_I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys._ THE BEST OF THE BEST It is a marvellous stoop for Christ, who is “God over all, blessed for ever,” and the Light of the universe, to say, “I am a rose; I am a lily.” O my blessed Lord, this is a sort of incarnation, as when the Eternal God di... [ Continue Reading ]
_As the lily among thorns, so is My love among the daughters._ THE LILY AMONG THORNS I. First, I think my text very beautifully sets forth the relation of the Church and of every individual to Christ. He styles her, “My love.” An exquisitely sweet name; as if His love had all gone forth of Him, an... [ Continue Reading ]
_As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my Beloved among the sons._ THE APPLE TREE IN THE WOOD The point of the metaphor is this. There are many trees of the forest, and they all have their uses, but when one is hungry, and faint, and thirsty, the forest trees yield no succour, and w... [ Continue Reading ]
_He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love._ THE CHRISTIAN’S POSITION OF PRIVILEGE It is a great thing to be a Christian. It is a great thing in view of the personal change wrought in him who sustains this character. He was once lost, he now is found. It is a great thin... [ Continue Reading ]
_Comfort me with apples._ AN APPLE The term “apple” is a conventional one. By the ancients it was applied indiscriminately to every round fleshy fruit. We require to take into account this extended application of the term, in order to understand the metaphorical allusions to the apple in ancient po... [ Continue Reading ]
_By the roes, and by the hinds of the field._ THE ROES AND THE HINDS The spouse was in the full enjoyment of fellowship with her Beloved. Her joy was so great as almost to overpower her, and yet, so nearly does fear tread upon the heels of joy, she was filled with dread lest her bliss should come... [ Continue Reading ]
_The voice of my Beloved._ THE VOICE OF THE BELOVED I. When Christ is away from the soul of the believer, he sits alone. Whatever he the mountains of Bether that have come between his soul and Christ--whether he hath been seduced into his old sins that “his iniquities have separated again between h... [ Continue Reading ]
RISE UP, MY LOVE, MY FAIR ONE, AND COME AWAY. FOR, LO, THE WINTER IS PAST, THE RAIN IS OVER AND GONE. A Sermon for Spring The works of creation are pictures to the children of God of the secret mysteries of grace. The very seasons of the year find their parallel in the little world of man within. E... [ Continue Reading ]
_The vines with the tender grape give a good smell _ THE TENDER GRAPES The vine is of all trees the most useless unless it bears fruit. You cannot make hardly anything of it; you would scarcely be able to cut enough wood out of a vine to hang a pot upon; you cannot turn it into furniture, and bare... [ Continue Reading ]
_O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice._ A SERMON FOR LENT My text contains a parable. The parable is one easy for us to realize. There rises somewhere in the Jewish land a mountain of rock, and it rises... [ Continue Reading ]
_Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes._ THE LITTLE FOXES The fox in the vineyard is exceedingly destructive. The food of that animal is not merely flesh, but honey and fruits, particularly grapes; and the young foxes not merely devour the fruit... [ Continue Reading ]
_My Beloved is mine, and I am His._ THE INTEREST OF CHRIST AND HIS PEOPLE IN EACH OTHER The Church says concerning her Lord, “My beloved _is _mine and I _am_ His.” No “ifs,” no “buts.” The two sentences are solemn assertions. Not “I hope, I trust, I think;” but, my Beloved _is _mine, and I _am _Hi... [ Continue Reading ]
_Until the day break, and the shadows flee away._ DARKNESS BEFORE THE DAWN The spouse sings, “Until the day break, and the shadows flee away,” so that the beloved of the Lord may be in the dark. A child of God, who is a child of light, may be for a while in darkness; first, darkness comparatively,... [ Continue Reading ]