Shir Hashirim 5

8 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem [banot Yerushalayim], if ye find my beloved [ dodi], that ye tell him, that I am sick of love [shecholat ahavah ani (I am faint with ahavah, lovesick].

My Beloved...Chiefest among Ten Thousand v10

THE MAN CHRIST JESUS

Christ being perfect in both kind and degree, surpassed all other, both in the character and extent of his excellence ; and not less so in the immeasurable fulness of the Spirit which he possessed, and the divine Fatherhood to which he stood related. As tilting into these altogether unique conditions, he had a mission and a work placed in his hands, to which none other might compare; for said his forerunner, "behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world."

Such an exceptional work required equally exceptional circumstances, as the channel of its accomplishment. These were all divinely created and supervised, with the most delicately adjusted bearing upon the result proposed that it is possible to conceive of.

The impress of the Father's mind and image, upon the mentality of the Son of his love, laid the foundation of a child, the like of which had never yet appeared in the annals of human history, and never would again, as the sequel has shown.

Nature left to itself never produces such, as the history of all nations and all ages as abundantly testify. Circumstances that might be bearable to a clodhopper, or a mentally inebriate Protestant martyr, were filled in his case, with a thousand causes of anguish that never entered into the heart of the martyrs of the inquisition to conceive of.

His was sorrow in its acutest form; and dishonour and poverty of surroundings in senses that can only be appreciated by those who are intelligently in sympathy with the object for which he appeared. The only man that ever had the world on his shoulders in any real sense, was the man who is destined in the full evolution of the divine purpose to have it at last under his feet.

Looking, then, at what Christ was and did, in the days of his flesh, we may (with little admixture of the parabolic) say that he:

Spake as never man spake. Preached as never man preached. Prayed as never man prayed. Loved as never man loved. Lived as never man lived. Walked as never man walked. Worked as never man worked. Taught as never man taught. Wrought as never man wrought. Obeyed as never man obeyed. Was tried as never man was tried. Promised as never man promised. Trusted in God as never man trusted. Was patient as never man was patient. Was pure as never man was pure. Was meek as never man was meek. Was holy as never man was holy. Was divine as never man was divine. Was kind as never man was kind.

Was noble as never man was noble. Was excellent as never man was excellent. Was lovely as never man was lovely. Was despised as never man was despised. Was grief-stricken as never man was grieved. Was innocent as never man was innocent. Was faithful as never man was faithful. Was true as never man was true. Was wise as never man was wise. Was great as never man was great. Was rich as never man was rich.

Was poor as never man was poor. Was zealous as never man was zealous. Was gifted as never man was gifted. Was compassionate as never man was before. Was gracious as never man was gracious. Was humble as never man was humble. Was self-sacrificing as never man was before. Was related as never son was before. Had prospects never man had before. Was strong in faith as never man was before. Was stern in virtue as never man was before. Was like God as never man was before.

Blessed as never man blessed. Comforted as never man comforted. Rebuked as never man rebuked. Answered questions as they were never answered before. Spake parables beyond any other man. Was begotten as no other man ever was. Did more miracles than any other man. Was a greater light than all other lights. Was heir of greater things than any yet born. Fulfilled more prophecies than any before. Possessed more Spirit than any of the prophets. Has had a larger following than man ever had. Is the greatest character of history. Was perfect as never man was perfect. Was more pleasing to God than any in Israel. Was shepherdly beyond all other shepherds. Was chief among ten thousand. Ascended up where no man ever ascended before.

The Christadelphian, March 1888. P171