Christ is that Excellent Wine
Ralph Robinson, Christ All in All, p. 171:
Christ hath, in a spiritual sense, all the good properties of the vine and of all the fruits of the vine.
He hath all the excellencies of wine. I name four.
(1.) Wine nourisheth. It helps digestion. Christ is a great nourisher; the soul would decay and dwindle to nothing if Christ did not continually nourish it and feed it.
(2.) Wine is a comforter, Psal. civ. 15. Jesus Christ is the great comforter of the soul. When the soul droops and languisheth, when it is cast down and dejected, the love and presence of Christ doth cheer it again, Psal. xxi. 6. David confesseth it in Psal. xxiii. 3, ‘He restoreth my soul.’ Jesus Christ is the soul’s restorer.
(3.) Wine emboldeneth. Being a spiritual creature, it doth raise the spirits; and being moderately used, puts courage into the fearful. Jesus Christ doth embolden the soul. His presence and his grace fills the soul with holy courage; he that was fearful dares now speak for God and act for God; the very tidings of Christ’s coming expels fear from the hearts of his people, Isa. xxxv. 3, 4. There is no true valour in the soul till Christ be there. All the soul’s confidence is built on Christ, and on Christ alone. We have no boldness in prayer, no boldness in approaching to God in any ordinance, but is communicated by and from Jesus Christ, Heb. x. 19.
(4.) Wine is healing. Some kind of wines are prescribed for the healing of inward distempters, &c. The Samaritan poured oil and wine, Luke x. 34. Christ is a great healer, he heals broken hearts, and wounded spirits, and all inward distempers whatsoever. There is no health in the soul till Christ be there. ‘Unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings,’ Mal. iv. 2. Christ is the tree of life whose leaves are for the healing of the nations, Rev. xxii. 2. Christ is an excellent and precious person. Never look upon the vine, never see the fruit of the vine, but meditate on Jesus Christ.
