Songs 3:4-5 It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loves: I held him, and would not let him go… I. Before we actually come to our text, we may notice THREE PRELIMINARY STEPS IN THE SPOUSE'S PROGRESS. 1. The first one is implied in the words, "I love Him." She refers to her Beloved under the title of "Him whom my soul loveth." Can you give the Lord Jesus that title? 2. Then, in the spouse's progress, there came another step, "I sought Him." Can you put your finger on that sentence and say,. "That is true, too"? Have you been seeking Him this Sabbath day? Are you coming to His table to-night seeking Him? 3. Then comes in a little minor or mournful music, for the next clause is, "I sought Him, but I found Him not." The spouse is so sad about it that the tells out her woe twice, "I sought Him, but I found Him not." Do you know that experience? I hope you are not realizing it at this time; but many of us have known what it is. Our Lord Jesus Christ would not have us think little of His company; and, sometimes, it is only as we miss it that we begin to appreciate the sweetness of it. If we always had high days and holidays, we might not be so thankful when our gala days come round. II. Inside the text, there are THREE FURTHER STEPS: "I found Him," "I held Him," "I brought Him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me." 1. This is the first of the second series of steps, "I found Him." I do not wish to stand here and speak for myself, alone; but I want, beloved, that you should each one of you also say, "I love Him," "I sought Him," and now, "I have found Him." What is meant by the words, "I found Him"? Well, I think a soul may say, I found Him, in the sense employed in the text, when first of all it has a clear view of His Person. My Beloved is Divine and human, the Son of God, and yet the Son of man. Let your soul picture Him so plainly that you can seem to see Him, for this will be a part of your finding Him. But that will not be enough; you must then get to know that He is present with you. We cannot see Him, but yet He that walketh amidst the golden candlesticks is, in spirit, in this house of prayer at this moment. If you can get that thought fully into your minds, that Christ is really here in our midst, you can then each one begin to say, "I have found Him." But you want more than that, namely, to feel that He loves you, loves you as if there were nobody else for Him to love, loves you even as the Father loves Him. That is a daring thing to say, and I should never have said it if He had not first uttered it; but He says, "As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you." 2. Now we come to the second step. The spouse says, I held Him. This is a deeper experience than the former one; "I held Him" means more than "I found Him." How are we to hold Christ? Well, first, let us hold Him by our heart's resolve. Get you to Jacob's boldness when he said to the Angel of the Covenant, "I will not let thee go except thou bless me"; but go even beyond that, do not put in any "except" at all, but say, "I will not let Thee go, for I cannot be blessed if Thou art gone from me." Further, brethren, hold Him by making Him your all in all. Yield up everything to Him, be obedient to Him, be willing to suffer for Him, grieve not His Holy Spirit, crown Him, extol Him, magnify Him, keep on singing His praises, for so will you hold Him. Hold Him, too, by a simple faith. That is a wonderful hold-fast. One word more before we leave this point. The only way to hold Christ is to hold Him by His own power. Think of poor Jacob, who, when the angel did but touch him, felt his sinews shrink directly, yet he said, "I will not let thee go." And I, a poor trembling creature, may hold the Omnipotent Himself, and say to Him, "I will not let Thee go." How is that wonder to be accomplished? I will tell you. If Omnipotence helps you to hold Omnipotence, why, then, the deed is done! If Christ, and not you alone, holds Christ, then Christ is held indeed, for shall He vanquish His own Self? 3. The next step is described in the words, "I brought Him." With this we finish: "I brought Him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me." And where, I pray you, is our mother's house? I do not believe in any reverence for mere material buildings; but I have great reverence for the true Church of the Living God. The Church is the House of God, and the mother of our souls. How can you bring Christ to His Church? Partly, you can bring Him by your spirit. If you have really found Christ, and bring Him with you into the assembly, you will not be the man who will criticize, and find fault, and quarrel with your neighbour because he does not give you enough room in the pew. You will not be the person to pick holes in other people's coats; but you will be very considerate of others. As for yourself, anything will do for you, and anywhere will do for you, for you have seen the Beloved. You want other people to get as much good as they can; you are no longer selfish; how can you be, when you have found Him whom your soul loveth? And now your poor brother need not be very choice in the selection of his words; if he will only talk about Jesus, you will be quite satisfied; if his accents should be a little broken, you will not mind that. So long as you feel that he wishes to extol your Lord, that will be enough for you. So, in this manner, you will in spirit bring the Beloved to your mother's house, to the chamber of her that conceived you. But, dear friend, it will also be a happy thing if you are able to talk about your Lord, for then you can bring Him to the Church with your words. But if, alas! you feel that you cannot speak for Christ, then, beloved, bring Him by your prayers. ( C. H. Spurgeon.) Parallel Verses KJV: It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. |
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