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Shift the kaleidoscope!
(by Spurgeon)
"Behold, You are handsome, my Beloved."
Song of Solomon 1:16
From every point our Well Beloved is most fair.
Our various experiences are meant by our heavenly
Father to furnish fresh standpoints from which we
may view the loveliness of Jesus.
How amiable are our trials when they carry us aloft
where we may gain clearer views of Jesus than
ordinary life could afford us! We have seen Him
from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and
Hermon, and He has shone upon us as the sun in
his strength; but we have seen Him also from "the
lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards,"
and He has lost none of His loveliness.
From the languishing of a sick bed, from the borders
of the grave, have we turned our eyes to our soul's
spouse, and He has never been otherwise than
"altogether lovely."
Many of His saints have looked upon Him from the
gloom of dungeons, and from the red flames of the
stake, yet have they never uttered an ill word of Him,
but have died extolling His surpassing charms.
Oh, noble and pleasant employment to be
forever gazing at our sweet Lord Jesus!
Is it not unspeakably delightful to view the Savior in
all His offices, and to perceive Him matchless in each?
To shift the kaleidoscope, as it were, and
to find
fresh combinations of peerless graces? In the manger
and in eternity, on the cross and on His throne, in the
garden and in His kingdom, among thieves or in the
midst of cherubim, He is everywhere "altogether lovely."
Examine carefully every little act of His life, and every
trait of His character, and He is as lovely in the minute
as in the majestic.
Judge Him as you will, you cannot censure; weigh
Him as you please, and He will not be found lacking.
Eternity shall not discover the shadow of a spot in
our Beloved, but rather, as ages revolve, His hidden
glories shall shine forth with yet more inconceivable
splendor, and His unutterable loveliness shall more
and more ravish all celestial minds!
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