May 13
4
Fit for the Bride!
(Henry Law, “Psalms” 1878)
“For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the meek with salvation.”
Psalm 149:4
It is the wonder of wonders that the
great and glorious God should stoop
to regard such creatures as we are.
But wonder is immeasurably magnified
when we are taught that thoughts of us
are pleasure to Him.
Not only does He take pleasure in His people,
He beautifies the meek with salvation!
Meekness is their lovely characteristic.
This grace proves them to be followers of Him
who avows Himself as meek and lowly in heart.
Beautiful robes of salvation are prepared for
them. These garments are heavenly in structure,
fit for the Bride, the Lamb’s wife, suited to
adorn the palace of our God.
“Oh, I am heavy laden! Faith’s eye is growing dim;
I wander on in darkness, groping in vain for Him;
For Him whom my soul loveth, for Him who died to be
A sacrifice for sinners, a Fount of life to me.
“Sweet dove of downy plumage, I pray you bid me hide
In clefted rocky shadows, close to Your wounded side!
Your voice of silver sweetness, Your face of beauty rare,
I seek in secret places the- ‘secret of the stair.’
“I hear them! hear the sweet words, He whispereth to me
His words of loving welcome, forgiveness full and free.
Once more His face appeareth, in answer to my prayers,
And thus in joy I learn it, that ‘secret of the stairs.’
“That precious, precious secret- He writes it deep within
Of peace and joy abounding, and victory over sin;
But in the inner temple, where burns the altar flame,
In word of light is graven, His new, His wondrous name.
“The ‘stairs’ were painful climbing, when first my weary feet
Essayed, untried, to mount them, an unknown God to meet;
But now His arm is round me, and light and free as air,
I mount with wing unwearied, and reach the topmost ‘stair.’
“O Lord of life unending, of daily life the key,
Be food, and drink, and manna, and living grace to me!
Walk with me all my journey, be round me everywhere;
But give Your conscious presence, in ‘secret on the stair.’
“For life is ever cloud-land, and only they who know
Your guiding eye can follow, where You would have them go.
One secret of the staircase, appears a beacon star
To shine upon Your pilgrims, to guide them from afar.
“And fierce and sharp the battle, which those who would engage
To be Your crested warriors, for life and death must wage;
But armor of God’s forging, which every conqueror wears,
Is stored in secret places, the ‘secret of the stairs.’
“When sorrow’s chilling fingers, turn hearts and memories cold,
When sad remembrance lingers, on voices loved of old,
Lo, on the ‘stairs’ there sits, all white in angel sheen,
Pale Resignation singing sweet, hymns our sobs between.
“A storehouse overflowing, with choicest heavenly things,
From which the dear Lord daily, His priceless mercy brings;
A sheltered nook where comes; nor doubt, nor fear, nor care,
Earth knows no safer hiding, than that behind the ‘stair.’
“Dead world, there is a secret, known only unto me,
A sweet and thrilling secret- I cannot tell it thee;
But if you too would learn it, would catch it unawares,
Go, seek as I have sought it, ‘in places of the stairs.’
“O Dove! my Dove I know You! I see Your lovely face,
I hear Your honeyed accents; of truth, and love, and grace;
The smile of peace You give; is fair, exceeding fair;
This is the choicest ‘secret’ that lingers on the ‘stair.’
“No more I walk in darkness, no more my footsteps stray;
The Rock whose cooling shadow, falls over all my way,
Is full of clefts for hiding, and secrets of the stair,
And rest is mine, and glory; the Lord is with me there!
“Here hiding safe forever, within this sacred shade,
Nor sin, nor death, nor torment; can bid me be afraid;
For I have learned the ‘secret’; sought long with tears and prayers,
A present help Christ dwells in, the ‘places of the stairs.’
(Mary Winslow)
“In your Surety you are free,
His dear hands were pierced for thee;
With His spotless vesture on,
Holy as the Holy One.
“Oh, the heights and depths of grace,
Shining with meridian blaze;
Here the sacred records show
Sinners black, but lovely too!” John Kent
Christ’s Estimate of His Church
James Smith, 1865
“You are absolutely beautiful, My love; there is no spot in you!” Song of Solomon 4:7
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 exercise 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.
“There is no spot in you.” His perfect righteousness covers her — and hides every spot! Looking upon herself, she exclaims, “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags!” Very unfit to be the bride of Him who is the brightness of the Father’s glory, and the express image of His person. But, looking upon herself in Jesus, she says, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall be joyful in my God; for 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!”
Precious Savior! You not only worked out this magnificent garment — but You put it upon our souls with your own hands! He has clothed me; He has covered me. Yes! Jesus makes us lovely — and then calls us so. His own graces adorn His beloved, His blood-bought bride, until, as it is said by the prophet, “Your renown went forth for your beauty; for it was perfect through My loveliness which I put upon you, says the Lord God.”
Her perfect image was before Him — when He thus commended her, “You are absolutely beautiful, My love; there is no spot in you!” He saw the purpose of His Father fulfilled; the end of His work accomplished; as it is written, “For those God foreknew — He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. And those He predestined — He also called; those He called — He also justified; those He justified — He also glorified!”
The TITLE by which Jesus calls His Church is, “My love.” This expresses His choice of us, for He has chosen us to be His, from all around us. This expresses His preference of us, for He prefers His people to all the universe besides. This expresses His strong attachment to us, for His love is as strong as death, and stronger too. This expresses His high esteem of us, for He esteems His people even above angels. He saw the angels fall — and He did not take their nature to redeem them. But when His people fell — He assumed their nature, took their place, became their Substitute, died in their stead, went into heaven to plead their cause, and will soon come again to receive them to Himself! Well may He exclaim, “You have not chosen Me — but I have chosen you.” “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you.” O wondrous love! O more wondrous Lover!
Believer, Christ’s views of you — are not like your own. He speaks of you in very different language — from what you would speak of yourself. He says, you are “absolutely beautiful; there is no spot in you;” and what He calls you — He will make you! He calls things that are not, as though they were — to express the certainty of their being so; because He is determined and engaged to make them so.
We shall soon be all that Christ says that we are! All His purposes towards us — are love. All His thoughts of us — are thoughts of love. If Christ thinks thus of us — never mind what others think; His thoughts are right — theirs are wrong; His are wise — theirs are foolish; His shall be realized — theirs disappointed. Christ often commends — when man condemns. His apostles, the first believers, and the holy martyrs, were condemned by man, and considered unfit to live! But Jesus commended, sustained, and will reward them.
As Christ speaks to us on earth, so He speaks of us to His Father in heaven. There He pleads our cause — because He loves us; there He will carry our cause — for He has wisdom, weight, and worth enough to do it. He opens His heart, expresses His desire, utters His will; saying, “Father, I will that those whom You have given Me, shall be with Me where I am — that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” Blessed be Jesus for His love, His love to us; for the revelation of His love in the Word; especially by His Spirit in the heart!
Let us therefore close our meditation in the language of Jude, “Now unto Him who is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy; to the only wise God our Savior — be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever! Amen.”