Sermon Preached by C.H. Spurgeon
Solomon’s Song 1:4
“We will remember thy love more than wine.”
Let me give you a little practical advice as to how you may keep constantly in your mind a remembrance of Jesus Christ's love.
One of the first things I would recommend to you is, "frequent meditation". See if you cannot more often get a quarter of an hour all alone, that you may sit down, and turn over and over again the love of Christ to you. Remember that souls grow more by meditation than by anything else.
The cattle go round the fields, and crop the grass; that is like hearing the Word. But, afterwards, they lie down in a quiet corner, and chew the cud; that is like meditating upon what we have heard. Get a quarter of an hour, if you can, to masticate and digest the Word. "A quarter of an hour!” says someone; "why, I could not get five minutes!” I would not be hard with you, dear brother, but I do you think could; days can sometimes be lengthened out, either at one end or at the other. If you cannot extend the day at the night end, cannot you pull it out at the morning end?
Is there not a possibility of a little saving of time at some hour during the day? You will do none the less work for allowing time for meditation and prayer. Our old proverb says, "Prayer and provender hinder no man's journey;” and I believe that prayer and meditation hinder no man's work. Do try to get a little time to think about your soul.
What, so much time to be occupied with this dusty, sinful world, and so little time to be devoted to that which relates to heaven! So much time to be employed concerning food, and drink, and clothes, and so little time to be given to thoughts of our precious Savior and all his loveliness! Do get a little time alone, beloved, for that will help to keep you right. You would not forget your Master's love nearly as much as you presently do, if you would secure more time for meditation upon it.
Another means of remembering Christ's love is this. "Take care that you are not content with what you knew of Christ's love yesterday". You want to know a little more about it today, and you ought to know still more about it tomorrow.
Some Christians do not commune with their Lord nearly as often as they ought; I wonder how they manage to live on in such a fashion. They get a little manna once a month, and they try to live on that until another month comes round. They meet with their Savior, perhaps, at the communion table, -and not always then, -and they are content to live from day to day without having fellowship with him. Do not be one of that order of Christians.
Seek for daily-no, more than that, -continual communion with the Lord Jesus Christ. You are to pray for daily bread; then, surely, he who bade you do that must mean that you should seek to be fed daily with himself, who is the Bread of heaven. I do not like to hear people talk about what they knew of Jesus five or six years ago, unless they can also tell something of what they know of him now.
What would you think of a wife who said, "My husband spoke kindly to me some years ago; and I saw him five years ago, but I have not seen him since"? You would say, "How can the woman live, if she is a loving wife, without seeing her husband? Is he in the same house with her, and yet has he not spoken to her all that while?” The Lord Jesus is always near to you, and do you mean to say that you can live without fellowship with him? You, you can, for some of you do; but I beg you not to live so any longer, for it is a poor, starving way of dragging on a miserable existence.
You who have just enough religion to make you wretched; you have not enough to make you happy- get a great deal more of it. Drink deeply at the heavenly spring of fellowship. If you learn a little more about Christ every day, you will not be likely to forget what you already know of him.
Then, again, as another way of keeping in your heart what you do know- take care, when you have a sense of Christ's love, that you let it go down deeply. If there were a nail so placed that it would slacken its hold a little every day for six days- if I had the opportunity of driving it in the first day, I would try to drive it in right up to the head, and to clinch it. So, if you have not much time for fellowship and communion with Christ, if you have only a short season for meditation, try to drive the nail well home.
Do not be content with merely thinking about Christ, seek to see him before your eyes as 'manifestly crucified'. See him as he groans in the garden, and do not be content unless you can groan with him. See him as he hangs upon the cross, and do not rest satisfied until you can feel that you are crucified with him. Realize your fellowship with him as he rises from the tomb, for this will help very much to keep you right.
I have heard the story of a man, who was passing by a house where a poor idiot lad, with a piece of sandpaper, was scouring away at a brass plate. The man asked what he was doing, and he replied, "I am trying to scour the name out.” "Ah!” said the other, "you may scour away as long as you like, but you will never be able to do that.” And so, methinks, I see the devil scouring away at some of you, trying to get the name of Jesus out of your heart. Scour away, Satan, if you like; but you will never get it out, for it is too deeply cut. If Christ's name is engraved upon your heart, Satan may try to get it out, but he will never succeed in doing so; it shall never be obliterated, but shall shine all the more brightly for his attempts to remove it.
Conclusion tomorrow...
Solomon’s Song 1:4
“We will remember thy love more than wine.”
Let me give you a little practical advice as to how you may keep constantly in your mind a remembrance of Jesus Christ's love.
One of the first things I would recommend to you is, "frequent meditation". See if you cannot more often get a quarter of an hour all alone, that you may sit down, and turn over and over again the love of Christ to you. Remember that souls grow more by meditation than by anything else.
The cattle go round the fields, and crop the grass; that is like hearing the Word. But, afterwards, they lie down in a quiet corner, and chew the cud; that is like meditating upon what we have heard. Get a quarter of an hour, if you can, to masticate and digest the Word. "A quarter of an hour!” says someone; "why, I could not get five minutes!” I would not be hard with you, dear brother, but I do you think could; days can sometimes be lengthened out, either at one end or at the other. If you cannot extend the day at the night end, cannot you pull it out at the morning end?
Is there not a possibility of a little saving of time at some hour during the day? You will do none the less work for allowing time for meditation and prayer. Our old proverb says, "Prayer and provender hinder no man's journey;” and I believe that prayer and meditation hinder no man's work. Do try to get a little time to think about your soul.
What, so much time to be occupied with this dusty, sinful world, and so little time to be devoted to that which relates to heaven! So much time to be employed concerning food, and drink, and clothes, and so little time to be given to thoughts of our precious Savior and all his loveliness! Do get a little time alone, beloved, for that will help to keep you right. You would not forget your Master's love nearly as much as you presently do, if you would secure more time for meditation upon it.
Another means of remembering Christ's love is this. "Take care that you are not content with what you knew of Christ's love yesterday". You want to know a little more about it today, and you ought to know still more about it tomorrow.
Some Christians do not commune with their Lord nearly as often as they ought; I wonder how they manage to live on in such a fashion. They get a little manna once a month, and they try to live on that until another month comes round. They meet with their Savior, perhaps, at the communion table, -and not always then, -and they are content to live from day to day without having fellowship with him. Do not be one of that order of Christians.
Seek for daily-no, more than that, -continual communion with the Lord Jesus Christ. You are to pray for daily bread; then, surely, he who bade you do that must mean that you should seek to be fed daily with himself, who is the Bread of heaven. I do not like to hear people talk about what they knew of Jesus five or six years ago, unless they can also tell something of what they know of him now.
What would you think of a wife who said, "My husband spoke kindly to me some years ago; and I saw him five years ago, but I have not seen him since"? You would say, "How can the woman live, if she is a loving wife, without seeing her husband? Is he in the same house with her, and yet has he not spoken to her all that while?” The Lord Jesus is always near to you, and do you mean to say that you can live without fellowship with him? You, you can, for some of you do; but I beg you not to live so any longer, for it is a poor, starving way of dragging on a miserable existence.
You who have just enough religion to make you wretched; you have not enough to make you happy- get a great deal more of it. Drink deeply at the heavenly spring of fellowship. If you learn a little more about Christ every day, you will not be likely to forget what you already know of him.
Then, again, as another way of keeping in your heart what you do know- take care, when you have a sense of Christ's love, that you let it go down deeply. If there were a nail so placed that it would slacken its hold a little every day for six days- if I had the opportunity of driving it in the first day, I would try to drive it in right up to the head, and to clinch it. So, if you have not much time for fellowship and communion with Christ, if you have only a short season for meditation, try to drive the nail well home.
Do not be content with merely thinking about Christ, seek to see him before your eyes as 'manifestly crucified'. See him as he groans in the garden, and do not be content unless you can groan with him. See him as he hangs upon the cross, and do not rest satisfied until you can feel that you are crucified with him. Realize your fellowship with him as he rises from the tomb, for this will help very much to keep you right.
I have heard the story of a man, who was passing by a house where a poor idiot lad, with a piece of sandpaper, was scouring away at a brass plate. The man asked what he was doing, and he replied, "I am trying to scour the name out.” "Ah!” said the other, "you may scour away as long as you like, but you will never be able to do that.” And so, methinks, I see the devil scouring away at some of you, trying to get the name of Jesus out of your heart. Scour away, Satan, if you like; but you will never get it out, for it is too deeply cut. If Christ's name is engraved upon your heart, Satan may try to get it out, but he will never succeed in doing so; it shall never be obliterated, but shall shine all the more brightly for his attempts to remove it.
Conclusion tomorrow...
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