Chapter 1. The fellowship which the saints have with the Son of God �
I will do two things here: I. Declare that we have such fellowship with the Son of God. II. Show what that
fellowship or communion consists of:
I. For the first part, I will only produce a few passages of Scripture to confirm it:
1 Cor. 1:9, �God is faithful, by whom you were called to the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.�
This fellowship is what all the saints are called to, and they will be preserved in it by the faithfulness of
God. We are called of God the Father, as the Father, in pursuit of his love, to commune with the Son as
our Lord.
Rev. 3:20, �Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will
come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.� Certainly this is fellowship, or else I do not
know not what fellowship is. Christ will sup with believers: he refreshes himself with his own graces in
believers, by his Spirit who is bestowed on them. The Lord Christ is greatly delighted in tasting the sweet
fruits of the Spirit in the saints. This is reflected in that prayer of the spouse that she may have something
for his entertainment when he comes to her, Cant. 4:16, �Awake, O north wind, and come, you south
wind. Blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out. Let my Beloved come into his garden, and eat
his pleasant fruits.� The souls of the saints are the garden of Jesus Christ, the good ground, Heb. 6:7; they
are a garden for delight. He rejoices in them for, �his delights are with the sons of men,� Prov. 8:31; and
he �rejoices over them,� Zeph. 3:17. The believers are a garden for pleasant fruit. Cant. 4:12-14, �An
enclosed garden is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Your plants are an orchard of
pomegranates, with pleasant fruits, camphire with spikenard, spikenard and saffron, calamus and
cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh, and aloes, and all the chief spices.�
Whatever is sweet and delicious to the taste, whatever is savory and fragrant, whatever is useful and
medicinal, is in this garden. There are all kinds of spiritual refreshments in the souls of the saints for the
Lord Jesus. For this reason, the spouse is earnest in her prayer for an increase of these things, that her
Beloved may sup with her as he has promised. �Awake, O north wind...� It is as if to pray, �O that the
breathing and workings of the Spirit of all grace might arouse all his gifts and graces in me, that the Lord
Jesus, the beloved of my soul, may have fit and acceptable entertainment from me.� God complains of a
lack of fruit in his vineyard in Isa. 5:2; Hos. 10:1. The lack of good food for Christ�s entertainment is
what the spouse fears, and what she labors to prevent. A barren heart is not fit to receive him. The delight
that he takes in the fruit of the Spirit is unspeakable. He expresses this at large in Cant. 5:1, �I am come,�
says he; �I have eaten, I am refreshed.� He calls it �periy megadim� [OT:6529,4022], �the fruit of his
sweetnesses� or what is most pleasant to him. Moreover, as Christ sups with his saints, they will sup with
him to complete their fellowship with him. Christ provides for their entertainment in a most eminent way.
Beasts are killed, wine is mingled, and a table is furnished, Prov. 9:2. He calls the spiritual delicacies that
he has for them a �feast,� a �wedding,� �a feast of sumptuous things, wine on the lees� [finishing it to its
dregs], etc. The fatted calf is killed for their entertainment. This is the mutual entertainment of Christ and
his saints in that communion.
Cant. 2:1-7, �I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love
among the daughters. As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my Beloved among the sons. I
sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste...�
In the two first verses you have the description that Christ gives, first of himself, and then of his church.
In verse 1 he describes what he is to his spouse: �I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.� The
Lords Christ is compared to all things of eminence in the whole creation. In the heavens, he is the sun and
the bright morning star. Among the beasts, he is the lion of Judah. Among the flowers of the field, he is
the rose and the lily. These two are eminent in their savory sweetness and colorful beauty, the rose in its
sweetness, and the lily in its beauty. �Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.� Further,
he is �the rose of Sharon.� This is a fruitful plain, where the choicest herds were fed, 1 Chron. 27:29. It is
so eminent, that it is promised to the church that she will be given the excellence of Sharon, Isa. 35:2.
This fruitful place undoubtedly produced the most precious roses. Christ, in the savor of his love, and in
his righteousness, is like this excellent rose. He draws and allures the hearts of his saints to him. The rose
is like the garment in which Jacob received his blessing, giving forth an aroma like the smell of a pleasant
field, Gen. 27:27. God smelled a sweet savor from the blood of Christ�s atonement, Eph. 5:2. From the
graces with which he is anointed for them, his saints receive a refreshing, cherishing savor, Cant. 1:3. A
sweet savor expresses what is acceptable and delightful, Gen. 8:21.
Christ is also �the lily of the valleys,� which of all the flowers is the most beautiful, Matt. 6:29. He is
most desirable for his personal attractiveness and perfection. He is incomparably fairer than the children
of men (more of this later). He abundantly satiates all their spiritual senses. He is their refreshment, their
adornment, their delight, and their glory. In the next verse he tells us what they are to him: �As the lily
among thorns, so is my beloved among the daughters.� Christ and his church are described the same way
(as the lily). This is because of their union by the indwelling of the same Spirit. It is from the conformity
and likeness that exists between them, and to which the saints are appointed. The church is a lily, and she
is very beautiful to Christ �as the lily among thorns.� As the lily excels the thorns, so the saints excel all
others in the eye of Christ. The remainder of the world is �pricking briers and grieving thorns to the house
of Israel,� Ezek. 28:94. �The best of them is like a brier, the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge,�
Mic. 7:4. This is how the saints appear among the daughters. There cannot be any greater exaltation of
excellence. So, then, this is how Christ is to them in verse 1. And that is how the saints are in his esteem
in verse 2.
That is also how he is in their esteem in verse 3.�As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my
Beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my
taste.� To carry on this intercourse, the spouse begins to reveal her thoughts of him, and to show her
delight in the Lord Christ. As he compares her to the lily among the thorns, so she compares him to the
apple-tree among the trees of the wood. And she adds this reason for it. He has the two things that the
others do not: fruit for food and shade for refreshment. She eats of the one, and rests under the other, both
with great delight. All other sons are the fruitless, leafless trees of the forest, which will yield neither food
nor refreshment to a hungry, weary soul. This is true of the angels, who are the sons of God by creation,
Job 1:6, 38:7, and of the best of the sons of Adam, called daughters in verse 2. �In Christ,� she says,
�there is fruit, fruit sweet to the taste.� �His flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed,� John
6:55. Moreover, he has produced that everlasting righteousness which will abundantly satisfy any hungry
soul, especially after it has gone to many a barren tree for food and has found none. Besides, he abounds
in precious and pleasant graces of which I may eat. In fact, he calls me to eat of them and to do so
abundantly (Mt.26:26; Lk.9:17; Jn.6:53-58). These are the fruits that Christ bears.
They speak of a tree that brings forth all things that are necessary for life, in food and raiment. Christ is
that tree of life that has brought forth all things that are necessary for eternal life. In him is the
righteousness that we hunger for. In him is the water of life. Whoever drinks of it will thirst no more. Oh, how sweet are the fruits of Christ�s mediation to the faith of his saints! Someone who can find no relief in
mercy, pardon, grace, acceptance by God, holiness, sanctification, etc., is an utter stranger to these things
that are prepared for believers. Also, the believer has shades for refreshment and shelter. He has shelter
from wrath without, and refreshment from weariness within. The first benefit of the shade is to keep us
from the heat of the sun, as Jonah�s gourd did for him. When the heat of wrath is ready to scorch the soul,
Christ interposes himself and bears it all. Under the shadow of his wings we sit down steadfastly, quietly,
safely, putting our trust in him, and we do this with great delight. Who can express the joy of a soul that is
safe, shadowed from wrath under the cover of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus! There is also
refreshment in being shaded from weariness. He is �as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land,� Isa.
32:2. In him there is quiet, rest, and repose from the power of corruptions, the trouble of temptations, and
the distress of persecutions, Matt. 11:27, 28.
It is apparent that Christ and believers cannot be anything but delighted in their mutual fellowship and
communion. In the next verses that describe their communion, I will briefly observe four things in it: (1.)
(1.) Sweetness: �He brought me to the banquet-house,� or �house of wine.� This expresses the greatest
sweetness and most delicious refreshment, flagons, apples, wine, etc. �He entertains me,� says the spouse,
�as some great personage.� Great personages and great entertainment are had in the banquet-house the
house of wine and delicacies. These are types of the preparations we find in grace and mercy. They are
love, kindness, resources that are revealed in the gospel, declared in the assemblies of the saints, and
exhibited by the Spirit. This �love is better than wine,� Cant. 1:2; it is �not meat and drink, but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit� (Rom.14:17). Gospel delicacies are sweet
refreshments, whether these �houses of wine� are the Scriptures, the gospel, the ordinances dispensed in
the assemblies of the saints, or the exquisite manifestations of his special love. Banqueting is not an
everyday affair, nor are these preparations used in ordinary entertainment. What is promised at this
banquet is wine that cheers the heart of man, that makes him forget his misery, Prov. 31:6-7, that gives
him a cheerful look and countenance, Gen. 49:12. The grace exhibited by Christ in his ordinances is
refreshing, strengthening, comforting, and full of sweetness to the souls of the saints. Pity those foul souls
who loathe these honey-combs! But in the ways described, Christ makes all the assemblies of his saints
love banquet-houses, and there he gives them entertainment.
(2.) Delight: The spouse is quite ravished with the sweetness of this entertainment. She finds there the
love, care, and kindness that are bestowed by Christ in the assemblies of the saints. Hence she cries out,
Cant. 2:5, �Keep me with flagons, comfort me with apples, for I am sick with love.� On discovering the
excellence and sweetness of Christ in the banquet-house, the soul is instantly overpowered, and cries out
to partake of its fullness. She is �sick with love.� She is not (as some assume) fainting for lack of love and
fearing wrath. After she has once tasted of the sweetness of Christ in the banquet-house, she becomes
sick, faint, overcome, with the mighty impact of that divine affection. Her desire being deferred makes
her heartsick. Therefore she cries, �Keep me...� Her plea is this: �I have seen a glimpse of the �King in his
beauty,� tasted of the fruit of his righteousness; my soul melts in longing for him. Oh! Keep and sustain
my spirit with his presence in his ordinances, those �flagons and apples of his banquet-house,� or I will
sink and faint! Oh, what you have done, blessed Jesus! I have seen you, and my soul has become like the
chariots of Amminadib. Let me have something from you to support me, or I will die.� When a person us
fainting, two things are to be done: strength is used to support him so that he will not sink to the ground;
and comforting things are applied to refresh his spirits. These two things are what the soul prays for when
it is overpowered and fainting with the force of its own love, which is increased by a sense of Christ�s
love. It wants strengthening grace to support it in this condition, so that it may be able to attend to its
duty. And it wants the consolation of the Holy Spirit to content, revive, and satiate it, until it can fully
enjoy Christ. Thus sweetly, and with delight, this communion is carried on.
(3.) Safety: �His banner over me was love,� Cant. 2:4. The banner is an emblem of safety and protection.
It is a sign of the presence of a host. Soldiers in an army encamp under their banner in security. So did the
children of Israel in the wilderness. Every tribe kept their camps under their own standard. It is also a
token of success and victory, Ps. 20:5. Christ has a banner for his saints, and that banner is love. All their
protection comes from his love, and they want all the protection his love can give them. This safeguards
them from hell, death, and all their enemies. Whatever presses on them must pass through the banner of
the love of the Lord Jesus. They have, then, great spiritual safety. This is another adornment of their
communion with him.
(4.) Comfort � Support and consolation: Cant. 2:6, �His left hand is under my head, and his right hand
embraces me.� Here, Christ has the posture of a most tender friend towards one in sickness and sadness.
The soul faints with love. There are spiritual longings for the enjoyment of his presence. And Christ
comes in with his embraces. He nourishes and cherishes his church, Eph. 5:29; Isa. 63:9. The �hand under
the head,� is support, sustaining grace, in pressure and difficulties. The �hand that embraces,� or the hand
upon the heart, is joy and consolation. In both, Christ is rejoicing, as the �bridegroom rejoices over the
bride,� Isa. 62:5. To lie in the arms of Christ�s love this way, under a perpetual influence of support and
refreshment, is certainly to hold communion with him. And so, in verse 7, the spouse is most earnest to
continue his fellowship, charging all to be still so that her Beloved will not be disturbed, or provoked to
depart.
In brief, this whole book is filled with the description of the communion that exists between the Lord
Christ and his saints. Therefore, it is unnecessary to take any more examples from it. I will only add one
from Prov. 9:1-5, �Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars; she has killed her
beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also furnished her table. She has sent forth her maidens: she cries
out on the highest places of the city, �Whoever is simple, let him turn in here.� As for the one who wants
understanding, she says, �Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine that I have mixed.��
The Lord Christ, the eternal Wisdom of the Father, whom God makes wisdom to us, erects a spiritual
house. In this house he makes provision for the entertainment of those guests whom he so freely invites.
His church is the house that he has built on a perfect number of pillars, so that it might have a stable
foundation. His slain beasts and mixed wine, with which his table is furnished, are those spiritually
sumptuous things of the gospel that he has prepared for those who come by his invitation. Surely, to eat of
this bread, and drink of this wine, which he has so graciously prepared, is to hold fellowship with him. In
what other things is there nearer communion than in these?
I might further evince this truth by considering all the relationships which Christ and his saints have.
These necessarily require a communion between them, if we assume they are faithful in those
relationships. But this is something that will be spoken of in one signal instance later.
Chapter 2. What we have in unique fellowship with the Lord Christ �
II. Having shown that the saints hold a unique fellowship with the Lord Jesus, it neatly follows that we
show what it is they have in this unique communion with him. What they have is grace.
This is eminently ascribed to him everywhere. John 1:14, �He dwelt among us, full of grace and truth;�
there is grace in the truth and substance of this communion. All that went before was only typical and
representative. And in its truth and substance, grace comes only by Christ. �Grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ,� verse 17; �and of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace,� verse l6. That is,
we have communion with him in grace. We receive from him all kinds of grace, and in that have we
fellowship with him.
It is likewise in the apostolic benediction, in which the communication of spiritual blessings from the
several persons of the godhead to the saints is so exactly distinguished. It is grace that is ascribed to our
Lord Jesus Christ, 2 Cor. 13:14, �The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.�
In fact, Paul is so delighted with this that he makes it his motto, and the token by which he makes his
epistles known, 2 Thess. 3:17, 18, �The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is the token in every
epistle: so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.� He makes these two expressions
equivalent: �Grace be with you,� and, �The Lord Jesus be with you.� Sometimes he makes the one the
token in his epistles, sometimes the other, and sometimes he puts them both together. This is what we are
specifically to see in the Lord Jesus. Grace is what we are to receive from him, gospel-grace, as revealed
in the gospel. Christ is the headstone in the temple of God, to whom �Grace, grace,� is to be cried, Zech.
4:7.
Grace is a word with various meanings. Its primary ones may be divided into three categories:
1. Grace of personal presence and attractiveness. So we say a person is �graceful and attractive� either for
himself or because of his adornments. In Christ, this is the subject of nearly half the book of Canticles. It
is also mentioned in Ps. 45:2, �You are fairer than the children of men; grace is poured into your lips.�
Under this category I also place that acceptance of grace which, in respect to us, I place in the third
category. Those inconceivable gifts and fruits of the Spirit that were bestowed on him, and produced in
him, match his personal excellence, as will appear later.
2. Grace of free favor and acceptance. �By this grace we are saved.� Grace is the free favor and gracious
acceptance of God in Christ. It is used in this sense in the expression, �If I have found grace in your
sight.� It means being freely and favorably accepted. So he �gives grace� (that is, favor) �to the humble,�
James 4:6; Gen. 39:21, 41:37; Acts 7:10; 1 Sam. 2:26; 2 Kings 25:27, etc.
3. Grace in the fruits of the Spirit. These sanctify and renew our nature, enabling us to do good, and
preventing us from doing evil. Thus, the Lord tells Paul, �his grace was sufficient for him;� It refers to the
assistance that he afforded him against temptation, Col. 3:16; 2 Cor. 8:6, 7; Heb. 12:28.
These two latter categories, in respect to our receiving them from Christ, I call purchased grace, because
he purchased them for us. Our communion with him in that purchase is termed a �fellowship in his
sufferings, and the power of his resurrection,� Phil. 3:10.
1. Let us begin with the first category, which I call personal grace. I will do two things: (1) Show what the
personal grace of Christ is and what it consists of. And (2) Declare how the saints hold immediate
communion with Christ in that personal grace.
(1.) In handling the first category, we are speaking of Christ as mediator. Therefore, by the �grace of
his person,� I do not mean his Deity apart from the office that he undertook for us as God and man.
Nor do I mean the outward appearance of his human nature. I am not referring to him as exalted in
glory, nor in his role on earth bearing our infirmities. His time on earth is only �to know Christ after
the flesh,� 2 Cor. 5:16. Instead, I mean the graces of the person of Christ as he is vested with the
office of mediator. I mean his spiritual eminence, attractiveness, and beauty, as he was appointed and
anointed by the Father to the great work of bringing home all his elect to his heart. In this respect, the
Scripture describes him as exceedingly excellent, attractive, and desirable. He is far above
comparison with the best created good, or any other endearment that we can imagine.
Ps. 45:2, �You are fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into your lips� He is beyond
comparison, more beautiful and gracious than any here below. The word yafyafita [OT:3302] is
repeated to increase its significance, and to exalt its subject beyond all comparison. The Chaldee
paraphrase of this passage is �shofaracha malka Meshicha �adif nivney nasha� or �Your fairness, O
king Messiah, is more excellent than the sons of men.� �Pulcher admodum prae filiis hominum;� He
is exceedingly desirable. His inward beauty and glory are expressed here by his outward shape, form,
and appearance. That is because outward beauty was so highly esteemed in those who ruled or
governed. In Isa. 4:2, the prophet calls him �The branch of the Lord,� and �The fruit of the earth,�
affirming that he will be �beautiful and glorious, excellent and attractive;� �for in him dwells all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily,� Col. 2:9.
In Cant. 5:9, the spouse is asked about this very thing. Concerning the personal excellence of the Lord
Christ, her beloved, she is asked by the daughters of Jerusalem: �What has your Beloved more than
another beloved, O you fairest among women?� She returns this answer in verse 10: �My Beloved is
white and ruddy, the best among ten thousand.� She describes his excellence to the end of the chapter,
and there she concludes that �he is altogether lovely,� verse 16. Particularly, he is affirmed here to be
�white and ruddy,� a mixture of colors that produces the most beautiful complexion.
[1.] He is white in the glory of his Deity, and ruddy in the preciousness of his humanity. �His
teeth are white with milk, and his eyes are red with wine,� Gen. 49:12. Whiteness (if I may say
so) is the complexion of glory. In the appearance of the Most High, the �Ancient of days,� in
Dan. 7:9, it is said that, �His garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head was like pure
wool.� It is said of Christ in his transfiguration, when he had a mighty luster of the Deity on him,
�His face shined like the sun, and his raiment was white as the light,� Matt. 17:2. The other
evangelist says it was, �White as snow, so that no cleaner on earth can whiten them more,� Mark
9:3; Rev. 1:14. It was a divine, heavenly, surpassing glory that was upon him. Hence the angels
and glorified saints who always behold him are said to be in white robes. They are fully translated
into the image of his glory. His whiteness is the glory of his Deity. For this reason, the Chaldee
paraphrase ascribes this whole passage to God. �They say to the house of Israel, �Who is the God
whom you will serve?� Then the congregation of Israel began to declare the praises of the Ruler
of the world, and said, �I will serve that God who is clothed in a garment white as snow, the
splendor of the glory of whose countenance is like fire.�� Christ is also ruddy in the beauty of his
humanity. Man was called Adam, from the red earth of which he was made. The word used here
indicates he is the second Adam, partaker of flesh and blood, because the children also partook of
flesh and blood, Heb. 2:14. The beauty and attractiveness of the Lord Jesus is in the union of both
these in one person.
[2.] He is white in the beauty of his innocence and holiness, and ruddy in the blood of his
sacrifice. Whiteness is the badge of innocence and holiness. It is said of the Nazarites, typical of
their holiness, �They were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk,� Lam. 4:7. The prophet
shows us that scarlet, red, and crimson are the colors of sin and guilt; whiteness is the color of
innocence, Isa. 1:18. Our Beloved was �a Lamb without blemish and without spot,� 1 Pet. 1:19.
�He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth,� 1 Pet. 2:22. He was �holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners,� Heb. 7:26. And yet the one who was so white in his innocence,
was made ruddy in his own blood. That happened in two ways. Naturally, in the pouring out of
his precious blood in that agony of his soul when thick drops of blood trickled to the ground,
Luke 22:44. And it was done when the whips and thorns, nails and spears, poured it out
abundantly: �There came forth blood and water,� John 19:34. He was ruddy by being drenched in
his own blood. He was ruddy morally, by the imputation of sin, whose color is red and crimson.
�God made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin,� 2 Cor. 5:21. He who was white became ruddy
for our sakes, pouring out his blood as a sacrifice for sin. This also renders him graceful. By his whiteness he fulfilled the law. By his redness he satisfied justice. �This is our Beloved, O you
daughters of Jerusalem,� Cant.5:16.
[3.] He is white in love and mercy to his own. He is red with justice and revenge towards his
enemies, Isa. 63:3; Rev. 19:13. This expresses his endearing excellence in the administration of
his kingdom.
There are three things in general that this personal excellence and grace of the Lord Christ consists of:
(1st.) His fitness to save, from the grace of his hypostatic union and its necessary effects. (2nd.) His
fullness to save, from the grace of communion and its free consequences. (3rd.) His excellence to endear,
from his complete suitability to all the wants of men�s souls:
(1st.) His fitness to save. Christ is �hikanos,� a fit Savior, suited to the work from his grace of union. The
uniting of the natures of God and man in one person made him fit to be an ultimate Savior. He lays his
hand upon God by partaking of God�s nature, Zech. 13:7, and he lays his hand upon us, by partaking of
our nature, Heb. 2:14, 16. And so he becomes an umpire between both. By this means, he closes the
distance that sin created between God and us. We who were far off are made close in him (Eph.2:13). On
this account he had room enough in his breast to receive, and power enough in his spirit to bear, all the
wrath that was prepared for us. Sin was infinite only in respect to the object, and punishment was infinite
only in respect to the subject. This arises from his hypostatic union. Union is the conjunction of the two
natures of God and man in one person, John 1:14; Isa. 9:6; Rom.1:3, 9:5. The necessary consequences of
this union are,
[1.] The human nature in the Son of God has no subsistence of its own, Luke 1:35; 1 Tim. 3:16.
[2.] �Koinonia idiomaton,� by which the properties and attributes of either nature, God or man,
are interchangably spoken of using the name of Christ, Acts 20:28, 3:21.
[3.] His office as mediator is executed in his single person, but in respect to both his natures.
Christ himself is �ho energon,� the agent, as both God and man. He is the principium quo, or
�energetikon.� He is the principle that gives life and effectiveness to the whole work. Second, he
is the principium quod. He is the operator, in which both natures are distinctly considered. Third,
he is the �energeia,� or �draskike tes fuseos kinesis.� He is the effectual working of each nature in
itself. And lastly, he is the �energema,� or �apotelesma.� He is the effect that is produced by all of
these, and is related to all of them. This is the excellence I speak of in his personal union.
(2nd.) His fullness to save, from the grace of communion or the effects of his hypostatic union. These
effects and consequences of his fullness are free. This fullness refers to all the equipping that he received
from the Father, by the anointing of the Spirit, for the work of our salvation: �He is also able to
completely save those who come to God by him,� Heb. 7:25. All the fullness of the Spirit that was
necessary for this purpose was communicated to him: �for it pleased the Father that in him all fullness
should dwell,� Col. 1:19. He did not receive �the Spirit by measure,� John 3:34. From this fullness, he
suitably supplies all those who are his, �grace for grace,� John 1:16. Had it been given to him by measure,
we would have exhausted it.
(3rd.) His excellence to endear, from his complete suitability to all the wants of the souls of men. There is
no one who wants the things of God, that Christ cannot satisfy those wants. I am speaking of those who
are given to him by his Father. Is he dead? No! Christ is life. Is he weak? No! Christ is the power and
wisdom of God. Has he a sense of guilt? No! Christ is complete righteousness. He is �The Lord our
Righteousness.� Many poor creatures know their wants, but they do not know where to find their remedy.
Indeed, whether it is life or light, power or joy, it is all wrapped up in him.
This will suffice for the present of the personal grace of the Lord Christ. He is fit to save, having pity and
ability, tenderness and power, to carry on that work to completion. He has a fullness to save, speaking of
redemption and sanctification, righteousness and the Spirit. And he is suitable to fulfill the wants of all
our souls. By this he becomes exceedingly desirable and altogether lovely. And as to this, the saints have
distinct fellowship with the Lord Christ. The manner of this fellowship will be declared in the ensuing
chapter.
From this introduction to the description of the one with whom the saints have communion, some
incentives may be proposed, and also some considerations that reveal the insufficiency of all other ways
in which men engage their thoughts and desires. The daughters of Jerusalem, that is, ordinary professors
of Christ, having heard the spouse describing her Beloved in Cant. 5:10-16, are instantly roused to seek
him with her: �Where has your Beloved gone, that we may seek him with you?� Cant. 6:1. What Paul
says of those who crucified him may be said of all those who reject him, or refuse communion with him:
�Had they known him, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.� If men knew him, if they were
acquainted with him in any way, they would not reject the Lord of glory. Christ calls them �simple ones,�
�fools,� and �scorners� who despise his gracious invitation, Prov. 1:22. No one despises Christ except
those who do not know him, whom the god of this world has blinded so they will not behold his glory.
Men naturally seek something to rest on, something with which to satiate and delight themselves, to hold
communion with. There are two ways they pursue these things. Some set before themselves a goal.
Perhaps it is pleasure, profit, or, in religion, acceptance by God. Others seek a casual distraction, pleasing
themselves now with one thing, now with another, like those in Isa. 57:10. Because something comes in
by the strength of their own hand, they will not give it up, even though they are weary of it. Perhaps you
have been greedy pursuing some secular or religious goal. Or maybe you have been chasing meaningless
distractions, wearying yourself on a long road to nowhere. Whatever condition you may be in, compare
what you are aiming at, or what you are doing, with what you have already heard of Jesus Christ. If
anything you have in mind is like him, or if anything you desire is equal to him, then reject him as
unattractive. But if, indeed, all your ways are just vanity and frustration by comparison to him, then why
you spend your �money for what is not bread, and your labor for what does not satisfy?� (Isa.55:2).
Use 1. If you are still in the flower of your days, full of health and strength, and with all your vigor you
pursue first one thing and then another, consider this: what are all your beloveds to this Beloved? What
have you gotten by them? Show us the peace, quiet, and assurance of everlasting blessedness that they
have given you. Their paths are crooked paths. Whoever walks in them will not know peace. Look, here is
an object fit for your finest affections, one in whom you will find rest for your soul, one in whom there is
nothing to grieve and trouble you to eternity. Behold, he stands at the door of your soul, and knocks. Do
not reject him, for fear you may seek him and not find him! I beg you, study him a little. You do not love
him because you do not know him. Why does one man spend his time in idleness and folly, wasting
precious time, perhaps in debauchery? Why does another associate himself with those who scoff at
religion and the things of God? They do so only because they do not know our dear Lord Jesus. When he
reveals himself to you, and tells you he is Jesus whom you have slighted and refused, it will break your
heart, and make you mourn like a dove, that you neglected him! And if you never come to know him, it
would be better if you had never been born. While it is called Today, do not harden your heart.
Use 2. Perhaps you are earnestly seeking righteousness, and you are a religious person. Consider this:
Does Christ have his proper place in your heart? Is he your all? Does he dwell in your thoughts? Do you
know him in his excellence and desirability? Do you count all things �loss and dung� compared to his
exceeding excellence? Or do you prefer almost anything in the world to him?
