THIS is the prayer of one who has the present enjoyment of fellowship with Christ, but being apprehensive that this communion is interrupted, she avails herself of an opportunity to plead for something… yes, something that shall be an abiding token of a covenant between her and her beloved when his presence is withdrawn. You will notice that this is not the cry of a soul that is longing for fellowship – no, no… that cry is calls out — “Tell me O thou whom my soul loves, where you feed.” No, t’is not even the cry of the soul that has some fellowship and needs more. If that was the case, the cry would be, “Oh that thou wert as my brother!” Nor is it the cry of a soul that had fellowship but lost it. T’is then that soul asks, “Saw ye him, whom my soul loveth?” And she goes “about the streets and in the broad ways,” saying, “I will seek him.”

No, this is the prayer of the spouse when she came up from the wilderness. There she leaned upon his bosom. And there, the thought struck her that the one who sustained her is about to go from her… to depart… leave her for a season. Since her beloved would no longer be on  the earth – but would enter the ivory palaces where her God dwells – she prays that he would be pleased to make a covenant with her – yes, that he would never forget her. She asked for some sign and mark that she might be well assured that she is very near to his heart… her seal written on his arm. I take it to be the prayer of the Church at the present day now that Christ is before the Father’s throne. Indeed, the Bridegroom is not with us. He has left us… gone to prepare a place for us, and he is coming again. We are longing for his coming – we say in the language of the last verse of this song of songs, “Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.” Yet he went. It seemed as if his Church did pray to him, “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm.” And this is the cry of the Church to-night, and I trust it is your cry too – that while he is not present but is absent from you – you may be near to him, and have a sweet consciousness of that blessed fact.

Now without any further preface, let me first notice the prayer. Secondly, the reasoning behind the spouse arguing her suit. The prayer is, “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm.” The argument is four-fold; she pleads thus, “Love is strong as death;” she waxes bolder — “Jealousy is cruel as the grave.” Then, she wrestles again – “The coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame;” and once again she brings her choice words to bear, “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, for many waters cannot quench thy love, neither can the floods drown it.”

THE PRAYER, you will notice, is two-fold, although it is so really and essentially one — “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm.”

Now, I think the best way to explain this text is by making reference to the high priest of old. You know that when he put on his holy garments – those robes of glory and beauty – he wore the breast-plate of a cunning work in which four rows of precious stones were set. If you will turn to Exodus, thirty-ninth chapter, and fourteenth verse, you read, “And the stones were according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, everyone with his name, according to the twelve tribes.” How suggestive of this prayer! – “Set me as a seal or as an engraved signet, as a precious stone that has been carved – set my name upon thy breast.” Let my seal always be glittering there. Yes, but beside this breast-plate, there was the ephod. We are told that “they made shoulder pieces for it, to couple it together by the two edges was it coupled together.” Then in the sixth verse we read, “And they wrought onyx stones enclosed in ounces of gold –  graven, as signets are graven – with the names of the children of Israel; and he put them on the shoulders of the ephod that they should be stones for a memorial to the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses.” So that the seal was set as a signet upon his shoulder – or upon his arm – as well as upon his heart. I think these were to indicate that the high priest loved the people for he bore them on his heart. He served the people as a consequence of that love – therefore, he bore them upon his shoulders. And I think the prayer of the spouse is just this — that she would know once and for all that Christ’s heart is entirely hers – that he loves her with the intensity and the very vitality of his being… that his inmost heart… the life-spring of his soul belongs to her!

Yes, and she would also know that that love moves his arm. She longs to see herself supported… sustained… strengthened… defended… preserved… and kept by that same strong arm… yes, that arm that put Orion in its place in the sky – held the Pleiades that they gave their light forevermore. She longs that she may know the love of his heart… that she may experience the power of his arm. Can we not – each of us – join the spouse in this prayer tonight? Oh! Lord, let me know that my name is engraved on your heart – not only let it be there – but let me know it! Write my name not only in your heart, but may it be as a signet on your heart that I may see it. Doubtless there are the names of very many written upon Christ’s heart – those who have not yet seen their names – yet, they are there, but not written as on a signet. Christ has loved them from all eternity… his heart has been set on them from everlasting; but as yet they have never seen the signet. They have never had the seal of the Spirit to witness within that they are born of God. While their names may be in his heart, they have not seen them there as a seal upon his heart. And no doubt there are multitudes for whom Christ has fought and conquered, and whom he daily keeps and preserves – those who have never seen their names written as a seal upon his arm. Their prayer is that they may visibly see Christ’s love… that they may discover it in their experience… that his presence is beyond question… no more a matter of doubt and that his hand and his heart are engaged for their eternal salvation. I repeat it, you can all join in this prayer you people of God… the prayer is a cry that you could put up now – and continue to put up until it is fully answered.

Oh! let me know – my Lord – that I am yours… bound to your heart… let me know that I am yours… protected and preserved by your arm. Now, that is the prayer – I shall not say more about it because I wish to speak more about the arguments on why the bride pleads it.

What argument does the spouse make with her Lord? It is to my advantage that you should write my name upon your hand and heart, for I know this about your love – that it is strong… it is firm… has a wondrous intensity…  and that your love has a sure and unquenchable eternity. With these four pleas she backed up her suit in order to gain his seal.

First, she pleads that he would show her his love because of the strength of it. “Thy love is strong as death.” Some expositors think that this means the Church’s love; others say, “No, it means the love of Christ to his Church.” I am not concerned so much to determine who is speaking. They are extremely alike. Christ’s love to his Church is the magnificent image – the affection which his people bear to him is a beautiful miniature. They are not alike in degree and measure for the Church never loves Christ so much as Christ loves her, but, they are as much alike as the father is in his strength as the babe in its weakness – such is the same image and superscription. The love of the Church to Christ is as Christ’s love to the Church as the child. Consequently there is something of the same attribute in both. While it is true that Christ’s love to us is so strong that he defied and endured death for us, t’is true also that the love of the Church to him is as strong as death. Her chosen sons and daughters have endured the pangs of the rack… pains of the sword… and they would have gone through a thousand deaths sooner than to turn aside from their chaste fidelity to their Lord.

Nevertheless, I shall keep to the first idea – that ‘thy love’ is the love of Christ. Thus, I shall use it as being the plea made by his Church. Why plead? Because his love is strong, and she desires her interest certified in it – that she most visibly can see the signet and seal of her in his heart. “Love is strong as death.” What a well-chosen emblem this signet and seal is for her to see! What beside love is as strong as death? With steadfast foot Death marches over the world. No mountains can restrain the invasion of this all-conquering king. There is no chalet on the mountain Alp so high that Death’s foot cannot climb to hunt the inhabitant. There is no valley so fair that he does not intrude and stalk… a grim skeleton across the plain. Everywhere and in every place beneath the moon have you sway, O death! The lordly lion bows his neck to you. Leviathan yields up his corpse which floats many a rood upon the briny waves. You are the great fisher. You have put your hook into his jaw and dragged him from the sea. Master of all you are! You have dominion given to you. You wear an iron crown, and you dash into pieces all – as though the strongest of the sons of men were potter’s vessels. None among the sons of Adam can withstand Death’s insidious advances. When his hour is come, none can bid him delay. The most clamorous prayers cannot move the flinty bowels of Death. Insatiable, and not to be appeased, he devours and devours ever. That scythe is never blunted – that hour-glass never ceases to flow. Mightiest among the mighty you are 0 Death.

But Christ’s love is as strong as death. Christ’s love too can climb the mountain and lay hold upon the mountaineer – far removed from the sound of the ministration of the gospel. It too can march into the valley… and though Popery – with all its clouds of darkness should cover it – yet the love of Christ can win its glorious way. What can stand against it? The stoutest must yield to it, and adamant hearts are dashed to shivers by one blow of its golden hammer. As the sun dissolves the chains of frost and bids the rill rush on in freedom… though once bound as if it was stone… so does this love of Christ – wherever it comes… it gives life and joy… liberty… a love that snaps the bonds and wins its way… never retarded… never hindered, because it is written “ I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

Who can measure the strength of Christ’s love? Men have defied it, but their defiance has been overcome. They have long resisted, but they have been compelled to throw down their weapons. They have crossed it, but they have found it hard to kick against the pricks. They have gone on caring for none of these things, but thus the eternal counsel has decreed it – Christ must – he shall have that man redeemed… and he has had him. Jesus Christ’s love is as strong as death. Sooner might a man live after God decreed that he should die, than a sinner might remain impenitent one hour after God’s love decreed to melt his heart. Sooner might you defy the grave and hurl back the pale horse of Death upon his haunches, than turn back the Holy Spirit when he comes in his divine omnipotence to lay hold upon the heart and soul of man. As all the owls and bats – with all their hooting – could not scare back the sun when its hour to rise has come… so that is true of all the sins… fears… and troubles of men. No, no… they cannot turn back the light of love when God decrees that it should shine upon the heart. Yes, his love is stronger than death. Death is weak when compared with the love of Christ. What a sweet reason why I should have a share in it! What a blessed argument for me to use before the throne of God! Lord – if thy love be so strong… my heart be so hard… and myself so powerless to break it, oh! let me know that your love may overcome me… that your love may enchain me with its sure but soft fetters, and that I may be your willing captive evermore.

But let me provide notice that when the spouse says that Christ’s love is strong as death, you must remember that in faith she may have foreseen that the day would come that her faith would be tried as to which was truly strongest. Do you not know that these two – Christ’s love and death ­– once entered the arena to try their strength. The angels gazed upon the struggle. In revealing his incarnate love, Jesus at first seemed to shrink before death. “He sweat as it were, great drops of blood falling to the ground.” You cannot see the brow of his antagonist – Death – but could you have perceived it. Death  – the invaded – trembled more than Christ – the invader. Christ had the prophecy of victory. Death, the fates were against it. Well do you remember the story how the Savior’s back was ploughed… his hands pierced… and his side opened. Death – methinks I see the flush that crossed his pale face – as he thought that he gained the victory, but Jesus triumphed. Love reigned while Death lays prostrate at his feet. Strong as Death indeed was Jesus’ love for Jesus swallowed up Death in victory – no, not merely did he overcome it, but he devoured it… made nothing of it… put it away once and for all. “O Death,” said Love, “I will be thy plague! O grave, I will be thy destruction!” And Love kept its word, and proved itself to be “strong as Death.”

Well, beloved, we may add this word to these few remarks. Rest assured that as Death will not give up its prey so neither will Love. How hard and firm does Death hold its captives! Until we that resurrection trumpet blast shall loosen the bonds – none shall go free. The ashes of the dead he preserves as carefully as a king keeps the jewels of his crown. He will not suffer one of them to escape as Israel did out of the land of Pharaoh. In the house of bondage, there they must lie in their graves. And is not Christ’s love as strong as this? He shall keep his own. He will never let go those who are his own. Nay, when the archangel’s trump shall dissolve the grasp of death, then shall be heard the cry, “Father, I will that they also whom you have given to me be with me where I am.” And when Death itself is dead, Love shall prove its eternal strength by taking its captive home. Love, then, is strong as Death. Lord Jesus – let me feel that love… let me see thine arm nerved with it… and thine heart affected by this strong love… which all my enemies cannot defeat… which all my sins cannot overturn… which all my weakness cannot gainsay. I think this is a most sweet and powerful argument to lead you to pray the prayer, and one which you will use when you are pleading before God.

Let us now turn to the second plea — “Jealousy is cruel as the grave.” Krummacher – in a sermon upon this passage – following the translation of Luther, quotes it as though it read – “Jealousy is firm as hell.” I believe that reading is a proper translation – at least quite as correct as the present one. “Jealousy is firm as hell.” Those of you who have Bibles with the margins in them, (and the margins are generally like fine gold,) will perceive the words in the corner, “Hebrew, hard”— “Jealousy is hard as the grave,” which is just the idea of firmness – that it, yes, is as firm as the grave. Sheol – I believe the word is here for grave – otherwise we translate it “ Hades”— the place of separate souls – without reference to good or evil – or as Luther translates it – “hell.” “Jealousy is hard as hell.” The idea is this – that the love of Christ in the form of jealousy is as hard and as sternly relentless as is the grave and hell. Now, hell never loses one of its bond-slaves. Let once the iron gate be shut upon the soul and there is no escape. When the ring of fire has once girdled the immortal spirit, none can dash through the flaming battlements. The dungeon is locked. The key is dashed into the abyss of destiny and never can be found.

“Fixed is their everlasting state, could they repent ’tis now too late.”

“Escape for thy life, look not behind thee,” is a cry which may be uttered on earth, but can never be heard in hell. They, who are once there, are there forever and forever. That modern doctrine of the restoration of damned souls has no foundation in the Word of God. It is a dream, and they shall find it so who once come into that place. “Where their worm dieth not, and where their fire is not quenched,” — a more perfect picture of an unrelenting seizure could not be found anywhere. The firmness and hardness of the grave and hell are without abatement. When once they have their hands upon their prey, they hold it with a tenacity which defies resistance. Well, but what is said of grave, and hell is true of the love of Christ. If we had to speak just now of its strength, we have to speak of its tenacity… its hardness… its attachment to those whom it has chosen. You may sooner unlock Hades – and let loose the spirits that are in prison there – than you could ever snatch one from the right hand of Christ. You may sooner rob death of its prey, than Jesus of one of his purchased ones. You may spoil the lion’s den, but shall the lion of the tribe of Judah be spoiled? Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, and the lawful captive delivered? If even one child of God is lost, you shall go first and make death relax his grasp… then next you shall make hell give up its prey with all its fury. As soon as ever it can be proved that one child of God perishes, it can be proved that the fires of hell can be put out, but until then, there shall never be shadow of a fear of that. As certainly as ever lost souls are lost, so certainly believing souls are saved.

Oh! little do they know the love of Christ who think that he loves today, and hates tomorrow. He is no such lover as that. Even earthly worms would despise such affection. Is Christ’s affection a play of fast and loose? Does he choose, and then refuse – does he justify, and then condemn? Does he press to his bosom, and afterwards reject with distaste? It is not so. If ye have seen Niagara in its tremendous strength – leaping from its rock into the depth beneath – you might conceive some hand bidding it leap back, or staying the flow in its mid-current. Some mighty imagination might conceive that stream changed its course… made the stream ascend and climb the hills… instead of leaping downwards in its strength. Yes, but even then, no imagination can conceive the love of Christ retracing its eternal pathway. The divine fury, which is in it, drives it on, and on it must go as it has begun. The love of Christ is like an arrow which has been shot from the bow of destiny. It flies… flies… and heaven itself cannot change its course. Christ has decreed it… such men shall be his… and his they shall be. Nor will he turn away even one of them… make a new election… plan a new redemption…bring those to heaven whom he never intended to bring… or lose those whom he ordained to save. He has said, and he will do it. He hath commanded his covenant forever, and it shall stand fast. He will have compassion on whom he will have compassion, and he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. You have then, here, another reason why you should pray that your name may be upon Christ’s heart – upon his arm — once there, it is there forever. So surely there… so jealously… so hardly … … so fixedly there that it can never be removed – come what may. Christ is jealous of his people. He will not let another have his spouse. He will not sit still and see the prince of darkness walking off with her whom he espoused unto himself in the eternal ages. The supposition is absurd that he would do so. That cruel jealousy of his would make him start up from his heavenly repose… snatch his chosen spouse from the one who would seek to lead her to the hellish altar. She shall not be divorced from him… she must not be married to another.

“Stronger his love than death or hell,
Its riches are unsearchable;
The firstborn sons of light
Desire in vain its depths to see,
They cannot reach the mystery,
The length, the breadth, the height.”

We shall now turn to the last argument of this choice prayer, which is equally precious. It is the unquenchable eternity of this love. If the love of Christ is strong as death – if it can never be moved from its object – the question arises may not the love itself die out? Even should love abide the same in its purpose, yet may its intensity be diminished. “No,” says the Shulamite, “it is an attribute of Christ’s love that “the coals thereof are coals of fire which have a most vehement flame.’” More forcible is the language of the original — “The coals thereof are the coals of God,” — a Hebrew idiom to express the most glowing of all flames — “the coals of God!” as though no earthly flame, but something far superior to the most vehement affection among men. Some who look carefully at the setting, think there is an allusion in this sentence to the fire which always burnt at the altar – which never went out. You remember there were coals of fire which were always kept burning under the Levitical dispensation. The flame was originally kindled by fire from heaven. It was the business of the priest to perpetually feed it with the sacred fuel. You will remember too, that one of the cherubim’s flew and took a live coal from off this very altar, and said to Isaiah, “Lo, this has touched your lips.” Now, the love of Christ is like the coals upon the altar which never went out. But the spouse brought out a fuller idea than this allusion. She seems to say, “Its vehemence never decreases; it is always burning to its utmost intensity.” Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace was heated seven times hotter, but no doubt it grew cool. Christ’s love is like the furnace, but it is always at a temperature of a seven-fold heat – it always has within itself its own fuel. It is not merely like fire, but like coals of fire – always having that within its furnace a fuel which supports it.

Why did Christ love the spouse? What lit the fire at first? He kindled it himself. There was no reason whatever why Christ should love any of us, except the love of his own bowels. And what is the fuel that feeds the fire? Your works and mine? No, brethren, no, no, a thousand times no – all the fuel comes from the same place… from his own bowels. Now, if the flame of Christ’s love depended upon anything that we did… if it were fed with our fuel… it would either die out, or else it would sometimes dwindle as the smoking flax, and then again it might kindle to a vehement heat. But since it depends on itself, and has the pure attributes of divinity, the fire is a self-existent love… absolute and independent of the creature. Well, then, may we understand that it never shall grow less, but always be as a vehement flame.

Now I do not want to preach about this, but I wish you would think of it a little. Christian, turn what I have to say over in your mind — Christ loves you – not a little – not a little as a man may love his friend… not even as a mother may love her child for she may forget the infant of her womb. Christ loves you with the highest degree of love that is possible; and what more can I say, except to add that he loves you with a degree of love that is utterly impossible to man. No finite mind could get any idea whatever of the love of Christ towards us – if a mind sought to measure it. You know, when we come to measure a drop of water with an ocean, there is a comparison. A comparison I say there is – though we should hardly be able to get at it – but when you attempt to measure our love with Christ’s – finite against infinite – there is no comparison at all. If we loved Christ ten thousand times greater than we do, there still would be no comparison between our love to him and his love to us. Can you believe this now — “Jesus loves me?” To be loved by others here on earth often brings a tear to one’s eye. It is sweet to have the affection of one’s fellow – yes, but to be loved of God? To be loved to such an intense degree — so loved that you have to leave its depth as a mystery that the soul cannot fathom? You cannot tell how much! Be silent, O my soul! and be ye silent too before your God! Lift up your soul in prayer thus — “Jesus, take me into the sea of love, and let me be ravished by a sweet and heavenly contentment in a sure confidence that you have loved me and given yourself for me.”

We shall now turn to the last argument of this choice prayer, which is equally precious. It is the unquenchable eternity of this love. There is that eternity founded in its very essence – defying any opposite quality to extinguish it. The argument seems to me to run as this – “Yes, but if Christ’s love does not die out of itself – if it had such intensity that it would never fail of itself, may not you and I still put it out?” No, says the text, “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.” Christ has endured many waters already— the waters of bodily affliction… the waters of soul travail…  the waters of spiritual desertion. Christ was in this world like Noah’s ark… the depths came up from beneath… hell troubled him… the great water-floods came from above… it pleased the Father to bruise him. The cataracts leaped on him from either side. He was betrayed by his friends. He was hunted by his foes. But, still, the many waters could no more destroy his love than it could drown the ark of gopher wood. Just as that ark mounted higher, and higher, and higher, the more the floods prevailed; so then the love of Christ seemed to rise higher, and higher, and higher – yes, just in proportion to the floods of agony which sought to put that fire out. Fixed and resolved to bring those he ransomed home; the captain of our salvation becomes perfect through suffering… plunges into the thick of the battle… and comes out of it more than a conqueror. And oh! Since then, my beloved – what floods has Christ’s love endured! There have been the floods of our sins… the many waters of our blasphemy and ungodliness. Since conversion, there have been many waters of our backslidings… floods of our unbelief. What crime on crime… what transgression on transgression have we been guilty of! Yet he has never failed us to this moment. “By the grace of God we are what we are. And we are persuaded that neither life, nor death, nor things present, nor things to come, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What if we should be tried in circumstances? “Neither famine, nor persecution, nor nakedness, nor peril, nor sword, shall separate from the love of Christ.” What if we backslide and wander from his ways? “Though we believe not, he abides faithful.” And what if – in the last black hour – we should have bitter sufferings on the dying bed? Still he shall be with us in the last moment, for it is written, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is Death;” So you see death is to be destroyed, and we are to be victors over him. Given this, then, gather up all of your thoughts – of how we have tried and how we shall try the Master – and let us set our own solemn seal to-night our “Yea and Amen” to this most precious declaration of the Shulamite. “Many waters cannot quench love neither can the floods drown it.” Then, Lord, write my name on your heart… engrave my name as a signet on your arm that I may have a share in this unfailing and undying affection, and be thine now, and thine forever.

Poor sinner! I know you have been saying all the while that I have been preaching this “I wish I had a share in that love.” Well, you may pray this prayer pray to-night – “Set me – it is a black name – set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm. Love me, Lord. Help me, Lord. Let thy heart move towards me; let thine arm move for me too. Think of me, Lord; set me on thy heart. Work for me, Lord, set me on thine arm. Lord, I long to have thy love, for I hear it is strong as death, and thou know I am chained by Satan, and am his bond-salve. Come and deliver me: thou art more than a match for my cruel tyrant. Come with thy strong love and set me free. I hear that thy love is firm too as hell itself. Lord, that is such a love as I want. Though I know I shall vex thee and wander from thee, come and love me with a love that is firm and everlasting. O Lord, I feel there is nothing in me that can make thee love me. Come and love me, then, with that love which finds its own fuel. Love me with those coals of fire which have a •vehement flame.’ And since many waters cannot quench thy love, prove that in me; for there are many waters of sin in me, but Lord help me to believe that thy love is not quenched by them; there are many corruptions in me, but, Lord, love me with that love which my corruptions cannot quench. Here, Lord, I give myself away; take me; make me what thou wouldst have me to be, and keep and preserve me even to the end.”

May the Lord help you to pray that prayer, and then may he answer it for his mercy ’s sake.

Amen