Loading...
He brought me to the banqueting house - Literally, the house of wine. The ancients preserved their wine, not in barrels or dark cellars under ground, as we do, but in large pitchers, ranged against the wall in some upper apartment in the house, the place where they kept their most precious effects. We have a proof of this in Homer: -
Ως φαν· ὁ δπ 'ὑψοραφον θαλομον κατεβησατο πατρος<-144 Ευρυν, ὁθι νητος χρυσος και χαλκος εκειτο,Εσθης τπ 'εν χηλοισιν, ἁλις τπ 'ευωδες ελαιον.Εν δε πιθοι οινοιο παλαιου ἡδυποτοιοΕστασαν, ακρητον θειον ποτον εντος εχοντες,Ἑξειης ποτε τοιχον αρηροτες· ειποτπ 'ΟδυσσευςΟικαδε νοστησειε, και αλγεα πολλα μογησας.Κληΐσται δπ 'επεσαν σανιδες πυκινως αραρυιαι,Δικλιδες· εν δε γυνη ταμιη νυκτας τε και ημαρΕσχπ 'κ. τ. λ. . Od. lib. ii., ver. 337.
Meantime the lofty rooms the prince surveys,
Where lay the treasures of th' Ithacian race.
Here, ruddy brass and gold refulgent blazed;
There, polished chests embroider'd gestures graced.
Here, pots of oil breathed forth a rich perfume;
There, jars of wine in rows adorn'd the dome.
(Pure flavorous wine, by gods in bounty given,
And worthy to exalt the feasts of heaven).
Untouch'd they stood, till, his long labors o'er,
The great Ulysses reach'd his native shore.
A double strength of bars secured the gates;
Fast by the door wise Euryclea waits, etc.
Pope.
the prologue. - The Song commences with two stanzas in praise of the king (now absent) by a chorus of virgins belonging to the royal household. Expositors, Jewish and Christian, interpret the whole as spoken by the Church of the heavenly Bridegroom.
Psalm 23:5; Luke 7:46; John 12:3).Thy name … poured forth - As unguents are the sweeter for diffusion, so the king‘s name the wider it is known.
the prologue. - The Song commences with two stanzas in praise of the king (now absent) by a chorus of virgins belonging to the royal household. Expositors, Jewish and Christian, interpret the whole as spoken by the Church of the heavenly Bridegroom.
Psalm 23:5; Luke 7:46; John 12:3).Thy name … poured forth - As unguents are the sweeter for diffusion, so the king‘s name the wider it is known.
The curtain has been lifted. I have seen the rich reward laid up for the saints. I have had a taste of the joys of the world to come, and it has spoiled this world for me. My affections, my interests, hopes, my all is in heaven. I long to see the King in His beauty, Him whom my soul loveth. Heaven, sweet heaven. “I long to be there; and the thought that ‘tis near, makes me almost impatient for Christ to appear.” Praise the Lord for a good hope through Jesus Christ of immortality and eternal life.—Letter 9, 1851. RC 350.6
Read in context »Those who walk in wisdom's ways are, even in tribulation, exceedingly joyful, for He whom their soul loveth walks invisible beside them. At each upward step they discern more distinctly the touch of His hand; at every step, brighter gleamings of glory from the Unseen fall upon their path; and their songs of praise, reaching ever a higher note, ascend to join the songs of the angels before the throne. “The path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”—The Signs of the Times, August 3, 1904. RY 155.2
Read in context »Not a pause for a moment in His presence, but personal contact with Christ, to sit down in companionship with Him—this is our need. Happy will it be for the children of our homes and the students of our schools when parents and teachers shall learn in their own lives the precious experience pictured in these words from the Song of Songs: Ed 261.1
“As the apple tree among the trees of the wood,
So is my Beloved among the sons.
I sat down under His shadow with great delight,
And His fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting house,
And His banner over me was love.”
Ed 261.2
Song of Solomon 2:3, 4. Ed 261
Read in context »