He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me [was] love.
Ver. 4. He brought me to the banqueting house.] Heb., To the house of wine, where he giveth me that which is better than apple drink, as Song of Solomon 2:3. As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 2Co 1:5 The lower that ebb the higher this tide, as is to be seen in the martyrs, who went as merrily to die as ever they did to dine; sang in the flames, and felt no more pain than if they had lain upon beds of roses. This their persecutors counted stupidity and vainglory; but they knew not the power of the Spirit and the force of faith. As Mr Philpot told scoffing Morgan, who, coming to confer with him, asked him, "How know you that you have the Spirit of God?" Mr Philpot answered, "By the faith of Christ which is in me." "Ah! by faith," quoth Morgan: "do ye so? I think it is the spirit of the buttery which your fellows have had that have been burned before you, who were drunk the night before they went to their death, and I think went drunk unto it." Whereunto Philpot replied, "It appears, by your communication, that you are better acquainted with the spirit of the buttery than of God. Methinks you are liker a scoffer in a play than a reasonable doctor to instruct one. Thou hast the spirit of illusion and sophistry, which is not able to countervail the spirit of truth. Thou art but an ass in the things of God, &c. God shall surely rain fire and brimstone upon such scorners of his word and blasphemers of his people as thou art." a The like censure was passed upon Nicholas Burton, martyr, in Spain, who, because he went cheerfully to the stake, and embraced death with all gladness and patience, his tormentors and enemies said that the devil had his soul before he came to the fire, and therefore his sense of feeling was past. b These carnal creatures meddle not with the true Christian's joy, neither know they the privy armour of proof, the joy of faith, that he hath as an aes triplex about his heart, making him insuperable, and "more than a conqueror." Rom 8:37 True grace hath a fortifying, comforting virtue which the world knows not of; like as true gold comforts and strengthens the heart that alchemy gold doth not. And as a man that by good fare, and plenty of the best wines, hath his bones filled with marrow and his veins with good blood, and a fresh spring of spirits, can endure to go with less clothes than another, because he is well lined within, so it is with a heart that by oft feasting with Christ in his ordinances, and by much reading and ruminating upon the Scriptures, called here the banqueting house or wine cellar, as most are of the opinion, hath got a great deal of joy and peace, such a one will go through troubles and make nothing of them - yea, though outward comforts utterly fail. Hab 3:17-18
And his banner over me was love.] As a standard erected, as a banner displayed, so was the "love of Christ shed abroad in her heart by the Holy Ghost," Rom 5:15 who had also, as a fruit of his love, set up a standard in her against strong temptations and corruptions, Isa 59:19 and thereby assured her of his special presence; like as where the colours are, there is the captain - where the standard, there the king. The wicked also have their banners of lust, covetousness, ambition, malice, under which they fight, as the dragon and his viperous brood, Rev 12:7 against Christ and his people; but they may read their destiny, Isaiah 8:9,10, "Associate yourselves, O ye people!" stand to your arms, repair to your colours, yet "ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces." "Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought, &c., for God is with us"; Immanuel is our general and how many do you reckon him for? as Antigonus once said to his soldiers that feared their enemy's numbers. Surely "if Christ be for us," and he is never from us, Mat 28:20 but as Xerxes was wont to do, he pitcheth his tent and sets up his standard in the midst of his people, as once in the wilderness, "who can be against us?" Rom 8:31 And though many be, yet "no weapon that is formed against the Church shall prosper"; how should it, since she hath such a champion as Christ, who is in love with her, and will take her part, fight her quarrel? "and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn." Isa 54:17 As the eclipsed moon, by keeping her motion, wades out of the shadow and recovers her splendour, so it shall be with the spouse - yea, she shall be able to answer those that reproach and cast dirt upon her for her keeping close to Christ's colours and suffering hardship for him, as the Emperor Adrian did the poet Florus, who sat on an ale bench and sang,
“ Nolo ego Caesar esse
Ambulare per Britannos
Rigidas pati pruinas, &c. ”
I do not wish to be Caesar,
To walk through the Britians
To endure the rigours of hoar frost,
The witty emperor replied upon him, as soon as he heard of it -
“ Nolo ego Florus esse
Ambulate per tabernas;
Latitare per popinas,
Pulices pati rotundos. ” c
I do not wish to be Florus
To walk through taverns;
To lie low through the bistro,
To endure round flees.
a Acts and Mon., fol. 1653.
b Ibid., 1866.
c Melanchthon in Chron. Carion.