“I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse” (Song of Songs 5:1)
Christ is our brother, and the church, and every particular true member thereof, is his sister… He became our brother by incarnation, for all our union is from the first union of two natures in one person. Christ became bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, to make us spiritually bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh.
Therefore let us labour to be like to him, who for that purpose became like to us, Immanuel, God with us (Isa. 7:14 ); that we might be like him, and “partake of the divine nature,” (2 Pet. 1:4). Whom should we rather desire to be like than one so great, so gracious, so loving?
Again, “Christ was not ashamed to call us brethren,” (Heb. 2:11) nor abhorred the virgin’s womb,” to be shut up in those dark cells and straits; but took our base nature, when it was at the worst, and not only our nature, but our miserable condition and curse due unto us. Was he not ashamed of us? And shall we be ashamed to own him and his cause?
…Again, it is a point of comfort to know that we have a brother who is a favourite in heaven; who, though he abased himself for us, is yet Lord over all. Unless he had been our brother, he could not have been our husband; for husband and wife should be of one nature. That he might marry us, therefore, he came and took our nature, so to be fitted to fulfil the work of our redemption. But now he is in heaven, set down at the right hand of God: the true Joseph, the high steward of heaven; he hath all power committed unto him; he rules all. What a comfort is this to a poor soul that hath no friends in the world, that yet he hath a friend in heaven that will own him for his brother, in and through whom he may go to the throne of grace boldly and pour out his soul (Heb. 4:15-16).
[Richard Sibbes, Second Sermon on the Song of Songs]
Sibbes for Christmas
12/27/2016 by iServe Africa Webmaster
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