River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-09-10

the bridegroom talking intimately and
Familiarity with and about His beauti-
'ul bride, the church, and He permits
us to eavesdrop.
Solomon, it seems to me, wrote the
Proverbs in his sturdy manhood,
when he was strong in moral and spir-
ttual strength. Then he backslides,
and in his backslidden state he wrote
Ecclesiastes, and we have the picture
of life under the SUM-" The Song Of
Solomon was doubtless written after
he had made confession Of his sin, and
God had restored him: He is living
now in his old age deeply spiritual
life.
Christ our bridegroom is altogether
lovely"
His Birth.
/. He is lovely in his birth. He was
the only child that ever chose it's
mother He was the only one ever
born in this world who could select
the place of His birth I am afraid
most of us would have selected a
kings palace, or some mansion of the
rich, but it was very lovely in Jesus
that He selected a 1owly place and
chose to be a man among men, rather
than simply one of class.
His Boyhood.
II. He was lovely in His boyhood.
He served. He grew in wisdom and
stature. In His humanity He devel-
oped. He was perfect at ten years of
age; He was perfect at ~; He was
perfect at 20. He grew in pei lection.
His Social Life.
III. He was lovely in His Social life.
| Christ was a gentleman. You feel it
! every time you see Him in the New
| Testament. Not the gentleman who is
a pole for the exhibition of tailor's
goods, the gentleman whose business
it is simply to dress and wear the
! latest fashions. That is not the true
| gentleman. The gentleman is one who
| is gentle. tender and considerate.
His Holiness.
w. Again, He was lovely in His holi-
ness There are some people not so
| lovely in their holiness. They are
really good people, but not lovely.
They are so austere and severe. Some
| of them have to put their holiness
| under a glass case to keep the weather
| from it, They hide themselves away
in some monastery or cell, in order to
keep their holiness from contamina-
ton. Jesus was holy, but not austere.
He had a holiness that could touch
pollution and not be polluted Jesus
was lovely in holiness without as
ceticism or austerity.
His Humility.
" He was also lovely in His humili.
ty. There was nothing of the ''Uriah
! Heep' mock humility about Him.
His humility was not a sample in the
window for exhibition. There went
with it a manliness that always COM
manded respect He made high claims
for Himself, because upon this de-
pended our salvation. But there was
no trace of presumption or vanity.
| His Greatness.
VI. He was lovely in His greatness.
There is a greatness that is very ugly,
for it uses power in ways that lacerate
and Cypress and kill. National great
ness is, to large extent. slavery.
Civilization goes forward largely by a
process of slavery. The Lord Jesus
has a greatness more loving than that.
He is willing to make Himself a serv-
ant that He may liberate others. His
greatness is not in making slaves, but
giving liberty.
His Death.
VII. Christ was lovely in His death.
The crucifxion scene was not lovely.
There is nothing lovely in driving
nails through hands and feet, in a
crown of thorns, in blood trickling
down and becoming clotted, in the
pierced side, in the quivering flesh.
The tragedy of the crucifxion is one
thing, but the deeper meaning is an
| other.
Jesus Christ was lovely in His
death, for He died for others. He
prayed for those that killed Him. He
was lovely in His resurrection. He
was lovely in His ascension. There
was no attempt at spectacular dis.
play. He is lovely in His intercession.
He is still pleading for others. He be-
came incarnate for us; He lived for
us; He died for us; He rose from the
dead for us; He intercedes for U.S. HE
is altogether lovely" Have you eyes
to see His loneliness? Are you not
charmed by it? "And l, if l be lifted
| ~ will draw all men INTO Nc