ve
ceased to love his LORD. In the passage before us the bride still loves
Him truly, though not wholly; there is still a power in His Word which
is not unfelt, though she no longer renders instant obedience. She
little realizes how she is wronging her LORD, and how real is the wall
of separation between them. To her, worldliness seems as but a little
thing: she has not realized the solemn truth of many passages in the
Word of GOD that speak in no measured terms of the folly, the danger,
the sin of friendship with the world.

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any
man love the world, the love of the FATHER is not in him."

"Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity
with GOD? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh
himself an enemy of GOD."

"Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have
righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath CHRIST with Belial? or what portion hath a
believer with an unbeliever? . . . Wherefore:--

Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith
the LORD,
And touch no unclean thing;
And I will receive you,
And will be to you a FATHER,
And ye shall be to Me sons and daughters, saith the
LORD ALMIGHTY.

We have to take our choice: we cannot enjoy both the world and CHRIST.

The bride had not learned this: she would fain enjoy both, with no
thought of their incompatibility. She observes with joy the approach of
the Bridegroom.

The voice of my Beloved: Behold He cometh
Leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.
My Beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart;
Behold He standeth behind our wall,
He looketh in at the windows,
He glanceth through the lattice.

The heart of the bride leaps on hearing the voice of her Beloved, as He
comes in search of her. He has crossed the hills; He draws near to her;
He stands behind the wall; He even looks in at the windows; with tender
and touching words He woos her to come forth to Him. He utters no
reproach, and His loving entreaties sink deep in her memory.

My Beloved spake, and said unto me,
Rise up, My love, My fair one, and come away.
For, lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowe