Songs 2:3 As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight… I. WHAT IT IS TO SIT DOWN UNDER THE SHADOW OF CHRIST WITH GREAT DELIGHT. 1. A shadow is not prized by men, till some heat scorch them. The Church is here represented as faint and parched with heat. Our addresses to Christ always begin with a sense of our own want and misery. Ease is sweet to the burdened soul, and none seek rest in Christ to any purpose, but those that feel the load of their own sins (Matthew 11:28). 2. That which scorcheth poor distressed souls, is a sense of God's wrath: observe how fitly God s wrath is set forth by the scorching of the sun. God's goodness is exceeding great and large; yet this good God hath His wrath, which is set forth to us by the notions of a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29), and a burning oven (Malachi 4:1). The wrath of the living God is a dreadful thing, which consumeth and drieth up all, without recovery, unless we get a shelter from it. 3. Scorched souls can find no shelter nor refreshing shadow among the creatures; but only by coming to the spiritual apple tree, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. 4. Christ is a complete and comfortable shadow, the only screen between us and wrath. In Him alone we find refreshing, ease, and comfort. 5. Faith is necessary, that we may have the comfort of our shadow; for we make use of Christ by faith. There are three acts of faith: (1) They choose, consent, and own Christ as the only shadow. (2) They earnestly run to it. And (3) compose and quiet their hearts under it. 6. They meet not only with coolness, but fruit; as an apple under an apple tree to one that sits under its shadow in a great heat. II. WHAT THESE FRUITS ARE. They are the benefits and privileges which we have by Christ. 1. Here is fruit. Christ received of the Father the fulness of power and of the Spirit, for the benefit of the redeemed, that He might shower down the streams of grace on all that repair to Him for relief and succour. Now, what these fruits are; in the general, we may tell you, all that is worth the having; we have from Jesus Christ: all the blessings of this present life, and of the world to come. More particularly. There are many choice and excellent fruits which believers receive from Him. (1) The pardon of all our sins (Ephesians 1:7). (2) Peace with God (Romans 5:1). (3) Adoption into God's family (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1). (4) The heirs of glory (Romans 8:17). (5) The Holy Ghost is given, not only to sanctify us at first, but to dwell in our hearts, as a constant inhabitant, as in His own Temple (1 Corinthians 6:19). (6) Peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost: for this is a great privilege of Christ's kingdom (Romans 12:17). (7) Access to God, with assurance of welcome and audience (Psalm 50:15; Hebrews 4:15, 16; 1 John 5:14). 2. His fruits: for a threefold reason: Because purchased by Him: all these privileges were procured for us by His blood, death, and sufferings. 3. These are sweet unto a believer's taste. Believers have a taste of the goodness of Christ. They do experimentally find a great deal of comfort and sweetness in Him (1 Peter 2:2, 3). Christ's fruits are very sweet to their taste, because of the suitableness of the fruit to the prepared appetite: they have a hungry conscience, and so can sooner taste that sweetness. A Christian hath another spirit than the spirit of this world. A sanctified soul can taste the sweetness of spiritual things, word, sacraments, graces, hopes. Yea, the way of obedience is sweet to them (Proverbs 3:17). It is wonderful, comfortable, and filleth their hearts in a satisfying manner, when they can have any experience of God's love in Christ, in the Word, or meditation, or prayer, or sacraments (Psalm 63:6). Besides the attractive goodness of the object, there is inclination in their own souls to it. I. Here is an invitation to draw us to Christ. 1. As He is a shadow. This notion is like to prevail with none but those who are scorched with God's wrath, or loaden with the burden of sin; with them that are either of a troubled, or of a tender conscience. They long to sit down under His shadow indeed, and to get a taste of His pleasant fruits. Yet I must speak to all to begin here. The fruits are neither eaten, nor the sweetness of them felt, till we come under His shadow, and delightfully sit under His righteousness. 2. With respect to pleasant fruit (Psalm 34:8). We entertain black thoughts of the ways of God, as if religion were a sour thing, and there were no pleasure and delight for those that submit to it. O taste and see I You will find enough in Christ to spoil the gust and relish of all other pleasures. II. Do we ever sit down under His shadow, so as to find His fruit sweet unto our taste? You may try your state, and discern it by your relish of spiritual things. III. Direction to us in our special addresses to God. The practice of the spouse is then in season. Come and sit down under His shadow, and eat of His fruits. ( T. Manton, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. |
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