Sermons on the Song of Songs

THE EXCELLENCY OF THE VISION OF GOD. HOW AT THE PRESENT TIME THE DELIGHT IN THE DIVINE PRESENCE FELT BY HOLY MEN VARIES ACCORDING TO THE VARYING DESIRES OF THEIR SOUL.

**T^ELL me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where Thou feedest, J where Thou makest Thy flock to rest at noon (i. 7). The Word, who is the Bridegroom, frequently appears to zealous souls, and not under one appearance only. Why is that? Doubtless, because we are not yet able to see Him as He is (1 John iii. 2). Also, that vision which we shall have of Him in Heaven is abiding, because the Form in which we shall then behold Him shall always abide. For He is, and He receives no change or alteration from anything which is, or has been, or shall be. Take away the Past and the Future, and where, then, is any place for change or vicissitude? Everything which, passing from the condition of that which has been, does not cease to tend towards the condition of that which shall be, passes through the point of beings but it is not. For how can we say that a thing is which never remains in the same state? Thus, that alone truly is which is neither cut off from its past, nor blotted out from its future, but alone remains without change. Because He [/>., God] has not been, therefore He is from all eternity; and because He will not be, therefore He is to all eternity. On this account, therefore, He is the veritable Existence, Uncreated, Illimitable, Unchangeable. When, then, He who is thus, or, rather, is not thus or thus,1 is beheld as He is, that vision, as I have said, endures, since it is not mingled with, or altered by, any change. He, then, is that one and the same denarius which, as we read in the Gospel, is given to all (Matt. xx. 9) who behold Him thus, because He is presented to them only in this appearance. For as that which He appears is unchangeable in Itself, so It is present without change to those who behold It; and those who behold It neither desire, nor are capable of beholding, anything more delightful or more to be desired When, then, can the eagerness of their gaze be satiated, the sweetness in which they delight be withdrawn, or the truth be exhausted — in one word, when can eternity come to an end? For if both the will to behold, and the full ability of beholding, be equally enlarged to all eternity, what can be wanting to complete felicity? What, I ask, remains to be experienced, or even to be wished for, by those whose desire is always to behold Him, and in whom that desire is being eternally satisfied?

2. But such a Beatific Vision is not for the present life, but is reserved for the final state of existence; to those, at least, who are able to say: We know that when He shall appear we shall be like

Him: for we shall see Him as He is (i John iii. 2). Even in the present life He appears to whom He wills; but in the manner that He wills, not as He is. There is no man, however wise or holy, there is no prophet, who is able, or ever was able, to see Him, in this mortal body, as He is;1 yet those who shall be found worthy shall do so when their body shall be immortal. Therefore He is indeed seen, but in the manner that seems good unto Him, and not as He is. For though you have seen that great luminary (I mean that Sun, which you behold every day), you have never seen it as it really is, but only as it lights up other things; for example, the air, or a wall, or a mountain. Nor would you be able to behold it even in a certain degree, if the light of your body, that is, the eye, did not resemble in some degree the light of heaven in its inborn clearness and serenity. For no other member of the body is capable of taking cognizance of light, on account of the essential unlikeness between it and them. Nor is the eye itself, when it is troubled, capable of receiving the light, and that is because it has lost its resemblance to light Thus as the eye which is disturbed and confused cannot behold the sun, which is peaceful, because of its unlikeness to it, so it beholds the sun when clear and untroubled, on account of a certain similarity between the two. If the eye enjoyed an equal degree of purity with the object on which it gazes, it would behold that object without being dazzled, and as it is, because of the full similarity existing between them. So also he that is enlightened by that Sun of Righteousness, which lightens every man that comes into the world, is able to behold Him in the degree that he is enlightened by Him, and as being like Him in some degree; but still, as he is not perfectly like Him, he is not able to see Him as He is. Wherefore the Psalmist says: They looked unto Him and were lightened, and their faces were not ashamed (Ps. xxxiv. 5). Thus it is in truth; provided that we are enlightened as far as we have need, so that with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. iii. 18).

3. It is therefore necessary not to approach Him rashly and irreverently, but with respect and awe, lest the irreverent observer of His Majesty be crushed and destroyed by His glory. He is not to be approached by a change of places, but by an increase of excellences; and those not bodily, but spiritual, since the Spirit of the Lord is our guide to Him. I say that it is by the Spirit of the Lord that we draw near to Him, and not by [the power ofj our own spirit, although it is in our own spirit that this takes place. Thus the more pure and virtuous a spirit is, the nearer it is to God, and to have attained absolute purity and virtue is to have come into the very Presence of God. For to be in His Presence is to see Him as He is; and to do this is nothing else than to be as He is, and so not to be dazzled and confounded by being unlike Him. But that, as I have said, will be only in Heaven.

But in the present sphere of existence what are that great variety of forms, and that vast number of different species among created things, but, as it were, rays from the Sun of the Divine Nature, showing indeed that He from Whom they derive their being truly exists, but not explaining in full what He is? Therefore you discern somewhat concerning Him, but Himself you do not discern. But when you behold something relating to Him, though without beholding Him, you are assured, nevertheless, of the fact of His existence, and that ought to lead you to seek for Him. Nor will grace be wanting to him who seeks, while he who neglects to seek will not have the excuse of ignorance. Now, this mode of beholding is common to all rational creatures. For it is easy, as we are taught by the Apostle, for all those who have the use of reason clearly to see the invisible things of God, as they are understood by the things which are made (Rom. i. 20).

4. It was, without doubt, in another manner that God deigned formerly to manifest Himself to the Patriarchs, granting to them a frequent and familiar communion with His Presence, although even to them He was not visible as He is, but as He deigned to make Himself known. Nor was it in one manner only that He was made known to all; but, as the Apostle declares, at sundry times and in divers manners (Heb. i. 1), though in Himself He is one, as He declared to Israel, The Lord Thy God is one Lord (Deut. vi. 4). Nor was that manifestation common to all; yet it was made from without, by appearances visible to the senses, or words heard by the ears. But there was still another manner in which God was discerned, differing from those, inasmuch as it was inward: when God deigned of His own accord to make Himself known to a soul that sought for Him, and lavished on that seeking the entire love and ardour of its affections. And this is the sign of His coming thus to a soul, as we are taught by one who had experienced it: A fire goeth before Him, and burneth up His enemies round about (Ps. xcvii. 3). For it is needful that in every soul in which He is about to appear such an ardour of sanctified longing should go before His Face, as to consume every impurity of evil thoughts and works, and so to prepare a place for the Lord. And then the soul perceives that the Lord is at hand, when it feels itself consumed in that fiery longing, and it says with the Prophet: From above hath He sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them (Lam. i. 13); and again: My heart was hot within me, and while I was musing the fire burned (Ps. xxxix. 3).

5. After a soul has been thus pressed by frequent aspirations towards God, or rather by continual prayer, and is afflicted by the violence of its longings, it is sometimes the case that He, who is so earnestly desired and longed for, has pity on that soul and makes Himself manifest to it; and I think that, led by its own experience, it will be able to say with the prophet Jeremiah: The Lord is good to them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him (Lam. iii. 25). His Angel, too, who is one of the companions of the Bridegroom, who has been commissioned to [watch over] that individual soul, to be the minister and the witness of that secret and mutual communion, how greatly, I say, does that Angel rejoice; how is he transported with joy, so that turning to the Lord he says: ' I thank Thee, O God of infinite majesty, for that Thou hast granted the earnest desires of that soul, and hast not denied to him the request of his lips!' It is that Angel which is the untiring attendant everywhere of the soul confided to his care, and does not cease to entreat and warn it by frequent suggestions, saying: Delight thyself in the Lord, and He shall giw thee thy heart's desire; and again: Wait on the Lord, and keep His way (Ps. xxxvii. 4, 34); and again: Though he tarry, wait for Him; for He shall surely come. He shall not tarry (Hab. ii. 3, Vulg.). Then, addressing himself to the Lord, he says: As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so longeth that soul after Thee, O God (Ps. xlii. 1). It has desired Thee in the night, its spirit within it has sought Thee early (Is. xxvi. 9). And again: Daily he has stretched out his hands unto Thee (Ps. lxxxviii. 9); send her away, for she crieth after Thee (Matt. xv. 23); Return, O Lord, how long, and be entreated in favour of Thy servant (Ps. lxxxix. 13, Douay). Look down from heaven, and see, and visit that desolate soul. Faithful is the paranymph '} he is conscious of that mutual love, but without being jealous of it; and far from seeking his own interest, seeks only that of his Lord. He goes and comes between the Bridegroom and the Bride, presenting the prayers of the one, bringing back the gifts of the other. The one he arouses, the Other he placates. And sometimes, though rarely, leading on and conducting, he introduces the one to the Other; for he is a servant of God and of His House; every day he beholds the Face of the Father, nor does he fear to be refused any request.

6. But be most careful not to allow yourself to think that there is anything imaginary, on the one hand, or corporeal, on the other hand, in this mingling of the Word with the soul of the believer. I am saying only that which the Apostle says, that he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit (1 Cor. vi. 17). I go on to express, in what words I am able, the absorption of a pure soul into God, or the hallowed and blessed descent of God into the soul, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. That union, then, is made in the spirit, because God is a Spirit, and is moved with love for the beauty of that soul which He may have seen to be walking according to the Spirit, and to have no desire to fulfil the lusts of the flesh, especially as He knows that it is filled with ardent love for Himself. A soul in this condition, with such feelings and so beloved, will be far from content that her Bridegroom should manifest Himself to her in the manner which is common to all; that is, by the things which are made, or even in the manner peculiar to a few, namely, by dreams and visions; such a soul desires that by a special privilege He should descend from on high into her, and pervade herwholly in the deepest affections, and to the very ground of the heart. She desires that He whom she loves should not show Himself to her in an outward shape, but should be, as it were, inpoured into her; that He should not merely appear to her, but should enter into and dominate her; nor is it doubtful that her happiness is so much the greater, as He is within rather than without. For He is the Word; He does not sound in the ears, but penetrates the heart; He is not full of words, but full of power; nor does He come to the ears with a sound, but to the affections with sweetness ineffable. The features of His countenance are not formed and defined, but exercise a formative power; they do not strike upon the vision of the eye, but they rejoice the heart, not with charm of form and colour, but with the affection they excite.

7. I am not, however, able to describe the manner in which God manifests Himself as He is, although in this manner of manifestation He declares Himself no other than as He is. For however full of reverence and devotion souls may be, He will not continue His Presence in them permanently and precisely thus, nor with complete uniformity to all individuals. For, according as the desires of a soul vary, so the delight felt in the Divine Presence must needs vary also; and that heavenly sweetness strikes in divers ways upon the palate of the soul, according to the variation of its desires and longings. Also, you have noticed in this Song of love how often He has changed His countenance, and in how great a number of winning forms He has deigned to appear before His beloved; and how, like a modest spouse, at one time he seeks to enjoy in secret communion with a holy soul, and to take pleasure in its devotion; at another He seems to conduct Himself as a physician, with oils and unguents— doubtless on account of weak and tender souls, which have still need of remedies and consolations, and therefore are called by the name of maidens to signify their delicacy. If anyone murmurs, let him recall that they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick (Matt ix. 12). Sometimes, again, He presents Himself as some traveller, joining Himself to the Bride and the young maidens who are walking with her, and solaces all that company during the fatigues of their way by His pleasant discourses, so that they say when He departs, Did not our hearts burn within us while ffe talked with us of Jesus, by the way (Luke xxiv. 32)? How delightful a companion is He who by the sweetness of His manners and His discourse, as by the delightful odours which He breathes around Him, draws all to follow after Him; and therefore they say, We will run in the odour of Thy perfumes (i. 4). Again, there are times when He appears as some opulent head of a family, in whose house are abundant provisions for all; or, rather, as a King powerful and splendid, who appears to exalt the poverty of his timid bride, to display to her the treasures of his glory, and excite in her a desire for them; to show to her his richly-stored winepresses and granaries, the produce of his gardens and his fields, and, finally, to bring her into his inner chamber. For the heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, and he thinks that none of all these things should be hidden from her whom he hath raised out of poverty, whom he embraces as amiable and beloved, and whom he has proved to be faithful. And He does not cease to manifest Himself from above in this or that inward and spiritual manner to those who seek for Him, so that the word may be accomplished which He spake: Zo, lam with you always \ even unto the end of the world (Matt, xxviii. 20).

8. In all these manifestations He is kind and gentle, and of tender mercy. For as in His embrace He shows Himself loving and tender, so the oil and perfumes and other remedies of which He makes use prove Him forgiving, and rich in pity and compassion. Then in the road He is found to be cheerful, affable, full of help and comfort; in the showing forth His riches and possessions bountiful, and one who gives recompenses proportionate to His royal liberality. It is thus that you will find the Word shadowed forth under a great variety of figures all through this Song of Songs. It is that, I think, which is signified by the Prophet where He says: Christ the Lord is a Spirit before our face: under His shadoiv shall we live among the Gentiles (Lam. iv. 20); which, however, we see now only in a glass, and darkly, and not yet face to face. But that endures only while we live among the nations [of this world]; for when we are among the angels it shall be otherwise; then we shall enjoy a felicity similar to theirs; then we shall see Him, no longer in types and shadows, but as He is — that is, in the form of God. For just as there were only types and shadows to make Him known to those of the elder dispensation, as I have said, but to us, through the grace of Christ present among us in the Flesh, the truth shines forth by its own light; so also it cannot be denied that we ourselves, in comparison with the life to come, live now in, as it were, a shadow of the truth. Unless we shall contradict the Apostle when He says: We ktww in part, and we prophesy in part (1 Cor. xiii. 9); and again: I count not myself to have apprehended (Philip, iii. 13). Is not that the precise difference between him who walks by faith and him who walks by sight of the object aimed at? Therefore the just lives by faith (Hab. ii. 4), but the blessed rejoice in beholding [Him whom they love]; and so, also, while the man who is holy lives here below in the shadow of Christ, the angel, likewise holy, glories in the splendour and light of His countenance.

9. And if faith be a shadow yet it is good, for it tempers the Light to our weak and darkened eyes, and prepares them for its brilliance; for it is written: Purifying their hearts by faith (Acts xv. 9). Faith, then, does not extinguish the light, but preserves it. Whatever that be, and however great, which is open to the vision of an angel, the shadow of faith preserves for me; wraps it, as it were, in an ample and trusty bosom, to be revealed to me in due time. Is it not better for you to possess, though in a shrouded and hidden state, that which if uncovered and bare you would not be capable of grasping? Even the Mother of the Lord lived in the shadow of faith, for of her it was said: Blessed is she that believed (Luke i. 35 and 45). She lived also in the shadow cast by the Body of Christ, according to the words of the angel: The poiver of the Highest shall overshadow thee. Nor is this a shadow to be lightly thought of, which is cast by the power of the Highest There was assuredly power in the Flesh of Christ which overshadowed the Virgin, and that which was impossible to a mortal woman, to sustain the Presence and the unapproachable Light of the Divine Majesty, she was enabled to endure by the sheltering shadow or envelope of that vivifying Body. A strength, indeed, by which all opposing power was subdued. As strength it puts demons to flight; as shadow it provides a safe shelter for men; a strength which gives vigour, a shelter providing pleasant coolness.

10. We, then, who walk by faith and are nourished with the Flesh of Christ, that we may live the life Divine, we live in the shadow of Christ. For His Flesh is meat indeed (John vi. 55). And perhaps it is for that very reason that in the passage quoted at first we have Him described under the figure of a shepherd or pastor, where the Bride seems to address Him as if He were some one of the shepherds, saying: Tell me where Thou feedest, where Thou makest Thy flock to rest at noon. He is the Good Shepherd, who giveth His Life for His sheep (John x. 11); His Life He spends for them to redeem them; His Flesh He gives to them to nourish them. A marvellous thing, indeed; He the Pastor, the Pasturage, and the Price of redemption! But this discourse is growing long, inasmuch as the passage is so extensive, and contains truths so great that it cannot be expounded in a few words; and I see that this necessity obliges me to break off rather than to finish. It is needful, then, as the subject is not exhausted, that we should keep it still in mind, so that I may resume it where it has been dropped, and complete it, as far as I may be enabled to do by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church, who is over all, God, blessed for ever. Amen.