Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-09
ROMANCE OF SHULAMlTE
MAIDEN AND SHEPHERD BOY
IDEAL LOVE EXPERIENCE is IN
CHRIST
Pastor Joseph smaIe Discourses Upon
Christ as "the BeIoved"-FoIly to
Live Away From Christ for Even
One Day

Pastor Joseph Smale is giving a
series of sermons on 1.-THE Song of
Songs" in the New Testament church
at Burbank hall. Yesterday he
preached upon Christ as "The Be-
loved" Referring to the historical
setting of the poem he said:
1--WE have here more than the love
and romance of a Shulamite maiden
and a shepherd youth of Northern
Palestine We see in the Shulamite
the believer and the church, and in
the young man lover Christ the shep-
herd king. The story is that of
Christ's love to his people and his
peoples love to him. They are here
as bridegroom and bride, and in the
holy of holies of their life. In the
richest imagery do they describe their
love one for another, so that the Can
ticles Is the sweetest of all songs and
the greatest of all the stories of love.
The lovers conceive the choicest ex-
pressions to declare their unqualified
mutual esteem and devotion. Each
discovers in the other an unrivaled
perfection in form, character and dis
position. There Is not a flaw any
where, and when it be considered that
the love of which it sings is not a
dream, but a fact, that the ideal is
enacted in real life, the song becomes
of it's kind the best in all literature,
without a parallel. Earthly love in
it's best manifestations but feebly pic
lures 1t.
Love of Christ
"The love of Christ and his people
is no figment of a highly poetical
Imagination. 1t is the profoundest
thing in the universe. 1t is the high
est knowledge i'm all human expert
ences. This truth ought to arrest the
attention of the most carelessly re-
ligious. for who is there that does not
desire the best in life, and who is
there that does not fly to love for that
best: but to get the love that Is love
indeed. the human heart must come
to Christ and dwell in him. We have
to make but trial of his love to account
it the extreme of folly to have lived
away from Christ even for a day. Re-
ligion is a love song. 1t is the most
thrilling. enhancing story of loYe that
has ever greeted the ears of man, ard
as an experience 1t is the choicest the
heart can ever know. Yet this is not
as religion is generally regarded. To
many it is the most loveless thing
on earth, an easterly blast. chilling
and arbitrary, something to flee from,
something to avoid, made up of stern
precepts and prohibitions. But far re-
moved from this is true religion.
Mans Interpretation Wrong
"There must, however, be a reason
for so false a conception, and we find
it in mans Interpretation and repre-
sentation of it. He has ever carica-
tured and maligned it, Turn away
from his definitions and come to the
author and listen to him. Be intro
duced to the Lord Jesus Christ for a
proper understanding of religion you
must cease from man and know him.
Jesus Christ will teach you religion as
thing of love, an unmixed blessing.
In true religion you will find exhilara-
ton, not depression; freedom not
bondage; joy, not sorrow health, not
sickness; life, not death. % taste and
see that the Lord is good; blessed is
the man that trusteth in him.
No tongue of mortal can express,
No pen can write the blessedness;
He only who has proved it knows,
What bliss from love of Jesus flows.