Sermons on the Song of Songs

steady and stable in every part of my nature, whether of the inward or outward man. Therefore, having learned from that best of teachers, experience, I no longer dwell upon judgment alone, any more than upon mercy alone; but unto Thee, O Lord, will I sing of mercy and judgment (Ps. ci. i). Those two sources of righteousness for ever I will not forget; they shall both equally be my songs in the house of my pilgrimage; until mercy having been exalted high above judgment, my unhappy condition shall cease and come to a full end, and the glory which shall be granted to me shall alone inspire my hymns of praise to Thee, without the least mingling of pain or grief, for ever.

OF THE ARDENT LOVE OF THE SOUL FOR GOD; AND OF THE CARE AND ATTENTION THAT OUGHT TO BE GIVEN TO PRAYER AND TO PSALMODY.

I HAVE undertaken a new labour in inviting, of my own accord, your questioning. For, since on the first occasion I took pains to make clear to you, over and above indeed what was needed, the names and the meanings, spiritual and mystical, of the Feet of God, you are proceeding to inquire similarly what is the meaning of the Hand of God, which, as we said, was in the second place to be kissed Well, I consent; I will meet your wishes — nay, I will do more than you have asked, for I will show you not one Hand only, but two, and each bearing its distinct name. I call the one Liberality, and the other Force; because God gives liberally, and preserves powerfully that which He has given. Now, he who is not ungrateful will, in recognising and confessing that God, as He is the liberal Bestower of all good things, so He is their powerful Preserver, will, I say, kiss each of these. Enough, I think, has been said of these two; let us go on now to speak of the third.

2. Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His Mouth. Who is it speaks these words? It is the Bride. Who is the Bride? It is the Soul thirsting for God. But I first specify the dispositions of men in various relations to each other, so that those which belong properly to a bride may appear more clearly. If a man is a slave, he fears the face of his lord; if he is a hireling, he looks for wages from his lord's hand; if a disciple, he gives attention to his teacher; if a son, he renders honour to his father; but she who asks this is held by the bond of love to him from whom she asks it. Of all the sentiments of nature, this of love is the most excellent, especially when it is rendered back to Him who is the principle arid fountain of it — that is, God. Nor are there found any expressions equally sweet to signify the mutual affection between the Word of God and the soul as those of Bridegroom and of Bride; inasmuch as between individuals who stand in such a relation to each other, all things are in common, and they possess nothing separate or divided. They have one inheritance, one dwelling-place, one table; and they are, in fact, one flesh. On this account it is that a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh (Gen. ii. 24). A woman also on her part is bidden to forget her own people and her father's house, that her husband may have pleasure in her beauty (Ps. xlv. 11, 12). If, then, mutual love is especially befitting to a bride and bridegroom, it is not unfitly that the name of Bride is given to a soul which loves. It is a sign of her love that she makes this request. She asks neither for liberty, nor for wages, nor for an heritage, nor, finally, for knowledge, but only for this; and she does this as a chaste and modest bride, who does not deny or dissimulate the sacred affection which she feels. Notice how abruptly she breaks into her discourse. She has a great favour to ask of one who is great, yet she does not have recourse, as is too often the case, to caresses or flatteries; she does not wind her way to her request by gradual approaches. She employs no preface, nor makes any attempt to win goodwill or favour; but her request bursts forth openly and abruptly out of the abundance of her heart, and, even, as it were, with a sort of effrontery.

3. Does it not appear to you that she wished to say: Whom have I in heaven but T/iee, and there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of Thee (Ps. lxxiii. 25)? Without doubt the love is chaste which seeks the object of its love alone, without care for anything he may possess. And that love is sacred which dwells not in fleshly concupiscence, but in purity of the spirit. That love is ardent which is so absorbed and, as it were, inebriated with its own affection that it loses all thought of the greatness of its object. What! He looketh upon the earth, and it trembleth (Ps. civ. 32), and from Him she presumes to ask this? Is she inebriated? Undoubtedly it is so with her; and perhaps, when she burst forth thus passionately, she had come forth from the banqueting-house, into which, at a later time, she gloried so greatly to have been led (Cant. i. 3, and ii. 4). For this is what David also said of certain saints in addressing the Holy One: They shall be inebriated with the fatness of Thy House: and Thou shall make them to drink of the rushing river of Thy pleasures (Ps. xxxvi. 8). Oh, how great is the power of love! how perfect the confidence which is felt under the influence of the Spirit of liberty. How abundantly manifest it is that perfect love casteth out fear (1 John iv. 18)!

4. It is, nevertheless, from a feeling of modesty and timidity that she directs her address, not to the Bridegroom Himself, but to others, as if He were not present. It is, indeed, a great thing that is asked, and there is every need that the petition should be accompanied with modesty, and that the petitioner should be recommended. That is wherefore she seeks, through the friends of her well-beloved and the dwellers in His house, to commend herself to Him. But who are these friends? I believe that they are the holy angels who are present with human beings who pray, and offer to God their prayers and vows, since they are known to li.t up pure hands unto heaven without anger or variance. This is shown by the angel of Tobias, who said to Tobit: When thou didst fray, I did bring t/ie remembrance of thy prayers before the Holy One: and when thou didst bury the dead, I was with thee likewise (Tobit xii. 12, 15). I think you are sufficiently persuaded of that truth from other testimonies of the Scriptures also. Furthermore, that the angels deign to be present, and to associate themselves with the praises of those who sing Psalms, is shown with great plainness by the Psalmist: * The chiefs (principes) went before, and with them were joined the players upon stringed instruments: in the midst were the maidens who played the timbrel' (Ps. lxviii. 25, Vulg.). Wherefore he says also: ' In the presence of the angels will I sing praise unto Thee ' (Ps. cxxxviii. 1, Vulg). On this account, I greatly regret that some of you are weighed down by heavy sleep during the sacred vigils. Such persons do not pay due reverence to the citizens of heaven, but, in the presence of the * chiefs/ appear as men dead; whereas they are, on the other hand, touched by your vigilance when you are awake, and delight to assist at your solemn services. I fear lest, revolted by your sloth, they will some time or other withdraw with indignation,1 and that then each of you should begin thus late to say to God with a lamentable voice: Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me: Thou hast made me an abomination unto them; and again: Lover and friend hast Thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness (Ps. lxxxviii. 8, 18); and again: My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore, and they that seek after my life lay snares for me (Ps. xxxviii. 11, 12). For if the good spirits thus depart from us, who will be able to sustain the attacks of evil spirits? I say, then, to those who are in the habit of thus giving way to sleep: Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently (Jer. xlviii. 10, Vulg.). To them also saith, not I, but the Lord: / would thou wert cold or hot: so then, because thou art lukewarm, L will spew thee out of My Mouth (Apoc. iii. 15, 16). When, then, you are engaged (stalls) in prayer, or the chanting of the Psalms, have some thought of your chiefs; perform that in which you are occupied with reverence and according to the Rule, and you may glory in the thought \hdXyour angels always behold the Face of the Father (Matt, xviii. 10). They are, in fact, sent to perform their ministry for our benefit, who shall be heirs of salvation (Heb. i. 14); they bear to heaven our devotion, and bring back grace to us from thence. Let us take part in the functions of those with whom we are to be sharers in glory, that as in the mouth of babes and sucklings praise may be perfected (Ps. viii. 2). To them let us say: Sing praises unto our God, sing praises; and let us hear their answering response: Sing praises, sing praises unto our King (Ps. xlvii. 6).

5. Associate yourselves, then, with the sweet singers of heaven to chant in common the praises of God, since you are yourselves felloivcitizens of the saints, and of the household of God; and Sing praises with understanding (Ps. xlvii. 7). As food is sweet in the mouth, so are Psalms in the heart. Only let the soul that is faithful and prudent grind them, as it were, between the teeth of his intelligence, for fear lest if they be swallowed in great fragments, and not masticated, the palate be defrauded of their sweetness, which is above honey and the honeycomb. Let us offer a honeycomb, as did the Apostles at the banquet of heaven, at the Table of the Lord (Luke xxiv. 42). Honey in the comb — that is, spiritual devotion in the letter of Scripture. The letter, says an Apostle elsewhere, killeth if it be swallowed down without the seasoning of the Spirit (2 Cor. iii. 6). If, then, with the Apostle, thou wilt sing with the Spirit, sing with the understanding also (1 Cor. xiv. 15), and then you, too, shall know the truth of that saying of Jesus: The words which I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life (John vi. 63); and also of that which we read as from the mouth of wisdom: My Spirit is sweeter than honey (Ecclus. xxiv. 20, Vulg.).

6. Thus thy soul shall delight itself in fatness; thy burnt offering shall be fat and perfect. Thus thou wilt placate the King; thus thou wilt give pleasure to the chiefs of the heavenly hosts, and render all the dwellers above favourable to thee. At the sweet odours of thy devotion, they shall say of thee: Who is this that cometh up out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, and with all powders of the merchant? (Cant iii. 6). Replies the Psalmist: The princes ofjuda are their leaders, the princes of Zabulon and the princes of Naphthali (Ps. lxviii. 27) — that is, the princes of those who praise God, who observe continence, and who love contemplation. For our princes know well that the praises of those who sing Psalms, the firmness of those who observe continence, and the purity of those who delight in contemplation, are accepted by their King; and they have it much at heart to require from us the firstfruits of the Spirit, which are no other than the first and purest fruits of wisdom. For you know, brethren, that, in Hebrew, Juda signifies 'praising' or 'confessing/ Zabulon 'a settled or strong dwelling/ and Naphthali 'a hind let loose' (Gen. xlix. 21); for its leaps and bounds well typify the ecstasies of the speculative mind, and it is able to thread the closest thickets of forests, as those [of that disposition can penetrate] the greatest difficulties of meaning. We know, also, who it was that said: Whoso offereth the sacrifice of praise shall honour Me (Ps.l. 23).

7. But since 'praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner* (Ecclus. xv. 9), have you not extreme need of the virtue of continence, so that sin may not reign in your mortal body? But continence has no merit before God when it seeks glory from man. Wherefore there is especial need of a pure intention, so that the mind craves to please God only, and is able to attach itself simply to Him. For to cleave to God is nothing else than to behold God; and this is a singular felicity, and it is bestowed upon those only who are of a pure heart (Matt. v. 8). David had this pure heart, for he said to God, My soul has attached itself closely to Thee (Ps. lxiii. 8); and also, // is good for me to draw near to God (Ps. lxxiii. 28). In beholding God he was drawn near to Him; and in drawing near to God he beheld Him. When, therefore, souls are in the continual exercise of these lofty virtues, the heavenly messengers converse frequently and familiarly with them, especially if they shall have perceived them to be frequent in prayer. Who shall accord unto me, O kindly chiefs of the heavenly hosts, the privilege of making known my requests before God by your means? I do not say to God, for to Him the thoughts of man lie open, but before, and in the presence of, God; that is to say, to those who are with God, the archangels {virtutibus\ and those blessed ones who are delivered from the burden of the flesh. Who shall raise out of the dust, and free from the dunghill, a being as poor and as helpless as I am, that I may have a place among the princes, and sit upon a throne of glory? I do not doubt that they receive with joy and affection in the palace him whom they have deigned to visit in a filthy hovel. After all, how can they, after having rejoiced in the conversion of a sinner, fail to acknowledge him in his exaltation?

8. That is why I think that it is to them, who are the attendants and the companions of the Bridegroom, that the Bride communicates her prayer, and makes known the desire of her heart, in these words. And see with what familiarity and confidence the soul, sighing under the burden of the flesh, converses with the heavenly powers. She desires earnestly the affection of her Spouse; she asks for that which she desires; but she does not name Him whom she loves, inasmuch as she does not doubt of their knowledge, because she converses with them frequently of Him; just as Mary Magdalene does not mention by name Him whom she sought, but said to Him whom she thought was the gardener, Sir, if thou have borne Him hence (John xx. 15). Of whom does she say Him? It is not stated, because she believes that everyone knows Who it is that is not 'for one moment absent from her heart. So it is with the Bride'. Speaking with the companions of her Spouse, as to her confidants, to whom she is aware that every thought of her heart is known, she does not mention the name of her Beloved, but bursts forth in these words. What is meant by this kiss I will not keep you longer to explain; but you shall hear in the sermon of to-morrow what (in response to your prayers) shall be suggested to me by the goodness of Him who teacheth all things. For flesh and blood does not reveal this secret, but only He who searcheth the deep things of God; that is, the Holy Ghost, who proceedeth from the Father and Son, with whom He liveth and reigneth for ever and ever. Amen.

THAT THE KISS OF GOD IS THE HOLY SPIRIT; AND THAT THE CHURCH ASKS FOR THIS KISS THAT SHE MAY HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY TRINITY.

O-DAY, in discharge of the promise made yesterday, I propose to consider the third and highest of these sacred

A mysteries. Listen very attentively to this hallowed secret, which is indeed of consummate sweetness, but which is rarely experienced, and is comprehended with difficulty. It seems to me (to go a little farther back still) that He who saith, No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father but the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him (Matt. xi. 27), has here designated a certain kiss ineffable and unknown to any created being. For the Father loves the Son, and embraces Him with a love which is unlike every other — the Supreme embracing His Equal, the Eternal His Co-eternal, the One Being His Sole One. But He is united to the Son by an affection not less, proceeding from the Son, as He Himself attests when He says, That the world may knoiu that I love the Father, arise, let us go hence (John xiv. 31); that is, without doubt, to His Passion. Now, this cognition of mutual love between Him who Begets and Him who is Begotten, what is it but a kiss, as deeply mysterious as it is sweet?

2. I hold it for a thing certain that even the angelic creation is not admitted to the knowledge of that arcanum of Divine Love, which is at once so august and so sacred. And, in fact, St. Paul, knowing this, speaks of that peace which passeth all understanding (Phil. iv. 7), even that of angels. On this account even the Bride, although she may be so bold as to ask much, does not dare to ask for this, which is reserved for the Father only; her request is a lesser one. Behold the newly-made Bride receiving a new proof of the affection of her Bridegroom; yet not that mentioned above. He breathed on them, says St. John, speaking of Jesus breathing upon His Apostles, that is, the primitive Church; and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost (John xx. 22). That was, without doubt, a kiss which He gave to them. What? that physical breath? Nay, but the invisible Spirit, who was thus communicated by the breathing of the Lord, so