Page:Works of Martin Luther, with introductions and notes, Volume 1.djvu/151



, let us lift up our hearts, and ascend with the Bride into the mountain of myrrh. This is Jesus Christ the Crucified, Head of all saints, and Prince of all sufferers; of Whom many have written many things, and all all things, as it is meet. His memory is commended to the Bride, when it is said, "Set Me as a seal upon thine heart, as a Song of seal upon thine arm." The blood of this Lamb, signed, upon the threshold, wards off the destroying angel. By Him is the Bride praised, because "the hair of her head is as Song of the king's purple"; that is, her meditation glows red with the remembrance of the Passion of Christ. This is that tree which Moses was commanded to cast into the waters of Marah (that is, the bitterness of suffering), and they were made sweet. There is nothing that this Passion cannot sweeten, not even death itself; as the Bride saith, "His Song of lips are lilies, dropping sweet-smelling myrrh." What resemblance is there between lips and lilies, since lips are red and lilies white? But she says this in a mystery, signifying that the words of Christ are most fair and pure, and that there is in them naught of blood-red bitterness or guile; nevertheless, in them He drops precious and chosen myrrh, that is, the bitterness of death. These most pure lips and sweet have power to make the bitterest death sweet and fair and bright and dear,—death that, like precious myrrh, removes at once all of sin's corruption.