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Song of Solomon 3:6-11 By Jack Nattress

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Now in verses 6-11 we have actually here, that is in chapter 3, we have the splendid appearance and it's a description, an allegory of his coming and his God.
And then in the third part we can see the king awaiting the arrival of the company, of the saints.
Now as the leading of Israel, you're all familiar with the story, God's the leading of Israel through the wilderness and it's a representation of the progress of the saints towards glory.
This tremendous journey, it's been preached on many times, it's a great tremendous representation of God taking his children, delivering them from the power of the world and from the power of the devil and by a mighty miracle, the first miracle he showed them in a marvellous way dividing the sea and bringing them forth and destroying his enemies.
And then their tremendous struggles for 40 years and then when they got to the promised land their struggles were still there.
But it is a picture of the believer's walk and it will not be an easy one.
Let us warn ourselves and the church, all converts, now the struggle is there.
Now you're in the army and it's not a time for resting although there is peace in a dog.
Now so this book represents the walk of the saints towards glory to come in this Song of Solomon and it's full of lessons, it has miracles and dangers and long weary marches
and bright and happy communions when we think of those people in Israel when they were going through the desert, these times when their joy was good, when God showed them his presence, when they saw living water out of the rock, when they saw their enemies destroyed in the pillar of fire and there would be much communion and blessing in all their struggles.
So don't always think of that journey as a terrible dull routine, there'd be tremendous happy times, wonderful times when they saw the majesty of God and in places of defeat and places of victory and what a beautiful sight from the mountains, it's safe from Bizgarh,
one of the high mountains, it's a peak that can be climbed and if you look down on the
tents of Jacob and Israel and saw their tents they used to put them very orderly I believe.
God had a pattern for them and if you look down there coming up from the wilderness what
a mighty sight it would have been and in our spiritual imagination we could look down from
Bizgarh and see Israel marching, it's going to reach the Promised Land and finally it
did and the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire denoting the presence and majesty
of God traveling with them and the onlookers and the tribes looking down, how they must
have been impressed, the mighty of God and our spiritual eyes need to see these things
today and it overshadowed the whole camp and the tabernacle in the midst, it was a people
of God going through the children of darkness, going through and it's the same today, no
difference, not one little bit of difference and the region on the territory that lies
between this world and the world to come, you see there's a region which we must go through
and in that region at the end of it there's the glorified Lord Jesus waiting, awaiting
his saints and it can be lonely and as difficult as the desert between the Egyptians and Canaan,
it's just as lonely but you'll see miracles, you'll have wonderful times in it and there
will be times of tremendous struggle, times of hopeless struggle, yes when you'll see
apparent brothers and sisters falling into idolatry, some leading by the wayside and
some overcome but still it will go on and the people that God has called will reach
spiritual Canaan, so let us be prepared and let us understand with the understanding what
God has written before time that we might see what we have to face and then the disappointments
won't be tremendous, they won't overcome us and the angels stand at the battlements of
the New Jerusalem and the procession ever comes up towards the holy city and they are
filled with wonder, did you ever think in your spiritual thoughts that you take the
New Jerusalem, the world to come where Christ is and take the great massive population of
this earth, many saved from every kindred, tribe and tongue of nature and you know I
don't know if you can see it but I can, there would be a continual procession now,
every day, every time into glory, ever think of that? Not just an odd one here and an odd
one there, God has, his church is streaming into glory, one of our brothers from the chapel down
at Adamstown passed away and called Reg Carr who believed what we did and preached on sovereignty
and loved the Lord and many others too all over the land and all over the country and gone into
glory and they are going of every kindred, tribe and tongue and nation and do you think that they
are going in some lonely little place in a lonely way, there will be a glorious entrance for them
which will only be sort of superseded by the great resurrection when Christ shows all and
demonstrates all together but nevertheless there is a procession into glory, the most
wonderful thought. Now, and of course the very angels look on and says that the angels look on,
they look over as it were over the battlements and they marvel, they haven't seemed like,
they're not lost sinners, they don't understand redemption in a sense, they've never had the
feelings of being transformed into the kingdom of God, they've always been there and it says they
look on and wonder and how they must be filled with wonder and in verse 11, go forth all ye
daughters of Zion and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him. Now
this is an allegory, it's a greater than Solomon has come and this site can be seen but only by
those who have come in a different way to what the world comes, what the world seeks, it's a new
and a living way, it's a different way, hence the inquiry, who is this that cometh out of the
wilderness? This question in one form or another has been reiterated by the masses for thousands
of years, what's all this stir about? Who is it that's coming? Why do you persist? And if one
pillar was a protection against the Egyptians, you remember there was a pillar of fire by night,
a pillar of cloud in the day, one pillar there was a tremendous protection and such a glory to
Israel in the desert, what must be the security of the site if so many pillars of incense surround
the individuals of the host passing on to glory? And what would these pillars be? Well in a sense
we could say that they were pillars of the righteousness of Christ, one, the
righteousness of Christ, mighty to save, mighty to contemplate and we could understand by these
pillars of incense the intercession of Christ for his people, intercede for his people and guard
them. And both what he did in this world and what he did on earth, his righteousness and what he is
doing now in heaven, his intercession. So let us remind one another to depend upon his intercession.
We are told to intercede but let us depend on it to a large extent on his intercession and we find
it all through the New Testament, especially John 17, interceding for his people. Now will those
prayers be answered? Of course they'll be answered and lay hold of that prayer and lay hold of the
statements in it. And then the saint is passing on to glory encompassed and protected by these
very clouds. He doesn't see them but he's been protected, he's been guarded. Do you think that
God just guarded these people and left that as a sign? But the guarding of today and the pillars
that guard his soul as he enters into glory are more definite than that. They are more real though
unseen. And as the Jewish high priest went into the most holy place he went in amid a cloud of
incense from the golden, from the golden censer. Remember just before he went into the most holy
place he would go to the censer which had been lit and the cloud of incense would go with him
into the holy place. Beautiful sight, this sweet smelling incense. Of course that was telling us
of the intercession of Christ and when Jesus entered heaven and he will remain there under
the glorious cloud of incense of his prayers on our behalf. So we're not allowed of the mighty
warrior who was gone before. And in verse 7 here it tells us, Behold his bed which is Solomon's.
Three score valiant men are about it. The valiant of Israel. Now do not think of the bed as we think
of a bed, the foam rubber mattress and so forth. It doesn't mean that at all. It means a chair or
a sort of sedan. It's a carriage which was carried on the strong men's shoulders when they were doing
a state map and when they were carried and when they were being brought. And it took many men to
carry them. They were very beautiful. You can read how it was made, what it was made from. Made the
pillars there of silver, the bottom there of gold, a covering of purple and paved with love. And of
course this was a great carriage that was going along the road. And we'll explain these things
so that you might have your attention. It might give us some spiritual knowledge of how the person,
how the child of God is taken through this earth to glory. And this is the meaning of it. Now when
our Lord was received up into heaven it was by a cloud. And when he appears a second time, behold
it says he shall come with clouds. Now this is denoting God's presence, God's protection, God's
way of doing things. And the saint is represented as passing onward in a conveyance or chariot
toward heaven. You see we're not just taking our hopes so coarse to heaven. Don't think that. We're
going in a definite way, in a definite transportation. And this is the spiritual meaning.
God is taking his saints in a definite way. As these great kings and lords were carried in a
certain way with all this retinue and with the arm men on these, we use the English translation
bed, we will be carried in a more certain way, in a more glorious way, and much more spiritually
spectacular. And every saint is a chariot for the soul. It cannot be seen like the soul. And in the
case of Elijah, remember Elijah, it could be seen, it was only seen by the young prophet when God
opened his eyes. He went to glory in a chariot of fire. See sometimes we think our fallen nature
is very carnal and prosaic. It only sees sort of natural things. It cannot really get out of its
bounds until God opens the scriptures in our spiritual understanding. And we think that by
some vague way that God's children will get to heaven. But it'll be done in a certain way,
in a beautiful way, and in God's way, and there will be a measure of spiritual display in it.
It'll go even as Solomon was carried for the people to see. Now, from the moment of the
regeneration, the very moment when we're born again, when God plants the seed of new life in
the heart, regeneration. When apart from the old nature, nothing to do with the old nature,
nothing to do with what we were in a sense, God plants this seed of regeneration, this new life.
And he says we'll be gotten again by the Word of God. And from that moment we move onward in
Christ's arms under his power, under his protection. Never for a moment out of it,
never for one second are we left bare to the enemies of this world. Never. The wonderful
thing. Right from that very time God guards his home. And that's why Christ came. Came
to an eternal family. Ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord God Almighty.
And he was born as many as walk in the Spirit, they are the sons of God. And of course God's
people will. Born again into God's family, transformed, translated, and now sons and
daughters of the living God. And do you think we'll be left alone? Never. Never. And this is
really what it's teaching us. And moving onward in Christ's power and Christ's arms, perfectly
free and working out our salvation, but on him we are dependent. In him we live, see the Bible
says in him we live, in him we move, in him we have our being. Never separated from him. And he
gathers his sheep in his arms and carries them in his bosom. In other words our Lord says I
transport them to glory. I keep them. I save them. Day by day I will take them. You see we often
think we have a lonely path as if we're walking toward heaven under our own initiative and
volition. No. Our Lord says differently. He says I'm taken and the various little child of God,
the newest and the oldest believer has been transported to glory by the power and the
omnipotence of Christ. That's his purpose. Otherwise salvation wouldn't be, would it be an
incomplete thing and we couldn't say it is finished. And around this bed or couch were
sixty, six score valiant men. Now it uses the word here valiant men. And you know God's people
should be valiant for the truth. Brave men who are not frightened of twenty times their number.
Noble men. It mentions here a definite number to give, as the scriptures often do, for an
indefinite number. And sometimes it gives an indefinite number for a definite number because
the scriptures of course are exceedingly broad. Now valiant men, valiant for the truth and it
makes me think of this wonderful thing you see. You take the worldly person who gets maybe five
cents of religion in him and he begins to talk maybe at work and says maybe you know the Bible
is true. And then when they gather round him and begin to put the pressure on him he'll recant and
take it back. But he'll not stand for Christ. And of course God says he that is ashamed of me and
my words one day says of him will I be ashamed also. But these were valiant men. They take the
truth of God, they travel through life and they're not afraid of numbers and they will speak
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it takes spiritual bravery in this world because they will be scorned
and mocking all the time against those who believe. Valiant men. Everyone with his sword. You could
just imagine these men who are all standing with a sword on their on their thigh walking along. They
were armed men. They were no weaklings. That's our trouble today. Men are spiritually widened.
Why don't people get converted from the human sense? Because there's no spiritual stamina. Men
have lost ethical and moral characteristics. They'll not stand for that which is good. But
ah the Christian has been strengthened. He's a strong man. Might be a young girl, a young man,
might be an older one, but they will stand valiant for the truth. Expert in war. A warrior,
a soldier needs to be trained, needs to understand. Needs to understand the work of the enemy. Needs
to understand what the Bible says and what it means. Needs to understand many things. These
were experts. They were trained day after day for warfare. Why in those days, in the same today,
men didn't just rush out and get a few hundred lightly looking men to be in the army. Of course
not. They got them and they trained them in every detail. How to fight, how to use the sword, how
to wear the sword, what to do with it under every circumstance. And we are to be the same. We to get
to our Bibles and understand what we believe and to be able and to be able get our heads in line
with our hearts so that we can explain to man what this Bibles about and what the message of God is.
We need to be those who study and rightly divide the word of truth. And why? It says because of the
fear of the night. In those days of course very often a wedding, they used to do this in weddings,
take this couch and carry the bride to the home of the bride's parents. And of course sometimes
through the terrible audacity of the Arabs that wedding, such a happy time would have a terrible
mournful end because they would ambush it and kill and plunder. And you see it's speaking and
telling us of the dangers. We have enemies lying in ambush just the same in our march. We need to
be warned and we need to be kept. We need to know. Seek the protection of God and wear the full armor
of God. And around the saint are enemies lying in ambush amid the gloom shrouding us from the
invisible world. We say invisible but actually the invisible world is the reality. This will
pass away. Everything that we see one day, if the world stands a little bit of dust, a little wind
will blow it away. This is not real. But the things of the, the unseen things are the real things
which will abide forever as Hebrews tell us. First verse in Hebrews. Now we,
and of course this portion of the word, it tells us these things and the Holy Angels are our God
against them. The angel of the Lord it says encamped around about them that fear him. See
we have guardian angels and they are sent from heaven as a God, an escort for us during our
passage through this world to heaven. So be confident. Be not fearful, only believe. And a
death of believer will find his eye opened on the mysteries of the unseen world. See the
disabilities and the restrictions of this bodily, of this, of our bodies will disappear in the flash
and a moment where the saved are unsaved they will know the spiritual world and its reality.
And battalions of angels waiting as a triumphant guard as they will escort the heck, the air of
heaven with a bright proud tread of victory safely through the regions of the dead. You see
it needs power. Needs God's people to take us through the regions of the dead to glory. A
tremendous thing and when we touch and speak and think in Christianity we're dealing with
tremendous issues. Unseen powers, good and evil, glorious things, evil things. And sure that we
should fear, fear the Lord. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the fear of the world
to come to those who are uncertain and lost should be tremendous. And the Prince of darkness,
he'll stand back from afar and see another soul delivered from his grasp and he'll rage and be
wild. All he knows and every converted soul and we think of our brother he'll have his battles.
He's been taken out of the dear, peaceful family of Satan and put into the family of God and Satan
rages against it and tries stumbling and snaring but Christ will see with every true conversion
our Lord Jesus will see that he does stand. My people that are called by my name they will stand.
And anyhow we're speaking again of this soul and the souls, this happy band and again if we're
looking at this court, this procession that travels on in a journey and the happy band will approach
the new Jerusalem and enter into the gates of the Eternal City. We've told a lot of that in
Revelation and it's not a band of mercenaries that's hired soldiers who cannot be relied on
but native born subjects, soldiers faithful to their sovereign and his interests and today we
need faithful people who know what they believe. Why? I believe nine-tenths of Christendom doesn't
know what it believes, doesn't understand what it believes. The great doctrines of God, the ordinary
doctrines of redemption, still they're unknown as we question people we get many truly foolish
answers only about that particular crack religion. We need to know what we believe and to preach it.
And we're not mercenaries, we're not hired, we belong to a family. And verses 9 and 10 of course
9, King Solomon made himself a charity of the wood of Lebanon. This wood was almost indestructible,
the seed is of Lebanon and representative of that which is eternal, made the pillars thereof of
sylva etcetera. Well they explained this word bed, we've already mentioned that, and it explains the
beauty and excellence of the conveyance provided by Solomon for his bride, rich and beautiful. Do
you think what God provides for us is going to be any less rich and beautiful? Of course not. It's
only a simile but the reality will be tremendous. And it appears to teach that the provision to
convey the soul to glory is costly and very splendid. And it is. Let's be confident there is a provision
for the soul and this portion of the song it describes the progress of Christ through the
world, of Christ and his church. It's progressing, it's not standing still. And still men ask that
they say, who is he that cometh out of the wilderness? He is not yet seen openly, we know
that, and when he comes, when he comes in reality he will be seen as a lightning flashes, swiftly
and mightily, and it'll be too late for those who are not converted. It speaks in the twinkling of
an eye, we can hardly speak of anything quicker. He is hidden, and in a sense, in a true sense,
his church is hidden too. And the true church is scattered all over the earth, you're not alone.
There are tears growing among the wheat and it is found amongst all denominations, all true
denominations have their Christian people. We're not talking about the crackpot ones of course,
the cults that have risen up, the devilish ones, but all true denominations have their people,
and nobody of people can say, nobody of people in the world, this is the only true Church of Christ,
that's why I object to that denomination which calls itself the Church of Christ, it is not the
Church of Christ, it's a falseness pseudo-name. And then when a person puts on the Church of God,
the Church of God is scattered through the air, some of them have never heard of the denominations
at all, in the tribal people amongst the Philippines, they don't know of any, they don't
know of even our denomination, they don't have any denomination, and yet they're true Christians,
scattered through the whole world. Of course we're not trying to preach that you shouldn't have a
name or anything like that, we have to have a name or people will give us a nasty name, won't they?
Well, they do that in many cases. Now we can't say that this is the only Church of Christ and
it's too vast to say that, for anybody of people to say that, and we're in a bad condition when
we begin to think that if ever we did, and it's never done here, I know that, because I don't
people tell, don't hear people here preaching to become Reformed Baptists, we'd like them to of
course, I think they should all change to us, it'd be very useful, but we never preach that. But as
I said, it's scattered all over the world, and we cannot say this and this only is the Church of
Christ, and we don't say it. The Church in a sense is as mystical as her husband, just as mystical.
And first there is a glorious progress of the Church throughout the world. She progresses,
she moves, day by day I believe it is being added to, day by day. In all ways the onlooker since the
early ages has wondered. He's always saying, what is this? What is this new power? What is this new
doctrine? You remember, say, way back in the Old Testament, Rahab, she was in that heathen city,
and she'd heard about these people, no doubt heard about these people marching, she must have said
to herself, what is this? What is this new power of God? Well that was one that God converted,
but in Reformation times, see where God, where the Apostles, as it were, by God's power, turned the
world upside down. On Mars Hill, what must they have said? What's this new doctrine? What's this
new power? What's this going on? What is this? And they didn't understand. And in the Reformation,
you know, in that time there were those monks with their long black nightgowns on and there would be
the Cardinals and their brilliant red hats reaching up there, and bishops in gorgeous
black 90s who asked, they must have said, what is this? Here we've been going along year after year,
and they'd come along here these, what is this? And they got mad instead of finding out and
comparing with their Bibles. And I think, oh foolish, they must have asked like that,
and as we pass up here, there's a tall young man, I often see him with these black robes on,
and the people gathering around him, especially the ladies, and I have no doubt in my imagination,
I imagine the conversation, they all stand so meekly in front of him, and I sure can imagine
the conversation, how they're going along, when is our next bazaar? I have accumulated 15 bottles
of pickles and maybe some little pink things for underwear and different things, when are we going
to have these? And I think this has got something to do with religion, their dressing and that sort
of thing, and this great spiritual thing that is happening in the world, this unseen glorious thing
the power of Christ transforming the soul into a new creature, fit for heaven, washed by his blood,
regenerated, made alive, brought out from among the dead. This is what we want to preach today,
oh this foolish formal religion with its signs that can be seen. And then in Woodfield and
Wesley's time, how many must they said, what's all this enthusiasm going on in the colleges,
and they've begun in the colleges, and what's it all about in the universities? What is great to do?
What are they meeting there and praying and what's it all about? You see it was the same thing,
where is it? Where is he? And what's all this commotion? Now spiritual religion, true spiritual
religion is still a novelty in the eyes of many, and in the days when the Greek sages scoffed at
Mars Hill, you remember how they scoffed? And the church is a stranger, and a pilgrim, and an alien,
and a foreigner in every land in the world. The true church, the child of God. And did our young
brother who will mention him again continue? No, he said, what is it? What's happened? I don't
understand it. Of course I don't. But be wise, and be wise in time, and a person will find,
a Christian will find he's a dove among the ravens, and a lily among the thorns. I will
straight take away the propensities of sin, take away, take away the desire for worldliness,
beautiful and holy things before him. And let us make this type, if we're using type here from this
song, let us make it crystal clear. Let us make it clear so we can understand. Now again let us
think, some of you can stand on Mount Hermon, and some on Fiskar, and Amarna, and Lebanon,
and see Solomon. You could see Solomon traveling down in his grave, costly raiment, and upon this
bed, upon this couch, and he's traveling down, and he's going toward the city of God. And it's
nearly dark, and the glorious, actually the word from the Greek is palanquin, and it means this
carriage, this wonderful carriage that he made, and has been translated in our Bibles bed. Born
along by the strong young men, and it's good to see strong young men rising up, that's what we
want to see today. The armed men, sword on the hip, and strong in battle. And then we saw the lights
in those days, they would get a grate, and put a long pole on it, and hold these lights up. They
would be a little smoky, but they were good lights, and there down there in the valley, if we could
look and see those, and we can in our minds eye, we'd see a wonderful crowd going along. Beautiful
with incense, and lights, and smoke, and the armed men guarding it, ever moving. He didn't stand still
until it got into the holy city at that time in Jerusalem, like a procession. Solomon in his earthly
glory, passing down the valley beneath to the city of God, and almost dark. There'd be many dangers,
but very few dare attack it. And the cordage of people surrounding the carriage, born aloft by
the strong, a great and mighty procession. And we need strong men to bear up this gospel message,
the word of Christ. Not weak, not a half-hearted, not uncertain people, people who know their God.
So we could stand on the lofty mountain of faith, and it is a lofty mountain, the high mountain of
faith, and the mountains of conversion, and the mountain of regeneration, and repentance,
and hope, and righteousness, and see the church as a mighty procession going through the world.
And as she's always gone through the world, and always will go through the world, and you just
stand on this plate, and look down into the dark valley of the world, and there you'll see the
church marching by her thousands, with a glorious Savior, holding up the banner of truth, and you
be in it. And thousands sit in a half-hearted condition, going in the church, not really
offered, and stand and look down. But they're not with them, they're not one of the armed men,
they're not one of those who hold up the banner, they're not one of those who hold up the light,
but they just go along with it. And they're in more danger than the heathen. They'll not be anything
in reality, and this is the bane of the church, those that hang fast and won't be enough. We must hold it up,
we must be in that throng, we must be in that cottage, we must be in those that travel. We have
to be. We can't be a looker-on. A mighty procession, the procession, traveling, always moving to the
eternal city. Never-ending. And I live with all my heart at the procession, day by day, entering into
glory, entering in. Why worry about the Monday snigs of this life too much? I've trouble about these
things which will pass away. Let us be with the sword, or holding up the light, or those that are
traveling close in this mighty procession. And our text says, well, before it says, who is this that
looketh forth in the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, terrible as an army with banners.
And it's a terrible thing to touch this army of God. And it's a terrible thing not to be in it. Now
the text says, who is this that cometh out of the wilderness with smoke? A beautiful illustration of
the fact that wherever Christ and his cause was carried, light will come. So wherever you preach,
wherever you teach, wherever you stand and deliver the message of Christ, light is coming. You just
continue. Now every herald, and it's everyone who speaks, you know what a herald is? Every herald is
a flash of light. And God says his ministers are a flame of fire. They're destroying the works of
the devil. So preach and teach with all your might. Give out your books and your tracts. Learn
to speak of the things of God. And don't ever stop while you can breathe, because you're traveling,
as we've tried to say, traveling with his great company to glory. His ministers, what a word that
God used. He says his ministers, his speakers, his teachers, his people that proclaim the world,
the word are a flame of fire. What mighty language. A flame of fire. God makes his churches,
golden candlesticks. You could imagine long ago how beautiful what a golden candlestick was. There
were many in the temple and the tabernacle, and in the temple that were destroyed. And they held up
when there was no lights at all. Of course they were held up as light for people to see. And God's
churches, God's company of people are his candlesticks. And he says to his children,
to his children, we've mentioned this many times before, we get it very clearly. Ye are the light
of the world. A statement to say to poor little Christians, ye are the light of the world. Let
there be light, he said, in the creation of the times of creation. And was there light?
And there was light. So you visit the caves of superstition and darkness where the bats of
darkness hang. You visit them and speak to them. I'd be in your own home, wherever we are.
Superstition, Arminianism, antinomianism, hang like bats from these caves. And let us speak,
and let light come to these people and to this world. It says, the people which sat in darkness
have seen a great light, and to them which sat in the region and the shadow of death. Light has
sprung up. Wonderful. So we will give some direct application as solemn and as straight as we can.
The church is traveling through the earth continually. It's founder, it's light, it's
people in a great moving continual procession. So don't anger with your hopes in this world.
Don't do it. It is a traveling thing. And you're in this procession taking part in it, in its
struggles and its victories, its trials and its journeys, uphill, down there, and as a lightbearer
or an armed warrior or else you look on as a bystander. And God forbid that we should have any
bystanders amongst us. And as we said, peering from a faraway corner. What is all this about?
What's all this commotion? What's all this fuss? Let it pass, some would say. I'll wait to see where
it goes. I will proceed in my own way. Why even now as they pass by they have been attacked. And
you could say, look there's one I can see way down there. You can just imagine there. He's been
attacked, one on his face. Now he's off, he's gone, he's continued with them. And the look
around he just sees and he seems to think of one that's traveling, we'll see what will happen to
him. And the church has been constantly attacked where he ought to be with the church, with the
people, traveling with them. Now, the few that are afar off, sometimes God gives his last call
and says words like this, no man liveth to himself. He can't work on himself. No man lives to himself,
no man. And then he teaches that he is building a spiritual house, and what's the good of a house
with one person in it? The loneliest worst place that you can be, even if it was a castle. And each
one he said is a member of one great body. God takes the individuality out of us when it comes
to spiritual things. And he says they that are Christ live no longer unto themselves but to him
and who died and gave himself for us. Doesn't live anymore unto himself. They are to take up
their cross and they take up and conform themselves to an entirely new pattern, an absolutely new
pattern. And the principle of the life of the people of this world is to seek their individual
good at the expense of others. Now that's the principle. Make what you can out of others. Get
all you can and can all you get. But the Christian is to act in the very reverse principle. He's to
seek the good of others at the expense of himself, at his own expense. And then he will say like
David, God forbid that I should give unto the Lord that which cost me nothing. He wouldn't do it.
So that's the principle we're to work on. Christ, the body of Christ, the building of God is the
pattern. And the heavenly road is a real road, it's more real than these highways that we see,
a shore and a safe road. So let us travel to glory in God's appointed way. Let's think on
these things. And here hidden in these we'll just read these few verses again and our time
is gone. So just apply them. God is saying it by way of an allegory that we might with spiritual
mind understand the word and work of the Church of God. It says, Behold his bed which is Solomon's
three-score valiant men are about it of the valiant of Israel. They all hold swords being
expert in war.