One particular hymn that pictures the marriage of Christ and His Bride is the timeless and eloquent poem “The Sands of Time Are Sinking” by Anne R. Cousin. The hymn text is deeply rooted in the writings and life experiences of the Scottish preacher Samuel Rutherford. Although only four stanzas usually appear in modern hymnals, the original poem contained nineteen stanzas!

A perusal of a few of these stanzas will perhaps be profitable as we consider and anticipate the marriage of Christ and His Bride, the Church. The reader of these lines will see how the text parallels the themes of the Song of Solomon.

1. The Fountain of Love

O Christ, He is the fountain,
The deep, sweet well of love!
The streams on earth I’ve tasted;
More deep I’ll drink above:
There to an ocean fullness
His mercy doth expand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Immanuel’s Land.

2. The Rose of Sharon

There the red rose of Sharon
Unfolds its heartsome bloom,
And fills the air of Heaven
With ravishing perfume:
Oh! To behold it blossom,
While by its fragrance fanned
Where glory—glory dwelleth
In Immanuel’s Land.

3. The King in His Beauty

The King there, in His beauty,
Without a veil, is seen:
It were a well-spent journey,
Though seven deaths lay between.
The Lamb with His fair army,
Doth on Mount Zion stand,
And glory—glory dwelleth
In Immanuel’s Land.

4. The Removal of the Beloved

But flowers need night’s cool darkness,
The moonlight and the dew;
So Christ, from one who loved it,
His shining oft withdrew:
And then for cause of absence,
My troubled soul I scanned;
But glory, shadeless, shineth
In Immanuel’s Land.

5. The Unworthiness of the Bride

O I am my Belovèd’s
And my Beloved is mine!
He brings a poor vile sinner
Into His house of wine:
I stand upon His merit,
I know no other stand,
Not e’en where glory dwelleth
In Immanuel’s Land.

6. The Eternal Glory of the Bridegroom

The bride eyes not her garment,
But her dear bridegroom’s face;
I will not gaze at glory,
But on my King of grace—
Not at the crown He giveth,
But on His piercèd hand:
The Lamb is all the glory
Of Immanuel’s Land.

Married couples would do well to reflect often upon these lines and make these rarely sung stanzas a regular part of family worship. Our marriages will surely be strengthened as we seek to portray the union of Christ and His Bride before a watching world.

For Further Reference:

All 19 stanzas of “The Sands of Time Are Sinking” can be found at https://www.wholesomewords.org/poetry/immanuels.html