Morning, November 18
Go To Evening Reading
“A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.”
Song of Solomon 4:12
In this metaphor, which has reference to the inner life of a believer,
we have very plainly the idea of secrecy . It is a spring shut up : just as there were springs in the East, over which an edifice was
built, so that none could reach them save those who knew the secret
entrance; so is the heart of a believer when it is renewed by grace:
there is a mysterious life within which no human skill can touch.
It is a secret which no other man knoweth; nay, which the very man
who is the possessor of it cannot tell to his neighbour. The text
includes not only secrecy, but separation . It is not the common spring, of which every passer-by may drink,
it is one kept and preserved from all others; it is a fountain bearing
a particular mark—a king’s royal seal, so that all can perceive that it is not a common fountain,
but a fountain owned by a proprietor, and placed specially by itself
alone. So is it with the spiritual life. The chosen of God were separated
in the eternal decree; they were separated by God in the day of redemption;
and they are separated by the possession of a life which others have
not; and it is impossible for them to feel at home with the world,
or to delight in its pleasures. There is also the idea of sacredness . The spring shut up is preserved for the use of some special person:
and such is the Christian’s heart. It is a spring kept for Jesus. Every Christian should feel
that he has God’s seal upon him—and he should be able to say with Paul, “From henceforth let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks
of the Lord Jesus.” Another idea is prominent—it is that of security . Oh! how sure and safe is the inner life of the believer! If all
the powers of earth and hell could combine against it, that immortal
principle must still exist, for he who gave it pledged his life for
its preservation. And who “is he that shall harm you,” when God is your protector?