Having pronounced his Church positively full of beauty, our Lord confirms his praise by a precious negative: "There is no spot in you."

As if the Bridegroom anticipated what the carping world would say—"He only mentioned her lovely parts! What about the ugly, the broken, the stained?"—he settles it once and for all. She is universally beautiful. Entirely fair. Utterly without stain.

Think about this! A spot is nothing—the smallest thing that could mar beauty, easily removed. Yet even this tiniest blemish is gone in the Lord's sight. If he had said, "There are no hideous scars, no horrible deformities, no deadly ulcers," we would marvel. But when he declares you free from even the slightest spot? Every other defilement is included in that sweeping statement. The wonder of it multiplies!

And notice—he doesn't promise to remove these spots by-and-by. He speaks of it as already done! Who can restrain the most intense emotions of satisfaction and delight?

O my soul, here is marrow and fatness for you; eat your fill, and be satisfied with royal dainties!

Christ Jesus has no quarrel with his spouse. She often wanders from him and grieves his Holy Spirit, but he does not allow her faults to affect his love. Sometimes he chides, but always in the tenderest manner, with the kindest intentions—it is "my love" even then. There is no remembrance of our follies. He does not cherish ill thoughts of us, but pardons and loves as well after the offense as before it.

It is well for us it is so! If Jesus were as mindful of injuries as we are, how could he commune with us? Many a time a believer will put himself out of humor with the Lord for some slight turn in providence, but our precious Husband knows our silly hearts too well to take any offense at our ill manners.