Songs
of Solomon 4:12, "A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a spring
shut up, a fountain sealed." God is most anxious that His people should
become a garden. He is grieved to see their hearts and lives lying
waste, uncultivated without proper protection, open to every intruder
and spoiler that comes along. We are called to be God's husbandry (1
Corinthians 3:9) that He can prepare, till, and plant with the choicest vines
and every other useful and valuable plant, making our lives productive
and useful. 'Enclosed' would imply more than a fence.
It
suggests that we are made secure and protected on every side. A
'sister,' 'a spouse' is a very sweet, tender and sacred relationship,
the latter more than the former. 'Sister' suggests that we are one of
the family having received the spirit of adoption. God becomes our
Father and Jesus our Elder Brother. 'Spouse' would mean that we have
attained unto the very highest standard and best because of grace being
poured into our lips and we are thereby made "fairer than the children
of men." Psalm 45:2, "Truth, meekness and righteousness" (verse 3) becoming our portion and through "hearkening, considering and lending
our ear" to the voice of God that speaks within, the voice of His Spirit
in the innermost temple of our souls, we are drawn away from ourselves and led to "forget our own people and our Father's house, so shall the King greatly desire our beauty." Psalm 45:10,11)
The word 'forget' would also suggest that we forsake; the forsaking,
the life of self and all that pertains to self-life and our carnal
nature, mind and reason, is indispensably necessary, so that we become
the true bride of Christ. We are His fair chosen ones whom He can claim
and bring into His chambers and banqueting house where His banner over
us is love. But before this can take place there is much to be suffered
both inwardly and outwardly. The Captain of our souls was perfected
through suffering, and if we want to be joined unto the Lord and become
one spirit with Him, we must be willing to suffer with Him.
We
are to be joint heirs, if we suffer with Him. If we are willing now, to
enter into His joy, and sorrow, His suffering and rejection, this will
fit and qualify us to be glorified together. That means we will share
alike with Him if we are willing now to enter into His joys, and sorrows, and sufferings and rejections, which will fit us to be glorified together with Him.
The
first step is to be called out by the gospel and receiving the spirit
of adoption, and the next is fencing, enclosing. God's work is done
secretly and in quietness and stillness before Him - shut out from the
bold, ignorant, inquisitive gaze of the scorning world. The reason that
so many make little or no progress and never attain to an insight or
understanding of the deep things of God is because of unwillingness to
be enclosed and separated from the world, so that they may become the
Lord's garden, where He can grow all manner of precious things and
reproduce that which was seen in the life of His well beloved Son, and
eternity alone will reveal the loss of those who still hold on to the
world and doubt the wisdom of God, and in the words of Jesus, are "fools
and slow of heart to believe the scriptures" which show the need of
being willing to suffer with Him so that we may enter into His glory.
(Luke 24:25-27)
After the enclosing is done there is the clearing and rooting out of
many harmful, unprofitable and dangerous things, which have been
allowed to grow without restraint. Then comes, the tilling and preparing
of the
soil, the laying out, planting of many useful and valuable things both
in beauty, and in the very center of our garden or soul there is to be
"the spring shut up, the fountain sealed." This would refer to our
inward or hidden walk with God and the One who is our life and being,
and all our springs are in Him. (Psalms 87:7) He is our river of pleasure
and fountain of life. (Psalms 36:6-9) This would also have reference to
that part of our life, which is unapproachable. Shut up and sealed,
hidden, secret, sacred and open alone to our well beloved, the
bridegroom of our soul, and the garden thus enclosed and prepared, whose
center is Jesus, is fed and nourished by Him and produces all of the
precious things, and flower and fruit of all good graces and virtues.
All that was seen in the Master Gardener begins to appear, fed by the
secret spring, nourished by the sealed fountain, warmed and irrigated by
the Son of righteousness, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness and faith and meekness and temperance, flourish in the soil
thus prepared, and under such favourable conditions. We are then left in
charge of our garden to labour under the direct supervision of the
Master Himself and become very conscious of two things: that is the
amount of work there is to do, and the rapid fleeting of time. Our one
and all absorbing desire is to become like Jesus, and so we must needs
redeem the time and seek by His grace to get into our lives what was
made manifest in His life. He is our wisdom and He leads us to become
"pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good
fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy."
(James
3:17) We let this mind be in us, which leads us to contemplate Him. We
look solely to Him and consider Him. (Hebrews 3:1, 12: 2-5) We see in Him
the beauty of holiness. He is the chiefest among 10,000, the altogether
lovely One. We see His unfeigned faith and confidence in God. His lack
of vainglory, His lowliness and humility, His willingness to become a
servant, the least and the lowest, in His trueness and faithfulness to
God. The power and mind concentration of heavenly things: His power to
avoid and lay aside unprofitable things, His patience in keeping the end
in view; His fixed purpose to do God's will; His power of endurance and
disregard, for shame and contradiction; His unwearied diligence in
watching and resisting unto blood striving against sin; His effacement
(Matthew 19:17) His inability, insufficiency, "I can of my own self do
nothing." (John 5:19-20) His infinite and never failing love, His tender
compassion, His ardour, zeal for God's glory and kingdom. His obedience
unto death. The nature of His death was true and honest, and just,
pure, lovely and good and worthy of praise in His virtuous life. This is
a life work, an impossible thing for the human mind to attain to, and
one would be overwhelmed if they did not remember those words, "With God
all things are possible," (Matthew 19:26), to conform us to the image of
His Son, (Rom. 8:29). We see that there is no time to waste in looking
over the
enclosure, feasting our eyes on vain and unprofitable things, lamenting
our loss and what we have left behind. No time to spend in idle, useless
gossip with the world, its pleasures, vanity and empty fleeting show,
which are only an illusion, its pride, and dress, and fashion and lusts,
which perish and pass away. Such valuable time is loss never to be
regained in contemplating these things.
When we are entrusted with the care of our garden, we need, by
reason of use, to have our senses exercised to discern both good and
evil. (Hebrews 5:14) God and the evil one, both seeking to work through our
five senses, all good desires, longings and dispositions; hunger, and
thirst after righteousness, comes from God the source of all good. The
adversary of our souls is ever ready to resist and draw us aside so that
we may be secretly enticed from the path of holiness. We need to follow
the example of our Master in this respect. Jesus had the blessed ear to
hear God's voice and obey. He also had the suggestions of the evil one,
but remained unmoved. He had the blessed eye to see God's glory, the
mysteries of His Kingdom and all that was good and precious in the sight
of God. He also saw the evil and the vain glories of this world, but
remained uninfluenced. He also had a very keen sense of discernment,
living in close harmony and fellowship with God. His sense was at best,
and although surrounded by sin in living form, and guise, religious and
otherwise, He was able to flee from and shun the very appearance of
evil. God also kept the doors of His lips, He did not eat of the
dainties provided by the workers of iniquity and had no fellowship with
them. (Psalms14:3,4; Psalms 16:4) He spoke only that which He heard from the
Father and told the truth which He had received from God. (John 8:38-40)
He also had clean hands, (Psalms 24:4) empty hands stretched forth at God's
disposal to work for God in God's Way alone, until He had finished the
work His Father gave Him to do, and we too must needs follow Jesus in
these five ways or senses. His way is perfect (Psalms 18:30), another
important thing which we need to observe and practice continually. The
devil seeks through the human nature that it has pleased God to give us,
and which will remain with us to the end of life, and according to his
subtlety, craft and cunningness, finds many ways to try and frustrate
the purpose of God and hinder the accomplishment of it in our lives. And
even though we are enclosed as the Lord's garden, there are evil birds,
which fly overhead and carry the seeds of many noxious and deadly
weeds, and when dropped into the good ground, germinate and spring up
very quickly. The seed is small and often springs up unnoticed
underneath and among the leaves of our best plants. The roots become
entwined with their roots and the leaves seem to take on the outward
form or semblance of that particular plant under which they take
shelter.
I will enumerate a few of the seeds the enemy seeks to sow:
self-love, self-complacency, self-esteem, love of ease and comfort, love
to please nature, sense and reason, and many other wild and poisonous
things. There is also an evil, a spirit which carries the seed of a very
deadly plant known as the sloth. Many unconsciously cultivate this
plant because of the beautiful markings on its leaves, rich colourings
and delicate veins, which appeal so much to our human nature and senses.
It
also bears a peculiar scented flower, very fine attractive and beautiful
to look upon, but diffuses a quality of very fine pollen, which causes
many to fall into a deep sleep. (Proverbs 19:15) There are some who love
this sleep and come to poverty (Proverbs 20:13), others are so affected that they will not plow by reason of the cold and beg at harvest and
have nothing (Proverbs 20:4), their hands refuse to labour (Proverbs 21:25). We
have an example of this in the five foolish virgins. Others, it affects
their vision, they
can see nothing but danger and difficulties in the way. (Proverbs 26:13-25)
They become wise in their own conceit and will not listen to reason.
Some are overcome by drowsiness and awake at last to find themselves
clothed in rags. (Proverbs 23:21) No wedding garment, and they lack the
spirit which Paul manifested (Philemon 3:8-9), and many others are impeded
and hindered and as it were paralyzed and so are prevented from becoming
followers of those, who through faith and patience inherit the great
and exceeding promise of God. (Hebrews 6:12)
Besides this are other enemies who knock at our doors, seek for
admittance. There are five doors placed in our enclosure, or walls of
our garden. The first door faces the sun-rising and needs to be attended
to in the morning. (Songs of Solomon 5:2) "My heart awaketh. It is the voice of
my beloved that knocketh saying, Open to me." "He waketh morning by
morning, He waketh my ear to hear." (Isaiah 50:4) "Behold I stand at the
door and knock, if any man open the door and hear my voice, I will come
in." (Revelations 3:20.) "The posts of the door moved at the voice of Him that cried."
(Isaiah 6:4) David and others attended to this matter. "My voice shalt thou
hear in the morning." (Psalms 5:3) "Thou art my God, early will I seek
thee."(Psalms 63:1) (Isaiah 33:2) "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye
lift
up, ye everlasting doors, and the king of glory shall come in." (Psalms
24:7) There are three very subtle enemies which lurk by this door, to
hinder our fellowship: one is "the deaf adder who stopped her ear and
will not hearken to the voice of the voice of the charmers," (Psalms
58:4,5)
determined to carry on its deadly work. The Loadician Church was
affected by this poison, which brought on deafness. They could not hear
the Master's voice as He knocked at the door. They were also
unconsciously affected by its influence in five different ways. They
became "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked" so this is surely a
very dreadful foe.
The
second is self-comfort, self-want, some earthly or visible
consolations, so that God alone can not be their sole source of comfort,
strength and stay. Because of these things, sorrow fills the heart, and
God cannot speak nor can He give to us the supreme good.
(John
16:6,12) The third is self-will or obstinacy, which makes us dull of
hearing. Self always becomes dull as God seeks to show us the need of
obedience, even though it means suffering and denial of self, and many
things that God finds hard to say because of dullness. (Hebrews 5:11,12) The
second door is called the door of salvation or the sheep door, where we
go in and out and find pasture. There are two great enemies, that lurk
around here: neglect and negligence, full cousins, whose chief business
is to get us to neglect this great salvation, also the feeding and
attending to God's lambs and sheep, not availing ourselves of the
provision God has made for our spiritual welfare, our eternal
salvation. (Hebrews 2:3; 10:25) and (1 Timonthy 4.14-16.). Peter overcame
these enemies.
(2 Peter 1:1,2) The third door is the "great door and effectual"
mentioned in 1Corinthians 16:9, where "there are many adversaries." We
can mention a few of the "ungodly men that dig up evil. A froward man
that soweth strife. The whisperer who comes to do his malignant work,
separating chief friends. Also the violent man that enticeth." (Proverbs
16:27-29) "He that speaketh fair, but cannot be believed because of
seven abominations
in his heart." (Proverbs 26:25) "The flatterer who spreadeth a net for our
feet." (Proverbs 29:5) Also "the strange and evil woman who flattereth with
her words." (Proverbs 7:5; 6:24) and the seven things which are an
abomination to the Lord. (Proverbs 6:17-19) These are some of the enemies,
members who clamber for admission by this door, so that our work may be hindered and our life and service rendered ineffectual.
The
fourth door is the door of utterance Colossians 4:2, "Continue in prayer, and
watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that
God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of
Christ." Ephesians 6:19, "And for me, that utterance may be given unto me,
that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the
gospel." Some of the foes which haunt. this door are timidity, fear,
inability, discouragement, insufficiency, rashness, presumption,
defilement, foolishness, unchastity, disobedience, unwillingness,
rebellion. The unruly tongue that no man can tame, full of deadly
poison, envy, strife, jealousy and contention. Moses, EIijah, Jeremiah,
John, Paul and others had to proclaim the determined war against these enemies.
There is the fifth and last door that no man can shut
but God Himself keeps the door, the door of hope and possibility where
the great prize of our high calling is set before us to become like
Jesus. This is God's eternal purpose for us. Romans 8:29, "For whom he
did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of
his Son." Ephesians 1:4, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love." 2 Timonthy1:9, "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace." 2 Thessalonians 2:13, "God hath from the beginning chosen you to
salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." Although no man
can shut this door, some have been so very foolish, as to shut it with
their own hands. The subtle foes which attack this door are to be found
inside. The love of self, ease, comfort, selfish motives, and worldly
honour, shrinking from the offence of the cross and shame to bear His
reproach. There is also an evil of the greatest magnitude which has
closed this door against many for ever. We are admonished by the Holy
Ghost to take heed and "beware lest there should be in any of us an evil
heart of unbelief in departing from the living God." This sin has
overtaken many and hindered them from entering in to their rightful
inheritance. Hebrews 3:7-8, "Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith,) To day if
ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation,
in the day of temptation in the wilderness," and 4:1-11 "Let us
therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest,
any of you should seem to come short of it, etc." This is the "sin
which doth so easily beset" all pilgrims on their heaven- ward journey.
It is mentioned in Hebrews 12:1, "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which
doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is
set before us." The cure or way of escape in also given in detail in
this chapter.
We should remember that God Himself is speaking for our admonition.
He is writing to warn us from making the fatal mistake, which those
people did and coming to the same end. See 1 Corinthians 10:11-13. Deceit, and
guile and desperate wickedness are so cunningly concealed in the inmost
recesses of our hearts that we do not know it. Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"
David the man after God's own heart felt this and prayed accordingly. Psalms 109:23. If the eyes of our understanding become at all dim, we are
oft times deceived and unconscious of the fact that we are harbouring
wrong there, and unexpected times when we are off guard these foes
present themselves in such seeming forms of verity that we are taken
unawares and if it was not for God's gracious interference and His
infinite mercy we should be taken captive with all these enemies and
foes to contend with beside the labour of our garden.
We are fully occupied and cannot afford to associate with our
neighbour's ease, gratification and merriment, Luke 2:19, "But Mary kept
all these things, and pondered them in her heart," lest much valuable
time should be stolen from us and our inheritance neglected. It is a
continual warfare. There is no discharge in that war, but God is on our
side, we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. There is
another thing of the greatest importance which must be attended to very
diligently. It is found inside. The root of bitterness (Hebrews 12:15)
which seeks to retain its life beneath the surface and secretly
gathering strength springs up, causing much trouble and defiling many.
The smallest piece of this plant, if allowed to remain in the ground,
will grow. Ephesians 4:31, "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil
speaking, be put away from you, with all malice." Among the very
valuable plants, vines etc. which we seek to cultivate, there is one
worthy of special notice, of very great value. It thrives well under
certain conditions, requires a sheltered corner, protected from the
frosts and where it will get the morning sun. The leaves of this plant,
when matured should be carefully gathered and when brewed, make a very
wholesome and seasonable medicine. Most have a great aversion to it, as
it is not palatable but bitter, and should not be merely tasted and
sipped, but taken courageously and with a brave heart to the prescribed
quantity. Psalms123:3-4, "Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us:
for we are exceedingly filled with contempt. Our soul is exceedingly
filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the
contempt of the proud." The name of this plant is self-contempt and it
has been used with good effect in all ages, prescribed by the Master
Physician for all His chosen people. Self and all that pertains to the
life of self has been one of the greatest hindrances as God has sought
to conform us to the image of His Son, and I sincerely desire and pray
that in His mercy He may draw us by His spirit and make us like the
enclosed garden, the spring shut up and the fountain sealed. His, our
fair chosen one, those whom He shall greatly desire, and who live and
move and have their being in Him alone, closed up and sealed to all but
the beloved of our souls, so that He may be our center and sun, the author of all that is good and
virtuous and beautiful, and as our lives are viewed from whatever
aspect or standpoint, naught may be seen but God's hand and the life of
Christ, and as we partake of the fellowship of His suffering and continue with
Him in His temptations, and the winds blow whether softly, smooth or
rough, the tempest, trials and afflictions come, that we may be enabled
by His grace to diffuse that sweet fragrance and savour of Christ that
from our garden the spice thereof may flow forth and be a stimulating
source of refreshing to all.
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