Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I [am] sick of love.
Ver. 5. Stay me with flagons.] Not with cups or bowls only, but with flagons, larger measures of that wine that was set before her in Christ's wine house. "Comfort me with apples," such as fall from Christ's apple tree, spoken of in the former verse, the precious mellifluous promises, which are sweet, like the apples of the garden of Eden, as the Chaldee here hath it. ‘Bolster me up' with these; for I am even sinking and swooning with an excess of love, with an exuberance of spiritual joy in God my Saviour, such as I can hardly stand under. Stay me therefore, saith she to the ministers, those pillars to "support the weak," Gal 2:10 and to "comfort the feeble minded." 1Th 5:14 "Stay me, or sustain me, with flagons, comfort me with apples." Solinus a tells of some near the river Ganges that live odore pomorum sylvestrium, by the smell b of forest apples, which is somewhat strange.
For I am sick of love.] Surprised with a love qualm, as an honest virgin may be, meeting her love unawares, enjoying him in the fulness of joy, and fearing the loss of his company for a long season. This is timor amicalis, which Lombard c thus describeth, Ne offendamus quem diligimus, et ne ab eo separemur, The fear of love is, lest we should offend him whom our soul loveth, and so cause him to withdraw. Hic timor transit in charitatem, saith Gregory, This fear passeth into love, and overwhelms the spirit sometimes. This was it that made Jacob, when he saw nothing but visions of love and mercy, cry out, "How dreadful is this place!" This made that mixture of passions in those good women, that, coming to look for Christ, departed from the grave "with fear and great joy." From this cause it was that Bernard, for a certain time after his conversion, remained as it were deprived of his senses by the excessive consolations he had from God. d Cyprian e writes to his friend Donatus, that before his conversion he thought it impossible to find such raptures and ravishments as now he did in a Christian course. He begins his epistle thus, Accipe quod sentitur antequam discitur, &c.; Augustine f saith the like of himself. What inconceivable and unutterable ecstacies of joy, then, may we well think there is in heaven, where the Lord Christ perpetually, and without intermission, manifesteth the most glorious and visible signs of his presence and seals of his love! He pours forth all plenteous demonstrations of his goodness to his saints, and gives them eyes to see it, minds to conceive it; and then fills them with exceeding fulness of love to him again, so that they swim in pleasure, and are even overwhelmed with joy - a joy too big to enter into them, they must "enter into it." Mat 25:21 Oh pray! pray with that great apostle that had been in heaven, and seen that which eye never saw, that "the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, you may know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints." Ephesians 1:18 ; Eph 3:19 A glory fitter to be believed than possible to be discoursed. g "An exceeding excessive eternal weight of glory." 2Co 4:17 Such a weight, as if the body were not upheld by the power of God, it were impossible but it should faint under it. How ready are our spirits to expire here, when any extraordinary unexpected comfort befalls us! The Church is "sick of love." Jacob's heart fainted when he heard of Joseph's life and honour in Egypt. The Queen of Sheba was astonished at Solomon's wisdom and magnificence, so that she had no spirit more in her. Viscount Lisley, in Henry VIII's time, died for joy of an unexpected pardon. What then may we think of those in heaven? And should not we hasten in our affections to that happy place? Oh do but think, saith one, though it far pass the reach of any mortal thought, what an infinite, inexplicable happiness it will be, to look for ever upon the glorious body of Christ, shining with incomprehensible beauty, far above the brightest cherub, and to consider that even every vein of that blessed body bled to bring thee to heaven! Think of it, I say, and then exhale thyself in continual sallies, as it were, of most earnest desires "to be dissolved [αναλυσαι], and to be with Christ, which is far the better." Php 1:23 As in the meanwhile, let thy soul sweetly converse with him in all his holy ordinances, but especially at his holy table, where he saith unto thee, as once to Thomas, "Reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing." Let thy soul also there reciprocate and say, "My Lord and my God!" "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and in earth, none in comparison of thee." Psa 73:25 "Rabboni," "Come quickly."
a Poly. Hist., cap. 56.
b Smelling salts are applied to the nostrils of those who faint.
c Lomb. Sent., lib. iii. distinc. 34. Vide August. Epist., 121, ad Honorat.
d Gosr. in Vita Bern.
e Epist., lib. i.
f Confess, lib. vi. cap. 22.
g Verbis exprimi non potest, experimento opus est. - Chrys.