Sermons on the Song of Songs

OF THE SEVEN NEEDS OF THE SOUL, ON ACCOUNT OF WHICH IT SEEKS THE WORD. WHEN THE SOUL IS ONCE REFORMED, IT DRAWS NEAR TO CONTEMPLATE CHRIST, AND TO ENJOY THE SWEETNESS OF HIS PRESENCE.

1 By night upon my bed I sought Him whom mv soul loveth.1— Cant. iii. i.

OR what cause does she thus &eek? That has been already stated, and it would be superfluous to repeat it: yet, for the sake of some who were not present when that question was treated, I will give a short summary of the causes, to which even those who were with us on the former occasion will not find it troublesome to listen. For not all that was to be said could be finished then. The soul seeks the Word, and accepts His correction with willingness and joy, so that she may obtain enlightenment and the knowledge of Him, that by His support she may attain to virtue, and be reformed according to wisdom, that she may be conformed unto His likeness and rendered by Him fruitful in good works, and, finally, may be happy in the enjoyment of His Presence. For ail these causes the soul seeks the Word. I do not doubt that there are many others, but in the meantime these are what occur to me. Anyone who is disposed to do so may easily discover others in himself. For our unhappinesses are many, the needs of our soul numerous and unlimited, and our anxieties uncounted. But more richly and fully still does the Word superabound in good things, insomuch that He surpasses our badness by His wisdom, overcoming evil with good. And now hear the reason for these statements which I have made. In the first place, see how the soul consents, as I said first, to the Divine correction. We read that the Word speaks thus in the Gospel: Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him, lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer (Matt. v. 25). What can be more prudent? It is the advice of the Word, who declares solemnly, if I do not mistake, that He is an adversary to us, because He opposes Himself to our carnal desires, as when He says: 77 is a people that do err in their heart (Ps. xcv. 10). Thou, then, who hearest this, if thou shait begin in a just fear to flee from the wrath to come, wilt be, I think, solicitous to know in what manner thou mayest agree with that adversary who seems to menace thee with a wrath so terrible. Now, that is impossible, unless thou shalt disagree with thyself, unless thou shalt become an adversary to thine own self, unless thou shalt combat with thyself in continual and untiring struggle; in short, unless thou shalt renounce thy rooted habitudes and inborn affections. That is indeed a struggle hard and stern; and if thou shalt attempt it in thy own powers alone, it is as if

thou shouldst try to arrest a rushing torrent with a finger, or to make the river of Jordan flow backwards. What canst thou do, then? Thou must seek the Word, by whose grace it is that thou art enabled to give a glad acquiescence to His will. Fly for help to Him who opposes thee [in evil], by whose help thou mayst become such that He will oppose thee no longer, that He who now threatens thee will approve and applaud thee, and that the grace which He imparts may be more effectual to transform thee than the most violent anger.

2. This is the first necessity, as I think, which brings the soul to seek the Word. But if you know not what He, to whose will you have already given consent, really desires, will He not say of you that you have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge? (Rom. x. 2). And that you may not think such ignorance a light thing, remember that which is written, that if any man know not he shall not be known (1 Cor. xiv. 38, Douay). Would you know what I should counsel you to do in this strait? In the first place, my advice is that you should have recourse to the Word, and He will teach you His ways, for fear lest you, wishing to do good, but not knowing how, should only wander from the right road in your course, and go to and fro in a pathless wilderness. For the Word is Light, as it is said in the Psalms: The entrance of Thy words giveth light: it giveth understanding to the simple. Blessed art thou if thou also art able to say: Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path (Ps. cxix. 130, 105). In no small degree has your soul profited, if your will is changed and your reason enlightened, so that you are enabled both to desire that which is good and to recognise it when it appears to you. In the one gift your soul has received life; in the other, vision. For the soul was dead when it willed that which was evil, and blind when it was ignorant of good.

3. Now your soul lives, now it sees, now it is established in good; but all this is by the help and by the working of the Word. If it stands upright, it is because it has been lifted up by the hand of the Word, and set, as it were, upon two feet, devotion and understanding. It stands upright, I repeat; but yet let it take as spoken of itself that which is said: Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall (1 Cor. x. 12). Do you think that the soul, which was not able to arise by its own strength, will by its own strength be enabled to stand? I should suppose not What? It was by the Word of the Lord that the heavens were made (Ps. xxxiii. 6), and shall a being which is but earth stand without Him? If it were able to stand by itself, why was it that a man, formed also of the earth, prayed thus: Strengthen Thou me according unto Thy Word (Ps. cxix. 28)? He had even experienced that he could not stand by himself, since he says: Being pushed, I was overturned that I might fall, but the Lord supported me (Ps. cxviii. 13, Douay). Does anyone inquire what it was that thus pushed? It was not one only; it was the devil, it was the world, it was perhaps some man. What man, do you rejoin? In truth, every man is a tempter such as this to and for himself. Marvel not at this.

To such a degree is every man a tempter to himself, and an occasion of falling, that you need not fear the temptation put before you by another person, if you can keep your own hands from working destruction to you. For who, says the Apostle, is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good f (i Peter iii. 13). By your own hands I mean the consent of your will. If, when the devil suggests to you, or the world persuades you to do, anything which is not right, you refrain from giving an inward consent to it, nor allow your members to be the instruments of iniquity, then you have not permitted sin to reign in your mortal body; in resisting the promptings of evil you have approved yourself the follower of good, and the temptation has done you good rather than harm. For it is written: Do that which is goody and thou shalt have praise (Rom. xiii. 3). They are confounded who sought to harm your soul, and you shall sing: If they shall have no dominion over me, then shall I be without spot (Ps. xix. 14, Douay). You have shown yourself to be animated by a holy emulation if, under the guidance of wisdom, you have had affection for your own soul (Ecclus. xxx. 23), if you have kept your heart with all diligence (Prov. iv. 23), if, according to the precept of the Apostle, you have kept yourself pure (1 Tim. v. 22). Otherwise, even though you should gain the whole world, but suffer loss to your soul, we * shall certainly, as the Saviour Himself teaches, regard you as not being a follower of that which is good.

4. There are, then, three adversaries by whom you are threatened. Of these the devil impels to evil by malice and jealousy, the world by the tempest of vanity, while man himself is burdened by the weight of his own corruption. The devil impels you indeed to evil, but he does not overthrow you, if you do not give him your help by yielding assent to his wicked suggestions. Thus we read: Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James iv. 7). It is he who in his envy tempted and overthrew those who were upright in Paradise, for they did not resist him, but consented to his evil suggestions. It is he who, by his pride, cast himself down from the height of heaven, and that without impulse from any other; thus you may learn what very grave cause man also, because of the weight by which he is oppressed in his own nature, has to fear that he may fall. The world also impels to evil, because it lieth in wickedness (1 John v. 19). Its impulse is felt by all, but it overthrows only those who are of it, that is, who are consentient with it in mind and will. I desire not to be the friend of the world, lest I fall. For he who desires to be a friend of this world becomes thereby an enemy of God, and this is the most calamitous fall it is possible to make. From this it appears that man is to himself the principal occasion of falling, since he can fall by his own impulse, and without any impulse from another person, but cannot fall without his own impulse, whatever instigation he may receive from others. Now, which of these three adversaries ought chiefly to be resisted? Plainly, that one which is more importunate, as it is in more intimate relation with us, which is sufficient by itself to make us fall, and without which no other adversaries are able to effect anything against us. Not without cause does the wise man declare: He that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city (Prov. xvi. 32). This is of great importance to you; you have need of great strength, and of that strength with which you can be endued only from on high. That strength, if it be perfect, will easily render the soul victorious over itself, and, consequently, invincible by all other adversaries. For it is a spiritual strength, which knows not how to yield when in defence of the right. Or, if you prefer to express it thus, it is a spiritual strength which stands firm and unshaken, with good reason, and on behalf of the right. Or, again, thus: a spiritual strength, which, as far as in it lies, directs and rules all things according to reason.

5. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Whosoever shall take upon him to ascend to the top of that mountain, that is to say, to attain the perfection of virtue, must consider how arduous is that ascent, and how easy to fall without the assistance of the Word. Happy is the soul which excites the joy and the astonishment of the Angels who behold it, so that it hears them speaking of it thus: Wha is this that cometh up from the wilderness^ leaning upon her Beloved? (viii. 5). For otherwise she labours to no purpose, if she does not lean upon God (nitiiur, innititur). She will acquire new forces in her struggle with herself, and thus becoming the stronger, will bring all things into subjection to reason. She will regulate anger, fear, cupidity, and joy, as a skilful charioteer (if I may so speak), driving the chariot of the soul; she will bring into captivity every carnal affection, and subject all the senses to the control of reason and the practice of virtue. How can all things fail to be possible to a man who depends in his endeavours upon Him who can do all things? How firm a ground of confidence is that saying: / can do all things through Christ which strengthened me (Phil. iv. 13). Nothing shows more clearly the Almighty power of the Word, than that He makes all those whose hope is in Him to be, as it were, all powerful. For all things are possible to him that believeth (Mark ix. 23). Is not he all-powerful to whom all things are possible? Thus it is that the soul, if it does not presume upon its own powers, but is strengthened by the Word, will be able so to rule over itself that no unrighteousness shall have dominion over it. It is thus, I say, that the soul, resting upon the Word, and endued with power from on high, cannot possibly be either overthrown or brought into subjection by any open violence, secret guile, or enticing allurement.

6. Would you have no fear of violence from without? Then let not the foot of pride find place within you; so the hand of the violent shall not cast you down. There are the workers of iniquity fallen (Ps. xxxvi. 12). It was thus that the devil and his angels felL They were impelled to evil by no force from without; nevertheless, they were not able to stand, but were driven forth from Heaven. He did not stand fast in the truth, who did not rely upon the Word, but trusted in his own strength. It was for that reason, perhaps, that he desired to sit, because he was not able to stand upright. For, he said: I will sit upon the mount of the congregation (Is. xiv. 13). But the judgment of God was otherwise; he neither stood nor sat, but fell headlong, as we are told by the Lord Himself: J beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven (Luke x. 18). Therefore let the soul that stands, if it does not desire to fall, not trust in its own strength, but lean upon the Word. The Word Himself warns us: Without Me ye can do nothing (John xv. 5). That is most truly the case; without the Word we can neither stand firm in the good to which we have attained, nor rise up towards any fresh good. Do you, therefore, who as yet art standing firm, give glory to the Word, and say: He set my feet upon a rock and ordered my goings (Ps. xl. 2). It is needful that the same Hand which has raised you up should hold you firm and prevent you from falling. Thus much is by way of explanation of what I said, that we have need of the Word, that we may be supported by Him and enabled to attain unto virtue.

7. In the next place, let us consider what I have also asserted, namely, that it is by the Word we are reformed according to wisdom. The Word is wisdom, and He is strength. Let the soul, then, draw wisdom from Him who is wisdom, and strength from Him who is strength; and let each of these gifts be ascribed to the Word alone. Otherwise, if either be ascribed to some other source, or arrogated to the soul itself, let it be said also that the river does not flow from the spring, the juice of the grape from the vine, or light from the orb of day. It is a faithful saying: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not: and it shall be given him (James i. 5). This the Apostle expressly states; and I think it is not otherwise with regard to strength. For strength is nearly allied to wisdom; it is a gift of God, coming down from Him who is the Father of the Word, and to be ranked among the best gifts. If anyone should think that it is in all respects identical with wisdom, I do not contest it; but that perfect resemblance is in the Word, not in the soul. For those excellences, which in the Word are one because of the unique simplicity of the Divine nature, have not in the soul the same action; but accommodate and distribute themselves, as if diverse, according to its different and various necessities. According to this principle, then, it is one thing for the soul to be acted upon by strength, and another for it to be directed by wisdom: one thing for it to be strengthened by power, and another for it to be delighted by sweetness. For although wisdom be powerful, and power sweet; yet that we may attach to words each their proper signification, we attach to power the sense of a certain vigour in the soul, and to wisdom that of calmness and composure, accompanied by a kind of spiritual sweetness. This I take to have been specified by the Apostle when, after having given many exhortations relating to spiritual strength, he added with regard to sweetness: In siveetness* in the Holy Ghost (2 Cor. vi. 6, Douay). It is, then, an honour, indeed, to stand firm, to resist, to repel force, by force, which are regarded as the works of strength and courage; but it is also a labour. For it is not the same thing to defend your honour with toil and danger, and to possess it in peace. Whatsoever strength laboriously prepares, wisdom makes use of and enjoys; and that which wisdom ordains, contemplates, regulates, strength carries into effect.

8. 4 The wisdom of a scribe cometh by his time of leisure/ saith the Wise man (Ecclus. xxxviii. 25, Douay). The very leisure, therefore, of wisdom is a labour; and the more leisurely wisdom is, the more laborious it is in its own way. But virtue, the more it is exercised in its own sphere of action, the more illustrious it is; and the more it prevails over difficulties, the more it is approved. And if anyone should define wisdom as the love of virtue, I do not know that he would be far wrong. But where love is, there a task, whatever it be, is not a mere labour, but a pleasure and a joy. And perhaps the name 4 sapientia* is derived from * sapor/ since it is, as it were, the seasoning of virtue, to which it gives taste and savour, and which, in default of it, remains tasteless and insipid. Nor should I object

•if anyone should define wisdom to be the love of, and taste for, good. But we have lost this taste almost from the very appearance of our race upon the earth. From the moment in which sense has prevailed, and the venom of the old serpent has occupied and corrupted the palate of the heart, it has begun to have no longer a taste for that which is good, and a depraved and injurious taste has begun to enter in. Thence it is that the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth (Gen. viii. 21); that is, from the folly of the first woman. It is, then, the folly of the woman that was the cause of our losing the taste for good, and that because the malicious cunning of the serpent deceived her inexperience. But the very reason which made that malice appear to have gained the victory for a time, occasions it the mortification of defeat for all eternity. For, lo! Wisdom once more has wholly filled the heart and the body of a woman; so that as by a woman we had become deformed by falling into folly, so by a woman we should be reformed unto wisdom. And now wisdom constantly prevails over malice in those souls into which it has entered, destroying and replacing by a better that taste for evil which malice brought with it. Wisdom, when it enters into the soul, renders insipid all the pleasures of the flesh, purifies the understanding, heals and restores the palate of the heart. Thus, with the restoration of its powers, it begins to desire that which is good, and to desire wisdom itself, than which there is nothing better.

9. How many good actions are done in which, notwithstanding, those who do them have no real delight, because they are not impelled to do them by a taste and love for them, but are, in a measure, forced to do them by the compulsion of reason, or of circumstances, or even by necessity! And, on the contrary, how many there are who, though they do wrong, do not take pleasure in evil, but are led into it rather by fear, or by some desire which they wish to satisfy, than by any satisfaction in wrongdoing! But those who act from deliberate purpose either are wise, and delight in goodness for its own sake, or they are of evil disposition, and find pleasure in evil as such, without being drawn to it by the hope of some advantage. What, indeed, is iniquity but the taking pleasure in what is evil? Happy is the soul which has delight only in whatever is good, and distaste and hatred for whatever is evil! This it is to be reformed unto wisdom; this is to have had happy experience of the victory of wisdom in one's own self. For that in which the predominance of wisdom over malice is most plainly shown is when, by the exclusion of all delight in evil, which is nothing else than evil itself, the soul feels itself to be wholly occupied by a deeply seated approval of, and delight in, that which is good. It is, then, to power we have to look for the ability bravely to endure tribulations, and to wisdom for the ability to rejoice in them. To strengthen thy heart, and wait patiently upon the Lord, that is the work of power; to taste and see how sweet is the Lord, is the gift of wisdom. And as each gift shows to the greatest advantage in its appropriate virtue, so modesty of mind approves the man who is wise, constancy the man who is full of power. And it is with fitness that we put wisdom after power, because power of soul is, as it were, the firm foundation upon which wisdom raises for itself the complete edifice of the Christian character. But it is needful that the knowledge of the good should precede each of these, for there is no point of agreement between the light of wisdom and the darkness of ignorance. And a good will also is needful, for * into a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter (Wisd. i. 4).

10. Now, having taken note that by the change of its will from evil to good the soul has recovered life, spiritual health by the instruction which God bestows, stability by the gift of strength, and, lastly, maturity by that of wisdom, it remains that it should obtain the gift of beauty, without which it is not able to please Him who is fairest among the sons of men. For she knows that it is said: The King shall greatly desire thy beauty (Ps. xlv. 11). How many good gifts to the soul, the gifts of the Word, have we enumerated: knowledge, goodwill, power, wisdom; and yet we do not read that either of these is desired by the Word; only of * thy beauty 9 is this said. So the Psalmist also says: The Lord hath reigned^ He is clothed with beauty (Ps. xciii. 1, Douay). How can He fail to desire that she who is at once His likeness and His Bride should be clad with a similar garment of beauty to Himself? The closer is her resemblance to Him, the dearer will she be. In what, then, consists this beauty of the soul? Is it not in this, that she is called honourable? Let us take that meaning provisionally, if no better occurs to us. But honour appears in the outward behaviour; not that it consists in this, but it is by this that it is recognised. Its origin and its dwelling-place are in the conscience, and the testimony of a good conscience is its glory. When the truth shines forth in the soul, and the soul beholds itself in the truth, there is nothing brighter than that light, nothing more glorious than that testimony. But of what nature is the image thus displayed? It is that of a soul chaste, modest, selfrestrained, circumspect, admitting nothing which tends to obscure the glory of the testimony thus rendered; conscious of no wrongdoing which should make it ashamed in the presence of the truth, and oblige it to hide its countenance, as if confused and repelled by the Divine light. This is without doubt that beauty which God takes most pleasure in beholding, among all the excellences of the holy soul; and this we name and define as honour,

11. But when the splendour of this beauty is diffused abundantly throughout the heart, so as to fill it wholly, it is of necessity that it should become visible also without, and be not as a light hidden under a bushel, but rather as a lamp shining in a dark place, and which cannot be concealed. Thus casting the bright illumination of its rays upon the body, it makes the latter an image of the soul, and diffuses itself through all its faculties and senses, insomuch that every action, every word, look, motion, every laugh (if it should ever give way to laughter) should be mixed with gravity and full of self-restraint. When, then, all the movements of the body, all its gestures and habits, are grave, pure, and modest, far removed from all boldness and licence, from all lightness and luxury, but adapted to righteousness, and to every duty of piety, then the fairness of the soul shall be visible, provided there be no secret guile to obscure it. For it may be that all these things are put on and simulated, and do not come naturally out of the abundance of the heart. And to display this spiritual beauty in all its lustre, we will define, if you please, this honour, and show in what it consists. It is the candour of the soul, which is solicitous to unite the testimony of a good conscience within with spotlessness of reputation without, or in the words of the Apostle: Providing for things honesty not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men (2 Cor. viii. 21). Blessed is the soul which has clothed itself in that beauty of holiness, that pure whiteness of innocence, by which it may claim a glorious likeness, not to the world, but to the Word; of whom we read, that He is the Brightness of the everlasting Light (Wisd. vii. 26); the Brightness of the glory of God, and the express Image of His Person (Heb. i. 3).

12. From this degree the soul which is in such a condition ventures to think of union with the Word. Why should she not do so, when she sees that the more she resembles Him, the more fitted she is for that spiritual marriage? The loftiness of His Majesty does not terrify her, because her resemblance associates her with Him, her affection unites her to Him, her profession of obedience and loyalty constitutes a betrothal. And this is the form of that profession: I have sworn, and will perform it, that I will keep Thy righteous judgments (Ps. cxix. 106). This the Apostles had followed when they said: Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed Thee (Matt. xix. 27). Similar is that saying which, referring to a carnal marriage, signified, nevertheless, the spiritual union which is betwixt

Christ and His Church: For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh (Eph. v. 31); and by the Psalmist the Bride glorifies herself in these terms: // is good for me to draw near to God.: I have put my trust in the Lord God (Ps. lxxiii. 28). When, then, you shall see a soul which, having left all, cleaves unto the Word with every thought and desire, lives only for the Word, rules itself according to His will, nay, becomes, as it were, fruitful by the Word, which is able to say with sincerity, To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil. i. 21), then you may have much assurance that this soul is wedded to the Word, and is His Bride. The heart of her Spouse trusteth in her, knowing her to be faithful, inasmuch as she has despised all things in comparison of Him, and counts them as dung (Phil. iii. 8), that she may win Christ, and be found in Him. Such the Lord knew him to be of whom He said: He is a chosen vessel unto Me (Acts ix. 15). Assuredly the soul of the Apostle St. Paul was, as it were, a faithful spouse and a tender mother, as was shown by his touching words: My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you (Gal. iv. 19).

13. But notice that in this spiritual marriage there are two ways of travailing in birth, different, though not contrary; since saintly souls, as holy mothers, either bring forth souls by preaching, or by meditation develop spiritual intelligences. In the latter kind of travail it sometimes happens that the soul is so transported out of itself, and entirely detached from the bodily senses, that, though conscious of the Word, it has no consciousness of itself. This is the case when it is drawn on by the ineffable sweetness of the Word, and, as it were, stolen from itself, or, rather, it is rapt out of itself to enjoy the Presence of the Word. The mind is affected in one way when it is rendered fruitful by the Word, and in another when it enjoys the Presence of the Word. In the one it is full of care for the necessity of its neighbour; in the other it is filled with enjoyment of the sweetness of the Word. And, indeed, a mother has joy in her offspring, as a Bride in the kindness of her spouse. Dear and precious are children, who are the pledges of affection; most sweet also the devotion of the beloved. So also it is a good work to save many souls; but to depart and to be with the Word, that is far better. But when does that happen to us, or how long does it endure? Sweet is that communion; but how seldom does it occur, and for how brief a time does it last! And this is the final reason.of those for which, as I remember I stated above, the soul seeks the Word; namely, that it may attain to spiritual joy through Him.

14. Perhaps it will be asked of me by someone who hears this, What is it to enjoy the Word? I reply, Let that be asked rather from him who has had the happiness to experience it. Even though it were given to me to have that great blessing, how can you think it possible that I should explain a mystery which is incapable of being put into words? Hear one who had known it: Whether we be beside