Song of Solomon 4:16

"Arise, O north wind, and come, O south wind," etc. For in the north or south, He signifies the tempests of frequent temptations with which the Church was to be buffeted, so that it might become known how much spiritual grace and internal strength it …

"Let my beloved come into his garden," etc. Let the Lord come into His Church, so that He may keep it spotless and always fruitful with the crop of faith. He who promised to remain with me until the end of the world, then more …

May flow - That my graces may be exercised. Let - Let Christ afford his gracious presence to his church. And eat - And let him delight himself in that service which is given him, both by the religious worship, and by the holy conversation of his people.

Awake, O north wind,....

A large and particular account of the beauties of the church, and of gracious souls on whom the image of God is renewed, consisting in the beauty of holiness. In general, he that is a competent judge of beauty, whose judgment, we are sure, is according to truth, and what all must subscribe to, he has said, Behold, thou art fair.

For particular believers. Note, (1.) Sanctified souls are as gardens, gardens of the Lord, enclosed for him. (2.) Graces in the soul are as spices in these gardens, that in them which is valuable and useful.

WHAT a difference there is between what the Believer was by nature and what the Grace of God has made him! Naturally, we were like the waste howling wilderness, like the desert which yields no healthy plant or verdure. It seemed as if we were given over to be like a salt land which is not inhabited—no good thing was in us, or could spring out of us. But now, as many of us as have known the Lord are transformed into gardens—our wilderness is made like Eden, our desert is changed into the garden of the Lord.

These, therefore, are not wanted; but first the north wind clearing the air (Job 37:22; Pr 25:23), and then the warm south wind (Job 37:17); so the Holy Ghost first clearing away mists of gloom, error, unbelief, sin, which intercept the light of Jesus Christ, then infusing spiritual warmth (2Co 4:6), causing the graces to exhale their odor.

A SHORT ADDRESS TO A FEW FRIENDS AT MENTONE, AT THE BREAKING OF BREAD, BY C. H. SPURGEON, ON LORD'S-DAY AFTERNOON, JANUARY 2, 1887. "Awake, O north wind, and come, you south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my Belo ved come into His garden and eat His pleasant fruits." Song of Solomon 4:16. THE soul of the Believer is the garden of the Lord. Within it are rare plants such as yield "spices" and "pleasant fruits."

A SHORT ADDRESS TO A FEW FRIENDS AT MENTONE, AT THE BREAKING OF BREAD, BY C. H. SPURGEON, ON LORD'S-DAY AFTERNOON, JANUARY 2, 1887. "Awake, O north wind, and come, you south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my Belo ved come into His garden and eat His pleasant fruits." Song of Solomon 4:16. THE soul of the Believer is the garden of the Lord. Within it are rare plants such as yield "spices" and "pleasant fruits." Once it was a wilderness, overgrown with thorns and briars, but now it is "a garden enclosed," an "orchard of pomegranates." At times within that garden everything is very still and quiet. Indeed, more still than could be wished. Flowers are in bloom, but they seem scentless, for there are no breezes to waft the perfume. Spices abound, but one may walk in the garden and not perceive them, for no gales bear their fragrance on their wings. I do not know that, in itself, this is an evil condition. It may be that "So He gives His beloved sleep." To those who are worn with labor, rest is sweet. Blessed are they who enjoy a Sabbath of the soul! The loved one in the text desired the company of her Lord and felt that an inactive condition was not altogether suitable for His coming. Her prayer is first about her garden, that it may be made ready for her Beloved, and then to the Bridegroom Himself, that He would come into His garden and eat its pleasant fruits. She pleads for the breath of Heaven, and for the Lord of Heaven. First, she cries for THE BREATH OF HEAVEN to break the dead calm which broods over her heart. She cannot unlock the caskets of spice, nor cause the sweet odors to flow forth—her own breath would not avail for such an end. She looks away from herself to an unseen and mysterious power.

WHAT a difference there is between what the Believer was by nature and what the Grace of God has made him! Naturally, we were like the waste howling wilderness, like the desert which yields no healthy plant or verdure. It seemed as if we were given over to be like a salt land which is not inhabited—no good thing was in us, or could spring out of us. But now, as many of us as have known the Lord are transformed into gardens—our wilderness is made like Eden, our desert is changed into the garden of the Lord. "I will turn to you," said the Lord to the mountains of Israel when they were bleak and bare, "I will turn to you and you shall be tilled and sown." And this is exactly what He said to the barrenness of our nature. We have been enclosed by Grace, we have been tilled and sown, we have experienced all the operations of the Divine Farmer. Our Lord Jesus said to His disciples, "My Father is the Farmer," and He has made us to be fruitful to His praise, full of sweetness where once there was no fruit and nothing that could give Him delight. We are a garden, then, and in a garden there are flowers and fruit. And in every Christian's heart you will find the same evidences of culture and care—not in all, alike, for even gardens and fields vary in productiveness. In the good ground mentioned by our Lord in the parable of the sower, the good seed did not all bring forth a hundredfold, or even sixty-fold. There were some parts of the field where the harvest was as low as thirty-fold and I fear that there are some of the Lord's gardens which yield even less than that. Still, there are the fruits and there are the flowers in measure. There is a good beginning made wherever the Grace of God has undertaken the culture of our nature. I. Now coming to our text, and thinking of Christians as the Lord's garden, I want you to observe, first, that THERE ARE SWEET SPICES IN BELIEVERS.

Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south - It is granted that the south wind in Palestine, in the summer, is extremely hot and troublesome; therefore, another interpretation of this passage has been proposed by Mr. Harmer; who thinks בואי boi, which we render come, signifies enter into thy repositories; and, therefore, supposes the true interpretation of the words to be as follows: “Arise, thou north wind, (and retire, thou south), blow upon my garden; let the spices thereof flow forth, that my beloved may come into his garden, invited by the coolness and fragrancy of the air, and may eat his pleasant fruits; for, if the south wind blow, the excessive heat will forbid his taking the air, and oblige him to shut close the doors and windows of his apartments.” Others think that he wishes the winds from all directions to carry throughout the land the fume of his spices, virtue, and perfections.

The bride’s brief reply, declaring her affection for the king and willingness to belong to him.