The great and crowning bliss
of heaven, William Bacon Stephens, the loveliness of Christ. Yes,
he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved and this is
my friend. Song of Songs 516. The character of Christ is not
enough studied by His redeemed people. It is looked at with
too much of a passing glance, so that we get only hasty and
superficial views, which consequently have but a faint and passing
influence upon our heart and lives. We must study it, gazing
upon it, pondering over it, tracing out its developing lines and
beauties, until our soul becomes fired by His excellencies and
is changed into His image. Angels who see Christ in His
heavenly glory and who know something of His divine excellences must
wonder at the lack of enthusiasm in professing Christians concerning
the loveliness of Christ. They are amazed that we look
upon Him with so cold an eye Speak of him with so tame a tongue,
love him with such a lukewarm heart, and lay before him with
such a drudging heavy spirit. It is our privilege to love this
altogether lovely one, and we lose a rich and precious employment
when we fail to do it. There is no higher pleasure for
a redeemed soul than contemplating the glories of Jesus. There is
no surer evidence of a gracious state than a thirsting after
deeper knowledge of Jesus and a more thorough conformity to
His likeness. The great and crowning bliss
of heaven consists not in its seraphic melodies, not in its
gorgeous displays of almighty power, not in its exemption from
sorrow and sighing, not in its ceaseless round of high intellectual
joys, but in seeing the unveiled Christ with undimmed eyes. in studying the loveliness of
the ever-present Redeemer with unfettered mind, in daily discovering
and admiring new points of His beauty, and in having our souls,
through all eternity, made the receptacles of the light, the
joy, the peace, the holiness, the love, and the wisdom of Him
who is the chief among ten thousand, and the one altogether lovely
one.