The Royal Pair in Their Glorious Chariot

The Royal Pair in Their Glorious Chariot
A Sermon
(No. 482)
Delivered on Sunday Morning, November 30th, 1862, by
Rev. C. H. SPURGEON,
At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington
"Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?
Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about
it, of the valiant of Israel. They all hold swords, being expert in
war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the
night. King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. He
made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the
covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for
the daughters of Jerusalem. Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and
behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in
the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his
heart."–Solomons Song 3:6-11.
GREAT PRINCES IN THE EAST are in the habit of travelling in splendid
palanquins, which are at the same time chariots and beds. The person
reclines within, screened by curtains from public view; a body-guard
protects the equipage from robbers, and blazing torches light up the
path along which the travelers proceed. King Solomon, in this Song,
describes the Church of Christ, and Christ himself, as travailing
through the world in such a palanquin. The day is coming when both our
divine Lord and his chosen bride shall be revealed in glory before the
eyes of all men. The present age is the period of concealment–the
mystical Solomon and his beloved Solyma are both on earth, but they are
unseen of men; like the ark of old they dwell within curtains; only the
anointed priests of God can discern their beauties, and even these gaze
rather by faith than by sight. "Lo I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world," is certainly true, for Jesus is here; but equally
correct is that word of Peter, "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom,
though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy
unspeakable and full of glory." He is here in the reality, power, and
influence of his presence, but he is not here as to the visibility of
his kingdom and person, for we wait with our loins girt about, and with
patience of hope, until the revelation of Jesus Christ. The portion of
the blessed canticle now before us is, we think, descriptive of the
progress of the hidden Christ through the world. He has been borne
along, in very truth, but he himself has been so little perceived of
men, that they even ask the question, "Who is this that cometh out of
the wilderness?" He is not now manifested openly to men. If any should
say, "Lo here!" or "Lo there! this is Christ!" believe them not, for
Christ is not as yet seen. When he doth come he shall be as perceptible
as the lightning's flash, which every man's eye discerneth without the
need of an instructor. So, also, with his true Church. She also is
hidden like her Lord, and though her hand, her foot, or her face may be
sometimes seen, yet the whole elect body has never yet been beheld. If
any say, "Lo, here is the Church of Christ!" or "Lo there!" believe
them not, for it is a fact that there is no corporation of men of which
we can say exclusively or even universally, "Lo, this is the Church of
Christ." There are tares growing with the wheat in the best guarded
field, and on the other hand no one enclosure contains all the wheat.
The true Church of Christ is scattered here and there, it is found
amongst all denominations, and there is not one denomination of which
you can say, "This only is the Church of Christ, or all its members
belong to the body of Christ's spouse." Just now the mystical bride is
in a certain sense as invisible as her husband. Behold, then, the
betrothed ones carried through the world in the sumptuous chariot of
which we have to speak this morning.
I must now claim your attention while I notice, first, the glory of the
progress of Christ through the world, as described in the sixth verse;
secondly, the security of Christ's cause, as represented in thy seventh
and eighth; thirdly, the superlative excellence of it, as described in
the ninth and tenth; and lastly, our joyful duties with regard to it,
as openly declared in the eleventh.
I. First, then, THE MAGNIFICENT PROGRESS, THE GLORIOUS ON-GOING OF THE
CHURCH AND HER LORD THROUGH THE WORLD.
"Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the
merchant?" The equipage excites the attention of the on-looker; his
curiosity is raised, and he asks, "Who is this?" Now, in the first
progress of the Christian Church, in her very earliest days, there were
persons who marvelled greatly; and though they set down the wonders of
the day of Pentecost to drunkenness, yet "they were all amazed, and
were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?" In after
years, many a heathen philosopher said, "What is this new power which
is breaking the idols in pieces, changing old customs, making even
thrones unsafe-what is this?" By-and-bye, in the age of the
Reformation, there were cowled monks, cardinals in their red hats, and
bishops, and princes, and emperors, who all said, "What is this? What
strange doctrine has come to light?" In the times of the modern
reformation, a century ago, when God was pleased to revive his Church
through the instrumentality of Whitfield and his brethren, there were
many who said, "What is this new enthusiasm, this Methodism? Whence
came it, and what power is this which it wields?" And, doubtless,
whenever God shall be pleased to bring forth his Church in power, and
to make her mighty among the sons of men, the ignorance of men will be
discovered breaking forth in yonder, for they will say, "Who is this?"
Spiritual religion is as much a novelty now as in the day when Grecian
sages scoffed at it on Mars' Hill. The true Church of God is a stranger
and pilgrim still; an alien and a foreigner in every land; a speckled
bird; a dove in the midst of ravens; a lily among thorns.
The ignorance of men concerning spiritual things is not, however,
caused by the darkness of the things themselves, for Christ and his
Church are the great lights of the world. When great personages
traveled in their palanquins, and more especially on marriage
processions, they were attended by a number of persons who, at night,
carried high up in the air burning cressets which gave forth a blaze of
light. Sometimes these lights were simply torches carried in the hands
of running footmen; at other times they were a sort of iron basket
lifted high into the air, upon poles, from which went up a pillar of
smoke and flame. Our text says "Who is this that cometh out of the
wilderness like pillars of smoke?" a beautiful illustration of the fact
that wherever Christ and his cause are carried, light is a sure
accompaniment. Into whatsoever region the gospel may journey, her every
herald is a flash of light, her every minister a flaming fire. God
maketh his Churches the golden candlesticks, and saith unto his
children "Ye are the lights of the world," is certainly as ever God
said "Let there be light," and there was light over the old creation,
so does he say, whenever his Church advances, "Let there be light" and
there is light. Dens of darkness, where the bats of superstition had
folded their wings and hung themselves up for perpetual ease, have been
disturbed by the glare of these divine flambeaux; the innermost caverns
of superstition and sin, once black with a darkness which might be
felt, have been visited with a light above the brightness of the sun.
"The people which sat in darkness have seen a great light, and to them
which sat in the region and shadow of death light has sprung up." Thus
saith the Lord unto the nation where his kingdom cometh, "Arise, shine,
for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord hath risen upon thee!"
Bear ye the Church of Christ to the South Seas; carry Christ and his
spouse in his palanquin to the Caffre, the Hottentot, or the Esquimaux,
and everywhere the night of death is ended, and the morning with its
glorious dawn has come. High lift your lamps, ye servants of our Lord.
High lift up the cross of the Redeemer; for in him is light, and the
light in the life of men.
But you will tell me that our text rather speaks of "pillars of smoke"
than of sparkling lamps. Brethren, the smoke is but the effect of the
flame, and even the pillar of smoke is luminous. What is the smoke that
has attended the Church? What but the deaths of her martrys, the
sufferings of her confessors, the patient endurance of her valiant
sons? Wherever she goes, the thick smoke of her suffering goeth up to
heaven. "We are alway delivered unto death," said the apostle. The
cause of truth involves a perpetual sacrifice; her smoke ascendeth for
ever. Black smoke I say it is in the eye of man, but unto God it is a
sweet-smelling savor. Never did fat of rams, or the fat of kidnies of
fed beasts, smell so sweetly before the Most High as the faith, the
love, the courage, which has ascended up to heaven from the dauntless
heroes of the Church in past ages when at the stake they have been
faithful even unto death. Suffering, and grief, and woe are the lot of
the spouse of the despised and rejected Savior, but all these are as
things of nought if thereby she may scatter that terrible blackness
which blinds the face of man and makes him a stranger to his God.
It often happens that oriental monarchs of immense possessions, are not
content with burning common coals in these cressets, but frequently
consume sandal-wood and other woods which give forth a delightful
smell; or else, if they use ordinary coals, they sprinkle upon them
frankincense and myrrh, so that a delicious perfume is spread on all
sides. In the olden times, they also went to great expense in obtaining
drugs, which the merchants collected from all parts of the earth, and
these were carefully compounded into the renowned "powders of the
merchants," which yielded a delicious variety of delicate perfumes, not
to be produced by any one aromatic essence. Our inspired poet describes
the travelling procession of the royal pair and fails not to dwell upon
the delightful perfume of myrrh and frankincense, with all the powders
of the merchant, "which make the wilderness smell as a garden of
roses." Wherever the Church of Christ proceeds, though her pathway is a
desert, though she marches through a howling wilderness, she scatters
the richest perfume. The page of history were only worthy to be blotted
in oblivion were it not for the sweet odours which the Church has left
upon it. Look at all past ages, and the track of the Church is still
redolent with all the richest fragrance of human virtue and divine
grace. Wherever the Church advances she makes manifest the savor of the
knowledge of Christ in every place! Men believe in Jesus, and unto the
Lord faith has all the fragrance of myrrh. They love Jesus; and love in
the esteem of heaven is better than frankincense. Loving Christ they
endeavor to be like him, till patience, humility, brotherly-kindness,
truthfulness, and all things that are honest, lovely, and of good
repute, like "powders of the merchant," are spread abroad throughout
the whole earth. Tell me where the Church is not, and I will tell you
where sin reigns; tell me where Christ and his Church are carried, and
I will tell you where you shall find every virtue that can adorn
humanity, and every excellence that can magnify the excellence of the
grace of God. If you would find an antidote for the deadly exhalations
which lurk among this vorld's deserts of sin, if you would destroy the
foul pestilence which reigns in the darkness of heathenism, of Popery,
and of infidelity, cry unto the Mighty One–"Arise, thou unknown
traveler, arise, and bid thy servants carry thee into the midst of all
this misery and death! The light of thy flaming torches shall scatter
the darkness, and the buming of thy precious perfumes shall say unto
evil–'Fold thy wings!' and unto the pestilence of sin–'Get thee back
unto thy den!'"
Among the ten wonders which Jewish tradition ascribes to the temple, we
find that the rain never extinguished the fire of the wood which was
laid in order upon the altar, nor did the wind ever conquer the pillar
of smoke so as to disperse or bend it. Verily it is so with the Church
of God, as she cometh out of the wilderness: who shall quench her
flaming lamp, or stay the incense of her golden censers? Ride on, Great
Prince, and bear thy spouse with thee in thy majestic chariot, till
thou hast lit the world with thy divine light, and hast made it a
temple filled with a cloud of incense of sweet smell to the nostrils of
Jehovah!
II. We have, secondly, to notice THE SECURITY OF CHRIST'S CHURCH AT ALL
TIMES.
Of course when travelling through a wilderness, a royal procession was
always in danger of attack. Arabs prowled around; wandering Bedouins
were always prepared to fall upon the caravan; and more especially was
this the case with a marriage procession, because then the robbers
might expect to obtain many jewels, or, if not, a heavy ransom for the
redemption of the bride or bridegroom by their friends. What shall I
say of the attacks which have been made upon the Church of Christ, and
upon Christ himself? They have been incessant. When one form of evil
has been routed, another has presented itself. Evil teems with
children. The frogs and lice of Egypt were not more numerous than the
enemies of the Lord's anointed and his bride. Every day produces new
battles. These attacks arise from all quarters; sometimes from the
world, and sometimes, alas! from even professed members of the Church.
Adversaries lurk everywhere, and until the Church and her Lord shall be
revealed in the splendor of the Millennium, having left the wilderness
for ever, we must expect to find her molested on every side. My dear
brethren, we know that Christ's cause in the world is always safe
because of divine protection, and because the legions of God's angels
keep watch and ward over the saints. But we have something more
tangible than this. Our gracious God has been pleased to commit unto
men the ministry of Christ. "Unto the angels hath he not put in
subjection the world to come, whereof we speak." The Lord ordaineth
that chosen men should be the protectors of his Church; not that they
have any power as of themselves to do anything, but He girdeth the weak
with strength and maketh the feeble mighty; so then, men, even the sons
of men stand in array around the travelling palanquin of Christ, to
guard both the bridegroom and the bride.
Read the 7th and 8th verses carefully, and you will notice that there
are enough swordsmen. "Threescore valiant men are about it." There are
always enough men chosen of God to guard the Church. Poor Unbelief
holds up her hands and cries–"Ah! the good men are all dead; Zion is
under a cloud; the Lord hath taken away the great men; we have no
valiant defenders of the faith, none such as this crisis may require!"
Ah! Unbelief, let the Lord say unto thee as he did unto Elias–"Yet
have I left me seven-thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not
bowed unto Baal." There shall be just as many warriors as the crisis
shall require. We do not know where the men are to come from, but the
Lord will provide. There may be sitting in the Sunday school to-day a
child who shall one day shake this nation from one end to the other;
there may be even here, unknown, obscure, and unobserved, the man whom
God will make strong to rebuke the infamous infidelity of our age. We
know not where the anointing rests. We, in our folly, would anoint
Eliab or Abinadab, but God hath chosen David, the shepherd's boy, and
he will bring him forth and teach him how to hurl the stone at
Goliath's brow. Tremble not, neither be ye afraid; God who makes man
and makes man's mouth, will find the sixty men when the sixty shall be
needed. "The Lord gave the word, great was the company of them that
published it." The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh
shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
Observe that these warriors are men of the right mettle. "Yes," says
poor trembling Little-Faith, "we have hosts of men, but they are not
like the greathearts of old; they have not the qualifications which the
age requires." Ah! but remember, about the bed of Solomon there are
"threescore valiant men;" and glory be unto my Master, while I may not
flatter the ministry, I must not dishonor him by believing that he has
left his Church without valiant defenders. There are Luthers still
living who bid defiance to all adversaries; men who can say, "We count
not our lives dear unto us that we may finish our course with joy, and
fulfill the ministry which the Lord hath delivered unto us." Fear not;
you may not at present know the valor of the Lord's body-guard, but
when the Church's battle grows hotter than just now, suddenly there
shall be seen a champion stalking to the front of the battle, and men
shall say, "Who is this? How he wields that battle-axe! How he splits
the armor of his foes! See how he piles them heaps on heaps, and mounts
that hill of slaughtered enemies to smite a greater foe! Who is this?"
And the answer shall be, "This is a man whom God hath found; the world
knew not of him, but God has trained him in the camps of Dan, and now
the Spirit moveth him to smite the Philistines.
"Ah!" I think I hear you say, "but though there may be so many men, and
men of the right sort, I am afraid they are not in the right place."
Look again at the text. It is written–"Threescore valiant men are
ABOUT IT;" that is, there are some on that side, and some on this, some
before, and some behind; they are all round the travelling chariot of
Christ. "I wish there might be one in our parish," says one. Pray for
him, and he who has promised to send you all good things may yet send
him to you. "Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that he may send forth
laborers into his harvest." It is singular how God sometimes raises a
mighty man, in this denomination, then in that, and then in the other.
Suppose any body of Christians should try to monopolize all the valiant
men themselves; why, they could not do it, because every side of the
royal bed must be guarded, and in his own place each man is set for the
defense of the gospel. The Church is compassed about with mighties, who
are under God to do great exploits. If the Lord guides the flight of
sparrows, surely he knows how to dispose his ministers; and let the
Church be well content to let them occupy their posts until the
wilderness is past, and the glory shall be revealed. The Church often
makes mistakes, and thinks she can make ministers, or at least choose
their position. She can do no such thing. God sends the valiant man;
all you can do is to recognize his valor, and accept him as your
champion; beyond that you cannot go; this is God's work, not man's. A
minister made by men, made valiant by human strength, had better betake
himself at once ignominiously to his tent, for his disgrace will be
certain. God who sends the men, knows where to put them, so that they
may stand round about the bed, and leave no corner unprotected.
Notice that these men are all well armed. The text says expressly,
"They all hold swords." What swords are these? Every valiant man in
Christ's Israel holds the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of
God. A man who is a good textuary will usually be a good divine; he who
draws from the treasury of the written word will find his spoken word
to be fruitful in profit to the people of God. If we use carnal reason;
if we rely upon refinement, argument, eloquence, or any other form of
the wisdom of man, we shall soon find our enemies will defeat us; but
to ply the Word right and left; to give gospel cuts and strokes such as
the devil himself cannot parry, this is to overcome the world through
the Word of God. Besides this, and here is an opportunity for you all
to carry swords–every valiant man in God's Israel carries the sword of
prayer, which is comparable to those huge two-handed swords of the
olden time, which the soldier lifted up and brought down with such
tremendous force, as to cleave a man in halves: prayer is a weapon
which no man can effectually resist. If you know how to use it, bring
it down upon your foeman's head, and woe unto him! I would to God that
in this Church there were found many of these valiant men of Israel!
Indeed, would God all the Lord's servants were prophets, that it might
be said of all of you that you hold swords. Your holy lives can be
swords with which to smite your enemies. The tongues with which you
speak of Christ lovingly, tenderly, persuasively–these may be weapons
against our common enemy. Oh that when we hear the muster roll at last,
it may be said of every Church-member that he held a sword! Do not
tremble, ye timid ones, for the ark of the Lord; neither let your fears
promote your unbelief; God knows full well how to give the right
weapons to the right men, and his Church shall be secure even to the
end.
Further, my brethren, these men are not only well armed, but thy are
well trained. They are all expert in war; men who have endured
temptations themselves; men whose souls have been exercised, men who
have slain both the lion and the bear, and are men of war from their
youth. Christian ministers especially should be no novices, but both in
the school of temptation, and in some school of the prophets, they
should be disciplined for fight. May there be such found here! I look
out daily for such among you as are taught of God, and much of my time
is spent with our young soldiers to make them expert in war. O that the
Lord would hear my prayers and bless our college with men, and means,
and above all with his Spirit. Fools are not the men for this age. We
want a sound knowledge of doctrine, practical power in preaching, and a
thorough insight into the human heart; and where these by earnest
prayer can be found in a man and further developed by careful teaching,
we are bound to give our aid. Such men should be looked after, and no
pains should be spared to bring them forth; in fact, dear friends, you
ought to think it a high honor to be allowed to help in putting such
men into working order. Oh! how I groan to get my friends to feel the
importance of sending out trained young ministers. I give my time and
my substance cheerfully, but when will the Christian Church help in
this matter as it should?
Further, these men were not only well-trained, but you will see that
they were always ready. Each man has his sword upon his thigh, ready to
be drawn forth. I know some nominal ministers who seem to me to carry
no sword at all. They keep a sheath, a very handsome sheath, with a
hilt at the top and a stick inside. What is the good of such men? We
want men to have swords in their sheaths, men who can speak with power,
and have the demonstration of the Spirit and the power thereof resting
upon them. Such men should wear their swords where they are to be got
at, so that when the adversary comes they may dash at him at once.
Rejoice, O daughter of Zion, thy Lord hath not left thee, even at this
day, without some such men!
Observe also that these men were watchful, for "they had their sword on
their thigh because of fear in the night." They never sleep, but watch
always for the Church's interest. Pray ye that the Lord may raise up
many such, who night and day with tears shall watch for the souls of
men, and against the enemies of our Israel.
Dear friends, some of you may at times be alarmed when you hear of
attacks made upon the Bible. At one time it was thought that ethnology
would prove that the human race could not be one; and Moses was
terribly abused by some who said it was not possible that all of us
could have come of one pair. That battle was fought, and you hear
nothing of it now; it is over; learning and argument in the hand of God
has routed those antagonists. Then they pelted us with shells, and
bones of lizards. Geology threatened to dig our graves; but we have
lived all through that struggle, and we have found geology to be a
great blessing, for it has shed a new light on the first chapter of
Genesis, and made us understand a great deal better what it meant.
Another Amalekite advances to combat; this time it is with figures and
numbers; we are to be speared with arithmetic, and slain with algebra!
And what will be the result of it? Why, it will do the Bible a world of
good, for we shall understand it better. I thank God whenever the Bible
is attacked; for all those who know the times and seasons, begin to
study just that part of Scripture more carefully, and then we get a
clearer light shed upon it, and we find ourselves more confirmed than
ever that this is the very truth, and that God hath revealed it to us.
"Well, but who will take this matter up?" I do not know, and I do not
particularly care, but I know my Master has his threescore valiant men
round about his bed, and that each man has his sword upon his thigh
because of fear in the night, and never mind what the battle may be,
the end of it will be for God's glory, and there shall be progress with
the chariot of Christ through that which seemed as if it must overthrow
it. Cast aside your fears; rejoice, and be glad, O daughter of Zion!
Thy Lord is with thee in the travelling chariot, and the threescore
valiant men are watching against thy foes.
III. Meanwhile, reposing in peace, let us notice THE EXCELLENCY OF THIS
CHARIOT IN WHICH JESUS RIDES.
It is not difficult to convey to persons the most unacquainted with
Eastern manners and customs, an idea of what this palanquin is. It is a
sort of large sedan in which one or two persons may recline with ease.
Of course, this palanquin could not be made of gold or silver, because
then it would be too heavy for carriage; it must be made of wood; hence
King Solomon made a bed, or chariot, or palanquin, of the wood of
Lebanon. Then there needs to be four pillars supporting the covering
and the curtains; the pillars thereof are of silver. The bottom of it
should be something massive, in order to sustain the weight of the
person; the bottom thereof is of gold. The canopy on the top, is a
covering of purple. Since to lie on gold would be very unpleasant, it
is covered with delicate, daintily wrought carpets; and so we have the
bottom thereof paved, or rather carpeted with love for the daughters of
Jerusalem. Some delicate devices of needlework adorn the bottom of this
bed-chariot in which the king and his spouse recline during their
journey.
The doctrines of the gospel are comparable, for their antiquity, for
their sweet fragrance, for their incorruptibility, to the wood of
Lebanon. The gospel of Christ never decays; Jesus Christ the same
yesterday, to-day, and for ever. Not one single truth, bears any sign
of rot. And to those souls that are enlightened from above, the gospel
gives forth a fragrance far richer than the wood of Lebanon.
"No beams of cedar or of fir,
Can with thy precious truth compare."
I rejoice to know concerning you as a Church, that the more you
understand the doctrines of grace the better you love them. You are
confirmed in the present faith, and well you may be, for our doctrine
is worthy of your confidence. We are not afraid that any truth which
Christ has uttered should be tried by the most stringent criticism, for
not one single stone of all the bulwarks of Gospel doctrine can ever be
removed out of its place. When cedars of Lebanon have yielded to the
worm, even then shall the truth as it is in Jesus remain the same.
As for the silver pillars which bear up the canopy, to what should I
liken them but to the attributes of God which support and guarantee the
efficiency of the great atonement of Christ beneath which we are
sheltered. There is the silver pillar of God's justice. He cannot, he
will not smite the soul that hides beneath the cross of Christ. If
Christ hath paid the debt, how is it possible that God should visit
again a second time the iniquity of his people, first on their Surety,
and then again on themselves? Then stands the next, the solid pillar of
his power. "They shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out
of my hand; my Father which gave them me is greater than all, and none
is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." Then on the other side
is the pillar of his love, a silver pillar indeed, bright and sparkling
to the eye; love unchanging and eternal, strong as the power and fast
as the justice which bear up the canopy on the other side. And here on
this side stands immutability, another column upon which the atonement
rests. If God could change, then might he cast away his blood-bought;
but "because I am God and change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob
rejoice." As for the covering of the chariot, it is of purple. I need
not tell you where it was dyed. No Tyrian hues are mingled here. Look
up, Christian, and delight thyself in that blood-red canopy which
shelters thee from the sun by day and from the moon by night! From hell
and heaven, from time and from eternity, art thou secured by this
covering which is of purple. Oh! tempting theme to dilate upon the
precious and glorious doctrine of atonement! Whenever our adversaries
assail the Church, whatever may be the apparent object of their
animosity, their real one is always the same, a desperate hatred to the
great truth that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them. Well, as they hate it, let us
love it; and under it let us take our greatest delight.
As for the bottom of this palanquin, which is of gold,–may not this
represent the eternal purpose and counsel of God, that purpose which he
formed in himself or ever the earth was? Pure was the decree of God,
holy, wise, just, for his own glory, and most true; and as the precious
things of the temple were all of gold, well may the basis of eternal
love, an immutable and unchangeable decree, be compared to much fine
gold. I do not know, brethren, how it is with you, but I find it most
pleasant to have as the basis of my hope, the firm decree of God.
Atonement covers me, I know, but still on this I must rest, Jehovah
wills it; God decrees it; he hath said it, and it must be done; he hath
commanded and it standeth fast. Oh! that golden sovereignty, whereon is
written–"I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy; it is not of him
that willeth, nor of him that runneth." Dear brethren, the Apostle
plainly tells us that this is the basis on which even the silver
pillars rest, "for he hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
Christ Jesus, according as he hath chosen us in him from before the
foundation of the world."
Then, to make this all soft and pleasant to recline upon, here is
pavement of needlework. Soft cushions of love on which to rest. There
is a double meaning here, for both the bride and bridegroom find rest
in love. Our Lord finds rest in the love of his people. "Here will I
dwell for ever." They do, as it were, make these carpets of needle-work
in their love and affection for him, and in their trust and confidence
in him; and here he rests. On the other hand, our Beloved spent his
life to work for us our bed of rest, so that we must translate it "love
of," as well as love for the daughters of Jerusalem." We rest in
Christ's love; he rests in our love. Come, I need not explain further,
brothers and sisters. Take your rest now to the full. You are married
unto Christ; you are one with him; betrothed unto him in faithfulness,
embraced in the arms of his affection. Fear not the noise of archers;
the "threescore valiant men" protect you, and the king himself embraces
you; now solace yourself with him; take your full of his sweet society,
and say unto him from the bottom of your heart, "Let him kiss me with
the kisses of his mouth, for his love is better than wine." Leave
fighting for the evidences to the valiant men who can do it; as for
you, ye daughters of Jerusalem, rest upon your Lord's bosom; leave
conflict to the men ordained to fight, the men expert in war; as for
you, be you expert in communion; understand the motions of Jesus'
heart; look unto the lustre of his loving eyes; behold his beauties; be
ravished with his divine affection to you; and now let your soul be
satisfied with favor, and be full of the lovingkindness of the Lord!
IV. We close, then, by noticing THE DUTY OF EVERY BELIEVING HEART
newest in connection with the subject.
Let every believer, while he recognizes himself as part of the Church
inside the palanquin, yet look upon himself personally as one of the
daughters of Zion, and let us each go forth this morning to meet King
Solomon. It is not King David; King David is the type of Christ up to
the time of his crucifixion–"despised and rejected of men, a man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief," and yet King of the Jews. King
Solomon is the type of Christ ever since the day when
"They brought his chariot from above,
To bear him to his throne."
and, with sound of trumpet, conducted him to his Father's
presence-chamber above. Now it is King Solomon; King Solomon for
wealth, for wisdom, for dignity, for honor, for peace. He is the
Wonderful, the Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the
Prince of Peace, and therefore is he King Solomon going forth. Get up
from your beds of sloth; rise from your chambers of ease; go forth, go
forth to pray, to labor, to suffer; go forth to live in purity, leaving
Babylon behind; go forth to walk with him alone, leaving even your
kinsfolk and acquaintance if they will not follow with you. Wherefore
tarriest thou at home when the King is abroad? "Behold the Bridegroom
cometh, come ye forth to meet him," and behold King Solomon. To-day let
your eye rest upon him. Let your eye behold the head that to-day is
crowned with glory, wearing many crowns. Behold ye, too, his hands
which once were pierced, but are now grasping the scepter. Look to his
girdle where swing the keys of heaven, and death, and hell. Look to his
feet, once pierced with iron, but now set upon the dragon's head.
Behold his legs, like fine brass, as if they glowed in a furnace. Look
at his heart, that bosom which heaves with love to you, and when you
have surveyed him from head to foot exclaim, "Yea, he is the chief
among ten thousand, and altogether lovely." Does sin prevail? Behold
King Solomon. Have doubts and fears arisen? Behold King Jesus. Are you
troubled, and does your enemy annoy you? Look up to him, behold king
Solomon. I pray you remember the light in which you are to behold him.
Do not think that Christ has lost his former power. Behold him as he
was at Pentecost, with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in
the day of his espousals. Oh! how glorious was our Lord when the Church
crowned him with her zeal, and the arrows went abroad, and three
thousand fell slain by his right hand to be made alive by the breath of
his mouth! Oh, how these early saints crowned him, when they brought of
their substance and laid it at the apostle's feet, neither did any man
count that ought he had was his own. They crowned him with their
heart's purest love; the Church had on her brow her bridal-wreath, and
her husband wore his nuptial crown. Behold him to-day as wearing that
crown still, for he is the same Christ, and do you go forth to meet
him, and labor for him, and love him as the first saints did.
Forget not that his mother is to crown him soon in the day of his
espousals. He is our brother as well as our husband, and the Church is
his mother as well as ours. Oh! she is to crown him soon! The day of
his espousals draweth nigh. Hark! I hear the trumpet sound! Jesus
comes, and his feet stand upon Mount Olivet; kings and princes lick the
dust before him; he gathers sheaves of sceptres beneath his arm even as
the mower gathereth wheat with the sickle. He treadeth on
principalities and powers, the young lion and the dragon doth he
trample under foot. And now his saints cry, "Hosanna, blessed is he
that cometh in the name of the Lord." The long-expected one is come,
and his mother crowns him in the day of his espousals! Courage, poor
heart, courage! Go forth and see King Solomon to-day as he is to lie,
and remember,
"It doth not yet appear
How great we shall be made;
But when we see our Savior here,
We shall be like our Head."
When we look on Him; let us rejoice that this is to be our glory. We
are to put off this sackcloth and put on scarlet and fine linen. The
dust is to be wiped from our brow and the sweat from our face; the
shackles are to be taken from our wrist, and the gyves from our legs;
and we are to be emancipated, ennobled, glorified, made partners with
Christ in all his splendor, and taught to reign with him world without
end.
But there are some here that I can hardly call the daughters of
Jerusalem, yet they are always round about Zion's gate. Oh, there are
many of you who are always listening to our voice, and joining in our
hymns, and yet you have not seen our Master yet! Go forth; leave your
sinful pleasures, and leave your self-righteousness too; go forth and
behold King Solomon. Look to Jesus, sinner, bleeding on the cross, and
as thou lookest, love and trust; and I know that as soon as thou hast
seen him and trusted him, thou wilt have a crown to put upon his head.
It will be the day of thine espousal unto him, and thou wilt crown him
with such a crown. Thou wilt decorate that crown with jewels dug from
the secret mine of thy deepest heart, and having made this crown, thou
wilt put it on his head, and fall down before him and sing–
"All hail the power of Jesu's name,
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown him Lord of all."
Well, then, we will lay aside every fear, and continue all the day
gazing upon our matchless Christ, adoring him, exalting him, and having
fellowship with him; for all is well; his travelling chariot is always
safe, and soon will he step out of it with his bride at his right hand,
and the world shall be astonished to behold the beauties of the royal
pair when he shall be exalted, and they that are with him, before the
presence of his Father and all the holy angels!