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The daughters of Jerusalem had been praising the Church as the fairest among women. They spoke of her with admiring appreciation, extolling her from head to foot. She wisely perceived that it was not easy to bear praise; and therefore she turned aside from the virgins to her Lord, making her boast not of her own comeliness, but of her being affianced to her Beloved: "I am my Beloved's, and His desire is towards me." The spouse seems abruptly to break off from listening to the song of the virgins, and turns to her own husband-Lord, communion with whom is ever blessed and ever profitable, and she says to him, "Come, my Beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. Communion with Christ is a certain cure for every ill. Whether it be the bitterness of woe, or the cloying surfeit of earthly delight, close fellowship with the Lord Jesus will take the gall from the one and the satiety from the other.

I. First, then, IN THE MATTER OF SELF-EXAMINATION. This is a most desirable and important business, but every believer should desire to have communion with Christ while he is attending to it. Self-examination is of the utmost importance. Well does the spouse suggest that she should see whether the vine flourished, whether the tender grape appeared and the pomegranates budded forth; for our spiritual vineyard needs perpetual watchfulness. While you are attending to this important business, see to it at the same time that you keep up your communion with Christ, for you will never know so well the importance of self-examination as when you see Him. Know His love for you, and all His griefs on your behalf, and you will charge your own heart after this fashion — "See to it, that thou make sure work as to thine interest in Jesus, that thou be really one with Him, that thy faith in Him be genuine, and that thou shalt be found in Him in peace at the day of His appearing." Self-examination, however, is very laborious work: the text hints at it. It does not say, "Let us go," but "Let us get up." Self-examination is ever up-hill work. We need to school ourselves to perform a duty so irksome. But, beloved, if we attempt to examine this, feeling that Christ is with us, and that we are having communion with Him, we shall forget all the labour of the deed. Keep close to the Saviour and the difficulties of self-examination will vanish, and the labour will become light. Self-examination should always be very earnest work. The text says, "Let us get up early." It has been well observed that all men in Scripture who have done earnest work rose up early to do it. The dew of the morning, before the smoke and dust of the world's business have tainted the atmosphere, is a choice and special season for all holy work. And yet again, self-examination, it seems to me, is not the simple work that some people think, but is beset with difficulties. I do believe that the most of self-examinations go on a wrong principle. You take Moses with you when you examine yourself, and consequently you fall into despair. I do not want you to look at Christ so as to think less of your sin, but to think more of it; for you can never see sin to be so black as when you see the suffering which Christ endured on its behalf: but I do desire you, dear friends, never to look at sin apart from the Saviour. Examine yourselves, but let it be in the light of Calvary; not by the blazing fires of Sinai's lightnings, but by the milder radiance of the Saviour's griefs. It appears, from the words of the spouse, that the work of self-examination should be carried on in detail, if it is to be of real service. It is written, "Let us see if the vine flourish, the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth." We must not take a general view of the garden, but particularize, and give special attention to each point. Oh! to have our great pattern ever before our eye! Jesus should not be a friend who calls upon us now and then, but one with whom we walk evermore. Thou hast a difficult road to travel; see, O traveller to heaven, that thou go not without thy Guide. In every case, in every condition, thou needest Jesus; but most of all, when thou comest to deal with thine own heart's eternal interests. O, keep thou close to Him, lean thy head upon His bosom, ask to be refreshed with the spiced wine of His pomegranate, and then there shall be no fear but that thou shalt be found of Him at the last, without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing.

II. THE CHURCH WAS ABOUT TO ENGAGE IN EARNEST LABOUR, and desires her Lord's company. It is the business of God's people to be trimmers of God's vines. Like our first parents, we are put into the garden of the Lord for usefulness. Observe that the Church, when she is in her right mind, in all her many labours desires to retain and cheerfully to enjoy communion with Christ. Taking a survey of Christ's Church, you will find that those who have most fellowship with Christ are not the persons who are recluses or hermits, who have much time to spend with themselves, but they are the useful indefatigable labourers who are toiling for Jesus, and who in their toil have Him side by side with them, so that they are workers together with God. Let me, then, try and press this lesson upon you, that when we as a Church, and each of us as individuals, have anything to do for Christ, we must do it in communion with Him. Let me hold up for your imitation some in modern times who by works of faith and labours of love have made us feel that the old spirit of Christianity is not dead. Our beloved friend Mr. George Muller, of Bristol, for instance. There burns a holy devotedness, an intensity of faith, a fervour of perseverance which I would to God we all possessed. May we have more of this, aunt so by keeping close to Jesus, we shall produce better fruits, richer clusters and more luscious grapes than are commonly produced upon those vines which are in a less happy part of the vineyard.

III. THE CHURCH DESIRES TO GIVE TO CHRIST ALL THAT SHE PRODUCES. She has "all manner of pleasant fruits," both "new and old," and they are laid up for her Beloved. We have some new fruits. I hope we feel new life, new joy, new gratitude: we wish to make new resolves and carry them out by new labours. Our heart goes up in new prayers, and our soul is pledging herself to new efforts. But we have some old things too. There is our first love: a choice fruit that! and Christ delights in it. There is our flint faith: that simple faith by Which, having nothing, we become possessors of all things. There is our joy when first we knew the Lord; let us revive it. Old things! why we have the old remembrance of the promises. How faithful has God been! Old sins we must regret, but then we have had repentances which He has given us, by which we have wept our way to the Cross, and learned the merit of His blood. We have fruits, both new and old; but here is the point — they are all to be for Christ.

( C. H. Spurgeon.)

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KJV: Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.

WEB: Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field. Let us lodge in the villages.