I Am My Beloved's And He Is Mine.

The believing profession which the church makes of her relation to Christ, and the satisfaction she take in her interest in him and communion with him. He had called her to rise and come away with him, to let him see her face and hear her voice now this is her answer to that call, in which, though at present in the dark and at a distance,

She comforts herself with the thoughts of the mutual interest and relation that were between her and her beloved: My beloved to me and I to him, so the original reads it very emphatically the conciseness of the language speaks the largeness of her affection: "What he is to me and I to him may better be conceived than expressed." Note, It is the unspeakable privilege of true believers that Christ is theirs: My beloved is mine this denotes not only propriety ("I have a title to him") but possession and tenure--"I receive from his fullness." Believers are partakers of Christ they have not only an interest in him, but the enjoyment of him, are taken not only in the covenant, but into communion with him. All the benefits of his glorious undertaking, as Mediator, are made over to them. He is that to them which the world neither is nor can be, all that which they need and desire, and which will make a complete happiness for them. All he is is theirs, and all he has, all he has done, and all he is doing all he has promised in the gospel, all he has prepared in heaven, all is yours.

It is the undoubted character of all true believers that they are Christ's, and then, and then only, he is theirs. They have given their own selves to him (2 Corinthians 8:5) they receive his doctrine and obey his laws they bear his image and espouse his interest they belong to Christ. If we be his, his wholly, his only, his for ever, we may take the comfort of his being ours.

She comforts herself with the thoughts of the communications of his grace to his people: He feeds among the lilies. When she wants the tokens of his favour to her in particular, she rejoices in the assurance of his presence with all believers in general, who are lilies in his eyes. He feeds among them, that is, he takes as much pleasure in them and their assemblies as a man does in his table or in his garden, for he walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks he delights to converse with them, and to do them good.

The church's hope and expectation of Christ's coming, and her prayer grounded thereupon. She doubts not but that the day will break and the shadows will flee away. The gospel-day will dawn, and the shadows of the ceremonial law will flee away. This was the comfort of the Old-Testament church, that, after the long night of that dark dispensation, the day-spring from on high would at length visit them, to give light to those that sit in darkness. When the sun rises the shades of the night vanish, so do the shadows of the day when the substance comes. The day of comfort will come after a night of desertion. Or it may refer to the second coming of Christ, and the eternal happiness of the saints the shadows of our present state will flee away, our darkness and doubts, our griefs and all our grievances, and a glorious day shall dawn, a morning when the upright shall have dominion, a day that shall have no night after it.

She begs the presence of her beloved, in the mean time, to support and comfort her: "Turn, my beloved, turn to me, come and visit me, come and relieve me, be with me always to the end of the age. In the day of my extremity, make haste to help me, make no long tarrying. Come over even the mountains of division, interposing time and days, with some gracious anticipations of that light and love."

She begs that he would not only turn to her for the present, but hasten his coming to fetch her to himself. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Though there be mountains in the way, thou canst, like a roe, or a young hart, step over them with ease. O show thyself to me, or take me up to thee. - Matthew Henry