ASCENDED

 Like someone who has fought and won

So that peace reigns for all his own

Christ, with His work for sinners done,

Sits now upon the Father’s throne.

As the sun’s warmth and vigour beam

From its pavilion in the sky

The Father had the Spirit stream

From Christ as glorified on high.

As Israelites could hear the bells

On Aaron in the holiest place

So, as the Holy Spirit tells,

We know Christ acts as Priest through grace.

As a rich king delights to give

Favour and grace where he resides

The Lord is glad that we should live

In blessings from where He abides.

Here on the earth from which His life

Was taken, and men thought Him dead,

The Lord now has His faithful wife

Linked to Him as her heavenly Head.

The Bridegroom waits to take His Bride

Who with the Spirit lifts her voice,

“Lord Jesus, come”; and at His side

In love’s delight they will rejoice.

He will come out as Conqueror

With all His saints, establish peace,

Heal nations, and abolish war,

Giving this groaning earth release.

THIS MAN

(Micah 5: 5)

If you are thirled to sin
And longing for release
Open your heart to let Christ in,
"And this man shall be Peace".

Temptations may assail,
Or doubts within increase:
Trust in the One who will not fail:
"And this man shall be Peace".

Soon He shall have His Bride
Without one taint or crease,
To reign in glory by His side
"And this man shall be Peace".

A CROWN OF SONNETS III

The Father sent the Spirit as my Guide

And Comforter, and One who intercedes,

Because He knows my feelings and my needs.

I love the Spirit since He will abide

With us for ever and will now provide

Strength to enjoy the truths towards which He leads.

I love Him since He graciously accedes

To saying, "Come" to Jesus with the Bride.

I love the Spirit, whose activity

In fact or sign - He strives, sweeps, carries, blows,

Hovers, refreshes, intercedes, falls, flows -

Enables Christianity to be

Living: while in His grace and majesty

The Holy Spirit brings the truth to me.

I CANNOT TELL

I cannot tell how much my Saviour loves me -

Love led Him to the uttermost to save,

To bless, to heal, to ransom and to free me;

His love has set me free to be His slave.

I cannot tell how much the Shepherd loves me -

His way was far too hard, His woes too deep

For any other man to comprehend them;

But through them He secured me as His sheep.

I cannot tell how much the Bridegroom loves me

With love which longs to have me at His side;

He cherishes and nourishes me always

As I am part of His resplendent bride.

BRIDEGROOM AND BRIDE

Behold the Bridegroom going forth in strength,

Grand as the sun. His rays of warmth and light

Charm and transform creation’s breadth and length

While He attract our hears with His delight.

Come see the Bride whom He sustains in life,

Having the glory of God which will abide.

She who on earth has been a faithful wife

Is worthy to be at her Bridegroom’s side.

GIVER

He gave Himself to ransom me,

He gave His life that I might live,

He gave in grace that I might see,

He is a Man who loves to give.

He gave me life, He gave me light,

He gave me righteousness and peace;

He gave me grace and power and sight:

He gives me joys that will not cease.

He gave His Spirit from above,

He gave adornment to His bride:

He gave me love - He gives her love

And gives a place at His own side.

He loves to give, He loves to bless,

His grace flows towards me like a river;

My heart goes out in thankfulness

That through His gifts I learn the Giver.

PROSPECT

Our prospect is delighting:

To be with Christ, through grace:

Oh! Won’t it be exciting

To see our Master’s face!

Relieved then from the scrimmage,

Our testimony done

We’ll be in His own image,

Conformed to God’s own Son.

His glory will be blazing,

And we shall all rejoice -

Oh! Won’t it be amazing

To hear our Master’s voice!

If every view will please us,

And make our praises brim,

What will it be to Jesus

To have His bride with Him!

PERFECT

A perfect love
Outside time
Conceived the seed-plot,
Seed, blade, bloom,
That there should be fruit
To perfect love's satisfaction.

A perfect Man
Uncorroded by sin,
Undeterred by mankind's
Reiterated insult,
Unmovable from the perfect will
Could be the perfect sacrifice.

A perfect work
Enduring the severe sword
And meeting every charge
Against us, every challenge against
God, has been completed,
In perfect righteousness.

To which God gave
The perfect answer - making Him
Both Lord and Christ;
Now He sits
Awaiting the perfect time
Upon the Father's throne.

The perfect result!
A city, having God's glory,
Descending from heaven:
Having "her shining"
To the eternal satisfaction
Of perfect love.

HIS OWN

There was a Man, who came
To His own, desiring companionship:
But the holiness of His nature
And His people's fallen condition
Precluded it.  Though the Father was
With Him, among men He was alone.

But after the good seed was sown
Something sprouted; growth persevered in
The blade and, at least, the ear
Till, despite their falls and cavils,
He could disclose secrets, and enjoy
Companions He could call His own.

He suffered to atone - in the darkness
And solitude.  Never in the history
Of time and eternity had a man been
So utterly alone: No spark
From God.  A perfect work was done
And a perfect love shown.

Raised from the dead He is
The Living Stone.  To Him congregate
Ourselves also as living stones,
Formed, in the Spirit, with measures
From Him - that through such a house
His excellencies may be fully known.

There is a Man who comes
To His own - as they are gathered
To His Name, with true hearts
In a world still rejecting
The Lord Jesus.  They announce His death
Till the time when He takes His throne.

But the Lord will not come
Alone; though alone He will tread
The wine press of wrath.
His companion, forever bridal,
Shall be with Him: her shining
As a crystal-like jasper stone.

16 April 2012

BRIDE

It was not good that Thou
Shouldst be alone;
Out of Thy death Thou dost receive
What God provides Thee now,
Derived from Thee, to be Thine own ‑
Thine Eve!

None but Thyself could tell
Of all the charms
Of her who now is by Thy side,
The one who will excel
As cherished in Thine arms ‑
Thy bride.

And only she describes
Thy loveliness
Which she can fully apprehend
As near Thee she imbibes
The grace and love Thou dost express,
Her Friend.

RELATIONSHIPS

Lord Jesus, now we welcome Thee
At Thine appointed tryst
Since Thou hast chosen us to be
Companion's of the Christ.

As all of one with Thee, blest Lord,
Those Thou hast sanctified,
Thy brethren praise with one accord
And Thou art satisfied.

Conjoined in admiration here,
Thy brethren coalesce
For Thine enjoyment to cohere
In bridal pleasantness.

This was the joy that lay before ‑
Thy helpmate and Thy wife,
The precious pearl Thou valuedst more
Than even Thine own life!

GIVER

He gave Himself to ransom me,
He gave His life that I might live,
He gave in grace that I might see,
He is a Man who loves to give.

He gave me life, He gave me light,
He gave me righteousness and peace;
He gave me grace and power and sight:
He gives me joys that will not cease.

He gave His Spirit from above,
He gave adornment to his bride:
He gave me love - He gives her love
And gives a place at His own side.

He loves to give, he loves to bless,
His grace flows towards me like a river;
My heart goes out in thankfulness
That through His gifts I learn the Giver.

I CANNOT TELL

I cannot tell how much my Saviour loves me -
Love led Him to the uttermost to save,
To bless, to heal, to ransom and to free me;
His love has set me free to be His slave.

I cannot tell how much the Shepherd loves me -
His way was far too hard, His woes too deep
For any other man to comprehend them;
But through them He secured me as His sheep.

I cannot tell how much the Bridegroom loves me
With love which longs to have me at His side;
He cherishes and nourishes me always
As I am part of His resplendent bride.

BRIDE

It was not good that Thou
Shouldst be alone;
Out of Thy death Thou dost receive
What God provides Thee now,
Derived from Thee, to be Thine own ‑
Thine Eve!

None but Thyself could tell
Of all the charms
Of her who now is by Thy side,
The one who will excel
As cherished in Thine arms ‑
Thy bride.

And only she describes
Thy loveliness
Which she can fully apprehend
As near Thee she imbibes
The grace and love Thou dost express,
Her Friend.

THE LORD COMES IN

The Lord comes in to give His own
Fresh touches of His love,
Tastes of the favour they have known
With savours from above.

And He comes in that He may taste
The sweetness of the bride;
He comes to her in fervent haste
To bring her to His side.

And He comes in that He might bring
Saints to the Father’s sphere,
To share with Him, to hear Him sing,
To worship and revere.

THE BRIDE

The Father purposed there should be a bride
As counterpart for His beloved Son.
Soon Christ will have the assembly by His side
As fruit of what God’s counsels had begun.

The Spirit came and works to bring the bride
Into the presence of the heavenly Man;
He decks with treasures God loved to provide
To suit her now according to God’s plan.

The cost was Christ’s - for her He gave His life
Because He knew the joy that lay before;
Faithfully now she acts as comely wife
And waits to be beside Him evermore.