Evening and Morning
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
April 25
Morning
"Rise up my love, my
fair one, and come away."—Song of Solomon 2:10.
Lo, I hear the voice of my
Beloved! He speaks to me! Fair weather is smiling upon the face of the
earth, and He would not have me spiritually asleep while nature is all around
me awaking from her winter's rest. He bids me "Rise up," and well He
may, for I have long enough been lying among the pots of worldliness. He is risen, I am risen in Him, why then should I cleave unto the
dust? From lower loves, desires, pursuits, and aspirations, I would rise
towards Him. He calls me by the sweet title of "My love," and counts
me fair; this is a good argument for my rising. If He has thus exalted me, and
thinks me thus comely, how can I linger in the tents of Kedar
and find congenial associates among the sons of men? He bids me "Come
away." Further and further from everything selfish, grovelling,
worldly, sinful, He calls me; yea, from the outwardly religious world which knows Him not, and has no sympathy with the
mystery of the higher life, He calls me. "Come away" has no harsh
sound in it to my ear, for what is there to hold me in this wilderness of
vanity and sin? O my Lord, would that I could come
away, but I am taken among the thorns, and cannot escape from them as I would.
I would, if it were possible, have neither eyes, nor ears, nor heart for sin.
Thou callest me to Thyself
by saying "Come away," and this is a melodious call indeed. To come
to Thee is to come home from exile, to come to land out of the raging storm, to
come to rest after long labour, to come to the goal
of my desires and the summit of my wishes. But Lord, how can a stone rise, how
can a lump of clay come away from the horrible pit? O raise
me, draw me. Thy grace can do it. Send forth Thy Holy Spirit to kindle sacred
flames of love in my heart, and I will continue to rise until I leave life and
time behind me, and indeed come away.
Evening
"If any man hear My
voice, and open the door, I will come in to him."—Revelation 3:20.
What is your desire this
evening? Is it set upon heavenly things? Do you long to enjoy the high doctrine
of eternal love? Do you desire liberty in very close communion with God? Do you
aspire to know the heights, and depths, and lengths, and breadths? Then you must
draw near to Jesus; you must get a clear sight of Him in His preciousness and
completeness: you must view Him in His work, in His offices, in His person. He who understands Christ, receives an anointing from the
Holy One, by which He knows all things. Christ is the great master-key of all
the chambers of God: there is no treasure-house of God which will not open and
yield up all its wealth to the soul that lives near to Jesus. Are you saying,
"O that He would dwell in my bosom "Would that He would make my heart
His dwelling-place for ever"? Open the door, beloved, and He will come
into your souls. He has long been knocking, and all with this object, that He
may sup with you, and you with Him. He sups with you because you find
the house or the heart, and you with Him because He brings the
provision. He could not sup with you if it were not in your heart, you finding
the house; nor could you sup with Him, for you have a bare cupboard, if He did
not bring provision with Him. Fling wide, then, the portals of your soul. He
will come with that love which you long to feel; He will come with that joy
into which you cannot work your poor depressed spirit; He will bring the peace
which now you have not; He will come with His flagons of wine and sweet apples
of love, and cheer you till you have no other sickness but that of "love o'erpowering, love divine." Only open the door to Him,
drive out His enemies, give Him the keys of your heart, and He will dwell there
for ever. Oh, wondrous love, that brings such a guest
to dwell in such a heart!