Jun 14
28
Why should I cry out if the sun of my prosperity goes down, if in the darkness of my adversity I shall be the better able to count the starry promises with which my faithful God has been pleased to gem the sky? Charles Spurgeon
“Thus says the Lord; I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your espousals, when you went after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.” Jeremiah 2:2
If we look at salvation, we shall see that it consists of three parts; salvation past, salvation present, and salvation future. Salvation past consists in having our names written in the Lamb’s book of life before the foundation of the world. Salvation present consists in the manifestation of Jesus to the soul, whereby he betroths it to himself. And salvation future consists in the eternal enjoyment of Christ, when the elect shall sit down to the marriage-supper of the Lamb, and be forever with the Lord. Now, as none will ever enjoy salvation future who have no saving interest in salvation past; in other words, as none will ever be with Christ in eternal glory whose names were not written in the book of life from all eternity; so none will enjoy salvation future, who live and die without enjoying salvation present. In other words, none will live forever with Christ in glory who are not betrothed to him in this life by the manifestations of himself to their soul.
According to the Jewish custom, the man, at the time of betrothing, gave the bride a piece of silver before witnesses, saying to her, “Receive this piece of silver as a pledge that at such a time you shall become my spouse.” And the parties then exchanged rings. This meeting of the espoused parties together, who then saw each other for the first time, is a sweet type of the first meeting of the soul with Jesus. The damsel had heard of the youth, but until then had never seen him; as seeking souls hear of Jesus by the hearing of the ear, before their eyes see him. The veil was upon her face (Gen. 24:65), as the veil is upon the heart (2 Cor.3:15), until Jesus rends it in twain from the top to the bottom. The bridegroom gave his betrothed a piece of silver, as a pledge that all he had was hers. And thus Christ gives to the soul, whom he betroths to himself by his own manifestations, a pledge, a token, a testimony, which, in itself, is the first-fruits and assurance of eternal glory. The parties exchanged rings, as pledges of mutual affection and eternal faithfulness. And thus, when Christ reveals himself to the soul in his dying love, mutual engagements, mutual promises, mutual assurances and pledges of faithfulness and love pass between the soul and him. “One shall say, I am the Lord’s, and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob, and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord.” At these seasons, “in the day of the King’s espousals,” the language of the soul is, “I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste; he brought me to the banqueting-house, and his banner over me was love. J.C. Philpot
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JEHOVAH’S JEWELS
“They shall be Mine, says the Lord, in that day when I make up my jewels.”–Mal. 3:17
That which the merchant regards as most costly, and the bride as most ornamental, Jehovah condescends to employ to illustrate the character and relation of His saints–“My Jewels.” My soul, if, through sovereign grace, you have been quarried from your dead and sinful nature, and have been made a living and polished stone in the house of your God, sit down a while and meditate upon the precious, soul-quickening truths taught you by this beautiful and expressive similitude.
It speaks, first, touchingly of the love the Lord has for you, as one of His jewels. How much His saints have to learn of the greatness of His marvelous love! And, although it has depths we cannot sound, heights we cannot reach, dimensions we cannot measure, yet, as a little child may dip its tiny shell into the ocean rolling in its immensity at its feet, so may we be able to comprehend in some measure the love of Christ, which passes knowledge. And apart from a personal and spiritual experience of Christ’s love, what avails it to us?
It speaks, also, of the rarity of the Lord’s people. Jewels are not common, every-day things. How rare are real Christians, true believers in Christ! How many can talk about religion, and about churches, and about ministers, and about societies, and about sacraments, who have not been converted, are not born again, who know nothing experimentally and spiritually of the Lord Jesus Christ–nothing of the blessedness of a broken heart for sin, nothing of the healing application of atoning blood! Oh how few among those who crowd the sanctuary and encircle the communion-table, are safe for eternity! Lord, are Your jewels so rare? Oh may I make full proof of being one of them!
Jewels are precious. Who can fully estimate the preciousness to Jesus of His saints? Their persons are precious, their faith is precious, their love is precious, their sacrifices are precious, their petitions in prayer and ascriptions of praise are unutterably precious, to the heart of Christ, upon whose breast-plate they are set as stones of light and glory. They must be precious for whom a precious Christ poured out His most precious blood!
Jewels are polished stones. Taken from the quarry of nature, they need the chiseling of the Jeweler, and the purifying of the Refiner, before they prove their genuineness, and emit their luster. “The Lord tries the righteous.” And oh, the untold blessings that spring from the discipline of His hand! “Not joyous, but grievous now, yet afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are exercised thereby.”
How beautiful, also, are these precious jewels! Washed in the blood of the Lamb, clothed with the righteousness of God, adorned with the graces of the Spirit, complete in Christ, and lovely through His loveliness put upon them, no marvel that He should thus commend their beauty and completeness–“You are all fair, my love; I see no spot upon you.”
Jewels are guarded with vigilance and care. Is there a being in the universe more vigilantly watched, incessantly upheld, or divinely kept, than the believer in Jesus? Destined to deck His brow when the Savior comes in His glory, wearing His many crowns, none of these shall perish; but all shall constitute a “crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of our God.”
Dear Savior, set me as a seal upon Your heart, as a seal upon Your arm, and when You come in Your kingdom, may I be found among those redeemed and precious ones of whom thus it is written, “They shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels.” Octavius Winslow.
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Without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish!
(Philpot, “The Love of Christ in Giving Himself for the Church“)
“Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. He did
this to present her to Himself as a glorious church without
a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish! Instead, she will
be holy and without fault.” Ephesians 5:25, 27
What are we ourselves as viewed by our own eyes?
Full of spots, wrinkles, and blemishes! And What do we
see in ourselves every day, but sin and filth and folly?
What evil is there in the world that is not in us, and in
our hearts? It is true others cannot read our hearts. But
we read them; yes, are every day, and sometimes all the
day reading them. And what do we read there? Like
Ezekiel’s scroll, it is “written within and without;” and
we may well add, if we rightly read what is there written,
we have every reason to say it is “full of lamentations,
and mourning, and woe.” Ezekiel 2:10
For I am sure that there is nothing that we see there
every day and every hour, but would cover us with
shame and confusion of face, and make us blush to
lift up our eyes before God, or almost to appear in
the presence of our fellow man!
But neither others, nor we ourselves, now see what
the church one day will be, and what she ever was in
the eyes of Jesus! He could look through all the sins
and sorrows of this intermediate period, and fix His
eye upon the bridal day–the day when before
assembled angels, in the courts of heaven, in the
realms of eternal bliss, He would present her to
Himself a glorious church, without a spot or wrinkle
or any other blemish, but holy, and without fault.
O what a day will that be, when the Son of God
shall openly wed His espoused bride; when there
shall be heard in heaven, “what sounded like a
great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and
like loud peals of thunder, shouting–Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns! Let us rejoice and
be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the
Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.”
Revelation 19:6-7
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Fit for the Bride!
(Henry Law, “Psalms” 1878)
“For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the meek with salvation.”
Psalm 149:4
It is the wonder of wonders that the
great and glorious God should stoop
to regard such creatures as we are.
But wonder is immeasurably magnified
when we are taught that thoughts of us
are pleasure to Him.
Not only does He take pleasure in His people,
He beautifies the meek with salvation!
Meekness is their lovely characteristic.
This grace proves them to be followers of Him
who avows Himself as meek and lowly in heart.
Beautiful robes of salvation are prepared for
them. These garments are heavenly in structure,
fit for the Bride, the Lamb’s wife, suited to
adorn the palace of our God.