CHAPTER III.—Of the way and manner whereby the saints hold communion with the Lord Christ as to pers
debauchery? Why does another associate with those who scoff at religion and the things of God? It is simply because you do not know our dear Lord Jesus. Oh, when He reveals Himself to you and tells you that He is Jesus whom you have ignored and rejected, how your hearts will break and you will mourn like a dove for neglecting Him!
And if you never come to know Him, it would have been better if you had never existed. Therefore, while it is still called Today, do not harden your hearts.
Use 2: For those of you who are perhaps earnestly seeking righteousness and are religious individuals, consider within yourselves: Does Christ hold the rightful place in your hearts? Is He your everything? Does He dwell in your thoughts? Do you know Him in His excellence and desirability? Do you truly consider all things as loss and refuse for the sake of His surpassing excellency? Or do you prefer almost anything else in the world over Him? But we will discuss these matters further later on.
CHAPTER III
The Manner of Communion in Conjugal Relation (2.) The next aspect to consider is the way in which we hold communion with the Lord Christ concerning personal grace. The Scripture reveals that this is accomplished through a conjugal relationship. He is married to us, and we are married to Him. This spiritual connection is accompanied by appropriate conjugal
affections, which allow us to have fellowship with Him in His personal excellencies.
The spouse expresses this in Song of Solomon 2:16, saying, "My Beloved is mine, and I am His." She declares that He is hers, that she possesses Him and has an interest in Him as her head and husband, and she belongs to Him, being owned by Him and fully surrendered to Him. This is a conjugal relationship with her Beloved.
Likewise, in Isaiah 54:5, it is proclaimed, "Thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called."
This is given as the reason why the church will not be ashamed or confounded in the midst of trials and tribulations—she is married to her Maker, and her Redeemer is her husband. In Isaiah 61:10, the mutual glory of Christ and His church is portrayed as their walking together, likened to a bridegroom adorning himself with ornaments and a bride adorning herself with jewels. Such is their condition because of their relationship. This relationship is further emphasized in Isaiah 62:5, where it is stated, "As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." As it is with such individuals on the day of their wedding, in the joyfulness of their hearts, so it is with Christ and His saints in this relationship. He is a husband to them, ensuring that their state and condition align with His purpose.
The faithfulness of Christ is affirmed in Hosea 2:19-20, where He declares, "I will betroth thee unto me forever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness." The primary aim of the gospel ministry is to persuade people to fully give themselves to the Lord Christ as He reveals His kindness in this
commitment. Therefore, Paul tells the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 11:2 that he has "espoused them to one husband, that he might present them as a chaste virgin unto Christ." Through the preaching of the gospel, he successfully convinced them to surrender themselves as a pure virgin to Him who had betrothed them as a husband.
This conjugal relationship is one that brings immense delight to the Lord Jesus, and He invites others to behold Him in His glory. In Song of Solomon 3:11, He calls the daughters of Jerusalem
(representing all sorts of believers) to witness King Solomon with the crown given to Him by His mother on the day of His espousals and the joy in His heart. He urges them to consider Him in the act of betrothing and espousing His church to Himself. Furthermore, He assures them that in this act, they will find two prominent things: honour and delight. It is a day of coronation, and His bride is the crown with which He is adorned. Just as Christ is a source of beauty and glory to Zion, Zion herself is a diadem and crown to Him. This relation with His saints is His glory and honour. Moreover, the day of espousals, when He embraces sinful souls into His embrace, is a day of great gladness in His heart. John the Baptist, as a friend of the Bridegroom, rejoiced greatly upon hearing His voice during the process of taking the bride to Himself. How much more joyful and glad must the Bridegroom Himself be! It is the joy that is expressed in Zephaniah 3:17: "he rejoiceth with joy, he joys with singing."
It brings immense joy to the heart of Christ, the joy of His soul, to enter into this relationship with poor sinners. He rejoiced in the anticipation of it from eternity, and always displays the utmost willingness to fulfill the requirements. He was even pained like a woman in childbirth until He accomplished it. He loved His church so much that He gave Himself for her, enduring the shame and the
cross, in order to enjoy His bride exclusively, and for her to be exclusively His. This is the joy that accompanies His coronation.
Believers are the mother and brethren of this Solomon, crowning Him on the day of His espousals as they give themselves to Him and become His glory.
Thus, this conjugal relationship is frequently depicted throughout the Scriptures. The moment when Christ takes the church unto
Himself is referred to as the day of marriage, and the church is described as His bride and wife. The fellowship He provides for His saints is compared to a wedding supper, and the virtues of His church are portrayed as the adornments of His queen. The communion He shares with His saints resembles that of those who are deeply in love within a conjugal relationship. Therefore, Paul, in his description of these two relationships, seamlessly transitions from one to the other in Ephesians 5, from verse 22 to verse 32, concluding the entire passage with an application to Christ and the church.
The next question to address is how we engage in communion with the person of Christ in terms of conjugal relations and affections, and what this entails. In this regard, there are some aspects that are common to both Christ and the saints, as well as some elements that are unique to each of them, as dictated by the nature of this relationship. The entirety can be summarized under two headings: mutual surrender or commitment to one another and mutual, consequential, conjugal affections.
Firstly, there is a mutual surrender, where they give themselves completely to one another. This is the initial act of communion concerning the personal grace of Christ. Christ surrenders Himself to the soul, being devoted to the soul with all the love, care, and
tenderness of a husband. The soul, in turn, wholly gives itself to the Lord Christ, submitting obediently with love and tenderness. This mutual surrender forms the foundation of the espousal between Christ and His saints. In the prophet's words, this is depicted through a parable of himself and a harlot in Hosea 3:3: "Thou shalt abide for me," says Christ, "thou shalt not be for another, and I will be for thee." Christ, the compassionate Bridegroom, has bought the soul for Himself with the price of His own blood. The agreement is that "I WILL BE FOR THEE, AND THOU SHALT BE FOR ME," and for no other.
1st. Christ freely gives Himself to the soul, along with all His excellencies, righteousness, preciousness, graces, and eminence, to be its eternal Saviour, head, and husband. He looks upon the souls of His saints favorably, considering them fair and beautiful because He has made them so. In Song of Solomon 1:15, the spouse declares,
"Behold, thou art fair, my companion; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes." Even if others think otherwise, Christ reaffirms that the souls of His saints are truly beautiful and perfect, made so by His own loveliness bestowed upon them (Ezekiel 16:14). Their spiritual light is exceptional and glorious, like the eyes of a dove— tender, discerning, clear, and radiant. Thus, He passionately desires to see the countenance and hear the voice of His beloved, as expressed in Song of Solomon 2:14. He urges the soul not to hide itself or be dejected but to openly communicate with Him. He cherishes the sweet sound of their sighs, groans, and prayers, finding delight in their spiritual countenance and heavenly appearance.
Moreover, He urges the soul to draw closer to Him in this conjugal bond, as stated in Song of Solomon 4:8. He invites them to come to Him for refreshment, just as the wandering Israelites were called to leave their troubles behind and find solace. Upon receiving this invitation, the spouse confidently concludes that Christ desires her,
truly loves her, and seeks to unite her with Himself. Thus, in this union, Christ freely bestows Himself upon the soul. Though precious and excellent, He becomes ours. He chooses to be ours, and with Him come all His graces. Therefore, the spouse declares, "My
Beloved is mine; in all that He is, He is mine." Christ is our righteousness, referred to as "The LORD our Righteousness" in Jeremiah 23:6. He is the wisdom and power of God, described as "made unto us wisdom" in 1 Corinthians 1:30. Truly, "the branch of the LORD is beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth is excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel" (Isaiah
4:2). This is the first aspect on the part of Christ—the voluntary gift of Himself to us as our Christ, our Beloved, fulfilling all the purposes of love, mercy, grace, and glory within the eternal marriage covenant.
This is the essence of what is intended: the Lord Jesus Christ, perfectly equipped and prepared as the mediator, with His abundant grace and glory, offers Himself to His saints, His church, in all His desirability. He convinces them of His goodwill and all-sufficiency to meet their needs. Once they consent to accept Him, which is all He requires or expects from them, He commits Himself in an everlasting marriage covenant to be theirs.
2nd. On the part of the saints, it is their free and willing consent to receive, embrace, and submit to the Lord Jesus as their husband,
Lord, and Saviour. They commit to abide with Him, subjecting their souls to Him and allowing Him to rule over them eternally. This consent can be either initial, occurring at the moment of union, or consequential, expressed in renewed acts of consent throughout their lives. Here, I focus on the latter sense, which is relevant to communion, rather than the former, which primarily pertains to union.
There are two elements that complete this self-resignation of the soul:
(1st) The soul's preference for Christ's excellency, grace, and suitability above all other beloveds, acknowledging Him as incomparable and surpassing all created goods or endearments. In Song of Solomon 5:9, when urged by others to express her thoughts on her Beloved's excellence compared to other endearments, the spouse emphatically responds that He is "the chiefest of ten thousand" and "altogether lovely"—infinitely superior to any other object of affection. The soul surveys everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—and recognizes their vanity. It concludes that "the world passeth away, and the lust thereof" (1 John 2:16-17). These beloveds cannot be compared to Christ. It also considers legal righteousness, blamelessness before others, upright conduct based on conviction, and, like Paul, regards them all as loss compared to the excellence of knowing Christ Jesus the Lord (Philippians 3:8). The church likewise rejects all apparent sources of assistance, such as the glorious Asshur or promising idols, in order to exalt God alone (Hosea 14:3). This marks the soul's entry into conjugal communion with Jesus Christ in terms of personal grace—a constant preference for Him above all contenders for its affections, considering all else as loss and worthless compared to Him. Beloved peace, beloved natural relationships, beloved wisdom and learning, beloved righteousness, and beloved duties—all pale in comparison to Christ.
(2nd) The soul's acceptance of Christ by the will as its only husband, Lord, and Saviour. This is referred to as "receiving" Christ in John
1:12. It encompasses not only the initial act of embracing Him but also the soul's continuous disposition of abiding with Him and acknowledging Him as such. It involves the soul's consent to take