"HIS BANNER OVER ME WAS LOVE." Our Lord Jesus is incomparably lovely. His personal excellencies exceed the powers of description. Every beautiful figure which nature can furnish is employed to set Him forth. But a spiritual perception is necessary to discern and delight in Him. Everyone who perceives His glory, applies to His fullness, receives and enjoys His communications. Here He is compared to the apple tree amidst the trees of the wood, as affording refreshing shade and delicious food. "His fruit was sweet to my taste." His fruit includes the promises He has made, the pardon He bestows, the reconciliation He has effected, the peace He imparts, the fellowship He has with His people, the assurances of His love, the joys of the Holy Spirit, the hope of eternal life, access into God's presence, and the precious foretastes of glory which He sends. Sheltered from storms, protected from foes, preserved from the sultry sun, and fed with fruits of salvation, the believer is happy, and his Saviour is precious to his soul. And while the fruits of Jesus are sweet to him, sin is bitter; he has no relish for the follies, vain amusements, and sinful pleasures of the world.

For Meditation:
O sweet repast of heavenly love,
How rich these royal dainties prove;
In Thine embrace 'tis life to be,
So sweet Thy fruit and shade to me.