by Rev. Thomas Halyburton
The Voice of my Beloved; behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. Song 2: 8.
Were the enjoyments of the children of God, those blessed souls who are espoused to the Lord Jesus Christ, as firm and abiding, as sometimes they are great, they would readily, with the mistaken disciples, talk of making tabernacles, and of dwelling upon this earth: heaven would not be desired, or longed after. But the many, the great, sad, sudden, and unexpected interruptions to which their sweetest enjoyments are exposed, in this house of their pilgrimage, are sufficient to cure them of this mistake, and teach them the difference betwixt heaven and earth.
The spouse, by whom is meant the believer, that is enamoured of, and espoused to our Lord Jesus Christ, in the words immediately preceding our text, is in as happy a state, as a soul on this side of heaven could be; what a ravishing description gives she of it! “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. He brought me to the banqueting-house, and his banner over me was love. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples; for I am sick of love. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.” And as her enjoyments were thus great, so her care to retain them was proportionally so, as appears by the charge she gives to the daughters of Jerusalem in the verse immediately preceding our text, “I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love till he please.” This was indeed a happy state, and happy had she been in it, had it been continuing; but this it was not; for we see a sad and sudden turn in the face of her affairs in the words of our text. She, who just before was fast in the embraces of her beloved, is now removed from him by interposing hills and mountains, which Christ must come over, ere she can enjoy him as she had formerly.
Now, for understanding of the words, ye must know, 1. That they are the bride’s words: the bride, that is, the believing soul who is espoused to the Lord Jesus Christ, and has, by faith, accepted of him for its Lord, head, and husband, is here introduced speaking. 2. Jesus Christ the beloved, who, but in the verse before, had his left hand under her head, and his right hand embracing her, is now at a distance from her, that is, he has withdrawn these soul-refreshing comforts, which are the consequences or effects of his manifesting himself and his love to the soul of a believer. 3. The spouse is sensible of this distance, and knows, that there are hills and mountains, that is, some things which have a tendency, or at least seem to have a tendency, to obstruct the gracious manifestations of his favourable presence: she is sensible, I say, and knows, that there are such hills and mountains betwixt them. 4. Though it be not expressed what her frame and exercise was, during the time of her beloved’s absence, yet it would seem, by what she says here, that she was waiting his return; like a wife that is fond of her husband; when he is away, she is ever looking for his return, and listening to every word she hears, to know whether it be her husband’s voice, and ever and anon looking out to see if she can get a sight of him. 5. While she is in this posture, she hears his voice, which makes her, as it were, start up to see him whom she hears. In a surprise she abruptly breaks forth in this exclamation, “The voice of my beloved!” I hear my absent lord speaking to me, sending me some instructions. The promises, the precepts, and all the other parts of the word of God, are Christ’s voice to his church, to his people; and when he by his Spirit awakens them to hear and know his voice in his word, then this prepares them for further manifestations of Christ. 6. She being quickened by his voice, turns about, as it were, and intently looks to see him whose voice she heard: the believer once hearing Christ’s word, is thereby engaged to desire a sight of him, that is, some more clear and sensible manifestation of him. 7. The spouse obtains her desire, and sees him, by the eye of faith, coming over all the difficulties and discouragements that stand in the way here, compared to hills and mountains, according to the strain of the song.
These few remarks, we conceive sufficient for clearing the meaning of the words; and therefore, I shall not spend any more time upon them. We see not any necessity of an analytical resolution of them into parts, and therefore we shall omit at this time any division of them. In the words, according to the present account we have given of their meaning, we might take notice of several very useful, momentous, and important truths; but that we may encroach as little as may be upon your time, we shall reduce all to one comprehensive doctrine, and it is this.
DOCT. “That a sight of Jesus Christ coming for the relief, support, and comfort of his people, over all discouragements and difficulties, which are like hills and mountains in his way, is a very affecting sight to a believing soul, that is sensible of its need of him, and languishing by his absence.”
The spouse, in this case, is so affected with the sight, that she starts up, as it were, and cannot hold from crying out even to by-standers to look to him, “The voice of my beloved! Behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.” The doctrine is a very comprehensive one, and takes in the substance of the verse. This illustration of it will make its truth so convincingly clear, as to supersede any other proof of it.
In speaking upon this subject, we shall inquire.
I. What are these discouragements, these hills, and mountains, which stand in Christ’s way, to his own people?
II. What is it, in his coming over these mountains, that is so affecting to them?
III. What are those affections which do arise from this discovery?
IV. Why is this sight so affecting to them?
And then we shall conclude the whole, with some practical improvement.
Now of each of these in order: and we begin;
I. With the mountains and hills of discouragements, that stand in Christ’s way, over which he must come, if he mean to give them any relief, comfort, or support.
1. Here there occurs a great difficulty from the infinite and supereminent excellency of the divine nature.
This is a mighty mountain: he cannot save from any one evil; he cannot drop in one drop of strengthening or comforting grace into the soul of any of the lost sons of Adam, unless he step over this huge difficulty. It is admirable, nay, almost inconceivable condescension in the “high and lofty one, that inhabits eternity,” to look upon, or, in the least, to regard any, even of his most glorious creatures: for. “The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens: and he humbleth himself, to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth,” Psal. 113: 4, 6. If there cannot be any regard paid to, or a look bestowed upon any thing, even in heaven, unless infinite majesty stoop, as it were; how shall then man, that is but sprung of earth, has his foundation in the dust, and that is crushed before the moth; how shall he get a look, I say? This difficulty, one would think, were great enough, even to nonplus reason, and put it to a stand; but this is nothing to that which is yet to come. We have scarce yet got a sight of the foot of that mountain that Christ must climb over. If ever he will help, relieve, or comfort any of Adam’s posterity, he must not only stoop and look to man, but even to sinful, defiled, rebellious, and apostate man. O stupendous condescension! Nay, but this is not all; he must become like one of us. What! Like one of us! Must majesty be veiled? Must glory be lodged in the similitude of man, nay, of sinful man? This is wonderful indeed? But it is not all; this yet will not do: he must not only take upon him the form of man, sinful man; but even of a poor contemned, reproached, and vilified sinner! Here, here, O sinners, is a mountain so high, so steep, that if the reason of men and angels had been employed in taking its height, would have certainly been pronounced insuperable. No wonder that blinded Jews, proud and unbelieving Socinians, be staggered, and question this surprising truth, when even faith itself shakes upon a steady view of this surprising height; when it sees Christ coming, “leaping upon this hill, skipping upon this mountains,” then it is mightily affecting to see him come over this wonderful height.
2. A second mountain, over which Christ must come, before he can help any of his people, is that of the wrath of God.
In the day that man first rebelled against his Creator, enraged justice did hurl in betwixt him, and any that came to his relief, massy and prodigious mountains of anger and wrath. Had angels or men been by, and had they heard when the glorious plot for the salvation of sinners was first, as it were, proposed in the council of the glorious Trinity: had they, I say, then heard justice assure the glorious undertaker for the salvation of the church, of this difficulty, they would have despaired quite. How would the sinner’s heart ache, to hear justice bespeak him thus? “You may, if you will, undertake for sinners; but if you do, I shall lay upon you such a load of wrath, as will fall upon you, and bruise you, till I bruise out your every heart’s blood: mine eye will not pity, my heart shall not spare you: in fine, I shall give you such a load, such a burden of wrath, as shall press your very soul to that degree, as to make you cry out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.” Tell me now, had you heard this dreadful proposal made to the Son of God, would you not have despaired of relief! Would you not have said, with the desponding church, Ezek. 37: 11. “our bones are dried, our hope is lost, we are cut off for our parts?” and is it not a heart-affecting sight to see the Lord Jesus coming skipping over this hill, and leaping over this terrible mountain?
3. There was a mountain of opposition in the way of the relief of sinners.
Man, in his apostasy from God, took upon his neck the devil’s yoke, became Satan’s vassal, and sold himself a slave to hell; and therefore, whoever will attempt his rescue must needs lay his account to have hell upon his top. No doubt when the first news of this blessed design was published, it put hell into a terrible commotion; Satan did think himself secure of his prey, and was triumphing it over the wisdom of God, as if he had spoiled all his contrivance in this lower world, by seducing man; and no doubt, when he came to understand, that there was a design to rob him of his prey, he would summon together the united force of hell; and this was a vast mountain in the way. Had we seen what threats, what menaces, and what bloody opposition Christ had to come over in the way he was to go for the relief of his people, we would have concluded, that he would never have undertaken it. This is one of those hills he, to the astonishment of all that do believe, comes skipping over.
4. Another huge mountain in his way was, the unkindnesses of those for whom he was to come.
Had they been a people looking and waiting for his command, ready to entertain and welcome him; this had been something encouraging to him: but quite otherwise was it; for, among all the sons of men, none more unkind, nay, nor more mad in their opposition to him than they. This was a fainting discouragement; and who ever could have dreamed, that he should have this mountain thrown in his way? or, if he had it, who would think that ever he would come over it? What! shall we think him so fond, would reason, it may be, say, as to undergo not only his Father’s wrath, and lay himself open to the united power, craft, and malice of hell: but moreover, to do all this for persons who will never once deign him an acknowledgement for all his kindness, but repay him with unkindnesses, nay and hostilities? This is a dreadful mountain!
5. Once more: there is yet another mountain in the way, that Christ must come over, and that is, the unbelief of his people.
When they have often seen him skipping upon the hills, and leaping upon the mountains, yet unbelief prevails so far upon them, that, at every turn, they question either his faithfulness, his willingness, or power: and is not this a great mountain? The other four, that we mentioned, were great and discouraging; but this we may justly look upon as the greatest. It is said, our Lord wondered at the unbelief of those to whom the gospel came, and that it was such a mountain in his way, that he had most difficulty to get over of any other. We have a remarkable scripture to this purpose, Mark 6: 5, 6. “And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them: and he marvelled because of their unbelief.” Elsewhere it is expressly said, “That it was because of their unbelief, he did not many mighty works,” Mat. 13: 58. — These are the mountains that faith sees him come skipping and leaping over to its astonishment. We shall now,
II. Inquire, what there is in this sight that is so very affecting to the believer that sees him?
1. There is the glory, the beauty, and transcendent comeliness of his person.
Behold he cometh! She says, he, as if every one should know him. There is not a grace, comely feature, a delicate proportion, that the infinite and unsearchable wisdom of God could invent, wanting in his person. In him is to be seen a majesty that raises itself above the clouds, happily joined to a lowliness that stoops to the very ground. In him, the glorious and radiant excellencies of the divine nature shine with a brightness exactly adapted to the eye of faith. In him, all that might wound, hurt or overwhelm our frail natures, if seen, is vailed; and all that is useful, that is comfortable, that our natures can bear a sight of in God, is in a most lively manner, discovered to the eye of faith. A sight of a naked God, if I may so speak, with reverence to his name, would have perfectly struck man, sinful man, blind, nay, and dead; for none of Adam’s sons can ever see God, out of Christ, and live. A sight of a mere man, though a perfect man, would have given no comfort. These who rob Christ of either of his natures, and offer him for a saviour to sinners, in any one of them, will oblige all who know their need of a Saviour, to groan out their “Ichabod; where is the glory? or, there is no glory.” It is the blessed conjunction of the two natures in Christ, that has all the ravishing beauty in it, which attracts the eye, inflames the heart, and raises the admiration of believers. Sinful man could never have believed that God would have any mercy upon him, if he had not seen the divine pity and compassion melting itself down in human tenderness, and sensibly touched with a feeling of our infirmities in our own nature: though he had been sinking in wrath, he would never have assumed the confidence to stretch forth his hand to lay hold upon the divine power, if God had not held it forth to him in a human hand and arm: he would never have dared to approach God for counsel, though he should have wandered eternally, if God had not spoken out of man to him. Never would he have writ after infinite holiness, if it had not been copied out to him in the life of a man. In fine, it is only that strong and happy union between heaven and earth, God and man, that is in the person of Christ, that gives man any comfort, any strength, or courage in his approaches to God, and a sight of this beauty and glory, in the constitution of the person of Christ, “who is fairer than the sons of men,” Psal. 45: 2, is that which mightily affects the hearts of believers, when they see him coming to them, “leaping upon the hills, and skipping upon the mountains.”
2. It is very affecting to see him coming, in that he doth not wait till they seek after him:
No; he prevents them, surprises them with his goodness, when it would have well become them to have made the first step towards him, and to have supplicated him for relief: behold, he stands not upon this, but comes “skipping upon the hills, and leaping upon the mountains.” When poor sinful worms, were neither deserving, nor seeking, nor dreaming of relief, and were not so much as looking for him; behold, he comes, for their help: and this is very affecting; for herein is the love of Christ wonderful, in that “he loved us, and gave himself to be a propitiation for us,” when we did not love, nay, nor know any thing of him. This, as it is said of the Father, 1 John 4: 10. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for us;” so it may be, with a like reason, applied to the Son, and accordingly is applied so by himself, in that John 15: 16. Ye, says our Lord to his disciples, “have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” This would have been affecting, if he had allowed us; much more, if he had bid us come to him, choose and cleave to him for relief: but this is infinitely more astonishing, that he himself comes, “skipping over the hills, and leaping upon the mountains,” to us.
3. It is very affecting to see from whence, and where he comes.
He comes from the bosom of the Father, in which he, from eternity lay, in unspeakable bliss, as the darling of his soul, and object of his eternal delight, who sent that voice to him from the excellent glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” 2 Pet. 3: 17. And he comes down even into the belly of hell, that hell wherein sinners should have lain. He comes from the throne of glory, laying aside the robe of his declarative glory, and “takes upon him the form of a servant,” making himself of no reputation, and taking up his lodging, even in a manger among beasts, or among sinful men, worse than beasts. He comes from the company of angels, to converse among men, who dwell in cottages of clay, defiled by sin. This is wonderfully affecting.
4. The sight of the road wherein he comes, is, and cannot choose but be mightily affecting to the believing soul.
It is not a road like to that wherein Adam did walk toward heaven, a road that lay through a paradise, that was beautified with pleasant streams, where the ripe apples dropped about his head, and the luscious cluster of the vine did, as it were, crush their wine upon his mouth; where all the fruits, even the first-fruits of the trees of God’s planting, not yet made subject to vanity by the sin of man, did reach themselves into his hand; where the harmonious music of the newly created birds did affect his ears with unspeakable delight: where no steep ascents, or dangerous bogs or marshes, made his way unsafe or unpleasant, which lay through the garden, beautified with the most fragrant flowers. The road wherein he comes, is nothing like to this; but is a most rugged and uneasy way, that lies over huge mountains of enemies, where, on every hand, impending mountains of wrath threaten him with death. In fine, the dreadful tempest of the wrath of God blows all the way full in his face, and carries along with it the stream and stench of all the filthiness, and stinking sores of his friends and foes. What heart would not be affected to see him coming in such a road as this.
5. The design he comes upon, is mightily affecting to them who behold him coming, “leaping upon the hills, and skipping upon the mountains.”
He comes not, as we might well have expected, to destroy rebellious sinners. “I came not,” says he, John 12: 47, “to judge the world, but to save the world. He comes to seek and to save them who were lost,” Luke 9: 56. Luke 19: 10. Those he came to save, had nothing amiable in them. What could attract his eye, or love, when they were all, like the wretched infant, lying weltering in their own blood, rolled up in their own filth, ugly, miserable, and deformed creatures, “full of wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores,” filthy as the mire, black as hell, stinking as the grave that is full of rottenness and dead men’s bones? And all this was misery purely of their own procuring: “They destroyed themselves,” Hos. 13: 9, and so were the less to be pitied. He came to save them who were not seeking salvation, who were fond of their chains: “They loved darkness rather than light,” John 3: 19. He came to follow, with goodness and mercy, “flying sinners.” The word that is translated “follow,” Psal. 23: 6., “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,” signifies to pursue one that is fleeing away; as if David had said, that he was sure God would follow him with goodness, even when he was fleeing from it. In fine, he comes to save them of whom he has no need, who cannot be profitable unto him; “For, can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous? Or, is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?” Job 22: 2, 3. “If thou sinnest, what dost thou against him? Or, if thy transgression be multiplied against him, what dost thou unto him? If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? Or what receiveth he of thine hand? Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art, and thy righteousness may profit the Son of man,” says Elihu, Job 35: 6, 7, 8. Now, to see him coming to save such, is wonderfully affecting to beholders.
6. The swiftness of Christ’s coming is very affecting to them;
He comes leaping and skipping; he runs so swiftly, that he prevents their ruin, who are swift in running to mischief. The children of God, before the Lord lays hold upon them by his grace, are running to destruction, and the wrath of God is, as it were, in a proportionally swift motion toward them for their destruction; but so swiftly doth Christ come to them, that never one of them is lost. How soon was he at Adam in Paradise? The sin was scarce committed, when lo he is come for the relief of the poor sinner. Indeed, sometimes his mistaken people, when they do not see him, are ready to say with the mother of Sisera, “Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariot?” But they dote when they speak so; for whenever they see him, they find their mistake, and see him “skipping upon the hills, and leaping upon the mountains:” for, “behold he cometh quickly.”
7. The seasonableness of his coming is very affecting;
He comes just in time when he is needed; and this affects the beholder mightily. This is evident, not only in the first discovery he makes of himself to believers in their conversion, but in all the after-sights they get of him afterwards, during their abode in this vale of tears. When is it that they first see him coming? It is just when they are ready to sink under the weight of their burden, when they are weary and ready to give over, and succumb under the weight of a load of guilt; and will not the seasonableness of this coming extremely affect such a soul? And the case is perfectly the same in all the after-discoveries he makes of himself. One thing in them that affects, is the seasonableness of the discovery.
8. The cheerfulness of his coming is very affecting;
He comes skipping and leaping, he is not dragged to their relief, but he comes very cheerfully, and with great delight. When all that man could do was rejected by God, then he cheerfully undertakes the work of redemption. “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire, mine ears hast thou opened: burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo I come: in the volume of thy book it is written of me; I delight to do thy will, O my God.” He comes cheerfully and with delight over all these mountains: and when a believer sees him thus skipping and leaping, it affects him extremely.
In fine, The strength, the majesty, and triumph of his coming, is very affecting;
He comes vigorously, easily, and triumphantly over all interposing mountains, treading down not only the remoter enemies, but the neighbouring and most dangerous enemies of his people. How is the church affected with this, in that 63rd chapter of Isaiah, when she sees him coming from Edom, the land of the Edomites, who here are put for all the enemies of the church, and from Bozrah, the principal city of that land, as an evidence of his having entirely ruined them! She looks upon him, and she is wonderfully taken with the majesty and gallantry of his gait, who stepped like a conqueror, fearing no after-assaults from entirely vanquished enemies. “Who is this that cometh from Edom,” says the wondering church, “with dyed garments for Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength.” To which question he answers, “I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” And then afterwards triumphantly insults over his enemies, as being fully and entirely vanquished. These are the things which the bride is so much affected with, in the coming of her beloved, in the words we have read.
(To be continued)