This Cheating and Deluding Scene!

A form is seen coming up from the wilderness; but not alone, not unsupported. There is another form near the first, and on Him all weight is laid. The truth is clear. We see the Christian deriving support from his Lord. They proceed together along a path leading up from the wilderness. The believer is called to leave all for Christ; to come out from a fallen and polluted world; to shun its pleasures; to turn from its smiles; to disregard its frowns; to close its ear to its enticing voice; to reject its fascinating cup; to trample on its principles and maxims; to feel that the world in its every aspect is opposed to Christ. Such views are the true teachings of the Spirit. 

The believer, a pupil in this school, arises and departs. But there is no profit in what he abandons. The world, when truly seen, is a waste wilderness. It is no fair garden of Eden, fragrant with beauteous flowers. It is no vineyard, in which grapes hang down in luxuriant clusters. It is no peaceful meadow, free from incursions of devouring beasts. It is no lovely grove, in which the melody of cheerful birds delights the ear. It is no pleasant path, in which surrounding prospects give enchanting views. It is a desert wild, dismal, and unsatisfying! 

Here no manna falls, and no refreshing streams trickle by the side. Its food is poison. To taste is to imbibe death. What is its produce? Thorns! Thistles! Briers! It yields no nurture but disappointment, misery and woe. It is an enemy's land, beset with perils and encompassed with malignant foes. The believer is called to come up from this cheating and deluding scene! 

But how can the Christian obey? He is weak and powerless in himself. But a mighty arm is nearby! Jesus says: "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand!" (Isaiah 41:10) He extends the arm of His omnipotence and cries, "Come, lean on Me!" 

As without Jesus the first step cannot be taken, so without Him advance cannot be made. But He is ever near, willing, and able. The heavenward path is a steep ascent. It requires strong limbs to climb. But leaning on Jesus, the upward race may be run without loitering. The path also, through life's course, is slippery. Our feet are liable to slip. Snares and pitfalls are before us. Our feet are liable to stumble. But leaning on Him we are upheld, and safely guided. 

Thus, let us pass through life leaning on our Beloved. Let us lean on Him as we pass through the valley of the shadow of death. His rod and staff will surely comfort us. Let us enter Heaven leaning on the same arm. "Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her Beloved?" 

[Henry Law] 

Song of Solomon 8:5 ... Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.

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Remember Who You Are!

Don't let negative people or thoughts influence you.

You are a Child of the King of Kings!

Song of Solomon 7:10 ...  I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.

Isaiah 43:1 ... But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

Ephesians 1:6 ... To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. ❤

Tenacious Upon The Mad Pursuit!

Worldly men imagine that there is true excellence and true happiness in those worldly things that they so arduously pursue. They imagine that if they could but obtain them, they would be happy. But when they procure them and cannot find happiness in that then they change their course and look for happiness in some other earthly vanity. 

Hence, they spend their life tenacious upon the mad pursuit! "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Everything is meaningless!" (Ecclesiastes 12:8) But Christ Jesus has true excellence, and so great excellence that when they come to know Him, they look no further, but the mind rests there! "Yes, He is altogether lovely! This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!" (Song of Solomon 5:16)  

A saving knowledge of Christ is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to Heaven, fully to enjoy Him, is the fullness of bliss! He who has Christ, has all that he needs, and needs no more. 

[Jonathan Edwards] 

Matthew 13:44-46 ... Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

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The Church Compared to the Moon

Nothing on earth is so precious to the Infinite Mind as his Church. Her beauty, her glory, etc., are exhibited in the sacred oracles, by the most striking figures, among which is that of the text. The moon is a secondary planet which attends on the earth, to give light by night. Its beauty and splendor have ever been admired; and its communications of light have ever been appreciated. Hence the comparison in the text. The state of the Church is indicated by the text, as all expositors agree. The Church may be compared to the moon in the following respects: 

 I. The moon is a beautiful and glorious object and inspires the beholders of it with admiration. So, the Church of Christ even in this world is a beautiful and glorious object. The operations of Divine grace have made her fair. She is fair when compared with the wicked fair in the estimation of angels, who behold her with admiration and rapture, (Ephesians 3:10) fair in the estimation of Christ, who thus addresses her, "You are all fair, my love, there is no spot in you." (Song of Solomon 4:7) "He has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels!" (Isaiah 61:10) This was not formerly the case; for each member of it was vile and wicked. There was no light, no moral beauty in the soul. But saints are redeemed from spiritual bondage, they are saved from guilt and condemnation they are regenerated by the Spirit of God they have now, in some good degree, the fruits of the Spirit felt in their hearts, and exemplified in their conduct. In their associated capacity, believers are united in the bonds of holy love they strive together for the faith of the Gospel they are the salt of the earth, the lights of the world. What a beautiful object is the Church of God when its members reflect the glory of him who has created them to "good works"! 

II. The moon receives her light from the sun. So, the Church receives all her light and glory from Christ, the Sun of Righteousness. The sun gives light but receives none; the moon both receives light and gives light. So, Christ, as God, has light in himself; but as Mediator, he has his light from the Father, to communicate it to his Church, that the Church may give light to the world. The Church has received from him the light of Divine Revelation the development and accomplishment of the plan of salvation all her moral and spiritual beauty adoption into the family of Heaven, and all those glorious privileges flowing from fellowship with himself also a title to Heaven, a fitness for it, and the hope that anticipates it. "And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign LORD!" (Ezekiel 16:14)    

III. The moon gives light to the world during the night. So it is by the Church that God sends forth his light and his truth for the benefit of the nations of the earth that sit in darkness and have no light. And as the moon shall emit its light while time shall last so the Church of Christ will, instrumentally, diffuse the light of the Gospel, until the kingdoms of this world, etc. Consider the darkness that exists in the world of heathenism, of superstition, of Popery, etc. Who has a heart to feel, and a hand to help? None but the Church of God. The "gross darkness" which covers the people, God has determined to disperse and that by the instrumentality of his Church; by her pastors, her evangelists, her missionaries, and by all the means with which Heaven has blessed her. All the predictions referring to the latter-day glory, are to be fulfilled by the instrumentality of God's Church. "Go into all the world and preach the gospel." (Mark 16:15) 

IV. The moon, though very fair and bright yet has its spots. So, the Church, though pure and holy, has sometimes her spots of sin. No saint is without blemishes. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves." (1 John 1:8) "Pray, therefore, lest you enter into temptation." 

V. The moon has its various aspects. Sometimes in the full, sometimes in the wane. Now it shines gloriously then that glory greatly decreases. Yet still it is the same moon, and is not then destitute of the sunbeams, though it may appear so to our sight. "The Church," says an old divine, "is like the moon, which sometimes shines wholly, being enlightened with the sunbeams, and sometimes deprived of a great part of its light." Now the Church shines most gloriously and then is so obscured that she hardly appears at all. The Church has its eclipses, like the moon, and is in darkness for a time. Sometimes the Church has been eclipsed, or obscured, by persecution, and driven by it into the wilderness. (Revelation 12:6) Ecclesiastical history furnishes much information on this subject. But the Church, like the moon, has always emerged from its obscurity, to shine with its usual splendor, and to diffuse in the world the light of truth and vital religion. Sometimes afflictions cloud the Church and temptations and sin and other trials; for believers are often "in heaviness through manifold temptations." 

Lastly. The moon is not so bright as the sun; for it derives its light from it; but the period will come when God's Church shall be "Clear as the Sun" yes, purer and brighter. The Church here, in its best state, is but fair as the moon, which shines with a borrowed light, and is subject to changes, and has its spots. When it is perfected in the kingdom of glory, it will be as clear as the sun the Church shall be clothed with the Sun, with Christ the Sun of Righteousness they shall be as the Sun when he goes forth in his might. (Judges 5:31) They shall shine in inexpressible glory; and that which is perfect shall then come, and there shall be no sin, no darkness, no spots! "The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted." (Isaiah 30:26)

[William Nicholson]

Song of Solomon 6:10 ... Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?  ❤

The Preciousness of Jesus!

In the bustling noise of our daily lives, amidst the clamor of distractions, there exists a priceless and sacred truth the preciousness of Jesus! He is the cornerstone of our faith, the embodiment of divine love, and the source of eternal hope! In the moments of doubt and despair, when the shadows of affliction loom large it is in Jesus that we find solace and strength!  His presence is a beacon of light in the darkness, guiding us through life's tumultuous seas. 

Think of the moments when you felt broken-hearted, when the weight of your troubles seemed too heavy to bear. It is Jesus who gently lifts us up, wrapping us in His comforting embrace, whispering words of hope and grace. His preciousness is not measured in gold or silver, but in the depth of His compassion, the boundlessness of His mercy, and the unfailing constancy of His love. In Him, we find forgiveness for our failings, redemption for our sins, and the promise of eternal life! 

As we journey through this wilderness world, let us treasure Jesus above all else! Let His teachings be our guide, His example be our inspiration, and His presence be our greatest joy! For in Him, we find the fulfillment of our deepest longings and the purpose of our existence. May we never lose sight of the preciousness of Jesus, for in Him we find true significance, lasting peace, and everlasting life! 

[Anonymous] 

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1 Peter 2:7 ... Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

Song of Solomon 5:16 ... His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. ❤

The More Bloody --- The More Lovely!

Lost men cannot see the stupendous beauty of Christ. All sparkling beauties are found in Him—but they lack eyes! He is infinitely and superlatively lovely! All that we could ever say about Jesus falls infinitely short of His matchless worth. He is pure, unspotted beauty! There is an infinite resplendency, a sparkling luster to His beauty! Jesus is most lovely in His sufferings, when He made an atonement for our sins. What, lovely in His sufferings? Lovely when He was buffeted, spit upon, and besmeared with blood? Oh yes, He was most lovely upon the cross, when He showed most love to us!  He bled love at every vein! Those drops were love drops! The more blood the more lovely! 

Oh, how lovely ought a bleeding Savior be to our eyes! Let us wear this blessed crucifix always in our heart! The cross of Christ is the key that opens paradise to us! How beautiful is Christ on the cross! The ruddiness of His blood took away the redness of our guilt! Christ's crucifixion is our coronation! He left His Father's bosom, that hive of sweetness to come and live in this poor world. Truly, He exchanged the palace for the dunghill! "The unsearchable riches of Christ!" (Ephesians 3:8)

Not even the angels can dig to the bottom of this mine! They adore Christ, being ravished with His amazing beauties! Jesus is the very extract and quintessence of beauty. He is a whole paradise of delights! 

[Thomas Watson]

Song of Solomon 5:16 ...  His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. ❤

"Am I This Blessed Person?"

Ask yourselves, "Am I this blessed person?" 

Do I so live in this world, that others notice the holiness of my walk, and my entire devotion to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Do I, instead of loving the world, account it a dreary wilderness? Do I renounce the pomp's and vanities of this wicked world, and the sinful lusts of the flesh? Am I dying unto the world, to its cares, its pleasures, its maxims, its habits, its friendship? Am I "crucified unto the world, and is the world crucified unto me by the cross of Christ," so that I value it no more than a man does who is in the very throes of death? (Galatians 6:14)  

In my passage through this wilderness world, am I leaning constantly on my beloved Savior, saying, "In the Lord I have righteousness and strength!" (Isaiah 45:24)  

If these things are true of you, then as your sympathetic high priest, in every time of need, He will be with you: to counsel you by His wisdom, to uphold you by His power, and to enrich you with His benefits! What an all-sufficient support you have in this dreary wilderness world! Your ever-present Savior shields you, and cares for you, and guards you as the apple of His eye! 

[Charles Simeon] 

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Song of Solomon 8:5 ... Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.

Jude 24... Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,❤

Jesus Blood Applied By The Holy Spirit

There is a perpetual proneness to seek our fruitfulness from anything but a close, spiritual, and constant dealing with the cross of Jesus. But as well might we expect the earth to clothe itself with verdure, or the tree to blossom, and the blossom ripen into fruit, without the sun's genial warmth as to look for fruitfulness in a regenerate soul, without a constant dealing with the Lord Jesus Christ.  For just what the sun is to the kingdom of nature, Jesus the Sun of righteousness is to the kingdom of grace the blessed source of all its verdure, fragrance, and fruitfulness. 

Then, let all your expectations be centered here. No real good can come to you, no healing to your spirit, no fruitfulness to your soul, from a perpetual living upon convictions of sin, legal fears, or transient joys the Divine life can derive no nourishment from these. But live upon the atoning blood of Jesus here is the fatness of your soul found. This is that which heals the wound, wins the heart, and hushes to repose every fear of condemnation. This is that which enables a poor sinner to look fully at God feeling that justice, holiness, truth, and every Divine perfection are on his side. 

It is the blood of Jesus, applied by the Spirit which moistens each fiber of the root of holiness in the soul, and is productive of its fruitfulness. This is that which sends the warm current of life through every part of the regenerate man, quickening the pulse of love, and imparting a healthy and vigorous power to every act of obedience. And when the spiritual seasons change for it is not always spring-time with the soul of a child of God; when the summer's sun withers, or the autumnal blast scatters the leaves, and winter's fiercer storm beats upon the smitten bough then the blood and righteousness of Christ, lived upon, loved, and cherished will yet sustain the Divine life in the soul, and in due season the spring blossom and the summer fruit shall again appear, proving that the Divine life of a believer is "hid with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:3)

 

Then shall be said of you, as was said of the church by her Beloved: "Look, the winter is past, and the rains are over and gone. The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come, and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air. The fig trees are forming young fruit, and the fragrant grapevines are blossoming. Rise up, My darling! Come away with Me, My fair one!" (Song of Solomon 2:10)

Then let your heart respond, "Awake, north wind! Rise up, south wind! Blow on my garden and spread its fragrance all around. Come into Your garden, my Beloved taste its finest fruits!" 

[Octavius Winslow]

Hebrews 9:14 ... How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?  ❤

Tender Kisses!!

Of all the relationships that we as believers share with our blessed Savior, perhaps none is more intimate and comforting than that of marriage. Jesus has betrothed us to Himself in holy matrimony and covenant grace. We are His beloved bride, the apple of His eye, the darling of His heart; and He is the gracious Husband of our immortal souls! We are, by sovereign grace, forever one with Jesus our Husband! 

Oh, what a glorious privilege it is to be joined to Jesus in the blessed bond of marriage! He loves me! He cares for me! He defends and protects me! He provides for my every need! He comforts, supports, and cherishes me! I have His heart and He has mine! "I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine!"  (Song of Solomon 6:3)  I belong to Him and He belongs to me! Oh, that my Beloved would "kiss me with the kisses of His mouth," (Song of Solomon 1:2) that He would embrace my soul, draw me to Himself, caress my heart ever so gently with His merciful touch, and grant me sweet tokens of His love for me. 

Oh, how I long for Him to express His love and affection to me with the tender kisses of sovereign love, free grace, immutable faithfulness, and undying compassion, "for His love is better than wine!" (Song of Solomon 4:10) Wine makes glad the heart, but His love is better than the finest wine! His love causes my broken heart to rejoice, renews my strength, brightens my vision, causes me to walk uprightly in the paths of righteousness, and moves my heart to take flight through the heavens with wings as an eagle. Excess wine intoxicates men and is forbidden by God. Too much wine will ruin a man. It alters the state of men's minds, seizes control of men, dulls their senses, and destroys their ability to exercise sound judgment and reason. But Jesus' love is better than wine! 

It is not possible to overindulge in the intoxicating love of Jesus, nor is it forbidden. Indeed, the gospel encourages love to Jesus. The wine of His love doesn't ruin men it transforms them! His love for us, invigorates our love for Him intoxicating our hearts, seizing control of them, overpowering our wills and our senses, giving us sound reason, and spiritual judgment. 

Oh, blessed Lord, we beg you, give us this wine! Fill our cups full! Cause them to overflow! Pour into our hearts the intoxicating love of Jesus the Lord! The desire of a believer's soul can be summed up in one word, JESUS! "Whom have I in Heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside You!" (Psalm 73:25)  We desire Him, His person, His love, His glory, His grace, His will, His salvation, His righteousness, His way. All we want is in Jesus! All we need is in Jesus! All we have is in Jesus! 

Jesus is all and Jesus is better! Better than the treasures of kings! Better than all earthly possessions! Better than passing pleasures and prestige! Indeed, He is better than all earthly delights combined! If we don't have Jesus, then we have nothing! If we have Him, then we have everything!  Thou, O Christ, art all I want; more than all in thee I find!

[Frank Hall] 

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The Great and Crowning Bliss of Heaven!

The character of Christ is not enough studied by His redeemed people. It is looked at with too much of a passing glance, so that we get only hasty and superficial views, which consequently have but a faint and passing influence upon our heart and lives. We must study it, gazing upon it, pondering over it, tracing out its developing lines and beauties until our soul becomes fired by His excellencies, and is changed into His image! 

Angels who see Christ in His heavenly glory, and who know something of His divine excellencies, must wonder at the lack of enthusiasm in professing Christians concerning the loveliness of Christ. They are amazed that we look upon Him with so cold an eye; speak of Him with so tame a tongue; love Him with such a lukewarm heart; and labor for Him with such a drudging heavy spirit. It is our privilege to love this altogether lovely One, and we lose a rich and precious employment when we fail to do it. 

There is no higher pleasure for a redeemed soul, than contemplating the glories of Jesus! There is no surer evidence of a gracious state, than a thirsting after deeper knowledge of Jesus, and a more thorough conformity to His likeness! The great and crowning bliss of Heaven consists not in its seraphic melodies; not in its gorgeous displays of almighty power, not in its exemption from sorrow and sighing, not in its ceaseless round of high intellectual joys, but in seeing the unveiled Christ with undimmed eyes; in studying the loveliness of the ever present Redeemer with unfettered mind; in daily discovering and admiring new points of His beauty; and in having our souls, through all eternity, made the receptacles of the light, the joy, the peace, the holiness, the love, and the wisdom of Him who is "the chief among ten thousand, and the one altogether lovely One!" 

[William Bacon Stevens] 

Song of Solomon 5:10 ...  My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

Song of Solomom 5:16 ...  His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

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Can Jesus Delight in Such Worms?

Jesus presents Himself unto us as the bridegroom of our souls. He says, "I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord!" (Hosea 2:19-20) He here promises to bring us into the nearest possible union. He becomes one with us. 

He says, "I will be your portion, and you shall be My possession!" (Malachi 3:16-17) He manifests His beauties to attract us; He sends His Spirit to prepare us; He gives His sweet gospel to allure us; He puts forth His power and draws us and then makes Himself over to us in an everlasting covenant. He calls us by every sweet appellation, such as "My beloved, My dove, My sister, My darling, My flawless one, My delight, My spouse!" (Song of Solomon 5:2) 

He gives us His person, His unsearchable riches, and a share in His eternal glories and honors! He loves us most tenderly, constantly, and prudently. He assures us that He will never leave us, that He will come and commune with us, and that He will withhold no good thing from us! He says, "Though the mountains be shaken, and the hills be removed yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor My covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you!" (Isaiah 54:10)

 "No weapon formed against you shall prosper. (Isaiah 54:17) For your Maker is your Husband, the Lord Almighty is His name!" (Isaiah 54:5) "As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you! I will take delight in My people!" (Isaiah 62:5)

What love is here! Can Jesus delight in such worms? Can He rejoice over such unworthy creatures? Can He enter into a marriage contract with such depraved beings? Yes! He loved His Church and gave Himself for it! He has redeemed it unto Himself by His blood, and will everlastingly rejoice over it, to bless it and honor it! 

[James Smith]

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Nothing On Earth Can Satisfy the Soul!

The senses are but servants to the soul. The soul desires to look and sets the eye to see. The soul desires to hear and sets the ear to hearken. The soul is never wearied. It listens to sweet music, and lingers, longing still for more. When had the soul enough of a sweet flower? When was it ever filled to overflowing with viewing the masterpieces of nature? Nothing on earth can satisfy the soul! It leaves its pleasures with a craving for more. It sighs to increase its satisfactions. It grieves to think how limited all its joys are. 

Oh, there is a longing in the soul; a restless appetite to see and hear, to grasp, to understand; a stretching forth of thought; a yearning principle which spurns the restrictions of the senses. And yet (such is the tribute due to sinful human nature) sense, in its feebleness, keeps down the soul. The soul, with all its energy, cannot overpower sense! How sad, how humbling the condition of fallen man! Yet, child of God, you have no cause to mourn. 

Gifted by grace with higher faculties, you have that with which to fill your soul to the full. By faith you see, hear, and taste better things you see Jesus on the throne of God. By faith you see the "sea of glass," and hear "the voice of harpers harping with their harps." You see Heavenly and eternal realities by faith! My soul, why linger after the things of time when better sights, and better sounds invite you? Or why lament your straitened means, with heavenly powers so unlimited? Then let your eye repose on Jesus! The more you look at Him the longer will you look. The more you look the more will be your power to gaze upon Him. The more you commune with Him the sweeter shall you find His company. Speak much to Jesus you shall not speak in vain. The name of Jesus shall be to you "as beds of spices, and sweet flowers." (Song of Solomon 6:2) 

The whispers of the Spirit, telling of grace and peace, shall ever and always refresh your ear! My soul, these pleasures shall never fail you! Not like the music, that was, and is not with no hand to sweep the chords! Not like the feast of yesterday which is now gone forever! Not like the flowers that once were fragrant and now are fragrant no longer! Not like the beautiful landscape which you have left behind! Your Savior, Friend, and Comforter is ever with you now and to all eternity the same!

[George Mylne]

Ecclesiastes 1:8 ...  All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. ❤

So Great an Excellency!

Worldly men imagine that there is true excellency and true happiness in those things which they are pursuing. They think that if they could but obtain them, that they would be happy. But when they obtain them and cannot find happiness then they look for happiness in something else and are still upon the futile pursuit. There is a transcendent glory, and an ineffable sweetness in Christ. Jesus Christ has true excellency, and so great an excellency that when you come to truly see Him, you look no further, but your mind rests there. You see that you had been pursuing shadows, but now you have found the substance. You realize that you had been seeking happiness in the stream, but now you have found the ocean. The excellency of Christ is an object adequate to the natural cravings of the soul and is sufficient to fill its capacity. Christ has an infinite excellency, such as the mind desires, in which it can find no bounds. 

The more the mind contemplates Him, the more excellent does He appear. Each new discovery of Christ makes His beauty appear more ravishing, and the mind can see no end to His excellency. There is room enough for the mind to go deeper and deeper, and never come to the bottom. Christ's excellency is always fresh and new and will as much delight us after we have beheld Him a thousand or ten thousand years as when we have seen Him the first moment. The soul is exceedingly ravished when it first looks on the beauty of Christ. It is never weary of Him. 

[Jonathan Edwards] 

Song of Solomon 5:16 ...  His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

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This is Too Much!!

Only to be permitted to contemplate such a being as Jehovah, to ponder goodness, holiness, justice, mercy, patience and sovereignty personified and condensed; to ponder them united with eternity, infinite power, unerring wisdom, omnipresence, and all sufficiency; to ponder all these natural and moral perfections indissolubly united and blended in sweet harmony in one pure, spiritual being, and that being placed on the throne of the universe to ponder this would be happiness enough to fill the mind of any creature in existence! 

But in addition to this, to have this ineffable Being for my God, my portion, my all; to be permitted to say, "This God is my God forever and ever!" to have His resplendent countenance smile upon me; to be encircled in His everlasting arms of power and faithfulness and love; to hear His voice saying to me, "I am yours and you are Mine! Nothing shall ever pluck you from My hands or separate you from My love, but you shall be with Me where I am, behold My glory, and live to reign with Me forever and ever!" 

This is too much! It is honor, it is glory, it is happiness too overwhelming, too transporting for mortal minds to conceive, or for mortal frames to support! In Heaven, the saints will be entirely lost and swallowed up in God, and their minds will be so completely absorbed in the contemplation of His ineffable, infinite, uncreated glories! Oh, then, what must it be, to escape forever from error and ignorance and darkness and sin into the region of bright, unclouded, eternal day! 

What must it be, to behold your God and Redeemer face to face! What must it be, to continually to contemplate, with immortal strength glories so dazzlingly bright, that one moment's view of them would now, like a stream of lightning, turn your frail bodies into dust! What must it be, to see the eternal volume of the divine counsels, the mighty map of the divine mind, unfolded to your eager, piercing gaze! What must it be, to explore the heights and depths, the lengths and breadths of the Redeemer's love and still to see new wonders, glories, and beauties pouring upon your minds in constant, endless succession, calling forth new songs of praise songs in which you will unite with the innumerable choirs of angels, with the countless myriads of the redeemed, all shouting with a voice like the voice of many waters, "Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns!" 

 [Edward Payson]

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Song of Soloman 6:3 ... I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.

John 10:28 ... And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

1 Corinthians 13:12 ... For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Revelation 19:6 ... And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.❤

Bearing One Another's Burdens

 My very dear,

Breathe, Holy Comforter, on our souls that they may be quickened. Breathe in providences, that we may be edified by them. Breathe in the written Word that we may be instructed. Breathe on the Rose of Sharon, the Incarnate Word, that by the fragrance thereof our souls may be revived and refreshed. Breathe upon these hearts, that we may commune sweetly in and of, the Beloved, for His glory, and our soul-strengthening. Amen, amen. "Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread abroad. Let my lover come into His garden and taste its choice fruits." (Song of Songs 4:160

Jesus is the never-tiring theme! It is He who is the precious stone, wherever He turns, he succeeds. (Proverbs 17:8) On the mount of high communion He is precious. In the valley of humiliation, He is precious. Also, unto you who believe, He is precious. Faith is the "Christ-receiving grace." By faith we apprehend Him, by faith we know more and more of His preciousness; by faith we have the felt benefit of His blood and righteousness, (Romans 3:22, 25) and by faith we cast anchor on this Rock, when to sense and feeling all is dark and stormy.

Ah! indeed there are seasons in experience when we can neither see nor hear nor feel Him whom our souls love and long for; and all within seems barren and powerless then is the trial of faith, and the time for its exercise. If we are walking by sense, our confidence will be shaken, and we shall draw wrong conclusions (Isaiah 9:14;) but if faith prevails, we shall not be greatly moved. The soul does not voluntarily choose to be "a spring shut up, a fountain sealed," neither, if under self-direction, would it prefer to travel "three days in the wilderness and find no water." We would rather linger always at Elim, beside the wells and the palm-trees. Thus, sense would grow mightily, and faith become weak for lack of exercise. But He who ordains all our encampments, and who is to us "instead of eyes," knows best where to lead us; having determined that "faith, though the smallest, shall surely be tried."

Therefore, my beloved and longed-for, "think it not strange concerning the trial, which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you." Whether that trial be inward exercise from indwelling sin, or the fiery darts of the wicked one, or outward affliction, or something in prospect which makes the heart tremble; for all these, and every other, we have the promise, "My grace is sufficient for you, my strength is made perfect in weakness."

What can be weaker than a worm? Yet the Lord says, "Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. I am holding you by your right hand I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, do not be afraid. I am here to help you." "But now, O Israel, the Lord who created you says Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior!" (Isaiah 41:13, 14; 43:1-3)

These are sweet cordials for a time of weakness and trial. May the Lord fulfill them in your experience, and grant that your faith fails not. May you be kept instant in prayer, "watching thereunto with all perseverance" to learn the mind of the Lord respecting you. Times of trial are inquiring times. See Genesis 25:22, 23; 1 Samuel 23:2, 4, 11; 1 Samuel 30:8; 2 Chronicles 18:4; Job 10:2. There are those now living who can testify to the Lord's glory, that they have found a great blessing, in the close dealing with God to which they have been brought by afflictive dispensations under the Divine exercising (Hebrews 12:11) of the Holy Spirit. It is spoken of ancient Israel that "the more they were afflicted, the more they multiplied and grew." Often, indeed, is it thus with the spiritual seed of Abraham, being "chastened of the Lord" there is growth out of SELF into Christ. Blessed is it when we turn our face to the wall; that is, away from every creature expectation, and pour out our hearts before Him. One who did so, in the bitterness of his soul, had afterwards thankfully to say, "O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit; so, will You recover me, and make me to live." The Lord grants you like experience, that with me you may have to say, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted."

My heart earnestly desires for you that the present afflictive dispensation, and what may be approaching, may be very much sanctified, that the Lord's name may be glorified, and you come forth as gold, saying, "I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right, and that you in faithfulness have afflicted me;" (Psalm 119:75) and heartily choosing, as Moses did, "to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." (Hebrews 11:25)

"For though our cup seems mixed with gall, there's something secret sweetens all."

Is it not so? Have you not found some drops of Divine love in this bitter cup? May the Beloved further show Himself through this lattice, and walk with you in this furnace, causing some fetters to be burned off, that you may freely walk in the way of His commandments. It is better to walk with Jesus in the fire, than to walk after the flesh in the slippery places of worldly indulgence and carnal security. I trust He has a special favor towards you and means to have you walk very closely with Himself. Would that I could speak more worthily of our precious Well-Beloved, who may safely be trusted in the flood and in the flame. Praise Him, O our souls. Adieu, much-beloved.

Your very affectionately,
Ruth.

[To E. M., September 25, 1850]

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True Friends

It occurred to Pooh and Piglet that they hadn't heard from Eeyore for several days, so they put on their hats and coats and trotted across the Hundred Acre Wood to Eeyore's stick house. Inside the house was Eeyore.

"Hello Eeyore," said Pooh.

"Hello Pooh. Hello Piglet," said Eeyore, in a Glum Sounding Voice.

"We just thought we'd check in on you," said Piglet, "because we hadn't heard from you, and so we wanted to know if you were okay."

Eeyore was silent for a moment. "Am I okay?" he asked, eventually. "Well, I don't know, to be honest. Are any of us really okay? That's what I ask myself. All I can tell you, Pooh and Piglet, is that right now I feel really rather Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All. Which is why I haven't bothered you. Because you wouldn't want to waste your time hanging out with someone who is Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All, would you now."

Pooh looked at Piglet, and Piglet looked at Pooh, and they both sat down, one on either side of Eeyore in his stick house.

Eeyore looked at them in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"We're sitting here with you," said Pooh, "because we are your friends. And true friends don't care if someone is feeling Sad, or Alone, or Not Much Fun to Be Around at All. True friends are there for you anyway. And so here we are."

"Oh," said Eeyore. "Oh." And the three of them sat there in silence, and while Pooh and Piglet said nothing at all; somehow, almost imperceptibly, Eeyore started to feel a very tiny little bit better.

Because Pooh and Piglet were There.

No more; no less.

[A. A. Milne]

Song of Solomon 8:13 ... Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it. ❤

Sweet.

God is the quintessence of delight, all beauty, and love. Holy meditation draws out His sweetness like a bee drinking nectar from a flower.  Nothing is sweet without Him: He perfumes and sanctifies our comforts. 

[Thomas Watson]

Proverbs 16:24 ... Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

Song of Solomon 5:13 ... His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.❤

Spiritual Beauty

Paul enjoins that, "whatsoever things are lovely" shall be in the vision of life, into which we aim to fashion our character. We are to follow in the footsteps of our Master. Jesus Himself was, "Altogether lovely!" (Song of Songs 5:16)

 

Humanity was made to be beautiful. God's ideal for man was spotless loveliness; man was made at first, in God's image. But sin has left its foul trail everywhere! We see something of its debasement wherever we go. What ruins sin has wrought! All of Christ's work of grace, is towards the restoration of the beauty of the Lord in His people. Spiritual beauty is holiness. Nothing unclean is lovely. 

Character is Christ-like, only when it is beautiful. All the precepts of the Bible are towards the fashioning of beauty in every redeemed life. We are to put away all that is sinful, all marring, every blot and blemish, every unholy desire, feeling and affection, everything that would defile- and put on whatsoever is lovely and Christ-like. 

The one great work of Christ in Christian lives, is the fashioning of holiness in them. We are to grow away from our deformities, our faults, our infirmities, our poor dwarfed stunted life into spiritual beauty! 

[J.R. Miller] 

1 John 3:2-3 ... Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

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Heaven-Entitled Souls

No one word can fully express all that God has done for my soul, though in general it may be described as saved. Saved! Ah, that is a grand word worthy of being written in letters of gold! A saved soul includes many things I can only mention them: 

1. A saved soul is a God-pardoned soul. All its sins are forgiven, and its iniquities are drowned in that deluge of pardoning love that rises high above the topmost peaks of all its mountain sins! 

 

2. A saved soul is a God-reconciled soul. Once at enmity, God and the sinner are now at peace. All differences are at an end. The prodigal sinner has been embraced and kissed by the father. The rebel has thrown down his weapons, and bent his knee to the Monarch and the Monarch has raised him up, and with a smile of love, has put him among His children. If I may so express it, God and the sinner have met and shaken hands beneath the shadow of the cross! They are at at-one-ment there. 

3. A saved soul is also a sin-delivered soul. This is something more than pardon, or reconciliation. It is a higher blessing. Pardon remits the punishment of sin, but leaves the guilt of sin. But justification acquits the person of every charge. Believer, your sins are not merely forgiven but they are done away with, put out of sight, removed from you as far as the remotest east is from the extreme west! In the eye of God, you are as guiltless as His spotless Son! "You are altogether beautiful, My love; there is no flaw in you!" (Song of Songs 4:7) 

4. A saved soul is also a God-arrayed soul. This is higher still. The former blessing was a negation of guilt, this is a possession of righteousness. A righteousness, mark you, that is not capable of improvement, but a righteousness that is superlative in its quality, it is the righteousness of God Himself! A saved soul, even to the omniscient eye of Deity, is not only without spot or wrinkle or any such thing but it is altogether lovely and glorious, robed in the splendor of "Jehovah Tsidkenu," "The Lord our Righteousness!" 

5. A saved soul is a Heaven-entitled soul. This crowns all. Not merely am I delivered from Hell, but in my hand is placed a title-deed to eternal glory! This is no fiction or flight of imagination, but a blessed fact. Possessed by every saint, is a title to Heaven that God Himself will declare to be valid to all eternity. Now believer, if all these things are included in what God has done for our souls, then did I not say rightly that many words were necessary to describe the work? Let us then, as God-pardoned, God-reconciled, Sin-delivered, God-arrayed, Heaven-entitled souls call on all, far and near, to come and listen to our joyous tale. 

God looks upon His redeemed people as the masterpieces of His love and power; and He will before assembled worlds exhibit us as the grandest trophies Heaven contains! 

 [Archibald Brown] 

Psalm 66:16 ... Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

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Altogether Lovely!!

Why does the world reject the wondrous Savior? Why do they abhor Him who is altogether lovely, and hate Him who is the best Friend of sinners? O men of the world! what good can you desire which is not in Christ? The excellencies of earth are but His footstool; the excellencies of Heaven are but His throne! How excellent, then, must He Himself be! 

His treasures are infinite and open for you! In Jesus are riches if you are poor; honor if you are despised; friendship, if you are forsaken; help if you are injured; mercy if you are miserable; joy if you are disconsolate; protection if you are in danger; deliverance if you are a captive; life if you are mortal; and all things if you have nothing at all. 

Time and eternity are His and He can give you all the glorious things of eternity! Moreover, He can deliver you from all your fears; from sin the worst of all evils; from self the most hurtful of all companions; from death the most dreadful of all changes; from Satan the most subtle of all enemies; from Hell the most horrible of all prisons; and from wrath the most horrifying doom of all sinners! Now, where will you find such a one as Jesus? Why, then, refuse life, and seek after death and damnation? 

 

All Heaven is enamored with His beauty! The longer we look on 'created gaieties', the leaner and less lovely they grow; so that, by the time we have viewed them forty, fifty, or sixty years we see nothing but vanity in the creature! But when ten thousand ages are employed in beholding the perfection and beauty of Jesus, He still appears more and more lovely even altogether lovely! Alas! I can say nothing of His true excellencies! They overwhelm my laboring thought, and are too vast for my feeble conception to bring forth!

[James Meikle]

Song of Solomon 5:16 ...  His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

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