Sermons on the Song of Songs

OF THE MANNER IN WHICH THE SOUL, HOWEVER CORRUPTED IT MAY BE WITH EVIL HABITS, IS STILL ABLE, BY A CHASTE AND HOLY LOVE, TO RECOVER ITS RESEMBLANCE TO THE BRIDE- GROOM, THAT IS, CHRIST.

I HAVE, during three days, devoted myself, as far as the time prescribed by our rule for me to address you would permit, to show you the close relation and resemblance of the soul to the Word. What usefulness is there in all that endeavour? There is this. We have shown that every soul, though it may be burdened with sins, caught in the net of evil habits, taken captive by the allurements of sinful pleasures; though it be as a captive in exile, confined in the body as in a prison, submerged and fixed fast in mud and clay, closely bound to its members, weighed down by cares, absorbed in business, saddened by fears, afflicted by sorrows, led astray by errors, anxious because of forebodings, uneasy through suspicions, and, lastly, an alien on the earth, in which it finds so many enemies, and, according to the saying of a prophet, defiled with the dead and counted with them that go down into hell (Baruch iii. 11); although a soul, I say, be thus under condemnation and thus despairing, yet, as I have shown, it is able to find in itself, not only reason for breathing freely in the hope of mercy and forgiveness, but also for daring to aspire to the heavenly nuptials of the Word; nor does it fear to enter into alliance with God, and to bear the sweet yoke of love with Him who is the King of Angels. For why should it not venture to come confidingly into the presence of Him by whose image and likeness it sees and knows that it is still honoured and ennobled? Why should even a Majesty so great be a cause of distrust to a being to whom its own origin gives a ground for confidence? All that it has to do is to preserve with care the original purity of its nature by a pure and honourable life; or, rather, to study to adorn and embellish by good and virtuous thoughts and actions, as by rich colours, that illustrious image which has been impressed upon the depths of its nature at its creation.

2. Why, then, does it remain inactive? Labour and industry are assuredly a great gift of nature; and if we do not employ it to its fullest extent, will not ail those good inclinations which are left in us by nature be hindered in their working, or remain, as it were, inactive and powerless? This would indeed be an injury to the Creator. That is the reason why God our Creator has willed to preserve always in the soul a clear sign of its Divine origin, so that it should be continually admonished by the resemblance which it has to the Word, either to remain with Him, or to return to Him, if it has been induced by any motive to quit His Presence. It does not leave Him, as by change of place, or by steps taken with the feet; but it leaves Him in the manner of a spiritual substance, that is to say, by its purposes and affections, when it renders itself unlike Him, and degenerates from the nobleness of its origin, by the evil of its conduct and life, and thus becomes distinctly worse. That unlikeness, nevertheless, does not amount to an abolition of its nature; but it is a grave fault, for good raises up nature as much by comparison with itself, as by conjunction [with evil] it is defiled. But this return of the soul is its conversion, that is, its turning to the Word; to be reformed by Him, and to be rendered conformable to Him. In what respect? In charity. For it is written: Be ye followers of God, as dear children: and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us (Eph. v. i, 2).

3. It is that conformity which makes, as it were, a marriage between the soul and the Word, when, being already like unto Him by its nature, it endeavours to show itself like unto Him by its will, and loves Him as it is loved by Him. And if this love is perfected, the soul is wedded to the Word. What can be more full of happiness and joy than this conformity? what more to be desired than this love? which makes thee, O soul, no longer content with human guidance, to draw near with confidence thyself to the Word, to attach thyself with constancy to Him, to address Him with confidence, and consult Him upon all subjects, to become as receptive in thy intelligence, as fearless in thy desires. This is the contract of a marriage truly spiritual and sacred. And to say this is to say too little; it is more than a contract, it is a communion, an identification with the Beloved, in which the perfect correspondence of will makes of two, one spirit. Nor is it to be feared that the inequality of the two < who are parties to it should render imperfect or halting in any respect this concurrence of wills; for love has no respect of persons. It is from affection, not from reverence, that it is named love. Let one who is struck with horror, with astonishment, with fear, with admira-

tion, rest satisfied with honouring; but in one who loves all these feelings are merged in affection. Love is filled with itself; and in the soul to which it has once come, it overcomes and transforms all other feelings. Therefore the soul which loves, in loving, is regardless of all else. He who justly deserves to be honoured and admired, and regarded as a miracle of perfectness, yet loves rather to be loved. They are Bridegroom and Bride. What other bond or constraining force do you seek for between spouses, than to love and to be loved? This bond overcomes even that which nature has drawn most closely, namely, the bond between parents and children. For this cause, says the Saviour in the Gospel, shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife (Matt xix. 5). You see how powerful is this feeling in those who are wedded; not only does it prevail over all other feelings, but even over itself.

4. It is to be added that this Bridegroom is not only loving, He is Himself Love. Is He not also Honour? Anyone who pleases may maintain that He is; but I have not, in fact, read any such thing. I have read that God is Love (i John iv. i6); not that He is honour, or dignity; though it is not to be understood that God does not desire to be honoured, for He says: If I be a Fattier, where is Mine honour? He says that as a Father. But if He declares Himself to be a Bridegroom, will He not change the word, and say: ' If I be a Bridegroom, where is the love that is due to Me?' For he had previously said: If I be a Master, where is My fear? (Mai. i. 6). God, then, requires that He should be feared as Lord, honoured as Father, but as Bridegroom, loved. Which of these three is highest and most to be preferred? Surely it is love. Without it fear is painful, and honour without attraction. Fear is servile as long as it is not rendered free by love; and honour which is not inspired by love is not truly honour, but flattery. Certainly honour and glory are due to God, and to Him alone; but neither of these will He receive, if they be not, as it were, seasoned with the honey of love. Love is alone sufficient by itself; it pleases by itself, and for its own sake. It is itself a merit, and itself its own recompense. It seeks neither cause, nor consequence, beyond itself. It is its own fruit, and its own object and usefulness. I love, because I love; I love, that I may love. Love, then, is a great reality, and very precious, provided that it recurs to the principle on which it rests, that it is kept in continual relation with Him who is its origin, and draws from that pure source waters that flow continually in greater abundance. Of all the feelings, affections, and movements of the soul, love is the only one by which the reasonable creature is able to respond to its Creator, and even in some sort to repay, though not upon equal terms, the goodness which it has received from Him. For example, if God is displeased with me, should I be at liberty to feel displeasure towards Him? Certainly not: I tremble, and humble myself before Him, and entreat His pardon. So also, if He accuses me, He is not to be accused by me in return, but the justice of His accusation is to be instantly recognised. Nor, if He shall judge me, will I judge, but will adore. When He saves me, He does not ask of me salvation in return; nor does He who restores freedom to all need that He should Himself be freed. Jf He exercises the authority which He has over me, my part is to doK Him service; if He commands, my duty is to obey; and it is not for me to require of the Lord either the service, or the obedience, that I properly render to Him. Now, you see what a great difference there is in all these respects with regard to love! For when God loves us, He desires nothing else than to be loved, because He loves us that He may be loved by us, knowing that those who love Him become blessed by their love itself.

5. Love, then, is a great reality, but there are degrees in it. The Bridegroom stands highest of all. For though children have affection for their parents, yet they think of their heritage, and in the fear of losing that, they have more respect than love for him from whom they expect it. That love I hold in suspicion which seems to be produced only by the hope of acquiring something. It is weak; for if that hope be withdrawn, it is either extinguished altogether, or greatly diminished. It is impure, since it is founded on the hope of something else. l>ove that is pure is not mercenary; it does not draw strength from hope, nor is it weakened by distrust. This is the love which is felt by the Bride, because all that she is is only love. The very being of the Bride, and her only hope, consists in love. In this the Bride abounds; with this the Bridegroom is content. He seeks nothing else from her; she has nothing but this to give. Thence it is that He is Bridegroom, and she is Bride. This belongs exclusively to a wedded pair, and to it none other attains, not even a son. For He cries out to His sons: Where is My honour? and does not say: 'Where is My love?' reserving the prerogative of the Bride. Thus we see that a man is bidden to honour his father and his mother (Deut. v. 16), and no mention is made of love; not because parents are not to be loved by their children, but because many children are disposed more to honour parents than to love them. It is true that the honour of a king loves judgment (Ps. xcix. 4); but the love of the Bridegroom, or rather of the Bridegroom who is Himself Love, requires only love and faithfulness in return. Let it, then, be permitted to the Bride to love in return. How could she do otherwise who is the Bride, and the Bride of Love? How can Love fail to be loved?

6. Rightly, then, does she renounce all other affections, and devote herself wholly and entirely to Him who is Love, since she can make return to Him by a love which is reciprocal For when she has poured herself forth entirely in love, what would that be in comparison with the ever-flowing and inexhaustible source of love? Not with equal fulness of resource flows that stream from Love and from the creature that loves Him, from the soul and from the Word, the Bridegroom and the Bride, the Creator and the creature; and the thirsty wayfarer might as well be compared with the fountain that satisfies his thirst. What then? Shall the vow of the Bride, the deep aspirations of her heart, her loving ardour and undoubting confidence, perish and become of none effect because she is unable to contend with a Giant who runs His course, to dispute the palm of sweetness with honey, of gentleness with the lamb, of whiteness with the lily, of brilliance with the sun, or of charity with Him who is Himself Charity and Love? No. For although, being a creature, she loves less than He by whom she is loved, because she is less; yet if she loves with her whole self, nothing can be wanting where the whole being is offered. Wherefore, as I have said, to feel such love as this constitutes a spiritual marriage between the soul and the Word, since it is not possible for a soul to love thus, and yet not to be greatly loved; and in the consent of the two parties consists a perfect marriage. Unless anyone should feel a doubt whether the soul is not first loved, and with a greater affection, by the Word. Assuredly, it is both anticipated in loving, and surpassed in love. Happy is the soul whose favoured lot it is to be prevented with the benediction of a delight so great! Happy the soul to which is granted to experience the delight of that communion so sweet, which is nothing else than a love holy and pure, sweet and delightful, as calm as it is sincere: a love mutual, endearing, powerful, which makes of two, by their close union, not, indeed, one flesh, but one spirit, as St Paul declares: He that is joined unto the Lord is one Spirit (1 Cor. vi. 17). And now upon these subjects let us listen to her whom that unction which teaches of all things, and a frequent experience, has rendered more learned than all others in this mystery. Though perhaps it will be better to defer that subject to the beginning of another sermon, so that we may not confine an important matter within the limits of a sermon just upon the point of closing. So, then, if you approve, I will break off this discourse before reaching the end of the subject, in order that to-morrow we, as souls that are a-hungered, may assemble in good time to taste with eagerness those delights which it is the exceeding great reward of the holy soul to enjoy from the Word, and with the Word, who is her Bridegroom, Jesus Christ our Lord, who is above all, God blessed for ever. Amen.