Sermons on the Song of Songs

BY 'MOUNTAINS' AND c HILLS ' ARE SIGNIFIED THE HEAVENLY SPIRITS, OVER WHOM AND THROUGH WHOM THE BRIDEGROOM PASSES IN HIS COMING TO EARTH, THAT IS TO SAY, IN THE MYSTERY OF HIS INCARNATION.

HE Bride, noticing the increased modesty of her maidens, and their respectful timidity, shown by their no longer venturing to intrude upon her sacred repose, nor presuming, as they had previously done, to trouble the quiet of her contemplation, recognises that this is the effect of the care and labours of the Bridegroom. Rejoicing, therefore, in spirit, as well because they are advantaged in being restrained from needless and excessive restlessness, as because of the condescension and favour of her Bridegroom, and her own prospect of unbroken quiet in future, she declares that it is the Voice of her Beloved which does this, and His grace that has brought it about, with so much zeal on behalf of her peace, and earnestness in defending the sweetness of her leisure, or, rather, of her fervent religious exercises. For the man who has in charge the rule over others, and discharges it with faithfulness and care, scarcely ever allows himself with a good conscience to enjoy rest, since he is always in fear of not doing sufficient for those under his authority, and of not pleasing God, if he prefers his own quiet, and the sweetness of contemplation, to that which is for the common advantage. But there is sometimes no little joy and security in his mind, while enjoying his interval of peaceful repose, when he perceives, from the degree of awe and reverence for him with which God inspires the hearts of those he governs, that his quiet is pleasing to God, who causes them to endure their wants with a patient mind, rather than venture to disturb the grateful rest of their spiritual father. For the just fear of these his children shows manifestly that they have heard inwardly that complaining and, as it were, threatening voice of Him who speaks by the prophet: / that speak in righteousness (Is. lxiii. 1). It is His voice, it is His inspiration, and it impresses upon them a righteous fear.

2. When His Voice, then, is heard, the Bride is glad and rejoices, saying: The Voice of my Beloved, She is His chosen, and rejoices with great joy on account of the voice of her Spouse. Then she adds: Behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. Having recognised by hearing His voice the presence of her chosen, instantly she turns inquiring eyes around in order to see Him whom she had heard. Hearing leads to sight, because faith cometh by hearing (Rom. x. 17); and it is faith that purifies hearts,

* The voice of my bclovaU — Cant. ii. 8.

and renders them capable of beholding God. For we read thus: Purifying their hearts by faith (Acts xv. 9). Then she sees Him approaching whom she had heard speaking, thus observing the order indicated by the Holy Spirit, who has spoken thus by the mouth of the Psalmist: Hearken, O daughter, and see (Ps. xliv. 11, Douay). And that you may be the more surely convinced that it is not by accident or chance, but of set design and purpose, because of the reason already alleged, that I have here set hearing before sight, notice whether the same order is not observed by holy Job where he speaks thus to God: / have heard of Thee by the hearing of the tar, but now mine eye seeth Thee (Job xlii. 5). So, also, when the Scripture relates that the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles, is not hearing described as having preceded sight? For it is said: Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind; and, then, in the next verse: There appeared unto them cloven tonguts like as of fire (Acts ii. 2, 3). Here, then, it is plainly shown that the coming of the Holy Spirit was perceived, first by hearing, and afterwards by sight. But enough has been said upon this subject, for you also, if you will take the trouble to pursue this inquiry further, will perhaps be able to find similar instances in other parts of Scripture.

3. Now let us consider a subject which, because it cannot be approached without difficulty, needs a specially careful examination; in which I confess that I am altogether dependent on the aid of the Holy Spirit, that I may be able clearly to explain what are those mountains and those hills upon which the Church saw with great gladness her Bridegroom leaping, and over which she saw Him pass with rapid steps, when, as I think, He was hastening to come to accomplish her redemption for whose beauty He was filled with love. That this is the case I have confidence in believing, inasmuch as a similar passage of Scripture occurs to me in which the Psalmist evidently spoke prophetically under the guidance of the Spirit, and foretold the coming of the Saviour: He hath set His tabernacle in the sun, and He, as a Bridegroom coming out of his bridcchambcr, hath rejoiced as a giant to run the way; His going out is from the end of heaven, and His circuit even to the end thereof (Ps. xviii. 6, Douay). His going forth, and His return likewise, are here most clear; whence it was undertaken, whither, and to what end, most clear also. What then? When we read these words in the Psalms, or in the Canticle before us, ought we to imagine to ourselves a giant of prodigious stature, who is captivated by the love of some fair one dwelling at a distance from him, and whom we behold on his way to her traversing with great steps, with leaps and bounds, those hills and mountains which we see lifting their lofty mass out of the plain, and that so high that some of their most elevated peaks are lost in the clouds? But it is not becoming to have recourse to material images such as these when treating of a spiritual poem, and to us in particular it is altogether forbidden, for we remember what we have read in the

Gospel, that God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John iv. 24).

4. What, then [let us inquire], are these mountains and these hills, spiritually understood, so that we may be able as a consequence to comprehend in what way the Bridegroom (who, as He is God, is therefore also Spirit), and with what kind of bounds, can leap upon them and over them? If we suppose that they are those mountains upon which, as the Gospel declares, the ninety and nine sheep were wandering when their kind Shepherd came to the earth to seek His sheep which had gone astray (Matt, xviii. 12); the matter is still obscure, and the understanding baffled, because it is difficult to find out what are those other mountains on which dwell and feed the heavenly and spiritual beatitudes, which are, without doubt, those who are there spoken of as sheep. But if there were no such [mountains] in truth, then the Truth would not have said this. Nor, again, would the Psalmist have said long before of the heavenly Jerusalem, that her foundations were upon the holy mountains (Ps. lxxxvii. 1), if there were, in fact, no such mountains at all. Lastly, to show that the celestial country has mountains and hills, not only spiritual, but also living, and of a reasonable nature, hear the words of Isaiah: The mountains and t/ie hills shall break forth before [God] into singing (Is. Iv. 12).

5. What, then, are they except those very spirits, dwellers in heaven, whom the Lord, as we have said, calls sheep, and who signify at once sheep and mountains? Unless it should perhaps seem to you absurd that mountains should be said to feed upon mountains and sheep upon sheep. Taken in a literal sense, no doubt, this explanation seems harsh; but to the spiritual understanding it will appear harmonious" if we understand it in a deeper sense — viz., that the Shepherd of each flock, Christ the Wisdom of God, administers one and the same food of truth both in heaven and on earth, but in one way to His heavenly flocks and in another to His earthly ones. For we mortal men, while we are in the place of our pilgrimage, have indeed necessarily to eat our bread in the sweat of our brow, and to beg it from without in labour and distress— that is, to gain a knowledge of the invisible things of God, which are understood by the things which are made, either from men who are instructed in holy things or from the Scriptures of God. But the Angels receive it in themselves, though not for themselves, and with as much facility as felicity, which is for them the great happiness of their existence. For they are all (capable of being) taught of God, which blessing it is promised that the elect among men shall assuredly attain at some future time, though this assured felicity it is not granted to them as yet to enjoy.

6. Thus mountains do feed upon mountains, or sheep upon sheep, since those celestial and spiritual beings find abundantly in themselves, by the word of life which they receive, the means to render their blessedness perpetual, and are at the same time (as it were)

mountains and sheep; mountains, because of their exaltation and their fulness; sheep, because of their gentleness and goodness. For they are full of God, raised high by merits, and heaped with virtues, and yet do not fail to bend their heads, however lofty, in complete and humble obedience and submission to the sovereign Majesty of God; as innocent and gentle sheep conduct themselves in all things according to the will of their shepherd, and follow him whithersoever he goeth. And, according to David the Psalmist, upon these mountains truly holy, as upon wisdom created first of all things, the foundations of the City of God are firmly set and stand fast from the beginning (Ps. lxxxvii. i); and this City is one, both in heaven and on earth, though in part it is militant on earth, and in part reigning in heaven. And, nevertheless, from these mountains, according to the prophet Isaiah, resounds thanksgiving, and the voice of melody (Is. li. 3), as from living and harmonious cymbals, accomplishing thus, with sweet and never-ceasing sound, that word of the same prophet which I quoted before, that the mountains and the hills shall break forth before [God] into singing, and also this other word which the Psalmist has addressed to the Lord God: Blessed are they that dwell in Thy House, they will be still praising Thee (Ps. lxxxiv. 4).

7. So much, then, upon this subject; let us now take up again the thread of our discourse, from which we have digressed a little, but necessarily, as I think: those are the mountains and the hills on which the Church has seen her heavenly Spouse leaping with wonderful alacrity, and even overleaping them, in haste to meet and welcome her. Do you desire that I should show you, out of the writings of the Prophets and Apostles, what is to be mystically understood by these? 1 do not intend to repeat to you all the testimonies with regard to this which may be found in those writings by those who have leisure to search them (for this would take a long time, and there is no need for it), but only those which appear to confirm clearly and briefly what is said here of the boundings of the Bridegroom. Now, David says of Him that His going forth is from the end of the heaven (Ps. xix. 6, already quoted). Lo! what a bound was that, even from the height of heaven down to the earth! For I find not any other spot, but the earth, which can be intended when it is said that He has placed His tabernacle in the sun — that is, He, who dwells in the inaccessible Light, has deigned to manifest His Presence openly and in the light. Then, again, He was seen upon earth, and conversed with men (Baruch iii. 38). Upon the earth, and before the eyes of men, I say, that is, according to the phrase here used, * in the sun 1 hath He set His tabernacle; that is, the Body which He has condescended to take to Himself from the body of a Virgin, so that He, who was invisible in Himself, might become visible in It, and thus all flesh might see the salvation of God, which was made manifest in the flesh.

8. He has bounded, then, upon the mountains; that is, upon the highest spiritual beings, when He descended even to them, and