Section 558
I. The church gives an account of her finding Christ; "I found him," etc
She had sought, but not in vain; that promise was made good to her, seek, and ye shall find;" which was also when all means failed: she had sought him privately, by prayer and meditation; and publicly, by an attendance upon the ordinances of the gospel: she had heard the ministers of Christ preach, and had conferred with them alone, and yet could not find her beloved; which may inform us, 1. That means, though they are to be used, yet not to be depended on; they will not avail without a divine blessing: Bethesda's pool must be moved by an angel, or no cure can be performed; the Spirit of God must move upon the waters, the ordinances, or they will not convey light and life to souls; Paul may plant, and Apollos may water, but it is God only that giveth the in, crease: the most comfortable doctrines and" precious promises of the gospel, opened and delivered in the most powerful manner, will not be useful without the special energy of the Spirit. 2. That we should not be discouraged when all means fail; because he is found sometimes when they do so, as he was by the church here; therefore when, with 10 we have gone backward and forward, on the right hand and on the left, and yet cannot behold him; we should with him rest contented, and say, he knoweth the way that I take, though I do not know which way he has taken and when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 3. This shews us, that unless Christ shew himself, there is no finding him; for, "when he hideth his face, who can behold him?" 4. Finding Christ, when all means fail, gives the greatest discovery of Christ's love and grace, the freeness and sovereignty of it; and makes it appear, that it does not depend upon our will or works, but upon his sovereign good will and pleasure. 5. Finding Christ after so many disappointments, must needs be joyful and welcome; she seems to speak it with an air of pleasure, and in an exulting manner, as those disciples did, who said, John 1:41, "we have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ;" for his long absence from her, and the fatigue she had endured in seeking of him, did but serve the more to endear and sweeten his presence to her.