room can declare:--

Thou art all fair, My love;
And there is no spot on thee.

And now she is _fit for service_, and to it the Bridegroom woos her;
she will not now misrepresent Him:--

Come with Me from Lebanon, _My_ bride,
With Me from Lebanon;
Look from the top of Amana,
From the top of Senir and Hermon,
From the lions' dens,
From the mountains of the leopards.

"Come with Me." It is always so. If our SAVIOUR says, "Go ye therefore
and disciple all nations," He precedes it by, "All power is given unto
Me," and follows it by, "Lo, I am with you always." Or if, as here, He
calls His bride to come, it is still "with Me," and it is _in connection
with this loving invitation_ that for the first time He changes the word
"My love," for the still more endearing one, "My bride."

What are lions' dens when the Lion of the tribe of Judah is with us; or
mountains of leopards, when He is at our side! "I will fear no evil, for
Thou art with me." On the other hand, it is while thus facing dangers,
and toiling with Him in service, that He says:--

Thou hast ravished My heart, My sister, _My_ bride;
Thou hast ravished My heart with one look from thine eyes,
With one chain of thy neck.

Is it not wonderful how the heart of our Beloved can be thus ravished
with the love of one who is prepared to accept His invitation, and go
forth with Him seeking to rescue the perishing! The marginal reading of
the Revised Version is very significant: "Thou hast ravished My heart,"
or "Thou hast given me courage." If the Bridegroom's heart may be
encouraged by the fidelity and loving companionship of his bride, it is
not surprising that we may cheer and encourage one another in our mutual
service. St. Paul had a steep mountain of difficulty to climb when he
was being led as a captive to Rome, not knowing the things that awaited
him there; but when the brethren met him at the Appii Forum he thanked
God and took courage. May we ever thus strengthen one another's hands in
God!

But to resume. The Bridegroom cheers the toilsome ascents, and the steep
pathways of danger, with sweet communications of His love:--

How fair is thy love, My sister, _My_ bride!
How much better is thy love than wine!
And the smell of thine ointments than all manner of spices!
Thy lips, O _My_ bride, drop as the honeyc