thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense: thou hast bought me no sweet cane for money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices; but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities; yet I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins....O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me ;. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins: return unto me, for I have redeemed thee.

Open to me, O my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled, for my head is filled with dew, my locks with the drops of the night....behold me, who have laid the foundations of the earth, and stretched the line upon it; who bringeth forth Mazzeroth in his season, and guidest Arcturus with his sons....behold me, bowed beneath the heavy load of thy iniquities, in the melancholy groves of shady Gethsemane, amid all the damp vapors of the night; and (be amazed at the thought) vindictive justice, pouring floods of tempestuous, stormy wrath upon my head....justice stood forth and cried, Where is the sinner? where is the rebel, who hath broken my laws, and brought dishonor on the name of infinite deity? and I, thy friend, thy surety, thy Saviour, interposed!....I, who knew no sin, was made sin for thee; I was wounded for thy transgressions, I was bruised for thine iniquities; the chastisement of thy peace was upon me, and with my stripes thou art healed. I am the man that hath seen affliction, by the rod of God's wrath: he hath

bent his bow, and set me as the mark for the arrow : he hath caused the arrow of his quiver to enter into my reins: I was poured out like water, and all my bones were out of joint: my heart was like wax, my strength was dried up like a potsherd: my tongue clave to my mouth, and he brought me into the dust of death. Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?.... Behold, and see if there be any sorrows like unto my sorrow, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me, in the day of his fierce anger; my soul hath it still in remembrance. With this great sacrifice of myself, I reconciled God to thee: with the blood of my cross, I made thy everlasting peace: wrath hath forsook the throne, and grace, love, and mercy, reign for ever; mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other: therefore, open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled, for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night."

"My beloved put his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him :" Jesus accompanied his word to my heart by the power of his Spirit, and my affections ran out after the Lord of my soul. "I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone; my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer." The beloved, the delight of my soul was retired from my view alas! I could not behold the light of his coun. tenance, the joy of his salvation: I sought him, but I found him not: I called him, but he gave me no an

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swer. Where art thou, my beloved, my Saviour, my spouse? hast thou cast me off forever? wilt thou no more be gracious? O Lord God of my salvation, I cry day and night before thee, for my soul is full of trouble, and my life draweth nigh unto the grave; thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps: mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction. Lord I call daily unto thee; I stretch out my hands unto thee; why casteth thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me? O God, my soul is cast down within me; deep calleth unto deep, at the noise of thy water spouts; and all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me; I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long, for my loins are filled with a loathsome disease, and there is no soundness in my flesh: I am feeble and sore broken; I have roared because of the disquietness in my heart. Lord, all my desires are before the e,and my groaning is not hid from thee; my heart panteth, my strength faileth me; as for the light of mine eye it also is gone from me: Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her; yet the Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled against his commandments; behold, O Lord, for I am in distress, my bowels are troubled, my heart is turned within me, for I have grievously rebelled.

"I called, but he gave me no answer: the watchmen that go about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me." The ministers of Jesus beheld my distress, but they afforded me no consolation: they applied no healing balsam to soften the corroding an

guish and alleviate the sorrow of my soul, but treated me with harsh and severe reproaches, and bitter words, which like so many daggers pierced my heart, encreased my distraction and almost sunk me into the black gulph of despair. To whom shall I look? I have grieved my Lord, and he hath turned away in displeasure; he shutteth his ears against my prayers; where shall I go to find my beloved, the consolation of Israel, and desire of nations? "I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem (ye, who like me, are seeking a Saviour) if Jesus favors you with the light of his countenance, if he takes you into the arms of his love, O remember, remember me; think upon me his forlorn bride; tell him, O tell him I am sick of love; tell him the desire of my heart is towards him ; tell him I faint because he is absent, and let him not rest till he return and bless me."

"What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?" "My beloved is white and ruddy; the chiefest among ten thousand; he is the eternal and Almighty God, whose goings forth have been from everlasting : the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth before his throne, the bright armies of heaven veil their faces, and cease not day and night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty."....Fountain of light, of life and love; possessing the essential perfection of every good. He is the man, the exalted man, whom saints unseen adore: he cometh from Edom with

dyed garments from Bozrah, glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength: he goeth from conquering to conquer, mounted on his white horse, and in his chariots of salvation: he is faithful and true, and in righteousness doth he judge and make war; his eyes are a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns; he is clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his name is called the word of God: the armies of heaven follow him, and out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; he treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God; he hath on his vesture, and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords: he is the lion of the tribe of Judah, which has prevailed: from the prey he is gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion, who shall rouse him up? he is not only thus awful in majesty, glorious in holiness, but he is also that meek and lowly lamb, which God hath appointed for a burnt-offering, a great and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of his people; he offered up himself on that great altar, which sanctifieth the gift, and now he appears in the midst of the throne as a lamb newly slain; he is a great high-priest forever, after the order of Melchisedek, such an high-priest as becometh us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens; who not by the blood of goats or calves, but by his own blood he once entered into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us, and by one offering forever perfected them that are sanctified; he is the Mediator of