Song of Solomon 1:4

"The king introduced me to his treasures." Who is this king, if not Christ himself? And what are these treasures, if not his chambers? This is the people who say, "We will rejoice and delight in you," for he calls everyone. First, it tells us about the past, then it reveals a time of penance in the future: "We will rejoice and delight in you." "I loved your breasts more than wine," not the wine that was mixed by Christ, surely, but the wine whereby Noah previously languished in drunkenness, the wine that deceived Lot. "We loved your fonts of milk more than this wine" because breasts were the commandments given by Christ; they delight but certainly do not inebriate. For this reason, indeed, the apostle said, "Do not drink so much wine that you become drunk." Therefore the beloved now says, "I loved your breasts more than wine; righteousness loves you," because those who follow the way of righteousness are those who love you, whereas unbelievers hate you and deserve retribution from the judge.

Now, the fourth seal consists in this, that the soul perceives an incomprehensible consolation that grows so much within it that it is unable both to comprehend it and to explain it to others. The Canticle says of this: "Eat, friends; drink! Drink freely of …

SERMON 21 HOW THE BRIDE, THAT IS THE CHURCH, DESIRES TO BE DRAWN AFTER THE BRIDEGROOM, THAT IS CHRIST 1. "Draw me after you, in the odor of your ointments we will run." What? Does the bride then have need to be drawn, and that …

SERMON 22 ON THE FOUR OINTMENTS OF THE BRIDEGROOM AND THE FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES 8. What should he have done for you and has not done? He gave sight to the blind, set captives free, led the wanderers back, reconciled sinners. Who would not run …

SERMON 23 ON THE THREE MODES OF CONTEMPLATION CONCERNING GOD, UNDER THE FIGURE OF THREE STOREROOMS 1. "The king has brought me into his storerooms." Behold whence the fragrance, behold whither one runs. She had said that one must run, and in what one must …

SERMON 24 DETRACTION AND MAN'S RIGHTEOUSNESS 2. We ought to begin, if I be not mistaken, with the words: "The righteous love you." Before we begin to explain what this means, let us take a look at its origin, see who spoke it. For we …

Do you wish, dearest brothers, to recognize His very leaps? From heaven He came into the womb, from the womb He came into the manger, from the manger He came to the cross, from the cross He came into the tomb, from the tomb He returned to heaven. Behold, so that He might make us run after Him, the Truth made manifest through the flesh made certain leaps for us, because "He rejoiced as a giant to run His course," so that we might say to Him from the heart, "Draw us after You; we will run in the fragrance of Your ointments."

Hence in the voice of this same Church it is said through Solomon, "Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains and bounding over the hills." For she considered the heights of such great works and said, "Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains." For in coming for our redemption, He made certain leaps, so to speak. Do you wish, dearest brothers, to recognize His very leaps? From heaven He came into the womb, from the womb He came into the manger, from the manger He came to the cross, from the cross He came into the tomb, from the tomb He returned to heaven. Behold, so that He might make us run after Him, the Truth made manifest through the flesh made certain leaps for us, because "He rejoiced as a giant to run His course," so that we might say to Him from the heart, "Draw us after You; we will run in the fragrance of Your ointments."

Everyone who is drawn is drawn against his will, either because he is unable or because he is unwilling. But he who says "Draw me" has something that he wills and something that he does not will. Human nature wills to follow God, but overcome by the habit of weakness, it does not prevail to follow as it ought. Therefore it sees that there is one thing in itself by which it strives, and another thing in itself for which it has no strength, and rightly says: "Draw me." Paul had seen himself as willing yet not able when he said: "With my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh the law of sin" (Rom. 7:25); and, "I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind" (ibid., 23). Because, therefore, there is one thing in us that urges us on and another that weighs us down, let us say: "Draw me after you; we will run in the fragrance of your ointments." We run in the fragrance of God's ointments when, breathed upon by His spiritual gifts, we long ardently for the vision of Him. It should be known that in the matter of men following God, sometimes they walk, sometimes they run, sometimes they run vigorously. He who follows tepidly, as it were, walks after God; he who follows frequently, runs; he who follows perseveringly, runs perfectly. For the heart was immobile for following God, and was unwilling to walk after him, until the coming of the Lord appeared in the world and moved human minds from their insensible standing place. Whence it is written: "His feet stood still, and the earth was moved" (Hab. 3:5, according to the LXX). Here, however, it is not movement but running that is spoken of, because it is not enough that we follow, unless we also run with desire. But because not even running suffices unless one also runs perfectly, Paul says: "So run that you may obtain" (1 Cor. 9:24). […]

Draw me, we will run after you. So far, this is the voice of the Synagogue; that is, of that people who, faithfully devoted, anticipated the incarnation of the Savior, who responded with the prophets preaching for a long time at the beginning of the …

The king has brought me into his chambers. The eternal king's chambers are the inner joys of the heavenly homeland, into which the holy Church has now been brought through faith and will be fully brought in the future through reality. The bride, that is, …

We will exult and rejoice in you, etc. Which is to say openly, By no means do we exalt ourselves for the received gifts; but in everything that we live well, we exult, indeed, we will always exult and rejoice in your mercy; remembering always, …

The righteous love you. Therefore, not in ourselves, but we will exult and rejoice in you, mindful of your gifts, because all those who are upright in heart have learned that you are to be loved before all and above all. Nor can those who …

By which most fervent desire, in the manner of fire, our spirit is not only made agile for ascent, but also by a certain learned ignorance is rapt above itself into darkness and ecstasy, so that not only does it say with the bride: We …

(2.) Her promise to improve that grace: Draw me, and then we will run after thee. See how the doctrine of special and effectual grace consists with our duty, and is a powerful engagement and encouragement to it, and yet reserves all the glory of all the good that is in us to God only.

Observe here, (1.) Her petition for divine grace: Draw me. This implies sense of distance from him, desire of union with him. "Draw me to thyself, draw me nearer, draw me home to thee." She had prayed that he would draw nigh to her (

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

Draw me,.... With the cords of love, for what draw lovers to each other more strongly? under the influence of that they cannot bear to be without each other's company.

Sorrow blackens; that seems to be especially meant; the church is often in a low condition, mean, and poor, and in appearance despicable, her beauty sullied and her face foul with weeping; she is in mourning weeds, clothed with sackcloth, as the Nazarites that had become blacker than a coal, Lam. iv.

Draw me - Let me have the full assurance of thy affection. We will run after thee - Speaking in the plural through modesty, while still herself is meant. The king hath brought me - My spouse is a potentate, a mighty king, no ordinary person. Into his chambers - He has favored me with his utmost confidence. The upright love thee - The most perfect and accomplished find thee worthy of their highest esteem.

The erection of the temple of Solomon was the first bringing of the bride into permanent, instead of migratory, chambers of the King. Christ's body on earth was the next (Joh 2:21), whereby believers are brought within the veil (Eph 2:6; Entrance into the closet for prayer is the first step.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

I Do not think I can preach tonight. I feel so weary, and worn, and ill. Still, I can talk to you a little concerning the great love of Christ. If I were dying, I think I could speak upon that theme, and oh, when we rise again, how we shall talk forever and ever about Christ's love! This will be our endless theme throughout the eternal ages, "His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins."

I Do not think I can preach tonight. I feel so weary, and worn, and ill. Still, I can talk to you a little concerning the great love of Christ. If I were dying, I think I could speak upon that theme, and oh, when we rise again, how we shall talk forever and ever about Christ's love! This will be our endless theme throughout the eternal ages, "His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins." I have taken for a text the last two sentences in the Song of Solomon, the first chapter, and the fourth verse—"We will remember Your love more than wine: the upright love You." This is a night for remembering Christ's love. The Communion Table is spread before us, the sacred feast to which we are about to come is meant to recall to our minds our Savior's words, "This do in remembrance of Me...This do you, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." But, while we remember Christ, the central thought in our minds shall be that of which Paul wrote, "who loved me, and gave Himself for me." We will, above all other things, tonight, remember His love. Have any of you been forgetting it? Is it long since you had an hour's real enjoyment in meditating upon the love of Christ? Then, Beloved, come tonight, and renew your vows! Begin, again, your fellowship, and make this firm resolve, "We will remember our Lord; we will remember His love tonight!" May the Holy Spirit, who brings everything to remembrance whatever Christ has said to us, help us now to remember Him! For Him to remember us when He comes to His Kingdom, will be our Heaven. For us to remember Him, though He has gone away to His Kingdom, shall be a little Heaven to us tonight. As I am able, I will talk with you briefly, first, upon the preparations for the holy memory mentioned in our text.

IT is a very blessed habit of saints who have grown in Grace to enter into actual conversation with the Well-Beloved. Our text is not so much speaking of Him as speaking to Him—"We will be glad and rejoice in You, we will remember Your love more than wine." Of course, in prayer and in praise, we speak to God, but I suggest that we should seek to have much more of intense and familiar conversations with the Lord Jesus Christ than the most of us at present enjoy.

IT is a very blessed habit of saints who have grown in Grace to enter into actual conversation with the Well-Beloved. Our text is not so much speaking of Him as speaking to Him—"We will be glad and rejoice in You, we will remember Your love more than wine." Of course, in prayer and in praise, we speak to God, but I suggest that we should seek to have much more of intense and familiar conversations with the Lord Jesus Christ than the most of us at present enjoy. I find it good, sometimes in prayer, to say nothing, but to sit or kneel quite still and to look up to my Lord in adoring silence—and then sometimes to talk to Him, not asking anything of Him, but just speaking familiarly with Jesus, realizing Him to be present, and waiting to hear Him speak until some precious Word of His from Scripture comes into my soul as with living accents newly-spoken by those dear lips which are as lilies dropping sweet-smelling myrrh! The French have a word which they use concerning that conversation which is common among those who love one another, or are on terms of intimate friendship. They call it, "tutoyage," for they say, "you" and, "your," to one another, instead of the more formal language used towards strangers. I like that form of expression that is used in our text and delight to meet with souls that are brought into so rapt a state of fellowship with Christ that they can speak to Him in this familiar fashion, "We will be glad and rejoice in You, we will remember Your love more than wine." If you, dear Friends, have not lately conversed with Jesus, do so now in the quietude of your own spirit.