Christ’s Beauty

By Octavius Winslow

    There is no beauty like Christ’s.  Himself the Source and Author of all beauty, His own beauty eclipses all.  We love to trace the creations of His beauty, in the varied and endless forms of loveliness which still linger, adorning and enriching this fallen world.  Those bright constellations – Christ created them; those burning suns – Christ kindled them; those snow-wreathed Alps, those cloud-capped hills – Christ raised them; those verdant valleys – Christ spread them; that blushing rose, that graceful lily, that exquisite fern, that curious sea-flower tossed upon the shore, that wayside violet that screens the dew-drop from the sun, that winding stream, that leafy grove – Christ formed and penciled it all.  Christ clad that magnificent landscape with its robe of living green; scented the air with its fragrance; and hollowed out the depth of that expanding ocean dimpled with beauty by the gentle breeze, or dreadful in its grandeur when trod by the giant storm.  Truly, “He has made everything beautiful in His time” (Eccl. 3:11).  Oh! I delight to see the incarnate God, who died to save, scattering from the opulence of His own boundless resources all this jewelry, making man’s sinful home so rich, so lovely, so attractive.

    But His own beauty, who can describe it?  His person so lovely, His nature so holy, His heart so fond, His spirit so gentle, His look so winning, His voice so soothing.  His whole character, life, and demeanor so inlaid and resplendent with every human, spiritual, and divine perfection – truly, it was no imaginative picture, and it was no mere oriental imagery with which the church, in her just and lofty conception, described Him as “the chiefest among ten thousand” and “altogether lovely” (Song 5:10, 16).

    But Christ’s beauty is shared with all those who have union with Him.  Washed in His blood, robed with His righteousness, and adorned with His graces, each believer is lovely, through His loveliness put upon him.  And there is more of wonder, because there is more of God, there is more of beauty, because there is more of Christ, in that poor sinner who clings in penitence, faith, and love to the Cross, looking up to God as a pardoned child, and pulsating with a life derived from the indwelling Spirit, than in all this vast creation, enameled and sparkling with endless forms of loveliness.

    Has Christ’s beauty caught your eye, and penetrated your soul, transforming you – reflecting His image in your Christlike principles, your Christlike spirit, your Christlike walk, your whole Christlike life?  Then, dim and imperfect as is the copy, before long it will be complete, when you “shall see the King in His beauty” (Isa. 33:17), and join the faultless throng who encircle the throne of God and the Lamb.  Oh! then, be it your employment to contemplate, study, and reflect the beauty of Christ, for there is no beauty like His!