Sermons on the Song of Songs

“Thy name is as oil poured out.”

“The Spirit of wisdom is benevolent.” He is not accustomed to make Himself difficult of access to those who invoke Him. Often even before we call upon Him, He says, “Behold, I am here.” Listen, then, to the inspirations which, at your prayer and for your sakes, He has been pleased to favour me with, concerning those questions postponed from yesterday until the present; and reap the seasonable fruits of your own intercession. Behold, I am going to tell you the name which is rightly compared to oil, and to explain for what reason. We find many names of the Bridegroom scattered through the inspired pages. I will reduce them all to two. You will discover none, as I think, which does not signify either the riches of His mercy, or the power of His majesty. So speaks the Holy Ghost through one of His most familiar organs, that is, through David, “These two things have I heard, that power belongeth to God and mercy to Thee, O Lord.” We find it written with regard to His majesty, “Holy and terrible is His name,” and with respect to His mercy, “There is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.” Further testimonies will confirm what I say. “And this,” says Jeremias, “is the name that they shall call Him, the Lord, our Just One”—which is a name of power or majesty. According to Isaias, “His name shall be called Emmanuel”—a name of mercy. Again Christ says of Himself, “You call me Master and Lord.” The former is a name of mercy, the latter of majesty. I say Master is a name of mercy, for it is as much an exercise of mercy to impart knowledge to the mind as to supply food to the body. Again Isaias tells us, “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace.” Of these titles the first, third, and fourth are expressive of majesty, the others of mercy. Which then, is the name “as oil poured out”? Evidently, the name of majesty and power is transfused in a manner into that of mercy and grace, and the result, which is, so to speak, an amalgam of all, abundantly poured out in Jesus Christ Our Saviour. Is not the name “God,” for instance, merged and transfused into that of “God-with-us,” that is, into “Emmanuel”? So is “Admirable” into “Counsellor.” So is “God the Mighty” into the titles “Father of the world to come,” and “Prince of Peace.” So is “The Lord our Just One” into “Compassionate and merciful Lord.” In this I am speaking of nothing new. In olden times the names Abram and Sarai were similarly merged and transfused into Abraham and Sara, respectively; and so we recognise that even then the mystery of this salutary effusion was celebrated and foreshadowed.

Where now is that awful “I am the Lord! I am the Lord!” which, spoken with a voice of thunder, used to resound with equal terror and frequency in the ears of the ancients? I have a prayer, dictated to me by Christ, the beginning of which, sweetened with the name of Father, guarantees a favourable hearing for the petitions which follow. Servants are called friends. And it is not to disciples, but to His “brethren” the Saviour’s Resurrection is announced. No wonder that, “when the fulness of time was come,” a pouring out of the holy name took place, God fulfilling what He promised by the mouth of Joel, and pouring out of His Spirit upon all flesh. No wonder, I say, since I read of something similar having occurred even amongst the Hebrews of old. I suppose your thoughts anticipate my words, and that you already guess what I am about to say. What, I ask, was the meaning of the name “I am Who am,” and “He Who is hath sent me to you,” first given in answer to the question of Moses? It is doubtful if even Moses himself could have understood that name had it not been poured out. But it was fused and poured and so comprehended. And not only poured, but even poured out, for already it had been poured in or infused already it was possessed by the inhabitants of heaven; already it had become familiar to the angels. But now it was dispersed abroad. It had been communicated by infusion to the celestial spirits in such a manner that they held it as an intimate possession. It was now poured out even upon men, so that, if the hateful wilfulness of an ungrateful people did not hinder it, the thankful cry, “Thy name is as oil poured out,” would have gone up to God from the universal earth. For he says Himself, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

Run, ye nations! Salvation is at hand. That name has been poured out, which whosoever shall invoke shall be saved. The God of angels calls Himself the God of men, also! He hath poured oil upon Jacob, and caused it to fall upon Israel. Say to your brothers, “Give us of your oil.” Should they refuse, then pray the Lord of the oil Himself to pour it out upon you. Say to Him, “O Lord, ‘Take away our reproach.’ Do not, we implore Thee, permit the malevolent one, viz., Satan, to insult Thy beloved one, whom Thou hast been pleased to call to Thee from the ends of the earth, by a condescension proportionate to her unworthiness. Is it fitting, I ask, that a wicked servant should exclude those whom the gracious Father of the family hath invited? ‘I am,’ Thou sayest, ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ But is it of these only? Pour out, oh, pour out Thy name still wider! Still more generously ‘open Thy hand and fill every animal with blessing.’ Let them ‘come from the east and the west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.’ ‘Let them come, let them come, the tribes, the tribes of the Lord; the testimony of Israel to praise the name of the Lord.’ Let them come, and sit down, and feast, and be filled with gladness. Let but this one song re-echo everywhere, ‘Thy name is as oil poured out,’ ‘with the voice of joy and praise, the noise of one feasting.’” One thing, my brethren, I feel sure of, namely, that, if Philip and Andrew be the porters, we shall never meet with a repulse when we go begging for oil, when we want to see Jesus. As of old, Philip will immediately speak to Andrew, and both Philip and Andrew will speak to Jesus. But what will Jesus answer? Doubtless the same which He spoke once before, “Unless the grain of wheat, falling into the ground, dieth, itself remaineth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” Therefore, let the Divine Grain die that the crop of the gentiles may spring up. For “thus it behoveth Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead, and that penance and remission of sins should be preached in His name,” not alone in Judæa, but throughout all nations; so that from the one name of Christ, countless millions of believers should be called Christians, and should exclaim in chorus, “Thy name is as oil poured out.”