Christ's Estimate of His Church # 1

Christ's Estimate of His Church # 1

"You are absolutely beautiful, My love; there is no spot in you!" (Song of Solomon 4:7).

Solomon's Song represents the love of Christ to His people, His admiration of them, and communion with them. Every spiritual person more or less understands it; but it requires deep spirituality, much intimacy with Jesus, and some knowledge of the manners and customs of the East - to fully enter into it. It is a most precious part of God's inspired Word. In the Old Testament, it is like Paradise among the gardens, or the tree of life among the trees of that garden. May the Holy Spirit lead us into it, and favor us with the rich enjoyment of the fellowship represented by it.

The OBJECT of Christ's love, is His Church.

All that were given to Him by His Father.

All that are redeemed by His most precious blood.

All that are quickened and sanctified by His Holy Spirit.

Such He calls "My love." He compares them to a lovely and delicate woman.

In His view - she is incomparably beautiful; but in her own eyes - she is black, unsightly as the tents of Kedar. She sees so much of her own inward depravity, and feels so much of the working of the law of sin in the members - that she often loathes herself, and lying low at His feet, exclaims, "Behold, I am vile!"

In her conduct, she is represented as at times unstable and unkind; refusing to rise from the pillow of ease to admit her Beloved, though He was saturated with the dews, and called to her, saying, "Open to me, my love!" She was drowsy and cold, so that He had to call to her, invite her, and exhort her to rise up and accompany Him to enjoy the pleasures He had provided for her.

She was as timid as the dove, without heart or courage; which led Him to say, "My dove, who is in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me hear your voice, let me see your countenance; for sweet is your voice, and your countenance is lovely."

She was too pleased, intimate, and affected with the company of others; in consequence of which, he calls to her, saying, "You who dwell in the gardens with friends in attendance, let ME hear your voice!"

How exactly like us - so unstable, so unkind to Jesus, so dull and drowsy, so timid and fearful, so much taken up with the things of time. Yet her love to Him was sincere - and so is ours. We do love Him - though not so ardently as we wish. We are sincere - and we can often say, "You know all things - You know that I love You!" Even at the lowest, we can say, "You know that I desire to love You."

Yes, Jesus has our hearts; if we love anyone - we love Him. If we desire union with anyone - it is with Him. If we enjoy the company of anyone - it is His company. We have loved Him ever since He was made known to us by His Holy Spirit, and we love Him still. There have been interruptions in the exercises of our love - but it is still embedded in our hearts. We can find no substitute for Jesus, nor do we desire to find any. He is all our salvation - and all our desire. if we could love Him as we wish - our souls would be all on flame, and always on flame, with love to Him!

The ESTIMATE Jesus has of His Church is, that she is absolutely beautiful, and without spot. "You are absolutely beautiful, my love." He views her now as she will be by-and-bye. She will be absolutely beautiful and faultless; as it is written, "Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word, and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish - but holy and blameless!"

He looked upon her with a lover's eyes - which overlooked all her defects, and fixed only on her excellencies. He admired the work of His own SPIRIT in her. That work is a holy work; a beautiful work; a work of the highest excellence. It produces love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, and faith - all of which are lovely in the eyes of Jesus.

~James Smith~

(continued with # 2)