QUES. 21. – Will you please explain the 5th and 6th verses of the first chapter of the Song of Solomon ?

The Song of Solomon expresses the relations which will take place between the remnant of Israel and the Lord Jesus, her king, at the time of Israel's restoration to favor (Rom. 11).

She says, "I am black' – "the tents of Kedar" probably referring to this, as they were made of black camels' hair." The scorching sun – the "great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be " – has burned her and she has learned her natural, sinful state. Yet she is comely "as the curtains of Solomon." They were beautiful curtains, those curtains of Solomon. So grace will make Israel beautiful when they repent of their sins, even as with us when we repent, though with us, the Church, grace goes much farther, and lifts us much higher.

And have not the Jews been made to suffer among all nations, instead of living in peace and happiness in their own land, had they not rejected their own Messiah? No wonder therefore this converted remnant will exclaim, "They made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept."

As in creation God has a system which appears in all His creatures, however great differences between them may be, so in redemption He follows the same course with all, however great dispensational differences may be between His people. Thus, whilst this book describes the relations between Christ and returning Israel, and the relations of Israel with Christ are very different from those of the Church with Christ, yet are the exercises therein described most instructive to us individually.

We would advise you to procure from our Publishers "The Song of Solomon," by Andrew Miller, 65 cts., and ''Meditation on the Song of Songs," by H. Friend, 20 cts., post-paid.

Note to a former question from a European subscriber.

Dear Mr. Editor, – Kindly allow me some remarks on Ques.. 18, in your June number. Your correspondent asks of whom the man in the parable bought the field. I believe the body of Scripture permits us to answer with precision.

We know that in this "man" is figured the Lord Jesus Himself. The field represents the world-the scene where man has become the slave of sin and of Satan.

The work of redemption has for its object to deliver such as believe on Jesus from the power of sin, of death, and of Satan. The price of this redemption, which the Lord must pay to deliver us righteously from those powers, was His life. He therefore offered it up for us, "an offering and a sacrifice to God"; not, of course, to Satin, " the prince of this world." By this sacrifice-this obedience unto the atoning death of the cross-Christ has acquired the possession of all that trust in Him.
But there is more :The scene of God's first creation having been alienated by man-man placed as head and ruler over it-the Redeemer had to make it all good, and glorify God where He had been robbed and dishonored; so the Redeemer "sold all He had" (what had He left as He hung on the cross in those hours of darkness?) to get possession of that world which, now defiled, was only fit for destruction. And this is true not only of the earth, but of the heavens also, where the work and power of Satan are seen as well. Therefore are they given to Jesus in resurrection (Matt. 28 :18).

Satan presented himself to Jesus in the temptation to sell Him the field, with its riches and glories. But he lied when he said all these things were delivered unto him. It is by craft he became "the prince of this world," and by the false use of the superior power given him originally as a creature. We learn in the Revelation that it is by the same means he will lead men into the most abominable forms of apostasy. The Lord would not have the field from him, nor did He yield for an instant to his pretensions. The cross was the only righteous means of redemption ; and so, in infinite love, He submitted to the cross.

The "Treasure" and the "Pearl" (Matt. 13:44-46) were precious in His sight. The "Treasure," that is, Israel (see Ex. 19 :5 and Ps. 135 :4), had been given the earth for its possession. Christ came to possess Himself of this treasure as -Hi's people and His kingdom upon earth; but being rejected, He left the treasure hidden until a future day, when, having received the kingdom, and the remnant of Israel being born of God and His true people, then the treasure will no longer be hid.

In the actual form of the kingdom as seen in the parables of Matt. 13 (a form greatly changed on account of the absence of the King), they who are children of God form the Church, as represented by " one pearl of great price." Special love seems to mark this. A pearl is for personal adornment, as the Church is to be for Christ. The "Treasure "has twelve tribes. The " Pearl" is " one pearl " of supreme value to the Purchaser.

Christ has bought the field for the sake of the "Treasure " in it, from the hand of Him who could righteously have destroyed it and all it contains. The love of Christ has done this ; and Christ is more precious to God than all the creation ; but all has become precious to Him which has cost the sacrifice of His Son to redeem it. S. C.

Translated by the Editor.

QUES. 22.-How do you reconcile Acts 9:7 with Acts 22:9? In the former the companions of Paul are spoken of as " hearing a voice," and in the latter it is said,"They heard not the voice." In the former the Greek word translated voice is in the genitive case, and in the latter it is in the accusative; but speaking of the apostle the accusative is used in a similar expression in Acts 9:4, and the genitive in Acts 22:7, without apparently any difference in meaning.

ANS.-The "voice" in the first case is simply the sound, whilst in the second it is the matter communicated. An illustration occurs in John 12:28, 29. In answer to the Lord's call, "Father, glorify Thy name," there came a voice from heaven, "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." The people standing by heard the voice but said that "it thundered." Evidently they had heard the sound but not the matter uttered. Others who, in the voice, seem to have heard more than the mere sound said, "An angel spake to Him." Thus it could be said that they all heard the voice in the sense of the sound, and yet all did not hear it in the sense of the matter communicated.

In 1 Cor. 14:2 we have an exactly similar case to Acts 22:9-The word " understandeth " is the same in the original as in Acts 22:9; so we may say of one speaking in an unknown tongue, "no
man heareth him."