Sermons on the Song of Songs

OF THE TWO OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, OF WHICH THE ONE IS CALLED EFFUSION, AND THE OTHER INFUSION.

^T^HY Name is as oil poured forth. What is it which the Holy

Spirit reveals to us in this text, as assuredly brought to pass in us? It appears to me, in the first place, that it is the fact of His operation in us being twofold. There is one operation, by which He first establishes us inwardly in virtues, in order to our salvation; and then the other, by which He adorns us outwardly with His gifts, to our profit and to the good of others. The former grace we receive for ourselves; the latter for our neighbours. For example, faith, hope, and charity are given us for ourselves; for without these we cannot be saved. But words of knowledge or of wisdom, the gift of healing the sick, of prophecy, and similar powers, in which we may be wanting without any detriment to our own salvation, these assuredly are bestowed upon us only that they may be used for the benefit, bodily and spiritual, of our fellow-creatures. And these two operations of the Spirit, which we experience either in ourselves, or in others, have names corresponding to the effects they produce; let us name them, if you please, infusion and effusion. To which of these two, then, have the words, Thy Name is as oil poured forth, reference? Is it not to effusion? For if He had desired rather to refer to infusion, He would have said 'inpoured,' instead of 'poured forth.,1 Besides, it is because of this fragrance poured forth upon her Bosom that the Bride says, Thy Name is as oil poured forth, ascribing that fragrance to the Name of her Spouse, as it were oil poured upon it. And whosoever feels himself endued with a gift of outward graces, which he is able in turn to pour forth upon others, is also enabled to say to the Lord: Thy Name is as oil poured forth.

2. But here we must take good heed of two dangers: that of giving to others what is meant for ourselves, and of keeping for ourselves what is given to us for others. You certainly are retaining for yourself that which belongs to your neighbour, if, for example, being not only full of virtues, but also outwardly adorned with the gifts of knowledge and of eloquence, fear perhaps, or sloth, or an ill-judged humility, restrains your good gift of speech, which might be of service to many people, in a useless, or, rather, blamable silence; and thus

you are evil spoken of, because you withhold corn from the people (Prov. xi. 26). On the contrary, you dissipate and lose that which is your own if, before you have received a complete inpouring from God, and while you are, so to speak, but half filled, you hasten to pour yourself forth, and thus violate the law not to plough with the firstling of thy cow, or to shear the firstling of thy sheep (Deut. xv. 19). You defraud yourself both of life and of salvation when, without rightfulness of intention, but puffed up by a wind of vain glory, or infected by the poison of worldly cupidity, you thus impart yourself to another; indeed, what you thus communicate is but the mortal imposthume which is swelling within yourself.

3. If, then, you are wise, you will show yourself rather as a reservoir than as a canal. For a canal spreads abroad water as it receives it, but a reservoir waits until it is filled before overflowing, and thus communicates, without loss to itself, its superabundant water, knowing that there is blame to one who deteriorates that which he receives; and that you may not regard my counsel as to be despised, hear a wiser than 1: A fool uttereth all his mind, but a wise man keepeth it in till afterutards (Prov. xxix. 1 1). But in the Church at the present day we have many canals, few reservoirs. Those by whom the dew of heaven distils upon us are of charity so great that they desire to pour it forth before they are themselves filled with it; they are more prepared to speak than to hear, are quick to teach that which they have not learned, and long to preside over others, while they do not as yet know how to govern themselves. For my part, I think there is no degree of piety more helpful to salvation than that of which the Wise Man speaks: Have pity on thy own soul, pleasing God, and contain thyself (Ecclus. xxx. 24, Vulg. and Douay). If I have but a little oil for my own anointing, why dost thou think that I ought to give it to thee and remain empty? That is for my own need; nor do I bring it forth publicly, except at the order of a Prophet. If any of those who have perhaps an opinion of me above anything which they behold in me, or who hear somewhat concerning me, shall press me too hard with their requests, they will be answered thus: Lest there be not enough for us and you, go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves (Luke xxv. 9). But charity, you reply, seeketh not her own ( 1 Cor. xiii. 5). And do you know for what reason she doth not? It is because she is in want of nothing. For who seeks that which he already possesses? Charity is never without those things which are hers; that is, those which are necessary for salvation; and these she not only possesses, but possesses them in abundance. In these she desires to abound for herself, that she may abound for all others also; she desires to have sufficient for herself, that she may be wanting in nothing for any others. In other words, she is imperfect if she is not full.

4. But you, my brother, whose own salvation is not yet sufficiently assured, who have as yet no charity, or a charity so light and weak, that it is like a reed, believing every spirit, and blown about with every wind of doctrine; or, rather, whose charity is so great, that going even beyond the commandment, you love your neighbour more than yourself; or again, who have so little, that going against the commandment, it dissolves under the influence of inclination, disappears under fear, is troubled by sadness, is reduced by avarice, narrowed by ambition, disquieted by suspicions, set aside by reproaches, racked by cares, puffed up by honours, and by envy made to pine away; you, I say, who have such sentiments in matters which relate to yourself, by what folly do you desire, or consent, to busy yourself in those which relate to others? Listen to the advice which a cautious and watchful charity gives: Not that other men be eased, and ye burdened; but by an equality (2 Cor. viii. 13). Be not righteous over much (Eccles. vii. 16). It suffices that you should love your neighbour as yourself; that is the equality of which the Apostle speaks. David says: My soul shall praise Thee as with marrow and fatness: and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips (Ps. ixiii. 5), showing his desire first to be filled with the inpouring of grace, and then to begin to pour it forth: not merely to receive it, but to be filled with it, that he might give forth easily out of his fulness, and not gasp in the effort to do so out of an empty heart. In this he displayed caution, lest in doing good to others, he should do wrong to himself; and yet [acted] with a pure motive, as imitating Him, of whose fulness we have all received. Do you also learn not to attempt to give forth except out of a full [heart and mind], nor to desire to be more liberal than God. Let the reservoir imitate its source, for that does not flow into a river, nor spread itself into a lake, until it is brimming over with its own waters. The reservoir must not be ashamed not to be more profuse than its source. Lastly, even He who is the Fountain of life, who is full in Himself, and full of Himself, did He not begin by leaping forth [as it were a fountain] into the secret recesses of the Heavens, which were nearest to Him, and filled them all with His bounty; and then, at length, when He had filled those loftier and more secret regions, burst forth upon the earth, and multiplying His mercy by a gratuitous and superabundant overflowing of it, brought salvation both to men and beasts? First He filled those inner regions; and, then, thus bursting forth, as it were, with the multitude of His mercies, He visited the earth and made it glad (inebriavif); He enriched it and made it fruitful with every kind of good. Therefore do thou do likewise. Be thou first filled, then pour forth with care and judgment of thy fulness. The charity which is liberal, yet prudent, usually wastes not, but increases. My son, says Solomon, squander not; and an Apostle declares, Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip (Heb. ii. 1). What then? art thou more holy than Paul? or wiser than Solomon? Furthermore, be it far from me to grow rich by thy impoverishment. For if to thyself thou art evil, to whom shalt thou be good? Assist me, if thou art able, of thy abundance; but if otherwise, be sparing for thy own good.

5. But now listen while I state how great things are necessary for our own salvation, and what they are; how great and manifold is the infusion of grace, which we need, before we presume to give forth to others. I shall try to put them before you as briefly as I can. For the sun (hora) is mounting high in the heavens, and presses me to reach the end of my discourse. The Physician draws near to the wounded man; the Divine Spirit to our soul. For what soul is there which does not feel itself wounded by the sword of the devil, even after the wound of original sin was healed by the saving medicine of Baptism? When, then, the Spirit draws near to that soul which says, My wounds sfink and are corrupt because of my foolishness (Ps. xxxviii. 5), what is it that it is needful He should first do? Before all things, the ulcerous tumour which may have grown in and over the wound, and hinders its cure, must be removed. The ulcer of inveterate evil custom must be cut away with the sharp blade of a sincere repentance. But this cannot be done without severe pain; let that, then, be alleviated with the healing ointment of devotion, which is, in fact, the comfort caused by the hope of forgiveness. Of that hope is born the mastery which is acquired over our passions, and the victory over sin. For we find the Psalmist giving thanks, and saying: Thou hast loosed my bonds, J will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Ps. cxvi. 16). Then are applied the remedy of penitence, the apparatus1 of fasts, of vigils, or prayers, and of other exercises of the repentant. Let him be nourished in labour with the food of good works, that he fail not That good works are nourishment to the soul, you may learn from these words of the Lord Himself: My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me (John iv. 34). Therefore let works of piety accompany the labours of penitence which strengthen the soul. Alms, says Tobit, shall be a great confidence before the Most High God (Tob. iv. 12, Vulg. and Douay). Now, food arouses thirst, and drink is needed. To the nourishment of good works let there be added, therefore, the draught of prayer, blending works well done in the stomach, as it were, of conscience, and rendering them acceptable to God. Prayer is as wine which maketh glad the heart of man; it is the wine of the Holy Spirit, a draught of which brings not only the gladness [of heaven], but entire forgetfulness of the pleasures of earth (carnalium voluptatum). It moistens the dry soil of the conscience, it brings about the perfect absorption of the food of good actions, and distributes them into all the members of the soul; strengthening faith, giving vigour to hope, rendering charity active and yet methodical, and shedding an admirable unction over the whole character.

6. When a sick man shall have partaken of food and of drink, what, then, remains for him to do but to repose, and in the quiet of contemplation to recover himself after the toils of busy life? When he is thus in a holy slumber, he beholds God in a vision; yet, as it were, in a glass and darkly, and not as yet face to face. Nevertheless, though it be true that he knows God rather by inference and surmise (eonjectati) than by distinct view, and beholds Him but as He passes by, and by a flash of glory which disappears in a moment, yet that momentary and passing vision does not fail to arouse in him an ardent and burning love, and he says: With my soul have I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early (Is. xxvi. 9). Such a love is full of zeal; it is worthy of a friend of the Bridegroom, and with that love a faithful and prudent servant, whom his Lord hath set over His household, ought to feel himself animated and glowing. It fills and warms the soul, it boils over and spreads itself fearlessly, it bursts forth in vehement waves, and it says: Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? (2 Cor. xi. 29). Let him who is possessed by that love preach, and bear fruit; let him do marvels, let him even work miracles; vanity will find no place in him who is wholly occupied by charity. For charity, if only it be perfect, is the fulfilling of the law (Rom. xiii. 10), and the perfectness of the heart. In truth, God is charity (1 John iv. 16); and there is nothing which is able to fill and satisfy a creature made in the image of God, except God, who is Himself charity, and who alone is greater than that creature. It is very full of peril to promote [to ecclesiastical functions] one who has not yet attained this perfect charity, however great be the talents which, in other respects, he may appear to possess. Though he have all knowledge, though he have bestowed all his goods to feed the poor, though he even give his body to be burned — without charity, he is nothing. Behold with how many and great graces it behoves us to be previously filled, that we may venture to impart to others, so that we may bestow out of fulness, not out of poverty. In the first place, we ought to have repentance; secondfy, devotion; thirdly, a laborious penitence; fourthly, works of piety; fifthly, earnestness in prayer; sixthly, the repose of contemplation; and in the seventh place, the fulness of charity. All these things worketh in us one and the same Spirit, according to that operation which is called infusion; thus and so far may the other, which is called effusion, be exercised safely, and with pure intention to the praise and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the Father and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, God, for ever and ever. Amen.