth, their footsteps still shone above the clouds, among the stars of heaven; they took their place in the midst of Paradise, and appeared among the holy angels, before the throne of glory. Such was the discovery made by the beloved Shulamite. O how encouraging and consoling was it to her,. to find that all who had reached Canaan had traversed the same path on which she then was. She could then again believe that the Lord was with her; that he guided and sustained her, and that her path also would terminate in glory. Thus she thought she had her Bridegroom again; she would again believe that He still holds her by His right hand, though in darkness; and her going forth by the footsteps of the flock had been blessed and consoling to her.

O ye that are dejected and disconsolate, who, like 0 Shulamite, are languishing in the heat of mid-day, follow her example. Turn your gaze and your reflections away from your own hearts, and from your own misery. Go forth to the ocean of mercy and love which flows on Golgotha; the sight will produce an immediate change, and inspire you with other and more agreeable meditations. Then go forth by the footsteps of the flock, and learn that you tread the same path that the most distinguished saints have trod before you. This will support you; it will revive your courage and renew your hope. Then feed your kids and your young lambs beside the shepherds' tents.

The Bride is here

compared to a shepherdess with a flock of hungry lambs. Her heart hungers, her spirit hungers, her understanding hungers, to comprehend the darkness that surrounds her; her soul to be assured of the presence of the Lord; her weak faith hungers after strength, her glimmering hope after food, and her expiring love to be revived. O all ye weary souls, go ye likewise forth; and feed the kids beside the shepherds' tents. The shepherds are the men of God, who have spoken by the Holy Ghost, the ancient Fathers and Prophets, the Evangelists and Apostles; and where they speak, instruct and console; in their revelations, in their sermons, in their histories, and in their epistles; there behold their tents, and the most luxuriant pastures. There learn that God is faithful; that he ever views his people with complacency; and that, even when they have left their first love, he recollects with delight the love of their espousals, and their first surrender of themselves to him. There learn that the entire foundation of your

hope is not to be found within but without yourselves. That will strengthen your heart and enable you to wait patiently till it please him again to pour down upon you his quickening grace. Rouse, then, thy afflicted senses! Know thyself again, O Shulamite, thou fairest among women, adorned with purple and jewels. Wait but a little, and thy feet, after all thy doubts and fears, will also tread the golden streets of the heavenly Jerusalem, in the land of rest, and of an eternal sabbath. O sweet termination of all complaints and sorrows! The Spirit and the Bride say, Come! And let him who heareth say, Come. And the Bridegroom saith, 'I come quickly. Yes, even so come, Lord Jesus!' Amen.