advanced  ;  and,  in  the  spirit  of  the  Bride,
"  thej  took  him  unto  them,  and  expounded
unto  him  the  way  of  God  more  perfect^  ;"
thus  making  him  to  drink  of  their  "  spiced
wine."

All  this  is  a  yet  further  reflection  of  the
mind  of  Christ ;  for  does  he  not  say,  "  I  have
drunk  my  wine  with  my  milk ;  eat,  0 friends  :
drink,  yea,  drink  abundantly,  0  beloved T^
chap.  V.  1 ;  "  Come,  drink  of  the  wiue  which
I  have  mingled,"  Prov.  is.  5.  Then  is  it  most
fitting  in  his  Bride  to  say  likewise,  "  I  would
cause  thee  to  drink  of  the  spiced  wine  of  the
juice  of  7ny  pomegranate."  Just  what  the
literal  Israel  was  required  to  do  literally,  is
required  of  the  spiritual  seed  spiritually.
"  Thou  shalt  furnish  him  (thy  brother)  liber-
ally .  .  .  out  of  thy  floor  and  out  of  thy  wine
press:  of  that  wherewith  the  Lord  thy  God
hath  blessed  thee,  thou  shalt  give  unto  him,"
Deut.  XV.  14.
Let  us,  then,  invite  others  to  share  the
precious  feast  of  good  things,  of  which  we
have  been  made  partakers,  saying,  "Come
with  us,  and  we  will  do  thee  good ;  and  what


CHAPTKU    VIII.  269

goodness  the  Lord  shall  do  to  us,  the  same
will  we  do  to  thee,"  Numb.  x.  29,  32.  For
there  need  be  no  selfishuess  among  Christians,
so  long  as  there  is  "  a  fountain  of  living-
waters"  to  draw  from.  Nay,  "  he  that  water-
eth  shall  be  watered  also  himself."  For,
"  there  is  that  scattereth,  and  yet  increaseth^"
Prov.  xi.  24,  25.
Verse  3.
