Songs 1:4 Draw me, we will run after you: the king has brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in you… This is a night for remembering Christ's love. The communion table spread before us, the sacred feast to which we are about to come, is meant to recall to our minds our Saviour's words, "This do in remembrance of Me... This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me." I. First, I would remind you of THE PREPARATIONS FOR THIS HOLY MEMORY. Here they are. 1. The first word is, "Draw me. Lord, I would fain come at Thee; but, like Mephibosheth: I am lame in both my feet. I would fain fly to Thee; but my wings are broken; if, indeed, I ever had any. I cannot come to Thee. I lie inert, and dead, and powerless." So the first preparation is, "Draw me." It is a sweet, gracious, efficacious exercise of Divine power that I need and entreat... I pray this for myself, and I trust that you will pray with me, Come, Sacred Spirit, and draw us nearer to Christ; enliven our hopes; incline our hearts; arouse our desires and then help us to yield our whole being to Thy gracious influences!" 2. Notice, next, that this verse says, "Draw me, we will run after Thee." I like the change in the pronouns, as though I should pray to-night, "Lord, draw me, I am the most weighted, the heaviest of all Thy children in this congregation; but draw me, we will run after Thee. if Thou dost draw the most burdened one towards Thyself, all the rest will come to Thee at a rapid rate." Oh, that we might every one attain the running pace to-night! Oh, that we might speed along towards our Lord with that strong, impetuous desire which will not let us rest till we are close to Him: "Draw me, we will run after Thee." 3. Now, in the further preparation, if you read the verse through, you Will find that an answer comes to the prayer directly it is uttered: "The King hath brought me into His chambers." I know, and some of you know, unhappily, what it is to feel very cold and lifeless; but I also know, and some of you know, what it is to become full of life, full of love, full of joy, full of heavenly rapture, in a Single moment. 4. There is only one more preparation for remembering Christ, and that is to feel gladness and joy in Him: " We will be glad and rejoice in Thee." Come, take those ashes from thy head, thou that art sighing by reason of affliction! Come unbind that sackcloth, and throw it aside, thou that hast lost fellowship with God, and art consequently in the dark! Christ is yours if you believe in Him. He has given Himself to you, and He loves you. Rejoice in that blessed fact. II. I Would like to speak about THE DIVINE SUBJECT OF THIS HOLY MEMORY: "'We will remember Thy love. 1. First, we will remember the fact of Christ's love What it is for God to love, God only knows. We faintly guess, by the love that burns in our bosom towards the objects of our affection, what the love of God must be. The love of God must be a mighty passion. I use the word because I know no better; I am conscious that it is not the right one, for human language is too feeble to describe Divine love. 2. But we will remember, also, the character of Christ's love. What a love it was! He loved us before the foundation of the world. With the telescope of His prescience, He foresaw our existence, and He loved us when we had no being. It was unmerited love, which had no reason in us for it to light upon. He loved us because He would love us. It was the sovereignty of His love that made Him love those whom He chose to love. He loved them freely, without anything in them, or that would ever be done by them, to deserve His love. But He loved fully as well as freely; He loved intensely, divinely, immeasurably. 3. We will also remember the deeds of Christ's love. 4. I would like you, to-night, to remember the proofs of Christ's love. You were far off, but He sought you, and brought you back. You were deaf, but He called you, and opened your ear to His loving call. III. THE DIVINE PRODUCT OF THIS HOLY MEMORY: "The upright love Thee." 1. So it seems, then, that if we remember Christ, we shall have a respect for His people. His people are the upright; and she, who speaks in the, sacred Canticle, here looks round upon them, and says, "The upright love Thee." "That commends Thee to me; for if they who are of a chaste spirit love Thee, much more should I." 2. In remembering Christ's love as the upright do, we shall grow upright. I believe that God blesses trouble to our sanctification, and that He can bless joy to the same end; but I am sure of this, that the greatest instrument of sanctification is the love of Jesus. If you will remember Christ's love, you will be lifted up from your crookedness, and made straight, and put among the upright, who love the Lord. ( C. H. Spurgeon) Parallel Verses KJV: Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee. |
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