Loves Intercourse Between the Lamb and His Bride, Treatise · Chapter 2 · Verse 4
Verſ. 4. He brought me to the banquetting houſe, and his banner over me was love.
Here is ſhewn a further favour by Chriſt to his Church, which is, a royall feaſting of her: whereby we ſee, how the Lord never wearies, to heap his favours, and increaſe her graces to his own, and as Pſal. 84. 11. and Joh. 2. 10. to keep for them the beſt laſt: O that we did not weary in like manner, in his ſervice and thankfulneſſe.
In the words we have 1. a banqueting-houſe mentioned; 2. that ſhe was brought in, into this banqueting-houſe; 3. that it was he that brought her in; and 4. what was diſplayed over her, after her bringing in.
Firſt then, a banquetting-houſe is mentioned, which in the Originall is a houſe of wine, as Aſſuerus's banquet was called a banquet of wine, ſhowing thereby, that the fruit which Chriſt beſtowes upon his Church, is not onelyonly like that of the apple-tree, ſweet and delightfull to the taſte; but alſo it is yet more excellent, like the fruit of the vine, whereunto he is alſo compared, Ioh. 15. 1. which far exceeds that of the apple-tree; becauſe, beſides that it is 1. pleaſant, and delights; it 2. quenches alſo; and 3. cheereth, or maketh joyfull, Prov. 31. 6. as alſo, 4. it comforts the ſick, by cheriſhing and augmenting the vitall ſpirits, and ſo is cordiall and medicinall.
Next, for this houſe whereinto ſhe is brought, we muſt underſtand, that as in Noah's Ark, or Moſes's Tabernacle, there were three rooms, ſo are there in God's great houſe: For, 1. His great Hall, or outer court, is the whole world, wherein are all men and creatures brought in. 2. His Parlour, or more inner room, is the viſible Church, profeſſing Chriſt's name in common. And 3. His Chamber of preſence, or moſt inmoſt room, is the ſociety of the Elect, where he banquets their ſouls with that hid Manna, and ſuch dainties as are mentioned, Pſal. 61. 5. and in this Chapter, verſ. 5; and in compariſon whereof, all that ever was moſt exquiſitely prepared, either for, or by Princes, in their greateſt ſtate, or (as Heſter 1. 4.) to ſhow the riches of their glorious Kingdom, and honour of their excellent Majeſties, is but traſh and droſſe; theſe dainties being heavenly altogether, and nouriſhing the ſoul unto a heavenly, bleſſed, and an eternall life, Ioh. 6. 51. Which banqueting-food hath theſe properties, whereby it excells all other: 1. It's quickning, Ioh. 6. 57. 2. Though it be ſweet and delicious, yet it is no waies ſurfeiting, but whereof the l…ke may be ſaid, qus plùs ſunt potae plùs ſitiuntur aquae. 3. It is durable in the vertue and operation thereof, unto eternall life, whereas that of the other food ſoon decaies, which makes us ſo oft renew our meales. 4. This not onelyonly quickens and giveth life, but it likewiſe keeps and preſerves from death, Joh. 6. 41. And 5. the ſweetneſſe and delicacy of this, in compariſon of other things, that are ſweeteſt to worldlings, makes the ſoul to diſguſt and vilifie ſuch traſh, as husks fitter for ſwine, than true Chriſtians to feed upon.
Secondly, it is ſaid, that ſhe was brought in into this banquetting houſe, not being able of her ſelf otherwiſe to come in; and therefore ſaies our Saviour, Joh 6. No man commeth unto me, except the Father draw him; there is ſuch blindneſſe in our minds, ſuch averſneſſe in our wills, and ſuch perverſneſſe in our affections, that till we be reſtored, as it were, to our limbs, we are like that paralytick, that lay ſo long at the waters of Betheſda, or that creeple, who ſat at the porch of the Temple, Act. 3. altogether lame and impotent: And therefore ſaies David, I will run the way of thy commandements, when thou haſt enlarged my heart, Pſal. 119. 32. and the Spouſe likewiſe, Cant. 1. 2. Draw me, and then we will run after thee. And untill which time that he do ſo, and work in us both the will and the deed, Phil. 2. 13. we can no more ſtir to enter into this banquetting houſe, or be joyned to his true Church as a lively member, more than Lazarus could come out of his grave, till he was raiſed by Chriſt.
Thirdly, it is ſaid, that it was He that brought her in, that is to ſay, the King, whom ſhe mentions chap. 1. 12. and of whom David ſa…es, Pſal. 73. 23. Thou holds me by my right hand, ſhewing thereby, the great honour that he beſtowes on his Church, and every true member thereof, letting them not in as a ſervant, but bringing them in by the hand as his ſpouſe and beloved, and, as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks, Conducting them by his counſell, till he bring them to his glory, Pſal. 73. 24. which indeed is a far greater honour than Haman vaunted of, Heſt. 5. 12. or that David offered unto good Barzillai.
Likewiſe we are to conſider, the great odds between him, and his bringing in of her to his banqueting-houſe, and others, or the bringing in their gueſts to their banqueting-houſe. For 1. They whom others invite and bring in, may be yet unwilling to have been brought in; but he makes ſuch willing whom he brings in, operatur enim & velle & perficere. 2. He can alſo give them an appetite. 3. What he gives them is not onelyonly meat, but medicinall, and ſuch dainties as are ſpoken of before. 4. He can make that which they get, digeſt and nouriſh them, that they may be ſtrengthened and grow thereby.
Fourthly, we have what was diſplayed over her: 1. a Banner, and what this banner was, to wit, Love. In Scripture then we find a threefold banner, at three ſeverall times diſplayed, whereby the laſt onelyonly is ſuitable to this banquetting-houſe; the firſt may be called, vexillum honoris, diſplayed in the Creation, wherein was manifeſted God's power and wiſdome; the ſecond may be called, vexillum horroris, diſplayed on mount Sinai, in that terrible manner of giving of the Law, whereby was manifeſted God's power and juſtice; and the third may be called, (as here) vrxillum amoris, diſplayed by the preaching of the Goſpell, and whereby is manifeſted his wiſdome and mercy, or the work of that matchleſſe love, which he ſhewed to mankind; which love of Chriſt is compared to a banner,
1. In reſpect of manifeſtation, that as a banner raiſed up in an Army on high, is viſible to all, ſo was his love, chiefly, when he was lift-up on the Croſſe, like that braſen Serpent in the wilderneſſe, and is ſtill …i…t up and made manifeſt to all, in the preaching of the Goſpell.
2. In reſpect of diſtinction, for what is it, but the love of Chriſt to the godly, that makes them differ from others, or ſeperates them from the world here in converſation, or ſhall hereafter in their condemnation.
3. In reſpect of collection, or gathering to Chriſt, which is onelyonly by the diſplaying of the banner of Chriſt's love, whereby his ſouldiers are as it were gathered together, and come to his Colours; and therefore ſaies the Lord by Eſay to his Church, Iſa. 49. 22. I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles, and my ſtandard to the people, and they ſhall bring thy ſons in their arms, and thy daughters upon their ſhoulders.
4. In reſpect of protection and victory, for as a banner ſet up upon the walls, or diſplayed over a houſe or city, is a ſigne of defence and defiance to the enemy, or as an enſigne of victory; even ſo the Lord's love to his Church, is that wherein her protection ſtands, and defiance of her ſpirituall and other enemies, over whom he has been, and ſhall be ſtill victorious; and that his Church is his victorious conqueſt, recovered from Satan's tyranny, like the Lamb out of the Lion's mouth.
5. In reſpect of terrification, and therefore the Church is ſaid to be terrible, as an Army with banners, Cant. 6. 10. and indeed, nothing is ſo terrible to Satan and Antichriſt, as the diſplaying of the banner of Chriſt's love, by the true preaching of the Goſpell.
6. In reſpect of union, which a banner makes, or the colours of any company or reigment, whereunto they all come, who are of ſuch a ſociety, making up ſo a compact and well ordered body; and unto which union of Chriſtians among themſelves in love, nothing is ſo forcible, as the conſideration of the banner of Chriſt's love ſpread over them.
This banner was diverſly diſplayed: 1. Before and under the Law, by obſcurer promiſes, typicall… prefigurations, and propheticall predictions, more involvedly, and leſſe clearly. 1. Under the Goſpell, more clearly and fully, firſt, by the preaching of the Goſpell, by Chriſt himſelf and his Apoſtles, and thereafter by all faithfull paſtours and preachers of the Word, and ſhall be ſo to the worlds end.
Obſervations.
1. Seeing Chriſt not onelyonly feeds, but with moſt heavenly dainties banquets his Church, and every true member thereof, let us not be like thoſe ungratefull deſpiſers of ſo great a benefit, as is made mention of, Matth. 22. nor prefer ſuch baſe things thereto, but come with the banqueting garment of a holy diſpoſition, ſuitable for ſo high a calling; and as Rev. 3. 20. banquet him mutually with the fruits of his own heavenly graces, as the Church invites him to ſuch, Cant. 4. 16.
2. Seeing we cannot come into this banquetting-houſe of our ſelves, except we be brought in by the guidſhip of the Spirit of God, and the powerfull work of his grace upon our ſouls, Let us earneſtly implore the ſame, and pray that he would, as David ſaies, hold us by the right hand, conducting us by his counſell, till he receive us to glory, Pſal. 73. 24.
3. The Church ſaies, He brought me in, and again, His banner over me was love, emphatically, ſo expreſſing what the Lord had done to Her, paſſing by the fallen Angells, upon whom he had not ſhowne ſuch mercy, nor deigned them with the like favour, which ſhould therefore move Man, whom he has ſo freely loved and honoured, the more to love him, and honour him again.
4. This introduction of his Church into his banquetting-houſe here, is a pledge and earneſt of his introduction of her into his banquetting-houſe in heaven hereafter, and manſion place of glory, as we ſee, Pſal. 84. 11. and 73. 24. Therefore let us ſtrive to get this earneſt, and firſt-fruits; elſe, if we enter not in at the gate of grace on earth, let us never think to enter in at the gate, which may be called, as Act. 3. 2. the beautifull gate of glory.
5. Chriſt's love diſplayed over us here in this life, is called a Banner, which is uſed onelyonly in warfare, to ſhew, that the ſtate of his Church here on earth, is militant, and therefore ſhe is exhorted, and every true member thereof, to put on the whole armour of God, Epheſ. 6. 11. that they may be able to ſtand againſt the wiles of the devill, and verſe 18. praying and watching with all perſeverance, till they may ſay in the end, I have fought the good fight, and have finiſhed my courſe, 2 Tim. 4. or, as the Prophet ſaies, My warfare is accompliſhed, Eſa. 40. 2.
6. Seeing a banner is ſet up over any place, in token of the defence of that place, and defiance to the enemy, Chriſts love therefore being this banner over his own; let us then above all things ſeek it earneſtly with David, Pſal. 4. 6. and then we may be ſure of defence, as he ſaies, verſ. 8. and as is ſhown unto us, Prov. 3. 24. Rom. 8. 31. 37. &c. and give a defiance to all our enemies, ſaying with the Pſalmiſt, Of whom ſhall I be afraid? yea, to death it ſelf, as Pſal. 23. 4. and 1 Cor. 15. 55.
7. Doth Chriſt diſplay his love both to us, and for ſo many comfortable ends and uſes over us? then let us be aſhamed not to love him again, ut totus nobis figatur in corde, qui totus pro nobis fixus fuit in cruce, and to diſplay our love towards him, that is, to manifeſt the ſame by our obedience, to his holy commandments.
8. Laſt of all, we ſee the happy eſtate of the pooreſt, moſt afflicted and deſpiſed Lazarus, who is a true member of Chriſt, to wit, that notwithſtanding of their outward and viſible eſtate, they have the Lords love diſplayed over them, and he banquets their ſouls with comforts, unſpeakable and glorious.