Latest / Nuggets of the New Thought / Union and Communion - or Thoughts on the Song of Solomon-J. Hudson Taylor

Transcript

Union and Communion - or Thoughts on the Song of Solomon-J. Hudson Taylor · Nuggets of the New Thought

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Introductory section of Union and Communion or Thoughts on the
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Song of Solomon. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Union and Communion
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: or Thoughts on the Song of Solomon by J. Hudson
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Taylor introductory section forward. This little book, whose design is
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: to lead the devout Bible student into the green pastures
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: of the Good Shepherd, thence to the banqueting house of
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: the King, and thence to the service of the Vineyard,
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: is one of the abiding legacies of mister Hudson Taylor
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: to the Church. In the power of an evident unction
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: from the Holy One, he has been enabled herein to
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: unfold in simplest language the deep truth of the believer's
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: personal union with us the Lord, which, under symbol and imagery,
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: is the subject of the Song of Songs. And in
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: so doing he has ministered an unfailing guidance to one
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: of the most commonly neglected and misunderstood of the sacred scriptures.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: For how many have said in bewilderment at the richness
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: of language and profusion of figure which both conceal and
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: reveal its meaning. How can I understand except some man
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: should guide me. It is safe to say that these
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: pages cannot fail to help and bless all such to
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: those who knew him. Mister Hudson Taylor's life was in
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: the nature of emphasis upon the value of this small volume.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: For what he here expounds, he also exemplified. If his
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: words indicate the possibility and blessedness of union with Christ,
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: his whole life declared it. In actual experience. He lived
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: as one who was married to another, even to him
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: who is raised from the dead, And as the outcome
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: of that union, he brought forth fruit unto God. What
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: he was has given a meaning and confirmation to what
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: he has here said which cannot be exaggerated. It is
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: inevitable that there are those who will read and reject
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: as mystical and unpractical that which is so directly connected
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: with the intimacies of fellowship with the unseen Lord. I would, however,
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: venture to remind such that the writer of these pages
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: founded the China Inland Mission. He translated his vision of
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: the beloved into life long, strenuous service, and so kept
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: it undimmed through all the years of a life which
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: has had hardly a parallel in these our days. This
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: is really the commendation of the following short chapters. They
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: proclaim an evangel which has been distilled from experience and
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: form at least a track through this fenced portion of
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: God's Word, which will lead many a one who treads
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: it into the joys of Emmanuel's land. J. Stuart Holden
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: the Song of Solomon introductory. The great purpose towards which
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: all the dispensational dealings of God are tending is revealed
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: to us in the fifteenth chapter of the First Epistle
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: of Paul to the Corinthians, that God may be all
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: in all with this agrees the teaching of our Lord
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: in John chapter seventeen, verse three. And this is the
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: object of eternal life, that they might know thee the
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: only True God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: this being. So shall we not act wisely by keeping
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: this object ever in view in our daily life and
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: studying God's Holy Word. All scripture is given by inspiration
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: of God and is profitable, and hence no part is
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: or can be neglected without loss. Few portions of the
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Word will help the devout student more in the pursuit
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: of this all important knowledge of God than the too
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: much neglected Song of Solomon. Like other portions of the
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: Word of God, this book has its difficulties, but so
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: have all the works of God. Is not the fact
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: that they surpass our unaided powers of comprehension and research
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: a sign manual of Divinity can feeble man expect to
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: grasp divine power or to understand and interpret the works
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: of the providences of the all wise. And if not,
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: is it surprising that his word also needs superhuman wisdom
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: for its interpretation. Thanks be to God, the illumination of
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: the Holy Ghost is promised to all who seek for it.
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: What more can we desire read without the key? This
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: book is specially unintelligible, but that key is easily found
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: in the expressed teachings of the New Testament. The incarnate
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: word is the true key to the written word. But
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: even before the incarnation, the devout student of the Old
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: Testament would find much help to the understanding of the
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: sacred mysteries of this book in the prophetic writings. For
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: there Israel was taught that her maker was her husband,
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: John the Baptist, the last of the Prophets recognized the
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: bridegroom in the person of Christ, and said he that
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: hath the bride is the bridegroom. But the friend of
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: the bridegroom, which stands dith and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: because of the bridegroom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. Paul,
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: in the fifth chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians,
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: goes still further and teaches that the union of Christ
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: with his Church and her subjection to him, underlies the
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: very relationship of marriage and affords the pattern for every
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: godly union. In Solomon, the bridegroom king, as well as
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: author of this poem, we have a type of our Lord,
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: the true Prince of Peace. In his coming reign, then
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: will be found not merely his bride the Church, but
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: also a willing people, his subjects, over whom he shall
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: reign gloriously. Then distant potentates will bring their wealth and
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: will behold the glory of the enthroned king, providing him
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: with hard questions as once came the Queen of Sheh.
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: But to King Solomon, and blessed will they be to
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: whom this privilege is accorded a brief glance will suffice
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: them for a lifetime. But what shall be the royal
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: dignity and blessedness of the risen and exalted bride forever
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: with her Lord? Forever, Like her Lord, forever, conscious that
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: his desire is toward her, she will share alike his
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: heart and his throne. Can a study of the book
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: which helps us to understand these mysteries of grace and
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: love be other than most profitable. It is interesting to
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: notice the contrast between this book and that preceding it.
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: The Book of Ecclesiastes teaches emphatically that vanity of vanities,
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: all is vanity, and is thus the necessary introduction to
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: the Song of Solomon, which shows how true blessing and
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: satisfaction are to be possessed in like manner. Our Saviour's
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: teaching in the Fourth of John points out in a word,
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: the powerlessness of earthly things to give lasting satisfaction, in
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: striking contrast with the flow of blessing that results from
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: the presence of the Holy Ghost, whose work it is
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: not to reveal himself, but Christ as the bridegroom of
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: the soul. Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: him shall never thirst. But the water that I shall
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: give him shall be in him a well of water,
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: springing up overflowing on and on unto everlasting life. We
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: shall find it helpful to consider the book in six sections. Firstly,
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: the Unsatisfied Life and its Remedy Chapter one, verse two
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: to chapter two, verse seven, and Communion Broken Restoration chapter two,
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: verse eight to chapter three, verse five. Thirdly, Unbroken Communion
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: chapter three, verse six to chapter five, verse one. Fourthly
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: Communion again broken Restoration chapter five, verse two to chapter six,
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: verse ten. Fifthly, fruits of recognized union chapter six, verse
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: eleven to chapter eight, verse four, and finally, Unrestrained Communion
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: Chapter eight, verses five to fourteen. In each of these sections,
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: we shall find the speakers to be the bride, the bridegroom,
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: and the Daughters of Jerusalem. It is not usually difficult
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: to ascertain the speaker, though in some of the verses
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: different conclusions have been arrived at. The bride speaks of
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: the bridegroom as her beloved, the bridegroom speaks of her
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: as his love, while the address of the Daughters of
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: Jerusalem is more varied. In the first four sections they
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: style her the fairest among women, but in the fifth
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: she is spoken of as the Schulamite or the King's bride,
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: and also as the Prince's daughter. The students of this
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: book will find great help in suitable Bible marking. A
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: horizontal line marking off the address of each speaker, with
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: a double line to divide the sections would be useful,
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: as also perpendicular lines in the margin to indicate the speaker.
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: We have ourselves ruled a single line to connect the
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: verses which contain the utterances of the bride, a double
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: line to indicate those of the bridegroom, and a waved
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: line to indicate the addresses of the Daughters of Jerusalem.
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: It will be observed that the bride is the chiefs
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: speaker in sections one and two, and is much occupied
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: with herself, But in section three, where the communion is unbroken,
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: she has little to say and appears as the hearer.
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: The Daughters of Jerusalem give a long address, and the
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: bridegroom his longest. In that section. For the first time,
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: he calls her his bride and allures her to fellowship
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: in service in section four, the bride again is the
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: chief speaker, but after her restoration, the bridegroom speaks at
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: length and upbraideth. Not in section five, as we noticed,
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: the bride is no longer called the fairest among women,
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: but claims herself to be and is recognized as the
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: royal bride. In section six, the bridegroom claims her from
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: her very birth and not merely from her espousals, as
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: God in Ezekiel chapter sixteen claimed Israel in the secret
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: of his presence, How my soul delights to hide. Oh,
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: how precious are the lessons which I learn at Jesus side.
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: Earthly cares can never vex me, neither trials lay me low.
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: For when Satan comes to vex me to the secret
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: place I go. End of the introductory section, Section one
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: of Union and Communion. This is a LibriVox recording. All
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Union and
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: Communion or Thoughts on the Song of Solomon by J.
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: Hudson Taylor. Section one The Song of Solomon. The title
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: the Song of Songs, which is Solomon's well may this
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: book be called the Song of songs. There is no
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: song like it. Read aright, it brings a gladness to
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: the heart which is as far beyond the joy of
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: earthly things, as Heaven is higher than the earth. It
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: has been well said that this is a song which
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: grace alone can teach, and experience alone can learn. Our Savior,
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: speaking of the union of the branch with the vine, adds,
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: these things have I spoken unto you, that my joy
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: might remain in you, and that your joy might be
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: full John chapter fifteen, verse eleven. And the beloved Disciple,
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: writing of him who was from the beginning, who was
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: with the Father and was manifested unto us in order
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: that we might share the full fellowship which he enjoyed,
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: also says these things, write we unto you, that your
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: joy may be full Union with Christ and abiding in Christ.
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: What do they not secure? Peace, perfect peace, rest constant,
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: rest answers to all our prayers, victory over all our foes,
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: pure holy living, everlasting fruitfulness. All all of these are
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: the glad outcome of abiding in Christ. To deepen this union,
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: to make more constant this abiding is the practical use
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: of this precious book section one, The Unsatisfied Life and
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: Its Remedy Canticles, Chapter one, verse two to Chapter two,
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: verse seven. There is no difficulty in recognizing the bride
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: as the speaker in verses t two to seven. The
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: words are not those of one dead in trespasses and sins,
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: to whom the Lord is as a root out of
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: a dry ground without form and comeliness. The speaker has
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: had her eyes opened to behold his beauty, and longs
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: for a fuller enjoyment of his love. Let him kiss
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: me with the kisses of his mouth, for thy love
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: is better than wine. It is well that it should
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: be so. It marks a distinct stage in the development
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: of the life of grace in the soul. And this
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: recorded experience gives, as it were, a divine warrant for
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: the desire for sensible manifestations of his presence, sensible communications
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: of his love. It was not always so with her.
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: Once she was contented in his absence, other society and
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: other occupations sufficed her. But now it can never be
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: so again. The world can never be to her what
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: it once was. The betrothed bride has learnt to love
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: her Lord, and no other society than his can satisfy her.
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: His visits may be occasional and may be brief, but
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: they are precious times of enjoyment. Their memory is cherished
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: in the intervals, and their repetition longed for. There is
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: no real satisfaction in his absence. And yet, alas he
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: is not always with her, he comes and goes. Now
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: her joy in him is a heaven below. But again
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: she is longing and longing in vain for his presence.
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: Like the ever changing tide, her experience is an ebbing
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: and flowing one. It may even be that unrest is
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: the rule, satisfaction the exception. Is there no help for
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: this must it always continues, So has he? Can he
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: have created these unquenchable longings only to tantalize them. Strange, indeed,
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: it would be if this were the case. Yet are
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: there not many of the Lord's people whose habitual experience
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: corresponds with hers. They know not the rest the joy
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: of abiding in Christ, and they know not how to
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: attain to it, nor why it is not theirs? Are
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: there not many who look back to the delightful times
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: of their first espousals, who so far from finding richer
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: inheritance in Christ than they then had, are even conscious
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: that they have lost their first love, and might express
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: their experience in the sad lament. Where is the blessedness
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: I knew when first I saw the Lord? Others again,
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: who may not have lost their first love, may yet
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: be feeling that the occasional interruptions to communion are become
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: more and more unbearable. As the world becomes less and
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: he becomes more, his absence is an ever increasing distress.
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: Oh that I knew where I might find him, Let
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: me kiss him with the kisses of his mouth, For
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: thy love is better than wine. Would that his love
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: were strong and constant like mine, and that he never
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: withdrew the light of his countenance. Poor mistaken one, there
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: is a love far stronger than thine, waiting longing for satisfaction.
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: The bridegroom is waiting for thee all the time. The
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: conditions that debar his approach are all of thine own making.
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: Take the right place before him, and he will be
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: most ready, most glad to satisfy thy deepest longings, to
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: meet supply thine every need. What should we think of
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: a betrothed one whose conceit and self will prevented not
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: only the consummation of her own joy, but of his,
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: who has given her his heart. Though never at rest
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: in his absence, she cannot trust him fully, and she
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: does not care to give up her own name, her
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: own rights and possessions, her own will to him who
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: has become necessary for her happiness. She would fain claim
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: him fully without giving up herself fully to him, But
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: it can never be. While she retains her own name,
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: she can never claim his. She may not promise to
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: love and honor if she will not also promise to obey.
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: Until her love reaches that point of surrender, she must
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: remain an unsatisfied lover. She cannot, as a satisfied bride,
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: find rest in the home of her husband. While she
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: retains her own will and the control of her own possession.
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: She must be content to live on her own resources.
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: She cannot claim his. Could there be a sadder proof
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: of the extent and reality of the fall than the
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: deep seated distrust of our loving lord and Master, which
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: makes us hesitate to give ourselves entirely up to him,
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: which fears that he might require something beyond our powers,
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: or call for something that we should find it hard
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: to give or to do the real secret of an
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: unsatisfied life comes too often in an unsurrendered will. And yet,
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: how foolish, as well as how wrong this is. Do
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: we fancy that we are wiser than he, or that
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: our love for ourselves is more tender and strong than his,
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: or that we know ourselves better than he does? How
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: our mistrust must grieve and wound afresh the tender heart
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: of him who for us, the man of sorrows. What
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: would be the feelings of an earthly bridegroom if he
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: discovered that his bride elect was dreading to marry him,
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: lest when he had the power, he should render her
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: life insupportable. Yet how many of the Lord's redeemed ones
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: treat him just so? No wonder they are neither happy
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: nor satisfied. But true love cannot be stationary. It must
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: either decline or grow. Despite all the unworthy fears of
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: our poor hearts, Divine love is destined to conquer. The
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: bride exclaims, Thine ointments have a goodly fragrance. Thy name
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: is as ointment poured forth. Therefore do the virgins love
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: thee There was no such ointment as that with which
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: the High Priest was anointed our bridegroom is a priest
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: as well as a king. The trembling bride cannot wholly
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: dismiss her fears. But the unrest and the longing become unbearable,
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: and she determines to surrender all, and come what may
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: to follow fully. She will yield her very self to him,
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: heart and hand, influence and possessions. Nothing can be so
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: insupportable as his absence. If he lead to another Moriah,
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: or even to Calvary, she will follow him, draw me,
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: we will run after thee. But ah, what follows a
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: wondrously glad surprise, No Moriah, no Calvary. On the contrary,
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: a king. When the heart submits, then Jesus reigns. And
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: when Jesus reigns there is rest. And where does he
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: lead his bride? The king hath brought me into his chambers,
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: not first to the banqueting house that will come in
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: due season, but first to be alone with himself. How
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: perfect could we be satisfied to meet a beloved one
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: only in public? No, we want to take such a
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: one aside, to have him all to ourselves. So with
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: our master he takes his now fully consecrated bride aside
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: to taste and enjoy the sacred intimacies of his wondrous love.
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: The bridegroom of his church longs for communion with his
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: people more than they long for fellowship with him, and
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: often has to cry, let me see thy countenance, let
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: me hear thy voice. For sweet is thy voice, and
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: thy countenance is Calmly Are we not all too apt
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: to seek him rather because of our need than for
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: his joy and pleasure? This should not be. We do
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: not admire selfish children who only think of what they
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: can get from their parents, and are unmindful of the
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: pleasure that they may give, or the service that they
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: may render. But are not we in danger of forgetting
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: that pleasing God means giving him pleasure. Some of us
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: look back to the time when the words to please
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: God meant no more than not to sin against him,
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: not to grieve him. But would the love of earthly
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: parents be satisfied with the mere absence of disobedience or
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: a bridegroom if his bride only sought him for the
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: supply of her own need. A word about the morning
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: watch may not be out of place here. There is
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: no time so profitably spent as the early hour given
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: to Jesus. Only do we give sufficient attention to this hour?
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: If possible, it should be redeemed. Nothing can make up
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: for it. We must take time to be holy. One
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: other thought, when we bring our questions to God, do
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: we not sometimes either go on to offer some other
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: petition or leave the closet without waiting for replies? Does
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: not this seem to show little expectation of an answer
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: and little desire for one? Should we like to be
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: treated so quiet? Waiting before God would save from many
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: a mistake and from many a sorrow. We have found
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: the bride making a glad discovery of a king, her king,
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: and not a cross, as she expected. This is the
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: first fruit of her consecration. We will be glad and
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: rejoice in thee. We will make mention of Thy love
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: more than of wine. Rightly do they love thee? Another discovery,
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: not less important, awaits her. She has seen the face
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: of the King, and as the rising sun reveals that
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: which was hidden in the darkness, so his light has
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: revealed her blackness. To her Ah, she cries, I am black,
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: but calmly interjects the bridegroom with inimitable grace and tenderness,
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: nay black as the tents of Kedar, she continues. Yet
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: to me, he responds, thou art comely as the curtains
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: of Solomon. Nothing humbles the soul like sacred and intimate
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: communion with the Lord. Yet there is a sweet joy
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: in feeling that he knows all, and notwithstanding loves us.
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: Still things once called little negligences are seen with new
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: eyes in the secret of his presence. There we see
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: the mistake, the sin of not keeping our own vineyard.
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: This the bride can look not upon me because I
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: am swarthy, because the son hath scorched me. My mother's
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: sons were incensed against me. They made me keeper of
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: the vineyards. But mine own vineyard have I not kept.
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: Our attention is here drawn to a danger which is
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: pre eminently one of this day. The intense activity of
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: our times may lead to zeal in service, to the
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: neglect of personal communion. But such neglect will not only
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: lessen the value of the service, but tend to incapacitate
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: us for the highest service. If we are watchful over
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: the souls of others and neglect our own, if we
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: are seeking to remove motes from our brother's eye, unmindful
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: of the beam in our own we shall often be
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: disappointed with our powerlessness to help our brethren, while our
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: Master will not be less disappointed in us. Let us
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: never forget that what we are is more important than
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: what we do, and that all fruit born when not
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: abiding in Christ must be fruit of the flesh and
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: not of the spirit. The sin of neglected communion may
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: be forgiven, and yet the effect remain permanently, as wounds,
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: when healed, often leave a scar behind. We now come
• 28:27
  Speaker 1: to a very sweet evidence of the reality of the
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: heart union of the bride with her Lord. She is
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: one with the good shepherd. Her heart at once goes
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: instinctively forth to the feeding of the flock. But she
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: would tread in the footsteps of him whom her soul loveth,
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: and would neither labor alone nor in other companionship than
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: his own. Tell me, o, thou, whom my soul loveth,
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: where thou feedest thy flock, where thou makest it to
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: rest at noon? For why should I be as one
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: that is veiled beside the flocks of thy companions. She
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: will not mistake the society of his servants for that
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: of their master. If thou know not O thou fairest
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherd's tents.
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: These are the words of the Daughters of Jerusalem and
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: give a correct reply to her questionings. Let her show
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: her love to her Lord by feeding his sheep, by
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: caring for his lambs see John Chapter twenty one, Verses
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: fifteen to seventeen. And she need not fear to miss
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: his presence while sharing with other under shepherds. In caring
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: for his flocks, she will find the chief shepherd at
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: her side and enjoy the tokens of his approval. Yet
• 29:55
  Speaker 1: will be service with Jesus as well as four Jesus.
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: But far sweeter than the reply of the Daughters of
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: Jerusalem is the voice of the bridegroom, who now speaks himself.
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: It is the living fruit of her heart woneness with
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: him that makes his love break forth in the joyful
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: utterances of Verses nine to eleven. For it is not
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: only true that our love for our Lord will show
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: itself in feeding his sheep, but that he who, when
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: on earth, said inasmuch as ye have done it unto
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: done it unto me. Has his own heart love stirred,
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: and not infrequently specially reveals himself to those who are
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: ministering for him. The commendation of the bride in verse
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: nine is one of striking appropriateness and beauty. I have
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: compared thee O My Love to a company of horses
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: in Pharaoh's chariots. It will be remembered that horses originally
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: came out of Egypt, and that the pure breed still
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: found in Arabia was during Solomon's reign, brought by his
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: merchants for all the kings of the East. Those selected
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: for Pharaoh's own chariot would not only be of the
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: purest blood and perfect in proportion and symmetry, but also
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: perfect in training, docile and obedient. They would know no
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: will but that of the charioteer, and the only object
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: of their existence would be to carry the King whithersoever
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: he would go. So should it be with the Church
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: of Christ, one body with many members in dwelt and
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: guided by one spirit, holding the head, and knowing no
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: will but his. Her rapid and harmonious movement should cause
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: his kingdom to progress throughout the world. Many years ago,
• 31:58
  Speaker 1: a beloved friend, returning from the east by the overland route,
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: made the journey from Seuerz to Cairo in the cumbrous
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: diligence then in use. The passengers, on landing took their places.
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: About a dozen wild young horses were harnessed with ropes
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: to the vehicle. The driver took his seat and cracked
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: his whip, and the horses dashed off, some to the right,
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: some to the left, and others forward, causing the coach
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: to start with a bound and as suddenly to stop,
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: with the effect of first throwing those sitting in the
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: front seat into the lapse of those sitting behind, and
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: then of reversing the operation with the aid of sufficient
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: arabs running on each side to keep these wild animals
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: progressing in the right direction. The passengers were jerked and jolted,
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: bruised and shaken, until on reaching their destination they were
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: too wearied and sore to take the rest they so
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: much needed. Is not the Church of God to day
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: more like these untrained steeds than a company of horses
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: in Pharaoh's chariot? And while self will and disunion are
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: apparent in the Church, can we wonder that the world
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: still lieth in the wicked one, and that the great
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: Heathen nations are barely untouched. Changing his simile, the bridegroom continues,
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: Thy cheeks are comely with plaits of hair, thy neck
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: with strings of jewels. We will make these plaits of
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: gold with studs of silver. The bride is not only
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: beautiful and useful to her lord, she is also adorned,
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: and it is his delight to add to her adornments.
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: Nor are his gifts perishable flowers or trinkets destitute of
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: intrinsic value. The finest of the gold, the purest of
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: the silver, and the most precious and last of the
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: jewels are the gifts of the royal bridegroom to his spouse,
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: And these platted amongst her own hair, increase his pleasure
• 34:09
  Speaker 1: who has bestowed them. In Verses twelve to fourteen, the
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: bride responds, while the king sat at his table, my
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: spikenard sent forth its fragrance. It is in his presence
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: and through his grace, that whatever of fragrance or beauty
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: may be found in us, comes forth of him as
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: its source, through him as its instrument, and to him
• 34:37
  Speaker 1: as its end is all that is gracious and divine.
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: But he himself is better far than all that his
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: grace works in us. My beloved is unto me as
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: a bundle of myrrh that lieth betwixt my breasts. My
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna flowers
• 34:59
  Speaker 1: in the vignard wards of el Gedy. Well is it
• 35:03
  Speaker 1: when our eyes are filled with his beauty and our
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: hearts are occupied with him? In the measure in which
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: this is true of ours, we shall recognize the correlative
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: truth that his great heart is occupied with us. Note
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: the response of the bridegroom, Behold thou art fair, my love.
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: Behold thou art fair? Thine eyes are as doves. How
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: can the bridegroom truthfully use such words of one who
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: recognizes herself as black as the tents of Kedar? And
• 35:40
  Speaker 1: still more strong are the bridegroom's words in Chapter four,
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: verse seven, thou art all fair, my love, and there
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: is no spot in thee. We shall find the solution
• 35:53
  Speaker 1: of this difficulty In Two Corinthians, Chapter three, Moses, in
• 35:59
  Speaker 1: contemplation of the divine glory, became so transformed that the
• 36:04
  Speaker 1: Israelites were not able to look on the glory of
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: his countenance. We all, with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting
• 36:13
  Speaker 1: as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: into the same image, from glory to glory. That is,
• 36:21
  Speaker 1: the brightness caught from his glory transforms us to glory,
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: even as from the Lord the spirit. Every mirror has
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: two surfaces. The one is dull and unreflecting, and is
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: all spots. But when the reflecting surface is turned fully
• 36:41
  Speaker 1: towards us, we see no spot. We see our own image.
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: So while the bride is delighting in the beauty of
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: the bridegroom, he beholds his own image in her. There
• 36:54
  Speaker 1: is no spot. In that. It is all fair. May
• 36:59
  Speaker 1: we ever present this reflection to his gaze and to
• 37:03
  Speaker 1: the world in which we live, for the very purpose
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: of reflecting him. Note again his words, thine eyes are doves,
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: or thou hast dove's eyes. The hawk is a beautiful
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: bird and has beautiful eyes, quick and penetrating. But the
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: bridegroom desires not hawk's eyes in his bride. The tender
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: eyes of the innocent dove are those which he admires.
• 37:33
  Speaker 1: It was as a dove that the Holy Spirit came
• 37:36
  Speaker 1: upon him at his baptism, and the dove like character
• 37:40
  Speaker 1: is that which He seeks for in each of his people.
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: The reason why David was not permitted to build the
• 37:47
  Speaker 1: Temple was a very significant one. His life was far
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: from perfect, and his mistakes and sins have been faithfully
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: recorded by the Holy Spirit. They brought upon him God's chastenings.
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: Yet it was not any of these that disqualified him
• 38:03
  Speaker 1: from building the temple, but rather his warlike spirit, and
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: this through many of his battles, if not all, were
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: for the establishment of God's kingdom and the fulfillment of
• 38:15
  Speaker 1: his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob Solomon. The Prince
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: of Peace alone could build the Temple if we would
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: be sole winners and build up the Church which is
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: his temple. Let us note this not by discussion nor
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: by argument, but by lifting up Christ shall we draw
• 38:37
  Speaker 1: men unto him. Now we come to the reply of
• 38:42
  Speaker 1: the bride. He has called her fair, wisely and well
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: doth she reply? Behold thou art fair, my beloved, yea
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: pleasant Also our couch is green, the beams of our
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: house are cedars, and our rafters are firs. I am
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: but a rose of charon, a lily of the valleys.
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: The last words are often quoted as though they were
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: the utterance of the bridegroom, But we believe erroneously. The
• 39:13
  Speaker 1: bride says, in effect, thou callest me fair and pleasant.
• 39:17
  Speaker 1: The fairness and pleasantness are thine. I am but a
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: wild flower, a lowly scentless rose of charon, that is,
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: the autumn crocus, or a lily of the valley. To this,
• 39:30
  Speaker 1: the bridegroom responds, be it so, But if a wild flower,
• 39:36
  Speaker 1: yet as a lily among thorns, so is my love
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: among the daughters. And the bride replies, as the apple tree,
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: the citron, among the trees of the wood, so is
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: my beloved among the suns. I sat down under his
• 39:53
  Speaker 1: shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to
• 39:57
  Speaker 1: my taste. The city stron is a beautiful evergreen, affording
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: delightful shade as well as refreshing fruit. A humble wild
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: flower herself, she recognizes her bridegroom as a noble tree alike,
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: ornamental and fruitful shade from the burning sun, refreshment and rest.
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: She finds in him, what a contrast her present position
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: and feelings to those with which this section commenced. He
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: knew full well the cause of all her fears, her
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: distrust sprang from her ignorance of himself. So he took
• 40:37
  Speaker 1: her aside, and in the sweet intimacies of mutual love,
• 40:41
  Speaker 1: her fears and distrust have vanished, like the mists of
• 40:45
  Speaker 1: the morning before the rising sun. But now that she
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: has learned to know him, she has a further experience
• 40:54
  Speaker 1: of his love. He is not ashamed to acknowledge her.
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: Publicly brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: over me was love. The house of wine is now
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: as appropriate as the king's chambers were. Fearlessly and without shame,
• 41:13
  Speaker 1: she can sit at his side, his acknowledged spouse, the
• 41:18
  Speaker 1: bride of his choice. Overwhelmed with his love, she exclaims,
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: stay ye me with raisins, comfort me with apples, for
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: I am sick of love. His left hand is under
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. Now
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: she finds the blessedness of being possessed no longer. Her
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: own heart rest is alike her right and her enjoyment,
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: And so the bridegroom would have it. I adjure you, o,
• 41:50
  Speaker 1: daughters of Jerusalem, by the rose and by the hinds
• 41:53
  Speaker 1: of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake
• 41:57
  Speaker 1: my love until she please. It is never by his
• 42:02
  Speaker 1: world that our rest in him is disturbed. You may
• 42:06
  Speaker 1: always be abiding. If you will at Jesus' side, in
• 42:10
  Speaker 1: the secret of his presence, you may every moment hide.
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: There is no change in his love. He is the same, yesterday, today,
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: and forever to us. He promises, I will never leave THEE,
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: never fail THEE, nor forsake THEE. And his earnest exhortation
• 42:30
  Speaker 1: and command is abide in me and I in you.
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: End of section one Section two of Union and Communion.
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information to volunteer, please visit
• 43:02
  Speaker 1: Librevoux dot org. Union and Communion or Thoughts on the
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: Song of Solomon by J. Hudson Taylor, Section two Communion
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: Broken Restoration Canticles, Chapter two, verse eight to chapter three,
• 43:22
  Speaker 1: verse five. Therefore we ought to give the more earnest
• 43:27
  Speaker 1: heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we
• 43:31
  Speaker 1: drift away from them Hebrews, chapter two, verse one. At
• 43:37
  Speaker 1: the close of the first section, we left the bride
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: satisfied and at rest in the arms of her beloved,
• 43:43
  Speaker 1: who had charged the daughters of Jerusalem not to stir
• 43:46
  Speaker 1: up nor awaken his love until she please. We might
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: well suppose that a union so complete, a satisfaction so full,
• 43:55
  Speaker 1: would never be interrupted by failure on the part of
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: the happy bride. But alas the experience of most of
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: us shows how easily communion with Christ may be broken,
• 44:06
  Speaker 1: and how needful are the exhortations of our Lord to
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: those who are indeed branches of the true vine and
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: cleanse by the word which he has spoken to abide
• 44:16
  Speaker 1: in him. The failure is never on his side. Lo
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: I am with you always. But alas the bride often
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: forgets the exhortation addressed to her in Psalm forty five, hearken,
• 44:31
  Speaker 1: O daughter, and consider and incline thine ear. Forget also
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: thine own people and thy father's house. So shall the
• 44:40
  Speaker 1: King greatly desire thy beauty, for he is thy Lord,
• 44:45
  Speaker 1: and worship thou him. In this section, the bride has
• 44:50
  Speaker 1: drifted back from her position of blessing into a state
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: of worldliness. Perhaps the very restfulness of her new found
• 44:58
  Speaker 1: joy made her feel too secure Perhaps she thought that,
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: so far as she was concerned, there was no need
• 45:05
  Speaker 1: for the exhortation, little children, keep yourselves from idols. Or
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: she may have thought that the love of the world
• 45:13
  Speaker 1: was so thoroughly taken away that she might safely go back,
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: and by a little compromise on her part, she might
• 45:20
  Speaker 1: win her friends to follow her lord too. Perhaps she
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: scarcely thought at all glad that she was saved and free,
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: she forgot that the current the course of this world
• 45:32
  Speaker 1: was against her, and insensibly glided drifted back to that
• 45:37
  Speaker 1: position out of which she was called unaware all the
• 45:40
  Speaker 1: time of backsliding. It is not necessary, when the current
• 45:44
  Speaker 1: is against us to turn the boat's head down the
• 45:47
  Speaker 1: stream in order to drift, or for a runner in
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: a race to turn back in order to miss the prize. Ah,
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: how often the enemy succeeds, by one device or another
• 45:59
  Speaker 1: in tempting the believer away from that position of entire
• 46:03
  Speaker 1: consecration to Christ, in which alone the fullness of his
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: power and of his love can be experienced. We say
• 46:10
  Speaker 1: the fullness of his power and of his love, for
• 46:13
  Speaker 1: he may not have ceased to love his Lord. In
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: the passage before, as the bride still loves him truly,
• 46:20
  Speaker 1: though not wholly. There is still a power in his
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: word which is not unfelt. Though she no longer renders
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: instant obedience, she little realizes how she is wronging her Lord,
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: and how real is the wall of separation between them.
• 46:37
  Speaker 1: To her, worldliness seems but a little thing. She has
• 46:41
  Speaker 1: not realized the solemn truth of many passages in the
• 46:44
  Speaker 1: Word of God that speak in no measured terms of
• 46:47
  Speaker 1: the folly, the danger, the sin of friendship with the world.
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: Love not the world, neither the things that are in
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: the world. If any man love the world, the love
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: of the Father is not in him. Ye adulteresces, know
• 47:03
  Speaker 1: ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: with God. Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world,
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: maketh himself an enemy of God. Be not unequally yoked
• 47:16
  Speaker 1: with unbelievers. For what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? Or
• 47:21
  Speaker 1: what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath
• 47:26
  Speaker 1: Christ with belial? Or what portion hath a believer with
• 47:30
  Speaker 1: an unbeliever? Wherefore, come ye out from among them, and
• 47:36
  Speaker 1: be ye separate saith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing.
• 47:41
  Speaker 1: And I will receive you, and I will be to
• 47:43
  Speaker 1: you a father, and ye shall be to me sons
• 47:46
  Speaker 1: and daughters. Saith the Lord Almighty. We have to take
• 47:53
  Speaker 1: our choice. We cannot enjoy both the world and Christ.
• 47:58
  Speaker 1: The bride had not learned this, she would fain enjoy both,
• 48:02
  Speaker 1: with no thought of their incompatibility. She observes with joy
• 48:07
  Speaker 1: the approach of the bridegroom, the voice of my beloved.
• 48:11
  Speaker 1: Behold he cometh, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.
• 48:16
  Speaker 1: My beloved is like a gazelle or a young heart. Behold,
• 48:20
  Speaker 1: he standeth behind our wall. He looketh in at the windows.
• 48:25
  Speaker 1: He glanceth through the lattice. The heart of the bride
• 48:29
  Speaker 1: leaps on, hearing the voice of her beloved. As he
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: comes in search of her. He has crossed the hills.
• 48:36
  Speaker 1: He draws near to her. He stands behind the wall.
• 48:40
  Speaker 1: He even looks in at the windows. With tender and
• 48:43
  Speaker 1: touching words, he woos her to come forth to him.
• 48:46
  Speaker 1: He utters no reproach, and his loving entreaties sink deep
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: in her memory. My beloved spake and said unto me,
• 48:56
  Speaker 1: Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away
• 48:59
  Speaker 1: for Oh, the winter is past, the rain is over
• 49:02
  Speaker 1: and gone, The flowers appear on the earth. The time
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: of the singing of birds is come, and the voice
• 49:09
  Speaker 1: of the turtle is heard in our land. The fig
• 49:12
  Speaker 1: tree ripeneth her green figs, and the vines are in blossom.
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: They give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one,
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: and come away. All nature is responsive to the return
• 49:26
  Speaker 1: of the summer. Wilt thou, my bride, be irresponsive to
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: my love. Arise my love, my fair one, and come away.
• 49:37
  Speaker 1: Can such pleading be in vain alas it can? It
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: was in yet more touching words. The bridegroom continues, O,
• 49:48
  Speaker 1: my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock,
• 49:50
  Speaker 1: in the coverts of the steep place. Let me see
• 49:53
  Speaker 1: thy countenance, Let me hear thy voice. For sweet is
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: thy voice, and thy countenance. Comely wonderful thought that God
• 50:04
  Speaker 1: should desire fellowship with us, and that he whose love
• 50:07
  Speaker 1: once made him the man of sorrows, may now be
• 50:10
  Speaker 1: made the man of joys by the loving devotion of
• 50:13
  Speaker 1: human hearts. But strong as is his love and his
• 50:19
  Speaker 1: desire for his bride, he can come no further where
• 50:23
  Speaker 1: she now is. He can never come, But surely she
• 50:27
  Speaker 1: will go forth to him. Has he not a claim
• 50:31
  Speaker 1: upon her? She feels and enjoys his love, Will she
• 50:35
  Speaker 1: let his desire count for nothing? For let us notice
• 50:39
  Speaker 1: it is not here the bride longing in vain for
• 50:42
  Speaker 1: her lord, but the bridegroom, who is seeking for her
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: alas that he should seek in vain. Take us the foxes,
• 50:51
  Speaker 1: the little foxes that spoil the vineyards. For our vineyards
• 50:55
  Speaker 1: are in blossom, he continues. The enemies may be small,
• 51:00
  Speaker 1: but the mischief done great. A little spray of blossom,
• 51:04
  Speaker 1: so tiny as to be scarcely perceived, is easily spoiled,
• 51:09
  Speaker 1: But thereby the fruitfulness of a whole branch may be
• 51:12
  Speaker 1: forever destroyed. And how numerous the little foxes are little
• 51:17
  Speaker 1: compromises with the world, disobedience to the still small voice,
• 51:21
  Speaker 1: in little things, little indulgences of the flesh, to the
• 51:25
  Speaker 1: neglect of duty, little strokes of policy, doing evil in
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: little things, that good may come, and the beauty and
• 51:35
  Speaker 1: the fruitfulness of the vine are sacrificed. We have a
• 51:41
  Speaker 1: sad illustration of the deceitfulness of sin. In the response
• 51:45
  Speaker 1: of the bride, instead of bounding forth to meet him.
• 51:48
  Speaker 1: She first comforts her own heart by the remembrance of
• 51:52
  Speaker 1: his faithfulness and of her union with him. My beloved
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: is mine and I am his. He feedeth his lock
• 52:00
  Speaker 1: among the lilies. My position is one of security, and
• 52:06
  Speaker 1: I have no need to be concerned about it. He
• 52:09
  Speaker 1: is mine and I am his, and naught can alter
• 52:12
  Speaker 1: that relationship. I can find him now at any time.
• 52:16
  Speaker 1: He feedeth his flock among the lilies. While the sun
• 52:19
  Speaker 1: of prosperity shines upon me. I may safely enjoy myself
• 52:23
  Speaker 1: here without him. Should trial and darkness come, he will
• 52:27
  Speaker 1: be sure not to fail me. And till the day
• 52:32
  Speaker 1: be cool and the shadows flee away, Turn my beloved
• 52:36
  Speaker 1: and be thou like a gazelle or a young heart
• 52:39
  Speaker 1: upon the mountains of Beth. Careless of his desire, she
• 52:45
  Speaker 1: thus lightly dismisses him, with the thought a little later
• 52:49
  Speaker 1: I may enjoy his love, and the grieved bridegroom departs.
• 52:55
  Speaker 1: Poor foolish bride. She will soon find that the things
• 52:59
  Speaker 1: at one satisfied her can satisfy no longer, and that
• 53:03
  Speaker 1: it is easier to turn a deaf ear to his
• 53:05
  Speaker 1: tender call than to recall or find her absent Lord.
• 53:12
  Speaker 1: The day became cool, and the shadows did flee away,
• 53:16
  Speaker 1: But he returned. Not Then in the solemn night she
• 53:21
  Speaker 1: discovered her mistake. It was dark, and she was alone,
• 53:25
  Speaker 1: retiring to rest, she still hoped for his return. The
• 53:29
  Speaker 1: lesson that worldliness is an absolute bar to full communion
• 53:34
  Speaker 1: still unlearned. By night on my bed, I sought him,
• 53:39
  Speaker 1: whom my soul loveth. I sought him, but I found
• 53:43
  Speaker 1: him not. She waits and wearies. His absence becomes insupportable.
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: I said, I will rise now and go about the city,
• 53:54
  Speaker 1: in the streets and in the broad ways. I will
• 53:57
  Speaker 1: seek him whom my soul loveth. I sought him, but
• 54:01
  Speaker 1: I found him not. How different her position from what
• 54:06
  Speaker 1: it might have been. Instead of seeking him alone, desolate
• 54:10
  Speaker 1: and in the dark, she might have gone forth with
• 54:12
  Speaker 1: him in the sunshine, leaning upon his arm. She might
• 54:15
  Speaker 1: have exchanged the partial view of her beloved through the
• 54:19
  Speaker 1: lattice when she could no longer say nothing between for
• 54:23
  Speaker 1: the joy of his embrace and his public confession of
• 54:26
  Speaker 1: her as his chosen bride. The watchmen that go about
• 54:31
  Speaker 1: the city found me to whom I said, saw ye him,
• 54:35
  Speaker 1: whom my soul loveth It was but a little that
• 54:39
  Speaker 1: I passed from them. When I found him, whom my
• 54:42
  Speaker 1: soul loveth. She had already obeyed his command arise and
• 54:48
  Speaker 1: come away. Fearless of reproach. She was seeking him in
• 54:53
  Speaker 1: the dark, and when she began to confess her lord,
• 54:56
  Speaker 1: she soon found him and was restored to his favor.
• 55:01
  Speaker 1: I held him and would not let him go until
• 55:04
  Speaker 1: I had brought him into my mother's house and into
• 55:07
  Speaker 1: the chamber of her that conceived me. Jerusalem above is
• 55:12
  Speaker 1: the mother of us. All there it is that communion
• 55:16
  Speaker 1: is enjoyed, not in worldly ways or self willed indulgence.
• 55:22
  Speaker 1: Communion restored. The section closes, as did the first, with
• 55:26
  Speaker 1: the loving charge of the bridegroom, that none should disturb
• 55:29
  Speaker 1: his bride. I adjure you, o, daughters of Jerusalem, by
• 55:34
  Speaker 1: the rose and by the hinds of the field, by
• 55:38
  Speaker 1: all that is loving and beautiful and constant, that ye
• 55:41
  Speaker 1: stir not up nor awaken my love until she please.
• 55:48
  Speaker 1: May we, all, while living down here in the world,
• 55:52
  Speaker 1: but not of it, find our home in the heavenly
• 55:55
  Speaker 1: places to which we have been raised and in which
• 55:57
  Speaker 1: we are seated together with Christ, sent into the world
• 56:01
  Speaker 1: to witness for our Master. May we ever be strangers there,
• 56:06
  Speaker 1: ready to confess him the true object of our soul's devotion.
• 56:11
  Speaker 1: How amiable are thy tabernacles, O, Lord of Hosts, My
• 56:16
  Speaker 1: soul longeth yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord.
• 56:21
  Speaker 1: My heart and my flesh cry out unto the Living God.
• 56:25
  Speaker 1: Blessed are they that dwell in thy house? They will
• 56:28
  Speaker 1: be still praising THEE. A day in Thy courts is
• 56:32
  Speaker 1: better than a thousand. I had rather be a door
• 56:35
  Speaker 1: keeper in the house of my God than to dwell
• 56:38
  Speaker 1: in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is
• 56:41
  Speaker 1: a son and shield. The Lord will give grace and glory.
• 56:45
  Speaker 1: No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly, O,
• 56:50
  Speaker 1: Lord of Hosts, Blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
• 56:58
  Speaker 1: End of section two. Section three of Union and Communion.
• 57:10
  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 57:13
  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 57:17
  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Union and Communion or Thoughts on
• 57:23
  Speaker 1: the Song of Solomon by J. Hudson Taylor. Section three
• 57:28
  Speaker 1: The Joy of Unbroken Communion Canticles chapter three, verse six
• 57:34
  Speaker 1: to chapter five, Verse one, O Jesu, King, most wonderful,
• 57:41
  Speaker 1: Thou conqueror renowned, Thou sweetness, most ineffable, in whom all
• 57:46
  Speaker 1: joys are found. THEE Jesu, may our voices bless THEE.
• 57:51
  Speaker 1: May we love alone and ever in our lives express
• 57:55
  Speaker 1: the image of Thine own. We have been unoccupied in
• 58:00
  Speaker 1: sections one and two with the words and the experiences
• 58:04
  Speaker 1: of the bride. In marked contrast to this, in this section,
• 58:08
  Speaker 1: our attention is first called to the bridegroom, and then
• 58:12
  Speaker 1: it is from himself that we hear of the bride
• 58:15
  Speaker 1: as the object of his love and the delight of
• 58:18
  Speaker 1: his heart. The daughters of Jerusalem are the first speakers.
• 58:24
  Speaker 1: Who is this that cometh up out of the wilderness
• 58:26
  Speaker 1: like pillars of smoke, perfumed with murh and frankincense, with
• 58:31
  Speaker 1: all powders of the merchant, They themselves give the reply.
• 58:37
  Speaker 1: King Solomon made himself a car of state of the
• 58:40
  Speaker 1: wood of Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof of silver,
• 58:44
  Speaker 1: the bottom thereof of gold, the seat of it of purple,
• 58:48
  Speaker 1: the midst thereof being paved with love. Love gifts from
• 58:53
  Speaker 1: the daughters of Jerusalem. Behold, it is the litter of Solomon.
• 58:58
  Speaker 1: Three score mighty men are about it, of the mighty
• 59:01
  Speaker 1: men of Israel. They all handle the sword and are
• 59:05
  Speaker 1: expert in war. Every man hath his sword upon his
• 59:09
  Speaker 1: thigh because of fear in the night. In these verses,
• 59:14
  Speaker 1: the bride is not mentioned. She is eclipsed in the
• 59:18
  Speaker 1: grandeur and the state of her royal bridegroom. Nevertheless, she
• 59:22
  Speaker 1: is both enjoying and sharing it. The very air is
• 59:26
  Speaker 1: perfumed by the smoke of the incense that ascends pillar
• 59:30
  Speaker 1: like to the clouds, and all that safeguards the position
• 59:33
  Speaker 1: of the bridegroom himself and shows forth his dignity safeguards
• 59:38
  Speaker 1: also the accompanying bride, the sharer of his glory. The
• 59:43
  Speaker 1: car of State in which they sit is built of
• 59:46
  Speaker 1: fragrant cedar from Lebanon, and the finest of the gold
• 59:49
  Speaker 1: and silver have been lavished in its construction. The fragrant
• 59:54
  Speaker 1: wood typifies the beauty of sanctified humanity, while the gold
• 59:59
  Speaker 1: reminds us of the d divine glory of our Lord,
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 1: and the silver of the purity and preciousness of His
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 1: redeemed and peerless Church. The Imperial purple with which it
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 1: is lined tells us of the gentiles, the daughter of
• 1:00:13
  Speaker 1: Tire has been there with her gift. While the love
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 1: gifts of the Daughters of Jerusalem accord with the prophecy.
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 1: Even the rich among the people shall entreat thy favor.
• 1:00:26
  Speaker 1: These are the things that attract the attention of the
• 1:00:28
  Speaker 1: Daughters of Jerusalem. But the bride is occupied with the
• 1:00:32
  Speaker 1: king himself, and she exclaims, go forth, o, ye Daughters
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 1: of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown, wherewith
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 1: his mother hath crowned him in the day of his espousals,
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 1: and in the day of the gladness of his heart.
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 1: The crowned king is everything to her, and she would
• 1:00:52
  Speaker 1: have him to be so to the Daughters of Zion. Likewise,
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 1: she dwells with delight in the gladness of his heart
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 1: in the day of his espousals. For now she is
• 1:01:02
  Speaker 1: not occupied with him for her own sake, but rejoices
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 1: in his joy, in finding in her his satisfaction. Do
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 1: we sufficiently cultivate this unselfish desire to be all for
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 1: Jesus and to do all for his pleasure? Or are
• 1:01:20
  Speaker 1: we conscious that we principally go to him for our
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 1: own sakes, or at best for the sake of our
• 1:01:26
  Speaker 1: fellow creatures. How much of prayer there is that begins
• 1:01:30
  Speaker 1: and ends with the creature, forgetful of the privilege of
• 1:01:33
  Speaker 1: giving joy to the creator. Yet it is only when
• 1:01:37
  Speaker 1: he sees in our unselfish love and devotion to him
• 1:01:41
  Speaker 1: the reflection of his own, that his heart can feel
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 1: full satisfaction and pour itself forth in precious utterances of love,
• 1:01:50
  Speaker 1: such as those which we find in the following words.
• 1:01:54
  Speaker 1: Behold thou art fair, my love. Behold thou art fair.
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 1: Thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil. Thy hair
• 1:02:03
  Speaker 1: is as a flock of goats that lie along the
• 1:02:06
  Speaker 1: side of Mount Gilead. Thy teeth are like a flock
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 1: of ewes that are newly shorn, which are come up
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 1: from the washing, which are all of them in pairs,
• 1:02:15
  Speaker 1: and none is bereaved among them. Thy lips are like
• 1:02:19
  Speaker 1: a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely, etc.
• 1:02:24
  Speaker 1: See Verses three to five. We have already found the
• 1:02:29
  Speaker 1: explanation of the fairness of the bride in her reflecting
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 1: like a mirror the beauty of the bridegroom. Well may
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 1: he with satisfaction describe her beauty. While she is thus
• 1:02:39
  Speaker 1: occupied with himself, the lips that speak only of him
• 1:02:44
  Speaker 1: are like a thread of scarlet. The mouth or speech
• 1:02:47
  Speaker 1: which has no word of self or foreself, is commonly
• 1:02:52
  Speaker 1: in his sight. How sweet his words of appreciation and
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 1: commendation were to the bride we can well imagine. But
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 1: her joy was too deep for expression. She was silent
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 1: in her love. She would not now think of sending
• 1:03:08
  Speaker 1: him away until the day be cool and the shadows
• 1:03:11
  Speaker 1: flee away. Still less does the bridegroom think of finding
• 1:03:16
  Speaker 1: his joy apart from his bride. He says, and till
• 1:03:20
  Speaker 1: the day be cool and the shadows flee away, I
• 1:03:23
  Speaker 1: will get me to the mountain of Murrh and to
• 1:03:26
  Speaker 1: the hill of Frankincense. Separation never comes from his bride.
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 1: He is always ready for communion with a prepared heart.
• 1:03:37
  Speaker 1: And in this happy communion the bride becomes ever fairer
• 1:03:41
  Speaker 1: and more like to her Lord. She is being progressively
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 1: changed into his image, from one degree of glory to
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 1: another through the wondrous working of the Holy Spirit. Until
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 1: the bridegroom can declare, thou art all fair, my love,
• 1:03:57
  Speaker 1: and there is no spot on thee, and now she
• 1:04:01
  Speaker 1: is fit for service, and to it the bridegroom woos her.
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 1: She will not now misrepresent him. Come with me from Lebanon,
• 1:04:10
  Speaker 1: my bride, with me, from Lebanon, look from the top
• 1:04:13
  Speaker 1: of a manor from the top of Senir and herman,
• 1:04:17
  Speaker 1: from the lions dens, from the mountains of the leopards,
• 1:04:22
  Speaker 1: Come with me. It is always so. If our Savior says,
• 1:04:28
  Speaker 1: go ye therefore and disciple all nations, he precedes it
• 1:04:32
  Speaker 1: by all power is given unto me, and follows it
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 1: by lo, I am with you always. Or if as
• 1:04:41
  Speaker 1: here he calls his bride to come, it is still
• 1:04:44
  Speaker 1: with me. And it is in connection with this loving
• 1:04:48
  Speaker 1: invitation that for the first time he changes the word
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 1: my love for the still more endearing one, my bride.
• 1:04:59
  Speaker 1: What are lions dens when the lion of the tribe
• 1:05:02
  Speaker 1: of Judah is with us, or mountains of leopards, when
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 1: he is at our side, I will fear no evil,
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 1: for thou art with me. On the other hand, it
• 1:05:14
  Speaker 1: is while thus facing dangers and toiling with him in service,
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 1: that he says, thou hast ravished my heart, my sister,
• 1:05:22
  Speaker 1: my bride, thou hast ravished my heart with one look
• 1:05:25
  Speaker 1: from thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. Is
• 1:05:30
  Speaker 1: it not wonderful how the heart of our beloved can
• 1:05:33
  Speaker 1: be thus ravished with the love of one who is
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 1: prepared to accept his invitation and go forth with him,
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 1: seeking to rescue the perishing. The marginal reading of the
• 1:05:44
  Speaker 1: revised version is very significant. Thou hast ravished my heart
• 1:05:49
  Speaker 1: or thou hast given me courage? If the bridegroom's heart
• 1:05:54
  Speaker 1: may be encouraged by the fidelity and loving companionship of
• 1:05:58
  Speaker 1: his bride, it is not surprising that we may cheer
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 1: and encourage one another in our mutual service. Saint Paul
• 1:06:06
  Speaker 1: had a steep mountain of difficulty to climb when he
• 1:06:10
  Speaker 1: was being led as captive to Rome, not knowing the
• 1:06:13
  Speaker 1: things that awaited him there. But when the brethren met
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 1: him at the APPII Forum, he thanked God and took courage.
• 1:06:21
  Speaker 1: May we ever thus strengthen one another's hands in God,
• 1:06:27
  Speaker 1: but to resume the bridegroom cheers the toilsome ascents and
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 1: the steep pathways of danger with sweet communications of his love.
• 1:06:38
  Speaker 1: How fair is thy love, my sister, my bride? How
• 1:06:42
  Speaker 1: much better is thy love than wine, and the smell
• 1:06:45
  Speaker 1: of thine ointments than all manner of spices. Thy lips
• 1:06:50
  Speaker 1: o my bride, drop as the honeycomb, Honey and milk
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 1: are under thy tongue, and the smell of thy garments
• 1:06:58
  Speaker 1: is like the smell of Lebanon. A garden shut up
• 1:07:01
  Speaker 1: is my sister, my bride, A spring shut up, a
• 1:07:05
  Speaker 1: fountain sealed. Thy shoots are a paradise of pomegranates with
• 1:07:11
  Speaker 1: precious fruits, henna with spikenard, plants, spikenard and saffron, Calamus
• 1:07:17
  Speaker 1: and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrh and aloes,
• 1:07:23
  Speaker 1: with all the chief spices. Thou art a fountain of gardens,
• 1:07:27
  Speaker 1: a well of living waters and flowing streams from Lebanon.
• 1:07:34
  Speaker 1: Engaged with the bride in seeking to rescue the perishing.
• 1:07:38
  Speaker 1: The utterances of her lips are to him as honey
• 1:07:41
  Speaker 1: and the honey comb, and figure is piled upon figure
• 1:07:45
  Speaker 1: to express his satisfaction and joy. She is a garden
• 1:07:49
  Speaker 1: full of precious fruits and delightful perfumes, but a garden enclosed.
• 1:07:55
  Speaker 1: The fruit she bears may bring blessing to many, but
• 1:07:58
  Speaker 1: the garden is for himself elf alone. She is a fountain,
• 1:08:03
  Speaker 1: but a spring shot up, a fountain sealed. And yet
• 1:08:07
  Speaker 1: again she is a fountain of gardens, a well of
• 1:08:10
  Speaker 1: living waters and flowing streams. From Lebanon. She carries fertility
• 1:08:15
  Speaker 1: and imparts refreshment wherever she goes. And yet it is
• 1:08:20
  Speaker 1: all of him and for him. The bride now speaks
• 1:08:25
  Speaker 1: for the second time in this section. As her first
• 1:08:28
  Speaker 1: utterance was of him, so now her second is for
• 1:08:31
  Speaker 1: him self. Is found in neither awake, o north wind,
• 1:08:37
  Speaker 1: and come thou south, blow upon my garden, that the
• 1:08:41
  Speaker 1: spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into
• 1:08:45
  Speaker 1: his garden and eat his precious fruits. She is ready
• 1:08:50
  Speaker 1: for any experience. The north wind and the south may
• 1:08:54
  Speaker 1: blow upon her garden, if only the spices thereof may
• 1:08:57
  Speaker 1: flow out to regale her lord by their fragrance. He
• 1:09:01
  Speaker 1: has called her his garden, a paradise of pomegranates and
• 1:09:05
  Speaker 1: precious fruits. Let him come into it and eat his
• 1:09:08
  Speaker 1: precious fruits. To this, the bridegroom replies, I am come
• 1:09:14
  Speaker 1: into my garden, my sister, my bride. I have gathered
• 1:09:18
  Speaker 1: my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my honeycomb
• 1:09:21
  Speaker 1: with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk.
• 1:09:27
  Speaker 1: Now when she calls, he answers at once, when she
• 1:09:31
  Speaker 1: is only for her lord, he assures her that he
• 1:09:34
  Speaker 1: finds all his satisfaction in her. The section closes by
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 1: the bride's invitation to his friends and hers, as well
• 1:09:43
  Speaker 1: as to himself. Eat O friends, drink yea drink abundantly,
• 1:09:49
  Speaker 1: O beloved. The consecration of all to our Master, far
• 1:09:55
  Speaker 1: from lessening our power to impart, increases both our power
• 1:10:00
  Speaker 1: and our joy in ministration. The five loaves and two
• 1:10:04
  Speaker 1: fishes of the disciples, first given up to and blessed
• 1:10:07
  Speaker 1: by the Lord, were abundant supply for the needy multitudes,
• 1:10:11
  Speaker 1: and grew in the act of distribution into a store
• 1:10:15
  Speaker 1: of which twelve hampers full of fragments remained when all
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 1: were fully satisfied. We have, then, in this beautiful section,
• 1:10:25
  Speaker 1: as we have seen, a picture of unbroken communion and
• 1:10:29
  Speaker 1: its delightful issues. May our lives correspond, first one with
• 1:10:35
  Speaker 1: the King, then speaking of the King, the joy of communion,
• 1:10:39
  Speaker 1: leading to fellowship in service to a being all for Jesus,
• 1:10:44
  Speaker 1: ready for any experience that will fit for further service
• 1:10:48
  Speaker 1: surrendering all to him and willing to minister all for him.
• 1:10:53
  Speaker 1: There is no room for love of the world here,
• 1:10:56
  Speaker 1: for union with Christ has filled the heart. There is
• 1:10:59
  Speaker 1: no thing for the gratification of the world, for all
• 1:11:03
  Speaker 1: has been sealed and is kept for the Master's use. Jesus,
• 1:11:09
  Speaker 1: my life is thine, and ever more shall be hidden
• 1:11:13
  Speaker 1: in thee for nothing can untwine Thy life from mine.
• 1:11:21
  Speaker 1: End of section three. Section four of Union and Communion.
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 1:11:36
  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 1:11:40
  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Union and Communion or Thoughts on
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 1: the Song of Solomon by J. Hudson Taylor. Section four
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 1: Communion again Broken Restoration Canticles, Chapter five, verse two to
• 1:11:58
  Speaker 1: chapter six, verse ten. The fourth section commences with an
• 1:12:03
  Speaker 1: address of the bride to the Daughters of Jerusalem, in
• 1:12:07
  Speaker 1: which she narrates her recent sad experience and entreats their
• 1:12:11
  Speaker 1: help in her trouble. The presence and comfort of her
• 1:12:14
  Speaker 1: bridegroom are again lost to her, not this time by
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 1: relapse into worldliness, but by slothful self indulgence. We are
• 1:12:25
  Speaker 1: not told of the steps that led to her failure
• 1:12:28
  Speaker 1: of how self again found place in her heart. Perhaps
• 1:12:32
  Speaker 1: spiritual pride in the achievements which grace enabled her to
• 1:12:35
  Speaker 1: accomplish was the cause, or not Improbably a cherished satisfaction
• 1:12:41
  Speaker 1: in the blessing she had received instead of in the
• 1:12:44
  Speaker 1: blesser himself may have led to the separation. She seems
• 1:12:49
  Speaker 1: to have been largely unconscious of her declension. Self occupied
• 1:12:53
  Speaker 1: and self contented, she scarcely noticed his absence. She was resting,
• 1:12:58
  Speaker 1: resting alone, never asking where he had gone or how
• 1:13:02
  Speaker 1: he was employed. And more than this, the door of
• 1:13:06
  Speaker 1: her chamber was not only closed but barred, an evidence
• 1:13:10
  Speaker 1: at his return was neither eagerly desired nor expected. Yet
• 1:13:15
  Speaker 1: her heart was not far from him. There was a
• 1:13:19
  Speaker 1: music in his voice that awakened echoes in her soul
• 1:13:22
  Speaker 1: such as no other voice could have stirred. She was
• 1:13:26
  Speaker 1: still a garden shut up, a fountain sealed, so far
• 1:13:30
  Speaker 1: as the world was concerned. The snare this time was
• 1:13:33
  Speaker 1: the more dangerous and insidious because it was quite unsuspected.
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 1: Let us look at her narrative. I was asleep, but
• 1:13:42
  Speaker 1: my heart waked. It is the voice of my beloved
• 1:13:45
  Speaker 1: that knocketh saying open to me, my sister, my love,
• 1:13:49
  Speaker 1: my dove, my undefiled, for my head is filled with dew,
• 1:13:54
  Speaker 1: my locks with the drops of the night. How often
• 1:13:59
  Speaker 1: the position of the bridegroom is that of a knocking
• 1:14:01
  Speaker 1: suitor outside, as in his epistle to the Laodician Church. Behold,
• 1:14:07
  Speaker 1: I stand at the door and knock. If any man
• 1:14:10
  Speaker 1: hear my voice and open the door, I will come
• 1:14:13
  Speaker 1: in to him, and will sup with him, and he
• 1:14:15
  Speaker 1: with me. It is sad that he should be outside
• 1:14:19
  Speaker 1: a closed door, that he should need to knock, but
• 1:14:22
  Speaker 1: still more sad that he should knock and knock in
• 1:14:25
  Speaker 1: vain at the door of any heart which has become
• 1:14:28
  Speaker 1: his own. In this case, it is not the position
• 1:14:32
  Speaker 1: of the bride that is wrong. If it were his word,
• 1:14:35
  Speaker 1: as before, would be arise and come away. Whereas now
• 1:14:39
  Speaker 1: his word is open to me, my sister, my love,
• 1:14:44
  Speaker 1: It was her condition of self satisfaction and love of
• 1:14:47
  Speaker 1: ease that closed the door. Very touching are his words
• 1:14:53
  Speaker 1: open to me, my sister. He is the first born
• 1:14:56
  Speaker 1: among many brethren, my love, the object of my heart's devotion,
• 1:15:02
  Speaker 1: my dove, one who has been endued with many of
• 1:15:05
  Speaker 1: the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, my undefiled, washed, renewed,
• 1:15:12
  Speaker 1: and cleansed for me, and he urges her to open
• 1:15:16
  Speaker 1: by reference to his own condition. My head is filled
• 1:15:19
  Speaker 1: with dew, my locks, with the drops of the night.
• 1:15:24
  Speaker 1: Why is it that his head is filled with the dew,
• 1:15:28
  Speaker 1: because his heart is a shepherd heart. There are those
• 1:15:31
  Speaker 1: whom the Father has given to him who are wandering
• 1:15:34
  Speaker 1: on the dark mountains of sin. Many, oh, how many
• 1:15:38
  Speaker 1: have never heard the shepherd's voice. Many too, who are
• 1:15:42
  Speaker 1: once in the fold, have wandered away, far away from
• 1:15:45
  Speaker 1: its safe shelter. The heart that never can forget, the
• 1:15:49
  Speaker 1: love that never can fail, must seek the wandering sheep
• 1:15:54
  Speaker 1: until the lost one has been found. My father worketh
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 1: hitherto and I work. And will she who so recently
• 1:16:04
  Speaker 1: was at his side, who joyfully braved the dens of
• 1:16:07
  Speaker 1: lions and the mountains of leopards, will she leave him
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 1: to seek alone the wandering and the lost. Open to me,
• 1:16:16
  Speaker 1: my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled, For my
• 1:16:20
  Speaker 1: head is filled with dew, my locks, with the drops
• 1:16:24
  Speaker 1: of the night. We do not know a more touching
• 1:16:28
  Speaker 1: entreaty in the Word of God, and sad indeed is
• 1:16:32
  Speaker 1: the reply of the bride. I have put off my coat,
• 1:16:36
  Speaker 1: how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet?
• 1:16:40
  Speaker 1: How shall I defile them? How sadly possible it is
• 1:16:45
  Speaker 1: to take delight in conferences and conventions, to feast on
• 1:16:50
  Speaker 1: all the good things that are brought before us, and
• 1:16:53
  Speaker 1: yet to be unprepared to go out from them, to
• 1:16:56
  Speaker 1: self denying efforts to rescue the perishing, to delight in
• 1:17:00
  Speaker 1: the rest of faith, while forgetting to fight the good
• 1:17:04
  Speaker 1: fight of faith, to dwell upon the cleansing and the
• 1:17:07
  Speaker 1: purity affected by faith, but to have little thought for
• 1:17:11
  Speaker 1: the poor souls struggling in the mire of sin. If
• 1:17:15
  Speaker 1: we can put off our coat when he would have
• 1:17:18
  Speaker 1: us keep it on, if we can wash our feet
• 1:17:21
  Speaker 1: while he is wandering alone upon the mountains, is there
• 1:17:25
  Speaker 1: not sad want of fellowship with our lord? Meeting with
• 1:17:30
  Speaker 1: no response from the tardy bride, her beloved put in
• 1:17:35
  Speaker 1: his hand by the whole of the door, and her
• 1:17:38
  Speaker 1: heart was moved for him. But alas the door was
• 1:17:43
  Speaker 1: not only latched but barred, and his effort to secure
• 1:17:47
  Speaker 1: an entrance was in vain, I rose up to open
• 1:17:51
  Speaker 1: to my beloved, and my hands dropped with muhr, and
• 1:17:55
  Speaker 1: my fingers with liquid murrh upon the handles of the bolt.
• 1:17:59
  Speaker 1: I open to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn
• 1:18:03
  Speaker 1: himself and was gone. My soul had failed me when
• 1:18:07
  Speaker 1: he spake. When all too late the bride did arise,
• 1:18:13
  Speaker 1: she seems to have been more concerned to anoint herself
• 1:18:16
  Speaker 1: with the liquid mirh than to speedily welcome her waiting lord,
• 1:18:21
  Speaker 1: more occupied with her own graces than with his desire.
• 1:18:25
  Speaker 1: No words of welcome were uttered, though her heart failed
• 1:18:29
  Speaker 1: within her, and the grieved one had withdrawn himself before
• 1:18:32
  Speaker 1: she was ready to receive him. Again. As in the
• 1:18:36
  Speaker 1: third chapter, she had to go forth alone to seek
• 1:18:39
  Speaker 1: her lord, and this time her experiences were much more
• 1:18:42
  Speaker 1: painful than on the former occasion. I sought him, but
• 1:18:48
  Speaker 1: I could not find him. I called him, but he
• 1:18:52
  Speaker 1: gave me no answer. The watchmen that go about the
• 1:18:55
  Speaker 1: city found me. They smote me, They wounded me. The
• 1:18:59
  Speaker 1: keeper of the walls took away my mantle from me.
• 1:19:04
  Speaker 1: Her first relapse had been one of inexperience. If a
• 1:19:08
  Speaker 1: second relapse had been brought about by inadvertence, she should
• 1:19:12
  Speaker 1: at least have been ready and prompt when summoned to obey.
• 1:19:16
  Speaker 1: It is not a little thing to fall into the
• 1:19:18
  Speaker 1: habit of being tardy in obedience, even in the case
• 1:19:21
  Speaker 1: of a believer. In the case of the unbeliever, the
• 1:19:25
  Speaker 1: final issue of disobedience is inexpressibly awful. Turn you at
• 1:19:31
  Speaker 1: my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you.
• 1:19:36
  Speaker 1: I will make known my words unto you. Because I
• 1:19:39
  Speaker 1: have called and yet refused. I have stretched out my hand,
• 1:19:44
  Speaker 1: and no man regarded. I also will laugh in the
• 1:19:48
  Speaker 1: day of your calamity. Then shall they call upon me,
• 1:19:51
  Speaker 1: but I will not answer. They shall seek me diligently,
• 1:19:55
  Speaker 1: but they shall not find me. The backsliding of the bride,
• 1:20:00
  Speaker 1: though painful, was not final, for it was followed by
• 1:20:04
  Speaker 1: true repentance. She went forth into the darkness and sought him.
• 1:20:09
  Speaker 1: She called, but he responded not, and the watchman, finding her,
• 1:20:14
  Speaker 1: both smote and wounded her. They appear to have appreciated
• 1:20:18
  Speaker 1: the gravity of her declension more correctly than she had done.
• 1:20:22
  Speaker 1: Believers may be blinded to their own inconsistencies. Others, however,
• 1:20:27
  Speaker 1: note them, and the higher the position with regard to
• 1:20:30
  Speaker 1: our Lord, the more surely will any failure be visited.
• 1:20:34
  Speaker 1: With reproach. Wounded, dishonored, unsuccessful in her search, and almost
• 1:20:41
  Speaker 1: in despair, the bride turns to the Daughters of Jerusalem, and,
• 1:20:46
  Speaker 1: recounting the story of her sorrows, adjures them to tell
• 1:20:50
  Speaker 1: her beloved that she is not unfaithful or unmindful of him.
• 1:20:54
  Speaker 1: I adjure you, o, Daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find
• 1:20:58
  Speaker 1: my beloved, that ye tell him that I am sick
• 1:21:01
  Speaker 1: of love. The reply of the Daughters of Jerusalem shows
• 1:21:06
  Speaker 1: very clearly that the sorrow stricken bride wandering in the
• 1:21:09
  Speaker 1: dark is not recognized as the bride of the king,
• 1:21:13
  Speaker 1: though her personal beauty does not escape notice. Why is
• 1:21:18
  Speaker 1: thy beloved more than another beloved? O, thou fairest among women?
• 1:21:23
  Speaker 1: Why is thy beloved more than another beloved? That thou
• 1:21:27
  Speaker 1: dost so adjure us? This question, implying that her beloved
• 1:21:32
  Speaker 1: was no more than any other, stirs her soul to
• 1:21:35
  Speaker 1: its deepest depths, and forgetting herself, she pours out from
• 1:21:40
  Speaker 1: the fullness of her heart a soul ravishing description of
• 1:21:43
  Speaker 1: the glory and beauty of her Lord. My beloved is
• 1:21:48
  Speaker 1: white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand see Verses
• 1:21:53
  Speaker 1: ten to sixteen. Concluding with his mouth is most sweet. Yea,
• 1:21:58
  Speaker 1: he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this
• 1:22:02
  Speaker 1: is my friend, O Daughters of Jerusalem. It is interesting
• 1:22:07
  Speaker 1: to compare the bride's description of the bridegroom with the
• 1:22:10
  Speaker 1: descriptions of the Ancient of Days in Daniel chapter seven,
• 1:22:14
  Speaker 1: Verses nine and ten, and of our risen Lord in
• 1:22:18
  Speaker 1: Revelation chapter one, Verses thirteen to sixteen. The differences are
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 1: very characteristic. In Daniel chapter seven, we see the Ancient
• 1:22:27
  Speaker 1: of Days seated on the throne of judgment. His garment
• 1:22:31
  Speaker 1: was white as snow, and the hair of his head
• 1:22:34
  Speaker 1: like the pure wool. His throne and his wheels were
• 1:22:38
  Speaker 1: as burning fire, and a fiery stream issued and came
• 1:22:41
  Speaker 1: forth from before him. The Son of Man was brought
• 1:22:45
  Speaker 1: near before him and received from him dominion and glory,
• 1:22:49
  Speaker 1: and an everlasting kingdom that shall not be destroyed. In
• 1:22:54
  Speaker 1: Revelation chapter one, we see the Son of Man himself
• 1:22:57
  Speaker 1: clothed with a garment down to the foot, and his
• 1:23:01
  Speaker 1: head and his hair were white as wool, white as snow.
• 1:23:05
  Speaker 1: But the bride sees her bridegroom in all the vigor
• 1:23:09
  Speaker 1: of youth, with locks, bushy and black as a raven.
• 1:23:13
  Speaker 1: The eyes of the risen Savior are described as a
• 1:23:16
  Speaker 1: flame of fire, but his bride sees them like doves
• 1:23:21
  Speaker 1: beside the water, brooks in revelation. His voice is as
• 1:23:26
  Speaker 1: the voice of many waters, and out of his mouth
• 1:23:29
  Speaker 1: proceeded a sharp, two edged sword to the bride. His
• 1:23:33
  Speaker 1: lips are as lilies dropping liquid murrhr, and his mouth
• 1:23:38
  Speaker 1: most sweet. The countenance of the risen Savior was as
• 1:23:43
  Speaker 1: the sun shineth in his strength. And the effect of
• 1:23:47
  Speaker 1: the vision on John when I saw him, I fell
• 1:23:50
  Speaker 1: at his feet as one dead, was not unlike the
• 1:23:53
  Speaker 1: effect of the vision given to Saul as he neared Damascus.
• 1:23:57
  Speaker 1: But to his bride, his aspect is like Lebanon, excellent
• 1:24:02
  Speaker 1: as the Cedars. The lion of the tribe of Judah
• 1:24:06
  Speaker 1: is to his own bride the king of love, and
• 1:24:10
  Speaker 1: with full heart and beaming face, she so recounts his
• 1:24:14
  Speaker 1: beauties that the daughters of Jerusalem are seized with strong
• 1:24:17
  Speaker 1: desire to seek him with her, that they also may
• 1:24:21
  Speaker 1: behold his beauty. Whither is thy beloved gone, o thou
• 1:24:26
  Speaker 1: fairest among women? Whither hath thy beloved turned him? That
• 1:24:30
  Speaker 1: we may seek him with thee. The bride replies, my
• 1:24:35
  Speaker 1: beloved is gone down to his garden, to the beds
• 1:24:38
  Speaker 1: of spices, to feed in the gardens and to gather lilies.
• 1:24:42
  Speaker 1: I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. He
• 1:24:46
  Speaker 1: feedeth his flock among the lilies. Forlorn and desolate as
• 1:24:51
  Speaker 1: she might appear, she still knows herself as the object
• 1:24:54
  Speaker 1: of his affections and claims him as her own. This expression,
• 1:24:59
  Speaker 1: I am my bel Lovid's and my beloved is mine
• 1:25:03
  Speaker 1: is similar to that found in the second chapter, my
• 1:25:05
  Speaker 1: beloved is mine and I am his. And yet with
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 1: noteworthy difference. Then her first thought of Christ was of
• 1:25:14
  Speaker 1: her claim upon him. His claim upon her was secondary.
• 1:25:19
  Speaker 1: Now she thinks first of his claim, and only afterwards
• 1:25:22
  Speaker 1: mentions her own. We see a still further development of
• 1:25:27
  Speaker 1: grace in chapter seven, verse ten, where the bride, losing
• 1:25:31
  Speaker 1: sight of her claim altogether, says, I am my beloved's,
• 1:25:36
  Speaker 1: and his desire is towards me. No sooner has she
• 1:25:40
  Speaker 1: uttered these words and acknowledged herself as his rightful possession,
• 1:25:44
  Speaker 1: a claim which she had practically repudiated when she kept
• 1:25:47
  Speaker 1: him barred out than her bridegroom himself appears, and with
• 1:25:52
  Speaker 1: no upbraiding word, but in tenderest love tells her how
• 1:25:56
  Speaker 1: beautiful she is in his eyes, and speaks her praise
• 1:25:59
  Speaker 1: to the Daughters of Jerusalem. To her, he says, thou
• 1:26:04
  Speaker 1: art beautiful, o, my love, as tears are the beautiful
• 1:26:08
  Speaker 1: city of Samaria, comely as Jerusalem, the glorious city of
• 1:26:12
  Speaker 1: the great King terrible, or rather brilliant as an army
• 1:26:16
  Speaker 1: with banners. Turn away thine eyes from me, for they
• 1:26:20
  Speaker 1: have overcome me see Verses four to seven. Then, turning
• 1:26:25
  Speaker 1: to the Daughters of Jerusalem, he exclaims, there are three
• 1:26:29
  Speaker 1: score queens and four score concubines and maidens without number.
• 1:26:35
  Speaker 1: My dove, my perfect one, is but one. She is
• 1:26:39
  Speaker 1: the only one of her mother. She is the choice
• 1:26:41
  Speaker 1: one of her that bear her. The daughters saw her
• 1:26:45
  Speaker 1: and called her blessed yea, the queens and the concubines,
• 1:26:49
  Speaker 1: and they praised her, saying who is she that looketh
• 1:26:52
  Speaker 1: forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as
• 1:26:55
  Speaker 1: the sun, brilliant as an army with banners. Thus the
• 1:27:01
  Speaker 1: section closes with communion fully restored, the bride reinstated and
• 1:27:07
  Speaker 1: openly acknowledged by the bridegroom as his own peerless companion
• 1:27:11
  Speaker 1: and friend. The painful experience through which the bride has
• 1:27:15
  Speaker 1: passed has been fraught with lasting good and we have
• 1:27:19
  Speaker 1: no further indication of interrupted communion. But in the remaining
• 1:27:24
  Speaker 1: sections find only joy and faithfulness. End of section four,
• 1:27:38
  Speaker 1: Section five of Union and Communion. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 1:27:44
  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 1:27:47
  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Union
• 1:27:54
  Speaker 1: and Communion or Thoughts on the Song of Solomon by J.
• 1:27:59
  Speaker 1: Hudson Taylor. Section five Fruits of Recognized Union Canticles, Chapter six,
• 1:28:08
  Speaker 1: verse eleven to Chapter eight, verse four. In the second
• 1:28:14
  Speaker 1: and fourth sections of this book, we found the communion
• 1:28:17
  Speaker 1: of the bride broken, in the former by backsliding into worldliness,
• 1:28:23
  Speaker 1: and in the latter through slothful ease and self satisfaction.
• 1:28:28
  Speaker 1: The present section, like the third, is one of unbroken communion.
• 1:28:33
  Speaker 1: It is opened by the words of the bride. I
• 1:28:36
  Speaker 1: went down into the garden of nuts to see the
• 1:28:39
  Speaker 1: green plants of the valley, to see whether the vine
• 1:28:42
  Speaker 1: bodied and the pomegranates were in flower or ever. I
• 1:28:47
  Speaker 1: was aware my soul set me among the chariots of
• 1:28:50
  Speaker 1: my willing people. As in the commencement of section three,
• 1:28:55
  Speaker 1: the bride, in unbroken communion with her lord, was present,
• 1:29:00
  Speaker 1: though unmentioned, until she made her presence evident by her
• 1:29:03
  Speaker 1: address to the daughters of Zion. So in this section
• 1:29:07
  Speaker 1: the presence of the king is unnoted until he himself
• 1:29:11
  Speaker 1: addresses his bride. But she is one with her lord
• 1:29:15
  Speaker 1: as she engages in his service. His promise, lo I
• 1:29:20
  Speaker 1: am with you always, is ever fulfilled to her, and
• 1:29:24
  Speaker 1: he has no more to woo her to arise and
• 1:29:27
  Speaker 1: come away, to tell her that his head is filled
• 1:29:30
  Speaker 1: with dew, his locks with the drops of the night,
• 1:29:34
  Speaker 1: or to urge her, if she love him, to feed
• 1:29:36
  Speaker 1: his sheep and care for his lambs. Herself his garden,
• 1:29:41
  Speaker 1: she does not forget to tend it, nor keep the
• 1:29:44
  Speaker 1: vineyards of others, while her own is neglected. With him
• 1:29:48
  Speaker 1: as well as for him, she goes to the garden
• 1:29:51
  Speaker 1: of nuts. So thorough is the union between them that
• 1:29:55
  Speaker 1: many commentators have felt difficulty in deciding whether the bride
• 1:29:59
  Speaker 1: or the bride groom was the speaker. And really it
• 1:30:02
  Speaker 1: is a point of little moment, for as we have said,
• 1:30:05
  Speaker 1: both were there and of one mind. Yet we believe
• 1:30:09
  Speaker 1: we are right in attributing these words to the bride,
• 1:30:12
  Speaker 1: as she is the one addressed by the Daughters of Jerusalem,
• 1:30:16
  Speaker 1: and the one who speaks to them in reply. The
• 1:30:20
  Speaker 1: bride and bridegroom appear to have been discovered by their
• 1:30:23
  Speaker 1: willing people while thus engaged in the happy fellowship of
• 1:30:27
  Speaker 1: fruitful service, and the bride, or ever she was aware,
• 1:30:32
  Speaker 1: found herself seated among the chariots of her people. Her
• 1:30:36
  Speaker 1: people as well as his. The Daughters of Jerusalem would
• 1:30:40
  Speaker 1: fain call her back. Return return o Shulamite, Return, return,
• 1:30:46
  Speaker 1: that we may look upon thee. There is no question
• 1:30:49
  Speaker 1: now as to who she is, nor why her beloved
• 1:30:52
  Speaker 1: is more than another beloved. He is recognized as King Solomon,
• 1:30:57
  Speaker 1: and to her is given the same name, only its
• 1:31:00
  Speaker 1: feminine form Shulamite. Some have seen in these words return
• 1:31:06
  Speaker 1: return an indication of the rapture of the church, and
• 1:31:10
  Speaker 1: explain some parts of the subsequent context which appear inconsistent
• 1:31:15
  Speaker 1: with this view as resumptive rather than progressive. Interesting as
• 1:31:21
  Speaker 1: is this thought, and well as it would explain the
• 1:31:24
  Speaker 1: absence of reference to the king in the preceding verses,
• 1:31:28
  Speaker 1: we are not inclined to accept it, but look on
• 1:31:30
  Speaker 1: the whole song as progressive, and its last words as
• 1:31:34
  Speaker 1: being equivalent to the closing words of the Book of Revelation.
• 1:31:38
  Speaker 1: Surely I come quickly amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus.
• 1:31:44
  Speaker 1: We do not therefore look upon the departure of the
• 1:31:47
  Speaker 1: bride from her garden as being other than temporary. The
• 1:31:52
  Speaker 1: bride replies to the daughters of Jerusalem, why will you
• 1:31:56
  Speaker 1: look upon the Shulamite, or, as in the authorized version,
• 1:32:00
  Speaker 1: what will ye see in the Shulamite in the presence
• 1:32:04
  Speaker 1: of the king. She cannot conceive why any attention should
• 1:32:08
  Speaker 1: be paid to her. As Moses, coming down from the mount,
• 1:32:12
  Speaker 1: was unconscious that his face shone with a divine glory,
• 1:32:16
  Speaker 1: so was it here with the bride. But we may
• 1:32:19
  Speaker 1: learn this very important lesson, that many who do not
• 1:32:22
  Speaker 1: see the beauty of the Lord will not fail to
• 1:32:25
  Speaker 1: admire his reflected beauty in his bride. The eager look
• 1:32:29
  Speaker 1: of the Daughters of Jerusalem surprised the bride, and she says,
• 1:32:34
  Speaker 1: you might be looking upon the dance of Mahanaim, the
• 1:32:37
  Speaker 1: dance of two companies of Israel's fairest daughters. Instead of
• 1:32:42
  Speaker 1: upon one who has no claim for attention, save that
• 1:32:45
  Speaker 1: she is the chosen, though unworthy bride of the glorious King.
• 1:32:51
  Speaker 1: The Daughters of Jerusalem have no difficulty in replying to
• 1:32:55
  Speaker 1: her question and recognizing her as of royal birth, o
• 1:32:59
  Speaker 1: prince his daughter, as well as of queenly dignity. They
• 1:33:04
  Speaker 1: describe in true and oriental language the tenfold beauties of
• 1:33:08
  Speaker 1: her person. From her feet to her head they see
• 1:33:12
  Speaker 1: only beauty and perfection. What a contrast to her state
• 1:33:17
  Speaker 1: by nature. Once, from the soul of the foot, even
• 1:33:21
  Speaker 1: unto the head, was but wounds and bruises and festering sores.
• 1:33:26
  Speaker 1: Now her feet are shod with the preparation of the
• 1:33:29
  Speaker 1: Gospel of Peace, and the very hair of the head
• 1:33:33
  Speaker 1: proclaims her a Nazarite. Indeed the king himself is held
• 1:33:38
  Speaker 1: captive in the tresses thereof. But one more to her
• 1:33:44
  Speaker 1: than the Daughters of Jerusalem responded to her unaffected question,
• 1:33:49
  Speaker 1: what will ye see in the Shulamite? The bridegroom himself
• 1:33:53
  Speaker 1: replies to it, how fair and how pleasant art thou,
• 1:33:57
  Speaker 1: O love for delights? He sees in her the beauties
• 1:34:02
  Speaker 1: and the fruitfulness of the tall and upright palm of
• 1:34:06
  Speaker 1: the graceful and clinging vine, of the fragrant and evergreen citron.
• 1:34:12
  Speaker 1: Grace has made her, like the palm tree, the emblem
• 1:34:15
  Speaker 1: alike of uprightness and a fruitfulness. The fruit of the
• 1:34:19
  Speaker 1: date palm is more valued than bread by the oriental traveler,
• 1:34:24
  Speaker 1: so great is its sustaining power. And the fruit bearing
• 1:34:28
  Speaker 1: powers of the tree do not pass away. As age increases,
• 1:34:33
  Speaker 1: the fruit becomes more perfect as well as more abundant.
• 1:34:38
  Speaker 1: The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. He shall
• 1:34:42
  Speaker 1: grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They that are planted
• 1:34:45
  Speaker 1: in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the
• 1:34:48
  Speaker 1: courts of our God. They that still bring forth fruit
• 1:34:51
  Speaker 1: in old age, they shall be full of sap and green.
• 1:34:57
  Speaker 1: But why are the righteous made so upright and flourishing?
• 1:35:02
  Speaker 1: To show that the Lord is upright? He is my rock,
• 1:35:05
  Speaker 1: and there is no unrighteousness in him. One with our Lord,
• 1:35:11
  Speaker 1: it is ours to show forth his graces and virtues,
• 1:35:15
  Speaker 1: to reflect his beauty, to be his faithful witnesses. The
• 1:35:20
  Speaker 1: palm is also the emblem of victory. It raises its
• 1:35:24
  Speaker 1: beautiful crown towards the heavens fearless of the heat of
• 1:35:27
  Speaker 1: the sultry sun, or of the burning hot wind from
• 1:35:30
  Speaker 1: the desert. From its beauty, it was one of the
• 1:35:34
  Speaker 1: ornaments of Solomon's as it is to be of Ezekiel's temple.
• 1:35:39
  Speaker 1: When our Savior was received at Jerusalem as the King
• 1:35:42
  Speaker 1: of Israel, the people took branches of palm trees and
• 1:35:45
  Speaker 1: went forth to meet him. And in the glorious day
• 1:35:49
  Speaker 1: of his espousals a great multitude which no man can number,
• 1:35:54
  Speaker 1: of all nations and kindreds, and people and tongues, shall
• 1:35:58
  Speaker 1: stand before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with
• 1:36:02
  Speaker 1: white robes, and with palms of victory in their hands,
• 1:36:05
  Speaker 1: shall ascribe their salvation to Our God, which sitteth upon
• 1:36:10
  Speaker 1: the throne, and unto the lamb. And if she resembles
• 1:36:15
  Speaker 1: the palm, she also resembles the vine. Much she needs
• 1:36:20
  Speaker 1: the culture of the husbandman, and well does she repay it.
• 1:36:25
  Speaker 1: Abiding in Christ, the true source of fruitfulness, she brings
• 1:36:29
  Speaker 1: forth clusters of grapes, luscious and refreshing, as well as sustaining,
• 1:36:35
  Speaker 1: like the fruit of the palm, luscious and refreshing to himself,
• 1:36:38
  Speaker 1: the owner of the vineyard as well as to the weary,
• 1:36:41
  Speaker 1: thirsty world in which He has placed it. The vine
• 1:36:46
  Speaker 1: has its own suggestive lessons. It needs and seeks support.
• 1:36:52
  Speaker 1: The sharp knife of the pruna often cuts away unsparingly
• 1:36:55
  Speaker 1: its tender garlands, and mars its appearance, while increasing its fruitfulness.
• 1:37:02
  Speaker 1: It has been beautifully written the living vine. Christ chose
• 1:37:06
  Speaker 1: it for himself. God gave to man for use and
• 1:37:10
  Speaker 1: sustenance corn, wine, and oil, and each of these is good,
• 1:37:16
  Speaker 1: and Christ is bread of life and light of life.
• 1:37:20
  Speaker 1: But yet He did not choose the summer corn that
• 1:37:23
  Speaker 1: shoots up straight and free in one quick growth, and
• 1:37:27
  Speaker 1: has its day is done, and springs no more. Nor
• 1:37:31
  Speaker 1: yet the olive all whose boughs are spread in the
• 1:37:34
  Speaker 1: soft air and never lose a leaf, flowering and fruitful
• 1:37:38
  Speaker 1: in perpetual peace. But only this for him and his
• 1:37:43
  Speaker 1: is one, that everlasting, ever quickening vine, that gives the
• 1:37:48
  Speaker 1: heat and passion of the world through its own life blood,
• 1:37:52
  Speaker 1: still renewed and shed. The vine from every living limb
• 1:37:58
  Speaker 1: bleeds wine. Is it the poorer for that spirit shed?
• 1:38:02
  Speaker 1: The drunkard and the wanton drink thereof are they the
• 1:38:05
  Speaker 1: richer for that gift's excess measure thy life by loss
• 1:38:10
  Speaker 1: instead of gain, not by wine drunk, but the wine
• 1:38:14
  Speaker 1: poured forth. For Love's strength standeth in Love's sacrifice, and
• 1:38:19
  Speaker 1: whoso suffers most hath most to give. Yet one figure
• 1:38:25
  Speaker 1: more is used by the bridegroom. The smell of thy
• 1:38:28
  Speaker 1: breath is like apples, or rather citrons. In the first section,
• 1:38:33
  Speaker 1: the bride exclaims, as the citron tree among the trees
• 1:38:37
  Speaker 1: of the wood, so is my beloved among the suns.
• 1:38:40
  Speaker 1: I delighted and sat down under his shadow, and his
• 1:38:44
  Speaker 1: fruit was sweet to my taste. Here we find the
• 1:38:48
  Speaker 1: outcome of that communion. The citrons on which she had fed,
• 1:38:52
  Speaker 1: perfumed her breath and imparted to her their delicious odour.
• 1:38:57
  Speaker 1: The bridegroom concludes his description, Thy mouth is like the
• 1:39:02
  Speaker 1: best wine that goeth down smoothly for my beloved, interjects
• 1:39:07
  Speaker 1: the bride, causing the lips of those that are asleep
• 1:39:11
  Speaker 1: to move. How wondrous the grace that has made the
• 1:39:16
  Speaker 1: Bride of Christ to be all this to her beloved
• 1:39:20
  Speaker 1: upright as the palm, victorious and ever more fruitful as
• 1:39:24
  Speaker 1: she grows heavenward, gentle and tender as the vine self
• 1:39:29
  Speaker 1: forgetting and self sacrificing, not merely bearing fruit in spite
• 1:39:33
  Speaker 1: of adversity, but bearing her richest fruits through it, feasting
• 1:39:38
  Speaker 1: on her beloved as she rests beneath his shade, and
• 1:39:42
  Speaker 1: thereby partaking of his fragrance. What has grace not done
• 1:39:46
  Speaker 1: for her? And what must be her joy in finding
• 1:39:50
  Speaker 1: ever more fully the satisfaction of the glorious bridegroom in
• 1:39:55
  Speaker 1: the lowly wild flower. He has made his bride and
• 1:39:59
  Speaker 1: beautified with his own graces and virtues. I am my beloved,
• 1:40:05
  Speaker 1: and his desire is toward me, she gladly exclaims. Now
• 1:40:11
  Speaker 1: it is none of self or foreself, but all of
• 1:40:15
  Speaker 1: thee and for thee. And if such be the sweet
• 1:40:19
  Speaker 1: fruits of going down to the garden of nuts and
• 1:40:22
  Speaker 1: caring for his garden with him, she will need no
• 1:40:25
  Speaker 1: constraining to continue in this blessed service. Come, my beloved,
• 1:40:30
  Speaker 1: let us go forth into the field, let us lodge
• 1:40:33
  Speaker 1: in the villages. She is not ashamed of her lowly origin,
• 1:40:38
  Speaker 1: for she fears no shame. Perfect love has cast out fear.
• 1:40:44
  Speaker 1: The royal state of the King, with its pomp and grandeur,
• 1:40:47
  Speaker 1: may be enjoyed by and by now more sweet with
• 1:40:51
  Speaker 1: him at her side, to make the garden fruitful, to
• 1:40:55
  Speaker 1: give to him all manner of precious fruits, new and old,
• 1:40:59
  Speaker 1: which he has laid up in store for him, and
• 1:41:02
  Speaker 1: best of all, to satisfy him with her own love.
• 1:41:06
  Speaker 1: Not only is she contented with this fellowship of service,
• 1:41:11
  Speaker 1: but she could fain wish that there were no honors
• 1:41:13
  Speaker 1: and duties to claim his attention, and for the moment
• 1:41:17
  Speaker 1: to lessen the joy of his presence. O that thou
• 1:41:21
  Speaker 1: wert as my brother that sucked the breasts of my mother.
• 1:41:24
  Speaker 1: When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee yea,
• 1:41:28
  Speaker 1: and none would despise me. Would that she could care
• 1:41:34
  Speaker 1: for him and claim his whole attention as a sister
• 1:41:37
  Speaker 1: might care for a brother. She is deeply conscious that
• 1:41:40
  Speaker 1: he has richly endowed her, and that she is as
• 1:41:43
  Speaker 1: nothing compared with him. But instead of proudly dwelling upon
• 1:41:47
  Speaker 1: what she has done through him, she would feign that
• 1:41:50
  Speaker 1: it were possible for her to be the giver and
• 1:41:53
  Speaker 1: him the receiver. Far removed is this from the grudging
• 1:41:57
  Speaker 1: thought that must so great upon thee heart of our Lord.
• 1:42:01
  Speaker 1: I do not think that God requires this of me,
• 1:42:04
  Speaker 1: or must I give up that if I am to
• 1:42:07
  Speaker 1: be a Christian true devotion, will rather ask to be
• 1:42:11
  Speaker 1: allowed to give, and will count as loss all which
• 1:42:14
  Speaker 1: may not be given up for the Lord's sake. I
• 1:42:17
  Speaker 1: count all things but loss for the excellency of the
• 1:42:21
  Speaker 1: knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. This longing desire to
• 1:42:28
  Speaker 1: be more to him does not, however, blind her to
• 1:42:31
  Speaker 1: the consciousness that she needs his guidance and that he
• 1:42:35
  Speaker 1: is her true, her only instructor. I would lead thee
• 1:42:40
  Speaker 1: and bring THEE into my mother's house, that thou mightest
• 1:42:43
  Speaker 1: instruct me. I would cause THEE to drink of spiced wine,
• 1:42:48
  Speaker 1: of the juice of my pomegranate. I would give THEE
• 1:42:52
  Speaker 1: my best, and yet would myself seek all my rest
• 1:42:56
  Speaker 1: and satisfaction in thee. His left hand should be under
• 1:43:01
  Speaker 1: my head, and his right hand should embrace me. And
• 1:43:06
  Speaker 1: thus the section closes. There is nothing sweeter to the
• 1:43:09
  Speaker 1: bridegroom or to the bride than this hallowed and unhindered communion.
• 1:43:15
  Speaker 1: And again he adjures the Daughters of Jerusalem in slightly
• 1:43:18
  Speaker 1: different form, Why should ye stir up, or why awake
• 1:43:22
  Speaker 1: my love until she please? Hallowed communion? Indeed, may we
• 1:43:28
  Speaker 1: ever enjoy it and abiding in Christ, we shall sing
• 1:43:32
  Speaker 1: in the familiar words of the well known hymn. Both
• 1:43:36
  Speaker 1: thine arms are clasped around me, and my head is
• 1:43:39
  Speaker 1: on thy breast, and my weary soul hath found thee
• 1:43:43
  Speaker 1: such a perfect, perfect rest. Blessed Jesus. Now I know
• 1:43:49
  Speaker 1: that I am blessed. End of section five. Section six
• 1:44:03
  Speaker 1: of Union and Communion. This is a LibriVox recording. All
• 1:44:07
  Speaker 1: Liberyvox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
• 1:44:12
  Speaker 1: or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Union and
• 1:44:18
  Speaker 1: Communion or Thoughts on the Song of Solomon by J.
• 1:44:22
  Speaker 1: Hudson Taylor. Section six Unrestrained Communion, Canticles, Chapter eight, verses
• 1:44:31
  Speaker 1: five to fourteen. We have now reached the closing section
• 1:44:37
  Speaker 1: of this book, which, as we have seen, is a
• 1:44:40
  Speaker 1: poem describing the life of a believer on earth, beginning
• 1:44:44
  Speaker 1: in section one Canticles, Chapter one, verse two to chapter two,
• 1:44:49
  Speaker 1: verse seven, with the unsatisfied longings of an espoused one,
• 1:44:54
  Speaker 1: longings which could only be met by her unreserved surrender
• 1:44:57
  Speaker 1: to the bridegroom of her soul. We find that when
• 1:45:01
  Speaker 1: the surrender was made instead of the cross, she had
• 1:45:05
  Speaker 1: so much feared. She found a king, the King of Love,
• 1:45:09
  Speaker 1: who both satisfied her deepest longings and found his own
• 1:45:13
  Speaker 1: satisfaction in her. The second section, Canticles, Chapter two, verse
• 1:45:19
  Speaker 1: eight to chapter three, verse five showed failure on her part.
• 1:45:24
  Speaker 1: She was lured back again into the world, and soon
• 1:45:27
  Speaker 1: found that her beloved could not follow her. There, then,
• 1:45:32
  Speaker 1: with full purpose of heart, going forth to seek him
• 1:45:35
  Speaker 1: and confessing his name, her search was successful, and her
• 1:45:39
  Speaker 1: communion was restored. The third section, Canticles, chapter three, verse
• 1:45:45
  Speaker 1: six to chapter five, verse one, told of unbroken communion
• 1:45:50
  Speaker 1: abiding in Christ. She was the sharer of his security
• 1:45:54
  Speaker 1: and his glory. She draws the attention, however, of the
• 1:45:58
  Speaker 1: Daughters of Jerusalem from these outward things to her King himself.
• 1:46:03
  Speaker 1: And while she is thus occupied with him, and would
• 1:46:06
  Speaker 1: have others so occupied, she finds that her royal bridegroom
• 1:46:10
  Speaker 1: is delighting in her and inviting her to fellowship of service,
• 1:46:15
  Speaker 1: fearless of dens of lions and mountains of leopards. The
• 1:46:21
  Speaker 1: fourth section, Canticles, Chapter five, verse two to chapter six,
• 1:46:26
  Speaker 1: verse ten, however, shows again failure, not as before through worldliness,
• 1:46:32
  Speaker 1: but rather through spiritual pride and sloth. The restoration now
• 1:46:38
  Speaker 1: was much more difficult. But again, when she went forth
• 1:46:42
  Speaker 1: diligently to seek her lord, and so confessed him as
• 1:46:46
  Speaker 1: to lead others to long to find him with her,
• 1:46:49
  Speaker 1: he revealed himself, and the communion was restored, to be
• 1:46:53
  Speaker 1: interrupted no more. The fifth section, Canticles, chapter six, verse
• 1:46:59
  Speaker 1: eleven to chapter eight, verse four, as we have seen,
• 1:47:03
  Speaker 1: describes not only the mutual satisfaction and delight of the
• 1:47:07
  Speaker 1: bride and bridegroom in each other, but the recognition of
• 1:47:11
  Speaker 1: her position and her beauty by the Daughters of Jerusalem.
• 1:47:16
  Speaker 1: And now in the sixth section Canticles, Chapter eight, verses
• 1:47:20
  Speaker 1: five to fourteen, we come to the closing scene of
• 1:47:24
  Speaker 1: the book. In it, the bride is seen leaning upon
• 1:47:28
  Speaker 1: her beloved, asking him to bind her yet more firmly
• 1:47:32
  Speaker 1: to himself, and occupying herself in his vine yard until
• 1:47:36
  Speaker 1: he calls her away from earthly service. To this last
• 1:47:41
  Speaker 1: section we shall now give our attention more particularly. It opens,
• 1:47:47
  Speaker 1: as did the third, by an inquiry or exclamation of
• 1:47:51
  Speaker 1: the Daughters of Jerusalem. There they asked, who is this
• 1:47:55
  Speaker 1: that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke,
• 1:47:59
  Speaker 1: et cetera. But then their attention was claimed by the
• 1:48:03
  Speaker 1: pomp and state of the king, not by his person
• 1:48:06
  Speaker 1: nor by that of his bride. Here they are attracted
• 1:48:10
  Speaker 1: by the happy position of the bride in relation to
• 1:48:13
  Speaker 1: her beloved, and not by their surroundings. Who is this
• 1:48:18
  Speaker 1: that cometh up from the wilderness leaning upon her beloved.
• 1:48:24
  Speaker 1: It is through the bride that attention is drawn to
• 1:48:27
  Speaker 1: the bridegroom. Their union and communion are now open and
• 1:48:32
  Speaker 1: manifest for the last time. The wilderness is mentioned, but
• 1:48:37
  Speaker 1: sweetly solaced by the presence of the bridegroom. It is
• 1:48:40
  Speaker 1: no wilderness to the bride. In all the trustfulness of
• 1:48:45
  Speaker 1: confiding love, she is seen leaning upon her beloved. He
• 1:48:50
  Speaker 1: is her strength, her joy, her pride, and her prize,
• 1:48:54
  Speaker 1: while she is his peculiar treasure. The objects of his
• 1:48:58
  Speaker 1: tenderest care, all his resources of wisdom and might are hers.
• 1:49:05
  Speaker 1: Though journeying, she is at rest. Though in the wilderness,
• 1:49:09
  Speaker 1: she is satisfied while leaning upon her beloved. Wonderful, However,
• 1:49:15
  Speaker 1: as are the revelations of grace and love to the
• 1:49:18
  Speaker 1: heart taught by the Holy Spirit through the relationship of
• 1:49:22
  Speaker 1: bride and bridegroom, the Christ of God is more than
• 1:49:26
  Speaker 1: bridegroom to his people. He who, when on earth, was
• 1:49:30
  Speaker 1: able to say before Abraham was I am here, claims
• 1:49:35
  Speaker 1: his bride from her very birth, and not alone from
• 1:49:38
  Speaker 1: her espousals. Before she knew him. He knew her, and
• 1:49:44
  Speaker 1: of this he reminds her in the words, I raised
• 1:49:48
  Speaker 1: thee up under the citron tree. There thy mother brought
• 1:49:52
  Speaker 1: thee forth. He takes delight in her beauty, but that
• 1:49:57
  Speaker 1: is not so much the cause as the effect of
• 1:49:59
  Speaker 1: his love, For he took her up when she had
• 1:50:02
  Speaker 1: no comeliness. The love that has made her what she
• 1:50:06
  Speaker 1: is and now takes delight in her is not a
• 1:50:10
  Speaker 1: fickle love, nor need she fear its change. Gladly does
• 1:50:15
  Speaker 1: the bride recognize this truth, that she is indeed his own,
• 1:50:19
  Speaker 1: and she exclaims, set me as a seal upon thine heart,
• 1:50:24
  Speaker 1: as a seal upon thine arm. For love is strong
• 1:50:28
  Speaker 1: as death, jealousy ardent. Love is cruel, retentive as the grave.
• 1:50:36
  Speaker 1: The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, a very flame
• 1:50:39
  Speaker 1: of the lord. The high Priest bore the names of
• 1:50:45
  Speaker 1: the twelve tribes upon his heart, each name being engraved
• 1:50:49
  Speaker 1: as a seal in the costly and imperishable stone chosen
• 1:50:53
  Speaker 1: by God, each seal or stone being set in the
• 1:50:57
  Speaker 1: purest gold. He likewise bore the same names upon his shoulders,
• 1:51:03
  Speaker 1: indicating that both the love and the strength of the
• 1:51:06
  Speaker 1: high Priest were pledged on behalf of the tribes of Israel.
• 1:51:10
  Speaker 1: The bride would be thus upborne by him who is
• 1:51:13
  Speaker 1: alike her prophet, priest and King. For love is strong
• 1:51:19
  Speaker 1: as death, and jealousy or ardent love retentive as the grave.
• 1:51:25
  Speaker 1: Not that she doubts the constancy of her beloved, but
• 1:51:29
  Speaker 1: that she has learned alas the inconstancy of her own heart.
• 1:51:34
  Speaker 1: And she would be bound to the heart and arm
• 1:51:36
  Speaker 1: of her beloved, as with chains and settings of gold,
• 1:51:40
  Speaker 1: ever the emblem of divinity. Thus the Psalmist prayed bind
• 1:51:46
  Speaker 1: the sacrifice with chords, even unto the horns of the altar.
• 1:51:53
  Speaker 1: It is comparatively easy to lay the sacrifice on the
• 1:51:56
  Speaker 1: altar that sanctifies the gift, but it by as divine compulsion,
• 1:52:01
  Speaker 1: the cords of love to retain it there. So here
• 1:52:06
  Speaker 1: the bride would be set and fixed on the heart
• 1:52:09
  Speaker 1: and on the arm of him who is henceforth to
• 1:52:12
  Speaker 1: be her all in all, that she may evermore, trust
• 1:52:16
  Speaker 1: only in that love be sustained only by that power.
• 1:52:22
  Speaker 1: Do we not all need to learn a lesson from this,
• 1:52:26
  Speaker 1: and to pray to be kept from turning to Egypt
• 1:52:28
  Speaker 1: for help, from trusting in horses and chariots, from putting
• 1:52:33
  Speaker 1: confidence in princes or in the son of man rather
• 1:52:36
  Speaker 1: than in the living God. How the kings of Israel,
• 1:52:41
  Speaker 1: who won great triumphs by faith, sometimes turned aside to
• 1:52:45
  Speaker 1: heathen nations in their later years. The Lord keep his
• 1:52:51
  Speaker 1: people from this snare. The bride continues, The flashes of
• 1:52:57
  Speaker 1: love are flashes of fire flame of the Lord. It
• 1:53:02
  Speaker 1: is worthy of note that this is the only occurrence
• 1:53:05
  Speaker 1: of the word Lord in this book. But how can
• 1:53:08
  Speaker 1: it be omitted here? For love is of God, and
• 1:53:11
  Speaker 1: God is love. To her request, the bridegroom replies with
• 1:53:17
  Speaker 1: reassuring words, Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the
• 1:53:23
  Speaker 1: floods drown it. If a man would give all the
• 1:53:26
  Speaker 1: substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.
• 1:53:32
  Speaker 1: The love which grace has begotten in the heart of
• 1:53:35
  Speaker 1: the bride is itself divine and persistent. Many waters cannot
• 1:53:41
  Speaker 1: quench it, nor the floods drown it. Suffering and pain,
• 1:53:46
  Speaker 1: bereavement and loss may test its constancy, but they will
• 1:53:50
  Speaker 1: not quench it. Its source is not human or natural,
• 1:53:55
  Speaker 1: Like the life, it is hidden with Christ in God.
• 1:54:00
  Speaker 1: What shall separate us from the love of Christ. Shall
• 1:54:04
  Speaker 1: tribulation or distress, or persecution or famine or nakedness or
• 1:54:09
  Speaker 1: peril or sword. Nay, in all these things we are
• 1:54:13
  Speaker 1: more than conquerors through Him that loved does. For I
• 1:54:17
  Speaker 1: am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
• 1:54:22
  Speaker 1: nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor
• 1:54:27
  Speaker 1: height nor depth, nor any other creation r V margin
• 1:54:32
  Speaker 1: shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
• 1:54:35
  Speaker 1: which is in Christ. Jesus our Lord. Our love to
• 1:54:40
  Speaker 1: God is secured by God's love to us, to the
• 1:54:44
  Speaker 1: soul really rescued by grace, no bribe to forsake, God's
• 1:54:49
  Speaker 1: love will be finally successful. If a man would give
• 1:54:53
  Speaker 1: all the substance of his house for love, it would
• 1:54:56
  Speaker 1: utterly be contemned. Freed from anxiety on her own account,
• 1:55:02
  Speaker 1: the happy bride next asks guidance and fellowship in service
• 1:55:07
  Speaker 1: with her Lord on behalf of those who have not
• 1:55:09
  Speaker 1: yet reached her favored position. We have a little sister,
• 1:55:15
  Speaker 1: and she hath no breasts. What shall we do for
• 1:55:18
  Speaker 1: our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?
• 1:55:22
  Speaker 1: How beautifully her conscious union with the bridegroom appears in
• 1:55:27
  Speaker 1: her expressions, We have a little sister, not I have,
• 1:55:31
  Speaker 1: et cetera. What shall we do for our sister? Et cetera?
• 1:55:37
  Speaker 1: She has now no private relationships nor interests in all things.
• 1:55:42
  Speaker 1: She is one with him, And we see a further
• 1:55:45
  Speaker 1: development of grace in the very question. Towards the close
• 1:55:49
  Speaker 1: of the last section, she recognized the bridegroom as her instructor.
• 1:55:54
  Speaker 1: She will not now make her own plans about her
• 1:55:56
  Speaker 1: little sister and ask his acquiescence in them. She will
• 1:56:01
  Speaker 1: rather learn what his thoughts are and have fellowship with
• 1:56:04
  Speaker 1: him in his plans. How much anxiety and care the
• 1:56:10
  Speaker 1: children of God would be spared if they learned to
• 1:56:13
  Speaker 1: act in this way? Is it not too common to
• 1:56:17
  Speaker 1: make the best plans that we can and to carry
• 1:56:20
  Speaker 1: them out as best we may, feeling all the while
• 1:56:23
  Speaker 1: a great burden of responsibility and earnestly asking the Lord
• 1:56:27
  Speaker 1: to help us. Whereas if we always let him be
• 1:56:31
  Speaker 1: our instructor in service and left the responsibility with him.
• 1:56:36
  Speaker 1: Our strength would not be exhausted with worry and anxiety,
• 1:56:39
  Speaker 1: but would all be at his disposal and accomplish His ends.
• 1:56:45
  Speaker 1: In the little sister, as yet immature, may we not
• 1:56:49
  Speaker 1: see the elect of God given to Christ in God's purpose,
• 1:56:54
  Speaker 1: but not yet brought into saving relation to him. And
• 1:56:58
  Speaker 1: perhaps also those babes in Christ who as yet need
• 1:57:01
  Speaker 1: feeding with milk and not with meat, but who with
• 1:57:05
  Speaker 1: such care will in due time become experienced believers fitted
• 1:57:10
  Speaker 1: for the service of the Lord. Then they will be
• 1:57:14
  Speaker 1: spoken for and called into that department of service for
• 1:57:18
  Speaker 1: which He has prepared them. The bridegroom replies, if she
• 1:57:24
  Speaker 1: be a wall, we will build upon her battlements of silver,
• 1:57:28
  Speaker 1: and if she be a door, we will enclose her
• 1:57:31
  Speaker 1: with boards of cedar. In this reply, the bridegroom sweetly
• 1:57:37
  Speaker 1: recognizes his oneness with his bride in the same way
• 1:57:40
  Speaker 1: as she has shown her conscious oneness with him. As
• 1:57:44
  Speaker 1: she says, what shall we do for our sister, So
• 1:57:48
  Speaker 1: he replies, we will build, we will enclose, et cetera.
• 1:57:53
  Speaker 1: He will not carry out his purposes of grace irrespective
• 1:57:57
  Speaker 1: of his bride, but will work with and through her.
• 1:58:01
  Speaker 1: What can be done for this sister, however, will depend
• 1:58:04
  Speaker 1: upon what she becomes. If she be a wall built
• 1:58:08
  Speaker 1: upon the true foundation, strong and stable, she shall be
• 1:58:12
  Speaker 1: adorned and beautified with battlements of silver. But if unstable
• 1:58:18
  Speaker 1: and easily moved to and fro like a door, such
• 1:58:22
  Speaker 1: treatment will be as impossible as unsuitable. She will need
• 1:58:26
  Speaker 1: to be enclosed with boards of cedar, hedged in with
• 1:58:29
  Speaker 1: restraints for her own protection. The bride rejoicingly responds, I
• 1:58:36
  Speaker 1: am a wall. She knows the foundation on which she
• 1:58:40
  Speaker 1: is built. There is no if. In her case. She
• 1:58:43
  Speaker 1: is conscious of having found favor in the eyes of
• 1:58:46
  Speaker 1: her beloved Naftali's blessing is hers. She is satisfied with
• 1:58:52
  Speaker 1: favor and full with the blessing of the Lord. But
• 1:58:57
  Speaker 1: what is taught by the connection of this happy goes
• 1:59:00
  Speaker 1: consciousness with the lines which follow. Solomon had a vineyard
• 1:59:05
  Speaker 1: at Balhamon. He let out the vineyard unto keepers every one,
• 1:59:10
  Speaker 1: for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces
• 1:59:12
  Speaker 1: of silver. My vineyard, which is mine, is before me. Thou, o, Solomon,
• 1:59:19
  Speaker 1: shalt have the thousand, and those that keep the fruit
• 1:59:22
  Speaker 1: thereof two hundred. The connection is we believe one of
• 1:59:27
  Speaker 1: great importance, teaching us that what she was by grace
• 1:59:32
  Speaker 1: was more important than what she did, and that she
• 1:59:35
  Speaker 1: did not work in order to earn favor, but being
• 1:59:39
  Speaker 1: assured of favor gave her love free scope to show
• 1:59:43
  Speaker 1: itself in service. The bride knew her relationship to her
• 1:59:48
  Speaker 1: lord and his love to her, and in her determination
• 1:59:52
  Speaker 1: that he should have the thousand pieces of silver, her
• 1:59:55
  Speaker 1: concern was that her vineyard should not produce less for
• 1:59:59
  Speaker 1: her soli woman than his vineyard at Balhamond. Her vineyard
• 2:00:04
  Speaker 1: was herself, and she desired for her lord much fruit.
• 2:00:09
  Speaker 1: She would see too that the keepers of the vineyard,
• 2:00:13
  Speaker 1: those who were her companions in its culture, and who
• 2:00:16
  Speaker 1: ministered in word and doctrine, were well rewarded. She would
• 2:00:20
  Speaker 1: not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. A
• 2:00:23
  Speaker 1: full tithe, nay, a double tithe, was to be the
• 2:00:27
  Speaker 1: portion of those who kept the fruit and labored with
• 2:00:30
  Speaker 1: her in the vineyard. How long this happy service continues,
• 2:00:37
  Speaker 1: and how soon it is to be terminated, we cannot tell.
• 2:00:41
  Speaker 1: He who calls his servants to dwell in the gardens
• 2:00:44
  Speaker 1: and cultivate them for him, As Adam of old was
• 2:00:48
  Speaker 1: placed in the paradise of God alone knows the limit
• 2:00:52
  Speaker 1: of this service. Sooner or later the rest will come.
• 2:00:57
  Speaker 1: The burden and heat of the last day will have
• 2:00:59
  Speaker 1: been born, the last conflict will be over, and the
• 2:01:03
  Speaker 1: voice of the bridegroom will be heard addressing his beloved one,
• 2:01:08
  Speaker 1: Thou that dwellest in the gardens the companions hearken to
• 2:01:12
  Speaker 1: thy voice, Cause me to hear it. Thy service among
• 2:01:17
  Speaker 1: the companions is finished. Thou hast fought the good fight,
• 2:01:22
  Speaker 1: Thou hast kept the faith, Thou hast finished thy course.
• 2:01:26
  Speaker 1: Henceforth there is laid up for thee the crown of righteousness,
• 2:01:31
  Speaker 1: and the bridegroom himself shall be thine, exceeding great reward.
• 2:01:37
  Speaker 1: Well may the bride let him hear her voice, and,
• 2:01:40
  Speaker 1: springing forth in heart to meet him, cry, make haste,
• 2:01:45
  Speaker 1: my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or
• 2:01:48
  Speaker 1: to a young heart upon the mountains of spices. She
• 2:01:52
  Speaker 1: no longer asks him, as in the second section, turn
• 2:01:56
  Speaker 1: my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a
• 2:01:58
  Speaker 1: young heart upon the mountains of Betha or separation. She
• 2:02:04
  Speaker 1: has never again wished him to turn away from her,
• 2:02:07
  Speaker 1: for there are no mountains of Betha to those who
• 2:02:10
  Speaker 1: are abiding in Christ. Now there are mountains of spices.
• 2:02:15
  Speaker 1: He who inhabits the praises of Israel, which rise like
• 2:02:19
  Speaker 1: the incense of spices from his people's hearts, is invited
• 2:02:23
  Speaker 1: by his bride to make haste, to come quickly and
• 2:02:27
  Speaker 1: be like a roe or young heart upon the mountains
• 2:02:31
  Speaker 1: of spices. Very sweet is the presence of our Lord,
• 2:02:38
  Speaker 1: as by his spirit he dwells among his people while
• 2:02:41
  Speaker 1: they serve him below. But here there are many thorns
• 2:02:45
  Speaker 1: in every path, which call for watchful care. And it
• 2:02:49
  Speaker 1: is meet that now we should suffer with our Lord,
• 2:02:53
  Speaker 1: in order that we may hereafter be glorified together. The day, however,
• 2:02:59
  Speaker 1: is soon coming, in which He will bring us up
• 2:03:02
  Speaker 1: out of the earthly gardens and associations to the palace
• 2:03:06
  Speaker 1: of the Great King. There his people shall hunger no more,
• 2:03:11
  Speaker 1: neither thirst any more. Neither shall the sun light on them,
• 2:03:15
  Speaker 1: nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the
• 2:03:19
  Speaker 1: midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead
• 2:03:22
  Speaker 1: them unto living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe
• 2:03:27
  Speaker 1: away all tears from their eyes. The Spirit and the
• 2:03:32
  Speaker 1: bride say, come, surely, I come, quickly. Amen. Even so,
• 2:03:39
  Speaker 1: come Lord Jesus. End of section six Section seven of
• 2:03:55
  Speaker 1: Union and Communion. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
• 2:04:01
  Speaker 1: recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
• 2:04:04
  Speaker 1: to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Union and Communion
• 2:04:11
  Speaker 1: or Thoughts on the Song of Solomon by J. Hudson Taylor,
• 2:04:16
  Speaker 1: Section seven appendix The Daughters of Jerusalem. The question is
• 2:04:23
  Speaker 1: frequently asked, who are represented by the Daughters of Jerusalem.
• 2:04:29
  Speaker 1: They are clearly not the bride, yet they are not
• 2:04:32
  Speaker 1: far removed from her. They know where the bridegroom makes
• 2:04:35
  Speaker 1: his flock to rest at noon. They are charged by
• 2:04:39
  Speaker 1: the bridegroom not to stir up nor awaken his love.
• 2:04:42
  Speaker 1: When she rests abiding in him. They draw attention to
• 2:04:47
  Speaker 1: the bridegroom as with dignity and pomp. He comes up
• 2:04:51
  Speaker 1: from the wilderness. Their love gifts adorn his chariot of state.
• 2:04:56
  Speaker 1: They are appealed to by the bride for help in
• 2:04:59
  Speaker 1: finding her beloved, and stirred by her impassioned description of
• 2:05:04
  Speaker 1: his beauty, they desire to seek him with her. They
• 2:05:08
  Speaker 1: described very fully the beauty of the bride. But on
• 2:05:12
  Speaker 1: the other hand, we never find them occupied with the
• 2:05:14
  Speaker 1: person of the bridegroom. He is not all in all
• 2:05:18
  Speaker 1: to them. They mind outward and earthly things. Do they
• 2:05:25
  Speaker 1: not represent those who, if not actually saved, are very
• 2:05:29
  Speaker 1: near to it, or if saved, are only half saved,
• 2:05:33
  Speaker 1: who are for the present more concerned about the things
• 2:05:36
  Speaker 1: of this world than the things of God. To advance
• 2:05:41
  Speaker 1: their own interests, to secure their own comfort concerns them
• 2:05:45
  Speaker 1: more than to be in all things pleasing to the Lord.
• 2:05:50
  Speaker 1: They may form parts of that great company spoken of
• 2:05:53
  Speaker 1: in Revelation chapter seven, verses nine to seventeen, who come
• 2:05:58
  Speaker 1: out of the Great Tribulation, But they will not form
• 2:06:01
  Speaker 1: part of the hundred forty four thousand, the first fruits
• 2:06:05
  Speaker 1: unto God and to the Lamb Revelation chapter fourteen, verses
• 2:06:10
  Speaker 1: one to five. They have forgotten the warning of our
• 2:06:14
  Speaker 1: Lord in Luke chapter twenty one, verses thirty four to
• 2:06:18
  Speaker 1: thirty six. And hence they are not accounted worthy to
• 2:06:23
  Speaker 1: escape all these things that shall come to pass, and
• 2:06:26
  Speaker 1: to stand before the Son of Man. They have not,
• 2:06:30
  Speaker 1: with Paul counted all things but loss for the excellency
• 2:06:35
  Speaker 1: of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord, and hence
• 2:06:39
  Speaker 1: they do not attain unto that resurrection from among the dead,
• 2:06:44
  Speaker 1: which Paul felt he might miss, but aimed to attain.
• 2:06:48
  Speaker 1: Unto we wish to place on record our solemn conviction
• 2:06:55
  Speaker 1: that not all who are Christians or think themselves to
• 2:06:58
  Speaker 1: be such, will attain into that resurrection of which Saint
• 2:07:01
  Speaker 1: Paul speaks in Philiehmen, Chapter three, verse eleven, or will
• 2:07:06
  Speaker 1: thus meet the Lord in the air. Unto those who,
• 2:07:11
  Speaker 1: by lives of consecration manifest that they are not of
• 2:07:15
  Speaker 1: the world, but are looking for him, He will appear
• 2:07:19
  Speaker 1: without sin unto salvation. End of Union and Communion or
• 2:07:29
  Speaker 1: Thoughts on the Song of Solomon by J. Hudson Taylor,
• 2:07:33
  Speaker 1: read for LibriVox dot Org by David Barnes