Somewhere along the way, the church got quiet about sex. Not because the Bible is quiet about it (it isn't), but because we decided this was a topic best left to late-night sitcoms and awkward locker-room jokes. Meanwhile, the world talks about it constantly, couples fight about it more than almost anything else, and an entire chapter of Scripture sits there, largely unread, explaining exactly what sex is for and how it's meant to be done.

That chapter is Song of Solomon 4.

Recently I picked up J.C. Ryle and found myself thinking, If I could go back to seventeen. Before the cement dries. Before habits harden. Before a thousand small compromises calcify into a life. I would want someone to grab me by the shoulders and speak to my gut.

So let me do that for you.