title: Commentarius in Cantica canticorum

author: Ambrose of Milan

source_edition: Migne, Patrologia Latina, vol. 15, coll. 1851–1962B

source_text:
## PROLOGUS.

[1851]

[1851A] *1545* 1. *Osculetur me osculo oris sui [n: (Cant. I, 1)]*: non hic foeditatis incentiva, sed castitatis celebrantur mysteria; ubi spiritualiter agitur et affectuali quadam contemplatione de nuptiis et conjunctione Christi et Ecclesiae, increati spiritus et creati, carnis et spiritus. Circumcidamus ergo cor nostrum: nihil vile, nihil corporeum quaeramus; vile autem omne terrenum. Nihil ergo terrenum, nihil carnale, nihil saeculare, nihil corporeum, nihil leve atque mutabile in his eloquiis constituamus coelestibus: *Eloquia* enim *Domini eloquia casta;* ut in his coelestium mysteriorum immaculata et pudica sinceritas *1546* spiritali interpretatione resplendeat. Non adulterina quadam opinione misceamus terrena divinis, et illud inviolabile sacramentum propheticae visionis aut perennis oraculi, naturae nostrae aestimatione violemus: sive enim de osculis, sive de talibus, totum decet, quidquid defertur religioni; ut [1852A] nullum obsequium quod proficiat ad cultum et observantiam Christi erubescamus: sicut in illa saltatione David ante arcam; non enim illa deliciarum comes fuit atque luxuriae saltatio, sed quod unusquisque corpus attollat impigrum, nec humi pigra jacere membra, vel tardis sinat torpere vestigiis. Hoc enim nos magisterium non invenimus, sed accepimus; sic instituit ordinem mystici carminis, doctrina coelestis. *1547*

## 2.

*Osculetur me ab osculis oris sui; quia bona ubera tua super vinum, et odor unguentorum tuorum super omnia aromata. Unguentum exinanitum est nomen tuum [n: (Ibid.)]*. Totus iste deliciarum locus ludum sonat, plausum excitat, amorem provocat. *Ideo,* inquit, *adolescentulae dilexerunt te, et attraxerunt te; retro odorem unguentorum tuorum curramus. Induxit me rex in tabernaculum suum [n: (Ibid., 3)]*. Ab osculis coepit ut ad tabernaculum perveniret, atque illa impatiens dominici laboris exercitataeque virtutis, [1853A] agitur ut aperiat manu claustra, in agrum exeat, in castellis maneat; in principio tamen retro odorem currit unguenti, cum in tabernaculum venerit, unguentum mutatura castellis. Denique quo evadat, vide.

## 3.

*Si murus,* inquit, *est, aedificemus super eum turres argenteas [n: (Cant. VIII, 9)]*. Quae ludebat osculis, jam turres erigit, ut pretiosis sanctorum turrita fastigiis, non solum hostiles frustretur incursus, verum etiam bonorum propugnacula struat tuta meritorum. Etiam in his conjugiis temporalibus nubenti prius plauditur, quam imperatur; ne ante dura offendant imperia, quam blanditiis amor fotus inolescat. Bucula plausus cujusdam sonitum discit amare, cervicis ne recuset jugum; denique prius assuescitur verbo *1548* lasciviae, quam verbere disciplinae. Ast ubi colla [1853B] subdiderit jugo, et habena constringit, et stimulus urget, et compares trahunt, et jugalis invitat. Sic etiam Virgo nostra debuit prius amore pio cudere; aurea thori coelestis fulcra mirari, et in ipso vestibulo [1854A] nuptiarum et postes frondium sertis cernere coronatos, et chori strepentis interius haurire delicias; ne se prius dominico jugo timefacta subduceret, quam vocata inclinaret. Oportet enim ut gradus quosdam profectuum et ordinem noverimus, quid prius, quid consequens esse debeat: nam scire quid facias, et ordinem nescire faciendi, non est perfectae cognitionis, offendunt enim plerumque praepostera. Itaque quia quot homines, tot sententiae, si quid defecatum est in sermone nostro, omnes legant: si quid decoctum, maturiores probent: si quid modestum, pectoribus inhaereat, genas pingat: si quid florulentum, aetas florulenta non improbet. Debuimus sponsae excitare amorem; scriptum est enim: *Diliges Dominum Deum tuum [n: (Deut. VI, 5)]*: [1854B] debuimus in nuptiis crines sponsae calamistris quibusdam orationis ornare; scriptum est enim: *Plaude manu, et percute pede [n: (Ezech. XXI, 14)]*: debuimus perpetuos spargere thalamos rosis.

## INCIPIT TEXTUS.

## CAPUT PRIMUM.

[1853B] *1547*

## 1.

Ante vita quam doctrina quaerenda est; vita enim bona et sine doctrina habet gratiam, doctrina sine vita integritatem non habet, *In malevolam etenim animam non cadit sapientia [n: (Sap. I, 4)]*: ideoque ait: *Quaerent me mali, et non invenient [n: (Prov. I, 28)]*: quia improbitate caecatur mentis oculus, et caligante sibi iniquitate mysteria profunda invenire non potest. Primum ergo exercenda est [1853C] vitae militia, corrigendi mores. Cum haec instituerimus ad cursum debitum, ut sit offensionis correctio, puritatis gratia: tunc ad studia percipiendae cognitionis veniamus suo ordine et via. Prima igitur sunt moralia, secunda mystica: in illis vita, in his cognitio; ita ut si perfectionem requiras, nec vita sine cognitione, nec cognitio sine vita sit, utrumque astipuletur alteri. Quam institutionem secutus Salomon librum de Proverbiis scripsit, quo moralem locum uberius expressit, naturalem in Ecclesiaste, mysticum in Canticis canticorum: quamquam si diligenter discutias, et in Proverbiis mystica pleraque reperias, et in Canticis moralium suavitatem. Nam utique mysticum est: *Sapientia aedificavit sibi domum, et subdidit columnas septem, interfecit hostias [1853D] suas,* etc. [n: (Pov. IX, 1)]. Hoc quippe in Canticis lucet mysticum quod morale, in quo blanditiarum suavitas et affectus amantis exprimitur.

## 2.

*[n: (Vers. 1, 2.)] Osculetur me ab osculo oris sui; quoniam optima ubera tua super vinum, et odor unguentorum tuorum super omnia aromata.* Constitue ergo Virginem desponsatam multo tempore, et justo ferventem amore, quae multa praeclara opera dilecti, probabilium testium assertione cognoverit, desideriis suspensis dilatam frequenter, jam non ferentem moras, quae omnia fecisset ut sponsum [1854B] deret: aliquando votis potitam suis, ad improvisum sponsi adventum gaudio turbatam, non quaerere primordia salutationis, non verborum vices, sed statim quod desiderasset exigere. Ita ergo et sancta Ecclesia quae in primordiis mundi desponsata in paradiso, praefigurata in diluvio, annuntiata per Legem, vocata per prophetas, cum diu redemptionem hominum, Evangelii decorem, dilecti exspectasset adventum; impatiens morae, in oscula ruit dicens: *Osculetur me ab osculo oris sui;* et delectata osculis, [1854C] adjicit: *quoniam optima ubera tua super vinum.*

## 3.

Et ut moralius dicamus, intelligo mihi carnem illam quae madefacta fuerat in Adam serpentis veneno, quae criminum marcebat fetore, quae procedebat in filiabus Sion alta cervice et nutibus oculorum, et itinere pedum trahens tunicas, et pedibus suis ludens, crinium cincinnis et compositis vultibus atque redimiculis, et omni affectata decore plus dedecens, eamdem tamen plurimis *1548* edoctam oraculis, quod venturus esset qui serpentis illecebris exclusis, Spiritus sancti infunderet gratiam; ut omnis caro videret salutare Dei, omnis caro ad Deum veniret, marcuisse desiderio: sed metuentem ne ut impatiens, ut lasciva, ut luxuriosa, ut querula, sicut ante fuerat displiceret, [1854D] quamvis longiore quam ferre jam poterat, morantis adventus Dominici exspectatione quateretur: non murmurantem tamen nec transgredientem, sed levantem in omni loco puras manus, sine ira et disceptatione, in habitu ornato cum verecundia et sobrietate, ornantem se non in tortis crinibus aut auro aut margaritis aut veste pretiosa, sed his quae castitatis et bonae conversationis decerent gratiam, orare dicentem: *Osculetur me ab osculo oris sui; quoniam optima ubera tua super vinum.* Jam volebat adhaerere Christo caro, jam festinabat innubere; [1855A] ut esset unus spiritus, et fieret caro Christi quae erat ante meretricis. *Osculetur,* inquit, *me:* osculatur nos Dei Verbum, quando sensum nostrum spiritus cognitionis illuminat.

## 4.

Igitur vel Ecclesia est jamdiu promisso sibi per prophetas Dominico adventu per tempora multa suspensa, vel anima quae elevans se a corpore abdicatis luxuria atque deliciis, voluptatibusque carnalibus, exuta quoque sollicitudine saecularium vanitatum, jamdudum infusionem sibi divinae praesentiae et gratiam Verbi salutaris exoptet, commacerari eam quod sero veniat, et affligitur; ideo quasi vulnerata charitatis, cum moras ejus ferre non possit, conversa ad Patrem, rogare ut mittat sibi Deus Verbum, et causam qua sit ita impatiens declarare dicentem: *Osculetur me ab osculis oris sui.*

## 5.

Non unum osculum quaerit, sed plura oscula, ut desiderium suum possit explere; quae enim diligit, [1855B] non est unius osculi parcitate contenta, sed plurima exigit, plura vindicat, et ita se amplius dilecto commendare consuevit. Denique illa in Evangelio sic probata est, *Quia non cessavit,* inquit Dominus, *osculari pedes meos, et ideo remissa sunt ei peccata multa, quia dilexit multum [n: (Luc. VII, 46, 47)]*. Ergo et haec anima oscula Verbi multa desiderat, ut illuminetur divinae cognitionis lumine; hoc est enim osculum Verbi, lumen scilicet cognitionis sacrae. Osculatur enim nos Deus Verbum, quando cor nostrum et ipsum principale hominis Spiritus divinae cognitionis illuminat; quo anima donata charitatis pignore nuptiali, laeta atque ovans dicit: *Os meum aperui et eduxi spiritum [n: (Psal. CXVIII, 131)]*. Osculum est enim quo invicem amantes [1855C] sibi adhaerent, et velut gratiae interioris suavitate potiuntur. Per hoc osculum adhaeret anima Dei Verbo, quod sibi spiritus transfunditur osculantis: sicut etiam hi qui se osculantur, non sunt labiorum praelibatione contenti, sed spiritum suum sibi invicem videntur infundere. *1549*

## 6.

*Osculetur me ab osculis oris sui.* Vis ad Christum aptare? Nihil gratius. Vis ad animam tuam? Nihil jucundius. *Osculetur me,* videt te mundum esse ab omni peccato, quia delicta de terra sunt; ideo te sacramentis coelestibus dignum judicat, et ideo invitat ad coeleste convivium; ut *Osculetur te ab osculis oris sui.* Tamen propter sequentia, anima tua, vel humana conditio, vel Ecclesia vidit se ab omnibus mundatam esse peccatis, dignam quae ad altare Dei [1855D] possit accedere. Quid est enim altare, nisi forma corporis Christi? Vidit sacramenta mirabilia, et ait: *Osculetur me ab osculis oris sui;* hoc est, osculum mihi Christus infigat. Quare? quia:

## 7.

*Meliora ubera tua super vinum,* hoc est, meliores sensus, meliora tua sacramenta super vinum, super illud vinum quod etsi suavitatem habet, laetitiam [1856A] habet, gratiam habet: tamen in illo laetitia saecularis, in te autem jucunditas spiritalis est. Jam tunc ergo Salomon inducebat nuptias vel Christi et Ecclesiae, vel spiritus et carnis et animae. Et tamquam despiciens omnes jucunditates et delectationes suas, coelestibus cupieos inhaerere mandatis, ait: quoniam optima praecepta testamentorum tuorum super omnem appetentiam carnis, et saeculi voluptatem; meminerat enim se in Eva ante sic lapsam, dum voluptatem corporis praefert mandatis coelestibus. Ostendens itaque non solam speciem Verbi, et vultum quemdam, sed omnia interiora ejus diligere, adjungit ad osculorum gratiam: *Quia bona,* inquit, *ubera tua super vinum, et odor unguentorum tuorum super omnia aromata.* Illa osculum poposcit, Deus Verbum se ei totus infudit, et nudavit ei ubera sua, hoc est, dogmata sua et interioris sapientiae disciplinas, et unguentorum suorum dulci odore fragravit: [1856B] quibus capta dicit uberiorem esse jucunditatem divinae cognitionis, quam laetitiam omnis corporeae voluptatis.

## 8.

*Unguentum exinanitum vel oleum effusum nomen tuum;* hoc est, totus immundis impuritatibus diversorum facinorum fetebat hic mundus, nunc spirat ubique suavitas pudicitiae, unguentum fidei, flos integritatis. Aspirat etiam in Verbo odor gratiae et remissio peccatorum, quae in totum diffusa mundum, omnia tamquam exinanito replevit unguento, quia per universos gravis illuvies detersa vitiorum est. Hoc unguentum exinanitum est supra Judaeos, et collectum est agentibus: exinanitum in Judaea, et redoluit in omnibus terris. Hoc unguento uncta est Maria, et Virgo concepit, Virgo peperit bonum odorem Dei Filium: hoc unguentum effusum est super [1856C] aquas, et sanctificavit aquas: hoc unguento uncti sunt tres pueri, et humorem his flamma roravit; hoc unguento Daniel unctus est, et leonum ora mollivit, feritatemque permulsit. Fluit hoc unguentum quotidie, et numquam deficit. Accipe vas tuum, virgo, et accede, ut possis hoc unguento repleri: accipe unguentum aestimatum trecentis denariis, sed gratis datum, non venditum, ut omnes haberent gratis. Virgo, ungere; noli contristari sicut Judas, quia hoc unguentum effunditur, sed consepeli in te Christum: claude sane vas tuum, ne unguentum effluat: claude integritatis clave, loquendi verecundia, abstinentia gloriandi; hoc quae habet unguentum, Christum recipit: *Unguentum exinanitum nomen tuum.* [1856D]

## 9.

*[n: (Vers. 2.)] Propterea adolescentulae dilexerunt te.* Quae sunt istae adolescentulae, nisi animae singulorum, quae deposuerunt istius corporis senectutem, renovatae per Spiritum sanctum? *Unguentum effusum nomen tuum,* cujus virtute sermonis nihil potest esse praestantius. Nam sicut inclusum in vase aliquo unguentum cohibet odorem suum, qui odor quamdiu vasis illius angustiis coercetur, etsi ad plures non [1857A] potest pervenire, tamen vim suam servat: cum vero de vase illo quo claudebatur unguentum fuerit effusum, longe lateque diffusum dicitur: ita et Christi nomen ante ejus adventum in Israel populo, quasi in vase aliquo Judaeorum mentibus claudebatur: *Notus* enim *in Judaea Deus, in Israel magnum nomen ejus. [n: (Psal. LXXV, I)]*. Hoc itaque nomen quod vasa Judaeorum angustiis suis coercitum continebant. Magnum quidem et tunc nomen, cum infirmorum atque paucorum haereret angustiis, sed magnitudinem sui nondum per corda gentium et in fines totius orbis effuderat: *1550* postquam vero per omnem mundum suo illuxit adventu, per omnem utique creaturam divinum illud suum nomen extendit, non repletum accessione aliqua, plenitudo enim nescit augmentum; sed replens vacua, ut esset admirabile nomen ejus in [1857B] universa terra. Hujus igitur effusio nominis abundantem quamdam exuberantiam gratiarum, bonorumque coelestium significat ubertatem, ex abundanti enim superfluit quidquid effunditur. *Ideo adolescentulae dilexerunt te.* Bona, inquit, prudentia, sed dulcis misericordia; illam enim pauci assequuntur, haec ad omnes pervenit: propter hanc, inquit, indulgentiam tuam diligunt te animae renovatae spiritu.

## 10.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] Attrahe nos post te, curremus in odorem unguentorum tuorum.* Osculata jam anima sancta Verbum Dei, modum non capit, nec expletur dicens: Suavis es, Domine, et in jucunditate tua doce me justificationes tuas [n: (Psal. CXVIII, 12)]. Osculata Dei Verbum concupiscit super omnem decorem, diligit super omnem laetitiam, delectatur super omnia [1857C] aromata, cupit frequenter videre, saepe intendere, cupit attrahi ut sequi possit: *Unguentum,* inquit, *exinanitum nomen tuum, propterea te diligimus adolescentulae;* propterea certamus, sed comprehendere non possumus: attrahe nos, ut possimus currere; ut odore unguentorum tuorum accipiamus virtutem sequendi. Festinat etiam interna mysteria videre, ipsam requiem Verbi, ipsam boni illius summi habitationem, et lucem ejus et claritatem in illo sinu ac recessu patrio; festinat audire sermones ejus, et cum audierit super omnem suavitatem accipit.

## 11.

Doceat te propheta qui gustavit, et ait: *Quam dulcia faucibus meis verba tua, super mel et favum ori meo [n: (Psal. CXVIII, 103)]*! Quid enim aliud desiderat [1857D] anima, quae semel Verbi suavitatem gustaverit, quae semel claritatem ejus viderit? Moyses in monte positus quadraginta diebus Legem accipiens, cibum corporis non requirebat: Elias ad illam festinans requiem, rogabat ut acciperetur anima sua a se: Petrus aspiciens et ipse in monte Dominicae resurrectionis gloriam, nolebat descendere, dicens: *Domine, bonum est nos hic esse [n: (Matth. XVII, 4)]*. Quanta igitur illa divinae substantiae gloria, quanta Verbi dona, in quae concupiscunt et angeli prospicere!

## 12.

Anima igitur quae illud videt, corpus hoc non requirit, minimamque familiaritatem cum eo esse [1858A] debere intelligit, renuntiat saeculo, abducit se a vinculis carnis, et exuit omnibus voluptatum istarum nexibus. Denique Stephanus Jesum videbat, et lapidari non formidabat; immo cum lapidaretur, non pro se, sed pro illis a quibus perimebatur, rogabat. Paulus quoque raptus usque ad tertium coelum, cum corpore esset vel sine corpore nesciebat, raptus, inquam, in paradisum, usum proprii jam non sentiebat corporis, et audiens verba Dei, quomodo ad corporis infirmitates descenderet, erubescebat. Itaque sciens quid vidisset in paradiso, vel quid audisset, clamabat dicens: *Quid adhuc velut viventes de hoc mundo decernitis? Ne tetigeritis, ne attaminaveritis, ne gustaveritis, quae sunt omnia ad corruptelam ipso usu [n: (Coloss. II, 20 et 21)]*. Volebat enim nos in figura esse istius mundi, non possessione atque usu, [1858B] ut ita utamur hoc mundo tamquam non utamur, tamquam praetereuntes, non tamquam residentes; ambulantes tamquam in imagine saeculi, non in cupiditate, ut velocissima disputatione ipsam imaginem hujus mundi transeamus. Denique ipse fide ambulans, non specie, peregrinabatur a corpore, aderat Deo: et cum esset in terris, non in terrenis, sed in coelestibus conversabatur. Ergo anima nostra quae Deo vult appropinquare, elevet se a corpore, semper illi summo bono adhaereat, illi bono quod est divinum, quod est semper, et quod erat ab initio, et quod erat apud Deum [n: (I Joan. I)], hoc est, Dei Verbum: ipsum est illud divinum, *In quo vivimus, et sumus, et movemur [n: (Act. XVII, 28)]*.

## 13.

*Curremus in odorem unguentorum tuorum.* Hunc [1858C] odorem fragrat anima quae Christo aperire incipit, ut accipiat primum odorem Dominicae sepulturae, et credat, quia caro ejus non vidit corruptionem, nec odore aliquo mortis emarcuit: sed aeterni illius floris et semper virentis odore condita surrexit. Quomodo enim poterat vel in carne marcescere, cujus nomen *Unguentum exinanitum* *1551* *est?* Exinanivit se ut spiraret tibi; semper hoc unguentum erat, sed erat apud Patrem, erat in Patre, olebat tantum angelis et archangelis, tamquam intra vas coeli. Aperuit os Pater dicens: *Ecce posui te in testamentum generis mei, in lucem gentium; ut sis in salutem usque ad extremum terrae [n: (Esai. XLIX, 6)]*. Descendit Filius, repleta sunt omnia novo odore Verbi, eructavit cor Patris Verbum bonum, fragravit Filius, Spiritus [1858D] sanctus exhalavit, atque per omnium corda diffudit: *Diffusa est enim charitas Dei in cordibus nostris per Spiritum sanctum [n: (Rom. V, 5)]*. Ipse Dei Filius in corpore tamquam in vase odorem primo cohibebat suum, opperiens tempus sicut ait: *Dominus dat mihi linguam eruditionis, ut sciam quando oporteat dicere sermonem.* Venit hora, aperuit os, exivit unguentum, quando virtus exibat de eo. Et ideo ista festinat ad Verbum, et rogat ut attrahatur, ne forte derelinquatur; quia currit Dei Verbum, et non est alligatum. Denique *Exsultat tamquam gigas ad currendum [1859A] viam [n: (Psal. XVIII, 6)]*. Et quia *Egressus ejus summo coelo, et occursus ejus usque ad summum ejus [n: (Ibid., 7)]*, videns se imparem tantae velocitati, dicit: *Attrahe nos.*

## 14.

Bona anima quae non pro se sola, sed pro omnibus rogat: *Attrahe,* inquam, *nos;* habemus enim cupiditatem sequendi, quam unguentorum tuorum inspirat gratia: sed quia cursus tuos aequare non possumus, *Attrahe nos;* ut auxilio tuo fultae, vestigiis tuis possimus insistere. Si enim tu attraxeris, curremus et nos, et spiritalia velocitatis flabra capiemus. Deponitur enim sarcina quibus manus tua fulcro est: et oleum tuum infunditur, quo curatus est ille qui a latronibus vulneratus est.

## 15.

At ne impudens tibi videatur quod ait: *Attrahe nos,* audi dicentem: *Venite ad me, omnes qui [1859B] laboratis, et onerati estis, et ego vos reficiam [n: (Matth. XI, 28)]*. Vides quod libenter nos attrahit, ne remaneamus sequentes: sed qui vult attrahi, currat ut comprehendat, et currat posteriora obliviscens, et ea quae sunt priora appetens, sic enim poterit Christum comprehendere; unde et Apostolus ait: *Sic currite ut comprehendatis.* Vult et ista ad bravium pervenire, quae desiderat comprehendere. Prudenter ergo rogat ut attrabatur, quia non omnes sequi possunt. Denique Petro dicenti: *Quo vadis?* respondit Verbum Dei: *Non potes me sequi modo, sequeris autem postea [n: (Joan. XIII, 36; Matth. XIV, 30)]*. Claves ei commiserat regni coelorum, et in sequendo se imparem judicavit. Hanc tamen animam non distulit, quia non praesumebat, sed rogabat. Denique, [1859C]

## 16.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] Introduxit me in cubiculum suum.* Beata anima quae Verbi ingreditur penetralia, namque ea insurgens de corpore, ab omnibus fit remotior; atque illud quod est supra semetipsum, divinum illud si quomodo assequi possit, scrutatur et quaerit: quod cum potuerit comprehendere, ea quae sunt intelligibilia supergressa, in illo confirmatur, atque eo pascitur. Talis erat Paulus qui sciebat se raptum in paradisum, sed sive extra corpus sive in corpore nesciebat. Assurrexerat enim anima ejus de corpore, et se a visceribus et vinculis carnis abduxerat atque levaverat, factusque a semetipso alienus, intra semetipsum tenuit verba ineffabilia quae audivit et vulgare non potuit, quae advertit ea homini loqui non licere. Anima ergo bona contemnit visibilia [1859D] et sensibilia, nec consistit in eis, nec in respiciendis his immoratur et residet: sed ascendit ad illa aeterna et invisibilia et plena miraculis, puro sensu se piae mentis attollens. Etenim perfectioni studens, solum illud bonum divinitatis intendit, nec aliud quidquam requirendum putat, quia tenet quod summum est.

## 17.

*Introduxit me rex in cubiculum suum.* Simplex est osculum, sed negotiosum cubiculi secretum; hoc enim loco mysteria plenius cognoscere se velle testatur, ut ingrediatur penetralia mysteriorum coelestium, [1860A] et aperiantur sibi thesauri sapientiae et scientiae in Christo absconditi: quod ut possit, fortasse illud ait quod supra: *Osculetur me ab osculis oris sui.* Significat Spiritus sancti supervenientis gratiam, sicut Angelus ad Mariam dixit: *Spiritus sanctus superveniet in te, et virtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi [n: (Luc. I, 35)]*. Quando autem introduxit eam rex in cubiculum suum, passionis tempus, lateris compunctio declarat, sanguinis effusio, sepulturae unguentum, resurrectionis *1552* mysterium; ut osculum quasi sponsa acceperit: in cubiculum autem Christi sit introducta Ecclesia, non jam quasi tantummodo desponsata, sed etiam quasi nupta: nec solum thalamum sit ingressa, sed etiam legitimae claves copulae consecuta sit. Ideoque quasi in thalamo sita ait: *Colligatio guttae frater meus mihi, inter [1860B] media ubera mea requiescit [n: (Vers. 12)]*.

## 18.

Quod si cubiculum quaerimus, ipse nos edocet qui ait: tu autem cum orabis, *intra in cubiculum tuum, et clauso ostio, ora Patrem tuum in abscondito [n: (Matth. VI, 6)]*. Cubiculum Ecclesiae corpus est Christi. Introduxit eam rex in omnia interiora mysteria, dedit ei claves ut aperiret sibi thesauros scientiae, sacramentorum clausas ante fores panderet, cognosceret quiescentis gratiam, defuncti somnum, virtutem resurgentis. In illo cubiculo justitias Domini Jesu nupta reperit. Quae sunt illae justitiae? Utique sacramenta baptismatis, sicut legimus, quia cum venienti ad baptismum diceret Joannes: *Ego a te debeo baptizari, et tu venis ad me;* respondit Jesus: *Sine modo, sic enim decet nos implere omnem [1860C] justitiam [n: (Matth. III, 15)]*. In illo cubiculo justificationes Domini discit, consilium Dei cognovit, quo nihil potest esse sublimius; hoc est enim divinum, in quo fit remissio peccatorum.

## 19.

Haec a Domino quaerit discere, quae homines docere non poterant, nisi antea Deus docuisset: quae posteaquam a Christo didicerunt apostoli, Ecclesia dicit: *Introduxit me rex in cubiculum suum,* hoc est, in illud secretum, in quo sunt omnes thesauri scientiae et cognitionis suae. Ideoque tibi dicitur: *Cum oras, intra in cubiculum tuum [n: (Matth. VI, 6)]*. quod significat mentis animaeque secretum. In hoc cubiculo justitiarum sponsa se poposcit induci, cum post odorem unguenti excurrerit, quod semper fluit, et numquam deficit. [1860D]

## 20.

*Introduxit me rex in cubiculum suum,* Graecus in promptuarium suum et in cellarium suum habet: ubi bona libamina, ubi boni odores, mella suavia, ubi fructus diversi, ubi epulae variae sunt, ut plurimis epulis tuum prandium condiatur. Denique in illud divini illius sponsi introducta secretum:

## 21.

*Exsultemus,* inquit, *et laetemur in te; diligamus ubera tua super vinum;* non enim in divitiis et auri argentique thesauris, non in possessionum fructibus, non in potestatibus, non in conviviis, sed in solo Deo exsultat, dicens ad eum: *Diligamus [1861A] ubera tua super vinum.* Sic tamen bibebat, ut non absorberetur a vino, sed gratia ejus laetitiam cordis hauriret, non corporis ebrietate titubaret. Denique bibens hoc vinum, aperuit oculos suos, et vidit viam rectam, reliquit tortuosas vias dicens: *Aequitas dilexit te,* hoc est, non flexuosa itinera te sequuntur: sed solus ad te potest justitiae trames pervenire, qui enim diligit justitiam non se avertit a Christo. Quomodo enim arbitrum justitiae, remuneratoremque meritorum innocens metuat conscientia? Eadem tamen anima cognoscens corporis societate se fuscatam, dicit ad alias animas, vel ad alias coelestes et appositas sacro mysterio potestates: *Nolite aspicere me, quoniam obfuscata sum, quia non est intuitus me sol.*

## 22.

*[n: (Vers. 4.)] Fusca sum et decora, filiae Hierusalem.* [1861B] Constitue Dominum Jesum recumbentem in convivio, reclinantem se Joannem supra pectus ejus, mirantes alios quod servus supra Dominum reclinaret, quod caro illa peccatrix supra templum Verbi recumberet, quod anima illa carnis vinculis innexa aulam divinae plenitudinis scrutaretur. Haec ergo mirantibus aliis, respondit anima Joannis: *Fusca sum et decora, filiae Jerusalem;* fusca per culpam, decora per gratiam. Dicit et caro, *fusca sum et decora;* fusca pulvere saeculari, quem certando collegit, decora oculo spiritali, quo mundi hujus pulverem squaloremque detersit: fusca per vitium, sed decora jam per lavacrum, quod abluit omne delictum: fusca sum quia peccavi, decora quia jam me diligit Christus; quam relegaverat enim in Eva, recipit in [1861C] virgine, suscipit ex Maria.

## 23.

Dicit etiam Synagoga, cujus mysteria hoc loco plerisque videntur exprimi; quae cum se rejici videret propter totius plebis impietatem; solabatur se tamen, *1553* quia ipsum Christum de populo suo non tantum, sed et Petrum, Joannem, Jacobum Christo adhaerentes videbat, quia habebat eloquia sibi credita. Et ideo dicebat: *Fusca sum et decora, filiae Hierusalem:* fusca per incredulitatem, decora per legem: fusca per lapsum, decora quia dilexit me sol, et prior facta sum congregatio Dei. *Nolite me refugere quia fusca sum;* ideo fusca sum quia sol me reliquit justitiae, qui ante illuminare consueverat. Amisi colorem vultus mei, obtusa facta est acies oculorum meorum quibus ante solem videbam: [1861D] in tenebris ambulo, quae diem Christi nescio. Nolite tamen despicere me, quoniam qui reliquit, potest rursum aspicere. Misereri iterum solet, congregare dispersos, desertos requirere, colligere destitutos. Omnes tribus Israel, convenite, aspicite me decoram ante delicta; *nolite aspicere me, quoniam obfuscata sum;* hoc est, non hoc solum aspiciatis quia obfuscata sum; non est intuitus me sol, et ideo obfuscata sum. Sed lucet sol super justos et injustos, super justos pro gratia, super injustos pro [1862A] misericordia; illis mercedem meritorum tribuens, istis peccata dimittens. Et gentibus non lucebat ante, nunc lucet, nunc illis oritur qui oriebatur mihi; qui illis remisit, remittet et mihi. Nolite arbitrari quoniam obfuscata sum, quod penitus reliquerit me sol, et jam non intueatur, non requirat aegram. Dissimulavit a me, quia non servavi mandata ejus: reconciliabitur cum viderit meorum poenitentiam delictorum. Non vidit me sol, quia non recepi advenientem, non aperui fenestras, ut vitae lumen intraret: cum aperuero, illuminabit oculos meos, qui venit ut totum mundum illuminaret, et videant etiam non videntes.

## 24.

Vel dicit Ecclesia de gentibus: *Nolite aspicere me quoniam fusca sum, quia non respexit me sol;* eo quod velut pruinis hiemalibus geluque constricta [1862B] gentilis erroris, congregationem gentium sol justitiae diu indignam aestimaverit, quam serena vultus sui luce lustraret. Nonne tibi videbatur hiberni rigor temporis, quando notus erat in Judaea tantummodo Deus? Nunc autem plenitudo lucis fulget aestivae, quando omnia et in omnibus Christus. Nonne *terra Domini et plenitudo ejus [n: (Psalm. XXIII, 1)]*? Et vere orbis terrarum in Ecclesia, quia *non Judaeus tantummodo aut Graecus, non Barbarus aut Scytha, non servus aut liber: sed omnes in Christo unum sumus [n: (Coloss. III, 11)]*. Sol omnibus fulget, dies omnibus lucet. *Nigra sum, et decora.* Praemisit nigram, ut augeret decorem: non dixit: Nigra sum decora, ne quod nigrum est decorum aestimaretur: sed ait: Nigra sum superiore peccato, sed decora [1862C] confessione peccati, et correctionis studio, atque amore virtutis. Quamvis ergo *Et* syllaba ut grammatici appellant conjunctiva sit, habet tamen distinctionem, qua confusio distinguitur ac separatur; ut si dicas Ambrosium Bassum intus esse, unus putatur: sin autem asseras Ambrosium et Bassum intus esse, duo utique intelliguntur.

## 25.

*Sicut tabernacula Cedar, sicut pelles Salomonis;* tentoria enim de exuviis fiunt mortuorum animalium. Igitur quae hoc dicebat, mortua erat peccato, et vivebat Deo: et nos igitur peccato moriamur; ut Deo vivamus. Repleti spiritus, jucunditate et suavitate laetitiae, erimus exuviae spirituales, carentes infirmitate corporea, et integro mentis sinu infusam nobis divinorum mysteriorum gratiam [1862D] reservantes. Tabernacula autem Cedar, pellesve Salomonis corpus hoc dici liquet ex pluribus locis: tamen etiam inde intellige, quod Adam et Eva ubi imaginem deposuere coelestis quam ante portabant, imaginem terreni hominis induentes, tunicas dicti sunt vestiti esse pelliceas; corporales enim eos fecerat de spiritualibus culpa commissa.

## 26.

Nec illud absurdum ad intelligendum, quod ita se dicit sponsa factam sicut pelles solis adustas ardoribus; eo quod in asperitate licet tribulationum [1863A] posita, mortificaverit tamen corpus suum, ne sentire possit illam asperitatem: sicut enim ardorem solis non sentit pellis tabernaculi, eo quod pellis sit animalis mortui; ita haec mortua peccato, ardorem peccati sentire non poterat: vel quia non frangebatur necessitatibus, vel quia corpus *1554* afflictionis sumus, et mortem Domini Jesu semper in corpore nostro circumferre debemus.

## 27.

*[n: (Vers. 5.)] Filii matris meae pugnaverunt adversum me;* hoc est, impugnaverunt me corporis passiones, carnis illecebrae decoloraverunt: ideo sol justitiae mihi non refulsit, quia viduata praesidio devotionem meam et observantiam plenam servare non potui, hoc est enim, *vineam meam non custodivi,* quia spinas et non uvam attuli, id est faciens peccata pro fructibus. Et cum de Verbo loquitur, [1863B] irradiante sibi verbi splendore, conversa ad ipsum dicit:

## 28.

*[n: (Vers. 6.)] Ubi pascis, ubi manes in meridiano?* Recte dicit, *ubi pascis,* quia regale est Dei Verbum: *ubi manes,* quia morale: *in meridiano,* quia mysticum: siquidem meridie Joseph cum fratribus suis in convivio constitutus futurorum mysteria temporum revelabat. Sed etiam David dicit: *Revela ad Dominum vitam tuam et spera in eum, et ipse faciet, et educet sicut lumen justitiam tuam, et judicium tuum sicut meridiem [n: (Psalm. XXXVI, 5)]*. Et ipse Paulus circumfulsisse sibi lumen meridie asseruit, quando a persecutione est conversus ad gratiam.

## 29.

Queritur ergo quod derelicta sit, quod destituta sit pauper ex divite; abundabat enim munere [1863C] gratiarum: sed egere coepit, ubi divinae praesentiae sibi copia denegata est. Et ideo vel quasi mercenaria haberi postulat, quae ante sibi pretiosioris copulae gratiam vindicabat.

## 30.

*Posuerunt me custodem in vineis, vineam meam non custodivi [n: (Vers. 5)]*. Putant aliqui hoc de illis dici qui Synagogam ad legis praecepta constringunt, ut legem custodiat, vineam suam tueatur, quam custodire non potuit. Denique custodiebat ut faceret uvas, fecit autem spinas. Quae sit igitur vinea, venit David testificare nobis dicens: *Vineam de Aegypto transtulisti, et ejecisti gentes, et plantasti eam [n: (Psalm. LXXIX, 9)]*. Possunt et apostoli esse filii matris ejus, qui vere impugnaverunt Synagogam dicentes: *Ecce convertimur ad gentes:* et nationibus verbum [1863D] Dei seminare coeperunt. Possunt et prophetae intelligi qui monendo denuntiandoque ut vineam suam custodiret Synagoga, nihil profecerunt; fecit enim spinas improbitatis, quae virtutis uberes fructus deferre debuerat: et ideo confitetur quod populum suum custodire non potuit meritoque sero quaerit tenere, quem cum teneret, amisit: multo dissimilior ejus quae dicit: *Inveni quem diligit anima mea, tenui eum, et non relinquam eum [n: (Cant. III, 4)]*. Denique illa invitat in hortum suum sponsum; haec ubi pascat requirens, dicit ad ipsum: [1864A]

## 31.

*Annuntia mihi quem dilexit anima mea.* Cur *quem dilexit anima mea,* dicis, et non quem diligit? Cur dimisisti quem tenebas? Dilexisti patrum fide, amisisti incredulitate: tenebas charitatis vinculis, amisisti longo fune perfidiae. Ideo nescis ubi pascat, ubi maneat; nam si scires, non quaereres. Dicis enim: *Ubi pascis, ubi manes in meridie?* Meridiem nosti esse Ecclesiam quae teneat Christum, et tu eum in noctibus quaeris. Dic, inquit, mihi, Christe, responde vel propter id quia ante carus fuisti atque dilectus mihi; etsi ergo tantae praerogativam charitatis amisi, ut tamen quasi pius, responde mihi, *Ubi pascis, ubi manes?* Reliquisti me, abiisti ad gentes, recessisti longe a me, et illis propior factus es a quibus longe eras. Sed factus es prope, quia sanguine tuo crediderunt. A me recessisti, quia ego crucem non suscepi [1864B] ut mundi redemptionem, sed ut noxii damnanationem. Qui autem receperunt sicut salutis auctorem, in meridie sunt; illis luces, illis refulges, illis calet gratia tua sicut meridies. Mihi matutinus eras, cum adhuc crederem, sed non credebam plene, quia non sum inventa in meridie, sicut Joseph cum fratribus suis qui tenebant meridiem: illis meridies factus es, qui pascuntur in divitiis tuis, et in te sperant. Ideo ut dixit David: *Deduces eorum justitiam tamquam lumen, et judicium eorum tamquam meridiem [n: (Psalm. XXXVI, 6)]*.

## 32.

Quaeris ergo tamquam aliena quae proxima eras, tamquam pauper quae dives fuisti: vis sequi quae praecedebas, atque utinam vel sequaris quos praecedere debuisti! Mercenaria esse desideras quae [1864C] ante mercenarios colligebas; mercenariae itaque vox ista dicentis est: *Ne* *1555* *forte fiam circumamicta super greges sodalium tuorum.* Quae proselytos ex gentibus ante suscipiebas, nunc ipsa in nationibus vis pro proselytis suscipi, et tamquam advena congregari. Respondit Verbum Dei animae desideranti:

## 33.

*[n: (Vers. 7.)] Nisi cognoscas te decora inter mulieres.* Nosce teipsum, homo, tuae animae dicitur, nisi cognoveris te formosam in mulieribus. Cognosce te, anima, quia non de terra, non de luto es, quia insufflavit in te Deus, et fecit in animam viventem. Opus es magnificum, Dei inspiratione formatum: *Attende tibi,* ut Lex dicit, id est animae tuae: saecularia te et mundana non teneant, terrestria non [1864D] morentur. Ad illum tota intentione festina, ex cujus inspiratione consistis: *Grande,* inquit, *homo, et pretiosum vir misericors: virum fidelem opus est invenire [n: (Prov. XX, 6)]*. Disce, homo, ubi grandis, atque pretiosus sis. Vilem te terra demonstrat, sed gloriosum virtus facit, fides rarum, imago pretiosum. Ubi namque quidquam tam pretiosum, quam imago est Dei? quae tibi primo fidem debet infundere, ut in corde tuo refulgeat quaedam auctoris effigies; ne qui mentem tuam interrogat, non agnoscat auctorem. An quidquam tam pretiosum, quam humilitas; [1865A] ut naturam corporis animaeque perspiciens, altero te subjicias, altero recognoscas. Prona in vitium carnis illecebra misericordiam suadet; quia quod alteri contuleris, tibi solvis: quidquid a te procedit, in te recurrit, et quidquid feceris, tibi solvis: et quidquid profueris, tibi proficit. Vivacis animae vigor, sensus rationis et capax intellectus atque judicii, ut digna domus tanto habitatore videatur, non amittat suae praerogativam naturae. *Nisi cognoscas te, decora inter mulieres.* Quae quereris quod derelicta sis, nisi te cognoscas, nisi poeniteat te lapsus tui, nisi intentionem devotionis approbes, nisi fides tua et sinceritas augeatur, querela nihil proderit. Aut sic, nisi cognoscas te quia decora es, nisi pulchritudinem naturae tuae serves, et corporis te illecebrae non demergant, [1865B] nec impedimenta detineant, nihil tibi creaturae melioris nobilitas suffragabitur.

## 34.

Cognosce igitur te et naturae tuae decorem, et exi quasi exuta vinculis pedum, et nudo exerta vestigio, ut carnalia integumenta non sentias: vestigium mentis tuae corporalia vincla non implicent, ut pes tuus speciosus appareat. Tales enim sunt, qui ad regnum coelorum annuntiandum eliguntur a Domino, de quibus dictum est: *Quam speciosi pedes evangelizantium pacem [n: (Esai. LII, 7)]*. Talis Moyses cui dicitur: *Solve calceamentum pedum tuorum [n: (Exod. III, 5)]*; ut qui vocaturus populum ad Dei regnum procederet, prius carnis abjiciens exuvias, nudo spiritu vestigioque mentis incederet; hoc est ergo quod ait: *Exi tu in calceamentis gregum, et pasce [1865C] haedos tuos in tabernaculis pastorum.*

## 35.

Per greges regnum intelligimus, eo quod potestatis sit gregibus praesidere. Praesidet autem unusquisque sibi quadam potestate regali, si coerceat in se corporis luxus, et servituti redigat carnem suam; ideoque dictum est: *Regnum Dei intra vos est.* Unde pulchre ait ad animam: *Exi,* id est, exi a servitio, exi a carnis imperio atque dominatu, et exi non in carne sed in spiritu, exi ad regimen potestatis. Ideoque addidit: *Pasce haedos tuos,* hoc est, rege ea quae in sinistra tua sunt; nam si non regantur, facile labuntur. Coerce petulantiam, lasciviam tui corporis et luxuriam irrationabilem, edoma leves motus: pasce eos non in corporeis tabernaculis, sed in tabernaculis pastorum qui regere gregem norunt; sunt enim amabilia tabernacula Israel, sicut nemora obumbrantia super flumen, in quibus anima tamquam [1865D] in procinctu bellico sita bonam exercet militiam, incursus explorat hostiles.

## 36.

*Nisi noscas te, decora inter mulieres.* Quid est se noscere, nisi ut sciat unusquisque hominem se ad imaginem et similitudinem Dei factum, rationis capacem, qui terram suam excolere tamquam bonus agricola debeat aratro quodam et falce sapientiae; ut vel dura findantur, vel luxuriantia recidantur, qui interiorem sui portionem animi imperio debeat gubernare. [1866A] Unde etiam in Lege scriptum est: *Attende tibi, ne fiat verbum absconditum in corde tuo [n: (Deut. XV, 9)]*: tibi, inquit, attende, non utique *1556* dicit pecuniae tuae, non possessionibus tuis, non viribus corporis, sed animo tuo ac menti tuae, unde omnia consilia, facta, cogitationesque manant. Tibi ergo attende ibi, ubi potiorem esse te nosti. Nosce teipsum, quod Apollini Pythio assignant gentiles viri, quasi ipse auctor fuerit hujus sententiae; cum de nostro usurpatum ad sua transferant, et longe anterior Moyses fuerit qui scripsit librum Deuteronomii, quam philosophi qui ista finxerunt.

## 37.

Unde et Salomon oraculum divinum secutus, scripsit in Canticis canticorum; *Nisi scias te, decora inter mulieres;* hoc est, nisi cognoscas te mortalem [1866B] rationalem, et cito tua peccata fatearis, cito dicas iniquitates tuas ut justificeris, nisi convertaris, et prior accuses delicta tua, venit dies mortis et jam nullum conversionis remedium est; praeveniris dum cogitas. Accende facem tuam, priusquam sponsi tibi janua claudatur, qui exspectare diu non solet negligentes. *Nisi scias te,* inquit, *decora inter mulieres;* et dicas: *Fusca sum et decora: fusca sum,* quia peccavi, *decora,* quia diligor, quia genus sum Abrahae, electum genus, dilectum Deo; nihil tibi proderit patrum gratia: *Potens enim Deus est de lapidibus istis suscitare filios Abrahae [n: (Matth. III, 9)]*. Et alibi in Evangelio legisti, quia Abrahae filiam ligavit diabolus nequitiae suae vinculis, quam Dominus solvit in die sabbati. Nisi ergo scias te, nihil [1866C] tibi proderit. Etsi dicas, Abrahae sum filia quae non credis, quae errorem non corrigis; Abraham quidem salvatur, sed te nobilitas generis non juvabit, nisi fides salvaverit. Non te decipiat data patribus repromissio, non suscipio personam hominis, non suscipio praerogativam generis; nisi videro congruentem generi morum nobilitatem, ut fiat justi generis electio.

## 38.

Quod si scias te, et cognoscas quia peccato obnoxia es, exeundum in calcaneis gregum est tibi. Exi ergo nuda pede, et pasce haedos tuos in tabernaculis pastorum. Qui sine peccato est, agnos pascit, oves pascit: quae autem peccato obnoxia est, pascat haedos qui a sinistris sunt; non enim potest esse in dextera pastoris boni. Sequatur magis dicentem Petro: *Veni retro me, Satana [n: (Marc. VIII, 33)]*. Sequendo Petrus meruit in dextera collocari; ideoque [1866D] ei dicitur: *Pasce agniculos meos [n: (Joan. XXI, 16)]*. Sed quo exeat audi: *Ad tabernacula,* inquit, *pastorum,* hoc est, ad gentes, ad dispersionem. Ideoque dixit: *Percutiam pastorem, et dispergentur oves gregis [n: (Zach. XIII, 7)]*; ut repleatur totus orbis terrarum grege Christi, significans tunc fore salvam Synagogam, cum se huic dispersioni et ipsa sociaverit, quae replevit hunc mundum; tabernacula enim pastorum sunt regna terrae. [1867A]

## 39.

*[n: (Vers. 8.)] Equae meae in curribus Pharaonis assimilavi te, proxima mea.* In quo dum velocium equorum cursui similitudo Ecclesiae comparari videtur, aestimatur dives ejus gratia. Non igitur unam equam divitis regis intelligas, sed absoluto pro equitatu, ut saepe diximus, qualis ovis illius est, pro grege ovium. Pharao igitur ut potentissimus rex et praedives habebat equos potentes; unde et Scriptura dicit: *Currus Pharaonis [n: (Exod. XIV, 9)]*, quasi potentissimum genus ad bellorum usum, et subsidium praeliandi: denique his curribus Pharao fugientes Hebraeos facile comprehendit. Sicut ergo equi juncti facile trahunt currum, et patienter suscipiunt jugum, et portant cum gratia, et jugi illius susceptione mansuescunt: sic et congregatio nationum [1867B] gentilibus indomita moribus se ante jactabat. Ubi vero suscepit jugum dicentis: *Tollite jugum meum super vos, quia leve est; et onus meum, quia suave est [n: (Matth. XI, 29 et 30)]*; et coepit sponsa Christi concordia et mansuetudine populorum esse sublimis, et toto circumferri orbe, tamquam currus equis velocibus supra mundum rapta ascendit ad sponsum.

## 40.

Habet enim equos suos Christus, de quibus dicit propheta: *Immisisti in mare equos tuos, turbantes aquas multas [n: (Habac. III)]*; eo quod gentium populos qui moventur ut aquae multae, et excitantur in fluctus aquarum, evangelizando commoverint apostoli, ut assurgentes a terrenis idolorum ceremoniis, in Christum crederent. Et supra ait: *Ascendisti [1867C] in equos tuos, equitatus tuus sanitas.* O bonorum equorum duo decajugum mirabile, quibus frena pacis, *1557* habenae sunt charitatis: constricti inter se concordiae vinculis, et jugo fidei subjecti, quatuor rotis Evangelii mysterium totius orbis finibus invehentes, bonum aurigam portantes Dei Verbum: cujus flagello fugatae sunt illecebrae saeculares, exterminatus mundi istius princeps, justorum cursus impletus est. O rationabilium equorum grande certamen! o mirandum mysterium! Rota intra rotam currebat, et non impediebatur, novum Testamentum in veteri Testamento, intra illud currebat per quod annuntiabatur. In quatuor partes ibant, rotae, et non revertebantur retrorsum; quia spiritus vitae erat in his, qui currebat in quatuor partes [1867D] totius mundi: et sine offensione currebat, quia bona equorum vita quadrabat. Currebant igitur equi, quia non dormiebat qui ascenderat equos.

## 41.

Animarum igitur nostrarum auriga Jesus; qui nos quoque vult ascendere equos nostros, id est, corpora nostra; et vigilare semper ne dicatur nobis: *Dormitaverunt qui ascenderunt equos [n: (Psalm. LXXV, 7)]*. Transeundum est hoc mare impigre, vix transitur a vigilantibus. Si quis autem dormierit, transire non poterit, sed demergitur, ut Aegyptius cujus et anima et corpus interiit. *Equum* enim *et ascensorem projecit [1868A] in mare [n: (Exod. XV, 1)]*, qui non sequebantur legem, sed per sequebantur.

## 42.

*Equae meae in curribus Pharaonis assimilavi te.* Virtutis labor quaerit victoriam, ut non possit equae illi quae Salomonis est comparari, velox ad currendum, habilis ad partum; quoniam fecunditas animae desideratur et quaeritur. Haec ergo equa pretiosa est, et currus Pharaonis veloces. Sed hoc loco de anima dicendum suscepimus, hujus equae quae similis aestimatur huic animae, hoc est, propheticae vel apostolicae virtutis: quod in eorum annumeretur grege, qui fecunditate praedicationis suae totius orbis terrarum spatia repleverunt. Et quamvis in corpore constituti, nulla tamen cursus spiritalis sensere dispendia. Ideoque laudatur quod coelesti sibi illuminante [1868B] praecepto, jam speciosa, jam pulchra sit quae vultu praeferat castitatis decorem, et redimicula cervicis tollat, in qua sunt patientiae et humilitatis insignia. Atque idcirco sponsam suam collaudans dicebat:

## 43.

*[n: (Vers. 9.)] Quam speciosae factae sunt genae tuae sicut turturis, cervix tua sicut redimicula.* Vultus liberior est, ubi est charitatis conscientia; et portare jugum Christi suave est, si ornamenta putes cervicis tuae esse, non onera. Attolle ergo oculos semper ad Dominum tuum, et quaere Deum, ut invenias. Erige cervicem, redimicula non vincula geris: mutaque animalia redimiculis gaudent, et phalerari sibi magis, quam nodari videntur. *Genae sicut turturis,* perferant insignia verecundiae: *Redimicula cervicis* libertatis attollant fiduciam; leve est enim jugum [1868C] Christi, et ideo cervix eo non premitur, sed levatur.

## 44.

*[n: (Vers. 10, 11.)] Similitudines,* inquit, *auri faciemus tibi, ex distinctionibus argenti, quoad usque rex erit in declinatione sua.* Ex iis enim qui ex Lege sunt et prophetis, mediocriter ante crediderant gloriam Domini Jesu, et haereditas ejus diffusa per populos, quo frequentius examinata, hoc amplius est probata. Crebrae enim persecutiones Ecclesiae justorum nobis titulos, martyrii victorias ediderunt. Itaque sicut aurum bonum, ira Ecclesia cum utitur, detrimenta non sentit, sed magis fulgor ejus augetur, donec Christus veniat in regnum suum, et reclinet caput suum in Ecclesiae fide. Qui cum venisset ad oves perditas domus Israel, non habebat ubi caput suum reclinaret: nunc autem jam redolet fides, ideoque [1868D] dicit Ecclesia: *Nardus mea dedit odorem suum;* et dicit cum praesumptione exspectans retributionem. Fragrat unguentum gratiae, in quo virgo generavit, et Dominus Jesus sacramentum incarnationis assumpsit.

## 45.

*[n: (Vers. 12, 13.)] Colligatio guttae frater meus mihi, in medio uberum meorum manebit,* sive *commorabitur.* Prius quidem dixerat, quod nardus sua dedisset ei odorem sponsi; et quia per unguentum quo unxerat, odoris ejus fragrantiam recepisset: nunc autem ait: Frater meus mihi guttam redolet, et hanc non diffusam neque ut libet dispersam, sed [1869A] colligatam et constrictam, quo scilicet odor ipsius suavitatis densior reddatur et vehementior. Et hic, inquit, *1558* cum talis sit, in medio uberum meorum commoratur et commanet, et requiem ac mansionem suam facit in loco pectoris mei. *Colligatio,* inquit, *guttae consobrinus meus, botrus cypri frater meus mihi, inter media ubera mea requiescet.* Corpus enim suscipiens Dominus Jesus, charitatis se vinculis illigavit, et non solum se membris nostris et passionibus naturalibus, sed etiam cruci junxit; ideoque sicut botrus in Ecclesiae fide, et morali requiescit gratia.

## 46.

*Nardus cypri consobrinus meus in vineis Engaddi.* Si locum quaerimus regionis cujusdam quae in Judaea est, locus sic dicitur in quo opobalsamum gignitur: si interpretationem, tentatio Latine significatur. [1869B] In illis vero vineis lignum est, quod si quis compungat, unguentum emittit, hic fructus est ligni. Si non incidatur lignum, non ita fragrat et redolet, cum autem compunctum fuerit artificis manu, tunc lacrymam distillat. Sicut et Christus in illo tentationis ligno crucifixus, illacrymabat populum, ut peccata nostra dilueret, et de visceribus misericordiae suae fundebat unguentum dicens: *Pater, dimitte illis, quia nesciunt quid faciunt [n: (Luc. XXIII, 34)]*. Tunc ergo in ligno compunctus lancea, exivit de eo sanguis et aqua, omni unguento suavior, accepta Deo hostia, per totum mundum odorem sanctificationis effundens. Et quasi balsamum ex arbore, sic virtus exibat e corpore, unde ait: *Sentio virtutem de me exiisse* [1869C] [n: (Luc. VIII, 46)]. Inde opobalsamum expressius dicitur, eo quod compunctione ligni balsamum per cavernam punctionis erumpit.

## 47.

Compunctus igitur Jesus, odorem remissionis peccatorum et redemptionis effudit. Nam et constrictus erat, cum Verbum esset homo factus: et pauper factus est, cum dives esset; ut nos illius inopia ditaremur: potens erat, et despiciendum se praebuit, ita ut Herodes sperneret eum et illuderet ei: terram movebat, et haerebat in ligno: coelum obducebat tenebris, et mundum crucifigebat, et crucifixus erat: inclinabat caput, et exibat Verbum: exinanitus erat, et replebat omnia: descendit Deus, ascendit homo: Verbum caro factum est, ut caro sibi Verbi solium in Dei dextera vindicaret: vulnus erat et [1869D] fluebat unguentum: scarabaeus audiebatur, et Deus agnoscebatur. Respondit et Christus.

## 48.

*[n: (Vers. 14.)] Ecce bona es, proxima mea, ecce es bona: oculi tui columbae.* Quoniam cognoverat Ecclesia mysterium, et pro totius mundi redemptione crucifixum Dominum Jesum praedicabat, meretur audire: *Ecce es bona,* quae me bonum dicis; *Ecce es bona,* quae vidisti gloriae meae decorem, et ipsa speciosa es et decora. Quid est autem dicere Christum: *Bona es,* vel *decora es,* nisi illud Evangelium: *Constans esto, filia, remissa sunt tibi peccata tua [n: (Matth. IX, 22)]*? Ergo cui Christus peccata donavit, [1870A] recte dicit: *Retribue servo tuo, ut vivam, et custodiam mandata tua [n: (Psal. CXVIII, 146)]*. Non habet in retributione quid desperet; quia Dominus Jesus venit mundum salvare, non perdere. Ideo immemor est injuriae, memor gratiae, sicut in prophetico libro testificatur ipse dicens: *Ego sum, ego sum qui deleo iniquitates tuas, et memor non ero: tu autem memor esto et judicemur, dic tu prius iniquitates tuas ut justificeris [n: (Esai. XLIII, 25 et 26)]*. Quicumque ergo dicit iniquitates suas Deo, justificatur: et quicumque justificatur, retributionem non timet, sed exposcit: qui retributionem non timet, vivit.

## 49.

*[n: (Vers. 15, 16.)] Ecce,* inquit, *formosus consobrinus meus, et quidem pulcher. Acclinatio nostra opaca, trabes domorum nostrarum cedri, lacunaria nostra [1870B] cupressi.* Laudat sponsi decorem Ecclesia, quem plus unusquisque tacito laudat affectu, et fidus mysteriorum interpres tacendo plus praedicat. Nam quae arcana divulgat, imminuit Christi decorem; ideo nemo mittat margaritas suas porcis, ne conculcari faciat ornamenta pretiosa. Non ergo in tabernaculo loquacis et garruli; quia multiloquio peccatum admittitur: sed in viri serii, qui sit parcus alloquii, nec sermonis intemperans, et verborum sobrietate temulentiam loquacitatis evitans, caput suum Christus reclinat.

## 50.

Et merito opacam significat reclinationem; quia in Ecclesia constitutos virtus obumbrat Altissimi. Hac umbra David protegi postulabat, ne eum per diem sol ureret, vel luna per noctem *(Psalm. [1870C] CXX, 6)*. Hanc umbram spiritualis ministrat *1559* gratia, torrida saeculi hujus et mundi aestiva fugientibus. Opaca igitur acclinatio Christi et Ecclesiae, quibus Dei Patris aeterna illa requies aspirat. In hac ergo requiescamus umbra, peccatorum nostrorum aestibus fatigati si quos adussit libido, hos Domini crux refrigeret, in qua se reclinavit, ut nostra debita susciperet. Si quos culpa lassavit, hos Jesus gremio excipiat suo, et molli foveat amplexu; unde audeo dicere, quod caro Christi acclinatio est Ecclesiae.

## 51.

*Trabes domorum nostrarum cedri.* Cedri specie, majorum qui justi fuerunt, gloria designatur. *Justus enim ut palma florebit, et sicut cedrus quae in Libano est, multiplicabitur [n: (Psalm. XCI, 13)]*; sicut enim cedrus [1870D] non putrescit, ita nec majorum gloria ulla vetustate corrumpitur.

## 52.

*Lacunaria nostra cupressi.* Genus hoc arboris numquam amittit viriditatem suam, hieme juxta atque aestate comam pascit, nec diverso colore mutatur. Solam hanc arborem ventus numquam suo honore despoliat, sola numquam veteri exuitur amictu, aut novo flore vestitur. Sic apostolica quoque gratia nescit defectum, sed vetustate sui floret. Anima ergo corrumpi nescit, quae florentibus membris viget, semper justitiae caeterarumque virtutum culmina patienti [1871A] magnanimitate sustentat; et ideo non defluit, neque deficit; quia nihil in ea rimosum est ac remissum, nihil mobile, nihil lubricum, nihil quod vitio sermonis ex ea possit effundi. Sequitur Ecclesia vel fidelis anima, animam dico, ideo quia nihil tam est homo, quam anima.

## CAPUT SECUNDUM.

## 1.

*[n: (Vers. 1, 2.)] Ego flos campi, et lilium convallium, sicut lilium in medio spinarum;* in totam enim terram fides populi credentis exivit, et in spatioso posuit pedes suos Christus; et ideo pulchre ait florem se esse campi. Flos erat etiam Paulus qui dicebat: *Bonus odor Christi sumus Deo [n: (II Cor. II, 15)]*. Et vere flos, qui poterat nova et vetera de sui cordis proferre thesauro. *Ego flos campi.* Et bene flos est [1871B] Ecclesia quae fructum annuntiat, hoc est, Dominum Jesum Christum, de quo dictum est Mariae: *Benedicta tu inter mulieres, et benedictus fructus ventris tui [n: (Luc. I, 42)]*.

## 2.

Alio quoque sensu florem tibi demonstro carpendum, illum utique qui dixit: *Ego flos campi, et lilium convallium.* Plerique comparationem hanc secundum naturam floris, et usum putant propositi germinis aptiorem; eo quod lilia nullius annui usus cultum requirant, nec sicut erga proventum fructuum caeterorum, ita etiam erga generationem istius floris, sollicitis in orbem redeat labor actus agricolis; quibuslibet enim siccitatibus agri, omne illud quod alitur in florem quadam virtute genitali ex sese, atque in se succi semper virentis animatur; ita ut cum [1871C] foliorum puberum caulem videas aruisse, floris tamen natura virescat; absconditur enim viriditas, non amittitur. Ast ubi vernis fuerit provocata blanditiis, indumentum germinis, comam floris, liliive resumit ornatus.

## 3.

Illud etiam delectat advertere, quia non in asperitatibus montium incultisque silvarum lilia, sed in hortorum amoenitate generantur. Sunt enim horti quidam diversarum pomiferi virtutum, juxta quod scriptum est: *Hortus conclusus,* etc. [n: (Cant. IV, 12)], eo quod ubi integritas, ubi castitas, ubi religio, ubi fida silentia secretorum; ibi claritas angelorum est, ibi confessorum violae, lilia virginum, rosae martyrum sunt. Bene lilium Christus est, quia ubi martyrum sanguis, ibi Christus qui est flos sublimis, [1871D] immaculatus, innoxius, in quo non spinarum offendat asperitas, sed gratia circumfusa clarebat. Sunt enim spinae rosarum, quae sunt tormenta martyrum; non habet spinas inoffensa divinitas, quae tormenta non sensit.

## 4.

*Tamquam lilium in medio spinarum.* Quod est evidentis indicii spiritalium nequitiarum sentibus virtutem obsideri, unde fructum nemo referat, nisi qui cautus accedat. Sume igitur alas virgo, sed spiritus: ut supervoles vitia, si contingere cupis Christum, [1872A] *Qui in altis habitat, et humilia respicit [n: (Psalm. CXII, 5)]*. Et species ejus sicut cedrus Libani, quae comam nubibus, radicem terris inserit; principium enim ejus de coelo, posteriora ejus in terris, *1560* fructus coelo proximos ediderunt. Scrutare diligentius tam bonum florem, necubi eum in pectoris tui convalle reperias; humilibus enim frequenter inhalatur. Amat generari in hortis, in quibus cum Susanna dum deambularet, invenit: mori potius quam violari parata.

## 5.

Aliter, *Ego flos campi, et lilium convallium, tamquam lilium in medio spinarum.* Ecce alium locum in quo solet Dominus conversari, immo non in uno, sed in pluribus: *Ego,* inquit, *flos campi;* quia patentem simplicitatem purae mentis frequentat. [1872B] *Et lilium convallium;* flos enim humilitatis est Christus, non luxuriae, non voluptatum atque lasciviae, sed flos simplicitatis, flos humilitatis. Flos odorem suum et succisus reservat, et contritus accumulat, nec avulsus amittit; ita et Dominus Jesus in illo patibulo crucis nec contritus emarcuit, nec avulsus evanuit, et illa lanceae punctione succisus, sacro speciosior fusi cruoris colore vernavit, mori ipse nescius, et mortuis aeternae vitae munus exhalans.

## 6.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] Tamquam lilium in medio spinarum,* nonne inter asperitates laborum contritionesque animorum boni flos odoris assurgit; quia contrito corde Deus placatur. Hoc est desertum, filiae, quod ducit ad regnum, hoc est etiam desertum, quod [1872C] floret ut lilium, juxta illud quod scriptum est: *Laetare, sterilis, et exsulta, desertum, et floreat ut lilium [n: (Esai. XXXV, 1)]*. In hoc deserto, filiae, arbor illa bona fructifera quae bonos fructus facit, incipit brachia factorum suorum diffundere, verticem divinitatis attollere, juxta quam nostrae ligna silvae frutescant; quia sicut arbor mali inter ligna silvae, ita frater meus in medio filiorum; ut videns hoc Ecclesia, et fidei nostrae jam laeta successu, dicat: *In umbra ejus concupivi et sedi, et fructus ejus dulcis in faucibus meis.*

## 7.

[n: (Vers. 3, 4.)] Nota quod saepe in hoc Canticorum libro Salomon triplicem illam sapientiam evidenter expressit, moralem scilicet, naturalem, et mysticam, sicut in Proverbiis dixerat; ut tripliciter [1872D] sibi scriberet, qui sapientiam ejus vellet audire. Ait ergo in Canticis sponsa de sponso: *Ecce pulcher es, consobrinus meus, ecce pulcher es et decorus; acclinatio nostra opaca, trabes domorum nostrarum cedri, lacunaria nostra cupressi [n: (Cant. I, 15 et 16)]*. Possumus hoc de moralibus accipere; ubi enim requiescit Christus et Ecclesia, nisi in operibus suae plebis? Denique ubi impudicitia, ubi superbia, ubi iniquitas erat, ibi ait Dominus Jesus: *Filius autem hominis non habet ubi caput suum reclinet [n: (Matth. VIII, 20)]*. De naturalibus [1873A] autem quid accipiamus? *In umbra,* inquit, *ejus concupivi et sedi, et fructus ejus dulcis in faucibus meis;* qui enim terrena supergreditur, et cui mundana moriuntur (quoniam crucifigitur ei mundus, et ipse mundo) omnia quae sunt sub sole, refugit et contemnit. De mysticis quoque ait: *Introducite me in domum vini, constituite in me charitatem.* Etenim sicut vineam suam vitis, ita Dominus Jesus populum suum quasi vitis aeterna quibusdam brachiis charitatis amplectitur.

## 8.

Considera singula; in moralibus flos est inter spinas lilium, sicut ipse ait: *Ego flos campi, et lilium convallium [n: (Sup., v. 1)]*. In moralibus ergo flos est, sicut in naturalibus sol justitiae, qui oriens et resurgens illuminat, occidens obumbrat. Cave ne tibi occidat, quia scriptum est: *Sol non occidat super [1873B] iracundiam vestram [n: (Ephes. IV, 26)]*. In mysticis charitas est, quia plenitudo legis est Christus. Et ideo Ecclesia quae diligit Christum, vulnerata est charitate.

## 9.

Pulchre etiam lilium dicitur Ecclesia; sicut enim lilium fulget, ita etiam splendent opera sanctorum. Pulcherrime etiam dictum est: *Lilium convallium;* quia in humilibus magis elucet gratia. Sed hoc lilium in medio spinarum, hoc est, inter Judaeos et haereticos, hoc est inter sollicitudines hujus saeculi, quae mentem hominis animumque compungunt. Possumus etiam aliter accipere, quia sicut lilium inter spinas eminet, ita super omnes conventus Ecclesia Dei refulget.

## 10.

Refert etiam considerare, quod hoc lilium [1873C] splendore circumfusum sit, intus autem quod habet, rubeum sit, boni et ipsum odoris; eo quod caro Christi velut morali divinitatis claritudine circumsepta, coelestis habuerit protectionem gratiae. Denique in posterioribus ait: *Fraternus meus candidus, et rubeus [n: (Cant. V, 10)]*: candidus claritate *1561* divina, rubeus specie coloris humani, quem sacramento incarnationis assumpsit. Meritoque et ipsum quod est rubrum, bene olet, quia caro Christi sine peccato est, quam perfidi contrectantes, manus suas inquinaverunt: sancti venerantes, pietatis odore fragrarunt.

## 11.

Accepit hunc odorem Dominus Jesus fragrantis Ecclesiae suae, et ait: *Ecce proxima mea bona.* Et Ecclesia dicit ad Christum: *Ecce es bonus fraternus meus, ecce es bonus, tamquam malum in lignis silvae.* [1873D] Pulcherrima collatio! Quid enim pulchrius aptiusque dici queat, quam ut sponsum arbori mali comparet? Hujusmodi enim pomum odorem gratum habet, ut caeterorum pomorum fragrantiam vincat. Et Christus affixus ad lignum, sicut malum pendens in arbore, bonum odorem mundanae fundebat redemptionis, quae peccati gravem detersit fetorem, et unguentum potus vitalis effudit.

## 12.

*Tamquam malum,* inquit, *in lignis silvae, ita consobrinus meus in medio filiorum;* eo quod super [1874A] prophetas et apostolos, intima corda hominum, verborum suavitate mulcebat. Sed non solum odor, verum etiam cibus suavis in malo est: ergo cibus suavis est Christus.

## 13.

*In umbra ejus concupivi, et sedi;* legem enim acceperat, hanc sequebatur, hanc currebat viam: in lege itaque requiescens, in umbra Christi requiescebat. Bona umbra, quae nos ab iniquitatis sole defendit! Cui autem dubium quod lex Dei umbra sit Christi? Quid est lex diei festi, neomeniae, sabbatorum, nisi umbra futurorum? Qui dies secundum legem Moysi: Ut videam sex dies, et iterum septimum diem, et sic perpetua saecula? Quis mensis secundum legem Moysi, ut sciens mensem, sciam primam mensis neomeniam, et vere sancta in neomeniis offerenda? Quis secundum legem Moysi annus, [1874B] sex illis diebus constans de quibus ait: *Sex annis serviet Hebraeus, et septimo anno liberabitur [n: (Deut. XV, 12)]*; ut inveniantur sex anni quibus aliquis operatur terram, septimo autem anno remittit illam proselytis, et pauperibus, et bestiis terrae? Quis septimus annus, quo concedantur omnia debita Hebraeis?

## 14.

In hac umbra requiescebat Patrum fides, prophetarum sancta devotio. Dic ergo congregatio religiosa vel sancta anima: *In umbra ejus concupivi, et sedi.* Umbra est jubilaeus annus: quis enim ejus mystica videt, ut facie ad faciem cognoscat quae anno quingentesimo complenda Lege praescripta sunt? Umbra sunt dies festi secundum Legem a primo mense decima die mensis, usque ad quartam decimam, [1874C] et inde usque ad vigesimam primam mensis. Quae umbra est celebritas illa inter primum et septimum mensem in tempore illo anonymo? Umbra est sanctificata libertas in sabbato. Umbra est dies festus septimi mensis neomeniae, et memoriale tubarum, septimi mensis dies decimus, dies propitiationis. Vides quia monas et decas, duo festi dies. Item quintus decimus dies, dies Tabernaculorum per octo dies: in umbra haec omnia. In umbra prima dies vocata, et octava dies vocata in umbra, quae scenopaegiis praescripta secundum Legem.

## 15.

Constitue mihi aliquos ex circumcisione credentes, in Lege doctos, observantiae sollicitae viros, et nunc Evangelii agnitione illuminatos, spiritali saginatos gratia, dicit in his Ecclesia quae videt Christum, [1874D] quae sponsum recipit, quae cibo ejus pascitur: *In umbra ejus concupivi, et sedi, et fructus ejus dulcis in faucibus meis.* Quis fructus ejus dulcis, nisi praedicatio Dominicae passionis? ut ipse ait: *Ecce haereditas Domini, filii merces fructus ventris [n: (Psal. CXXVI, 3)]*. Quis enim dulcior fructus potest esse in faucibus nostris, quam remissio peccatorum?

## 16.

*Et fructus ejus dulcis gutluri meo.* Est spirituale manna, hoc est, pluvia spiritalis sapientiae, quae ingeniosis et quaerentibus de coelo infunditur, [1875A] et irrorat mentes piorum, et obdulcat fauces eorum: qui igitur intellexerit infusionem divinae sapientiae, delectatur nec alium cibum quaerit, nec in solo pane vivit, sed in omni verbo Dei. Qui curiosior fuerit, quaerit quid sit illud quod melle dulcius sit: respondet illi minister Dei: Hic est panis quem dedit vobis Dominus manducare. Quid sit iste panis, audi: *Verbum,* inquit, *quod ordinavit Deus.* *1562* Haec ergo ordinatio Dei, haec alimonia alit animam sapientis, et illuminat atque obdulcat, resplendens veritatis corusco, et mulcens tamquam favo quodam, ita diversarum virtutum suavitate, et sermone sapientiae. *Favi* enim *mellis sermones sunt boni,* sicut scriptum est in Proverbiis. Ergo ubi gustavit fructum suavitatis, impatiens ad perfectiora festinat, dicens: [1875B]

## 17.

*[n: (Vers. 4-7.)] Introducite me in domum vini, constituite in me dilectionem, confirmate me in unguentis, stipate me in malis; quia vulneratae dilectionis ego sum. Laeva ejus sub capite meo, et dextera ejus complectetur me. Adjuravi vos, filiae Hierusalem, in virtutibus et fortitudinibus agri, si suscitaveritis et resuscitaveritis dilectionem, usquequo voluerit.* Merito quaerit eum, merito desiderat; quia bene omnia in hoc cursu atque itinere disposuit imperator noster. Primum omnium fidei fundamento tabernaculum hoc confirmandum putavit. Deinde si qua est nobis aspera atque arida et praerupta mansio, Imperator tamen iste turbata discernit, arida irrigat, deserta fecundat. Si quid amaritudinis, si quid tentationis, si quid infirmitatis est, ductor noster et amara temperat, [1875C] et sollicita mitigat; dura dissolvit et in valida confirmat.

## 18.

Sicubi vult requiescere rex terrae exercitum suum, non ignobilem vicum non commeatibus indigentem, non arenosa et nuda gignentium: sed urbem aedificiis nobilem, refectam et uberem copiarum, aut agrum amoenum, aut virentem pascuis, aut nemorosa et campestria stativis opportuna decernit. Ergo si reges terrae norunt commoda providere sequentibus se, quanto magis Deus qui bonus est, novit quemadmodum profutura disponat diligentibus se? Ac primum si incognitum carpendum est iter, duces eliguntur viarum, qui praecurrant agmini, sed hoc imperatores isti injuriosum sibi arbitrantur: Deus autem praeibat, cum Hebraei facerent iter, denique in columna nubis loquebatur ad eos. Et ut scias [1875D] quia praeibat, *Deus,* inquit, *praeibat illos: interdiu quidem in columna nubis ostendens illis viam; noctu autem in columna ignis, et non deficiebat columna nubis interdiu [n: (Exod. XIII, 21 et 22)]*. Hanc praecedentem nobis columnam sequens Ecclesia, non deficientem ne ipsa deficeret, umbra ejus refrigerabatur; et ideo dicit: *In umbra ejus concupivi, et sedi, et dulcis ejus fructus in faucibus meis [n: (Sup., v. 3)]*; quia a Domino pascebatur, et deducta in locum pascuorum et aquam refectionis. [1876A]

## 19.

*Introducite me in domum vini.* De copiis praeparatis, quaerit progredi ad aliam mansionem in qua mysteriorum gratiam et laetitiae capiat suavitatem. Hinc quoque promovens verum iter, ait: *Ordinate in me dilectionem.* Bona stativa, ubi plenitudo est charitatis. Charitas non potest esse sine fide; tres enim velut vades sunt Ecclesiae, spes, fides, charitas, cum spes praecesserit, fides fundata fuerit, ordinatur charitas, Ecclesia copulatur.

## 20.

*Confirmate me,* inquit, *in unguentis, stipate me in malis.* Habes alias mansiones, ad quas Ecclesia cum delectatione succedit. Istae mansiones sunt crucis Christi et sepulturae, in quibus vulnerata est Ecclesia, sed vulnere charitatis; vulnus enim est quod Christus excepit, sed unguentum est quod effudit. [1876B] Pomum est quod pependit, hoc pomum gustavit Ecclesia, et ait: *Et fructus ejus dulcis in faucibus meis.* Et ut scias quia pomum est Dominus, legisti supra: *Tamquam malum in lignis silvae, ita consobrinus meus.* Nos quoque vulnus fatemur, cum praedicamus Christum crucifixum, sed bonus odor sumus Deo; quia crux Christi Judaeis scandalum, Graecis stultitia, nobis autem virtus Dei atque sapientia est. Hoc vulnere Ecclesia vulneratur, cum Salvatoris sui praedicat mortem, sed hoc vulnus est charitatis. Denique qui non credit, negat: qui diligit, confitetur. Manichaeus negat, Christianus fatetur; et ideo scriptum est: *Utiliora vulnera amici, quam voluntaria oscula inimici [n: (Prov. XXVII, 6)]*. Pulchre ergo dicit Ecclesia: *Quia vulnerata charitate [1876C] ego sum.*

## 21.

Nudemus membra nostra bono vulneri, nudemus sagittae electae: sagitta haec Christus est qui dicit: *Posuit me sicut sagittam electam [n: (Esai. XLIX, 2)]*; bonum est ergo hac vulnerari sagitta, non mediocris mansionis iste processus, non omnes possunt dicere, quia vulnerati sunt dilectione. *1563* Dicebant apostoli, cum pro Christo lapidarentur et Christum praedicarent: dicebat Paulus cum ter virgis caederetur, et die ac nocte Christum adorandum gentibus disputaret: dicunt hoc martyres, qui vulnerantur pro Christo; et quia vulnerari pro ejus meruerunt nomine, plus diligunt. Ad hanc ergo veniens mansionem Ecclesia, ad hunc processum, ut pro Christo filios suos offerat, ut excipiat vulnera [1876D] charitatis, quasi bona fidei alimenta reperiens, pietatis fructus gustavit ipsa, et hortari caeteros coepit, dicens: *Gustate et videte quoniam suavis est Dominus.* Et addidit Ecclesia dicere:

## 22.

*Laeva ejus sub capite meo, et dextera ejus complectetur me.* Et istae mansiones sunt via regali incedentis Ecclesia; *Multae enim sunt mansiones apud Patrem meum [n: (Joan. XIV, 2)]*. Testificatur Dominus Jesus: *Et ecce venio, et accerso vos [n: (Ibid.)]*. Bona mansio sapientiae, et sive in laeva ejus, sive in dextera, bona mansio; quia via regalis est. Ideoque [1877A] sapientes nuntii dicunt: *Via regali ibimus, non divertemus in dextera, neque in sinistra, quoadusque transeamus terminos tuos [n: (Num. XX, 17)]*. Hoc dixerunt missi a Moyse nuntii ad regem Edom, hoc est terrenum; quia terrena omnia sive in dextera, sive in sinistra, mala sunt. Mala mansio insipientia, mala mansio intemperantia; et ideo pertransit has mansiones Hebraeus: non divertit ad eas, sed pertransit; ut perveniat ad sinistram sapientiae et dexteram, et in ipsis maneat, ubi divitiae simplicitatis, ubi gloria, ubi longitudo vitae est. *Longitudo* enim *vitae in dextera ejus,* ut ait Salomon: *In sinistra autem ejus divitiae et gloria [n: (Prov. III, 16)]*: in dextera vita est, in sinistra requies. Utinam super sinistram ejus requiescam, nec quaeram cervicalia! *Vae* enim *his qui [1877B] assuunt cervicalia,* Ezechiel dicit [n: (Ezech. XIII, 18)]. Has mansiones praeparat Ecclesiae suae bonus ductor, et per vias sapientiae dirigit iter ejus. Denique laudat sapiens vias ejus: *Viae ejus viae bonae, et omnes semitae ejus in pace [n: (Prov. III, 17)]*.

## 23.

*Laeva ejus sub caput meum, et dextera illius complectetur me.* Haec loquitur sponsa de Christo, anima de Verbo Dei: Christus autem idem est Verbum Dei atque sapientia. Beata ergo anima quam complectitur sapientia. Magna est sapientiae manus, magna dextera, totam complectitur animam; tota enim munita est, quae desponsata Verbo Dei est. Plenitudo enim sapientiae, timere Deum: quae ergo Deum timet anima, pleno se munit ipsa praesidio. Mittit sapientia laevam suam sub collum ejus, [1877C] dexteram autem in complexum ejus. Utrumque quidem brachium ejus ad utilia extenditur; habent tamen propria sua singulae manus sapientiae: *In dextera longitudo vitae* est, *in sinistra autem divitiae et gloria.* Bonis utique manus utroque dotata est dotibus; in eo tamen habent varietatem sui muneris, quod et praesentia et futura tempora comprehendunt; ut laeva praesentium remuneratrix, dextera futurorum sit.

## 24.

Possumus hoc etiam de prophetia sancti patriarchae Israel cognoscere, nam cum dexteram suam posuisset super Ephraem, sinistram autem super Manassen, et convertere eas Joseph aetatis consideratione voluisset; ut dexteram patris super caput Manasse senioris filii collocaret, noluit, et dixit: *Scio, fili, et hic erit in populum, et hic exaltabitur, [1877D] sed frater junior major erit illo [n: (Genes. XLVIII, 19)]*. In quo major? in eo utique quia benedictione praelatus est, dicentibus posteris Ephraem: *Faciat vos Deus sicut fecit Ephraem et Manassen [n: (Ibid., 20)]*: vel quia semen ejus multitudo gentium, quae in hoc saeculo laborem elegit, credens in Dominum Jesum, ut consolationem habeat futurorum. Manasse autem semen est populus oblivionis, qui proprium oblitus auctorem, exaltatus ad tempus in hoc saeculo est, daturus in reliquum poenas graves; quia Deum suum et Dominum denegavit. [1878A]

## 25.

Hoc eo diximus, ut probaremus ea esse potiora quae futura sunt. Denique laeva sapientiae sub sponsae capite est, dextera autem superior, quae totam complectitur sponsam. Itaque illa quasi fulcrum est quietis praesentis, quo anima innixa requiescit. Habet ubi reclinet caput suum, quia laeva sapientiae divitiae sunt et gloria. Per id tempus haec mulcent, et ex parte solatio sunt, et ideo; *Filius hominis non habebat ubi caput* *1564* *suum reclinaret [n: (Matth. VIII, 20)]*; *quia cum dives esset, pauper factus est [n: (II Cor. VIII, 9)]*. Nec gloriam aliquam istius saeculi requirebat; quia venerat non ut in portione, sed ut universo humano generi subveniret, dicens: *Mihi indignamini quia totum hominem sanum feci in sabbato [n: (Joan. VII, 23)]*; hoc est totum, non ut facultatum [1878B] collatione ditaret, non ut honorum insignibus, non ut gloriae saecularis cumularet augmento; haec enim non habent beatitudinis et gratiae plenitudinem: sed totum, hoc est, quod longitudinem vitae complecteretur aeternae. Neque enim communis vitae similis vita in dextera est sapientiae, sed longitudo vitae est, ut qui accipit vitam a sapientia, non exiguitatem vitae, sed perpetuitatem et aeternitatis longitudinem adipiscatur.

## 26.

Bonus amictus aeternitas vitae. Itaque sponsa malorum granatorum, hoc est, diversorum et innumerabilium fructuum, et praecipue fidei odoribus, gratiae, sapientiae et gloriae, vitaeque aeternae subnixa divitiis quae sunt circa sinistram et dexteram sponsi, per animas sanctas laudantium congregationum plausibus [1878C] excitat Christum, dicens:

## 27.

*Adjuravi vos, filiae Hierusalem, in virtutibus e fortitudinibus agri, si suscitaveritis, et resuscitaveritis dilectionem usquequo voluerit.* Ager ille quem benedixit Dominus, non iste terrenus aut horridus silvis, aut confragosus torrentibus, aut inutilis vitibus, aut infecunda glarea saxosus, aut hiulcus, et aridus siccitate, aut sanguine madidus, aut sentibus incultus et spinis, sed ille ager de quo Dominus ait: *Et species agri mecum est [n: (Psalm. XLIX, 19)]*. In hoc agro uva illa reperitur quae expressa sanguinem fudit, et mundum diluit: in hoc agro est ficus illa sub qua sancti requiescent, spiritalis gratiae suavitate recreati: in hoc agro est oliva illa fructifera, dominicae fluens pacis unguentum: in hoc agro florent [1878D] malogranata, quae plurimos fructus uno fidei munimine tegunt, et quodam fovent charitatis amplexu.

## 28.

Quia igitur sapientia et honesta claritas ita perfecta sunt, si habeant charitatem (plenitudo enim legis [n: (Rom. XIII, 10)] est charitas) suscitari et resuscitari vult charitatem, suscitari in veteri Testamento, resuscitari in novo. Charitas Deus est, ut legimus, charitas Christus est [n: (I Joan. IV, 8)]. Suscitatur *tamquam leo, et catulus leonis; ut Judae ascendat ex germine [n: (Gen. XLIX, 9)]*: resuscitatur ut [1879A] dormiens, ut recumbens; quia non humana, sed sua et Patris majestate suscitatus est a mortuis. Unde ait Scriptura: *Quis suscitabit illum?* Non enim poterat illum aut angelus aut Potestas suscitare aliena, cum ipse alios suscitaret. Ergo cum hic dicit: *Si suscitaveritis et resuscitaveritis dilectionem, usquequo voluerit;* de iis dicit, qui resurrectionem ejus congrue possunt praedicare, ut audientibus ardorem fidei et devotionis accendant: vel suscitatur Christus in his qui primum accedunt, resuscitatur in his qui postquam accesserint, dormierunt. Dormit ergo Christus negligentibus, suscitatur in sanctis.

## 29.

Hanc itaque charitatem suscitat et resuscitat, donec vocem ejus accipiat, et praesentiam ejus accersat: quia quaesitus non solum venit, sed etiam [1879B] saliens venit. Sed jam sponsus aderat, ut probaret illud quod adhuc loquentibus nobis dicit: *Adsum.* Adest, quia suscitatus a filiabus Judae, quasi resuscitatus a filiabus Hierusalem. Audit Ecclesia sonum vocis ejus et dicit:

## 30.

*[n: (Vers. 8.)] Vox consobrini mei, ecce hic advenit saliens super montes, transiliens super colles.* Manipularis est hic liber multas habens personas nobiles, velut manipulus triumphalis, multosque actus significans, quos intelligere magis quam expressos tenere possumus. Nam quasi advenientem sponsum audierit cum aliquibus pariter viantibus collonquentem, dicit sponsa: *Vox consobrini mei.* Dum loquitur cum filiabus Hierusalem, et rogat ut excitent, et resuscitent sponsum; subito tamquam de longinquo [1879C] missae vocis sonum sentiens, dicit: *Vox consobrini mei,* annuntians quem nuntiari sibi ante quaerebat. Quem cupiebat ab aliis suscitari, sua prece resuscitatum, a Patre venire jam credens, laeta dicit: *Vox consobrini mei.* Bene addidit, *consobrini mei;* ut non aliae, sed consobrina sola sibi ejus vindicaret adventum. *1565*

## 31.

*Ecce*, inquit, *iste advenit,* adhuc ego eum quaero, et ille jam venit: adhuc ego suffragia capto ut veniat, et ille jam proximus est: ego suscitari mihi charitatem cupio, ego me vulneratam charitatis puto, et ad me plus ipsa charitas festinat: ego dixi, veni; salit ille et transilit: ego rogo eum venire cum gratia, iste gratiarum operatur augmenta; et dum venit, incrementa gratiae secum vehit, [1879D] et veniendo acquirit, quia studet etiam ipse suae placere dilectae. Salit super excelsa, ut ascendat ad sponsam; sponsae enim thalamus tribunal est Christi. Salit super Adam, transilit super Synagogam; salit super Gentes, transilit super Judaeos.

## 32.

Videamus salientem Salit de coelo in Virginem, de utero in praesepe, de Jordane in crucem, de cruce in tumulum, in coelum de sepulcro. Proba mihi David salientem, proba currentem; tu enim dixisti: *Exsultavit ut gigas ad currendam viam, a summo coelo egressio ejus; et occursus ejus usque ad summum ejus, nec est qui se abscondat a calore ejus [n: (Psal. XVIII, 6 et 7)]*. Et nunc salit, et nunc currit, de [1880A] corde Patris super sanctos suos, de Oriente super Occidentem, de Septentrione super Meridiem. Iste est qui ascendit super Occasum, ipse super coelos coelorum ad Orientem, ipse ascendit super montes, ipse super colles.

## 33.

Utinam ego miser dicam, dicat anima mea: *Ecce iste advenit,* et advenit non super terrena, non super valles, sed advenit: *Saliens super montes;* Deus enim Deus montium est, non vallium: ubi ergo salit, super montes salit. Si sis mons, salit super te, salit super Isaiam, salit super Hieremiam, salit super Petrum, Joannem, Jacobum. *Montes in circuitu ejus [n: (Psalm. CXXIV, 2)]*: si non potest esse mons et non praevales, esto vel collis, ut super te Christus ascendat: et si transilit, ut te transitus ejus custodiat. [1880B]

## 34.

Diximus de Christo et Ecclesia, dicamus de anima et Verbo. Anima justi sponsa est Verbi, haec si desideret, si cupiat, si oret et oret assidue, et oret sine ulla disceptatione, et tota intendat in Verbum: subito vocem sibi videtur ejus audire quem non videt, et in timore sensus odorem divinitatis ejus agnoscit, quod patiuntur plerumque qui bene credunt. Replentur subito nares animae spiritali gratia, et sentit sibi praesentiae ejus flatum aspirare quem quaerit, et dicit: Ecce iste ipse est quem requiro, ipse quem desidero.

## 35.

Nonne cum aliquid de Scripturis cogitamus, et explanationem ejus invenire non possumus; dum dubitamus, dum quaerimus, subito nobis quasi super montes, id est, altissima dogmata videtur, ascendere. [1880C] Deinde quasi super colles apparens nobis, illuminat mentem, ut infundat sensibus, quod invenire posse difficile videbatur: ergo quasi ex absente fit praesens Verbum in cordibus nostris. Et rursus cum aliquid nobis subobscurum est, tamquam subducitur Verbum, et tamquam absentis adventum desideramus; et iterum apparet, ostendit se nobis tamquam praesens sit nobis in iis quae requirimus cognoscendis.

## 36.

Salit ergo in uniuscujusque corde frequenter, transilit et exit et revertitur: si sequaris, si requiras, si tibi fidelium grata disputatione doctorum Verbum quod exierat atque transierat, postules resuscitari. Sicut illa quae quaesivit et invenit, quae dixit: *Frater meus transivit, anima mea exivit in verbo ejus [n: (Cant. V, 6)]*. Ergo etsi super montes salit, sequere: etsi [1880D] super colles, sequere. Reperiuntur enim in montibus et in collibus venatores Domini, qui investigant eos qui capiuntur ad vitam; sic enim dixit per Hieremiam Deus: *Ecce mitto multos piscatores et multos venatores, et venabuntur eos super omnem montem et super omnem collem [n: (Jerem. XVI, 16)]*. Ibi ergo populus Dei quaeratur et inveniatur in Petri et in Pauli doctrina, gratia, disciplina; ut non in convalle sint, ubi fletus, sed in montibus a quibus unumquemque Christus illuminat, et cum Petrum legimus, Christus illuminat: et cum Paulum legimus, Christus illuminat. Curavit Paulus, Christus illuminavit; quoniam invocato Domini Jesu nomine, resurrexit, cujus sanatus [1881A] est munere. Suscitavit mortuam Petrus, Christus illuminavit; et ideo ait: *Illuminans tu mirabiliter a montibus aeternis [n: (Psal. LXXV, 5)]*.

## 37.

Nos igitur qui montes esse non possumus, stemus *1566* in montibus vel in collibus; ut cum miserit piscatores suos Dominus et venatores, ut venentur eos qui supra omnem montem sunt, vel super omnem collem, id est, in legis et prophetarum praeceptis; et novi et veteris Testamenti cognitione omnem habentes conversationem, inveniant nos paratos, et velut bonas colligant spicas, opportuno missi messores tempore; quia si quis extra montem aut collem fuerit repertus, colligi velut bona spica non poterit ab his, qui ut comparationis faciamus alterius mentionem, triticum a paleis [1881B] separare mittentur. Plurimarum igitur operationum solertes ministros Dominus habet, iidem piscatores, iidem etiam venatores sunt, atque messores. Si in tempore messis quo diriguntur isti metere, maturus exspectes, salientem in montibus poteris intueri, et videbis Dominum Jesum similem capreolo aut hinnulo cervorum super montes Bethel. Salit enim super Ecclesiam quae est domus panis, eo quod fidelium corda confirmet; unde et sponsa de eo dicit:

## 38.

*[n: (Vers. 9.)] Similis est consobrinus meus capreae aut hinnulo cervorum, super montes Bethel;* salit enim super Ecclesiam, quae est domus Dei, eo quod fidelium corda confirmet. Merito sicut capreola, quia capra in altis pascitur. Dorcas dicitur a videndo, [1881C] dorcadion enim visus acutioris est. Quid hoc aptius Christo, qui Patrem vidit quem nemo vidit: aut si quis vidit in Christo, ipse filius revelavit? Merito *sicut hinnulus cervorum,* hinnulus quasi filius, cui paternae inoleverit vis naturae; ut eum occulta non lateant, serpentes fugiant, venena non laedant. Denique eductus de latibulis suis serpens qui educebatur ex homine, dicebat: *Quid venisti ante tempus torquere nos [n: (Matth. VIII, 29)]*. Spectemus ergo salientem hunc hinniculum, ut non possimus timere serpentem.

## 39.

*En ipse stat post parietem nostrum, respiciens per fenestras, prospiciens per retia.* Venit ergo et primo post parietem est, ut inimicitias animae et corporis solvat, sublato pariete qui impedimentum [1881D] concordiae videbatur afferre. Deinde prospicit per fenestras: quae sint fenestrae, audi Prophetam dicentem: *Fenestrae apertae sunt e coelo [n: (Esai. XXIV, 18)]*. Prophetas itaque significat, per quos Dominus genus respexit humanum, priusquam in terras ipse descenderet. Et hodie si qua eum anima multum requirat, multum merebitur misericordiae; quoniam qui multum requirit, multum debetur ei. Si qua ergo anima eum studiosius quaerat, longe audit vocem ejus: et quamvis ab aliis requirat, prae ipsis a quibus quaerit, audit vocem ejus. Videt eum salientem ad se venire, id est, properantem atque currentem [1882A] et transilientem eos, qui infirmo corde virtutem ejus capere non possunt: deinde prospicientem per aenigmata prophetarum, legendo eos, et tenendo eorum sermones; videt enim prospicientem, sed quasi per fenestram, non quasi adhuc praesentem. Videt eminentem super retia. Quid est hoc? Nisi forte quia illa retia nobis sunt, non illi retia sunt, eo quod illa anima adhuc intra sensibilia et mundana sit, quae mentem hominis capere et quodam sinu proprio consueverunt involvere.

## 40.

*En ipse stat post parietem nostrum, respiciens per fenestras, prospiciens per retia.* Viderat enim Ecclesia vel anima justi salientem sicut hinniculum super montes, et repente primum aspiciens post parietem domus suae, prospicientem per fenestras, [1882B] eminentem per retia, exsultat et gaudet, quia etiam ipsa amatur a Sponso. Qui tamquam et ipse vulneratur charitatis decore, dilectae cum primum abesset, ad oscula rogatus adfuerit (rogatur enim cum dicitur [n: (Cant. I, 1)]: *Osculetur me ab osculis oris sui* ), deinde preces blanditiasque sponsae non spreverit, dilecta sibi ubera praebentis; atque in interiora domus eam benignus induxerit: deinde tamquam lascivienti ludens amore, quia vellet pertentare sensus amantis, saepe egressus ut quaereretur a Sponsa, saepe regressus ut invitaretur ad oscula, astiterit post parietem, prospexerit per fenestras, eminens super retia; ut non totus abesset, nec quasi totus intraret, et ipse ad se sponsam vocaret; ut veniendi ad se invicem fierent gratiora commercia, amoremque [1882C] mutuis adolerent sermonibus. *1567*

## 41.

*[n: (Vers. 10.)] Exsurge,* inquit, *veni, proxima mea, formosa mea, columba mea;* et tu si habeas fundatum parietem, non illum medium qui domus unius separet membra, sed aedificatum supra fundamentum apostolorum et prophetarum, ut compaginata ejus structura crescat in templum, nec disterminet ejus interna, sed muniat. Si habeas ergo in te aedificationem Dei, et ad Orientem pateant semper fenestrae tuae, venit Verbum, *Stat post parietem tuum [n: (Cant. II, 9)]*; *oculi* enim *Domini super justos [n: (Psal. XXXIII, 16)]*; *prospicit per fenestras tuas [n: (Cant. II, 9)]*.

## 42.

Quae sunt fenestrae istae? Legimus fenestras de quibus dicit Hieremias: *Intravit mors per fenestras* [1882D] [n: (Jerem. IX, 21)], per quas intravit avaritia, intravit libido. Oculus tuus fenestra est. Si videris mulierem ad concupiscendum eam, intravit mors per oculum tuum: si videris possessionem viduae, vel thesauros minoris, et tuas excitaveris cupiditates, *Intravit mors per fenestram.* Sicut ergo per haec intrat mors, intrat et vita: si decorem puellae aspiciens sacrae, venereris Dominum Jesum, quod in teneros annos venerit aetas senectutis, vita immaculata, et ipse filiam tuam offeras; ut pio consecretur velamine: si possessionem minoris non tamquam sollicitus invasor aspicias, sed quasi parens sedulus religioso tuearis [1883A] affectu: per has fenestras prospicit Christus, ut vocet sponsam.

## 43.

*Eminens super retia:* bene *eminens;* quia solus est quem retia non involverint peccatorum. Omnes intra retia eramus, immo adhuc intra retia sumus; quia nemo sine peccato nisi solus Jesus, quem non cognoscentem peccatum, peccatum pro nobis fecit Pater, etenim tradidit eum laqueis, tradidit eum retibus: mittens eum non in peccato in quo erant omnes homines, sed in similitudinem carnis peccati, ut de peccato damnaret peccatum in carne. Peccatum erat caro, secundum illud quia haereditario erat damnata maledicto, peccatum erat illecebra et ministra peccati. Venit Dominus Jesus, et in carne peccato obnoxia militiam virtutis exercuit: facta sunt membra [1883B] nostra jam non arma libidinis, sed arma virtutis; namque ubi erant incentiva libidinis, ibi nunc sunt domicilia castitatis. Hic ergo venit ad laqueos, sed voluntarius: venit ad retia, sed securus. Plena erant omnia retibus, referta laqueis, audi dicentem: *In via hac quam ambulabam, absconderunt superbi laqueum mihi [n: (Psal. CXLI, 4)]*. Et in libro sapientiae Sirach moneris ut cognoscas quia in medio laqueorum ambulas [n: (Eccli. IX, 20)]. Quot vitia, tot retia: quot peccata, tot laquei.

## 44.

Haereditarii jam te nexus tenebant, venit ad laqueos Jesus, ut Adam solveret: venit liberare quod perierat. Omnes retibus tenebamur, nullus alium eruere poterat, cum se ipsum non posset eruere. Talis ergo necessarius fuit, quem vincula generationis [1883C] humanae delictis obnoxia non tenerent, non cepisset avaritia, non ligasset dolus. Is solus erat Jesus, qui cum hujus carnis se circumdedisset vinculis, captus non erat, non erat alligatus: sed dirumpens ea atque dissolvens, ad se magis vocavit Ecclesiam, *Prospiciens per laqueos, eminens super retia;* ut et ipsa disceret vinculis non teneri. Denique eo usque non longe a vinculis fuit, ut pro nobis subiret et mortem, sed tamen non servus mortis effectus, sed liber inter mortuos; liber enim erat qui solvendae mortis potestatem habebat. Denique ipse te doceat qui ait: *Solvite templum hoc, et in triduo resuscitabo illud [n: (Joan. II, 19)]*. Audiamus itaque quid dicat:

## 45.

[n: (Vers. 11 - 13)]. *Exsurge, veni proxima mea;* hoc est, surge a mortuis, exsurge a vinculis, quibus [1883D] circumdata tenebaris. Exsurge, quia ego resurrexi tibi: solve vincula iniquitatis, quia ego jam solvi tibi: veni, quia jam retia soluta sunt, Virgo peperit, puer natus ex virgine est, nihil debet muliebri haereditati, quasi filius mulieris non tenetur: cerne medium parietem maceriae jam solutum, qui interiorum affectuum concordiam dividebat, et in diversum excitabat dissensiones corporalium passionum. Veni ergo secura, cupio videre faciem tuam, et audire vocem tuam: veni, ut jam me per retia non videas, sed facie ad faciem vultibus amatoris dilecta potiaris.

## 46.

Et hic ista ethice decursa sint. Mystica autem [1884A] illa si possimus, vel linea intueamur extrema. Sedebat intra domum Sponsa devota Domino, intra parietem Legis et *1568* prophetarum, spiritalium lapidum exaedificatione fundatum, qui claudebat atque vallabat domum regiam, plenam jucunditatis atque laetitiae. Mirabatur thesauros regios, et intuebatur sollicite, cupiens sapientiam quae has sibi divitias demonstraret, adsciscere. In secreto erat, sed secreti ipsius interpretem requirebat. Venit Dominus Jesus saliens super montes. Nobis sero videbatur venire, sed ille properabat. Saliebat denique et transiliebat, ut Judaeorum corporalia et saxosa dogmata transiliret. Astitit post parietem domus quae erat in veteri Testamento, prospiciens per Legis fenestram, et prophetarum cavernas. [1884B]

## 47.

Nondum erant domus illius aperta vestibula, nondum claves sapientiae portarum claustra patefecerant, quibus Legis claudebantur interna; de superiore tamen, hoc est, spiritali parte prospectans Ecclesiam vocat, ut per Legem et prophetas, Evangelii vertice sublimis assurgens, retia Judaicae interpretationis, et nodos intrepido calcet vestigio. Ideoque *Proxima* vocatur, ut adhaereat Christo, mundana non quaerat: ideo *Formosa,* ut speciosos evangelizantium pedes perferat: ideo *Columba,* ut spiritalia petat, terrestria derelinquat.

## 48.

*Ecce,* inquit, *hiems proeteriit, imber abiit, discessit sibi, flores visi sunt in terra, tempus secandi advenit.* Ante adventum Christi hiems erat: venit Christus, fecit aestatem. Tunc omnia erant florum [1884C] indiga, nuda virtutum: passus est Christus, et omnia coeperunt novae gratiae fecundari germinibus. Imber abiit luxuriae profluentis, et nubila tetris orta flagitiis aestiva jam purae conscientiae serenitate laxantur. Ideo non evadunt quorum fuga in hieme fit; quia non sequuntur Domini passionem, non tollunt crucem suam, et Christum sequuntur.

## 49.

Imber impedit flores: at nunc flores videntur in terra. Boni flores apostoli, qui diversorum scriptorum suorum atque operum fuderunt odorem. *Tempus secandi advenit,* quando matura in horreis frumenta conduntur; et qui metit, mercedem accipit. *Vox turturis audita est,* quia invenit sibi nidum; Ecclesia enim domus est castitatis. *Ficus* quae propter infecunditatem jubebatur excidi, *fructus [1884D] ferre jam coepit.* Vinea translata ex Aegypto, jam non maceriis destructa depositis, incursatur a bestiis; nec informis sentibus, sed odora jam floribus.

## 50.

*Exsurge,* inquit, *veni, proxima mea, formosa mea, columba mea, perfecta mea; proxima* utique fidei desiderio, *formosa* decore virtutis, *columba* gratia spirituali; *pennae enim columbae deargentatae* aeternam illam significant potestatem, et columbae volatus Spiritus sancti praesentiam declaravit. Vocat igitur ad se eam Christus ut veniat, quoniam spiritualibus jam pretiis dotata veniebat. *Quia ecce,* inquit, *hiems proeteriit, imber abiit, discesit [1885A] sibi, flores visi in terra.* Videte quemadmodum sancta invitetur Ecclesia. *Hiems,* inquit, *discessit sibi,* ne hiemem nuda formidet, hiemem non temporis, sed infirmitatis, quae agrum animae fecundum omni flore dispoliat. Est enim hiems non terreni solis, est hiems mentis, quando animo frigus illabitur, quando vapor animi vanescit, quando solvitur vigor sensus, quando nimius humor exundat, et mentem gravat, quando interior caligat aspectus. Et ideo ait Dominus: *Videte ne fiat fuga vestra hieme vel sabbato [n: (Matth. XXIV, 20)]*; bonum enim ut tunc dies judicii vel mortis adveniat, cum viget animi blanda temperies, cum coeleste mysterium serena luce resplendet, cum cor nostrum ardet in nobis. Tunc enim Christus est praesens, sicut testatur [1885B] in Evangelio Ammaon et Cleophas dicentes: *Nonne cor nostrum ardens erat in nobis in via, cum aperuisset in nobis Scripturas [n: (Luc. XXIV, 32)]*. Viget autem animus, quando etiam flos videtur in terris. Quis est iste flos boni odoris, nisi ille qui dixit: *Ego flos campi et lilium convallium [n: (Supra, vers. 1)]*: de quo et in Esaia scriptum est: *Exiet virga de radice Jesse, et virga ex radice ascendet, et flos ex virga exiet [n: (Esai. XI, 1)]*. Radix utique familia Judaeorum est, virga Maria, flos Mariae Christus: qui quando nostra resplendet in terra, et in agro animae redolet, vel in Ecclesia sua vernat, nec frigus possumus timere, nec pluviam vereri, sed exspectare judicii diem. Et ideo Ecclesia ut hunc florem videret, omni studio festinabat, sicut ipsa in posterioribus *1569* [1885C] testatur dicens: *In cubili noctibus quaesivi quem diligit anima mea [n: (Cant. III, 1)]*.

## 50.

*Ficus protulit grossos suos.* Apta Synagogae arboris istius comparatio est, quia sicut arbor ista foliis redundans fluentibus, spem possessoris sui cassa speratorum proventuum exspectatione destituit: ita etiam in Synagoga, dum doctores ejus operibus infecundi, verbis tantum velut foliis redundantibus gloriantur, inanis umbra Legis exsuperat; spes autem falsi exspectata proventus, populi vota credentis illudit.

## 51.

Est etiam in natura arboris quo magis credas Synagogae speciem comparatione hujus expressam. Etenim si diligenter inquiras, discretam ab usu arborum caeterarum consuetudinem naturae hujus invenies; [1885D] namque aliae florem ferunt antequam fructum, pomaque ventura praenuntio sui flore designant: haec sola ab initio poma germinat pro floribus: in aliis flos decutitur et poma nascuntur; in hac poma decidunt, ut poma succedant. Ergo priora illa cassa fructuum, vice floris emergunt: ita praecoci quodam nascendi usu, quae ordinem naturae nesciunt, beneficium naturae servare non possunt. Etenim qua se medio trudere de cortice gemma consuevit, ea minutissima quaeque hujus generis poma prorumpunt: de quibus legimus in Canticis [1886A] canticorum: *Ficus protulit grossos suos.* Itaque caeteris albentibus primo vere virgultis, sola ficus proprio nescit flore canescere; eo forte quod nullus sit istis maturior usus in pomis. Namque succedentibus aliis quae quasi degenerantia despuuntur, et arenti infirma radice, renovatis quibus sit succus utilior, exuuntur. Manent tamen aliqua perrara, nec decidunt, quibus hic proventus arriserit, ut de medio duarum virgarum claviculo brevi erumpente promergant, quo geminis tecta praesidiis, tamquam naturae parentis gremio, succi fotu plenioris inolescant. Ea clementioris aurae provocata temperie: et prolixioribus adulta temporibus, ubi silvestrem animum succi prioris exuerint, specie caeteris et maturitatis gratia praeferuntur. [1886B]

## 52.

Specta nunc cultus et animos Judaeorum, qui quasi primi fructus male feracis Synagogae, quasi labentis similitudine corruerunt, ut mansura supra aevum nostri generis poma succederent. Etenim primus Synagogae populus, quasi radice operum infirmus arenti, ubertatem sapientiae naturalis haurire non potuit. Et ideo velut inutilis decidit fructus, ut quasi ex iisdem claviculis arboris fructuosae, de pinguedine religionis antiquae novus Ecclesiae populus emergeret. Ergo ille qui erat, esse desivit, ut iste inciperet qui non erat: primi tamen ex Israel, quos naturae validioris ramus extulerat, sub umbra Legis et crucis, in utriusque sinu succo gemino colorati, grossi maturescentis exemplo, pulcherrimorum gratia fructuum caeteris praestiterunt, quibus [1886C] dicitur: *Sedebitis super duodecim thronos, judicantes duodecim tribus Israel [n: (Matth. XIX, 28)]*.

## 53.

*Vineae florentes dederunt odorem suum [n: (Sup., v. 5)]*. Bene per vineam Ecclesia designatur; ut enim vitis maritatur arboribus, ita corpus animae, anima quoque corpori conjungitur: ut vinea dum ligatur, erigitur, et recisa non minuitur, sed augetur; ita plebs sancta dum ligatur, exuitur: dum humiliatur, attollitur: dum reciditur, coronatur. Quin etiam ut tener surculus, veteri abscissus ab arbore, in alterius fetu radicis inseritur: ita populus hic sanctus surculi veteris cicatricibus enodatis, in novo illo crucis signo tamquam gremio piae parentis fotus inolescit: Spiritusque sanctus in hoc carcereum corpus infusus, velut in altas demissus [1886D] terrarum scrobes, aquae salutaris irriguo diluit quidquid est fetidum, membrorumque nostrorum habitus in coelestem erigit disciplinam.

## 54.

Hanc vineam diligens agricola fodere, rigare, contendere consuevit, eruderatisque terrenae molis aggeribus, opera corporis nostri nunc sole torrere, nunc imbre perfundere, stipare agrum solitus, ne sentibus gemma laedatur, ne luxuriet umbra foliorum, verborumque infructuosa jactantia virtutibus obumbrando, maturitatem naturalis indolis impediat. [1887A]

## 55.

*[n: (Vers. 14.)] Et veni,* inquit, *columba mea, in tegimento petrae, juxta praemunitionem;* hoc est, veni juxta Evangelium: propugnacula fidei tuae, gesta sunt Christi: muri tui subsidia, *1570* verba sunt Domini: passio Dominici corporis, tua virtus est.

## 56.

*Ostende mihi faciem tuam, et insinua vocem tuam; quia vox tua suavis est, et facies tua decora.* Suavis est vox tua; *quia ore fit confessio ad salutem:* et decora facies; quia quae non erubescit auctorem, non confunditur redemptore. Ostendit ergo faciem suam, signaculum crucis praeferens: et insinuat vocem suam, auctoritatem praedicationis assumens. Integimento enim corporis Christi, quo redemptus est a peccato, munimentum gratiae spiritalis invenit; ut salutaria sibi et sentiat et loquatur. Suavis [1887B] ergo vox, quae in divinis testimoniis loquebatur: *Decora facies,* quae in conspectu regum non confundebatur.

## 57.

*Exsurge,* inquit, *veni, proxima mea;* id est, exsurge a delectationibus mundi, exsurge a terrenis, et veni ad me, quae adhuc laboras, et onerata es, quae sollicita es quae sunt mundi: veni supra mundum, veni ad me, quia ego vici mundum: veni prope me, jam pulchra aeternae vitae decore, jam columba, id est, mitis atque mansueta, jam tota plena gratiae spiritalis. Jure ergo jam retia timere non debet, cum is vocet ad se animam, qui tentamentis et retibus mundi non potuit capi. Nam cum homines in medio laqueorum ambulemus, per appetentiam escae retibus simul et laqueis obnoxii [1887C] sumus. Ille in corpore positus retia non timebat, sed eminebat super retia, id est, supra tentamenta mundi et corporis passiones; immo et alios eminere faciebat.

## 58.

Exsurge, veni, proxima mea, noli timere retia, jam praeteriit hiems. Venit pascha, venit indulgentia, venit remissio peccatorum, cessavit tentatio, imber abiit, procella abiit et quassatio. Ante adventum Christi hiems erat, post adventum Christi flores sunt, unde ait: *Flores visi sunt in terra.* Ubi ante spinae, ibi nunc flores; *Tempus,* inquit, *secandi advenit.* Ubi ante desertum, ibi messis est. *Vox turturis audita est in terra nostra:* bene addidit propheta *nostra,* quasi admirans, quod ubi ante impudicitia, ibi castitas. *Ficus protulit grossos suos.* [1887D] Quae quasi infructuosa jubebatur abscindi, haec fructus afferre jam coepit. Sed quid dubitas, quia grossos dixit? Priores discutit, ut posteriores meliores afferat: sicut Synagogae fructus abjicitur, renovatur autem Ecclesiae.

## 59.

Et quamvis plena tranquillitas sit, et adoleverint mysteria, iterum tamen dicit: *Exsurge secura in tegimento petrae,* id est, tuta praesidio passionis meae et fidei munimento. Suxerunt enim mel de petra et oleum de firma petra. Hoc integimento animae piorum indutae, jam nudae non sunt, et haec illis est [1888A] praemunitio. Ideoque et huic animae ait: *Et veni, tu columba mea, in tegimento petrae juxta praemunitionem: ostende mihi faciem tuam, et insinua vocem tuam.* Hortatur ad confidentiam, ut non erubescat crucem Christi, nec ejus signaculum. Hortatur ad confessionem, vult omnes insidias dimoveri; ut bonus fidei odor spiret, ut dies fulgeat, ut adversae noctis umbra non noceat; quoniam qui juxta Christum est, dicit: *Nox praecessit, dies autem appropinquavit [n: (Rom. XXIII, 12)]*. Est et umbra saecularium quae praeterit, et dies coelestium Christus, qui sanctis suis lucet.

## 60.

*[n: (Vers. 15.)] Prendite nobis vulpes pusillas exterminantes vineas, ut vineae nostrae floreant.* Scriptura eum hominem dicit, qui est ad imaginem et similitudinem [1888B] Dei: peccantem autem non hominem, sed aut serpentem, aut equum adhinnientem feminis, aut vulpeculam, aut jumentum vocare consuevit. De quorum uno ait Dominus: *Ite, dicite vulpi illi [n: (Luc. XIII, 32)]*, hoc est, de Herode. Et alibi cum se fraudulenter interrogari adverteret, dixit: *Vulpes foveas habent, et volucres coeli nidos, ubi requiescant [n: (Matth. VIII, 20)]*; eo quod fraudulenter in terrestrium passionum quibusdam latibulis demorentur.

## 61.

Unde etiam Samson binas vulpes sibi nexuit, ad quarum caudas alligavit faces, et dimisit eas per messes Allophylorum [n: (Judic. XV)]: per hanc figuram significans quod improbi ac fraudulenti homines, et maxime haeretici, liberam linguam habeant ad latrandum: sed exitus impeditos, aut litigiosa principia, [1888C] finem vero fraudis suae incendio deputatum. Ideoque et trecentas vulpes dimisit, eo quod perfidi crucis quidem praedicatione se commendare desiderant: sed mysterium ejus tenere non possunt, qui hac *1571* praedicatione composita, et falsa atque simulata, urere magis fructus conantur alienos: cum utique vera crux Domini non exurat aliena merita, sed fecundet.

## 62.

Meritoque scriptum est: *Prendite nobis vulpes pusillas, exterminantes vineas, ut vineae nostrae floreant.* Quo ostenditur quod vel Dominus Jesus vel Ecclesia fraudulentorum dolos vineis suis exterminandos esse praecipiat; ne pusillulis vineis noceant, quia adultis jam vitibus nocere non possunt. Haereticus enim imperfectum tentare potest, non potest supplantare [1888D] perfectum.

## 63.

*[n: (Vers. 16.)] Frater meus mihi, et ego illi.* Vox ista est virginis; nam immaculatum corpus a virili permixtione servare, et palmam castimoniae, limoso in corpore usque ad angelorum conversationem, custodia integritatis evehere, utilitas privata, laus est publica. Quam rarus in terris, qui hoc potest dicere, quam alienus a vitiis, quam segregatus ab omni labe peccati, qui nihil habeat cum saeculo commune, dicens: *Dilectus meus mihi et ego illi, in medio uberum meorum commorabitur.* Scilicet nihil [1889A] mundi hujus sibi vindicet, cui non sit corporalium possessio cupiditatum, quem non inflammet libido, non stimulet avaritia, non lascivia effeminet, non luxuria decoloret, non sternat ambitio, non maceret invidia, non aliqua negotiorum saecularium cura sollicitet: verus minister altaris, Deo natus, non sibi; Levi enim, ut habet interpretatio, significat: Ipse mihi assumptus; significat: Et ipse meus; significat et tantum: Assumptus; significat: Et assumptus mihi.

## 64.

Ipse idem, et mihi Levi et Deo est. Quomodo idem et mihi sacerdos et Deo est. Et mihi advocatus et Domini deprecator est: pro me offerens sacrificium, et idem se offerens Domino. Denique et alibi Levi interpretatione dicitur, *Pro me;* etenim si a me nominetur Levi, Levi pro me est: si pro me offerat, [1889B] pro me est: si pro me interveniat, pro me est: sin autem vocetur a Domino, ipse mihi dicitur: hoc est, non alii tributarius, non decimarius, non de possessione munificus. Ipse mihi, hoc est, tamquam abundans pro suis omnibus. Non ab hoc decimas quaero, non fructus, non dona, non munera; ipse mihi pro munere est, ipse est pro tributo. Non in possessione sua munificus mihi, sed ipse mihi possessio, ipse meus fructus, ipse meus sensus. Assumptus a me, vel assumptus mihi, non potest hoc sine divina esse gratia. Sicut enim possessio non potest mea esse, nisi emero eam: sic non potest esse Levi, nisi fuerit assumptus a Domino, cum enim assumptus fuerit, recte dicitur, ipse meus. Denique cum Moysi dictum esset, ut populo Judaeorum per tribus singulas divideret [1889C] incolatus, et distribueret singulis tribubus portionem: tribum Leviticam excepit Deus dicens filiis Levi: *Non erit ei portio, neque sors in medio fratrum suorum; quia Dominus Deus pars eorum est [n: (Deut. X, 9)]*: et alibi: *Ego Dominus portio eorum [n: (Num. XVIII, 20)]*.

## 65.

Negatur his terrena divisio, ut ipsi dum saecularem sibi non vindicant portionem, fiant coelestis possessio: vel hoc solum noverint possidere, hoc est, fidei et devotionis obsequium, multo ditiores quam qui possessionum suarum spatia ampla diffundunt. Quantumlibet enim fines suos extendant, et terra deficit, et mare includit insanas cupiditates, et pendunt tributa majora quam fructus sunt. At vero iste nihil possidens, nulli nisi Deo militat, supra terram [1889D] ejus est portio, non cum terra deficit, non mari clauditur. Cujus portio Deus est, totius possessor est naturae. Pro agris igitur ipse sibi satis est, habens bonum fructum, qui numquam possit perire. Pro domibus satis est sibi, ut sit habitatio Domini, et templum Dei, quo nihil potest esse pretiosius. Quid enim pretiosius Deo? Aut quid deest huic viro qui potest dicere: *Non contingat mihi gloriari nisi in cruce Domini nostri Jesu Christi, per quem mihi mundus crucifixus est, et ego mundo [n: (Galat. VI, 4)]* ?

## 66.

Non potest in hoc princeps mundi hujus sibi [1890A] consortium vindicare, in quo nihil suum invenit. Ideoque Dominus qui venit docere, ut fieret nobis Deus portio, ait: *Venit enim hujus mundi princeps, et in me invenit nihil [n: (Joan. XIV, 30)]*. Meritoque imitatores sui esse volens, ait: *Nolite possidere aurum, neque argentum, neque pecuniam [n: (Matth. X, 9)]*. Unde Petrus ostendens in Deo portionem sibi esse, non in saeculo, ait: *Argentum et aurum non habeo, sed quod habeo,* *1572* *hoc tibi do: in nomine Jesu Christi Nazareni surge, et ambula [n: (Act. III, 6)]*; hoc est, haec est portio mea, portio mea Christus est: *In nomine igitur Christi Jesu surge, et ambula (Ibid)*. Hoc est, in portione mea dives sum, in portione mea potens sum. Merito tales praesumo fructus istius portionis, ut salus et vita donetur; quia hoc est istius patrimonium portionis quam elegi mihi: *Dilectus meus [1890B] mihi, et ego illi.*

## 67.

*Qui pascitur inter lilia.* Lilium castitatem significat. Scit itaque bonus pastor, ubi pascat gregem suum, quae pabula ovibus suis expediant. Quae sunt pascua nostra, hoc est, fidelium, nisi Christus? In cujus pascuis se locatum Propheta laetatus est, dicens: *In loco pascuae, ibi me collocavit [n: (Psal. XXII, 2)]*; ibi enim nos pascit et reficit. Bona pascua, sacramenta divina sunt. Carpis illic novum florem, qui bonum odorem dedit resurrectionis: carpis lilium, in quo sit splendor aeternitatis: carpis rosam, hoc est, Dominici corporis sanguinem. Bona etiam pascua, libri sunt Scripturarum coelestium, in quibus quotidiana lectione pascimur, in quibus recreamur ac reficimur; cum ea quae scripta sunt degustamus, [1890C] vel summo ore libata frequentius ruminamus. His pascuis grex Domini saginatur. Bona etiam Christi pascua montes convallium; nam et in his pascit Christus sicut capreolus aut hinnulus cervorum, hoc est, in splendoribus sanctorum.

## 68.

*[n: (Vers. 17.)] Donec aspiret dies, et inclinentur umbrae.* Zachaeus in arborem sycomori ascendit, ut Christum videret: nobis quoque expandit manus suas Jesus, ut totum mundum obumbraret. Quomodo non sumus in umbra, qui crucis ejus protegimur velamento? Quomodo non sumus in umbra, quos crucifixus a malignitate saeculi et corporis ardore defendit? An nescimus, quoniam Verbum Dei veniens in hunc mundum, non sicut Verbum advenit. Quale erat in principio, quale erat apud Deum: *sed semetipsum [1890D] exinanivit, formam servi accipiens [n: (Philip. II, 7)]*. Venit in nube levi, et cum esset virtus Altissimi, obumbravit Mariae; ut transfiguraret corpus humilitatis nostrae, conforme fieri corpori gloriae suae. Sicut ille ergo formam mutavit, cum ex Virgine nasceretur: ita et nobis sermones Dei transfigurari videntur, cum leguntur in Evangelio, cum species eorum videtur in Scripturis quasi per speculum; quia tota veritas hic non potest comprehendi, cum autem venerit quod perfectum est, non jam per discussionem, non per speciem ut transfigurati, sed integra atque expressa veritate resplendent. [1891A]

## 69.

Flectat ergo animam jugo Verbi, et habenis suis regat, ut voluntate Dei abducatur a vitiis, et vitae odorem capiat aeternae; non enim haec vita perfecta est, sed haec vita in umbra. Ideo ut homo Christus Jesus ex Virgine nasceretur, obumbravit virtus Altissimi matrem futuram; quia in umbra descendit, ab umbra incipiens operari salutem hominis, et consummaturus claritate solis aeterni. Umbra est ergo vita haec. Festina ad solem, ut te defendat ab umbrae hujus frigore, et calorem tibi perfundat aestivum. Et ideo suadet orandum, ne fiat fuga nostra hieme aut sabbato, non tempus diemque significans, sed frigere nos meritis prohibens, et bonorum operum esse jejunos.

## CAPUT TERTIUM.

## 1.

[1891B] *[n: (Vers. 1.)] In cubili meo, in nocte quaesivi quem dilexit anima mea: quaesivi eum et non inveni. Exsurgam itaque, et quaeram in civitate, in foro, in plateis, quem dilexit anima mea.* Acceperat jam haec anima bona pignora charitatis, sed quia semper solliciti esse debemus, semper intenti, et quia Verbum Dei sicut capreola exsilit, aut sicut hinnulus cervorum; semper vigilet anima, et praetendat eum quem quaerit, et quem tenere desiderat. Ideo quasi sublapsum sibi deplorans, *In cubili,* inquit, *meo, in noctibus quaesivi quem dilexit anima mea.* Qui bene quaerit, in cubili quaerat, in noctibus quaerat: nec dies feriatus, neque noctes sint: nullum tempus vacet a pietatis officio; etsi non invenerit primo, perseveret in requirendo. Ideoque dicit:

[1891C]

## 2.

*[n: (Vers. 2.)] Exsurgam* itaque, *et quaeram in civitate, in foro, in plateis.* Et fortasse ideo non invenit adhuc, quia in foro quaesivit, ubi lites sunt: in plateis, ubi nundinae rerum *1573* venalium; non enim Christus pecunia comparatur. Nullum tempus praedicandi vacuum sinat sancta devotio praeterire. Si studentes doctrinis saecularibus perparum somno indulgent; quanto magis qui Deum cupiunt cognoscere, non debent somno corporis impediri, nisi quantum naturae satis est? David per singulas nocctes lectum suum lacrymis diluebat, surgebat etiam noctis medio, ut Domino confiteretur: et tu totam noctem sopori existimas deputandam? Tunc magis tibi orandus est Dominus, tunc praesidia postulanda, culpa cavenda, quando videtur habere secretum. [1891D] Tunc maxime quando tenebrae in circuitu meo, et parietes me operiunt, considerandum quod Deus omnia intuetur abscondita. Ne dixeris ergo circumfusus tenebris, quis me videt? Et quem vereor septus parietibus et inclusus? Quia *Vultus Domini super facientes mala [n: (Psalm. XXXIII, 17)]*. Denique si arbitrum non vides, te ipsum non vides? Tuae conscientiae testimonium non vereris? Nescis illam caliginem noctis non opertorium, sed incentivum esse peccati? Cum somno et cibo fervent corpora, tunc etiam mentis vigor sopore laxatur, somno resolvitur. Tunc [1892A] irrepit impuri libido concubitus, tunc perturbatur cor squalore immunditiae, non videtur castitas, puritas non consideratur, pudicitiae gloria non recensetur.

## 3.

Nox erat, quando Judas prodidit, quando Petrus negavit. Illo igitur praecipue tempore justificationes Dei animo retexendae sunt, relegenda mandata hortatoria: illa de castitate praecepta non absint, ut his occupata mens, flagrantiam libidinis, carnis restinguat ardorem. Tene illud animo: *Lavabo per singulas noctes lectum meum [n: (Psal. VI, 7)]*. Quis enim stupris deditus, flagitiis involutus, lavat per singulas noctes lectum suum? Nescit flere, qui flenda committit; et cum sit ipse lacrymabilis, non habet poenae lacrymas suae. At ille qui castigat corpus suum, et sui sollicitus gubernator est, atque ingemiscens et [1892B] dolens lapsus superioris offensam, quaerit quomodo abluat eam fletibus poenitentiae, hic lavat per singulas noctes lectum suum. Non dormiamus igitur totis noctibus, sed maximam partem earum lectioni et orationibus deputemus. Audi Ecclesiae vocem quaerentis etiam in noctibus Christum: *In cubili,* inquit, *meo in noctibus quaesivi quem dilexit anima mea.*

## 4.

Accipe secundum litteram, quia quaesivit in noctibus orando, deprecando, etiam lacrymis deplorando. Quaesivit in noctibus; quia *Posuit tenebras latibulum suum [n: (Psal. XVII, 12)]*, ut quaerere eum sollicitius disceremus. Quaesivit igitur in prophetis Ecclesia ex gentibus congregata, et ideo credidit. Denique adventus Dominici testimonia de prophetis, Evangelistae Paulusque posuerunt, unde scriptum [1892C] est: *Quia nox nocti indicat scientiam [n: (Psal. XVIII, 3)]*. Quaesivit in noctibus, in persecutionibus et adversis, in tribulationibus et doloribus duris. Nox est omnibus, quibus non est perfecta securitas; unde ait Dominus: *Veniet nox quando nemo potest operari. Cum in hoc mundo sum, lux hujus mundi sum [n: (Joan. IX, 4)]*. Non ergo operemur in tenebris; si enim lucent opera nostra, non operamur in tenebris, sed in lumine.

## 5.

Dies est quibus adest Christus, nox est quibus se denegat. Non magnum tibi si tunc Domino gratias agas, quando in prosperis et secundis es: sed si tunc adhaereas Christo, quando te persecutor exagitat, quando aliqua procella perturbat. Amisisti filium? In illo dolore, in illa nocte, in illa destitutione, memento Domini Dei tui; ne quasi non exauditus, [1892D] ingratus sis, et in tua praevariceris aerumna. Pulsus es in exsilium? Memento Domini Dei tui, ne patriae interdictae charitatem Deo praeferas. Alicujus divitis oppressus potentia, amisisti proprias facultates, indiges sumptu? Memento Domini Dei tui, ne nox te egestatis abducat a devotionis affectu. Hoc est enim mandatum Legis, ut in nocte magis quaeras, quando magis exaudiaris a Domino, et possis dicere: *In tribulatione invocavi Dominum, et exaudivit me in latitudine Dominus [n: (Psal. CXVII, 5)]*.

## 6.

Sed nec quaerere perfunctorie abundat ad gratiam, [1893A] sed ut insistas et intendas muneri. Denique ista vel Ecclesia vel anima, quae requisivit in cubili, quaesivit in noctibus, primo non invenit; quia fortasse in cubili quaesivit. *1574* Sed postea quam surrexit, et abiit in civitatem (vide ne in illam civitatem in qua Dominus celebraturus pascha, discipulos destinavit dicens [n: (Matth. XXVI, 18)]: *Ite in civitatem ad quemdam* ) postea quam in foro, ut dixi, quaesivit, ubi oleum venditur, quod exspectantes Sponsum emere consuerunt; ubi jus, ubi leges. Si enim lex spiritualis, et forum utique spirituale, ubi disputant periti legis aeternae. Quod forum non litibus tumultuosum est, sed Christi tribunalibus gloriosum. Ubi quaesivit, inquam? In foro, et post quaesivit in plateis, de quibus hi qui ad patrisfamilias Evangelici prandium [1893B] convenirent, colligebantur: qui vocati excusandum se ab hujusmodi epulis non putarunt. Postea quam in foro, inquam, et plateis quaesivit, incidit in eos qui circumeunt civitatem, et tunc demum potuit invenire quod quaereret; fortasse quod in tribulatione et metu posita magis inveniat gratiam. Denique posterius ait:

## 7.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] Invenerunt me qui circumeunt civitatem, tulerunt mihi pallium.* Habuit ergo certamen: sed qua ratione hic ei non tulerint pallium, haereo reperire; nisi forte quia ibi interrogasse se dixit: *Num quem dilexit anima mea, vidistis?* Quae Christum loquebatur, nex exuta est pallio, et quem quaerebat, invenit. Disce quemadmodum quaeratur Christus: ab his utique qui non perfunctorie quaerunt, sed violenter [1893C] retinent, sicut ista quae ait: *Tenui eum nec dimittam,* cum fide invenit, meditatione constrinxit.

## 8.

Si bonos custodes accipimus, utique angeli sunt. Qui vero angelos transivit. Verbum invenit; ideoque non multum intervalli fuit, cum transivit ab his, et invenit Jesum. Quomodo ergo infra tulerunt pallium, nisi forte quia processu offensae fidei, Ecclesia dum nudatur, a Domino plus amatur, exspolians se veterem hominem ut novum induat, quem non operiunt peccata, sed mentis secreta clarificant, aut quia amictum sapientiae saecularis ad Christum ventura deposuit? et non exutus est pallio, postea quam coepit esse perfectior.

## 9.

Simus ergo memores justificationum coelestium; ut dum eas secreta mentis voce cantamus, memores [1893D] simus in nocte nominis Domini, et dicamus ut scriptum est: *Haec facta est mihi, quia justificationes tuas exquisivi [n: (Psal. CXVIII, 56)]*; hoc est, haec memoria facta est mihi, ut memor essem et in nocte nominis tui, non ebrietate sopitus, non epulis resolutus in somnum, non curis saecularibus occupatus, ne oblivia mihi tuae venerationis irreperent: sed quotidiana meditatione membra castigans, et intentionem mentis exercens; ut assiduitate fiat nobis cursus iste solemnis, ut Dominum Jesum etiam in noctibus toto veneremur affectu.

## 10.

*In cubiculo meo, in noctibus quaesivi quem [1894A] dilexit anima mea.* Possumus et sic intelligere. In cubili quaerit Christum, qui quaerit eum cum tranquillitate, cum pace. In noctibus quaerit, quoniam per parabolas loquebatur; *Posuit* enim *tenebras latibulum suum, et nox nocti indicat scientiam [n: (Psal. XVII, 12)]*. Deinde, quoniam quae dicimus in corde nostro, ea nos compungere debent in cubilibus.

## 11.

Sed tamen nec sic invenit, et ideo dicit: *Exsurgam,* id est, erigam et attollam intentionem meam, ut quaeram impigre, quaeram sollicite: introibo in civitatem. Est et anima quae dicit: *Ego civitas munita, ego civitas obsessa [n: (Esai. XXVII, 3)]*. Est civitas munita per Christum, est civitas illa Hierusalem in coelo, in qua abundant divinae legis interpretes et disciplinarum periti, per quos Verbum Dei quaeritur. [1894B] Quaeram, inquit, in foro illius civitatis, in illo foro ubi tractant jura consulti, ubi oleum venditur, quod Evangelicae virgines emunt, ut semper faces suae luceant, nec eas fumus iniquitatis exstinguat. Quaeram, inquit, in plateis in quibus superfluunt aquae de illis fontibus prorumpentes, de quibus Salomon dicit esse potandum.

## 12.

*Invenerunt me,* inquit, *custodes qui circumeunt civitatem.* Dum quaerit igitur Christum; invenit custodes qui in ministerio sunt; ab his requirit: *Num quem diligit anima mea vidistis?* Sed anima quae Deum quaerit, etiam custodes transit. Sunt enim mysteria quae etiam angeli concupiscunt videre, unde Petrus ait: *Nuntiata sunt,* inquit, *vobis per eos quibus evangelizaverunt, Spiritu* *1575* *sancto misso de coelo, [1894C] in quem concupiscunt angeli prospicere [n: (I Pet. I, 12)]*.

## 13.

*[n: (Vers. 4.)] Quam modicum cum transivi ab eis, inveni eum, tenui eum, et non dimisi eum.* Ergo qui transierit custodes, Verbum invenit. Transivit Joannes, qui Verbum apud Patrem invenit. Multi quoque alii sunt qui in otio quaerunt Christum, et non inveniunt: et quaerunt eum in persecutionibus, et inveniunt. Et ideo quasi post tentationes, quia in periculis fidelium suorum adest: *Quam modicum,* inquit, *cum transivi ab eis, inveni eum, et tenui eum, et non dimisi eum.* Omnis enim qui quaerit, invenit; et qui invenerit, adhaerere debet, ne possit amittere.

## 14.

Et quoniam per Evangelium in terris videmus coelestia mysteria figurata, veniamus ad Magdalenam, [1894D] veniamus ad alteram Mariam. Consideremus quemadmodum Christum in cubili corporis sui, in quo defunctus jacebat, in noctibus quaesiverint, quando dixit illis angelus: *Jesum qui crucifixus est quaeritis: non est hic, surrexit enim: quid igitur quaeritis viventem cum mortuis [n: (Matth. XXVIII, 5 et seq.)]*? Quid quaeritis in sepulcro eum, qui jam in coelo sit? Quid quaeritis in vinculis sepulturae, universorum vincula solventem? Non sepulcrum huic sedes, sed coelum est; ideo dixit una ex his: *Quaesivi eum, et non inveni [n: (Cant. III, 1)]*. Tamen dum vadunt apostolis renuntiare, misertus quaerentes, occurrit eis Jesus dicens: [1895A] *Avete.* Illae autem accesserunt, et tenuerunt pedes ejus, et adoraverunt eum.

## 15.

Tenetur ergo Jesus, et delectatur sic teneri, quia fide tenetur. Denique delectavit eum et illa mulier, quae tetigit eum, et curata est a sanguinis fluxu, de qua dixit: *Tetigit me aliquis; nam sentio virtutem de me exisse [n: (Luc. VIII, 46)]*. Tange ergo, et fide tene eum, et constringe fideliter pedes ejus; ut virtus de eo exeat, ut sanet animam tuam. Et si dicat: *Noli me tangere;* tu tene. *Nondum enim ascendi ad Patrem meum,* dixit [n: (Joan. XX, 17)]. Semel dixit: *Noli me tangere,* quando resurrexit: aut forte illi dixit, quae putabat furto esse sublatum, et non virtute propria resuscitatum. Denique in alio libro habes, quia tenentibus pedes et adorantibus dixit: *Nolite [1895B] timere [n: (Matth. XXVIII, 10)]*.

## 16.

Tene ergo et tu, anima, sicut tenebat et Maria, et dic: *Tenui eum, et non dimittam:* cui dicebant ambae, tenemus te. Vade ad patrem, sed non derelinquas me, ne iterum labar; et cum Maria non errante, sed arborem vitae tenente, tecum rape tuis pedibus inhaerentem. Tecum ascendam, noli me dimittere, ne iterum serpens venena sua fundat, ne iterum queat femineum mordere vestigium, ut supplantet Adam. Dicat ergo anima tua: *Teneo te, et inducam te in domum matris meae, et in secretum ejus quae concepit me [n: (Cant. III, 4)]*; ut cognoscam mysteria tua, ut hauriam sacramenta tua.

## 17.

*Tenui eum, nec relinquam eum, donec introducam eum in domum matris meae, et in cubiculum ejus [1895C] quae me concepit.* Quae est domus matris meae et cubiculum ejus, nisi internum tuae secretumque naturae? Hanc domum serva, hujus domus mundato penetralia, ut cum immaculata domus fuerit, nec ullius adulterinae conscientiae sordibus inquinata, spiritalis domus in sacerdotium sanctum lapide angulari coagmentata consurgat, et Spiritus sanctus habitet in ea. Quae sic Christum requirit, quae sic Christum obsecrat, non relinquitur ab eo: immo etiam frequenter revisitur.

## 18.

Vel domus matris, fortasse domus est, in qua praefulget moralium disciplina: secretum autem illud est, in quo sunt altiora mysteria, in quibus divinae gratiae mella redolent. An non omni melle dulcior peccatorum remissio? Nonne omni floregratior resurrectio mortuorum? Suscipe igitur Evam, non [1895D] jam ficulneae foliis coopertam, sed sancto amictam Spiritu, et nova gratia gloriosam; quia jam non tamquam nudata absconditur, sed tamquam circumdata vestimenti splendore fulgentis occurrit, quia vestit eam gratia: sed nec Adam primo nudus erat, quando eum innocentia vestiebat. Videntes itaque eam filiae Hierusalem Christo inhaerentem, et adhuc ascendentem cum eo (dignatur enim quaerentibus frequenter occurrere, et condescendere, ut eos elevet) dicunt:

## 19.

*[n: (Vers. 6.)] Quae est haec quae ascendit a deserto?* [1896A] Sis sicut illa anima, quae Christi in se charitatem excitat, quam mirantur ascendentem virtutes coelorum; quod sine offensione *1576* ascendat, et ex hoc mundo ascendat cum laetitia et jucunditate, sicut vitis propago, et sicut fumus se ad superna subrigat, fragrans odorem resurrectionis piae, et suavitatem fidei, sicut habes scriptum: *Quae est haec quae ascendit a deserto, sicut vitis propago, fumo incensi odorificata, myrrha et thure ab omnibus pulveribus unguenti.* Pulchre subtilitatem ejus expressit, pulveris comparatione, et unguenti commemoratione; quia in Exodo subtile legimus, et ex multis compositum thymiama, illud esse incensum propheticum, quod est sanctorum oratio, ut dirigatur in conspectu Domini, sicut et David dicit: *Dirigatur oratio mea, sicut incensum in [1896B] conspectu tuo [n: (Psalm. CXL, 2)]*.

## 20.

*Quae est ista quae ascendit a deserto?* Desertus hic terrae locus et incultus videtur, sentibus et spinis nostrorum obsitus delictorum. Mirantur videlicet quomodo anima quae ante in inferno relinquebatur, inhaereat Dei Verbo, et ascenderit sicut vitis propago, in superiora subrigens se, velut fumus natus ex igne, atque alta petens, tum praeterea bonis odoribus fragret. Odor autem ille orationis piae redolet suavitatem, quae dirigitur *sicut incensum in conspectu Domini [n: (Psal. CXL, 2)]*. Et in Apocalypsi legimus, quod *Ascendit fumus incensorum de orationibus sanctorum [n: (Apoc. VIII, 4)]*. quae incensa referuntur per angelorum suorum orationes, scilicet super altare illud aureum quod est ante sedem Dei. Et tamquam suave [1896C] piae precationis fragrat unguentum; quia de aeternorum et invisibilium, non de corporalium petitione compositum est: praecipue tamen myrrham redolet et thus, eo quod peccato mortuus sit, et Deo vivat. Unde et in posterioribus: *Ibo,* inquit, *mihi ad montem myrrhae, et ad collem thuris.* Sequitur:

## 21.

*[n: (Vers. 7.)] En sexaginta potentes in circuitu propaginis ejus, strictis armati ensibus, et eruditi praeliaribus disciplinis.* Qui sunt isti fortes et eruditi praeliaribus disciplinis, adverte. Fortis et ecclesiastici est viri non dissimulare cum aliquid immineat, sed praetendere et tamquam explorare de specula quadam mentis, et obviare cogitatione provida rebus profuturis; ne forte dicat postea: Ideo in ista incidi, quia non arbitrabar posse evenire. Denique nisi explorentur [1896D] adversa, cito occupant. Ut in bello improvisus hostis vix sustinetur, et si imparatos inveniat, facile opprimit: ita animum mala inexplorata plus frangunt. In his ergo duobus illa est animi excellentia, ut primum animus tuus bonis exercitatus cogitationibus, mundo corde quod verum et honestum est, videat: *Beati* enim *mundo corde, quia ipsi etiam Deum videbunt:* atque id quod honestum est, solum bonum judicet. Deinde nullis perturbetur occupationibus, nullis cupiditatibus fluctuet. [1897A]

## 22.

Neque vero id quisquam facile facit: quid enim tam difficile quam dispicere tamquam ex arce aliqua sapientiae, opes aliaque omnia, quae plerisque videntur magna et praecelsa? Deinde ut judicium tuum stabili ratione confirmes, et quae judicaveris levia, tamquam nihil profutura contemnas? Deinde ut si quid acciderit adversi, idque grave et acerbum putetur, ita feras, ut nihil praeter naturam accidisse putes, cum legeris: Nudus sum natus, nudus exibo: quae Dominus dedit, Dominus et abstulit [n: (Job. I, 21)]; et utique et filios amiserat et facultates: servesque in omnibus personam sapientis et justi, sicut ille servavit, qui ait: *Sicut Domino placuit, ita factum est, sit nomen Domini benedictum [n: (Ibid.)]*. Et infra, *Sicut una insipientium mulierum locuta es: si bona [1897B] suscepimus de manu Domini, quae mala sunt non sustinebimus [n: (Ibid., 2)]* ?

## 23.

Non est igitur mediocris nec discreta a caeteris animi fortitudo, quae bellum cum virtutibus gerat; sed quae sola defendat ornamenta virtutum omnium, et judicia custodiat, et quae inexpiabili praelio adversus omnia vitia decernat, invicta ad labores, fortis ad pericula, rigidior adversus voluptates, dura adversus illecebras, quibus aurem deferre nesciat, nec (ut dicitur) ave dicat, pecuniam negligat, avaritiam fugiat tamquam labem quamdam, quae virtutem effeminet; nihil enim tam contrarium fortitudini, quam lucro vinci. Frequenter pulsis hostibus, inclinata in fugam adversariorum acie, dum exuviis caesorum capitur praeliator, inter ipsos quos [1897C] stravit, miserandus occubuit: et triumphis suis dejectae legiones dum *1577* spoliis occupantur, hostem in se revocarunt, qui fugerat.

## 24.

Fortitudo igitur tam immanem pestem repellat et proterat, nec tentetur cupiditatibus, nec frangatur metu; quia virtus sibi constat, ut fortiter omnia persequatur vitia, tamquam virtutis venena. Iracundiam velut quibusdam propulset armis, quae tollit consilium, et tamquam aegritudinem vitet. Gloriae quoque caveat appetentiam, quae frequenter nocuit immoderatius appetita, semper autem usurpata. Emolliri enim adulatione non solum fortitudinis non esse, sed etiam ignaviae videtur. Horum fortium castra Jacob videns in spiritu, *Castra,* inquit, *Dei sunt haec [n: (Gen. XXXII, 2)]*. [1897D]

## 25.

Quid autem sunt sexaginta? Scimus hebdomadam veteris, ogdoaden autem novi esse Testamenti, scilicet quando Christus resurrexit, et dies omnibus novae salutis illuxit: quo die se fulgor plenae atque perfectae circumcisionis humanis pectoribus infudit. Septem autem et octo, quindecim faciunt. Isti ergo sunt septem et octo, id est, quindecim, quibus conduxit Osee meretricem, quam conducendam Dominus ei praeceperat. Hebdomada itaque et octava significant duorum Testamentorum consummationem, [1898A] et fidei plenitudinem: quindenarius vero numerus quater ductus, qui sunt sexaginta, Evangelii perfectionem.

## 26.

Quae est autem propago in cujus circuitu potentes isti sunt? *Nephthalim,* inquit, *vitis remissa, porrigens in germine decorem.* Sarmentum vitis aliud amputatur quod videtur inutile, ne cassa vitis sarmentorum exsultatione luxuriet, et aliud paulisper reciditur et remittitur, ut fructum afferat, cujus decus in generatione porrigitur; quia dum ad superna se subrigit, vitem amplectitur, et ad verticem ascendens, jugi quaedam colla vitium pretiosi palmitis vestit monili. Est et ille decorus in generatione, quia plenis palmitibus multos fructus exundat. Decorum hoc, sed multo illud pulchrius, quod haerentem [1898B] palmitem viti significat spiritali, cujus nos sarmentum sumus, et fructum afferre possumus, si maneamus in vite; sin autem, praecidimur. Sanctus patriarcha Nephthalim erat palmes abundans, unde et Moyses dicit: *Nephthalim satietas accipientium, replebitur benedictione a Domino: mare et Africum possidebit [n: (Deut. XXXIII, 23)]*; exponens hoc quod Jacob dixerat, quid sit *vitis remissa,* hoc est, per fidei gratiam vinculis mortis exutus: in quo significatur populus Dei ad libertatem fidei et ubertatem vocatus gratiae, toto orbe diffusus, qui jugum Christi bono fructu vestiat, et ligna verae illius vitis, hoc est, mysteria Dominicae crucis ambiat, nec timeat confessionis ejus periculum: sed magis etiam in persecutionibus positus, Christi nomine glorietur. [1898C]

## 27.

Tenent autem fortes isti gladios in manibus, quos pro Christi nomine non refutent, vel quibus corporalia a spiritualibus, umbram a veritate distinguant. *Vivus est enim Dei sermo et efficax, et penetrabilior omni gladio ancipiti, et pertingens usque ad divisionem animae ac spiritus; compagum quoque ac medullarum, et discretor cogitationum, et intentionum cordis: et non est ulla creatura invisibilis in conspectu ejus, sed omnia nuda et aperta sunt oculis ejus [n: (Hebr. IV, 12 et 13)]*. Est enim verbum Dei gladius bis acutus. Sunt et alii duo gladii in Ecclesia de quibus dicitur: *Domine, ecce duo gladii hic,* ecclesiasticae scilicet potestatis et mundanae, quibus falsa repugnat misericordia.

## 28.

Est justa misericordia: sed est etiam injusta [1898D] misericordia. Denique in Lege scriptum est de quodam: *Non misereberis illius [n: (Deut. XIX, 13)]*. Et in libris Regnorum legis quia Saul propterea contraxit offensam, quia miseratus est Agag hostium regem, quem prohibuerat sententia divina servari [n: (I Reg. XV, 9)]. Ut si quis latronem filiis deprecantibus motus, et lacrymis conjugis ejus inflexus, absolvendum putet, cui adhuc latrocinandi aspiret affectus: nonne innocentes tradet exitio, qui liberat multorum exitia cogitantem? Certe si gladium reprimit, vincula dissolvit, [1899A] laxat exsilium; car latrocinandi qua potest clementiore via non eripit facultatem, qui voluntatem extorquere non potuit? Deinde inter duos, hoc est, accusatorem et reum pari periculo de capite decernentes, alterum si non probasset, alterum si non esset ab accusatore convictus, non id *1578* quod justitiae est, judex sequatur; sed dum miseretur rei, damnet probantem: aut dum accusatori favet qui probare non possit, abdicat innoxium. Non potest igitur haec dici justa misericordia.

## 29.

In ipsa Ecclesia ubi maxime misereri decet, teneri quam maxime debet forma justitiae, ne quis a consortio communionis abstentus, brevi lacrymula, atque ad tempus parata, vel etiam uberioribus fletibus communionem quam plurimis debet postulare [1899B] temporibus, facilitate sacerdotis extorqueat. Nonne cum uni indulget indigno, plurimos facit ad prolapsionis contagium provocari? Facilitas enim veniae, incentivum tribuit delinquendi. Hoc eo dictum est, ut sciamus secundum verbum Dei, secundum rationem dispensandam esse misericordiam debitoribus: alias autem gladius quod suum est, exsequatur.

## 30.

*[n: (Vers. 9, 10.)] Lectum fecit sibi Salomon rex ex lignis Libani, columnas ejus fecit argenteas, acclinatorium aureum, ascensum ejus purpureum, dorsum ejus gemmis stratum.* Quis est iste lectus, nisi corporis nostri species? Namque in gemmis aer specie fulgoris ostenditur, in auro ignis, aqua in argento, terra per lignum; ex quibus corpus humanum quatuor constat elementis, in quo nostra recubat anima, [1899C] si non aspero montium, non humi arido expers quietis exsistat; sed sublimis a vitiis ligno fulta requiescat. Unde et David dicit: *Dominus opem ferat illi super lectum doloris ejus [n: (Psal. XL, 4)]*; nam lectus doloris esse qui potest, cum dolere non possit, qui non habet sensum? Corpus autem doloris, sicut corpus est mortis: *Infelix ego homo! quis me liberabit de corpore mortis ejus [n: (Rom. VII, 24)]*?

## 31.

Et quoniam versiculum induximus, in quo Dominici corporis fecimus mentionem, ne quem forte perturbet legentem, quod Dominus corpus suscepit doloris, recordetur quia Lazari mortem et doluit et flevit, et in passione est vulneratus, atque ex vulnere sanguis et aqua exivit, spiritumque exhalavit [n: (Joan. XI, 35)]. Aqua ad lavacrum, sanguis ad [1899D] potum, spiritus ad resurrectionem. Unus enim est Christus nobis spes, fides, charitas: spes in resurrectione, fides in lavacro, charitas in sacramento. Tamen ut corpus suscepit doloris, ita etiam stratum in infirmitate versavit; quia convertit in commodum carnis humanae: nam passione infirmitas est soluta, mors resurrectione. Et tamen moerere pro saeculo, gaudere debetis in Domino: tristes ad poenitentiam, alacres ad gratiam, licet et flere cum flentibus, et gaudere cum gaudentibus oportere gentium Doctor salutari praeceptione praescripserit [n: (Rom. XII, 15)]. [1900A]

## 32.

*Media charitate constravit, propter filias Hierusalem.* Quae sunt istae filiae? Non debet esse occultum, quod superiores videantur qui ante generali sunt, infirmiores qui postea. Comparantur enim utero mulieris partus saeculi hujus; quoniam fortiores sunt qui in virtute juventutis nati sunt, infirmiores qui tempore senectutis. Defecit enim multitudine generationis hoc saeculum sicut vulva generantis, et tamquam senescens creatura robur juventutis suae, velut marcenti jam virium suarum vigore deponit. Istae ergo sunt filiae Hierusalem, id est, teneriores et infirmiores animae: istis se exhibet ut luceat imago ejus in confessione earum, luceat in dilectione, luceat in operibus; et si fieri potest, tota ejus species exprimatur in ipsis.

## 33.

[1900B]Hae igitur filiae Hierusalem sponsam ascendentem, et non resistentem videntes, et meritorum ejus odoribus delectatae, agnoscentes quoque Salomonis illius esse pacifici sponsam, etiam comitatu sedulo persequuntur usque ad lectum Salomonis: eo quod ei vera in Christo requies debeatur. Lectus enim sanctorum Christus est, in quo universorum fessa saecularibus praeliis corda requiescunt. In hoc lecto requievit Isaac, et benedixit filium juniorem, dicens: *Major serviet minori:* in hoc lecto recubans Jacob, benedixit duodecim patriarchas: in hoc lecto recubans archisynagogi filia, surrexit a morte: in hoc lecto jacens unicus viduae defunctus filius, mortis vincula Christi voce vocatus dissolvit. Perducta igitur sponsa usque ad sponsi requiem, nuptiale [1900C] canunt carmen, dicentes filiabus Hierusalem:

## 34.

*[n: (Vers. 11.)] Egredimini et videte in rege Salomone coronam, qua coronavit eum mater ejus, in die sponsalium ejus.* Canunt epithalamium, et vocant caeteras potestates coelorum vel *1579* animas, ut videant charitatem, quam circa filias Hierusalem habet Christus. Unde et meruit coronari a matre quasi filius charitatis, sicut Paulus ostendit dicens: *Quia Deus eripuit nos de potestate tenebrarum, et transtulit in regnum filii charitatis suae [n: (Coloss. I, 13)]*. Charitatis itaque filius et ipse charitas est: non ex accidentibus habens charitatem, sed habens eam substantia sua, sicut regnum de quo dicit: *Ego in hoc natus sum [n: (Joan. XVIII, 17)]*.

## 35.

Ideoque dicit, *Egredimini,* id est, exite de [1900D] sollicitudinibus et cogitationibus saeculi: exite de angustiis corporalibus: exite de vanitatibus mundi, et videte quam rex pacificus in die sponsalium suorum habeat charitatem: quam gloriosus sit, quia corporibus resurrectionem dedit, et animas sibi junxit. Haec magni est corona certaminis, hoc praeclarum munus sponsalium Christi, sanguis ejus et passio. Quis enim plus potuit dare, qui sibi etiam non pepercit, et pro nobis in mortem animam suam posuit?

## 36.

Quae autem corona gloriae nisi Ecclesia quae [1901A] caput suum Christum coronat? Quae jucunditas universae terrae, nisi domus populi Christiani, aula sanctorum, de quibus scriptum est: *In omnem terram exivit sonus eorum [n: (Psal. XVIII, 5)]*? Ergo quia corona gloriae est Ecclesia, ideo dicitur: *Egredimini, filiae Sion, et videte regem Salomonem, in corona qua coronavit eum mater ejus, in die sponsalium ejus, et in die jucunditatis cordis ejus.*

## 37.

Ad animas dicitur ut e gurgustiis et claustris exeant corporalibus, extra corporis cogitationes exeant, egrediantur a cupiditatibus, et a curis, et a caeteris carnis istius et affectus lubrici passionibus: supra mundum ascendant, de hoc mundo exeant, Christo occurrant, paratae adsint facibus ardentibus relucentes, quasi angeli Christi haec loquuntur: Non [1901B] potestis videre claritatem ejus, gloriam ejus, nisi egrediamini humanae fragilitatis curas, filiae Hierusalem. Quasi dicant: *Quid viventem inter mortuos quaeritis [n: (Luc. XXIV, 5)]*? Non intra hunc mundum quaeritur Christus, qui supra mundum suos esse voluit discipulos.

## 38.

Quae est corona qua coronatur Christus, nisi corona gloriae? Joseph coronam habuit castitatis, Paulus justitiae, Petrus fidei. Singularum virtutum coronae sunt. Solus Christus habet coronam gloriae, qua eum Ecclesia coronavit. In hac corona omnes coronae sunt; quia gloria non portio unius coronae, sed praemium omnium coronarum est.

## CAPUT QUARTUM.

## 1.

[1901C] [n: (Vers. 1.)] Jam vero conversus Sponsus in laudem sponsae dicit: *Quam pulchra es, amica mea, quam pulchra es! oculi tui sicut columbae, extra taciturnitatem.* Pulchra in praedicatione, pulchra in conversatione. *Oculi quoque ejus,* inquit, *sicut columbae.* Oculi sunt viri, videlicet spiritalibus ornati sensibus qui ad videnda mysteria sint acuti, et parati ad penetranda Scripturae secreta divinae, rationabili lacte fulgentes, in quibus non sit aliqua doli maculosa confusio, sed simplicis affectus pura et immaculata simplicitas. Ideo in aquarum abundantia lotas has columbas in lacte postea memoravit.

## 2.

Jam caetera dentes et genas, et sicut coccineum resticulum labia sponsae intelligimus animae esse virtutes doctorumque diversitates: qui vel spiritalem [1901D] menti alimoniam dispensatione sedula subministrent, vel praedicatione Dominicae crucis, sicut Verbi quadam linea, alligent audientem: vel modestia verecundi, et juventutis flore gratissimi. Etsi a tactu pudore revocentur, redoleat tamen in his odor Christi: et sicut in genas, quasi a capite sacerdotali descendat unguentum, sic et in his eluceat pulchritudo doctrinae.

## 3.

*Oculi tui sicut columbae extra taciturnitatem tuam;* quod et spiritualiter videat, et noverit tempus tacendi esse et tempus loquendi; ut in tempore sermonem [1902A] suum proferat, ne importunitate loquendi peccatum possit incurrere.

## 4.

*Oculi tui sicut columbae.* Hic columbae, id est, Ecclesiae simplicitas revelatur et gratia. Vide itaque simplicitatem oculi, qui enim justum videt et gaudet etiam ipse vult justus esse: pulchrum est enim ut eo in aliis delectetur, *1580* quod vult ipse in se servare, si possit: est enim insitum bonis, ut castum pudicus, prudentem sapiens affectu pio diligat, misericors liberalem, virtutes suas in aliis amet. Plerisque etiam justi aspectus admonitio correctionis est, perfectioribus vero laetitia. Nam si tanta vis in naturalibus est, ut animal visum prosit ictericis, ita ut mortui quoque corpus ejus animantis prodesse dicatur, si fuerit demonstratum iis, qui hujusmodi [1902B] inciderint passionem, dubitare possumus quod justi sanet aspectus, cujus sunt oculi sicut columbae, simplices et pudici? Ergo vile animal irrationabile tantam virtutem habet, ut sanare hominem possit momento exiguo, quo videtur: homo justus, si tamen cum fide ab eo conspiciatur, qui utilitatem ab eo percipere desiderat, nihil conferet? Quam pulchrum igitur ut videaris et prosis!

## 5.

Bonum ergo vir justus. Propterea denique apostolus Paulus ascendit Hierosolymam, ut justos videret: et cum Petro mansit diebus quindecim, ut ex ejus aliquid cohabitatione proficeret [n: (Gal. I, 18)]. Propterea ipse Paulus et Barnabas cum Hierosolymam ingrederentur, magnifice excipiebantur ab [1902C] Ecclesia, et apostolis, et majoribus natu: cum autem abire vellent, ne discederent rogabantur, et ut postea de Paulo legimus, quod cum lacrymis deducebatur. Nonne vel ipsi oculorum radii virtutem quamdam videntur infundere, iis qui fideliter eum videre desiderant?

## 6.

Sed quemadmodum justus laetificat cor innocentum, cum videtur, ita improbi justorum cognitione torquentur, quia vel tacitis sanctorum moribus arguuntur. Torquet castitas incontinentem, avaritiam liberalitas, impietatem fides. De hoc quoque parile vilis animantis sumamus exemplum. Nam sicut prodesse diximus mutum animal cum videtur, ita obesse percipimus lupum, si aliquem videndo praevenerit; vocem enim feruntur amittere, quos prius [1902D] lupus viderit. Basiliscus quoque (hic est noxius serpens) si quodcumque viderit prior animal, fertur occidere: et allegatur statim necari, qui potuerit a serpente hujusmodi praevideri. Ipse quoque serpens mori dicitur, si fuerit hominis praeventus aspectu. Ergo si tanta virtus vel in oculis serpentis, vel in oculis est hominis, ut si alterum alter prior viderit, possit occidere: non est virtus in oculis justi, qui repletus virtutis est gratia, cum praesertim tantum operetur fides; ut et illa quae fimbriam Domini tetigit, sanaretur: et ille cui intendit Dominus Jesus, statim [1903A] ex ejus oculis gratiam sanitatis hauriret [n: (Matth. IX, 22)]?

## 7.

Sed qui videt justum, debet scire quid videat. Non illum videt in corpore, non in vestimento, non in patrimonio, non in vultu: sed intus videt. Non, inquam, illum videt, nisi ejus viderit mentem, nisi ejus sermonem intenderit, nisi sensum illius potuerit comprehendere, sapientiam de tractatu ejus potuerit assumere. Tunc igitur laetabitur cum ista perspexerit, cum ista cognoverit. Ita ergo et nos sicubi justum audimus, festinemus videre, sicut illa mulier quae audivit in domo pharisaei discumbere Dominum Jesum, et ingressa est, et ejus pedes perfudit unguento [n: (Luc. VII, 37 et 38)]. Illius imitatores simus, quia Ecclesiae in illa muliere figuram esse quis dubitet? [1903B] Sicubi ergo justus sedeat, sicubi accumbat, festinemus videre eum. Pretiosum est videre virum justum, ut videas eum secundum imaginem Dei. Quod foris est, nihil prodest: quod intus est, sanat. Sane et in eo qui foris est, illum qui intus est, frequenter aspicimus: ut si viderimus pauperem, illum ad cujus similitudinem factus est, honoremus in paupere, de quo ait: *Dedistis mihi manducare, quia quod uni eorum dedistis, mihi dedistis [n: (Matth. XXV, 35 et 40)]*.

## 8.

*Capillamentum tuum ut grex tonsarum, quae revelatae sunt a monte Galaad.* Ideo capillamentum, quia virtus omnium sensuum in capite est: *Oculi* enim *sapientis in capite ejus [n: (Eccl. II)]*. Profunda igitur doctorum prudentia, quae potest ea quae obscura [1903C] sunt revelare, et alta aperire sensuum.

## 9.

*[n: (Vers. 2.)] Dentes tui sicut grex tonsarum, quae ascenderunt a lavacro, quae omnes geminos creant, et infecunda non est in eis.* Quod specie de capris dicitur, mystice de Ecclesiae grege sentiendum. Nec vilia tibi videantur ista animalia, vides quod in altis grex iste pascitur, audax in monte. Itaque ubi aliis praecipitia, ibi capris nullum periculum: ubi aliis periculum, ibi gregis illius alimentum, ibi cibus *1581* dulcior, ibi fructus electior. Speculantur a pastoribus suis, dumosa de rupe pendentes, ubi luporum incursus esse non possunt, ibi fecundae arbores fructum integrum subministrant. Cernere licet uberi lacte distentas, super teneram sobolem materna [1903D] pietate sollicitas. Ideo elegit eas Spiritus sanctus, quibus coitum venerabilis Ecclesiae compararet.

## 10.

Et ut mystice audias, capillamentum Verbi est altitudo, et eminentia quaedam justarum animasum; quoniam sensus sapientis in capite ejus. In altitudine enim cogitationis humanae certum est esse sapientiam. Et quemadmodum tondentur caprae, ut superflua deponant: ita etiam tonsarum animarum gregem, hoc est, multarum animarum virtutes habet sancta Ecclesia, in quo grege nihil possis insensibile reperire, nihil superfluum; quoniam fides sapientes [1904A] fecit, spiritalis autem gratia ab omni superfluorum labe mundavit.

## 11.

Merito igitur revelatae sunt animae justorum, et revelatae a monte Galaad, hoc est, a transmigratione testimonii, eo quod a Synagoga ad Ecclesiam testimonium coeleste migravit. In hoc itaque monte nascitur thymiama, resina, et caeteri odores quos negotiatores illi Ismaelitae, ut habes in libro primo Testamenti veteris, deferebant [n: (Gen. XXXVII, 25)]. Itaque sicut caprae bonis refectae cibis, et solis calore vernantes, lavantur in flumine, et exsultantes mundae surgunt de flumine: ita animae justorum ascendunt ab spiritali lavacro.

## 12.

Istae sunt vere qui geminos creant, in quibus non est infecunditas aliqua virtutum, sterilitas ulla [1904B] meritorum. Bene geminos creant, quia congeminant sensus suos; unde habes in Proverbiis scriptum: *Et tu scribe haec tibi tripliciter, in consilium, et in cognitionem [n: (Prov. XXII, 20)]*. Triplicem praemisit scriptionem, et duo subdidit, consilium et cognitionem. Sed cognitio gemina est, una incorporalium, altera corporalium; unde etiam in posterioribus habes: *Duo ubera tua sicut duo hinnuli capreae gemelli, qui pascuntur in liliis, donec aspiret dies, et inclinentur umbrae [n: (Vers. 5)]*.

## 13.

Diximus de fecunditate, dicamus de dentibus. Nam et navigantes plerique, et properantes itinere terreno, ubi viderint speciosum aliquem locum, delectationis gratia demorantur, pascunt oculos animumque [1904C] allevant. Nec mora ulla putatur commeandi, sed gratia. Ita et nobis pulcherrimos dentes justarum animarum considerare cordi est; docuit enim Scriptura pulcherrimos dentes esse justorum dicens secundum litteram quidem de patriarcha Juda, spiritualiter autem de Christo; *Hilares oculi ejus a vino, et dentes sicut lac [n: (Genes. XLIX, 12)]*. In quo non utique carnis humanae officia, sed divinae gratiae munera praedicavit. Docet igitur exemplum, dentes non esse praetereundos, ubi de oculis disseruimus.

## 14.

Qui sunt igitur justarum dentes animarum nisi qui informem ac durum accipientes cibum, vel frigidum plerumque, vel supra modum calentem nunc comminuunt, nunc fovent, nunc temperant, prout qualitas fuerit alimentorum? Dura comminuunt, [1904D] ne asperitas litterae in veteri Testamento et saecularis intellectus rigor, nisi fuerit spiritali dente resolutus, vitalia ipsa interclusis librorum salutarium commeatibus, et gulam quamdam animae incuriosa edacitate suffocet. Par est igitur ut dividas primum, si solida tibi videtur esca quae sumitur, et distinguas eam; atque emollitam sine noxa aliqua animae in omnia ejus membra naturali divisione transfundas; ut vitalem succum omne ejus corpus epuletur, nihil cadaverosum, nihil mortuum ore tuo sumas, ne dicatur: *Sepulcrum patens est guttur eorum [n: (Psalm. XIII, 3)]*. Sed vivum haurias verbum, [1905A] ut in tuae mentis visceribus possit operari. Hi dentes super lac candidiores; quia dentes justorum.

## 15.

Denique cum omnes in Moyse baptizati in nube et in mari patres nostri fuerint, non otiose tamen scriptum est: *Quia omnes eamdem escam spiritalem manducaverunt, et omnes eumdem potum spiritalem biberunt [n: (I Cor. X, 3 et 4)]*; ut istis sanctorum dentibus major quidam fulgor accederet, quos post transitum maris rubri, myrrhae fontis amaritudine per ligni gratiam temperata *(Exodi XV, 25)*, cognoscemus esse mundatos: deinde duodecim fontium potu, postremo petrae spiritalem undam vomentis irriguo; *Petra erat enim Christus [n: (I Cor. X, 3 et 4)]*. *1582* Ideo et manna manducaverunt [n: (Num. XX, 11)], ut toties abluti manducarent panem, ut scriptum [1905B] est, angelorum [n: (Psalm. LXXVII, 25)]. Nunc quoque in Evangelii mysteriis recognoscis baptizatos, licet toto corpore, postea tamen esca spiritali potuque mundari; ille enim est verus dentium fulgor, ubi bene consciae mentis resonat canora confessio. Ille mundus oculus, quem peccatorum gravium trabes nulla depresserit, quem purgamentorum levium festuca nulla turbaverit.

## 16.

*Dentes tui sicut grex tonsarum, quae ascenderunt de lavacro, quae omnes geminos creant, et infecunda non est in eis.* Non mediocris ista laudatio, primum apta comparatione tonsarum; capras enim et in altis pasci sine periculo novimus, et in praeruptis securas cibum sumere, deinde cum tondentur, deonerari superfluis. Harum gregi comparatur Ecclesia, multas in se habens animarum virtutes, quae per lavacrum [1905C] superflua peccata deponant, quae mysticam fidem et moralem gratiam deferant Christo, quae crucem Domini Jesu loquantur. In his formosa est Ecclesia, unde ad eam Deus Verbum dicit: *Ecce formosa es, proxima mea: ecce es formosa; oculi tui sicut columbae. Tota formosa es, proxima mea, et reprehensio non est in te;* quia culpa demersa est. *Ades huc a Libano, sponsa, ades huc a Libano, et pertransibis a principio fidei;* eo quod renuntians mundo, transierit saeculum, pertransierit ad Christum.

## 17.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] Sicut resticula coccinea labia tua.* In cocco enim species ignis, et crucis Dominicae sanguis irrutilat. Coccinea labia Domini, quae passionem propriam loquebatur. Denique in Exodo coccum pro igne collocatum est [n: (Exod. XXV, 4)]. Non enim ex [1905D] cocco mundus, sed ex quatuor constat elementis. Sed in cocco figura ignis expressa est, cujus vapor nisi coelum atque aerem, maria terrasque penetraret, omnia tamquam effetis viribus solverentur. Per resticulam igitur vinculum persuasionis agnoscimus, per coccum vel cupiditatis ardorem qui scintillat in animis audientium, vel indicium passionis.

## 18.

*[n: (Vers. 4.)] Sicut turris David cervix tua, quae aedificata est in Thalphioth, mille clypei pendent in ea, omnia jacula potentium.* Erecta enim ad Deum cervix, et jugo Christi habilis, quae nulla in terras [1906A] illecebrarum inflexione curvetur; sicut Christi regalis est turris, cui jugum suum Nabuchodonosor non possit imponere. Condidit enim turrim illam David ille manu fortis, et supra murorum aedificavit excelsa; ut subsidio pariter et decori sit: subsidio, quia hostem praevidet et expellit: decori, quia non solum inter humilia, sed etiam inter excelsa supereminet. Ita tamen subsidio vel decori, si habeat in se verbi dogmata velut quaedam phalerarum monilia: habeat etiam jacula potentium prophetarum, quae adversus omnem extollentem se altitudinem, lacertis quibusdam fidei diriguntur.

## 19.

Noli igitur in pulverem mortis deducere animam tuam, cui etiam Dominus naturalem altitudinem tribuit et vigorem, quo se excitet et assurgat. [1906B] Unde etiam de hac conjunctione animae et corporis dictum opportune accipitur, eo quod in naturali vitae nostrae mysterio, connexa anima corpori velut humi reptet, et pavimento adhaereat, partim propter hoc terrenum habitaculum, partim quia corpus istud de terra est. Et regionis igitur diversorium, et materia ipsa corporis nostri huic concurrit sententiae. Ideoque pulchre Apostolus de mortis hujus corpore liberari cupit; quia carcere quodam claudimur, et in quodam luxuriae gurgustio siti tenebris involvimur delictorum.

## 20.

Ergo secundum voluntatem Dei ambulemus, ut adhaerere dicamur Deo. Nam secundum corporis appetentiam qui vivit, caro est: qui secundum praecepta Dei, spiritus est. Non ergo fiat anima nostra caro, hoc est, ut dicamur caro; sicut et illi qui in [1906C] diluvio perierunt, de quibus dictum est: *Quia caro sunt [n: (Genes. VI, 3)]*. Sed magis caro nostra obediens animae gubernaculo, fiat anima, et hoc appellari mereatur nomine; sicut appellata est familia patriarchae Jacob, et generationis ejus sancta posteritas; sic enim scriptum est: *Hi filii Balae quam dedit Laban Rachel filiae suae: peperit haec Jacob animas septem.* Et ibidem: *Omnes autem animae quae intraverunt cum Jacob in Aeyyptum, quae exierunt de femoribus ejus, praeter uxores filiorum, sexaginta sex [n: (Genes. XLVI, 25 et 26)]*. Et in principio Exodi legimus: *Erant autem omnes animae de Jacob, quinque et septuaginta [n: (Exod. I, 5)]*. *1583*

## 21.

Ergo illi qui habitabant cum Joseph, et de Aegypto exierunt, animae sunt: qui autem [1906D] cum essent angeli Dei, hoc est vitae probitate angelorum imitantes gratiam ( *Qui enim [n: (Matth. XXII, 30)] non ducunt uxores, et qui non nubunt, erunt sicut angeli Dei in coelo* ); qui ergo cum angeli viderentur, capti sunt decore femineo, hi caro sunt, sicut Dominus Deus dixit: *Non permanebit spiritus meus in hominibus in aeternum, propter quod caro sunt [n: (Genes. VI, 3)]*. Et merito exspertes libidinis, angelis comparantur, caro enim non sunt, quia non sunt in carne, sed in spiritu: quales erant illi qui doctorem Apostolum sequebantur, quibus ait: *Vos autem non [1907A] estis in carne, sed in Spiritu [n: (Rom. VIII, 9)]*. Qui autem corporea feminarum capiuntur libidine, caro sunt: atque utinam caro tantum, et non etiam equi adhinnientes! *Quia,* inquit, *in uxorem proximi sui adhinniebant [n: (Jerem. V, 8)]*.

## 22.

*[n: (Vers. 7.)] Tota es formosa, proxima mea, et reprehensio non est in te.* Pulchritudinem vero quis potest majorem existimare decore ejus, quae amatur a rege, probatur a judice, dedicatur Domino, consecratur Deo. Semper sponsa, semper innupta; ut nec amor finem habeat, nec damnum pudor. Haec profecto vera pulchritudo est, cui nihil deest, quae sola meretur audire a Domino: *Tota es formosa, proxima mea, et reprehensio non est in te.*

## 23.

*[n: (Vers. 8.)] Veni huc a Libano, veni huc a Libano: [1907B] transibis et pertransibis a principio fidei, a capite Sanir et Hermon, a latibulis leonum, a montibus pardorum.* Quibus indiciis ostenditur perfecta et irreprehensibilis virginalis animae pulchritudo, altaribus consecrata divinis, inter occursus et latibula spiritalium bestiarum non inflexa mortalibus, sed intenta mysteriis Dei, meruisse dilectum, cujus ubera plena laetitiae; Vinum enim laetificat cor hominis.

## 24.

*Et odor,* inquit, *vestimentorum tuorum, sicut odor Libani. Veni a Libano, sponsa, veni a Libano: transibis et pertransibis a principio fidei:* transibis in saeculum certatura, pertransibis ad Christum triumphatura de saeculo. Audisti quia te a leonum et pardorum, id est, a spiritalium nequitiarum incursionibus [1907C] separavit: audisti quia placet ei tuarum pulchritudo virtutum.

## 25.

*Ades huc a Libano, sponsa, ades huc a Libano: transibis, et pertransibis a principio fidei, a capite Sanir, et Hermoniim, a speluncis leonum, a montibus pardorum;* hoc est, egredere de corpore, et totam te exne. Non potes enim mihi adesse, nisi ante peregrineris a corpore; quoniam qui in carne sunt, peregrinantur a Dei regno. *Ades,* inquit, *ades.* Bene repetivit, quia sive praesens, sive absens, adesse et placere Domino Deo tuo debes: adesto praesens, adesto absens, etsi adhuc in corpore es; mihi enim omnes praesentes sunt, quorum fides mecum est. Adest mihi qui exiit de saeculo: adest mihi qui me cogitat, me intuetur, de me sperat, cui ego portio sum: adest mihi qui [1907D] abfuerit sibi: ille mecum est, qui intra se non est; quoniam qui in carne est, non est in spiritu: ille mecum est, qui ex seipso egreditur: ille juxta me est qui extra se fuerit: ille mihi integer, qui propter me perdiderit animam suam; et ideo, *Ades, ades, sponsa; transibis et pertransibis a principio fidei.* Transit et pertransit caeteros, quae ad Christum pervenit: transit fidei merito, et operum claritate, quae lucet sicut Sanir et Hermon, hoc est, via lucernae: transit devictis tentationibus saeculi, et superatis [1908A] nequitiis spiritalibus, legitimi petens coronam certaminis.

## 26.

*[n: (Vers. 9.)] Vulnerasti cor meum, soror mea, sponsa, vulnerasti cor meum in uno oculorum tuorum, et in uno crine colli tui.* Oculi enim mentis isti sunt oculi, scilicet interioris hominis, non hi oculi qui ministerio funguntur obtutus. Est enim oculus et mentis et carnis, sed ille caecus est oculus qui non videt quae divina sunt, qui frustra mente carnis inflatus est. Est et alius oculus sensus Christi, quo Ecclesia videt Christum, sicut ipse dicit ad Sponsam: *Corde nos cepisti ab uno oculorum tuorum.* Merito uno oculo videtur Christus, quia non videtur oculo carnali, aut quia duos oculos habens Ecclesia, moralem et mysticum, fidei oculo plus videt Christum; [1908B] mysticus enim oculus acutior est, moralis dulcior.

## 27.

Et fortasse isti oculi sunt, quibus Paulus videbat aeterna, ubi coepit temporalia non videre. Denique qui Christum non videbat, priusquam oculos amitteret, vidit *1584* eum posteaquam amisit visum oculorum; vidit enim qui dixit: *Quis es, Domine [n: (Act. IX, 5)]*? Videbat utique Christum, quem etiam Dominum fatebatur. Et infra, *Domine,* inquit, *quid me vis facere?* Non ergo videbat eum, cujus exspectabat imperium? Quibus igitur oculis videre Paulus plus coepit, nisi iis quos nobis ipse monstravit, dicens: *Orabo spiritu, orabo et mente [n: (I Cor. XIV, 15)]*? Denique ut scias quia vidit orando: *Factum est,* inquit, *revertente me in Hierusalem, cum orarem in [1908C] templo, pavorem habui, vidi illum dicentem mihi: Festina, exi citius de Hierusalem; non enim recipient testimonium tuum de me [n: (Act. XXII, 17 et 18)]*.

## 28.

Isti ergo oculi in verbum Dei deficiunt, et dicunt: *Quando consolaberis me?* Istis oculis prophetae dicebantur videntes, quia per revelationem ea quae erant abscondita, mente cernebant. Sed quia oculus mentis et oculus carnis unus oculus sunt, et tunc homo consolatione fulcitur, cum caro et mens diversa non cupiunt, sed unum desiderant, et unum requirunt; ideo intenti ad eum qui ait: *Ego et pater unum sumus [n: (Joan. X, 30)]*. Isti quoque oculi unum esse se confitentur; quia uno atque eodem desiderio officioque funguntur.

## 29.

*[n: (Vers. 10.)] Pulchriora sunt ubera tua vino, [1908D] et odor unguentorum tuorum super omnia aromata.* Et infra: *Odor vestimentorum tuorum sicut Libani.* Vide quem nobis tribuas, virgo, processum! Primus enim odor tuus super omnia aromata, quae in Salvatoris missa sunt sepultura, et mortuos corporis motus membrorumque redolet obiisse delicias. Secundus odor tuus, sicut odor Libani, Dominici corporis integritatem, virgineae florem castitatis exhalat. Favum itaque mellis tua opera componant. Odor etiam vestimentorum est odor actuum nostrorum. [1909A] Admove igitur manus naribus tuis, et odorem actuum tuorum indefessa ac pervigili alacritate mentis explora. Mulcebit te odor dexterae tuae, et flagrantiam resurrectionis tua membra redolebunt, myrrham digiti tui sudabunt, hoc est, verae fidei gratiam spiritalia gesta flagrabunt. Capis ergo, virgo, ex interiore tuo corpore voluptatem, et ipsa tibi dulcis, ipsa tibi suavis es, ipsa tibi (quod peccantibus saepe contingit) non incipis displicere.

## 30.

*[n: (Vers. 11.)] Favus distillans, labia tua, sponsa.* Favum itaque mellis tua opera componant; digna enim virginitas quae apibus comparetur, sic laboriosa, sic pudica, sic continens: rore pascitur apis, nescit concubitus, mella componit. Ros quoque virgini est sermo divinus; quia sicut ros Dei verba [1909B] descendunt. Pudor virginis est intemerata natura, partus virginis est fetus labiorum, expers amaritudinis, fertilis suavitatis: in commune labor, communis est fructus. Quam te velim, filia, imitatricem esse hujus apiculae, cujus cibus flos est, ore soboles legitur, ore componitur. Hanc imitare tu, filia; verba tua nullum doli velamen obtendant, nullum habeant fraudis involucrum; ut et puritatem habeant, et plena gravitatis sint. Meritorum quoque tuorum tibi aeterna posteritas tuo ore pariatur, nec soli tibi, sed etiam pluribus congreges quid scis enim quando a te tua anima reposcatur; ne receptacula horreorum frumentis coacervata dimittens, nec vitae tuae usui futura nec meritis, rapiaris eo, quo thesaurum tuum ferre non possis. Dives igitur [1909C] esto, sed pauperi, ut naturae participes tuae, participes sint etiam facultatum.

## 31.

*Favus distillans labia tua sponsa.* Quis sit favus, doce nos, Salomon. Tu enim dixisti: *Favus mellis sermones boni [n: (Prov. XVI, 24)]*. Et vere bonus favus, quem manducat Ecclesia, multorum prophetarum velut apum spirituali ubertate congesta mella redolentem. Hoc est mel de quo ait: *Manducavi panem meum cum melle meo [n: (Cant. V, 1)]*. Stillant mel labia praedicantis, quando collisa duris casibus vel ruinis, lapsae animae membra refoventur. *Favum distillant labia tua, sponsa, mel et lac sub lingua tua;* os enim justi distillat sapientiam: de ore justi suavitatis et misericordiae mella procedunt: in ore justi nullus dolus, nulla fallacia, nulla est amaritudo [1909D] peccati. Audit Ecclesia verba justi, audit plebs Dei verba sapientis, delectatur alloquii suavitate, moralis disputationis jucunditate mulcetur, dicens: *Quam dulcia faucibus meis verba tua, super mel et favum ori meo [n: (Psalm. CXVIII, 103)]*! Quia mel apum ad horam delectat, sed cito sapor ejus *1585* evanescit, et plerumque viscera vitiosa laeduntur: verborum autem moralium etsi pungunt mella, non laedunt.

## 32.

Cognosce tamen cui illa credantur; scriptum est enim: *In aurem insipientis nihil dicas; ne quando [1910A] irrideat prudentes sermones tuos [n: (Prov. XXIII, 9)]*. Evomet enim et rejiciet sermonem tuum stultus, qui ejus sentire non potest suavitatem. Quomodo possunt verba Dei dulcia esse in faucibus tuis, in quibus est amaritudo nequitiae? Quomodo *mel et lac sub lingua tua,* cum dolum lingua tua componat; ut aliud pectore concipias, aliud forensi sermone praetendas, ut decipias incautum? Cum tibi Petrus apostolus dicat, ut deponas omnem malitiam, et fucum simulationis abjicias, dicens: *Sicut dudum geniti infantes, rationabiles et sine dolo, lac concupiscite [n: (I Pet. II, 2)]*. Ostendens enim nobis quid sit mel et lac habere sub lingua, docet ut non maledicere maledicentibus, sed benedictionem referre noverimus: nesciamus odisse nisi viam iniquitatis, ut facere quod exsecramur, reluctanti [1910B] caveamus affectu.

## 33.

*[n: (Vers. 12.)] Hortus conclusus soror mea sponsa, hortus conclusus, fons signatus. Emissiones tuae,* etc. Eo quod in hortis ejusmodi impressam signaculis imaginem Dei, sinceri fontis unda resplendeat, nec volutabris spiritualium bestiarum sparsa coeno fluenta turbentur. Hinc ille murali septus spiritu pudor clauditur, ne pateat ad rapinam. Itaque sicut hortus furibus inaccessus, vitem redolet, flagrat oleam, rosam renidet; ut in vite religio, in olea pax, in rosa pudor sacratae virginitatis inolescat. Hic est odor quem Jacob patriarcha flagravit, quando meruit audire: *Ecce odor filii mei, sicut odor agri pleni [n: (Genes. XXVII, 27)]*. Nam licet plenus omnibus fere fructibus patriarchae sancti fuerit ager, ille tamen fruges majori [1910C] virtutis labore generavit, hic flores. Accingere itaque, virgo, et si vis hujusmodi tibi ut hortus aspiret, propheticis eum claude praeceptis: *Pone custodiam ori tuo, et ostium circumstantiae labiis tuis [n: (Psal. CXL, 3)]*.

## 34.

*Hortus conclusus soror mea sponsa, hortus conclusus, fons signatus; emissiones tuae paradisus malorum punicorum, cum fructu pomorum Cypri.* Laudatur Sponsa eo quod hortus sit, habens in se odorem agri illius pleni, de quo dicit Isaac: *Odor filii mei, tamquam odor agri pleni [n: (Genes. XXVII, 27)]*. Bona ergo anima flagrat odores justitiae. Et fortasse ager est patriarcha, hortus est anima inferioris alicujus, quasi agri portio: et *Hortus conclusus,* ne incursetur a bestiis: et *Fons signatus,* quae integritate signaculi, [1910D] perseverantiaque fidei propria peccata diluerit. Nam qui de Ecclesia acceperit; habet quod ad virginitatis gratiam referat; eo quod in paradiso delectationis posita sine labore fructus capiat spiritales, ut ei patriarcharum animae rurali quodam animae suae labore fructus suos conferant, quo ista capere possit perpetuam suavitatem: quae merito fons signatus dicitur, eo quod imago in illa Dei invisibilis exprimatur.

## 35.

*Hortus conclusus soror mea sponsa, hortus conclusus, fons signatus.* Omnes doctores congruunt [1911A] in paradiso, et lignum vitae radicatum et lignum scientiae, quo discernat bonum et malum: caeteraque ligna plena vigoris, plena vivificationis, spirantia et rationabilia. Ex quibus colligitur paradisum ipsum terrenum videri posse, non in solo aliquo, sed in nostro principali, quo animatur et vivificatur anima virtutibus et infusione Spiritus sancti. Denique Salomon in spiritu paradisum in homine esse evidenter declaravit. Et quia mysteria exprimit vel animae et Verbi, vel Christi et Ecclesiae; ideo ait de virgine anima vel Ecclesia, quam volebat virginem castam assignare Christo: *Paradisus clausus, soror mea sponsa, paradisus clausus, fons signatus.* Paradisus Graece, Latine hortus dicitur. Denique Susanna in paradiso erat, et sic legitur latine: et Adam in [1911B] paradiso erat, et sic legimus. Ergo non te moveat quod alii codices latini hortum habent, alii paradisum. Ibi ergo est casta uxor, ubi et virgo. Licet virgo excepta habeat claustra sua et signacula, sed utraque in paradiso; ut adversum aestus corporis et carnis flagrantiam refrigeretur virtutum umbraculis.

## 36.

Ergo paradisus in principali nostro est, silvescens plurimarum opinionum plantariis, in quo principaliter lignum vitae constituit Deus, id est, pietatis radicem. Ea est enim vitae nostrae substantia, si Domino et Deo nostro *1586* debitos cultus deferamus. Constituit etiam scientiae boni et mali seminarium; homo enim solus in caeteris animantibus terrenis, habet scientiam boni et mali. Alia quoque illic [1911C] plantaria diversa, quorum fructus virtutes sunt. Sed quia scientiae capax hominis affectus cognitus est a Deo, quod citius ad astutiam inclinaretur, quam ad summum prudentiae; neque eum judicem qui fines certos in anima nostra constituit, operis sui qualitas latere poterat: eliminare voluit astutiam de paradiso, quasi providus auctor nostrae salutis, et vitae studium et disciplinam pietatis infundere. Ideoque praecepit homini, ab omni ligno quod est in paradiso gustandum, de ligno autem scientiae boni et mali non esse gustandum. Sed quia creatura omnis passioni obnoxia est, ideo delectatio sicut serpentino illapsu humanis irrepsit affectibus.

## 37.

Itaque non immerito sanctus Moyses delectationem serpentis figuravit similitudine; prona est [1911D] enim in ventrem sicut serpens, non pedibus incedens, aut ullis elevata cruribus: sed sinuoso flexu totius velut corporis sui lubrica. Ei terra cibus est sicut serpenti, quoniam escam nescit coelestem; corporalibus enim pascitur, atque in varias mutatur species cupiditatum, et tortuosis angulatur anfractibus. Venenum in dentibus habet, quibus unusquisque se eviscerat luxuriosus, helluo internecat, abliguritor perimit. Quantos ruperunt vina, dissolvit ebrietas, distendit cruditas! Nunc intelligo qua causa Dominus Deus insufflavit in faciem hominis; ibi enim sensus omnes, ibi sedes atque illecebra delectationis, in oculis, auribus, naribus, atque in ore; ut sensus nostros adversus delectationem fortiores [1912A] faceret. Haec ergo nobis sicut serpens astutiam infudit; non enim delectatio, sed labor et diuturna meditatio cum Dei gratia dat perfectam prudentiam. Tamen quia serpentis fraudibus involuta est humani generis haereditas, in eo astutiam serpentis sequamur, ut caput nostrum non projiciamus in pericula, sed prae caeteris integrum custodiamus; caput autem nostrum Christus est. Hoc maneat incolume, ut serpentis venena nobis non possint nocere: bona enim est sapientia cum haereditate, id est, cum fide; quoniam est haereditas credentium in Domino.

## 38.

Quod si primus homo, qui cum Deo loquebatur in paradiso positus, labi tam facile potuit, ex terra creatus virgine, quae ad verbum Dei formata et creata recenti fuerat exortu, nondum ea parricidali [1912B] caeterorumque concreta sanguine, flagitiis et dedecore polluta, nondum carne nostra damnata maledicto obnoxiae haereditatis: quanto facilius postea, lubrica ad peccandum via, majus advexit humano generi praecipitium, cum deterior tolerabiliori per vices generationis successerit! Etenim si magnetes lapis tantam naturae vim habet, ut ferrum ad se trahat, et transfundat se in illius speciem; ita ut plerisque experiri volentibus, cum plures annulos ferreos ad eum lapidem admoverint, omnes pari teneat modo: deinde si ei annulo cui adhaeserit lapis, alium admoveas annulum, et rursum per ordinem singulis substituas; licet in omnes penetret per ordinem ex illo lapide vis naturae, tamen priores nexu vehementiore constringit, posteriores remissiore: [1912C] quanto magis humani generis conditio atque natura, ex puriore statu in deteriorem lapsa est, quanto nequiorem attigit! Nam si per eas species imminuitur natura, quae non sunt culpae capaces: quanto magis per animos atque artus labe pollutos scelerum, virtus ejus hebetatur! Unde quia vincente malitia, abolita innocentia fuerat, non erat qui faceret bonitatem, non erat usque ad unum. Venit ergo Dominus, qui reformaret naturae gratiam, immo augeret; ut ubi superabundavit peccatum, superabundaret gratia.

## 39.

Ergo liquet quia auctor hominis Deus, et quod unus Deus, non multi dii, sed unus qui mundum operatus est, et unum, non multos mundos, ut dicunt philosophi. Primum ergo mundum creavit, [1912D] deinde habitatorem mundi, cui totus mundus patria foret: nam si hodie quocumque accesserit sapiens, ubique civis est, ubique sua intelligit, nusquam se peregrinum, nusquam hospitem judicat: quanto magis ille primus homo, totius mundi erat incola, et ut Graece dicitur, cosmopolites, Dei recens *1587* confabulator, assiduus civis sanctorum! complantatus virtutibus, praepositus omnibus terrenis animantibus, marinis, volatilibus, totum mundum suam possessionem putabat, quem Dominus tuebatur ut opus suum, neque ut bonus parens atque auctor deserebat. Denique eousque creatum fovit, ut abdicatum redimeret, eliminatum reciperet, mortuum passione filii sui unigeniti resuscitaret. Est ergo hominis auctor [1913A] Deus, et diligit opus suum operator bonus, nec derelinquit bonus pater, quem etiam sicut dives paterfamilias censu propriae haereditatis redemit.

## 40.

Caveamus ergo ne hominem istum, id est νοῦν, mulier illa, id est, passio sensuum nostrorum delectatione et ipsa decepta atque illusa effeminet, et circumscriptum in leges suas et sententiam trahat. Fugiamus delectationem sicut serpentem, multas artes habet et maxime in homine. Nam alia animantia cibi aviditate capiuntur; homo quando plures sensus oculorum auriumque habet, tanto majora pericula. Itaque cave ne vigor mentis tuae, coitu quodam corporeae voluptatis inflexus emolliatur, atque in ejus omnes amplexus resolvatur, et fontem ejus aperiat, qui debet esse clausus et septus intentionis [1913B] studio et consideratione rationis: *Hortus enim clausus, fons signatus.* Namque resoluto mentis sensu, se corporales delectationes effundunt perniciosae nimis, et in appetentiam plenam gravis periculi profluentes; quas si mentis vividae considerata mansisset custodia, refrenasset.

## 41.

*[n: (Vers. 3, 4.)] Emissiones,* inquit, *tuae paradisus malorum punicorum cum pomorum fructu, Cypri cum nardo, nardus et crocus, fistula et cinnamomum cum universis lignis Libani, mirrha et aloe cum omnibus primis unguentis.* Laudantur munera animae quae missa sunt a Sponso, quibus dotata veniebat (Deo autem piae animae boni odores sunt), myrrha, aloe, crocus et alia, quibus spirat hortorum gratia, et peccatorum fetor aboletur. Itaque tanto secura praeconio, [1913C] conquiescere aquilonem gravem ventum petit, ne flores discutiat: spirare austrum, hoc est, velut hyemem praeterire, et mollioris flatus vernare temperiem. Invitat Sponsum in hortum suum, descendit sponsus, et fructuum ejus diversitate delectatus, laetatur quod invenerit fortiorem cibum, invenerit etiam dulciorem. Est enim velut panis quidam Verbi et mel, alius vehementior, alius suasorius sermo. Est et fides alia ferventior, ut vinum; alia lucidior, ut succus est lactis. Hunc cibum Christus epulatur in nobis, hoc poculum bibit, et ejus potus ebrietate nos provocat, ut ad meliora et optima ab inferioribus faciamus excessum.

## 42.

Audiens haec anima hausit mysteriorum ebrietatem coelestium, et velut soporata a vino, et quasi in [1913D] excessu vel stupore posita, dicit: *Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat [n: (Cant. V, 2)]*. Tum Verbi praesentis lumine percussa, excitatur a Verbo. Quartus autem hic processus est animae. Primum etenim charitatis impatiens, et Verbi moras non ferens, rogabat ut oscula mereretur, et meruit desideratum videre. Secundo introducta in cubiculum regis, cum mutua misceret alloquia, in umbra ejus requievit, et subito ei Verbum medio sermone discessit; quaerenti tamen non diu abfuit, sed saliens supra montes et transiliens super colles advenit. Nec multo post quasi [1914A] capreolus aut cervorum hinniculus dum affatur dilectam, exsilivit et reliquit. Tertio cum in cubili et noctibus, in civitate et foro, in plateis quaesitum non reperit, et aliquando orationibus suis gratia quaerentem revocavit, adeo etiam ut propius vocaretur a sponso. Quarto ipsa jam dormiens ab ipso excitatur, quamvis corde vigilaret; ut continuo vocem pulsantis audiret: sed moram passa, dum surgit (quia velocitatem Verbi non potuit comprehendere), dum aperit ostium, transivit Verbum, et ipsa exivit in Verbo ejus: et per vulnera requisitum, sed vulnera charitatis, vix tandem invenit, et tenuit, ut postea non amitteret. Ad summam haec compendioso sermone perstrinxi, nunc discutiamus singula.

## 43.

*[n: (Vers. 15.)] Fons hortorum, puteus aquarum [1914B] viventium, quae fluunt impetu de Libano.* Habes haec in Salomone, quia Proverbia ejus moralia, Ecclesiastes naturalis, in quo quasi vanitates istius despicit mundi: mystica sunt ejus Cantica *1588* Canticorum. Habes et in propheta: *Seminate vobis ad justitiam, vindemiate ad fructum vitae, illuminate vobis lumen cognitionis [n: (Ose. X, 12)]*; hoc est enim lumen cognitionis, habere charitatis perfectionem. Ideoque dictum est: *Ne timeas [n: (Joan. XII, 15)]*; charitas enim timorem excludit foras.

## 44.

Ut cognoscamus autem quia Salomon ita hos interpretatus est tres puteos, quos fodit Jacob; ut ad moralem doctrinam et naturalem referret et mysticam, in singulis libris suis, quos de moralibus et naturalibus vel mysticis scripsit, posuit hos puteos. [1914C] Nam et in Proverbiis, cum declinandam speciem diceret saecularis illecebrae, ait: *Bibe aquam de tuis vasis, et de puteorum tuorum fontibus, et superfluant tibi aquae de tuo fonte [n: (Prov. V, 15)]*. Et infra: *Fons aquae tuae sit tibi proprius, et jucundare cum uxore quae ab adolescentia tua [n: (Ibid., 18)]*; eo quod adversus tentamenta mundi remedium nobis vera sapientia sit. Moralis quoque doctrina quae imaginem mundanae voluptatis meretriciis quibusdam illitam fucis irriguo suo diluat, et fluento sui fontis abstergat.

## 45.

De naturalibus quoque habes in Ecclesiaste ipsum: *Feci mihi piscinas aquarum ad irrigandum ex his saltum germinantem [n: (Eccles. II, 6)]*. Neque te moveat quod pro puteo piscinas posuit, quia et Moyses puteum latitudinis dixit; eo quod a sollicitudine omni [1914D] et angustiis solvitur, qui mundum hunc pia mente transcenderit. Non immerito ergo piscinas habet Ecclesiastes, qui vidit nullam abundantiam esse sub sole: sed si quis abundare velit, in Christo abundet.

## 46.

De mysticis et puteus superest nobis, quem etiam ipsum reperimus in Canticis Canticorum, dicente Scriptura: *Fons hortorum, puteus aquae vivae, et impetu descendens a Libano.* Etenim si mysteriorum altitudinem persequaris, puteus tibi videtur tamquam in profundo sita mystica esse sapientia: si vero haurire velis affluentiam charitatis, quae major et uberior [1915A] est, quam fides et spes, tunc tibi fons est. Exuberat enim charitas, ut et haurire eam cominus, et rigare ejus affluentia hortum tuum possis, spiritalibus fructibus redundantem. Et quia ipse puteus latitudinis est, qui charitatem habet; ideo dixit, quia ubi charitas est, ibi impetus magnus descendit a Libano.

## 47.

Ne quid autem moveat, quod et puteum, et fontem eumdem dixit; etiam Evangelium te instruat, in quo scriptum est: *Quia venit Jesus in civitatem Samariae, quae dicitur Sichar, juxta praedium quod dedit Jacob Joseph filio suo [n: (Joan. IV, 5 et 6)]*. Erat autem ibi fons Jacob: *Et fatigatus,* inquit, *sedebat sic super puteum.* Unde ad mysticam doctrinam hunc referri puteum etiam ibi cognoscimus, quia ibi Samaritana illa, id est, custos (custos autem coelestium [1915B] praeceptorum) hausit de puteo illo divina mysteria, cognoscens quia Deus spiritus est, et non in loco adoratur, sed in spiritu: et quia Messias venit, qui Christus est. Quibus auditis mulier illa quae speciem Ecclesiae gerit, Legis sacramenta cognovit et credidit.

## 48.

*Fons hortorum, puteus aquarum viventium, et impetus descendens a Libano.* Hos impetus Ecclesia deduxit a Libano, hoc impetu diluuntur peccata, hoc impetu puri fontis Spiritus sancti adfuit a Libano Sponsa, et a principio fidei transivit saeculum, et pertransivit ad regnum. Aliis fons est, aliis puteus pro captu nostro gratia spiritalis: aliis hortus clausus, fons signatus, aliis hortorum fons, qui in Ecclesiae dote numeratur: aliis impetus descendens a Libano, [1915C] et magnus impetus qui numquam deficit. Non enim deficiunt de petra ubera, neque nix a Libano, neque aqua quae fertur valido vento virgini Hierusalem.

## 49.

Descendit impetus a Libano, quando collectis in unum apostolis et pluribus credentibus, factus est subito de coelo sonus, tamquam vi magna spiritus ferretur, et repleti sunt omnes Spiritu sancto diversitates donante linguarum [n: (Act. II, 1, 3)]. Bonus impetus qui laedere nesciat, norit implere. Si quis igitur hunc impetum supervenientis e coelo gratiae vult mereri, descendat etiam ipse oculis in decursus aquarum. Qui hunc primum impetum fuderit, illum merebitur. Descendit oculis suis in hos ductus aquarum, quae lacrymis in Evangelio rigavit Domini pedes [1915D] [n: (Luc. VII, 38)], et ideo fidei suae pretio emit animae suae et corpori sanitatem, jam non sanguinis proflua, sed gratiae spiritalis.

*1589.* 50. Descendit ergo David propheta, ideo de peccato gratiam retulit. Descendit in aquarum ductus, hoc est, replevit eos, et decurrentium aquarum lacrymis suis fluenta cumulavit, aut inanes et vacuos ductus solis replevit fletibus. Aut quod elocutionis moralis quosdam sensus ostendit, descendit in aquarum ductus, transivit eos. Et possemus dicere, transcendit [1916A] eos, et supergressus est: sed minuitur vis eloquii, quo vis major affluentiae descendentis, quam ascendentis exprimitur. Vide, rogo, quid de usu verba habeant, impetum suum sermo propheticus non amittat, licet usus ipse scriptorum sensui servire, majore decore consueverit.

## 51.

*Puteus aquarum viventium;* puteus enim si nihil haurias, inerti otio et degeneri situ facile corrumpitur: exercitatus autem nitescit ad speciem, dulcescit ad potum. Ita et acervus divitiarum, cumulo arenosus, speciosus est usu, otio autem inutilis habetur. Derivato igitur aliquid de puteo hoc: *Ignem enim ardentem restinguit aqua, et eleemosyna resistit peccatis [n: (Eccli. III, 33)]*. Aqua autem stativa cito vermes facit: non stet thesaurus tuus, ne ignis tuus stet. [1916B] Stabit in te, nisi eum operibus tuae miserationis averteris.

## 52.

*[n: (Vers. 16.)] Exsurge, aquilo, et veni, auster, aspira hortum meum, et perfluunt aromata mea.* Audisti, Christi sponsa, quia placet ei tuarum pulchritudo virtutum; audisti quia vestimentorum tuorum aromata, hoc est, bonum odorem integritatis omnibus odoribus praetulit. Audisti, quia hortus es clausus, suavium pomiferarum refertus frugibus. Pete igitur ut aspiret tibi Spiritus sanctus, aspiret supra cubile tuum, atque odorem piae mentis, et gratiae spiritalis accumulet. Excita Spiritum sanctum dicens: *Exsurge, aquilo, et veni, auster; aspira hortum meum, et perfluant aromata mea. Descendat fraternus meus in hortum suum, et manducet fructum pomiferarum suarum.* [1916C] Hortus Verbi animae vernantis affectus est, et in pomiferis virtutis est fructus. Venit ergo, et sive manduces, sive bibas, si Christum invocas, adest dicens: *Venite, manducate panes meos, et bibite vinum meum [n: (Prov. IX, 5)]*.

## 53.

*Exsurge,* inquit, *aquilo, et veni, auster; aspira hortum meum, et perfluant aromata mea.* Ex omnibus enim partibus mundi odor sacrae religionis adolevit, quo dilectae virginis membra fragrarunt. Unde et Ecclesia altitudinem servans mysteriorum coelestium, rejicit a se graviores venti procellas, et invitat vernantis gratiae suavitatem; et sciens quod ortus suus Christo displicere non possit, advocat Sponsum suum: *Exsurge,* inquit, *aquilo, et veni, auster.* Plerique haec ita accipiunt, quasi projiciatur aquilo, et invitetur [1916D] auster. Quod si ita accipiunt, exturbatur ab Ecclesia perfidiae glacialis asperitas, ne fiat fuga nostra hyeme vel sabbato, et invitatur australis verna temperies.

## 54.

Aut certe: *Exsurge, aquilo,* hoc est, *surge, qui dormis, et exsurge a mortuis [n: (Ephes. V, 14)]*. Populus nationum qui diu ante dormisti, evigila aliquando, et illucescet tibi Christus. Postremo omnes invitantur ad Ecclesiam, et Synagogae populus et gentilium: sed prius Synagogae, quia priores ex Judaeis apostoli [1917A] crediderunt et per ipsos postea nationum populi congregati sunt. Vide ergo venientem solem nostrum ad austrum, postea gyrantem ad aquilonem. *Hierusalem, Hierusalem:* venit utique ad eam, quam etiam vocare dignatus est: sed haec Hierusalem terrena est, quae eccidit prophetas, hoc est, Synagoga Judaeorum: *Quoties,* inquit, *volui congregare filios tuos, sicut gallina pullos suos, et noluisti? Ecce relinquetur domus vestra deserta [n: (Matth. XXIII, 37 et 38)]*. Gyravit igitur ad gentes: gyrando autem gyravit Spiritus Dei, et in gyros suos conversus est, ut fieret Deus omnia in omnibus.

## CAPUT QUINTUM.

## 1.

*[n: (Vers. 1.)] Veniat dilectus meus in hortum meum, et comedat fructum pomorum suorum.* Hinc hortum [1917B] illum sibi Plato composuit, quem Jovis hortum alibi, alibi hortum mentis appellavit; Jovem enim et Deum et mentem dixit. In hunc introivisse animam, quam Venerem nuncupat, ut se abundantia et divitiis horti repleret, in quo repletus potu jaceret, potu qui nectar effunderet. Hoc igitur ex libro Canticorum composuit; eo quod anima Deo adhaerens in hortum mentis ingressa sit, in quo esset abundantia *1590* diversarum virtutum, floresque sermonum. Quis autem ignorat quod ex paradiso illo quem legimus in Genesi habere lignum vitae et lignum scientiae boni et mali [n: (Gen. II, 8)], et ligna caetera, abundantiam virtutum putaverit transferendam, et in hortum mentis esse plantandam?

## 2.

Quem in Canticis Canticorum hortum animae significat, vel ipsam animam; sic enim scriptum est: [1917C] *Hortus clausus sponsa, soror mea, hortus clausus, fons signatus.* Et infra ait anima: *Exsurge, aquilo, et veni, auster; perfla hortum meum, et defluant unguenta tua, descendat frater meus in hortum suum [n: (Cant. IV, 12 et 13)]*. Quanto hoc pulchrius, quod anima ornata virtutum floribus, hortus sit; vel habeat in se paradisum germinantem, in quem hortum invitat Verbum Dei descendere; ut anima illa Verbi imbre coelestis, et ejus copiis irrigata fructificet! Verbum autem Dei pascitur animae virtutibus, quoties animam obedientem sibi et opimam invenerit: et carpit fructus ejus, et his delectatur. Cum autem descenderit in eam Dei Verbum, defluunt ex ea salubrium unguenta verborum, et diversarum [1917D] flagrant longe lateque redolentia gratiarum spiramina. Unde ait Sponsus (Sponsus autem animae Deus Verbum est, cui anima legitimo quodam connubii foedere copulatur):

## 3.

*[n: (Vers. 2.)] Ingressus sum in hortum meum, soror mea sponsa; vindemiavi myrrham meam cum unguentis meis, manducavi panem meum cum melle meo, bibi vinum meum cum lacte meo. Edite, proximi mei, et bibite et inebriamini, fratres mei. Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat.* Cognoscamus quos fructus vel cibos epuletur Deus, vel quibus delectetur. Delectatur eo, si quis [1918A] mortificet peccatum suum, oblitteret culpam suam, sepeliat atque abolefaciat iniquitates suas; myrrha enim est sepultura mortuorum, mortua autem peccata sunt, quae vitae suavitatem habere non possunt. Perfunduntur autem divini sermonis unguentis, et fortiori cibo verbi velut pane, et suaviori sermone velut melle curantur quaedam vulnera delictorum. Sermones autem cibos esse docet et alibi Salomon, dicens: *Favi mellis sermones boni [n: (Prov. XVI, 24)]*. In illo ergo horto sermones boni sunt, alius qui culpam coerceat, alius qui iniquitatem corripiat, alius qui mori faciat insolentiam, et velut sepeliat eam, quando correptus aliquis erroribus suis renuntiat.

## 4.

Est etiam sermo fortior, qui confirmat cor hominis [1918B] validioribus Scripturae coelestis alimentis. *Comedi favum cum melle meo, bibi vinum meum cum lacte meo.* Est enim sermo suasorius dulcis ut mel, et tamen peccatoris conscientiam in ipsa suavitate compungens. Est etiam ferventioris spiritus sermo, qui inebriat sicut vinum, et cor hominis laetificat. Est denique lacteus sermo, purus et candidus. Hos cibos dulcium utiliumque sermonum epulandos Sponsus proximis suis dicit: *Edite, proximi mei, et bibite, et inebriamini, fratres mei.* Proximi autem sunt qui eum sequuntur, et ejus nuptiis intersunt. Quo cibo et potu (bibit enim unusquisque [n: (Prov. V, 15)] aquam de suis vasis, et de puteorum suorum fontibus) repleta anima, atque inebriata, saeculo dormiebat, vigilabat Deo. Et ideo sicut posteriora docent, aperiri sibi Deus Verbum ejus januam postulabat, ut eam suo repleret ingressu. [1918C]

## 5.

Hinc ergo epulatores illi Platonici, hinc nectar illud ex vino et melle prophetico, hinc somnus ille translatus est, hinc vita illa perpetua quam deos suos dixit epulari, quia Christus vita est. Ideoque talium sermonum seminibus, animae ejus repletus est venter, atque ipsa exivit in Verbo: quae autem exit anima a servitio isto, et elevat se a corpore, Verbum sequitur. Aliter, ut superius [n: (Sup., cap. 4)] aliquantulum repetamus: *Hortus conclusus soror mea, sponsa, hortus conclusus, fons signatus.* Quo significat signatum debere apud te manere mysterium, ne violetur operibus malae vitae, atque adulterio castitatis: ne divulgetur quibus non convenit, ne garrula loquacitate dispergatur in perfidos.

## 6.

[1918D]Bona debet ergo fidei tuae esse custodia, ut intemerata vitae ac silentii integritas perseveret. Unde et Ecclesia altitudinem servans mysteriorum coelestium, rejicit a se graviores venti procellas, et invitat vernantis gratiae suavitatem. Et sciens quod hortus suus Christo displicere non possit, advocat ipsum sponsum dicens: *Exsurge, aquilo, et veni, auster: perfla hortum meum, et fluant unguenta mea [n: (Cant. IV, 10)]*: *1591* *descendat frater meus in hortum suum, et edat fructum pomiferarum suarum [n: (Cant. V, 1)]*; bonas enim arbores et fructiferas habet, radicesque [1919A] suas quas tinxerat in sacri fontis irriguo, et in bonos fructus novae fecunditatis germine pullulaverint; ut non jam prophetica caedantur securi, sed evangelica ubertate fecundentur. Denique fertilitate earum Dominus delectatus respondet:

## 7.

*Ingressus sum in hortum meum, soror mea sponsa: vindemiavi myrrham cum unguentis meis, manducavi panem meum cum melle meo: bibi potum meum cum lacte meo.* Quare panem et vinum dixerim, fideles intelligunt. Illud autem non dubium, quod nobis ipse manducat et bibit, sicut in nobis legisti, quia in carcere esse se dixit [n: (Matth. XXV, 36)]. Unde et Ecclesia videns tantam gratiam, hortatur filios suos, hortatur proximos, ut ad sacramenta concurrant, dicens: *Edite, proximi mei, et bibite, et inebriamini, fratres [1919B] mei.* Quid edamus, quid bibamus, alibi tibi per prophetam Spiritus sanctus expressit, dicens: *Gustate, et videte quoniam suavis est Dominus; beatus vir qui sperat in eo [n: (Psalm. XXXIII, 9)]*. In illo sacramento Christus est, quia corpus est Christi: non ergo corporalis esca, sed spiritalis est. Unde et Apostolus de typo ejus ait: *Quia patres nostri escam spiritalem manducaverunt, et potum spiritalem biberunt [n: (I Cor. X, 3)]*. Corpus enim Dei corpus est spiritale, corpus Christi corpus est divini spiritus; quia spiritus est Christus, ut legimus: *Spiritus ante faciem nostram Christus Dominus [n: (Thren. IV, 20)]*. Et in Petri epistola habemus: *Christus pro nobis mortuus est [n: (I Pet. II, 21)]*. Denique cor nostrum esca ista confirmat, et potus iste laetificat cor hominis, ut propheta memoravit [1919C] [n: (Psal. CIII, 25)].

## 8.

*Hortus conclusus soror mea sponsa, hortus conclusus, fons signatus;* ne facile aperiat os suum, nec vulgari resignet alloquio; neque enim de ipsis divinis decet, nisi verbo Dei interpellata respondeas. Quid tibi cum caeteris? Soli Christo loquere, soli fabulare Christo. Si enim ut mulieres taceant in Ecclesia scriptum est [n: (I Cor. XIV, 34)]: quanto magis non decet patere virginis januam, non decet viduae patere fores! Cito insidiator pudoris obrepit, cito verbum excipit, quod revocare desideres. Si Evae clausa fuisset janua, nec Adam deceptus fuisset, nec respondisset interrogata serpenti. Introivit mors per fenestram, hoc est, per Evae ostium. Ingreditur mors per ostium tuum, si falsum loquaris, si turpiter, si [1919D] procaciter, postremo si ubi non oportet, loquaris. Clausae sint igitur labiorum tuorum fores, et obseratum maneat vocis vestibulum, tunc fortasse reserandum, cum audieris Dei vocem, cum audieris Dei verbum. Tunc tibi myrrha sudabit, tunc tibi baptismatis aspirabit gratia, ut ab elementis mundi commoriare cum Christo, et cum Christo resurgas. *Quid adhuc,* inquit, *velut viventes, de hoc mundo decernitis? Ne tetigeritis, ne attaminaveritis, ne gustaveritis, quae sunt ad corruptionem ipso usu [n: (Coloss. II, 20 et seq.)]*.

## 9.

*Descendat frater meus in hortum suum, ut comedat [1920A] fructum pomiferarum suarum.* Quae sunt istae pomiferae? Lignum aridum factus es in Adam, sed nunc per gratiam Christi pomifera arbor pullulasti. Libenter accepit Dominus Jesus, et dignatione coelesti respondit Ecclesiae suae: *Descendi,* inquit, *in hortum meum, vindemiavi myrrham cum unguentis meis, manducavi panem meum cum melle meo, et bibi vinum meum cum lacte meo.*

## 10.

Edite, inquit, fratres mei, et inebriamini: *Vindemiavi myrrham cum unguentis meis [n: (Psalm. LXXIX, 9)]*. Quae est ista vindemia? Cognoscite vineam, et agnoscetis vindemiam. *Vineam,* inquit, *ex Aegypto transtulisti,* hoc est, populum Dei. Vos estis vinea, vos estis vindemia: quasi vinea plantati, quasi vindemia fructum dedistis. *Vindemiavi myrrham cum [1920B] unguentis meis,* hoc est, in odorem quem accepistis.

## 11.

Manducavi panem meum cum melle meo. Vides quod in hoc pane nulla sit amaritudo, sed omnis suavitas sit. *Bibi vinum meum cum lacte meo,* vides hujusmodi esse laetitiam, quae nullius peccati sordibus polluatur? Quotiescumque enim bibis, remissionem accipis peccatorum, et inebriaris spiritu. Unde et Apostolus ait: *Nolite inebriari vino . . . . . sed implemini Spiritu sancto [n: (Ephes. V, 18)]*. Vino enim qui inebriatur, vacillat et titubat: spiritu qui inebriatur, radicatus in Christo est, et ideo praeclara ebrietas, quae sobrietatem mentis operatur.

*1592.* 12. *Edite,* inquit, *amici mei, et bibite, et inebriamini.* Bona ebrietas quae ad meliora atque jucunda [1920C] facit quemdam mentis excessum, ut immemor sollicitudinum animus noster, vino jucunditatis hilaretur. Bona mensae spiritalis ebrietas; denique *poculum inebrians quam praeclarum [n: (Psalm. XXII, 5)]*! Et alibi habes: *Rivos ejus inebria, multiplica generationes ejus [n: (Psalm. LXIV, 11)]*; eo quod ebrietas terrae cum infusa fuerit imbre coelesti, suscitare semina, fructus multiplicare consueverit. Itaque ubi Verbum quod sicut pluvia descendit de coelo, venas terrae nostrae, id est, animae ac mentis inebriavit praedicatione divina, excitantur virtutum studia diversarum, fructusque fidei, et castae devotionis adolescit, meritoque ei dicitur: *Visitasti terram, et inebriasti eam [n: (Psalm. LXIV, 10)]*. Susceptione etenim corporis visitavit, ut sanaret infirmos: inebriavit gratia spiritali, ut anxios [1920D] jucunditate mulceret.

## 13.

*Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat.* Est sanctorum somnus etiam operarius, secundum quod scriptum est: *Ego dormio, et cor meum vigilat.* Et secundum quod Jacob sanctus divina dormiens videbat mysteria, quae vigilans non viderat; de coelo ad terras aerem praevium sanctis, respicientem Dominum, et pollicentem terrae ejus possessionem. Itaque brevi somno dormiens, impetravit quod magno labore postea acquisivit, haereditas enim ejus est somnus sanctorum, feriatus ab omnibus corporis voluptatibus. [1921A] ab omni animi perturbatione, tranquillitatem menti invehens, placiditatem animae; ut tamquam soluta nexu corporis se ablevet, et Christo adhaereat. Hic est somnus vitae sanctorum.

## 14.

*Vox dilecti mei pulsantis, aperi mihi, soror mea.* Et si dormias, et si modo devotionem animae tuae noverit Christus, venit, et pulsat ejus januam, et dicit: *Aperi mihi, soror mea.* Bene *soror,* quia nuptiae spiritales sunt Verbi atque animae; neque enim animae norunt conjugiorum foedera, et usus copulae corporalis, sed sunt sicut angeli Dei in coelo. *Aperi,* inquit, *mihi,* sed extraneis claude. Claude saeculo, claude mundo. Neque ipsa foras ad illa materialia prodeas, neque tuum relinquens lumen, alienum requiras; quia materiale lumen tenebrosam infundit [1921B] caliginem, ut non videatur lumen verae gloriae. *Aperi ergo mihi,* noli coarctari, sed dilata te, et adimplebo te. Et quia decurso orbe terrarum, plus molestiarum et offensionis reperi, nec facile habui ubi requiescerem; ideo tu aperi, ut in te filius hominis reclinet caput, cui non est requies nisi super humilem et mansuetum.

## 15.

*Aperi mihi, soror mea, surge, proxima mea, columba mea, perfecta mea.* Charitate proxima, columba simplicitate, virtute perfecta. *Quia caput meum plenum est rore;* sicut enim ros coeli nocturnas amovet siccitates, ita ros Domini nostri Jesu Christi nocturnis et saecularibus tenebris aeternae vitae stillavit humorem. Hoc est caput quod aestu mundi nescivit arescere, unde ait: *Quia si in humido haec faciunt, [1921C] in arido quid facient [n: (Luc. XXIII, 31)]*? Hoc igitur caput rorat aliis, sibi abundat. Et bene abundat caput Christi; quia caput tuum Christus est, qui plenus est semper, nec liberalitatibus hauritur suis, aut diutina deficit largitate. In hoc caput ferrum non ascendit, quod est instrumentum belli, insigne discordiae. Nunc specta, et vide ros ille qualis sit, scilicet non vulgaris humoris.

## 16.

*Cincinni autem mei guttarum noctis.* Noli, proxima mea, accipere cincinnos corporalium capillorum: non illa ornamenta, sed crimina sunt: lenocinia formae, non praecepta virtutis. Alios cincinnos Nazaraeus habet, in quibus ferrum non ascendit, quos nemo praecidit: qui non calamistris compositi aut arte digesti, sed multiplici crispantes virtutum nitentium [1921D] gratia refulserunt. Disce in historia quales Nazaraeus cincinnos habeat, quos quamdiu Samson habuit intactos, numquam vinci potuit. Cincinnos perdidit, et meritum virtutis amisit [n: (Jud. XVI, 17)].

## 17.

[n: (Vers. 3.)] Audita igitur voce Verbi, quam exueras tunicam nocte, ne quaesieris quemadmodum induas eam; ostenditur enim, et frequenter offertur per nequitiam spiritalem quemadmodum, inquam, induas eam, obliviscaris et nescias; quasi jam Dominus assistat, exsors corporalium vinculorum turbata [1922A] consurgas, internam orationibus praepares mentem, dum surgis; ut ex humilibus ad superna contendas, et studeas fores tui cordis aperire. Dum *1593* manus tuas tendis ad Christum, fidelem tua gesta spirabunt odorem.

## 18.

*Aperi mihi, soror mea.* Nonne cum aliquem de primariis viris desideras convenire, primo ad ejus domum appropinquas: postea quaeris informari atque instrui, ut cognoscas mentem patris familias: deinde ut ejus domum ingrediaris, imploras, ne quis te abjiciat et excludat. Pulsa ergo et tu regiam illam coelestem, pulsa non manu corporis, sed quadam orationis tuae dextera. Non sola manus corporis pulsat, pulsat et vox; scriptum est enim: *Vox fratris mei pulsat ad januam.* Pulsamus et digito. Denique [1922B] et Thomas digito meruit januam resurrectionis aperire: et tibi dicit Jesus: *Infer digitum tuum huc, et mitte in manus meas et latus meum, et noli esse incredulus, sed fidelis [n: (Joan. XX, 27)]*. Pulsa ergo digito, si non potes tota manu, pulsa januam. Christus est janua qui ait: *Per me si quis introierit, salvabitur [n: (Joan. X, 9)]*.

## 19.

Cum hanc igitur januam pulsaveris, vide quomodo ingrediaris; ne forte etiam ingressus, extra conspectum regis sis. Multi ingrediuntur palatia, et non statim regem istum terrae vident, sed frequenter observant, ut aliquando videre mereantur. Nec praesumunt videndi copiam, sed jussu repraesentantur, et precem fundunt; ut cum benevolentia suscipiantur, caventes primos sui sermonis ingressus; [1922C] ne quid titubet, ne quid offendat: quanto magis rogandus est Deus, ut ostium misericordiae suae nostra ingrediatur oratio!

## 20.

*Vox fratris mei pulsat ad januam.* Januam quoque tuam disce, o sponsa Christi, temporibus obserare nocturnis; ne facile quisquam patentem reperiat. Sponsus ipse vult clausam esse, cum pulsat. Janua nostra os nostrum est, Christo propemodum soli debet aperiri, nec aperiatur nisi ante pulsarit Dei Verbum. *Vox fratris mei pulsat ad januam.* Audi pulsantem, audi introire cupientem.

## 21.

*[n: (Vers. 2.)] Aperi mihi, soror mea, sponsa, columba mea, perfecta mea; quia caput meum plenum est rore, et crines mei guttis noctis.* Considera quando maxime pulsat januam tuam Deus Verbum, cum repletum [1922D] est caput ejus rore nocturno. In tribulatione enim et tentationibus positos visitare dignatur; ne quis forte succumbat victus aerumnis. Repletur ergo caput ejus rore vel guttis, quando corpus ejus laborat. Tunc ergo vigilandum, ne cum venerit Sponsus, recedat exclusus. Si enim dormias, et cor tuum non vigilet, discedit antequam pulset: si cor tuum vigilet, pulsat, et aperiri sibi januam poscit.

## 22.

Habemus ergo animae nostrae januam, habemus et portas de quibus dictum est: *Tollite portas [1923A] principes vestras, et elevamini portae aeternales, et introibit Rex gloriae [n: (Psal. XXIII, 7)]*. Est ergo et coelum in his in quibus sunt portae aeternales. Si has fidei tuae portas velis attollere, intrabit ad te Rex gloriae, triumphum portans propriae passionis. Habet enim justitia portas, nam etiam de his legimus scriptum, dicente Domino Jesu per prophetam suum: *Aperite mihi portas justitiae [n: (Psal. CXVII, 19)]*. Et infra ait propheta David: *Lauda, Hierusalem, Dominum, lauda Deum tuum, Sion; quoniam confortavit seras portarum tuarum [n: (Psal. CXLVII, 12)]*.

## 23.

Est ergo anima quae habet januam, est quae habet portas. Ad hanc januam venit Christus, et pulsat: pulsat et portas. Aperi ergo illi, vult introire, vult Sponsam invenire vigilantem. Noli ergo [1923B] bono amatori facere moras, cito recedit: et tu somno corporis tui videris exclusisse pulsantem. Excludis enim, cum desidiosus es, cum piger, cum somnolentus. His repagulis Christus excluditur: si castus et si sobrius sis, cave ne negligens sis. Majorem Christo facit injuriam, qui advenientem repellit.

## 24.

*Aperi mihi, soror mea, proxima mea:* pulsat ad januam etiam quando tu dormis: si tamen vel excitatus evigiles, vel vocatus januam tui pectoris aperias, introibit. Quod si fugias lectionem propheticam, si domi non legas, in Ecclesia audire nolis, nonne sicut ille qui averso connivet obtutu, ne videat quod possit videre, claudit oculos ne aspiciat, cui potestas videndi est: aut sicut in furore plerique injecere manus oculis suis; ita et tu primo averteris [1923C] conniventi magis dissimulatione, quam refragatione praerupta. Nam cum ad Ecclesiam venis et te Christianum *1594* esse asseris, sanus videris, aperis oculos quibus possis videre: sed dum audire dissimulas quae leguntur, claudis ne videas tibi, et si aliis videre videaris. Injicis etiam quasdam perfidiae et intemperantiae manus oculis animae tuae, et caecitatem infers cordi tuo (quod est gravius) voluntariam; ut videns non videas, audiens non audias.

## 25.

Putas te solum esse cum fornicaris, et non recordaris, quia oculi Domini vident orbem terrarum? Non audis dicentem: *Ecce venit hora ut dispergamini unusquisque in sua, et me solum relinquatis: sed non sum solus; quia Pater mecum est [n: (Joan. XVI, 32)]*. Adest ergo Pater, adest et Filius Dei, adsunt [1923D] ministri, adsunt Cherubim et Seraphim, qui dicunt. *Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, plena est terra majestatis tuae [n: (Esai. VI)]*. Plenus est enim mundus virtutum, quia plenus est nequitiarum: plenus est orbis terrarum remediis, quia plenus est laqueis.

## 26.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] Exui tunicam meam, quomodo induam illam?* Etenim in hac saeculi nocte prius tibi corporalis vitae amictus est exuendus; exuit enim se carnem Dominus, ut pro te de dominationibus et potestatibus mundi hujus triumpharet. *Quomodo induam illam?* Vide, anima Deo devota, quid dicat. [1924A] Sic se actus corporis, et terrenos exuit mores, ut nesciat quomodo etiamsi velit, rursus induere possit. *Quomodo induam illam?* Hoc est qua verecundia, quo pudore, qua postremo memoria? Consuetudo enim boni, usum veteris pravitatis amisit.

## 27.

Audiens anima, *Aperi mihi,* caput roris plenum habens, hoc est, tentationibus saecularibus, subito turbata, et quasi surrectura quae surgere jubebatur, ait cum aloem redoleret et myrrham insigne sepulturae: *Exui tunicam meam, quomodo induam illam: lavi pedes meos, quomodo inquinabo illos?* Veretur enim ne iterum in tentationes resurgat, ne iterum in culpam redeat atque peccatum, et egressus suos virtutumque profectus terrenis incipiat vestigiis inquinare. [1924B]

## 28.

Certe hoc modo etiam perfectionem virtutis suae indicat, quae tantam Christi meruerit charitatem; ut ad eam veniat, et pulset januam ejus, et veniat cum Patre, et coenet cum eadem anima, et ipsa cum eo, sicut in Apocalypsi dixit Joannes apostolus [n: (Apoc. III, 20)]. Etenim cum in superioribus audisset: *Ades huc a Libano;* et cum adverteret in carne se Christo adesse non posse, sed tunc adesse si adesset in spiritu, conformans se ad ejus voluntatem, ut esset et ipsa conformis imagini Christi; jam non sentit carnis exuvias, jam quasi spiritus exuens se corporis conjunctione, jam quasi oblita, et quae si velit, copulae illius meminisse non possit, ait: *Exui tunicam meam, quomodo induam eam?* Exui enim tunicam illam pelliceam, quam acceperunt Adam et Eva post [1924C] culpam, tunicam corruptelae, tunicam passionum; *Quomodo induam illam?* Non requirit ut induat: sed ita significat abjectam, ut jam indumento sibi esse non posset.

## 29.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] Lavi pedes meos, quomodo inquinabo illos?* Hoc est, vestigia mea lavi, dum egrederer, ac me elevarem de corporis contubernio, de illa connexione et familiaritate carnalis amplexus: quomodo inquinabo ea, ut in corporis claustrum, et illum tenebrosum passionum ejus carcerem revertar? Sic passiones sepelimus, si crucem hujus corporis non resolvamus; si chirographum peccati quod deletum est, in cruce Christi non rescribamus, si veteris hominis amictum quem exuimus, non induamus. Scriptum est enim in Canticis: *Exui tunicam [1924D] meam, quomodo induam eam? lavi pedes meos, quomodo inquinabo eos?* Mortificata igitur sunt corporis membra, cur ejus pullulant vitia? Ideo non praevaluit lex, quia carnem non mortificavit: ideo quasi umbra praeteriit, quia non decoloravit: ideoque obumbravit nos a sole justitiae, quia coacervavit crimina.

## 30.

Aliquando nudam esse, virtutis indicium est, quia scriptum est: *Exui tunicam meam, quomodo induam eam? lavi pedes meos, quomodo inquinabo eos?* Quam igitur tunicam exuerit, et non invenerit quemadmodum [1925A] induat eam, de Scripturis si possumus, revelemus. Est enim quaedam tunica corporalis, sunt cupiditatum quaedam intexta velamina; et ideo interdum melius est nudum esse corpore, quam corde velatum. Unde etiam Paulus nos admonet, *1595* exspoliari multo melius esse quam supervestiri, dicens alibi: *Exspoliantes vos veterem hominem cum actibus suis, induite novum qui renovatur in agnitionem, secundum imaginem ejus qui creavit eum.* Ergo quae exspoliata est, et pedes lotos habet, nescit quemadmodum inquinari non possit; obliviscitur enim per gratiam, quod hauserat per naturam.

## 31.

*Lavi pedes meos, quomodo inquinabo illos?* Didicisti in Evangelio, quod pedes lavare fidei mysterium, humilitatis insigne sit, juxta quod scriptum [1925B] est: *Si ego lavi pedes vestros Dominus et magister, quanto magis vos debetis alter alterius pedes lavare [n: (Joan. XIII, 14)]*! Sed hoc ad humilitatem pertinet. Quantum vero ad mysterium, pedes debet lavare suos, qui vult partem habere cum Christo: *Si enim non lavero,* inquit, *tibi pedes, non habebis partem mecum [n: (Ibid. 8)]*. Cum hoc Petro dicitur, quid de nobis censetur? Qui lavit igitur pedes, non necesse habet iterum lavare; et ideo caveat ne inquinet eos.

## 32.

Et bene sancta Ecclesia dicit: *Lavi pedes meos;* non dicit, quomodo iterum lavabo eos, sed *quomodo iterum inquinabo eos?* Quasi oblita maculae veteris, oblita contagii, admonet quomodo in ministerio corporali spirituale debeamus actuum nostrorum diluere vestigium. Itaque pedes cum semel [1925C] laveris aeterni fontis irriguo, et mysterii mundaveris sacramento, cave iterum corporeae cupiditatis illuviem, ne lutulenti actus terrenis sordibus inquinentur. Isti sunt pedes quos David lavit in spiritu, qui te docet quemadmodum eos inquinare non possis, dicens: *Stantes erant pedes nostri, in atriis tuis, Hierusalem [n: (Psal. CXXI, 2)]*. Utique hic non corporis, sed animi intellige pedes; quomodo enim terrenus homo in coelo haberet corporis pedes? Hierusalem, sicut Paulus te docuit, in coelo est: et idem te docuit quemadmodum in coelo stare possis, cum dicit: *Nostra autem conversatio in coelis est [n: (Philip. III, 20)]*. Conversatio morum, conversatio factorum, conversatio fidei.

## 33.

*Feci judicium et justitiam, non tradas me [1925D] calumniantibus me.* Ubi justitia, ibi misericordia. Misericordia a peccato liberat. Quomodo ergo peccatoribus trador? Simile est illud in Canticis: *Exui tunicam meam, quomodo induam eam? Lavi pedes meos, quomodo inquinabo eos?* Exui tunicam peccatoris, velamenque terreni; cur quasi peccator atque terrenus adjudicor? Lavi pedes meos, ne qua peccati sors posset adhaerere vestigio; cur das in me delinquentibus potestatem?

## 34.

Hieremias in suis Threnis ait: *Defecit iniquitas [1926A] tua, filia Sion, non adjiciet te expellere adhuc: visitavit iniquitates tuas, filia Edom, revelavit super peccata tua [n: (Thren. IV, 21)]*. Advertis quoniam iniquitas non potuit sine Dei visitatione deficere, nec plena esse correctio, nisi per gratiam Domini Salvatoris? Quomodo autem deficiat iniquitas, audi dicentem Ecclesiam: *Exui tunicam meam, quomodo induam eam? Lavi pedes meos, quomodo inquinabo eos?* Veteris igitur hominis vestimentum vitiis erroris intextum, in lavacri regeneratione depositum, nescit quomodo possit induere; studio enim correctionis inoleverat oblivio peccatorum. Tanta vis consummatae emendationis est, ut in quamdam pueritiae redeat spiritalis aetatem, quae vias erroris ignoret; crimen etiamsi velit, non possit admittere; quia desueverit [1926B] usus nosse peccandi.

## 35.

*[n: (Vers. 4.)] Frater meus misit manum suam de prospectu, et venter meus conturbatus est super eum. Exsurrexi ego aperire fratri meo. Manus meae distillaverunt myrrham, digiti mei myrrha pleni.* Primum ergo tamquam a prospectu mittit manum suam, quando Deus ex operibus aestimatur, unde ait: *Si mihi non creditis, operibus credite [n: (Joan. X, 38)]*. Deinde augetur amor, et intimis visceribus conceptus inolescit. Inde intelligibili utero, in quo est receptaculum Verbi, seminibus ejus infusis, plenitudinem ejus corporaliter inhabitantem haurire anima nostra desiderat; non enim turbatur uterus feminarum, nisi quae fuerint alvo graves. Surgit igitur anima ut aperiat Dei Verbo, sed dum se expandit atque [1926C] aperit, ut opera mundi istius Verbi receptione mortificet, sicut ille qui ait: *Mortificationem Domini Jesu in corpore nostro circumferimus [n: (II Cor. IV, 19)]*. Ergo dum aperit, transit Sponsus; vult enim semper quaeri, frequentius inveniri. Et si clausam invenerit januam, pulsat; et si per moram *1596* fuerit exclusus, recedit; sed cito redit, ei iterum pulsat, ut vel postea Sponsam suam inveniat praeparatam.

## 36.

Potest quidem et sic accipi, *Frater meus transivit:* sicut legimus quod penetravit dilectae intima medullarum, quemadmodum ad Mariam dictum est: *Et tuam ipsius animam pertransibit gladius, ut revelentur multorum cordium cogitationes [n: (Luc. II, 35)]*. Denique addidit Sponsa, animam suam exisse in verbo ejus, quod fit quando anima peregrinatur a [1926D] corpore, et Deo praesens est. Audiens haec Sponsus misit operationem suam Verbum, tamquam per cavernam, non adhuc facie ad faciem: misit tamquam manum, *Et venter,* inquit, *meus conturbatus est super eum.* Quisquis sic vivit, potest dicere:

## 37.

*Frater meus misit manum suam per prospectum, et venter meus conturbatus est ad illum: surrexi aperire fratri meo.* Bonum est ut ad adventum Domini interiora turbentur. Si ad angeli adventum Maria turbata est, quanto magis ad Christi nos turbamur [1927A] adventum! Influentibus quippe divinis, corporeus peregrinatur affectus, et usus ille exterioris hominis exolescit. Et tu turbare, tu festina. Festinantes illi agnum manducare praecipiuntur. Surge, aperi, ad januam Christus est, vestibula domus tuae pulsat: si aperueris, introibit, et introibit cum Patre. Nec solum cum ingressus fuerit, mercedem relinquit: sed etiam priusquam ingrediatur, mercedem praemittit. Adhuc anima turbatur, adhuc parietes domus suae palpat, adhuc ostium quaerit ubi Christus est, adhuc solvit vinculum carnis et corporis claustrum, adhuc Christus foris pulsat.

## 38.

Quae est fenestra nostra, nisi per quam opera Christi videmus, oculus scilicet animi et mentis obtutus? Et ideo, virgo, per fenestram tuam [1927B] Christus introeat, Christus manum suam mittat: per fenestram tibi Verbi veniat, non corporis amor. Si igitur per fenestram tuam manum mittit Dei Verbum, vide quemadmodum fenestras tuas praepares, vide quemadmodum ab omni pulvere delictorum detergere debeas. Nihil tetrum habeant, nihil adulterinum fenestrae virginis. Procul stibium et caeteras affectati nugas decoris, procul adulterini amoris illecebras. Similis aurium clausura est, quibus non suspendenda onera, non figenda vulnera, sed unus ornatus est, audire quod prosit.

## 39.

*[n: (Vers. 6.)] Aperui,* inquit, *fratri meo; frater meus transivit.* Quomodo transivit, id est, mentis interna penetravit, sicut dictum est Mariae: *Et tuam ipsius animam pertransibit gladius.* Vivum enim Dei [1927C] verbum, sicut gladius acutus, penetrans corporalium repagula cogitationum, cordis interna rimatur. In cubili ergo tuo et nocturno in tempore constituta, semper meditare Christum, et ejus adventum omnibus sperato momentis. Si tardare tibi videtur, exsurge. Tardare videtur, cum diu dormis: tardare videtur, cum ab oratione vacas: tardare videtur, cum vocem non excitas psalmis. Primitias vigiliarum tuarum Christo dicato, primitias actuum tuorum Christo immola.

## 40.

*[n: (Vers. 5.)] Surrexi ego aperire fratri meo; manus meae distillaverunt myrrham, digiti mei myrrha pleni sunt super manus clausurae.* Quid hoc significet, consideremus. Primum operibus suis videtur, ut dixi, Deus verbum tamquam per cavernam, non plene [1927D] atque perfecte: deinde augetur amor et conceptus adolescit, atque ex seminibus ejus quae quodam utero intelligibili susceperit anima, totam plenitudinem divinitatis ejus habitantem in eo corporaliter, ut legimus, videre desiderat. Surrexit ut propius illud Dei Verbum videret, et in hoc ipso processus ejus significatur, quod surrexit per vigorem atque virtutem; praesentia enim Verbi hausit animae virtutem, sicut praesentia Mariae cum utero gravis esset, erudivit Joannem in utero constitutum: adeo ut exsiliret ex utero et exsultaret, Domini praesentiam recognoscens. [1928A]

## 41.

Surrexit aperire, et opera ejus et facta mortificata sunt mundo. Talis enim debet esse anima, quae Verbum est receptura, ut moriatur mundo, et consepeliatur in Christo; sic enim Christus invenitur, et tale sibi quaerit hospitium. Deinde ipsa ministeria operationum, id est, manus et digiti, quibus comprehenditur Christus, mortificantur: quos digitos velut eminentia factorum nostrorum opera *1597* possumus aestimare. Itaque velut e complexu suo cum jam extenderet intelligibiles manus suas et digitos, ut comprehenderet Verbum, transisse sibi illud, non tamen adhuc pertransisse anima pia dicit. Et hunc processum habet, quando transit et pertransit animam Verbum Dei, quia scriptum est: *Et tuam ipsius animam pertransibit gladius, ut revelentur multorum [1928B] cordium cogitationes [n: (Luc. II, 35)]*. Hinc adhuc transitur, non pertransitur; ut in Maria in posterioribus forte pertransitur, ubi tamquam signaculum ponitur in medio ejus Dominus Jesus.

## 42.

Denique statim alius profectus Verbi pertranseuntis, quia exivit anima in Verbo ejus; hoc est, Verbum ejus secuta exivit de corpore, elevans se de ejus habitaculo, et peregrinam se faciens ei, ut adesset Deo, et esset civis sanctorum. Simul enim et carnis domestici et Dei esse non possumus. Ergo in hoc loco exire significatur, ut dixi, anima, quando abducit se a corporis voluptatibus. Denique scriptum est: *Exi de Babylone, fugiens a Chaldaeis [n: (Esai. XLVIII, 20)]*. Non utique ut regiones Babylonis Hebraeus fugiat, sed mores, ut prophetico admonetur [1928C] alloquio: siquidem sint qui in Babylone sunt Hebraei, et de Babylone exisse moribus doceant. Nam et illi de quibus dicit propheta, quod *sedebant super flumina Babylonis [n: (Ps. CXXXVI, 1)]*, sedebant quidem in regione Babylonis, sed in ejus non erant vitiis et confusione. Nam quomodo erant in illa confusione vitiorum, qui flebant gerentes poenitentiam, quod de arca devotionis ac fidei, et virtutis paternae meritis excidissent? Quae autem in verbo exit anima, Verbum requirit; unde et ista dum quaereret, incidit in custodes qui circumeunt civitatem.

*[n: (Vers. 7.)] Invenerunt me custodes qui circumeunt civitatem, percusserunt me, et vulneraverunt me, et tulerunt pallium meum a me custodes murorum.* Bene quidem quasi sponsa veniebat cum pallio, quo obnuberet [1928D] caput suum, cum sponsus occurreret; sicut Rebecca, quae cognito quod Isaac sibi veniret obvius, descendit de camelo, et pallio se operuit: ita et haec anima, nuptialis vestis praemittebat insignia, ne forte rejiceretur quasi vestem non habens nuptialem; vel ut caput velaret propter angelos. Sed illi percusserunt eam, ut amplius probaretur; exercentur enim animae tentationibus. Tulerunt ei pallium, quaerentes si verum decorem nudae virtutis afferret, vel quia sine integumento quis in illam coelestem civitatem debeat introire, nulla deferens secum operimenta [1929A] fucorum. Sunt etiam qui requirant, ne qua anima exuvias secum vehat carnalis illecebrae, et concupiscentiam corporalem. Nudatur pallio, cum ejus conscientia manifestatur. Sed est quae bene nudatur, cui licet imitari dicentem: *Venit enim princeps hujus mundi, et in me invenit nihil [n: (Joan. XIV, 30)]*; quia certe in illo solo nihil invenit, qui peccatum non fecit.

## 44.

Beata et illa est in qua non gravia aut multa invenit, sed invenit in ea amictum fidei et sapientiae disciplinam. Itaque sine dispendio sui (quia et si volet quis, non potest auferre veram sapientiam) etsi adversarius obstrepat; ubi tamen vera innoxiae conversationis elucet integritas, transivit custodes, et filiabus illius coelestis civitatis admixta, Verbum [1929B] requirit; et quaerendo ejus in se excitat charitatem, et ubi Verbum quaerat, agnoscit. Non injuria tantummodo est non invenisse quem quaeras, sed etiam plerumque ubi non oportet, quaesisse vulnus est: quaesisse in domibus virorum qui sibi falso nomen doctorum assumunt, quaesisse procacius quam verecundius. Ergo caveamus exemplo illius, ne nos custodes inveniant qui circumeunt civitatem.

## 45.

*Invenerunt,* inquit, *me custodes qui circumeunt civitatem: percusserunt et vulneraverunt me, et tulerunt pallium meum a me custodes murorum.* Non in se, filiae, sed in nobis vulneratur Ecclesia. Caveamus igitur ne lapsus noster, vulnus Ecclesiae fiat, ne quis a nobis pallium auferat, hoc est, amictum prudentiae, insigne patientiae, quo mollioris ambitio [1929C] vestis exuitur: *Qui* enim *mollioribus vestibus induuntur, in domibus regum sunt [n: (Matth. XI, 8)]*. Nobis autem pallium dedit Christus, quo apostolos suos et corpus suum ipse vestivit, quod denique jubet te dare, si quis a te tunicam petit, ut dimittas ei et pallium [n: (Matth. V, 40)]; id est, insigne philosophiae tuae tradas, et quasi amictu prudentiae *1598* tuae eum qui ante nudus fuerat, circumvestias.

## 46.

Ibi igitur, filiae, Christum quaeramus, ubi quaerit Ecclesia, in montibus boni odoris, qui excelsorum sublimitate factorum, suavem vitae odorem pro meritorum verticibus exhalant. Ea quae Christum requirit, non debet esse vulgaris, non debet esse in foro, non in plateis, voce querula, gressu lubrica, facilis aditu, vilis aspectu. Terrenum tibi Apostolus consortium negat, et ultra naturae propemodum terminos, [1929D] alis ad coelum docet spiritalibus evolandum. *Quae sursum sunt,* inquit, *sapite, non quae super terram [n: (Colos. III, 2)]*. Sed quia hoc impossibile erat in hoc corporis velut claustro reclusis, et quia defunctis corporibus, anima fertur ad superiora revolare, alligata dum vivimus, quadam nostrae lege naturae, ideo addidit: *Mortui enim estis, et vita vestra abscondita est cum Christo in Deo [n: (Ibid., 3)]*. Si abscondita est cum Christo in Deo, non appareat mundo, Christus enim mortuus est mundo, vivit Deo. Vide nunc quemadmodum desiderari amet Christus, confabulationes [1930A] non amet. Aperuit virgo illa suas fores Dei Verbo: sed *transivit,* inquit, *et exivit anima mea in verbo ejus [n: (Vers. 6)]*. Exivit a mundo, exivit a saeculo, remansit in Christo. *Quaesivi,* inquit, *eum et non inveni eum.* Amat enim Christus diu requiri.

## 47.

Invenerunt illam custodes murorum. Fortasse sunt et alii custodes, quos magis intelligere debeamus. Est enim civitas quae portas murorum clausas non habet, de qua dictum est: *Et portae ejus non claudentur per diem [n: (Apoc. XXI, 25)]*; nox enim non erit amplius in ea, afferent gloriam et honorem gentes in illam. Illa est ergo civitas Hierusalem quae in coelo est, intra quam jam quasi perfecta et immaculata servaris; non enim intrat in eam omne commune. Communis castitas non est, communis pudicitia [1930B] non est, quae in libro vitae scribitur.

## 48.

Si igitur invenimus civitatem, ingrediamur in eam, videamus lumen ejus, videamus muros, videamus fundamenta muralia, videamus etiam custodes murorum. Sed quomodo ingrediamur in eam? In hac civitate vita est, et una est via quae ducit ad vitam. Via ergo Christus est, ergo Christum sequamur. Sed ipsa in coelo est civitas; quomodo igitur ascendamus ad coelum? Docet Evangelista, qui dicit: *Et eduxit me in spiritu in montem magnum et altum, et ostendit mihi civitatem sanctam Hierusalem descendentem de coelo [n: (Apoc. 21, 10)]*. Ascendamus ergo spiritu, quia caro ascendere ad eam non potest. Ascendamus nos interim in coelum, ut ad nos postea de coelo illa descendat, in qua lumen est simile [1930C] lapidis pretiosissimi, ut lapidis jaspidis et crystalli habet murum magnum et altum.

## 49.

Didicisti lumen, didicisti murum; disce portas, disce custodes. *Habet,* inquit, *portas duodecim, et in portis angelos duodecim, in quibus duodecim tribuum filiorum Israel superscripta sunt nomina [n: (Ibid., 12)]*. In portis patriarcharum nomina continentur, in muro apostolorum; fundamenta enim civitatis, apostoli, et lapis angularis est Christus, in quo omnis structura consurgit. Deus extra, Deus intus, Deus ubique est: *Habet enim,* inquit, *civitas majestatem Dei [n: (Ibid., 11)]*. Ergo et vos, sanctae virgines, et quicumque justi estis, et immaculatam animae geritis castitatem, cives sanctorum estis et domestici Dei. Sed tunc nobilitatem istam patriae possidebitis, si Christum intra civitatis istius septa quaeratis, ingressi [1930D] per fidem actusque pretiosos, patriarcharum clarificati lumine, fundati super apostolos, versantes inter angelos.

## 50.

Quomodo igitur isti custodes angeli sunt, qui castae animae pallium tollunt? Aliud pallium virginum est, aliud adolescentulae circumforaneae. Illa quae in foro Christum requirit, pallium etiam quod habebat, amisit. Prudentia enim non in foro, non in plateis, sed in Ecclesia possidetur. Et fortasse ut cum ipsis quoque veniamus in gratiam, atque omnium misericordem Deum esse doceamus; quia et [1931A] illi Christum aliquando reperiunt, si tamen jugiter quaerant, pallium hoc amictus est corporis. Ergo qui quaesivit Christum in cubili, si tamen sic quaesivit, sicut ille qui dixit: *Sic memor fui tui super stratum meum [n: (Ps. LXII, 7)]*; si quaesivit in noctibus, juxta quod scriptum est: *In noctibus extollite manus vestras in sancta [n: (Ps. CXXXII, 2)]*: si quaesivit in civitate, in foro et in plateis, in civitate Dei nostri: in foro fortasse, *1599* in quo judex ille divini juris sedet, in plateis unde collecti sunt qui ad coenam Dominicam convenerunt; potest custodientibus civitatem Dei angelis, dum diu quaerit, occurrere. Quin etiam ex coelesti custodum natura, coelestem intelligere possumus civitatem, coeleste forum justitiae sempiternae, non viles plateas, sed fortasse in quibus [1931B] superfluere fons ille consuevit, de quo scriptum est: *Superfluant tibi aquae de tuo fonte, et in plateis tuis diffundantur tuae aquae [n: (Prov. V, 16)]*. Qui sic ergo Christum requirit, ad angelos pervenit.

## 51.

Sed si bonis ad angelos meritis pervenitur: cur qui pervenerit, vulneratur? Est et gladius bonus, cujus gladii bonum vulnus. Vulnerat Dei verbum, sed non ulcerat. Est vulnus boni amoris, sunt vulnera charitatis; ideoque dixit: *Vulneratae charitatis ego sum [n: (Cant. II, 5)]*. Quae perfecta est, vulnerata charitate est. Bona sunt igitur Verbi vulnera, bona sunt amantis vulnera: *Utiliora enim vulnera amici, quam voluntaria oscula inimici [n: (Prov. XXVII, 6)]*. Vulneratae charitatis Rebecca est, quae relictis parentibus, migravit ad sponsum. Vulneratae charitatis [1931C] Rachel, quae zelavit sororem, amavit maritum; sorori enim quod abundaret filiis, ipsa sterilis adhuc invidebat, quia typum gerebat Ecclesiae, cui dicitur: *Laetare sterilis quae non paris, erumpe et clama quae non parturis [n: (Esai. 54, 1)]*.

## 52.

Invenerunt ergo custodes et vulneraverunt eam, et tulerunt ei pallium, hoc est, actus corporalis involucrum sustulerunt, ut nuda mentis simplicitas quaereret Christum; quia nemo potest amictu vestitus philosophiae, in habitu scilicet sapientiae saecularis Christum videre. Et bene tollitur ei amictus philosophiae, ne quis eam per philosophiam depraedetur. Bene tollitur ei pallium, quae ad Christum propinquat, ut Deum visura, mundo corde gradiatur: *Beati* enim *mundo corde, quia [1931D] ipsi Deum videbunt [n: (Matth. V, 8)]*. Denique ubi mundavit cor, Verbum reperit, Deum vidit. Quaere ergo illum, virgo, immo quaeramus omnes; anima enim sexum non habet. Sed ideo fortasse femineum nomen accepit, quod eam violentior aestus corporis agit: ipsa autem impetum carnis et amoris sui molli quadam et blanda ratione demulcet. Ergo orationibus et obsecrationibus Deum invitare debemus, ut quasi bonus auster afflare dignetur. Verbique nobis auram coelestis aspiret: quae fructiferas arbores non turbare vento gravi, sed leni spiramine flatuque molli consuevit agitare. [1932A]

## 53.

*Tulerunt mihi pallium meum.* Bonus amictus aeternitas vitae, hoc pallium Sponsae voluerunt auferre custodes murorum, quo primus homo fuerat exutus; sed anima Deo devota quaesitum diu tenendo, et non dimittendo dilectum, pretioso charitatis divinae se vestivit involucro. Beati ergo qui tali pallio vestiuntur, et amictum ejusmodi legis observatione meruerunt; quia non sunt legis obliti, sed quae erant legis operati sunt.

## 54.

*[n: (Vers. 8.)] Adjuro vos, filiae Hierusalem, si inveneritis dilectum meum, ut annuntietis ei, quia amore langueo.* Quis est autem hic animae languor? Morale historiae veteris facit nos meminisse debere, quae est de sancto Moyse qui rogavit Deum ut se demonstraret ei, et facie ad faciem eum videret. Noverat utique [1932B] sanctus vates Domini, quod invisibilem Deum facie ad faciem videre non posset. Sed devotio sancta mensuram supergreditur, et putavit Deo etiam hoc esse possibile, ut corporeis oculis faceret id quod est incorporeum comprehendi. Non reprehensibilis hic error, sed etiam grata cupiditas atque inexplebilis, quod Dominum suum velut manu tenere, et obtutu oculorum videre cupiebat. Sciebat enim ad imaginem et similitudinem Dei factum esse hominem; quando enim electus a Domino Deo ad populum liberandum, repletus est spiritu sapientiae, viderat angelum illum, et faciem ejus in gloria, denique fulgente ejus lumine pavefactus est, et vidit rubum uri et non exuri. Visu coepit fulgorem, quem miratus accessit; cupiditate et gratia provocatus, ut diligentius [1932C] fulgorem illum in rubo consideraret. Itaque si tantum accepit ardorem, tantam subiit cupiditatem, cum angelum vidisset in flamma ignis de rubo, ut licet pavore apprehensus considerare non auderet, considerare tamen vellet: quanto magis vultum Domini corporaliter videre desiderabat, dicens intra se: Vultum illum plenum lucis, *1600* plenum gratiae, plenum virtutis, plenum divinitatis, quem esse dicam? Non possum plus dicere vel sentire de Deo; cum enim consummaverit homo, tunc incipit; et cum finierit, tunc aporiabitur, ut scriptum est, quia *incomprehensibilis est Dei aeterna majestas [n: (Eccles. XVIII, 6)]*.

## 55.

Irritus quidem erat postulationis effectus, sed affectus probabilis servi; quia ultra naturam suam devotione progressus de Domini angelis aestimabat, [1932D] quantum de Domini vultu plus desideraret, quo cupiditatem suam gestiret explere. Noverat in ipso homine aliam post mortem futuram gloriam, aliam claritatem: *Sicut enim stella a stella differt in claritate, sic et resurrectio mortuorum; quae et si seminatur in corruptione, surget tamen in incorruptione, surget in gloria, surget in virtute, surget corpus spiritale [n: (I Cor. XV, 41-44)].* Qui ergo haec scire poterat, merito praesumebat ut vultum Domini videre cuperet, cum esset obita corporis morte visurus. Talem certe etiam formam ceperat, talem Dominus jam probabat, ut non distaret ab angelis coelestis minister et exsecutor oraculi. Et ideo [1933A] cum sciret, *Quia angeli pusillorum quotidie vident faciem Patris qui in coelis est [n: (Matth. XVIII, 10)]*, putavit quod jam eam videre posset et deberet, tamquam oblitus corporis, et carne deposita; sicut ille qui in corpore adhuc positus, cum raperetur in paradisum, ultra in corpore, sive extra corpus raptus esset ad tertium coelum se nescire dixit [n: (II Cor. XII, 3)]. Sancti enim etiam cum gerunt corpus, non sunt tamen in carne, sed in spiritu; quoniam qui in cupiditate et conversatione carnali sunt, Deo placere non possunt. Sancti autem conversatione in carne non sunt, sed in coelo.

## 56.

Ex his ergo Sponsae languentis comprehendamus affectum. Videre Dei vultum quasi innocens, velut quodam vultu conscientiae desiderabat, aperire [1933B] ei faciem mentis internae, et cognosci plenius gestiebat. Amor impatiens, diu noctuque meretricias fores pulsans, si diutius potiendi desideria differuntur, ipsa deficit exspectatione, dum sperat: in quo utique non finis amoris, sed incrementum est. Et quidquid est desiderabile, si non contingat desideranti, deficit in illud, et quasi ipsam deponit animam qui desiderat; si tamen spes proprior assurgat, dat vires spes proxima; si autem absentia sit dilecti, eo ipso quo absentem desiderat, quae concupivit, animae suae patitur defectionem. Itaque quanto longius est illud quod desideratur, tanto magis deficit qui desiderat. Id ergo deficere est, in id unumquemque totis studiis migrare, quod diligat; illud cogitat, illi adhaeret, illud personat, quod receperit diligendum, in id [1933C] quadam animae defectione transfunditur. Ut si mater filii exspectet praesentiam, quemadmodum exspectabat Tobiae uxor filium peregrinantem; deficiens a desiderio, et in angustiis constituta, et tamquam resoluta videbatur [n: (Tob. X, 3 et seq.)]. Quid enim aliud nisi defectum quemdam ejus verba significant? Sed quo magis lassatur affectus, eo amplius amor crescit; et quo diutius abest qui desiderat, eo exspectantis desideria majore quadam vi amoris ignescunt. Caro deficit, sed cupiditas alitur et augetur.

## 57.

Itaque sancta anima nescit aliud desiderare quam Sponsum, qui est Christus Jesus: illum concupiscit, illum desiderat, in illum totis intendit viribus, illum gremio mentis fovet, illi se aperit et effundit, et hoc solum veretur, ne illum possit amittere. [1933D] Itaque quanto majore desiderio excitata fuerit anima, cupiens adhaerere Deo salutari suo, tanto magis deficit. Ergo ista defectio imminutionem quidem fragilitatis, sed assumptionem virtutis operatur. Concupiscebat, desiderabat, deficiebat, toto dissolvebatur affectu, ut totus illius fieret quem desiderabat, sicut etiam David ipse dicit: *Effundo in conspectu ejus orationem meam, et tribulationem meam ante ipsum pronuntio, in deficiendo ex me spiritum [1934A] meum [n: (Ps. CXLI, 3 et 4)]*. Defecit enim ejus spiritus; immo ab eo defecit spiritus, qui seipsum negat, ut adhaereat Christo. Itaque quasi amoris impatiens, circumcursabat, et quaerebat ubique Dei Verbum, quia vulnerata, quia nuda; et quaerebat adminiculum alicujus a quo Christus rogaretur ut veniret. Vide aestuantem, vide desiderantem: *Adjuro,* inquit, *vos, filiae Hierusalem,* etc.; deinde filiabus coelestis illius civitatis admixta, Verbum requirit, et quaerendo, et speciem ejus contemplando, ejus in se excitat charitatem. *1601*

## 58.

*[n: (Vers. 10.)] Frater,* inquit, *meus candidus et rubeus, electus ex millibus.* Decet enim, virgo, ut plene noveris quem diligis, atque omne in eo et ingenitae divinitatis et assumptae mysterium [1934B] incorporationis agnoscas. Candidus ergo est merito, quia patris splendor: rubeus, quia partus est virginis. Color in eo fulget et rutilat utriusque naturae. Memento tamen antiquiora in eo divinitatis insignia, quam corporis sacramenta; quia non coepit a Virgine, sed qui erat venit in Virginem.

## 59.

*Frater meus candidus et rubeus.* Candidus claritate aeterna, rubeus specie coloris humani, quem sacramento incarnationis assumpsit. Meritoque et ipsum quod est rubeum, bene olet; quia caro Christi sine peccato est, quam perfidi contrectantes, manus suas inquinaverunt: sancti venerantes, pietatis odore flagrarunt.

## 60.

*Electus ex millibus. Decem millia,* inquit Jacob, *Ephraem et millia Manasse;* id est, et Judaeorum [1934C] et gentium dominetur, et ex utroque populo acquirat sibi Ecclesiae plenitudinem. Ideoque dexteram suam super Ephraem posuit sanctus Jacob; eo quod legis, dicente Ecclesia in Canticis canticorum: *Frater meus candidus et rubeus, electus ex decem millibus.* Denique etiam David juvenculae Mariae auctorem ex cujus successione Christus est natus per Virginis partum, in decem millibus praedicabant: Saul autem in millibus, cum reverentiae gratiam circa regem magis praeponere debuissent.

## 61.

*[n: (Vers. 11.)] Caput ejus aurum Cephas.* Quod significat stabilem eminentemque sapientiam. Corpus Christi Ecclesia est, hujus caput ut aurum, quia sapientia pretiosa sanctorum est, hoc est, viri justi atque prudentes. [1934D]

## 62.

*Crines ejus ut abietes, nigrae sicut corax.* De hoc alibi dixit, *Capillamentum tuum, ut grex tonsarum.* Ideo capillamentum, quia virtus omnium sensuum in capite est: *Oculi* enim *sapientis in capite ejus [n: (Eccle. II, 14)]*. Profunda igitur doctorum prudentia, quae potest ea quae obscura sunt revelare, et alta aperire sensuum. Et hujusmodi disputatores crines Ecclesiae sunt, sicut pulli corvorum quibus Dominus escam dat: sicut dedit sancto Jacob, et eum [1935A] pavit a juventute sua. Hos alios ac profundos ubertate doctrinae pascit Dominus coelestibus sacramentis.

## 63.

*[n: (Vers. 12.)] Oculi* quoque *ejus sicut columbae.* Oculi sunt viri videlicet spiritualibus ornati sensibus, qui ad videnda mysteria sunt acuti, et parati ad penetranda Scripturae secreta divinae, rationali lacte fulgentes, in quibus non sit aliqua doli maculosa confusio, sed simplicis affectus immaculata sinceritas. Ideo in aquarum abundantia lotas has columbas in lacte memoravit, dicens:

## 64.

*Oculi ejus sicut columbae super abundantiam aquarum, lotae in lacte, sedentis super plenitudinem,* Baptizat in lacte Dominus, id est, in sinceritate. Et isti sunt qui vere baptizantur in lacte, qui sine dolo credunt, et puram fidem deferunt, ut immaculatam [1935B] induant gratiam. Ideo candida Sponsa ascendit ad Christum, quia in lacte baptizata est; ideo mirantur eam virtutes, dicentes: *Quae est haec quae ascendit dealbata [n: (Cant. VIII, 7)]*? Ante paululum dicebat, *Nigra sum [n: (Cant. I, )]*: nunc dealbata cernitur, et ascendit ad coelum, et innixa Dei Verbo, alta jam penetrat.

## 65.

Nec immerito illic aquarum abundantia, ubi Christus, unde mens humana repleri cupiat. Has sitit aquas cervus, quas cum biberit, sitire non possit. Has aquas sitivit Propheta cum dixit: *Sitivit in te anima mea [n: (Psalm. XLI, 3)]*. Sedet ergo Christus super abundantiam aquarum, et super plenitudinem, et ideo qui baptizat in aqua dicit: *Et nos omnes de plenitudine ejus accepimus [n: (Joan I, 16)]*. Unde et oculus suppliciorum non alienus est ab Ecclesia; quia [1935C] etsi baptizabat Joannes in Enon, baptizabat juxta Salim, ubi erat aquarum abundantia, et duodecim fontes, et septuaginta palmarum arbores. Hos fontes habet Ecclesia, hoc est, in veteri Testamento duodecim patriarchas, in novo duodecim apostolos; ideoque dictum est: *In Ecclesiis benedicite Dominum Deum de fontibus Israel [n: (Psalm. LXVII, 27)]*. His fontibus ante perfunditur, quicumque mysteria sacrosancta consequitur; isti enim fontes ex aeterno fonte manantes, toto orbe fluxerunt. Ubi isti fontes, ibi ascensio animarum. Denique Salim interpretati sunt, ipsum ascendentem; ille enim vere ascendit, qui propria peccata deponit. Hoc igitur *1602* verbo purificatoriae sanctificationis usus exprimitur.

## 66.

*[n: (Vers. 13.)] Genae ejus sicut phialae aromatis, [1935D] gignentes unguentaria.* Jam genas et caetera intelligimus animae esse virtutes, doctorumque diversitates: qui vel spiritalem menti alimoniam dispensatione sedula subministrent, vel praedicatione crucis Dominicae sicut Verbi quadam linea alligent audientem, vel modestia verecundi et juventutis flore gratissimi. Etsi a tactu pudore revocentur, redoleat tamen in his odor Christi: et sicut in genis quasi de capite sacerdotali descendit unguentum, sic et in his eluceat pulchritudo doctrinae.

## 67.

*Labia ejus distillantia myrrham plenam.* Per [1936A] myrrham enim passionis unguentum et resurrectionis gratia declaratur, quae redivivum vitae odorem suscitatis mortuorum visceribus infundit. Clausae sint igitur labiorum fores tuorum, et obseratum maneat vocis vestibulum, tunc fortasse reserandum, cum audieris Verbum Dei. Tunc tibi myrrha sudabit, tunc tibi baptismatis aspirabit gratia; ut ab elementis mundi commoriare, et cum Christo resurgas.

## 68.

*Labia ejus distillantia myrrham plenam.* Nos autem otiosos nos putamus, si verbo tantummodo studere videamur: et pluris aestimamus eos qui operantur, quam eos qui studium cognoscendae veritatis exercent; dicunt enim plerique: Ecce homo et opera ejus: quasi qui verbo studeat, non operatur; cum [1936B] magis opus istud quam caetera sint. Si enim opus justitia est, si opus temperantia, si opus fortitudo: utique opus est etiam sapientia; istae enim quatuor principales virtutes habentur. Nam si operatur Christus secundum quod justitia est, utique operatur secundum quod Verbum est. Et operabatur cum esset in principio apud Patrem. Denique per ipsum omnia facta sunt, ut scias operatorem omnium esse, et opus nostrum esse Christum Jesum. Etenim secundum quod Verbum est, Verbum inquirentibus, grande opus Verbum est. Unde cum Martha festinaret circa ministerium, Maria autem Verbum Domini audiret, ea quae audiebat ei quae ministrabat meruit anteferri; dicenti enim Marthae: *Domine, non est tibi curae, quod soror mea reliquit me solam ministrare? Dic ergo illi [1936C] ut me adjuvet;* respondens dixit Dominus: *Martha, Martha, Maria bonam partem elegit, quae non auferetur illi [n: (Luc. VII, 40-42)]*. Ita Verbum cognoscere majus opus esse quam ministrare, divinae auctoritate sententiae definitur.

## 69.

Sed fortasse dicat aliquis dictum esse ab Apostolo: *Non in sermone esse regnum Dei, sed in virtute [n: (I Cor. IV, 20)]*. Scriptum non nego, sed in quo sermone, cognosco; nempe quem inflatus effuderit, qui audientibus sermo prodesse non possit, qui sine ostensione sit spiritus atque virtutis. Hunc sermonem Paulus non dignatur cognoscere; vult enim magis virtutem sermonis commendare. Denique volebat talem suum esse Apostolus sermonem, qui in infirmitate veniebat, ut alios faceret fortiores: in timore [1936D] et tremore, ut timentes nihil metuerent, nisi Dominum Jesum; trementes, pacem ejus tranquillitatemque servarent. Audi ergo qualem Apostolus sermonem habebat: *Et sermo,* inquit, *meus, et praedicatio mea non in persuasione humanae sapientiae verborum, sed in ostensione spiritus et virtutis [n: (II Cor. II, 4)]*; quia fides non in forensi sermone sapientiae, sed in ostensione spiritus, sed in Dei virtute firmatur.

## 70.

Ergo in sermone sanctorum virtus est, in sermone autem forensi isto et philosophico vanitas mundi. Virtutem autem esse in sermone sanctorum, [1937A] etiam iste propheta te edoceat, qui ait: *Dominus dabit verbum evangelizantibus virtute multa [n: (Psal. LXVII, 12)]*; hoc est, ut multa possint virtute Evangelium praedicare. Probatum est ergo quod in Evangelii praedicatione sit virtus, praedicatio autem Evangelii sermo sanctorum est; ita dubium non residet quin in sermone sancto sit virtus. Et haec myrrha distillans ex labiis Sponsi, scilicet per quam vitia mortificantur.

## 71.

*[n: (Vers. 14.)] Manus illius tornatiles, aureae, plenae hyacinthis.* Vide quae manus fecerint hominem, et quem hominem fecerint! Illum utique *Quem secundum Christum induimus, exspoliantes veterem hominem cum actibus suis, et induentes novum qui renovatur ad agnitionem secundum imaginem ejus qui creavit eum: ubi non est servus, et liber, sed omnia et [1937B] in omnibus Christus [n: (Colloss., III, 9-11)]*. Christum ergo induimus, sicut et alibi dictum est: *Christum induistis [n: (Galat. III, 27)]*. Accepimus Spiritum sanctum, qui non solum nostra peccata dimittit; *1603* sed etiam nos facit sacerdotes suos aliis peccata dimittere. Ideo ait Propheta: *Tu finxisti me et posuisti super me manum tuam [n: (Psal. CXXXVIII, 5)]*: finxit per lutum, posuit manum per gratiam spiritalem; licet plerique hunc psalmum ex persona dictum Salvatoris accipiant. Audi quia manus Domini etiam spiritus dicitur, clamat Job: *Spiritus divinus qui fecit me [n: (Job. XXXIII, 4)]*. Istae sunt ergo manus quae hominem paraverunt, Christus et Spiritus.

## 72.

Ergo Dominus Jesus et corporis auctor est nostri, qui primum fecit hominem ad imaginem; [1937C] et postea de luto finxit, et voluit salvare quod fecerat, salvare quod plasmaverat, ut totum hominem salvum faceret. Istae sunt manus Dei tornatiles, id est, perfectae: aureae propter sapientiam qui est Christus, plenae hyacinthis propter Spiritum sanctum, et plenitudinem charismatum ejus.

## 73.

*[n: (Vers. 14.)] Venter ejus eburneus, distinctus saphiris.* Apostolus, *Et si,* inquit, *crucifixus est ex infirmitate;* ecce venter, id est, carnis infirmitas: *Vivit tamen ex virtute Dei [n: (II Cor. XIII, 4)]*; ecce distinctio saphiri. Saphirus enim eo quod coeli sereni speciem gerat, quae sunt divinitatis opera significat. Onir autem propter castitatem et nitorem et perpetuitatem, carnem illam significat Salvatoris, de qua idem Apostolus dicit: *Quia etsi Christum secundum [1937D] carnem novimus, sed nunc jam non novimus [n: (II Cor. V, 16)]*.

## 74.

*[n: (Vers. 15.)] Crura illius columnae marmoreae, fundatae super bases aureas.* Significant columnas esse Ecclesiae Apostolos, qui fundati sunt in timore sancto. Nam sicut Petrus, Jacobus, Joannes et Barnabas columnae esse videbantur Ecclesiae, sic et quicumque vicerit hoc saeculum, fit columna Dei, quam confirmat qui dicit: *Ego confirmavi columnas ejus [n: (Psal. LXXIV, 4)]*. Ita et basis aurea timor plenus disciplinae, [1938A] quia initium sapientiae est. In timore ergo sapientium apostolica praedicatio tamquam super basim auream columna firmatur Christi. Igitur eloquio et apostolico sermoni tribunal est timor justi, et basis aurea plena prudentiae: simulacrum autem bonum tamquam effigies veritatis, sermo sanctorum.

## 75.

Et vide tamquam basim auream esse sanctorum timorem. Lege Esaiam: vide quantis subjecerit timorem, ut faceret irreprehensibilem et bonum timorem: *Spiritus,* inquit, *sapientiae et intellectus, spiritus consilii atque virtutis, spiritus cognitionis atque pietatis, spiritus timoris Domini [n: (Esai. XI, 2)]*; quantis timorem subjecit, ut haberet quod sequi possit! Informatur per sapientiam, instruitur per intellectum, consilio dirigitur, virtute firmatur, cognitione regitur, [1938B] pietate decoratur. Tolle timori Domini ista, et est irrationabilis et insipiens timor, unus ex illis: *Foris pugnae, intus timores [n: (II Cor. VII, 5)]*; quibus afflictus esset et Paulus, nisi habuisset Dominum consolantem.

## 76.

*[n: (Vers. 15.)] Species ejus ut Libani, electus ut cedri.* In altis habitat, et humilia respicit, quia species ejus sicut cedrus Libani, quae comam nubibus, radicem terris inserit; principium enim ejus e coelo, posteriora ejus in terris fructus coelo proximos ediderunt. Genus hoc arboris numquam amittit viriditatem suam, hyeme juxta ac aestate comam pascit, nec diverso colore mutatur: solam hanc arborem ventus suo numquam honore despoliat: sola numquam veteri exuitur amictu, aut novo flore vestitur. Sic apostolica quoque gratia nescit defectum, et [1938C] perpetua venustate sui floret. Anima ergo corrumpi nescit, quae florentibus membris viget, semper justitiae caeterarumque virtutum culmina patienti magnanimitate sustentat; et ideo non defluit neque deficit, quia nihil in ea ruinosum est ac remissum, nihil mobile, nihil lubricum, nihil quod vitio sermonis ex ea possit effundi.

## 77.

*[n: (Vers. 16.)] Guttur illius suavissimum, et totus desiderium. Judicia Domini vera, justificata in semetipsa, desiderabilia super aurum et lapidem pretiosum multum [n: (Psal. XVIII, 10 et 11)]*. Quod severum in aliis, in Christo dulce est, in Christo suave est; quia ipse suavis est: *Denique gustate et videte quoniam suavis est Dominus [n: (Psal. XXIII, 9)]*. Dulcia judicia confitenti, quia ipse dicit: *Ego sum, ego sum, qui deleo [1938D] iniquitates tuas, et memor non ero: tu autem memor esto, et judicemur. Dic iniquitates tuas, ut justificeris [n: (Esai. XLIII, 25 et 26)]*. Dulcia judicia agenti poenitentiam, quia ipse dixit: *Gaudium erit super uno peccatore poenitentiam agente, quam in nonaginta et novem justis, qui non indigent poenitentia [n: (Luc. XV, 7)]*. Si dulcia sunt igitur judicia Domini, suavitatis *1604* fructus percipere elaboremus. Vis scire quam dulcia judicia Domini? *Qui credit in ipso, non judicatur [n: (Joan. III, 18)]*. Dulcia ergo judicia credentibus: qui autem [1939A] non credunt, non Christi judicio damnati sunt, qui venit non ut judicet mundum, sed ut salvet et redimat; sed impietatis suae subiere judicium, qui in remissionem peccatorum credere noluerunt. Non enim possunt ad ejus pertinere beneficium, quem cognoscere refutarunt. Ergo qui non crediderunt in eum, judicio ejus videntur indigni. Judicium enim ejus quid sit, agnosce, dicente ipso: *Hoc autem judicium est, qua lux venit in hunc mundum [n: (Ibid. 19)]*. Dulce ergo, quod lux est, dulce judicium, quod praecedit misericordia; sic enim scriptum est, *Misericordiam et judicium cantabo tibi, Domine [n: (Psal. C, 1)]*. Dulce etiam guttur et suavissimum, unde haec misericordia praecedit et hoc judicium.

## 78.

*[n: (Vers. 16.)] Et totus desiderabilis. Speciosus forma [1939B] prae filiis hominum [n: (Psal. XLIV, 3)]*. Homo quippe erat secundum carnem, sed ultra hominem, secundum divinam operationem. Denique cum leprosum tangeret, homo videbatur: sed ultra hominem, cum emundaret. Et cum Lazarum fleret mortuum, quasi homo flebat: sed supra hominem erat, cum mortuum vinctis jubet pedibus exire. Homo videbatur, cum penderet in cruce: sed supra hominem cum reseratis tumulis, mortuos resuscitaret. Nec sibi adblandiatur virus Apollinaris, quod ita legitur: *Et specie inventus ut homo [n: (Philip. II, 7)]*; non enim negatus est homo Jesus, cum alibi ipse Paulus de eo dicat: *Mediator Dei et hominum homo Christus Jesus [n: (I Tim. II, 5)]*; sed confirmatus est. Id enim est usus et moris Scripturae sic significare, sicut et in Evangelio legimus: [1939C] *Et vidimus gloriam ejus, gloriam quasi unigeniti a Patre [n: (Joan. I)]*. Sicut ergo quasi unigenitus dicitur, et non abnuitur unigenitus Dei Filius; ita et homo dicitur, et perfectio fuisse in eo hominis non negatur.

## 79.

Cum esset igitur in forma servi, humiliatus usque ad mortem, erat tamen in Dei gloria. Quid ei igitur obfuit servitus? Servus autem factus legitur, quia legitur factus ex Virgine, et creatus in carne; omnis enim creatura servit, dicente propheta: *Quia universa serviunt tibi.* Haec est Christi gloria, quia servitutem suscepit in corpore suo, ut libertatem omnibus redderet: peccata nostra portavit, ut mundi peccatum tolleret: servus, peccatum, maledictum factus est, ut tu peccati servus esse desisteres, te [1939D] divinae sententiae maledicto absolveret. Ille ergo maledictum suscepit tuum: *Maledictus* enim *omnis qui pendet in ligno:* ille maledictum in cruce factus est, ut tu benedictus esses in Dei regno: ille dehonestatus et depretiatus est, nec aliquid aestimatus: ille dicebat, *In vacuum laboravi;* per quem meruit Paulus dicere, *Non in vacuum laboravi [n: (Philip. II, 16)]*; ut boni operis fructum, et evangelicae praedicationis gloriam suis conferret servulis, per quam universi sarcina laboris absolverentur.

## 80.

*[n: (Vers. 17.)] Talis est dilectus meus, et amicus meus, filiae Hierusalem.* Sic Ecclesia vel anima [1940A] sancta filiabus coelestis illius civitatis admixta Verbum requirit, et quaerendo illius in se excitat charitatem: illis vero requirentibus et dicentibus: *Quo abiit dilectus tuus, o pulcherrima mulierum?* Quo declinavit dilectus tuus, ut quaeramus eum tecum?

## CAPUT SEXTUM.

## 1.

*[n: (Vers. 1.)] Dilectus,* inquit, *meus descendit in hortum suum ad areolam aromatis, ut pascatur in hortis, et lilia colligat.* Ubi Verbum quaerat, agnoscit: quod inter orationes sanctorum moretur, et quod ipsis inhaereat, novit, et quod Ecclesiam suam vel animas justorum suorum inter lilia pascat, intelligit. Hoc mysterium tibi in Evangelio demonstravit, cum in sabbato duceret per seminata discipulos. [1940B] Moyses per desertum duxit populum Judaeorum, Christus per seminata ducit, Christus per lilia ducit; quia per passionem ejus desertum floret ut lilium. Sequamur ergo, ut in die sabbati illius magni, in quo requies magna est, fructus colligamus. Nec verearis ne Pharisaei accusent seminata colligentes: etsi illi accusant, Christus excusat, et similes facit quas vult animas se sequentes David illius, qui supra Legem panem propositionis manducabat, novae gratiae sacramenta prophetica jam tum mente concipiens.

## 2.

*[n: (Vers. 2.)] Ego dilecto meo, et dilectus meus mihi, qui pascitur inter* *1605* *lilia.* Facilis vox et communis videtur, sed paucorum est. Satis rarus est enim qui potest dicere: *Ego dilecto meo, et dilectus meus mihi.* Quid est dicere: Tuus sum? ille enim dicit qui adhaeret [1940C] Deo totis sensibus, qui aliud cogitare non novit, ille hac voce utitur, qui potest dicere Domino: *Ostende nobis Patrem, et sufficit nobis [n: (Joan. XIV, 8)]*. Numquid hac voce utitur avidus pecuniae, honoris, potestatis? Multis non est satis Deum scire, et quidem pluribus. Tanti populi, tantae nationes, tanti divites paupertatem putant Domino servire; et qui supra omnes est, illis exiguus et angustus est: illis non est satis Dei Filius, in quo sunt omnia. Denique ille dives in Evangelio cui dictum est: *Si vis perfectus esse, vende omnia quae habes, et da pauperibus [n: (Matth. XIX, 21)]*; Deum sibi non sufficere judicavit. Denique et contristatus est, quasi quod pluris esset, relinquere juberetur, quod minus esset, eligere. Ille ergo dicit: Tuus sum, qui potest dicere: *Ecce nos reliquimus [1940D] omnia, et secuti sumus te [n: (Ibid., 27)]*.

## 3.

Apostolorum vox ista est, nec omnium tamen apostolorum; nam et Judas apostolus fuit, et in convivio Christi inter apostolos recumbebat. Dicebat et ipse: Tuus sum; sed voce, non corde. Venit et introivit in eum Satanas, et coepit dicere: Non est tuus, Jesus, sed meus est. Denique ea quae mea sunt, cogitat, quae mea sunt in pectore suo volvit: tecum epulatur, et mecum pascitur: a te panem accepit, a me pecuniam: tecum bibit, et mihi tuum sanguinem vendit: tuus est apostolus, et meus mercenarius. Non potest dicere saecularis: Tuus sum; plures [1941A] enim dominos habet. Venit libido, et dicit: Meus es; quia ea quae sum corporis, concupiscis: in illius adolescentulae amore te mihi vendidisti: in illius concubitu meretricis pretium pro te annumeravi. Venit avaritia, et dicit: Argentum et aurum quod habes, servitutis tuae pretium est: possessio quam tenes, juris tui emptio, venditio libertatis tuae est. Venit luxuria, et dicit: Meus es; unius diei convivium, pretium tuae vitae est: ille sumptus epularum, tui capitis licitatio, tui est summa contractus. Et quod pejus est, caro emptus es pretio, vilior cibo es tuo: pretiosior est unius diei mensa tua, quam totius temporis vita: inter calices te redemi, inter epulas acquisivi. Venit ambitio, et dicit tibi: Plane meus es. Nescis quod ideo imperare aliis te feci, ut mihi ipse [1941B] servires? Nescis quod ideo potestatem in te contuli, ut meae te subjicerem potestati? An ignoras ipsi Domino salvatori dictum esse ab hujus mundi principe, cum ei ostendisset omnia regna mundi: *Haec omnia tibi dabo, si procidens adoraveris me [n: (Matth. IV, 9)]*? Ante ergo ipse subjicitur, qui alios vult habere subjectos. Veniunt omnia vitia, et singula dicunt: Meus es. Quem tanti competunt, quam vile mancipium est! Quomodo ergo tu qui hujusmodi es, potes Christo dicere: Tuus sum? Respondebit tibi ille: *Non quicumque dicit mihi, Domine, Domine, intrabit in regnum coelorum [n: (Matth. VII, 21)]*: non quicumque dicit mihi: Tuus sum, meus est.

## 4.

Meus plane es, si vocem non redarguat conscientia, si sermonem tuum animus aut opera non refutent. [1941C] Ego non nego meum esse eum qui ipse se non neget, aut certe si pro me seipsum sibi abneget. Nolo habere servulum plurimis dominis servientem. Nam quomodo meus est, si mihi dicat verbo: Tuus sum; et operibus neget, et factis se diabolo adjudicet et obstringat? Non est meus quem libido succendit, quia mea est castitas: non est meus quem cura spoliandi minores exagitat, quia mea largitio est: non est meus, quem aura mobilitatis inquietat, quia tranquillitas mea est. Non est meus vini crapula temulentus, illuvie ambitionis impurus, gloriae saecularis cupidus, ebrius in periculum, qui non potest sobriae moderationis servare vestigium. Pax sum ego, litigare non novi: ut quid mihi eum de quo veniat diabolus et dicat. Meus est; nam mihi sua colla curvavit, [1941D] mea in illo plura reperio: nomen sibi tuum vindicat, et meum munus. Non est ergo Christi, nisi qui est alienus a crimine: non est Christi, nisi qui potest semper se Christi servulum demonstrare.

## 5.

*Ego dilecto meo, et dilectus meus mihi, qui pascitur inter lilia.* Videtur inter dilecta dilecti dicere: *Secretum meum mihi, secretum meum mihi.* Quaedam enim in exstasi amoris sui occulta fidei intellexerat mysteria, quae nec ipsis filiabus Hierusalem propalanda censebat. *Mysterium* *1606* *regis bonum est abscondere;* peccat enim Deo, qui commissa [1942A] sibi mysteria putaverit indignis esse vulganda. Periculum itaque est non solum falsa dicere, sed etiam vera, si quis ea insinuet quibus non oportet. Quod vitium quadripartitum est, vel adulationis, vel avaritiae, vel jactantiae, vel loquacitatis incautae; quia dum adulari vult aliquis, ei cui loquitur, effundit mysterium: nonnulli etiam studio lucri, mercedem proditionis sequuntur, ut tegenda silentio vendant loquendo: alii ut plura noscere videantur, et scientiam suam jactitent, aperiunt quod celare deberent: plerique dum sine judicio loquuntur, verbum emittunt quod revocare non possunt. Ideo vir laudatur serius, et non otiosus. Erat homo abscondens sermones suos, ut apostolus Paulus, qui novit quid loquatur singulis, et quando quid loqui debeat. [1942B]

## 6.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] Beneplacita es, soror mea, speciosa sicut Hierusalem, admiratio sicut ordinata.* Veritas amoris ex sui perpetuitate probatur. Laudatur itaque Sponsa a Sponso, quod tam bene et constanter requisierit eum. Ideoque jam non solum *soror* dicitur, sed etiam *beneplacita* nominatur, quasi ei complacita; quia complacuit Patri: et, *speciosa sicut Hierusalem, admiratio sicut ordinata;* quod civitatis aeternae universa habeat mysteria: et admirationi sit omnibus videntibus eam; quia plena ut aequitas, atque perfecta est: et fulgorem de Verbi lumine mutuata, dum id semper intendit, sit etiam terribilis ordine quodam ad summum provecta virtutum.

## 7.

*Pulchra es,* inquit, *amica mea, suavis et decora,* etc. Et vera pulchra, quae intendit in illum de quo [1942C] dicitur: *Speciosus forma prae filiis hominum [n: (Psal. XLIV, 3)]*. Unde et nos intendamus quantum possumus animum in illo, et in illo simus. Illud animo teneamus, quod est pulchrum, decorum, bonum; ut fiat illuminatione ejus et fulgore speciosa anima nostra, et mens dilucida. Nam si oculi nostri cum aliqua obducuntur caligine, pascuntur agrorum viriditate, et specie nemoris vel collis umbrosi omnem inaequalitatem aegrescentis obtutus repellunt, et quadam salubri specie pupillae ipsae atque orbes colorari videntur: quanto magis hic mentis oculus, cum illud summum intuetur bonum, et in eo versatur, atque eo pascitur, splendescit atque enitet. *Pulchra ut Hierusalem.* Non caduci itaque ista est corporis pulchritudo, vel morbo peritura vel senio, sed nullis obnoxia [1942D] casibus, opinioni bonorum numquam moritura meritorum; quoniam non humanis jam, sed coelestibus, quorum vitam vivit in terris, digna est comparari. Ideoque Sponsus Sponsae jam quasi perfectae, dicit:

## 8.

*[n: (Vers. 4.)] Averte oculos tuos a me, quia me avolare fecerunt.* Noli contra me intendere devotione nimia ac fide. Possibilitatem naturae et conditionis propriae supergressa es, quia lucem inaccessibilem e regione intueri est grave. *Averte,* inquit, *oculos tuos a me:* eo quod plenitudinem divinitatis ejus, et splendorem veri luminis sustinere non possit. [1943A]

## 9.

Possumus tamen et sic accipere: *Averte oculos tuos a me;* etsi tu perfecta es, aliae mihi adhuc redimendae sunt animae, aliae fulciendae. Elevas enim me videndo: ego autem ideo descendi, ut omnes elevem. Etsi surrexi, et habeo Patris sedem, tamen orphanos non relinquam vos, paterno quasi praesidio destitutos, sed praesentia mea vos confirmabo. Habes in Evangelio hoc scriptum: *Ecce ego vobiscum sum usque ad consummationem mundi [n: (Matth. XXVIII, 20)]*. Averte ergo oculos a me, quia me elevas. Quanto enim quis ad Dominum intendit, tanto amplius Dominum elevat, et ipse elevatur. Unde et ille ait: *Exaltabo te, Domine, quoniam suscepisti me [n: (Psalm. XXIX, 1)]*. Sanctus enim exaltat Dominum, peccator humiliat. Vult ergo avertere illam oculos, ne eam [1943B] considerans, quod jam ad superiora sequi possit, elevetur et caeteras animas derelinquat. Ideo et in Evangelio non omnibus discipulis, sed perfectioribus suam gloriam demonstravit [n: (Matth. XVII, 1)]. Constitue nunc aliquem doctorem, qui rem obscuram aperire velit audientibus, quemadmodum etsi ipse potens in sermone sit et scientia; condescendat tamen ad eorum inscitiam, qui non intelligunt, et simplici et planiore atque usitato sermone utatur, ut possit intelligi. Si quis igitur inter audientes vivacior sensu sit, qui facile sequi possit, elevat eum atque excutit. Hunc videns doctor revocat, ut patiatur magis doctorem humilioribus *1607* et planioribus immorari; quo et caeteri sequi possint.

## 10.

[n: (Vers. 5-7.)] Laudatur etiam Sponsa quod fidelis, [1943C] quod verbo potens, quod fructibus fecunda diversis, quod una sit columba, habens spiritus unitatem, in qua sit pax, quae facit utraque unum: et quae non sit composita ex diversis elementis discretae compugnantisque naturae. Quid enim tam diversum, quam ignis et aqua, aer et terra, ex quibus corporis nostri creatura consistit? Anima autem benedicta omnis simplex, quae imitatur dicentem: *Ut omnes unum sint, sicut et tu, Pater, in me, et ego in te, et ipsi in nobis unum sint [n: (Joan. XVII, 21)]*; haec enim est consummatio atque perfectio, unde et addidit: *Ut sint unum, sicut et nos unum sumus: et ego in his, et tu in me, ut sint consummati in unum [n: (Ibid., 23)]*. Haec est ergo una columba atque perfecta, quae simplex atque spiritualis, neque hujus turbatur corporis passionibus, in quo [1943D] foris pugnae, intus timores sunt. Denique hoc verbo unitatis concordiam et pacem significari Scriptura nos docet, dicens: *Multitudo autem credentium habebat cor unum et animam unam, et non erat separatio in eis ulla [n: (Act. IV, 32)]*.

## 11.

Nec otiose fecunditatis laudatur anima, non solum quod sit fecunda virtutibus, sed etiam quod nihil habeat in se mali; illud enim decorum atque speciosum est, in quo nihil sit mali. Decorum enim quod bonum; quod autem indecorum, hoc malum. Speciosa fecunditas est bonorum operum, contraria [1944A] ergo speciositati sterilitas; quoniam qui privatur specie vel decore, in eo est omne malum: quod autem malum, hoc sterile et infecundum. Cujus rei quod evidentius indicium, quam terra est? Terra enim quae bona est, fertilis atque fecunda: quae autem mala, ea jejuna atque sterilis; quae vero fertilis, haec et decora. Quid enim pleno agro pulchrius, cum seges fluctuat, cum poma irrutilant, vel cum uvarum serta dependent, aut baccis onusta olea curvescit, vel viridanti gramine montium vertices, vallium humilia vestiuntur?

## 12.

Omnium enim bonorum auctor est Deus: et quae sunt ejus, profecto omnia bona sunt, et nusquam illic malum; et si in illo mens nostra maneat, malum nescit. Anima igitur quae in Deo non manet, ipsa [1944B] sibi auctor malorum est, itaque peccat: *Anima* autem *quae peccat, ipsa morietur;* aureis enim vinculis soluta virtutum, prona fertur praecipitio, et labitur ad inferiora. Anima autem beata est, quam nulla adversa corporis praelia expugnant. Haec anima sicut passer laqueo contrito, evolat. Escae enim malorum sunt voluptates corporeae: his quisquis intendit, laqueo innectit animam suam. Qui autem ab escis ejus temperat, et de tenebris ejus exit, ejus anima fulget ut diluculum, de qua dicitur:

## 13.

*[n: (Vers. 9.)] Quaenam est haec prospiciens tamquam diluculum, pulchra sicut luna?* Prospicit enim tamquam de domo libera, nec dicit: *Tenebrae cooperiunt me, et parietes circumdant me, et quis scit si videt Altissimus [n: (Eccli. XXIII, 26)]*? Sed ipsa magis lucem [1944C] expetit tamquam in superioribus domus suae, id est, corporis sui: et supra mundum posita, divina intuetur et ad aeterna se elevat, ut Deo adsit; jam lumen suorum operum sicut luna orbem suum toto orbe circumferens.

## 14.

*[n: (Vers. 10.)] In hortum nucis descendi, videre in nativitate torrentis, et inspicere si floruisset vinea, et germinassent mala punica.* Invitatur denique Dei Verbum in hortum nucis, in quo fructus propheticae lectionis, et sacerdotalis est gratia, quae amara in tentationibus, dura in laboribus, in virtutibus interioribus fructuosa est. Unde etiam virga Aaron nucea floruit, non jam natura sua, sed virtute secreta. Descendat ergo in hortum, ut vindemiet fidem, capiat odores, pabulum coeleste reperiat, suavitatem [1944D] nostri mellis epuletur.

## 15.

Dum enim laudatur a Sponso, verecunde refugiens coram laudari; deinde sponsi amore revocata, ait: *In hortum nucis descendi videre in nativitate torrentis.* Ubi enim est Ecclesia, nisi ubi virga et gratia floret sacerdotalis? Ibi est frequenter, ut in amaritudinibus et in tentationibus probetur. Per nucem amaritudines intelligimus, per torrentem tentationes, sed tamen tolerabiles, quia scriptum est: *Torrentem pertranavit anima nostra [n: (Psalm. CXXIII, 5)]*. Itaque descendit in locum amaritudinis, ubi floret [1945A] vitis et malorum granatorum specie diversus et multiplex fructus, qui velut uno tegmine totius corporis fide et charitate munitur. *1608*

## 16.

In illa ergo amaritudine non cognovit se anima, *Corruptibile enim corpus gravat animam, et terrenum habitaculum cito inclinatur [n: (Sap. IX)]*. Se autem cognoscere semper debet. Sed tentatus est Petrus, et non se cognovit et Petrus; nam si cognovisset, non negasset auctorem. Sed cognovit eum Christus. Denique cognovit, quia et respexit; cognoscit enim Dominus qui sunt ejus: et tamquam suum misericordiae suae frenis ut bonus rector, revocavit a lapsu: rector ergo noster Christus est. Unde et sequitur:

## 17.

*[n: (Vers. 11.)] Posuit me currus Aminadab:* eo quod anima conjungatur corpori, et velut quidam [1945B] equorum frementium currus, rectorem sui quaerat aurigam. Aminadab enim pater Naason fuit, sicut in Numeris legimus [n: (Num. I, 7)], qui erat princeps populi Juda, cujus figura refertur ad Christum, qui verus populi princeps animam justi velut currum agitator ascendens, Verbi habenis gubernat, ne violentorum equorum furore in praeceps et abrupta rapiatur. Sunt enim ejus velut quatuor equi quatuor affectiones, ira, cupiditas, voluptas, timor: quibus furentibus cum coeperit agi, nequaquam seipsam cognoscit. Corruptibile enim corpus animam gravat, et tamquam irrationabilium animalium currus invitam rapit, volventibus curis velut quodam impetu proruentem, donec memoratae corporis passiones Verbi virtute mitescant. [1945C]

## 18.

Haec Verbi tamquam boni agitatoris est providentia, ne illi animae quae in se non est morti obnoxia, corpus mortale conjunctum, agitationem sui faciat esse difficilem. Primo igitur hos veloces corporis motus domitet, et nexu rationis infrenet: deinde caveat ne dispari motu se velut equi implicent; ut bonum aut improbus decoloret, aut tardus impediat, aut turbidus inquietet. Fremit enim equus malitiae, seseque jactando currum laedit, gravat jugalem. Hunc bonus auriga demulcet, et in campum veritatis emittit, fraudis declinat anfractus. Tutus ad superiora cursus est, periculosus ad inferiora descensus. Inde quasi bene emeriti qui portaverunt jugum Verbi, usque ad Domini praesepe ducuntur, in quo non fenum est esca, sed panis qui descendit de coelo. Hujus [1945D] currus rotae sunt, de quibus dixit Propheta: *Et spiritus vitae erat in rotis [n: (Ezech. I, 20)]*; eo quod currus animae teres atque rotundus sine ulla offensione volvatur.

## 19.

*Posuit me currus Aminadab.* Anima ergo currus, quae bonum rectorem sustinet. Si currus est anima, habet equos vel bonos vel malos. Boni equi virtutes animae: mali equi, passiones corporis sunt. Bonus ergo rector malos equos restringit et revocat, bonos incitat. Boni equi sunt quatuor, prudentia, temperantia, fortitudo, justitia: mali equi iracundia, concupiscentia, timor, iniquitas. Interdum ipsi equi inter se dissident, et aut iracundia protendit, aut [1946A] timor: et se invicem impediunt, et cursum retardant. At vero boni equi volant, et a terris ad superiora se subrigunt, animamque elevant; maxime si jugum habeant suave et onus leve dicentis: *Tollite jugum meum super vos; jugum enim meum suave est, et onus meum leve [n: (Matth. XI, 29)]*.

## 20.

Ipse rector est, qui novit equos proprios gubernare, ut aequalis omnium cursus sit: velociores prudentia tardat, justitia admonet flagello proprio segniores; temperantia mansuetiores, fortitudo duriores reddit. Novit copulare discordes, ne forte currum suum dissipent. Itaque licet intelligibili spectaculo videre unamquamque animam cum summo certamine ad coelum rapi, festinantes equos qui priores praeveniant ad bravium Christi, quorum prius imponatur palma cervicibus. [1946B] Isti sunt equi subjecti fidei jugo, astricti vinculo charitatis, justitiae frenis, retinaculis sobrietatis.

## 21.

Pulchre ergo ait: *Posuit me currus Aminadab,* hoc est, pater populi: ipse autem qui pater populi, idem pater Naason, id est, serpentum. Jam tu recole quis sicut serpens in cruce pependerit pro salute universorum, et intelligas illam animam esse pacificam, cui Pater Deus praesul sit, Christus agitator; quia scriptum est et hoc nomen in nostris: *Pater, pater, agitator Israel [n: (IV Reg. XI, 12)]*. Hic ergo agitator dicit:

## 22.

*[n: (Vers. 12.)] Convertere, Sunamitis, convertere.* Bene et quasi agitator dicit, et quasi ad currum dicit: *Convertere, Sunamitis,* hoc est, pacifica; quae enim pacifica est anima, cito se convertit et corrigit, etiamsi ante peccavit: et magis eam *1609* Christus ascendit, [1946C] et regere dignatur, cui dicitur: *Ascende in equos tuos, et equitatus tuus sanitas.* Et alibi: *Misisti equos tuos Tharsis [n: (Habac. III, 8)]*. Hi sunt equi Christi. Ascendit ergo equos suos Christus: ascendit Verbum Dei animas pias. Cum fuerit anima nostra pacifica, ut dicatur ei: *Convertere; convertere Sunamitis,* quod pacificam significat: tunc accipiet in se sicut signaculum Christum, hoc est, imaginem Dei, ut sit ad imaginem; quoniam *Qualis coelestis, tales et coelestes, et oportet nos portare imaginem coelestis [n: (I Cor. XV, 48)]*, id est, pacem. Atque ut sciamus verum esse, habes in eisdem Canticis, in ultimo jam perfectae animae dici, quod et mihi dicat Dominus Jesus: *Pone me ut signaculum in cor tuum, ut signaculum in brachium tuum [n: (Cant. VIII, 6)]*; ut luceat pax in corde meo, et in operibus [1946D] meis Christus, formetur in me sapientia, et justitia, et redemptio.

## CAPUT SEPTIMUM.

## 1.

*[n: (Vers. 1.)] Quam speciosi facti sunt gressus tui in calceamentis, filia Aminadab! Moduli femorum tuorum similes torquibus, opere artificis.* Non est dubium gressus hic quoque Ecclesiae, vel animae profectus significari. *Quam speciosi sunt pedes evangelizantium pacem, evangelizantium bona [n: (Esai. LII, 7)]*! Utique speciosos dicit evangelicae praedicationis et disputationis progressus, ut alibi dicitur: *Transgredere flumina [n: (Esai. XLVII, 2)]*, hoc est, fluenta et lubrica istius mundi transcurre stabili [1947A] mentis incessu. Quod de animae incessu dici David evidenter ostendit, afferens quod torrentem iniquitatum anima sua transiret [n: (Psal. CCXIII, 5)].

## 2.

Sed quid sibi vult quod ait, in calceamentis speciosos esse gressus Ecclesiae? Legimus dictum ad Moysen: *Solve calceamentum pedum tuorum (Exodi III, 5)*: quo videtur admonitus, ne corporalibus vinculis teneretur astrictus. Ergo speciosam in Canticis significat animae pulchritudinem, quae carne tanquam calceamento utitur, et in ipso calceamento impedimentum non patitur, sed incessus decore praecellit. Calceat ergo se anima ecclesiasticam gratiam, ut cursum vitae hujus et transitum cum decore praetereat. Quod fit si calceamentum suum non inquinet luto corporali, non in vitiorum mergat voragine: si castiget [1947B] carnem suam, ne moretur ad cursum, et arvinae pinguis pondere praegravetur. Bonum calceamentum animae pudicitia est, bonus gressus est in vestigio castitatis. Sapientia autem amictus est animae, unde scriptum est: *Honora eam, et amplectetur te [n: (Prov. IV, 8)]*. Utamur ergo corpore tanquam calceamento ad inferioris opera virtutis: ad ministerium, non praeceptum: ad obsequium, non delectationem: ad obedientiam, non dissensionem; et in via sapientiae vestigium collocemus, ne gressus nostros vis torrentis aliqua concludat.

## 3.

Ideo ad Moysen dictum est: *Solve calceamentum (Exodi III, 5)*. Dictum est et ad Jesum Nave [n: (Josue V, 16)]. De Christo autem dictum non est, sed magis scriptum est, dicente Baptista: *Post me venit vir, [1947C] cujus non sum dignus calceamenta portare [n: (Matth. III, 11)]*; quia illi bene admonentur, ut solvant calceamentum suum, qui sine peccato esse non poterant. Hic autem non solum calceamentum non solvit, sed etiam calceamenta aliorum absolvit; quia non solum corpus suum a peccatis immune servavit, sed etiam omnium dedit indulgentiam peccatorum.

## 4.

Ergo Ecclesia ad imitationem Christi speciosa est, et in calceamentis omni abluta delicto. Et fortasse quando sapientiam inter perfectos loquitur, speciosa est in superioribus membris: quando autem etiam inferioris gradus aut doctrinae homines Verbum sequuntur, fidei seriem non obliviscuntur, sacerdotis praecepta custodiunt, speciosa est in calceamentis. Plerumque clerus erravit, sacerdos mutavit sententiam, [1947D] divites cum saeculi istius terreno rege senserunt, populus fidem propriam reservavit.

## 5.

Unde etiam de Domino Jesu bene possumus dicere, quia et in his quae corporalia sunt, speciosos gressus Verbum habeat, cum de moralibus disputatur. Et apostoli ideo fortasse nudis mittuntur pedibus, ne obumbretur eorum disputatio, sed eluceat. Itaque Ecclesia filia Aminadab, hoc est, voluntarii vel beneplaciti; quia voluntarius eam vel beneplacitus congregavit, et in calceamentis speciosa est. Meritoque additum est:

[1948A] *1610* 6. *Moduli femorum tuorum similes torquibus, opere manuum artificis;* ut posteritatis Ecclesiae ornamenta canerentur. Per femur enim insigne generationis agnoscimus, juxta illud: *Accingere gladium tuum super femur, potentissime [n: (Psal. XLIV, 4)]*: quo significatur quod Filius Dei cum semetipsum exinanisset, Verbi accinctus divinitatem, et generationem calceatus humanam, prodiret ex Virgine omnibus daturus salutem. Moduli autem dicuntur ornamenta pretiosa, quae suspendi matronarum cervicibus solent. Tantus ergo processus Ecclesiae significatur, ut ornamentis pretiosissimis comparatus sit, et torquibus triumphantium; haec enim ornamenta sunt bellatorum. Unde et Symmachus Epitrachelia dixit, hoc est, quae sint circa collum. Sive ergo generatio Christi [1948B] ex Virgine, sive Ecclesiae propagatio, specie quidem tamquam manu artificis torquibus adornatis, verae autem virtutis insignis spiritualibus cervices fidelium adornavit. Denique tota ista descriptio membrorum Ecclesiae plena decoris et laudis est. Nam et:

## 7.

*[n: (Vers. 2.)] Umbilicus ejus tamquam crater tornatilis* praedicatur, mixto non deficiens; eo quod in omni doctrina tornatus, plenitudine cognitionis, et potu non deficit spiritali. Et venter ejus non solum acervo tritici, id est, cibis fortioribus coelestis mysterii saginetur, verum etiam tamquam liliis quibusdam moralium suavitate repleatur. Unde et ipsa tamquam bene merita regina Christi sanguine coronatur, sicut scriptum est: *Et ornatus capitis sui sicut purpura.* Sanguis Christi purpura est, qui inficit [1948C] sanctorum animas, non solum colore resplendens, sed etiam potestate; quia reges facit, et meliores reges quibus regnum dat aeternum.

## 8.

*Umbilicus tuus ut crater tornatilis, numquam indigens poculis.* Umbilicus animae ac venter subtilis est illius quae ascendit ad Christum; ideoque laudatur voce Sponsi dicentis: *Umbilicus tuus ut crater tornatilis, non deficiens mixto; venter tuus acervus tritici muniti inter lilia.* Est enim in omni doctrina tornatus, et potus spiritalis non deficiens plenitudine, et coelestium secretorum cognitione. Venter quoque animae mysticus, sicut umbilicus, quo ventre non solum fortem cibum sumit quo corda firmantur, sed etiam suave ac florulentum quo delectantur.

## 9.

*[n: (Vers. 4.)] Oculi tui stagna in Hesebon, in portis [1948D] filiae multorum, Nares tuae sicut turris Libani.* Stagna in Hesebon quid est, nisi in cogitationibus rationabilibus abundantia, quae est in portis Ecclesiae, cui merito defertur multitudo doctrinae? Filia enim multorum, plurimarum doctrinarum posteritas est et effectus, cujus nares odor est sacrificiorum, floribus omnibus praestans.

## 10.

*Nasus tuus sicut turris Libani:* praecelsa supra modum, et ideo prospicit faciem Damasci, gentilem scilicet populum odorans, et fidem ejus cujus gratia delictorum suorum detergeret fetorem. Facies [1949A] igitur Damasci fides est gentium, nullo obumbrata amictu, nullo adoperta vestitu, nuda ac libera, coelo magis intenta quam terris. Hanc speculantur et prospiciunt nares Ecclesiae, quod suave est in ea et odorum aspirationis et gratiae colligentes.

## 11.

Et bene, *Nares ejus sicut turris Libani;* quia in sacrificiis odor suavis Ecclesiae est, in quibus est boni odoris hostia remissio peccatorum. Sume igitur has nares, o homo, ut a graveolentibus florulenta secernas, et tunc vivificabit te Dominus. Cum enim adverterit quid de ipso petis, ut avertat oculos mentis tuae a vanitate, cooperatur animae tuae, ut si specie aliqua capitur, aut duritia aut infirmitate non flectitur, flectat eam jugo Verbi, et habenis suis regat, ut voluntate Dei abducatur a vitiis, et vitae [1949B] odorem capiat aeternae.

## 12.

*[n: (Vers. 8.)] Ascendam in palmam, et apprehendam sublimitatem ejus.* Unde cognosce quia et istam ascendit, et perduxit eam ad locum palmae, quando et dicit ad eam: *Quam pulchra et suavis facta es, charitas, in deliciis tuis! Statura tua similis facta est palmae [n: (Cant. VII, 6)]*. Et ipsa ait: *Dixi, ascendam ad palmam.* Sed etiam ipsa charitas palma est, ipsa est enim plenitudo victoriae; plenitudo enim Legis charitas est. Curramus ergo ut comprehendamus, curramus ut vincamus: qui vicit, ascendit in palmam, et manducat fructus ejus: qui vicit, jam non currit, sed sedet, sicut *1611* scriptum est: *Qui vicerit, dabo ei sedere mecum in sede mea, sicut et ego vici, et sedi cum Patre meo in sede ipsius [n: (Apoc. III, 21)]*. Hinc [1949C] philosophi currilia illa animarum in suis libris expressere certamina, nec tamen ad palmam pervenire potuerunt; quoniam suavitatem Verbi et altitudinem, illorum animae nescierunt. *Ascendam,* inquit, *in palmam* vincendo saeculum; ut teneam Verbi altitudinem, quam cognovit haec anima, in qua erat Verbi conversio; sic enim ait:

## 13.

*[n: (Vers. 10.)] Ego fratri meo, et super me conversio ejus.* Hunc sensum tertio repetivit diverse in Canticis canticorum. In principio ait: *Frater meus mihi, et ego ei: qui pascitur in liliis usque dum aspiret dies, et inclinentur umbrae [n: (Cant. II, 16)]*. Deinde ait: *Ego fratri meo, et frater meus mihi, qui pascitur inter lilia [n: (Cant. VI, 2)]*. In fine ait: *Ego fratri meo, et super me conversio ejus.* Primum ad institutionem [1949D] animae; ideo et praemisit: *Frater meus mihi;* illo enim demonstrante se etiam adhaerendi Deo sumpsit affectum. Quod sequitur secundum profectum: tertium secundum perfectionem? In primo quasi in institutione adhuc umbras videt anima, necdum Verbi appropinquantis revelatione commotas; et ideo adhuc ei dies Evangelii non refulgebat: in secundo sine umbrarum confusione odores pios carpit: in tertio jam perfecta requiem in se Verbo ministrat; ut convertatur super eam, et caput suum reclinet atque requiescat; et invitat ad agrum suum dicens: [1950A]

## 14.

*[n: (Vers. 11.)] Veni, frater meus, exeamus in agrum, requiescamus in castellis.* Supra ad hortum invitabat; hic ad agrum habentem non solum florum gratiam, sed etiam triticum et hordeum, hoc est, solidarum firmamentum virtutum, ut fructus ejus aspiciat. *Requiescamus,* inquit, *in castellis,* ad quae Adam cum de paradiso ejectus esset, fuerat relegatus: in his requiescebat, sed terram operabatur.

## 15.

Qua autem ratione exire eum in agrum velit, intellectus manifestus est; ut quasi bonus pastor pascat gregem suum, lassos allevet, revocet errantes. Nam et si ista anima nova et vetera servavit, tamen sunt adhuc velut agni, qui lactis succo nutriendi sunt. Ergo quasi perfecta, non pro se, sed [1950B] pro aliis intervenit; ut de sinu patris exeat, ut procedat foras tamquam sponsus de thalamo suo; egrediens currat viam, ut infirmos lucretur; non in illo secreto patris solio, et in illa luce immoretur, quo invalidi equi conscendere non queunt; sed ut assumatur et inducatur in domum Sponsae atque secretum. Sit foris sibi, ut nobis intus: sit medium nostrum, etsi non videatur a nobis. Unde ait: *Quis dabit te, frater, lactantem ubera matris meae? Inveniens te foris, osculabor te [n: (Cant. VIII, 1)]*. Bona anima, quae foris est, ut Verbum intus sit: illa extra corpus, ut Verbum habitet in nobis.

## 16.

*Assumam te,* inquit, *et inducam te [n: (Ibid., 2)]*. Recte assumitur, et inducitur Verbum Dei; quia pulsat animam, ut aperiatur sibi ostium: et nisi [1950C] apertum sibi ostium invenerit, non intrat. Si quis autem aperuerit januam, intrat et coenat. Sic Sponsa Verbum assumit, ut assumendo doceatur. Unde non immerito ascendit ad hanc, ad superiores mansiones, et semper processum accipit virtutis.

## 17.

*Veni, frater meus, exeamus in agrum, requiescamus in castellis, diluculo surgamus in vineis, videamus si floruit vitis.* Multi agri fructus habent; sed ille melior est, qui et fructibus redundat et floribus. Est ergo Ecclesiae ager diversis fecundus copiis. Hic cernas germina virginitatis flore vernantia; illic tamquam in campis silvae, viduitatem gravitate pollentem; alibi tamquam uberem frugem Ecclesiae, segetem conjugii replentem mundi horrea, ac veluti maritatae vineae fetibus torcularia Domini Jesu redundantia, [1950D] in quibus fidelis conjugii fructus exuberat.

## 18.

Sponsa desiderii sui copiam adepta, loquitur ad Sponsum: *Veni, frater meus, exeamus in agrum, requiescamus in castellis, diluculo surgamus ad vineas.* Advertis quemadmodum Sponsa Verbum invitet Dei, ut veniat in terras et tollat peccata mundi. Ager hic erat ante desertus, sentibus nostrorum squalidus delictorum, horridus spinis. Castellum erat in quo religatus Adam perpetuo suae posteritatis haeredes stringebat exsilio. Illo ergo ducit Ecclesia Christum, [1951A] ut Adam liberet. Deinde exsulibus absolutis, coepit mundi istius ager idoneos habere cultores: et qui erat ante jejunus, factus est vitis aeternae *1612* plantatione fecundus. Nec sic tamen spiritalibus laeta palmitibus evagatur, sed ad has vineas vocat Christum, ubi psallentes sint et orantes, ubi noctibus ac diebus fructus innoxius perseveret.

## 19.

*[n: (Vers. 12.)] Ibi,* inquit, *dabo ubera mea, ibi mandragorae dederunt odorem.* Plerique discernunt quemdam inter mandragoras sexum; ut et mares et feminas putent esse, sed feminas gravis odoris. Significat ergo gentes, quae ante fetebant, cum essent infirmiores evirata quadam imbecillitate perfidiae, boni odoris fructus ferre coepisse, postquam in adventum Domini crediderunt. Legimus etiam quod [1951B] mandragoras acceperit sancta Rachel a sorore sua Lia, ut concederet ei illa nocte dormire cum sancto Jacob. Mandragoras Ruben primogenitus attulerat matri suae Liae, quae lippientibus oculis, Synagogae figuram accepit; quia Christi gratiam videre non potuit, hebetato debilis mentis obtutu. Quo declaratur quod fructus quos ante Synagoga a primogenito Dei Filio susceperat, Ecclesiae concessit. Sed quia illius noctis petito concubitu concepit et genuit Lia suae posteritatis haeredem, implevit mysterium; quoniam credentibus apostolis, reliquiae Judaeorum per electionem gratiae salvae factae sunt, unde ait Ecclesia:

## 20.

*[n: (Vers. 13.)] Nova et vetera, frater meus, servavi tibi. Quis dabit te fratrem lactantem ubera matris meae? Inveniens te foris, osculabor te, et quidem non [1951C] spernent me. Assumam te et inducam in domum matris meae, et in secretum ejus quae concepit me, ibi docebis me.* Habens ergo informationem novarum et veterum Scripturarum, nec despicabilem se sentiens, non solum orationibus in secreto cordis Verbum tenet, verum etiam psallentis chori vocibus, velut quibusdam eum gratiae osculis osculatur.

## 21.

*Nova et vetera, frater meus, servavi tibi;* hoc est dicere, teneo omnia mandata novi et veteris Testamenti. Sola hoc dicere Ecclesia potest: non dicit alia congregatio, non dicit Synagoga, nec secundum litteram nova tenens; nec secundum spiritum vetera. Non dicit haeresis Manichaea, *Vetera servavi tibi,* quae prophetas non suscipit. Merito dealbata dicitur, quae utriusque fulget gratia Testamenti. [1951D]

## 22.

*Adjuravi vos, filiae Hierusalem, quod suscitetis et resuscitetis dilectionem usquequo voluerit.* Adhuc quaerit suscitantem, et suscitari eam sibi poscit a filiabus Hierusalem, quarum gratia, hoc est, animarum fidelium Sponsum in amorem sui uberiorem desiderat provocari. Dicunt itaque virtutes illae, quae portas custodiunt coeli.

## CAPUT OCTAVUM.

## 1.

*[n: (Vers. 5.)] Quae est quae haec ascendit candida, innitens super fratrem suum?* Quomodo ea quae posuit [1952A] caput suum super laevam sapientiae, ut aperiret manus pauperi ad subveniendum inopi; partitis aut derelictis sibi, non invasis atque direptis divitiis uteretur, quae gloriae cupida bonis etiam operibus acquisivit, non inani saecularis jactantia ambivit dignitatis, hoc est enim caput suum, et quoddam sensuum principale supra manum sapientiae constituere. Ea, inquam, anima meritis ascendit albentibus, ex isto vitae hujus ut plerique habent deserto, ad illum florentem semper locum jucunditatis aeternae.

## 2.

Istae sunt virtutes, quae et in Esaiae libro dicunt: *Quis est iste qui advenit de Edom, rubor vestimentorum ex Bosor, sic speciosus in stola [n: (Esai. LXIII, 1)]*? Istae, inquam, sunt quae mirantur ex isto confragoso scopulosoque deserto aliquam ascendere animam [1952B] posse, sine magnorum labe vitiorum; et ideo gratulantur repertam, quae vestimenta innocentiae naturalis non polluerit atramento insipientiae saecularis, sed magis sapientiae spiritalis et gratiae candore mundarit. Admirantur filiae Hierusalem, sanctae animae patriarcharum et prophetarum, veterumque justorum, vel coelestes potentiae dicentes: *Quae est haec quae ascendit dealbata innitens super fratrem suum?* Hoc est, talibus solemnitatibus fulget Ecclesia, et quae ante per diem fusca erat, jam splendet in noctibus, et relucet. Ipse quoque Dominus tanto munere psallentium delectatus ait:

## 3.

*[n: (Vers. 6.)] Pone me ut signaculum super cor tuum, ut sigillum super brachium tuum; quia valida est ut mors charitas, durus* *1613* *sicut inferi, zelus tuus. [1952C] Alae ejus, alae ignis, et flammae. Aqua multa excludere non poterit charitatem, et flumina non obruent eam.* Quia vidit tantam devotionem Ecclesia, idoneos putat esse jam populos, qui in corde nostro et in brachio signaculum ejus portare possimus. Ipsum enim Pater signavit Deus, et qui testimonium ejus accepit, signavit quia Deus verax est; et ideo operantes cibum permanentem in vitam aeternam, signati sunt ad imaginem et similitudinem Christi, qui est imago invisibilis Dei. Sicut ergo Deus verax est; et tu signa in tuo sensu et opere veritatem; ut os tuum non loquatur mendacium, manus tuae non operentur opera hominum, quae sunt fallacis istius mundi: sed illa quae Dei sunt, ut pauperibus largiantur, debiles sublevent, mortuos honorent tumulis sepulturae. His operibus [1952D] charitas quaeritur, ut nemo possit a Christo vel periculo mortis avelli; unde ille ait: *Quis nos separabit a Christo? Tribulatio, an angustia, an persecutio [n: (Rom. VIII, 35)]*? Et infra: *Confido enim quia neque mors, neque vita, neque angeli [n: (Ibid.)]*.

## 4.

Ea specie etiam zelus durus est charitatis, et alae ejus alae ignis. Habet alas sicut columba, sunt enim pennae columbae deargentatae, quibus evolat qui diligit, dicens: *Ecce elongavi fugiens, et mansi in solitudine [n: (Psal. LIV, 8)]*. Sed alae charitatis alae sunt ignis, quibus dilectionis inflammat ardorem. [1953A] Hoc vapore fecit Dominus ferventes Angelos suos spiritus, et ministros suos ignem urentem, sed non exurentem. Legimus et alam templi, supra quam diabolus tentans, fecit ascendere Salvatorem, quae erat in templi culmine [n: (Matth. IV, 3)]. Sunt ergo fastigia pietatis, sunt culmina charitatis, quae vaporem gratiae pectoribus humanis adolere consueverunt; ut multa aqua exstinguere atque excludere non queat charitatem, et flumina eam saecularium tempestatum nulla concludant. Diximus quia charitas excludit timorem, non diximus quod excludit omnem perturbationem; etenim qui Deum diligit, profunda est ei confirmatae mentis tranquillitas.

## 5.

*[n: (Vers. 7.)] Aquae,* inquit, *multae non poterunt [1953B] excludere charitatem, et flumina non inundabunt ipsam.* Multa aqua diversarum est passionum, et flumina saecularium cupiditatum corporalibus motibus incitata, quae tamen murum charitatis subvertere non possunt. Ideoque charitate fundatus dicit: *Torrentem pertransivit anima nostra [n: (Psal. CXXIII, 5)]*. Numquid aqua maris excludere Moysis potuit charitatem? Et ut secundum litteram tibi psalmorum series suffragetur, nempe diligens Deum, tutum sibi credidit iter esse per maria: qui autem non dilexerunt Deum, hi demersi fluctibus, dignum sacrilegii sui exitum pertulerunt.

## 6.

*[n: (Vers. 5.)] Quae est haec quae ascendit, innitens super fratrem suum?* Superius dixerunt, *Quaenam est haec prospiciens tanquam diluculum, speciosa [1953C] sicut luna, electa ut sol?* Hic plus quod adjiceretur, inventum est, eo quod Verbo Dei innixa ascenderat; perfectiores enim supra Christum recumbunt, sicut et Joannes in Christi pectore recumbebat. Ita ergo et haec vel incumbebat in Christum, vel supra ipsum se reclinabat: aut certe quoniam de nuptiis loquimur, jam quasi tradita in Christi dextera, in thalamum ducebatur Sponso. Et quia jam copula charitatis est, blanditur ei sponsus, et dicit:

## 7.

*Sub arbore malo elevavi te, illic parturivit te mater tua, illic parturivit te quae peperit te.* Bona anima quae requiescit sub arbore fructuosa, et maxime boni odoris. Nam si Nathanael bonus, in quo dolus nullus erat, sub arbore fici visus est; utique bona anima, quae sub arbore mali elevata est a [1953D] Sponso suo. Plus est enim elevari, quam videri: plus etiam a sponso elevari. Nam etsi Nathanael videbatur sub arbore, tamen anima ejus sponsa non erat; quia occulte veniebat ad Christum, quia verebatur Judaeos. Non erat speciosa sicut luna, electa ut sol, quae erat in umbra; quia quae sponsa per diem nubit, publice confitetur. Ideo ista sub arbore mali, illa sub ficu; quia haec confessionis suae odorem diffundebat longius, illa habebat puritatis innocentiae suavitatem, flagrantiam spiritus non habebat.

## 8.

*Illic,* inquit, *parturivit te mater tua, illic parturivit te quae peperit te;* ibi enim nascimur, ibi renascimur. [1954A] Parturiuntur autem in quibus imago Christi formatur, unde *1614* et Paulus ait: *Filioli quos ego parturio, donec formetur Christus in vobis [n: (Galat. IV, 19)]*. Parturivit enim qui in utero accipit spiritum salutis, et aliis infundit. Unde quoniam jam formatus in hac erat Christus, ait:

## 9.

*[n: (Vers. 6.)] Pone me ut signaculum in cor tuum, ut sigillum in brachium tuum.* Signaculum Christi in fronte est, signaculum in corde: in fronte, ut semper confiteamur: in corde, ut semper diligamus: signaculum in brachio, ut semper operemur. Luceat ergo imago ejus in confessione nostra, luceat in lectione, luceat in operibus et factis; ut si fieri potest, tota ejus species exprimatur in nobis. Ipse sit caput nostrum, quia caput viri Christus: ipse [1954B] oculus noster, ut per illum videamus Patrem: ipse vox nostra, per quam loquamur ad Patrem: ipse dextera, per quam Deo Patri sacrificium nostrum offeramus. Ipse quoque est signaculum nostrum, quod est charitatis et perfectionis insigne; quia diligens pater signavit Filium, sicut legimus: *Quem Pater signavit Deus [n: (Joan. VI, 27)]*. Charitas itaque nostra Christus. Bona charitas, quando obtulit se morti pro dilectis: bona charitas quae peccatum remisit.

## 10.

Et ideo anima nostra induat charitatem, et charitatem ejusmodi quae sit valida ut mors; quia sicut mors finis peccatorum est, ita et charitas; quoniam qui diligit Dominum, peccare desinit: *Charitas* enim *non cogitat malum, neque gaudet super [1954C] iniquitate, sed omnia sustinet [n: (I Cor. XIII, 5)]*. Nam qui quae sua sunt non quaerit, quomodo aliena quaeret? Est et mors illa valida per lavacrum, per quod peccatum omne sepelitur, et culpa dimittitur. Talis erat charitas quam deferebat Evangelica illa mulier, de qua Dominus ait: *Remissa sunt peccata ejus multa, quoniam dilexit multum [n: (Luc. VII, 47)]*. Est et illa mors sanctorum martyrum valida, quae culpam abolet superiorem; et ideo valida, cujus non impar est charitas, quae adaequatur martyrum passioni, ut auferat meritum delictorum.

## 11.

Zelus quoque ut inferi, quoniam qui Dei zelum habet, pro Christo nec suis parcit. Itaque et mortem habet charitas, et zelum habet charitas, et alas ignis habet charitas. Denique Christus diligens [1954D] Moysen, in igne ei apparuit. Et Hieremias habens in se donum divinae charitatis, dicebat: *Et erat ignis inflammans in ossibus meis, et dissolutus sum undique, et ferre non possum [n: (Jerem. XX, 9)]*. Bona igitur charitas alas habens ignis ardentis, quae volitat per pectora et corda sanctorum, et exurit quidquid materiale et terrenum est: quidquid vero sincerum est, probat; et quod contigerit, suo igne meliorat.

## 12.

Hunc ignem in terram misit Dominus Jesus, et refulsit fides, accensa est devotio, illuminata est charitas, justitia resplenduit. Hoc igne inflammavit corda apostolorum suorum, sicut testatur Cleophas [1955A] dicens: *Nonne cor nostrum ardens erat in nobis, cum aperiret Scripturas [n: (Luc. XXIV, 32)]*? Alae igitur ignis in flamma, Scripturae sunt divinae. Denique aperiebat Scripturas, et ignis exibat, atque audientium corda penetrabat. Et verae alae ignis, quia: *Eloquia Domini eloquia casta, argentum igne examinatum [n: (Psalm. XI, 7)]*. Cum Paulus quoque assumeretur a Christo, vidit circumfulsisse super se lucem, et super eos qui simul erant, cecidit a pavore, et probatior resurrexit. Denique apostolus factus est, qui presecutor advenerat. Spiritus quoque sanctus descendit, et replevit totam domum in qua erant plurimi sedentes, et visae sunt dispertitae linguae tanquam ignis. Bonae alae, alae charitatis, vere alae quae volitabant per ora apostolorum: et alae ignis, quia purgatum [1955B] sermonem loquebantur.

## 13.

His alis evolavit Enoch, raptus ad coelum; his alis evolavit Elias, curru igneo et equis igneis ad superna translatus. His alis Dominus Deus per columnam ignis ducebat patrum plebem. Has alas habuit Seraphim, quando sumpsit carbones ignis de altari, et tetigit os prophetae, et iniquitates ejus abstulit, et peccata purgavit. Harum alarum igne purgati sunt filii Levi, et baptizabantur populi nationum, sicut testificatur Joannes, dicens de Domino Jesu: *Ipse vos baptizabit in spiritu et igne [n: (Matth. III, 11)]*. Merito uri renes suos volebat et cor suum David, quia alas igneas charitatis sciebat non esse metuendas. Merito Hebraei pueri in fornace ardenti non sentiebant ignis incendia, quia charitatis [1955C] eos flamma refrigerabat. Et ut plenius cognoscamus *1615* quia alas habet perfecta charitas, audisti dudum dicentem: *Quoties volui congregare filios tuos, sicut gallina congregat pullos suos sub alas suas [n: (Matth. XXIII, 27)]*.

## 14.

Sumamus igitur has alas, quae sicut flammae ad superiora dirigunt. Exuat unusquisque animam suam involucris sordidioribus, et quasi aurum igne approbet detersam luto. Sic enim purgatur anima, velut aurum optimum. Pulchritudo autem animae sincera virtus et decor, verior cognitio supernorum; ut videat illud bonum ex quo pendent omnia, ipsum autem ex nullo. Eo igitur vivit, atque intellectum accipit. Vitae enim fons est summum illud bonum, cujus in nobis accenditur desiderium, cui appropinquare [1955D] et misceri voluptas est: quod ei qui non videt, desiderio est: et ei qui videt, vita est; ideoque universa alia despicit, hoc uno mulcetur, et delectatur. Hoc est quod subministrat universam substantiam: ipsum autem manens in semetipso, dat aliis; nihil autem in se ex aliis suscipit, de quo Propheta ait: *Dixi Domino: Deus meus es tu; quoniam bonorum meorum non eges [n: (Psal. XV, 2)]*.

## 15.

*Alae ejus, alae ignis.* Omnes oportet per ignem probari, quicumque ad paradisum redire desiderant; non enim otiose scriptum est quod, ejectis [1956A] Adam et Eva de paradisi sede, posuit Deus in exitu paradisi gladium igneum versatilem. Omnes oportet transire per flammas, sive ille Joannes evangelista sit, quem ita dilexit Dominus, ut de eo diceret ad Petrum: *Si eum volo manere, quid ad te? Tu me sequere [n: (Joan. XXI, 22)]*. De morte ejus aliqui dubitaverunt, de transitu per ignem dubitare non possumus; quia in paradiso est, nec separatur a Christo. Sive ille sit Petrus, qui claves accepit regni coelorum, qui supra mare ambulavit, oportet dicat: *Transivimus per ignem et aquam, et eduxisti nos in refrigerium [n: (Psalm. LXV, 12)]*. Sed Joanni cito versabitur gladius igneus; quia non invenitur in eo iniquitas, quem dilexit aequitas. Si quid in eo vitii humani fuit, charitas divina decoxit: *Alae enim ejus [1956B] sicut alae ignis.* Qui hic habuerit charitatis ignem, illic ignem gladii timere non poterit. Ipsi Petro qui toties mortem suam pro Christo obtulit, dicit: Transi, recumbe. Sed ille dicit: *Igne nos examinavit, sicut ipse examinavit argentum.*

## 16.

*Alae ejus, alae ignis.* Ergo quia volandi nobis data est copia, excitet unusquisque in se gratiam Dei, ac posteriora obliviscens, priora appetens, ad destinata contendat. Procul a militiae honoribus, procul ab aestibus mundi; ne quod fabulae ferunt, aestu solis cera resoluta lcareos volatus penna relabente destituat. Nam licet gravitas dictorum obsit, poetico tamen sale declarare voluerunt prudentium maturitati tutos esse volatus per coelum; juvenilem vero levitatem obnoxiam cupiditatibus mundi, refluentibus [1956C] pennis, et per oblivia veritatis meritorum compage resoluta, majore pernicie in terram relabi.

## 17.

Haud facilis volatus omnibus, difficilis etiam discordantibus in terris animalibus vitae cursus humanae est. At si tibi actus nostri ordo conveniat, videbit et in nobis propheta rotam illam unam super terram, conjunctam animalibus quatuor. Videbit ergo rursus Ezechiel, videt enim adhuc et viget et vigebit [n: (Ezech. I, 15 et 16)]: videbit, inquam, rotam in medio rotae, super terram sine offensione labentem. Rota enim super terram, vita est corporis ad animae aptata virtutem, et ad evangelicum cohaerenti cursu formata praeceptum. Rota autem in medio rotae, velut vita intra vitam, quod sanctorum sibi [1956D] vita non dissonet; sed qualis fuerit superioris aetatis, talis sit et sequentis: vel hoc in hac vita corporis vitae volvatur usus aeternae. Cum ista congruerint, tunc divina vox resultet, tunc super similitudinem throni similitudo sicut species hominis apparebit. Hic homo Verbum est, quia *Verbum caro factum est [n: (Joan. I, 14)]*: hic homo nostrorum est agitator animalium, nostrorum rector est morum, qui pro nostrorum ratione meritorum, aut currum plerumque, aut montem ascendit, aut navim.

## 18.

*Pone me ut signaculum in cor tuum, ut sigillum [1957A] in brachium tuum, quae nova et vetera servasti mihi.* Signaculum meum es, ad imaginem meam es et similitudinem. Fulget in te imago justitiae, imago sapientiae, imago virtutis. Et quia imago Dei in corde tuo est, sit et in operibus tuis: sit effigies Evangelii in tuis factis, ut in tuis moribus mea praecepta custodias. Effigies Evangelii erit in te, *1616* si percutienti maxillam, alteram praebeas, si diligas inimicum tuum, si crucem tuam tollas, et me sequaris. Ideo crucem ego pro te portavi; ne tu propter me portare dubitares. Audierunt hoc filiae Hierusalem, quod jam Dominus Deus Ecclesiam sibi copulabat: et quia considerantes magnitudinem Verbi, impares se tantis nuptiis aestimabant; ne forte tantae copulae pondus sustinere non possent, excusant dicentes: [1957B]

## 19.

*[n: (Vers. 8.)] Soror nostra parvula, et ubera non habet.* Sic enim qui volunt differre nuptias, excusare consuerunt, ut praetendant immaturae aetatis infirmitatem, et astruant quod ubera non habeant, quae nubilis significant tempus aetatis. Hoc solet symbolum commune omnibus virginibus esse nupturis; ut cum ubera coeperint eminere, tunc conjunctioni habiles judicentur. Turbatae igitur, quod studio dilectionis urgeat nuptias Sponsus, dicunt:

## 20.

*Quid faciemus sorori nostrae, in die qua loquetur in ea,* vel ut Symmachus, *qua loquetur ei?* Hoc est, in sponsalium celebritate solet fieri collocutio, et confirmatio nuptiarum. Quid ergo faciemus, dicunt turbatae, quia urget conjunctio spiritalis? A tantis nuptiis excusare non possunt; nemo enim [1957C] est qui copulam vel animae et spiritus, vel Christi et Ecclesiae non beatam putet. Sed quia plenitudo Verbi vel Spiritus sancti vibrat et fulget, et nihil est quod illis possit aequari; ideo differre desiderant, ut illa dilatione vel anima, vel Ecclesia possit esse perfectior. Dicunt ergo:

## 21.

*[n: (Vers. 9.)] Si murus est, aedificemus super eum receptacula argentea: et si janua est, sculpamus super eam tabulas cedrinas.* Murus est anima sancti. Habet et Ecclesia muros suos, quae jam perfectior dicit: *Ego civitas munita [n: (Esai. XXVII, 3)]*. Hic est murus, qui habet duodecim portas apostolicas, per quas populo nationum patet ingressus in Ecclesiam. Sed murus quamvis ambitum totius urbis includat, tunc [1957D] tamen est munitior, cum receptacula habuerit praeparata, in quibus propugnatores urbis tutum spectandi ac tuendi possint habere subsidium. Sed quia rationalis haec civitas est, et omnis spes ejus in Dei Verbo est, non ferrea, sed argentea ei propugnacula requiruntur, eloquiis coelestibus magis quam corporeis voluptatibus hostiles impetus repulsare consueta.

## 22.

Eo fulta praesidio, eo splendore fulgens, habilior Christi copulae judicatur. Et quia janua Christus est, qui ait: *Per me si quis introierit, salvabitur (Joan. [1958A] X, 9)*; et ecclesia janua nuncupatur, quia per ipsam patet populis aditus ad salutem. Sed ne haereticorum corrumpatur tineis aut vermibus, dicunt filiae Hierusalem, vel angeli, vel animae justorum: *Aedificemus super eam tabulas cedrinas,* hoc est, fidei sublimis bonum odorem. Est enim suavis hujus materiae odor, quam non vermis, non tinea corrumpat. Ideo hujus materiae usus eligitur tectorum fastigiis elevandis formandisque litterarum elementis, quibus aetas puerilis ad studium liberalis eruditionis imbuitur. Est ergo materia ista sublimis ad gratiam, levis ad onus, suavis ad odorem, utilis ad instrumentum scientiae, habilis ad ministerium cognitionis aeternae. Sed quemadmodum Sponsam suam diligens Christus urgebat ad copulae spiritalis solemnitatem; ita et Ecclesia Verbi decore jam capta, festinabat [1958B] ad nuptias. Ideoque morarum et dilationis impatiens, quas filiae Hierusalem innectere gestiebant, dicit:

## 23.

*[n: (Vers. 10.)] Ego murus, et ubera mea turres.* Hoc est, nolite dubitare utrum murus sim; illae enim dixerant: *Si murus est;* ego, inquit, murus sum, et non parva ubera habeo, sed ut turres ubera mea sunt. Quomodo dicitis, quia non habeo ubera? Sensus habeo ut turres sapientiae, in quibus est abundantia, sicut scriptum est: *Et abundantia in turribus tuis [n: (Psalm. CXXI, 7)]*. His uberibus, id est, sensibus, habilem se tantis nuptiis aestimabat. Sed filiae Hierusalem adhuc non poterant aestimare, quia sensuum ejus abundantiam non videbant. Et addidit: [1958C]

## 24.

*[n: (Vers. 11.)] Ego eram in oculis ejus tanquam inveniens pacem;* hoc est, deliberatis de meis sensibus, cum pacem Dei invenerim, quae exsuperat omnem mentem, et custodit corda et sensus in Christo Jesu. Talis, inquit, eram in oculis sponsi, qualis quae habet pacem; scriptum est enim: *Qui recte quaerunt pacem, gaudebunt.* *1617*

## 25.

*[n: (Vers 12.)] Ego,* inquit, *civitas munita, ego civitas obsessa [n: (Esai. XXVII, 3)]*. His munitur muris, his obsessa defenditur. Et vere murus anima, quae praetenditur in castris. Unde et ipsa ait in Canticis: *Ego murus, et ubera mea sicut turres [n: (Vers. 10)]*. Bonus murus quem pinxit Dominus, sicut ipse ait: *In manibus meis pinxi muros tuos, et in conspectu meo es semper [n: (Esai. XLIX, 16)]*. Bona anima quae habet [1958D] speculatorem Deum, et in manibus ejus est; sicut anima prophetica, quae in manus Dei commendatur ut spiritus [n: (Psal. XXX, 6)], et quae in conspectu Dei est: *Oculi enim Domini super justos;* sicut et ipse ait: *Ego eram in oculis ejus tanquam inveniens pacem.* Bonas turres habet, quae habet et de intelligibilibus verbum, et de moralibus disciplinam. Festinantibus igitur dilecto atque dilecta, celebrata conjunctio spiritalis est, mutuo expetita consensu. Ideoque tamquam nuptiale canens carmen, exsultavit Spiritus in propheta dicens: [1959A]

## 26.

*[n: (Vers. 11.)] Vinea facta est Salomoni in Beelamon, dedit vineam suam iis qui servant.* Clamat ergo Spiritus, Plantata est congregatio populorum, sed vitis aeternae radice fundata, et spiritalia sub jugum Verbi corde mansueto corda subjecit. Plantata autem est in multitudine nationum. Hoc enim intelligendum *Beelamon,* Symmachus, Aquila, aliaeque translationes graeco sermone docuerunt. Repudiata est vetus copula quae fructum afferre non poterat, data est vinea novis fidelibusque cultoribus, qui non solum facere fructum possent, sed etiam custodire. Una igitur ovis erravit, sed revocata totius spatia orbis implevit. Unam ovem error abduxerat, sed multitudinem populorum Domini gratia congregavit. Erravit homo, sed in Ecclesia jam murus est [1959B] et murus validus. Erravit Adam, murus est David, qui mandata Dei oblitus non est. Custodita igitur et vallata haec vinea munimine spiritali, mille fructus dat Christo, ducentos autem fructus custodibus; ideoque ait Ecclesia:

## 27.

*[n: (Vers. 12.)] Vitis mea in conspectu meo mille Salomoni, et ducenti servantibus fructum.* Perfectio et plenitudo Christi est portio parvulorum. Habes hoc mysterium in Genesi, ubi quinque partes Benjamin fratri juniori tribuit Joseph, singulas reliquis fratribus [n: (Gen. XLIII, 34)]. Domino igitur quinque sensuum portio et praerogativa defertur, quam illi utique tribuit ipse quem diligit, sicut dilexit et Paulum, cui dedit ad gentes evocandas sapientiae principatum. Facessat hic sacris virginibus metus, quibus tanta [1959C] praesidia tribuit primum Ecclesia, quae tenerae prolis sollicita successu, ipsa quasi murus abundantibus in modum turrium excrescit uberibus: donec, soluto obsidionis hostilis incursu, pacem validae juventuti maternae praesidio virtutis acquirat. Unde et Propheta ait: *Fiat pax in virtute tua, et abundantia in turribus tuis [n: (Psalm. CXXI, 7)]*.

## 28.

*[n: (Vers. 13.)] Qui sedes in hortis, amici intendentes voci tuae, vocem tuam insinua mihi.* Ideoque haec anima habens gratiam suorum uberum, ingreditur in hortos, et inveniens illic Sponsum sedentem et disputantem cum amicis, ait: *Qui sedes in hortis, vocem tuam insinua mihi:* mihi, inquit, non amicis.

## 29.

*Qui sedes in hortis, amici intendentes voci tuae, vocem tuam insinua mihi.* Delectabatur enim [1959D] quod in hortis Christus sedebat, et in hortis positi amici intendebant voci ejus: sed quia amici illi de coelestibus erant, Archangeli vel Dominationes et Throni (homines enim expulsi de paradiso fuerant propter inobedientiam coelestium mandatorum, atque ideo adhuc Ecclesia vocem ejus audire non poterat, quam cupiebat audire), ideo ait: *Vocem tuam insinua mihi.* Unde et nos si volumus eum in nobis sedere, simus horti clausi atque muniti, feramus virtutum flores, gratiae suavitatem, ut disputantem [1960A] cum angelis Dominum Jesum audire possimus. Sed quia futurum erat, ut cum ad plenitudinem Ecclesia pervenisset, persecutionibus variis tentaretur; ideo cum Verbi gratia delectaretur, subito cernit insidias persecutorum: et quae plus Sponso quam sibi timeret, aut quia a persecutoribus Christus magis appetitur in nobis, ideo ait:

## 30.

*[n: (Vers. 14.)] Fuge, frater meus, et similis esto tu capreolae aut hinnulo cervorum, super montes aromatum.* Propter infirmos fugit, qui tentamenta graviora ferre non possent. Ideo scriptum est, ut de civitatibus ad civitates fugiamus: et si nos in hac civitate fuerint persecuti, fugiamus in aliam. Propter infirmos igitur, ut diximus, fugiat persequentes: aut fugiat ab infimis, et transeat ad montes aromatum, [1960B] qui pro martyrio odorem possit beatae resurrectionis *1618* afferre. Montes aromatum sancti sunt. Ad eos confugit Christus; quia *Fundamenta ejus in montibus sanctis [n: (Psal. LXXXVI, 1)]*. Ad eos igitur confugit, qui sunt ejus stabilia fundamenta. In nobis fugit, in illis fida statione subsistit. Mons igitur aromatum Paulus est, qui potest dicere: *Bonus odor Christi sumus Deo [n: (II Cor. II, 15)]*. Mons aromatum David, cujus orationis odor ascendebat ad Dominum, et ideo dicebat: *Dirigatur oratio mea sicut incensum in conspectu tuo [n: (Psal. CXL, 2)]*.

## 31.

Symmachus tamen et Aquila interpretati sunt, quod Christus dicit ad Ecclesiam: *Quae sedes in hortis,* hoc est, jam in hortis sedes, superno digna es paradiso; et ideo *Vocem tuam insinua mihi, cui amici intendunt:* [1960C] ego quoque eam audire desidero. Coepit in hortis esse Ecclesia, postquam in hortis captus est Christus.

## 32.

*Fuge, frater meus, et similis efficere cervo aut hinnulo cervi, in montes aromatum.* Serpentinis enim invisus colubris, et effugitans canum, atque humi reptantibus infestus serpentibus, nescit habitare nisi in sublimitate virtutum, nescit commorari nisi talibus Ecclesiae filiabus, quae possunt dicere: *Christi enim bonus odor sumus Deo [n: (II Cor. II, 15)]*. Sed quibusdam odor mortis in mortem, in iis qui pereunt: quibusdam odor vitae in vitam, in iis utique qui odorem resurrectionis Dominicae vivida fide sperant. Isti sunt aromatum montes, qui Domini corpus Jesu acceperunt, et in linteis cum aromatibus [1960D] ligaverunt. Quicumque enim crediderunt, quia Jesus mortuus est, et sepultus est, et resurrexit, hi excelsum verae cacumen fidei virtutum fastigiis extulerunt. Ubi ergo Christus quaeritur, in pectore prudentis scilicet sacerdotis?

## 33.

*Fuge, frater meus.* Hortatur ut fugiat Sponsus, quia jam sequi poterit ipsa terrena fugientem. Dicit ut similis sit damulae quae evadit de retibus; vult enim et ipsa fugere, et evolare supra mundum. Fugiamus ergo in patriam verissimam. Illic patria [1961A] nobis, et pater a quo creati sumus, ubi est Hierusalem civitas quae est mater omnium. Sed quae est fuga? Non utique pedum, qui sunt corporis; isti enim quocumque currunt, in terra currunt, et de solo ad solum transeunt. Nec navibus fugiamus aut curribus, aut equis qui obligantur et cadunt; sed fugiamus animo et oculis, aut pedibus interioribus assuescamus oculos nostros videre quae dilucida et clara sunt, spectare vultum continentiae et temperantiae, omnesque virtutes; in quibus nihil scabrum, nihil obscurum et tortuosum sit: et seipsum spectet quis et conscientiam suam, illum oculum mundet; ne quid sordidum habeat. Quod enim videtur, non debet dissonare ab eo qui videt; quoniam conformes nos Deus imaginis voluit esse Filii sui. [1961B]

## 34.

Cognitum igitur nobis est illud bonum, nec longe est ab unoquoque nostrum: *In ipso enim vivimus, adsumus, et movemur; ipsius enim et genus sumus [n: (Act. XVII, 28)]*, ut Apostolus gentiles voluit monere. Ipsum est enim bonum quod quaerimus, et solum bonum; nemo enim bonus, nisi solus Deus. Hic est oculus, qui magnum illum et verum decorem intuetur. Solem nisi sanus et valens oculus non aspicit, nec bonum potest videre nisi anima [1962A] bona: fiat ergo bonus, qui vult videre Dominum, et quod est bonum. Hujus boni similes simus, et secundum id operemur quae bona sunt. Hoc est bonum quod supra omnem operationem est, supra omnem mentem atque intellectum, ipsum est quod semper manet, dans vivere et esse omnibus; quia fons est omnium vitae Christus, de quo propheta ait: *In umbra ejus vivemus.* Nunc enim *vita nostra abscondita in Christo est: cum autem apparuerit Christus vita nostra, et nos apparebimus cum ipso in gloria.*

## 35.

Ergo non timeamus mortem; quoniam requies est corporis, animae autem vel libertas vel absolutio. Nec vereamur eum qui potest carnem interficere, animam autem non potest; quia non [1962B] timemus eum qui potest vestimentum auferre, non timemus eum qui potest nostra furari, nos autem non potest. Nos igitur animae simus, si volumus esse Hebraei de iis qui sunt socii Jacob, id est, imitatores ejus. Nos animae simus, nostra autem membra vestimenta sunt: servanda sunt quidem vestimenta ne scindantur, ne inveterascant: sed illo magis qui his utitur, servare se debet et custodire.

english:
## PROLOGUE.

[1851]

[1851A] *1545* 1. *Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth [n: (Cant. I, 1)]*: here it is not the incitements of foulness, but the mysteries of chastity, that are celebrated; where the matter is handled spiritually, and by a certain contemplation of the affections, concerning the marriage and the joining of Christ and the Church, of the uncreated Spirit and the created, of flesh and spirit. Let us therefore circumcise our heart: let us seek nothing base, nothing bodily; and everything earthly is base. Let us therefore set down in these heavenly utterances nothing earthly, nothing carnal, nothing worldly, nothing bodily, nothing light and changeable: for *the words of the Lord are chaste words;* that in them the spotless and modest sincerity of the heavenly mysteries may *1546* shine forth by a spiritual interpretation. Let us not mingle earthly things with divine by some adulterous notion, nor violate that inviolable mystery of prophetic vision or of the everlasting oracle by an estimate drawn from our own nature: for whether it be of kisses or of such things, the whole of it is seemly, whatever is offered to religion; so that we blush at [1852A] no service that avails toward the worship and the observance of Christ: as in that dance of David before the ark; for that dancing was no companion of delights and of wantonness, but that each man should lift up an unsluggish body, and not let his limbs lie sluggish on the ground, or grow numb with slow steps. For this mastery we did not find out, but received; thus has heavenly doctrine established the order of the mystic song. *1547*

## 2.

*Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; for thy breasts are good above wine, and the odor of thine ointments above all spices. Thy name is an ointment emptied out [n: (Ibid.)]*. [var: Vulg. *osculo oris sui*, "with the kiss of his mouth," singular and without *ab*; *meliora sunt ubera tua vino*, "better than wine"; *fraglantia unguentis optimis*, "fragrant with the best ointments"; *oleum effusum nomen tuum*, "oil poured out"] This whole passage of delights rings of play, stirs up applause, provokes love. *Therefore,* she says, *the maidens have loved thee and have drawn thee; let us run behind the odor of thine ointments. The king has brought me into his tabernacle [n: (Ibid., 3)]*. [var: Vulg. *trahe me post te; curremus in odorem unguentorum tuorum*, "draw me after thee: we will run," an imperative; and *introduxit me rex in cellaria sua*, "into his storerooms"] She began from kisses that she might arrive at the tabernacle; and she, impatient of the Lord's labor and of exercised virtue, [1853A] is driven to open the bars with her hand, to go out into the field, to abide in the villages; yet at the beginning she runs behind the odor of the ointment, and when she has come into the tabernacle she will exchange the ointment for the villages. See, then, where she comes out.

## 3.

*If she is a wall,* he says, *let us build upon her towers of silver [n: (Cant. VIII, 9)]*. [var: Vulg. *propugnacula argentea*, "bulwarks of silver"] She who was playing with kisses now raises up towers, so that, turreted with the precious pinnacles of the saints, she may not only frustrate the assaults of enemies, but may also build safe bulwarks of good merits. Even in these temporal marriages the bride is applauded before she is commanded, lest harsh commands give offense before love, warmed by caresses, has grown into her. The heifer learns to love the sound of a certain clapping, that she may not refuse the yoke upon her neck; and so she is first accustomed to the word *1548* of playfulness before the lash of discipline. But when she has put her neck [1853B] under the yoke, the rein also constrains her, and the goad presses, and her yokemates draw, and the yoke-fellow invites. So too our Virgin ought first to hammer with holy love; to marvel at the golden supports of the heavenly couch, and in the very porch [1854A] of the wedding to behold the doorposts crowned with garlands of leafage, and to drink in the delights of the choir sounding within; lest, made afraid, she withdraw herself from the Lord's yoke before, being called, she bow to it. For we must know certain degrees of advancement, and their order — what ought to come first and what after: for to know what thou shouldst do, and not to know the order of doing it, is not of perfect knowledge; for things done back to front most often give offense. And so, since there are as many opinions as there are men, if anything in our discourse has been cleared, let all read it; if anything is boiled down, let the riper approve it; if anything is modest, let it cling to their breasts and paint their cheeks; if anything is flowery, let the flowering age not disapprove it. We ought to have stirred up the love of the bride; for it is written: *Thou shalt love the Lord thy God [n: (Deut. VI, 5)]*: [1854B] we ought to have adorned the bride's hair at the wedding with certain curling-irons of prayer; for it is written: *Clap with the hand, and strike with the foot [n: (Ezech. XXI, 14)]*: we ought to have strewn the everlasting bridal chambers with roses.

## HERE BEGINS THE TEXT.

## CHAPTER ONE.

[1853B] *1547*

## 1.

Life is to be sought before doctrine; for a good life has grace even without doctrine, while doctrine without life has not wholeness. *For wisdom does not fall into an ill-willing soul [n: (Sap. I, 4)]*: [var: Vulg. *non introibit sapientia*, "will not enter in"] and therefore he says: *The wicked shall seek me, and shall not find [n: (Prov. I, 28)]*: [var: Vulg. *tunc invocabunt me et non exaudiam; mane consurgent et non invenient me*, "then shall they call upon me, and I will not hear"] because the eye of the mind is blinded by wickedness, and, with iniquity darkening it, it cannot find the deep mysteries. First, therefore, the soldiery of life must be exercised, [1853C] and morals corrected. When we have set these things toward their due course, so that there may be correction of offense and the grace of purity, then let us come to the pursuits of taking in knowledge, in their own order and way. First, then, come the moral matters, second the mystical: in the former is life, in the latter knowledge; so that, if thou seek perfection, there be neither life without knowledge nor knowledge without life, but each bear witness with the other. Following this arrangement, Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs, in which he set forth the moral topic more richly, the natural in Ecclesiastes, the mystical in the Song of Songs: although, if thou examine diligently, thou wouldst find very many mystical things in Proverbs too, and in the Song the sweetness of moral matters. For surely this is mystical: *Wisdom has built herself a house, and has set seven columns beneath it; she has slain her victims, [1853D]* etc. [n: (Pov. IX, 1)]. [var: Vulg. *excidit columnas septem; immolavit victimas suas*, "hewed out seven columns; sacrificed her victims"] For in the Song that shines as mystical which is moral, wherein the sweetness of endearments and the affection of a lover is expressed.

## 2.

*[n: (Vers. 1, 2.)] Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth; since thy breasts are best above wine, and the odor of thine ointments above all spices.* [var: Vulg. *meliora sunt ubera tua vino*; the plate has printed the same lemma with *bona*, "good," above] Set before thee, then, a Virgin betrothed a long while, and burning with a just love, who has come to know many glorious works of her beloved by the assertion of approved witnesses; often put off, her desires held in suspense, bearing delays no longer, who would have done all things so that she might [sic: *deret*] the bridegroom: [1854B] who at length, having obtained her vows, troubled with joy at the unforeseen coming of the bridegroom, does not seek the first beginnings of greeting, nor the exchanges of words, but at once demands what she had desired. So then also the holy Church, betrothed in the first beginnings of the world in paradise, prefigured in the flood, announced through the Law, called through the prophets, when she had long awaited the redemption of men, the beauty of the Gospel, the coming of her beloved, impatient of delay, rushes into kisses, saying: *Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth;* and, delighted with the kisses, [1854C] she adds: *since thy breasts are best above wine.*

## 3.

And to speak more morally, I understand for myself that flesh which had been steeped in Adam with the serpent's venom, which was withering with the stench of crimes, which went forth among the daughters of Sion with neck held high and with beckonings of the eyes, trailing her tunics in the going of her feet and playing with her own feet, with ringlets of hair and composed countenances and headbands, and in every affected comeliness the more unseemly; and yet that same flesh, taught by very many *1548* oracles that he would come who, when the serpent's enticements had been shut out, would pour in the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that all flesh might see the salvation of God, that all flesh might come to God — that it had withered with longing: but fearing lest, as impatient, as wanton, as luxurious, as querulous, it should displease as it had been before, [1854D] although it was shaken by an expectation, longer than it could now bear, of the Lord's delaying coming: yet not murmuring nor transgressing, but lifting up pure hands in every place, without wrath and dispute, in adorned habit with modesty and sobriety, adorning herself not with plaited hair or gold or pearls or costly raiment, but with those things that befit the grace of chastity and of good conversation, praying and saying: *Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth; since thy breasts are best above wine.* Now the flesh wished to cleave to Christ, now she hastened to be wedded; [1855A] that she might be one spirit, and that she might become the flesh of Christ who before was a harlot's. *Let him kiss me,* she says: the Word of God kisses us when the spirit of knowledge illumines our understanding.

## 4.

Therefore it is either the Church, held in suspense through many seasons by the Lord's coming long since promised to her through the prophets, or the soul which, raising herself from the body, luxury and delights and carnal pleasures being renounced, stripped also of the anxiety of worldly vanities, has this long while yearned for the inpouring of the divine presence into her and for the grace of the saving Word: that she is worn away because he comes late, and is afflicted; and therefore, as one wounded with charity, since she cannot bear his delays, turning to the Father, that she asks God to send her the Word, and declares the cause why she is so impatient, saying: *Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.*

## 5.

She does not seek one kiss, but many kisses, that she may be able to fulfil her desire; for she who loves is [1855B] not content with the scantness of a single kiss, but demands very many, claims more, and has been wont thus to commend herself the more to her beloved. And so she in the Gospel was thus approved: *Because she has not ceased,* says the Lord, *to kiss my feet; and therefore many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved much [n: (Luc. VII, 46, 47)]*. [var: Vulg. *remittuntur ei peccata multa quoniam dilexit multum*, a present "are forgiven"] So this soul also desires many kisses of the Word, that she may be enlightened with the light of divine knowledge; for this is the kiss of the Word, namely the light of sacred knowledge. For God the Word kisses us when the Spirit of divine knowledge illumines our heart and the very governing part of man; and the soul, endowed with this pledge of nuptial charity, glad and exulting, says: *I opened my mouth and drew forth the spirit [n: (Psal. CXVIII, 131)]*. [var: Vulg. *adtraxi spiritum*, "drew in the spirit"] For a kiss is that whereby lovers cleave to one another [1855C] and, as it were, take possession of the sweetness of an inward grace. Through this kiss the soul cleaves to the Word of God, in that the spirit of the one kissing is poured over into her: just as they also who kiss one another are not content with a foretaste of the lips, but seem to pour their own spirit into one another. *1549*

## 6.

*Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.* Wilt thou fit this to Christ? Nothing is more welcome. Wilt thou fit it to thy own soul? Nothing is more delightful. *Let him kiss me*: he sees thee to be clean from every sin, since offenses are of the earth; therefore he judges thee worthy of the heavenly sacraments, and therefore invites thee to the heavenly banquet, that *he may kiss thee with the kisses of his mouth.* Yet, because of what follows, thy soul, or the human condition, or the Church, has seen herself cleansed from all sins, worthy to be able to approach [1855D] the altar of God. For what is the altar but the form of the body of Christ? She has seen the wondrous sacraments, and says: *Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth;* that is, let Christ fix a kiss upon me. Why? Because:

## 7.

*Thy breasts are better above wine,* [var: Vulg. *meliora sunt ubera tua vino*, "better than wine"; the plate has printed the same lemma with *bona* and with *optima* above] that is, thy senses are better, thy sacraments are better above wine — above that wine which, though it has sweetness, [1856A] though it has gladness, though it has grace, yet in it the gladness is worldly, while in thee the delight is spiritual. Even then, therefore, Solomon was introducing the marriage either of Christ and the Church, or of spirit and flesh and soul. And as though despising all her own delights and pleasures, desiring [sic: *cupieos*] to cleave to the heavenly commandments, she says: since the precepts of thy testaments are best above every appetite of the flesh and every pleasure of the world; for she remembered that she had thus fallen before, in Eve, while she set the pleasure of the body before the heavenly commandments. And so, showing that she loves not only the appearance of the Word and a certain countenance, but all his inward parts, she adds to the grace of the kisses: *Because thy breasts are good,* she says, *above wine, and the odor of thine ointments above all spices.* She asked for a kiss; God the Word poured himself wholly into her, and bared his breasts to her, that is, his doctrines and the disciplines of his inward wisdom, and was fragrant with the sweet odor of his ointments: [1856B] and, taken captive by these, she says that the delight of divine knowledge is more abundant than the gladness of every bodily pleasure.

## 8.

*Thy name is an ointment emptied out, or oil poured forth;* that is: this world was wholly stinking with the unclean impurities of divers crimes; now everywhere the sweetness of modesty breathes, the ointment of faith, the flower of integrity. There breathes also in the Word the odor of grace and the remission of sins, which, being poured out over the whole world, has filled all things as with an ointment emptied out, because through all men the heavy filth of vices has been wiped away. This ointment was emptied out above the Jews, and was gathered up for those acting: emptied out in Judaea, and it gave forth its scent in all lands. With this ointment Mary was anointed, and the Virgin conceived, the Virgin bore the good odor, the Son of God: this ointment was poured out upon [1856C] the waters, and sanctified the waters: with this ointment the three young men were anointed, and the flame bedewed them with moisture; with this ointment Daniel was anointed, and he softened the mouths of the lions and stroked down their wildness. This ointment flows daily, and never fails. Take thy vessel, O virgin, and draw near, that thou mayest be able to be filled with this ointment: take the ointment valued at three hundred pence, but given freely, not sold, that all might have it freely. O virgin, be anointed; be not made sorrowful as Judas was, because this ointment is poured out, but bury Christ together with thee: shut thy vessel indeed, lest the ointment flow away: shut it with the key of integrity, with modesty in speaking, with abstinence from boasting; she who has this ointment receives Christ: *Thy name is an ointment emptied out.* [1856D]

## 9.

*[n: (Vers. 2.)] Therefore the maidens have loved thee.* Who are these maidens, but the souls of individual men, who have laid aside the old age of this body, being renewed through the Holy Spirit? *Thy name is an ointment poured forth,* than the power of which utterance nothing can be more excellent. For just as ointment shut up in some vessel holds in its own odor — which odor, so long as it is confined within the narrows of that vessel, keeps its force, even though it [1857A] cannot reach many — but when the ointment has been poured out of the vessel in which it was shut, it is said to be spread far and wide: so also the name of Christ, before his coming, was shut up in the people of Israel, as it were in some vessel of the minds of the Jews: for *God is known in Judaea, in Israel his name is great. [n: (Psal. LXXV, I)]*. This name, therefore, which the vessels of the Jews, confined within their own narrows, contained. A great name indeed even then, when it clung within the narrows of the weak and the few, but it had not yet poured out its greatness through the hearts of the nations and unto the ends of the whole world: *1550* but after he shone forth by his coming through the whole world, he stretched out that divine name of his through the whole creation, not filled up by any addition — for fulness knows no increase — but filling the empty places, that his name might be wonderful in [1857B] all the earth. The pouring forth of this name, therefore, signifies a certain abounding overflow of graces and a plenty of heavenly goods; for whatever is poured out overflows out of abundance. *Therefore the maidens have loved thee.* Good, she says, is prudence, but sweet is mercy; for the first few attain, while the second reaches to all: for the sake of this thy indulgence, she says, the souls renewed in spirit love thee.

## 10.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] Draw us after thee; we will run in the odor of thine ointments.* [var: Vulg. *trahe me post te*, "draw me," singular; the exposition that follows turns on the plural "us"] The holy soul, having now kissed the Word of God, takes no measure and is not satisfied, saying: Sweet art thou, O Lord, and in thy delightfulness teach me thy justifications [n: (Psal. CXVIII, 12)]. Having kissed the Word of God, she desires him above all beauty, loves him above all gladness, delights in him above all [1857C] spices, longs to see him often, to gaze on him frequently, longs to be drawn that she may be able to follow: *Thy name,* she says, *is an ointment emptied out; therefore we maidens love thee;* therefore we strive, but we cannot lay hold: draw us, that we may be able to run; that from the odor of thine ointments we may receive strength to follow. She hastens also to see the inward mysteries, the very rest of the Word, the very dwelling-place of that highest good, and his light and brightness in that fatherly bosom and retreat; she hastens to hear his discourses, and when she has heard she receives him above all sweetness.

## 11.

Let the prophet teach thee who has tasted, and says: *How sweet are thy words to my throat, above honey and the honeycomb to my mouth [n: (Psal. CXVIII, 103)]*! [var: Vulg. *quam dulcia faucibus meis eloquia tua, super mel ori meo*, without "and the honeycomb"] For what else does the soul desire [1857D] that has once tasted the sweetness of the Word, that has once seen his brightness? Moses, set on the mountain for forty days receiving the Law, sought no food for the body: Elijah, hastening to that rest, prayed that his soul might be taken from him: Peter, himself also beholding on the mountain the glory of the Lord's resurrection, was unwilling to come down, saying: *Lord, it is good for us to be here [n: (Matth. XVII, 4)]*. How great, then, is that glory of the divine substance, how great the gifts of the Word, upon which the angels also desire to look!

## 12.

The soul, therefore, that sees that, does not seek this body, and understands that there ought to be [1858A] the least possible familiarity with it; she renounces the world, leads herself away from the bonds of the flesh, and strips herself of all the entanglements of these pleasures. And so Stephen was seeing Jesus, and did not dread to be stoned; nay, when he was being stoned, he prayed not for himself but for those by whom he was being destroyed. Paul too, caught up as far as the third heaven, did not know whether he was with the body or without the body; caught up, I say, into paradise, he no longer felt the use of his own body, and, hearing the words of God, blushed at how he should come down to the infirmities of the body. And so, knowing what he had seen in paradise, or what he had heard, he cried out, saying: *Why do you still, as though living out of this world, make decrees? Touch not, handle not, taste not, which things are all unto corruption by the very use [n: (Coloss. II, 20 et 21)]*. [var: Vulg. *ne tetigeritis neque gustaveritis neque contrectaveritis, quae sunt omnia in interitu ipso usu*; the three prohibitions stand in a different order, and "unto destruction"] For he wished us to be in the figure of this world, not in possession and use, [1858B] so that we might so use this world as though we used it not, as those passing by, not as those who settle; walking as in the image of the age, not in covetousness, that by a most swift reckoning we may pass beyond the very image of this world. And so he himself, walking by faith, not by sight, was a pilgrim away from the body and present with God: and when he was upon the earth, he had his conversation not in earthly but in heavenly things. Therefore let our soul, which wishes to draw near to God, lift herself up from the body, let her always cleave to that highest good, to that good which is divine, which is always, and which was from the beginning, and which was with God [n: (I Joan. I)], that is, the Word of God: this is that divine thing, *in which we live, and are, and are moved [n: (Act. XVII, 28)]*. [var: Vulg. *in ipso enim vivimus et movemur et sumus*, "live and are moved and are," the last two members in the other order]

## 13.

*We will run in the odor of thine ointments.* This [1858C] odor is breathed by the soul that begins to open to Christ, that she may first receive the odor of the Lord's burial, and may believe that his flesh saw no corruption, nor withered with any odor of death, but rose again, embalmed with the odor of that eternal and ever-flourishing flower. For how could he wither even in the flesh, whose name *is* *1551* *an ointment emptied out?* He emptied himself that he might breathe upon thee; this ointment always was, but it was with the Father, it was in the Father, and gave forth its scent only to angels and archangels, as within the vessel of heaven. The Father opened his mouth, saying: *Behold, I have set thee for a covenant of my race, for a light of the nations, that thou mayest be for salvation unto the utmost part of the earth [n: (Esai. XLIX, 6)]*. [var: Vulg. *dedi te in lucem gentium, ut sis salus mea usque ad extremum terrae*, without the covenant clause and with "my salvation"] The Son came down, all things were filled with the new odor of the Word, the heart of the Father uttered forth a good Word, the Son was fragrant, the Holy [1858D] Spirit breathed out, and poured himself abroad through the hearts of all: *for the charity of God has been poured abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit [n: (Rom. V, 5)]*. The Son of God himself at first held in his own odor within the body as within a vessel, awaiting the time, as he says: *The Lord gives me the tongue of learning, that I may know when it behoves me to speak a word.* [var: Vulg. Isa. 50:4 *Dominus dedit mihi linguam eruditam, ut sciam sustentare eum qui lassus est verbo*, "to sustain him that is weary with a word"] The hour came, he opened his mouth, the ointment went forth, when virtue was going out from him. And therefore she hastens to the Word, and asks to be drawn, lest perchance she be left behind; because the Word of God runs, and is not bound. And so *he exults as a giant to run [1859A] the way [n: (Psal. XVIII, 6)]*. [var: Vulg. *exultavit ut gigans ad currendam viam*, a past "he exulted"] And because *his going forth is from the highest heaven, and his meeting even unto the highest thereof [n: (Ibid., 7)]*, seeing herself unequal to so great a swiftness, she says: *Draw us.*

## 14.

Good is the soul that asks not for herself alone, but for all: *Draw,* I say, *us;* for we have the desire of following, which the grace of thine ointments breathes into us: but because we cannot match thy courses, *Draw us;* that, propped by thy help, we may be able to press upon thy footsteps. For if thou shalt draw, we too shall run, and shall catch the spiritual breezes of swiftness. For the burden is laid down for those to whom thy hand is a prop: and thine oil is poured in, by which he was healed who had been wounded by robbers.

## 15.

But lest what she says seem to thee shameless — *Draw us* — hear him who says: *Come to me, all you that [1859B] labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you [n: (Matth. XI, 28)]*. Thou seest that he draws us willingly, lest we be left behind as we follow: but let him who wishes to be drawn run that he may lay hold, and let him run forgetting the things behind and reaching after the things that are before; for thus will he be able to lay hold of Christ; whence the Apostle also says: *So run that you may lay hold.* She too wishes to come to the prize, who desires to lay hold. Prudently, therefore, she asks that she may be drawn [sic: *attrabatur*], because not all are able to follow. And so, when Peter said: *Whither goest thou?* the Word of God answered: *Thou canst not follow me now, but thou shalt follow hereafter [n: (Joan. XIII, 36; Matth. XIV, 30)]*. He had committed to him the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and yet judged him unequal to himself in following. This soul, however, he did not put off, because she was not presuming, but asking. And so, [1859C]

## 16.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] He has brought me into his chamber.* [var: Vulg. *introduxit me rex in cellaria sua*, "into his storerooms," plural] Blessed is the soul that enters the inner chambers of the Word; for she, rising up out of the body, becomes more remote from all things, and searches and seeks after that which is above her very self, that divine thing, whether by any means she may attain it: and when she has been able to grasp it, having passed beyond the things that are intelligible, she is confirmed in it and is fed upon it. Such was Paul, who knew that he had been caught up into paradise, but did not know whether outside the body or in the body. For his soul had risen up out of the body, and had led and lifted itself away from the inward parts and the bonds of the flesh; and, made a stranger to himself, he held within himself the unspeakable words which he heard and could not publish abroad, having marked that it is not lawful for a man to utter them. The good soul, therefore, despises the visible [1859D] and the sensible, and does not settle in them, nor tarry and sit down in the beholding of them: but she ascends to those things that are eternal and invisible and full of wonders, raising herself with the pure perception of a devout mind. For indeed, being zealous for perfection, she reaches toward that good of the Godhead alone, and thinks that nothing else is to be sought, because she holds what is highest.

## 17.

*The king has brought me into his chamber.* The kiss is simple, but the secret of the chamber is full of business; for in this place she testifies that she wishes to know the mysteries more fully, that she may enter the inner shrines of the heavenly mysteries, [1860A] and that the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden in Christ may be opened to her: and that she may be able to do this, perhaps she says that which was said above: *Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.* This signifies the grace of the Holy Spirit coming upon her, as the Angel said to Mary: *The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee [n: (Luc. I, 35)]*. But when the king brought her into his chamber, the time of the passion declares it, the piercing of the side, the shedding of blood, the ointment of the burial, the mystery *1552* of the resurrection; so that she received the kiss as a betrothed, but into the chamber of Christ the Church was brought in, no longer as merely betrothed, but also as wedded: nor did she only enter the bridal chamber, but also obtained the keys of the lawful union. And therefore, set as it were in the bridal chamber, she says: *A binding of the drop is my brother to me; between [1860B] the midst of my breasts he rests [n: (Vers. 12)]*. [var: Vulg. *fasciculus murrae dilectus meus mihi, inter ubera mea commorabitur*, "a bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me… he shall abide"]

## 18.

But if we seek the chamber, he himself teaches us who says: but thou, when thou shalt pray, *enter into thy chamber, and, the door being shut, pray to thy Father in secret [n: (Matth. VI, 6)]*. The chamber of the Church is the body of Christ. The king brought her into all the inward mysteries, gave her the keys that she might open for herself the treasures of knowledge, might spread open the doors of the sacraments that were closed before, might know the grace of him who rested, the sleep of him who died, the power of him who rose again. In that chamber the bride finds the justices of the Lord Jesus. What are those justices? Surely the sacraments of baptism, as we read: for when John said to him as he came to baptism, *I ought to be baptized by thee, and comest thou to me?* Jesus answered: *Suffer it now, for so it becomes us to fulfil all [1860C] justice [n: (Matth. III, 15)]*. In that chamber she learns the justifications of the Lord, she has come to know the counsel of God, than which nothing can be more sublime; for this is the divine thing, in which remission of sins is made.

## 19.

She seeks to learn from the Lord those things which men could not teach unless God had taught them first: and after the apostles had learned them from Christ, the Church says: *The king has brought me into his chamber,* that is, into that secret place in which are all the treasures of his knowledge and understanding. And therefore it is said to thee: *When thou prayest, enter into thy chamber [n: (Matth. VI, 6)]*. [var: Vulg. *cum orabis*, a future "when thou shalt pray"] which signifies the secret place of mind and soul. Into this chamber of justices the bride asked to be led, when she had run out after the odor of the ointment, which flows always and never fails. [1860D]

## 20.

*The king has brought me into his chamber.* The Greek has "into his storehouse" and "into his cellar": where are the good libations, where are the good odors, sweet honeys, where are the divers fruits, where are the varied dishes, that thy meal may be seasoned with very many dishes. And so, having been brought into that secret place of the divine bridegroom:

## 21.

*Let us exult,* she says, *and be glad in thee; let us love thy breasts above wine;* [var: Vulg. *exultabimus et laetabimur in te, memores uberum tuorum super vinum*, a future "we will exult" and "mindful of thy breasts"] for she exults not in riches and in treasures of gold and silver, not in the fruits of possessions, not in powers, not in banquets, but in God alone, saying to him: *Let us love [1861A] thy breasts above wine.* Yet she so drank that she was not swallowed up by the wine, but drew the gladness of the heart from his grace, and did not stagger with the drunkenness of the body. And so, drinking this wine, she opened her eyes and saw the straight way, and left the crooked ways, saying: *Equity has loved thee,* [var: Vulg. *recti diligunt te*, "the upright love thee"] that is: winding journeys do not follow thee, but the path of justice alone can come to thee; for he who loves justice does not turn himself away from Christ. For how should an innocent conscience fear the judge of justice and the rewarder of merits? Yet the same soul, knowing herself darkened by the fellowship of the body, says to other souls, or to other heavenly powers set beside the sacred mystery: *Do not look upon me, since I have been darkened, because the sun has not looked upon me.*

## 22.

*[n: (Vers. 4.)] I am dusky and comely, O daughters of Jerusalem.* [1861B] [var: Vulg. *nigra sum sed formosa*, "I am black but beautiful," and *decoloravit me sol*, "the sun has discolored me," where the plate prints the negative "the sun has not looked upon me"] Set before thee the Lord Jesus reclining at the banquet, and John leaning himself upon his breast, and the others marvelling that a servant should lean upon his Lord, that that sinful flesh should recline upon the temple of the Word, that that soul, bound in by the chains of the flesh, should search out the court of the divine fulness. To these others, therefore, as they marvelled, the soul of John answered: *I am dusky and comely, O daughters of Jerusalem;* dusky through fault, comely through grace. The flesh says it too, *I am dusky and comely;* dusky with the dust of the world, which she gathered in her striving, comely with the spiritual eye, wherewith she wiped away the dust and squalor of this world: dusky through vice, but comely now through the washing, which cleanses away every offense: I am dusky because I have sinned, comely because Christ now loves me; for her whom he had banished in Eve, he takes back in [1861C] the virgin, he receives from Mary.

## 23.

The Synagogue says it too, whose mysteries very many think to be expressed in this place; who, when she saw herself cast off on account of the impiety of the whole people, yet consoled herself, *1553* because she saw Christ himself out of her own people, and not him only, but Peter, John, and James cleaving to Christ, and because she had the oracles entrusted to her. And therefore she said: *I am dusky and comely, O daughters of Jerusalem:* dusky through unbelief, comely through the law: dusky through the fall, comely because the sun has loved me, and I was made the first congregation of God. *Do not flee from me because I am dusky;* I am dusky for this reason, that the sun of justice has forsaken me, who before was wont to give me light. I have lost the color of my countenance, the keenness of my eyes has been dulled, wherewith before I looked upon the sun: [1861D] I walk in darkness, I who know not the day of Christ. Yet do not despise me, since he who forsook me can look upon me again. He is wont to have mercy again, to gather the scattered, to seek out the forsaken, to collect the destitute. All ye tribes of Israel, come together, look upon me as I was comely before my offenses; *do not look upon me, since I have been darkened;* that is, do not look at this alone, that I have been darkened: the sun has not looked upon me, and therefore I have been darkened. But the sun shines upon the just and the unjust, upon the just for grace, upon the unjust for [1862A] mercy; giving to the one the reward of their merits, forgiving the others their sins. And upon the nations he did not shine before; now he shines, now he rises upon them who once rose upon me; he who has forgiven them will forgive me also. Do not judge, because I have been darkened, that the sun has utterly forsaken me and no longer looks upon me, nor seeks me out in my sickness. He has hidden himself from me because I have not kept his commandments: he will be reconciled when he shall have seen the repentance of my offenses. The sun has not seen me, because I did not receive him when he came, I did not open the windows that the light of life might come in: when I shall have opened them, he will enlighten my eyes, who came that he might enlighten the whole world, and that even those who do not see may see.

## 24.

Or the Church of the nations says: *Do not look upon me, since I am dusky, because the sun has not regarded me;* in that the sun of justice long judged the congregation of the nations, bound as it were with the winter's frosts and the ice [1862B] of gentile error, unworthy to be surveyed by the serene light of his countenance. Did not the harshness of a wintry season seem to thee to be there, when God was known in Judaea only? But now the fulness of the summer light shines out, when Christ is all things and in all. Is not *the earth the Lord's, and the fulness thereof [n: (Psalm. XXIII, 1)]*? And truly the whole round world is in the Church, because *there is not Jew only or Greek, not Barbarian or Scythian, not slave or free: but we are all one in Christ [n: (Coloss. III, 11)]*. [var: Vulg. *sed omnia et in omnibus Christus*, "but Christ is all and in all"] The sun shines upon all, the day gives light to all. *I am black, and comely.* She has put "black" first, that she might increase the comeliness: she did not say, I am black comely, lest what is black should be thought comely: but she says, I am black by the former sin, but comely [1862C] by the confession of sin, and by zeal for amendment, and by love of virtue. Although therefore *And* is a syllable which, as the grammarians call it, is conjunctive, yet it has a distinguishing force, whereby confusion is distinguished and separated; as, if thou shouldst say that Ambrose Bassus is within, one man is thought of; but if thou assert that Ambrose *and* Bassus are within, two are certainly understood.

## 25.

*As the tabernacles of Cedar, as the skins of Solomon;* for tents are made from the hides of dead animals. Therefore she who said this was dead to sin and living to God: and let us too, then, die to sin, that we may live to God. Filled with the spirit, with the delight and sweetness of gladness, we shall be spiritual hides, lacking bodily infirmity, and keeping in the whole bosom of the mind the grace of the divine mysteries poured into us. [1862D] But that the tabernacles of Cedar, or the skins of Solomon, mean this body is clear from many passages: yet understand it also from this, that when Adam and Eve laid aside the image of the heavenly man which they bore before, and put on the image of the earthly man, they are said to have been clothed with tunics of skin; for the fault they had committed had made them bodily out of spiritual.

## 26.

Nor is that absurd to understand, that the bride says she has been made like skins scorched by the burnings of the sun; in that, though she was set in the harshness of tribulations, [1863A] she yet mortified her body, that it might not be able to feel that harshness: for as the skin of a tabernacle does not feel the burning of the sun, in that it is the skin of a dead animal, so she, being dead to sin, could not feel the burning of sin: either because she was not broken by necessities, or because we are a body *1554* of affliction, and ought always to carry about the death of the Lord Jesus in our body.

## 27.

*[n: (Vers. 5.)] The sons of my mother have fought against me;* that is, the passions of the body have assailed me, the enticements of the flesh have discolored me: therefore the sun of justice has not shone again upon me, because, widowed of my defense, I could not keep my devotion and my full observance; for this is what is meant by *I have not kept my own vineyard,* because I brought forth thorns and not the grape, that is, doing sins instead of fruits. And when she speaks of the Word, [1863B] the splendor of the Word shining upon her, she turns to him and says:

## 28.

*[n: (Vers. 6.)] Where dost thou feed, where dost thou abide at midday?* [var: Vulg. *ubi pascas, ubi cubes in meridie*, subjunctive and "where thou liest down"] Rightly she says, *where dost thou feed,* because the Word of God is royal: *where dost thou abide,* because he is moral: *at midday,* because he is mystical: since indeed at midday Joseph, set at the banquet with his brothers, was revealing the mysteries of the times to come. But David also says: *Reveal thy life to the Lord and hope in him, and he himself will do it, and will lead forth thy justice as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday [n: (Psalm. XXXVI, 5)]*. [var: Vulg. *revela Domino viam tuam*, "reveal thy way to the Lord"] And Paul himself asserted that a light shone about him at midday, when he was turned from persecution to grace.

## 29.

She complains, therefore, that she has been forsaken, that she has been left destitute, poor out of rich; for she abounded in the gift [1863C] of graces, but she began to be in want when the abundance of the divine presence was denied her. And therefore she asks even to be held as a hireling, she who before claimed for herself the grace of a more precious union.

## 30.

*They have set me as a keeper in the vineyards; my own vineyard I have not kept [n: (Vers. 5)]*. Some think that this is said of those who bind the Synagogue to the precepts of the law, that she may keep the law and guard her own vineyard, which she could not keep. And so she was keeping it that she might make grapes, but she made thorns. What, then, the vineyard is, David comes to testify to us, saying: *Thou hast brought a vineyard out of Egypt, and hast cast out the nations, and hast planted it [n: (Psalm. LXXIX, 9)]*. The apostles too may be the sons of her mother, who truly assailed the Synagogue, saying: *Behold, we turn to the nations:* and they began to sow the word [1863D] of God among the peoples. The prophets too may be understood, who, by warning and denouncing that the Synagogue should keep her own vineyard, accomplished nothing; for she made the thorns of wickedness, who ought to have brought forth the rich fruits of virtue: and therefore she confesses that she could not keep her own people, and deservedly seeks too late to hold him whom, while she held him, she lost: far unlike her who says: *I have found him whom my soul loves; I held him, and I will not let him go [n: (Cant. III, 4)]*. [var: Vulg. *tenui eum, nec dimittam*, "I held him, nor will I let him go"] And so that one invites the bridegroom into her garden; this one, asking where he feeds, says to him: [1864A]

## 31.

*Tell me, whom my soul has loved.* [var: Vulg. *indica mihi quem diligit anima mea*, "show me, whom my soul loves," in the present; the gloss that follows turns on the past tense] Why dost thou say *whom my soul has loved,* and not "whom she loves"? Why hast thou let go him whom thou didst hold? Thou didst love him by the faith of the fathers, thou hast lost him by unbelief: thou didst hold him by the bonds of charity, thou hast lost him by the long rope of faithlessness. Therefore thou knowest not where he feeds, where he abides; for if thou didst know, thou wouldst not seek. For thou sayest: *Where dost thou feed, where dost thou abide at midday?* Thou knowest that the midday is the Church which holds Christ, and thou seekest him in the nights. Say to me, she says, O Christ, answer me at least for this cause, that thou wast dear to me before and beloved; therefore, though I have lost the privilege of so great a charity, yet, as one who art merciful, answer me, *Where dost thou feed, where dost thou abide?* Thou hast forsaken me, thou hast gone away to the nations, thou hast withdrawn far from me, and hast been made nearer to those from whom thou wast far. But thou hast been made near, because they have believed in thy blood. Thou hast withdrawn from me, because I did not receive the cross [1864B] as the redemption of the world, but as the condemnation [sic: *damnanationem*] of a guilty man. But they who received it as the author of salvation are at midday; for them thou shinest, for them thou blazest out, for them thy grace is warm as the noonday. To me thou wast the morning, when as yet I believed, but I did not believe fully, because I have not been found at midday, like Joseph with his brothers, who held the midday: for them thou hast been made noonday, who are fed in thy riches and hope in thee. Therefore, as David said: *Thou shalt lead forth their justice as the light, and their judgment as the noonday [n: (Psalm. XXXVI, 6)]*. [var: Vulg. *educet quasi lumen iustitiam tuam, et iudicium tuum tamquam meridiem*, "he will lead forth thy justice… and thy judgment"]

## 32.

Thou seekest, then, as a stranger, thou who wast a neighbor; as a poor woman, thou who wast rich: thou wishest to follow, thou who didst go before; and would that thou mightest at least follow those whom thou oughtest to have gone before! Thou desirest to be a hireling, thou who [1864C] before didst gather hirelings; and so this is the voice of a hireling, saying: *Lest* *1555* *perchance I become one wrapped about, beside the flocks of thy companions.* [var: Vulg. *ne vagari incipiam post greges sodalium tuorum*, "lest I begin to wander after the flocks"] Thou who before didst receive proselytes out of the nations, now thou thyself among the peoples wishest to be received in the place of proselytes, and to be gathered as a stranger. The Word of God answered the longing soul:

## 33.

*[n: (Vers. 7.)] Unless thou know thyself, O comely one among women.* [var: Vulg. *si ignoras te, o pulcherrima inter mulieres, egredere*, "if thou know not thyself, O fairest among women, go forth"] Know thyself, O man: it is said to thy soul, unless thou hast known thyself comely among women. Know thyself, O soul, that thou art not of earth, not of clay, because God breathed into thee and made thee into a living soul. Thou art a magnificent work, formed by the inbreathing of God: *Attend to thyself,* as the Law says, that is, to thy soul: let not the things of the world and of the age hold thee, let not earthly things [1864D] delay thee. Hasten with thy whole intention to him by whose inbreathing thou standest: *A great thing,* he says, *is man, and precious is a merciful man: but to find a faithful man is a labor [n: (Prov. XX, 6)]*. [var: Vulg. *multi homines misericordes vocantur; virum autem fidelem quis inveniet?*, "many men are called merciful; but who shall find a faithful man?"] Learn, O man, wherein thou art great and precious. The earth shows thee to be vile, but virtue makes thee glorious, faith makes thee rare, the image makes thee precious. For where is anything so precious as the image of God? which ought first to pour faith into thee, so that some likeness of its author may shine again in thy heart; lest he who questions thy mind should not recognize the author. Or is anything so precious as humility; [1865A] that, looking upon the nature of body and of soul, by the one thou shouldst subject thyself, by the other recognize thyself. The enticement of the flesh, prone to vice, urges mercy; because what thou hast bestowed upon another, thou payest to thyself: whatever proceeds from thee runs back into thee, and whatever thou shalt do, thou payest to thyself: and whatever profit thou shalt bring, it profits thee. Let the vigor of the living soul, the perception of reason and the mind capable of understanding and of judgment, so that it may be seen a worthy house for so great a dweller, not lose the privilege of its own nature. *Unless thou know thyself, O comely one among women.* Thou who complainest that thou hast been forsaken: unless thou know thyself, unless thou repent of thy fall, unless thou approve the intention of thy devotion, unless thy faith and sincerity be increased, thy complaint will profit nothing. Or thus: unless thou know thyself, that thou art comely; unless thou keep the beauty of thy nature, and the enticements of the body do not sink thee down, [1865B] nor hindrances hold thee back, the nobility of a better creature will avail thee nothing.

## 34.

Know thyself, therefore, and the comeliness of thy nature; and go forth as one stripped of the bonds of the feet, and thrust out with bare footprint, that thou mayest not feel the coverings of the flesh: let not bodily chains entangle the footstep of thy mind, that thy foot may appear shapely. For such are they who are chosen by the Lord to announce the kingdom of heaven, of whom it is said: *How shapely are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace [n: (Esai. LII, 7)]*. Such was Moses, to whom it is said: *Loose the shoe of thy feet [n: (Exod. III, 5)]*; [var: Vulg. Exod. 3:5 *solve calciamentum de pedibus tuis*, "from thy feet"] so that he who was to go forth to call the people to the kingdom of God should first cast off the hides of the flesh and walk with bare spirit and with the footstep of the mind; this, then, is what he says: *Go thou forth in the sandals of the flocks, and feed [1865C] thy kids in the tabernacles of the shepherds.* [var: Vulg. *egredere et abi post vestigia gregum, et pasce hedos tuos iuxta tabernacula pastorum*, "go after the footsteps of the flocks… beside the tabernacles"]

## 35.

By the flocks we understand a kingdom, in that it belongs to power to preside over flocks. And every man presides over himself by a certain royal power, if he restrains in himself the excesses of the body and reduces his flesh to servitude; and therefore it is said: *The kingdom of God is within you.* Whence beautifully he says to the soul: *Go forth,* that is, go forth from servitude, go forth from the command and dominion of the flesh, and go forth not in the flesh but in the spirit, go forth to the governance of power. And therefore he added: *Feed thy kids,* that is, rule those things that are on thy left hand; for if they are not ruled, they easily slip away. Restrain the wantonness, the playfulness of thy body and its unreasoning excess, tame its light motions: feed them not in bodily tabernacles, but in the tabernacles of the shepherds who know how to rule a flock; for the tabernacles of Israel are lovely, like groves overshadowing a river, in which the soul, set as it were [1865D] in battle array, exercises a good soldiery and searches out the assaults of the enemy.

## 36.

*Unless thou know thyself, O comely one among women.* What is it to know oneself, but that each man should know that he was made to the image and likeness of God, capable of reason, who ought to till his own earth like a good husbandman with a certain plough and sickle of wisdom, so that either hard things may be split or luxuriant things cut back, and who ought to govern the inward portion of himself by the command of the mind? [1866A] Whence also it is written in the Law: *Attend to thyself, lest a hidden word be made in thy heart [n: (Deut. XV, 9)]*. [var: Vulg. Deut. 15:9 *cave ne forte subrepat tibi impia cogitatio*, "beware lest perchance an impious thought creep upon thee"] Attend to thyself, he says: he certainly does not say *1556* to thy money, not to thy possessions, not to the strength of the body, but to thy spirit and to thy mind, whence all counsels, deeds, and thoughts flow. Attend to thyself, therefore, there, where thou knowest thyself to be the stronger. Know thyself: which the men of the nations assign to Pythian Apollo, as though he were the author of this maxim; whereas they carry over to their own what has been usurped from ours, and Moses, who wrote the book of Deuteronomy, was far earlier than the philosophers who invented these things.

## 37.

Whence Solomon also, following the divine oracle, wrote in the Song of Songs: *Unless thou know thyself, thou comely one among women* [var: Vulg. *Si ignoras te, o pulcherrima inter mulieres*, "If thou know not thyself, O fairest among women"]; that is, unless thou know thyself to be mortal [1866B] and rational, and quickly confess thy sins, quickly tell thy iniquities that thou mayest be justified — unless thou be converted, and be the first to accuse thy own faults, the day of death comes and there is now no remedy of conversion; thou art forestalled while thou art thinking of it. Kindle thy torch before the bridegroom's door be shut against thee, for he is not wont to wait long for the negligent. *Unless thou know thyself,* he says, *thou comely one among women;* and say thou: *I am swarthy and comely* [var: Vulg. Cant. 1:4 *Nigra sum, sed formosa*, "I am black, but beautiful"]*: I am swarthy,* because I have sinned, *comely,* because I am loved, because I am of the stock of Abraham, a chosen stock, beloved of God. The grace of the fathers will profit thee nothing: *For God is able of these stones to raise up sons to Abraham [n: (Matth. III, 9)]*. And elsewhere in the Gospel thou hast read that the devil bound a daughter of Abraham with the chains of his own wickedness, whom the Lord loosed on the sabbath day. Unless therefore thou know thyself, it will profit thee nothing [1866C]. Even if thou say, I am a daughter of Abraham — thou who believest not, who correctest not thine error: Abraham indeed is saved, but nobility of stock will not help thee, unless faith have saved thee. Let not the promise given to the fathers deceive thee; I accept not the person of a man, I accept not the prerogative of stock, unless I have seen a nobility of manners answering to the stock, so that there be an election of a just stock.

## 38.

But if thou know thyself, and know that thou art liable to sin, thou must go out among the heels of the flocks. Go out therefore with bare foot, and feed thy kids in the tents of the shepherds. He who is without sin feeds lambs, feeds sheep; but she who is liable to sin, let her feed the kids which are on the left; for she cannot be at the right hand of the good shepherd. Let her rather follow him who says to Peter: *Come behind me, Satan [n: (Marc. VIII, 33)]* [var: Vulg. *Vade retro me, Satana*, "Go behind me"]. By following, Peter deserved to be set at the right hand; and therefore [1866D] it is said to him: *Feed my little lambs [n: (Joan. XXI, 16)]* [var: Vulg. *agnos*, "lambs" — without the diminutive]. But hear whither she is to go out: *To the tents,* he says, *of the shepherds,* that is, to the nations, to the dispersion. And therefore he said: *I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered [n: (Zach. XIII, 7)]* [var: Vulg. Zach. *Percute pastorem, et dispergentur oves*, "Strike thou the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered"]; that the whole round of the earth might be filled with the flock of Christ — signifying that the Synagogue would then be safe, when she too shall have joined herself to this dispersion which has filled this world; for the tents of the shepherds are the kingdoms of the earth. [1867A]

## 39.

*[n: (Vers. 8.)] To my mare among the chariots of Pharaoh have I likened thee, my neighbor* [var: Vulg. *Equitatui meo in curribus Pharaonis assimilavi te, amica mea*, "To my cavalry… my friend"]. In that the likeness of the Church seems here to be compared to the running of swift horses, the richness of her grace is reckoned. Do not therefore understand one mare of the rich king, but a word put absolutely for the cavalry, as we have often said — of what sort that sheep of his is, put for the flock of sheep. Pharaoh therefore, as a most powerful and most wealthy king, had powerful horses; whence Scripture also says: *The chariots of Pharaoh [n: (Exod. XIV, 9)]*, as being a most powerful kind for the use of wars and a support in fighting: and indeed with these chariots Pharaoh easily overtook the fleeing Hebrews. As therefore horses yoked together easily draw the chariot, and patiently take up the yoke, and bear it with grace, and by the taking up of that yoke grow gentle: so also the congregation of the nations, [1867B] untamed in its heathen manners, once vaunted itself. But when it took up the yoke of him who says: *Take my yoke upon you, for it is light; and my burden, for it is sweet [n: (Matth. XI, 29 et 30)]* [var: Vulg. *jugum enim meum suave est, et onus meum leve*, "my yoke is sweet and my burden light" — the two epithets exchanged]; and the bride of Christ began to be exalted by the concord and gentleness of the peoples, and to be carried about the whole world, then, like a chariot caught up above the world by swift horses, she went up to the bridegroom.

## 40.

For Christ has his own horses, of whom the prophet says: *Thou hast sent thy horses into the sea, troubling many waters [n: (Habac. III)]* [var: Vulg. Hab. 3:15 *Viam fecisti in mari equis tuis, in luto aquarum multarum*, "Thou madest a way in the sea for thy horses"]; in that the apostles, by preaching the Gospel, stirred up the peoples of the nations, who are moved like many waters and are roused into billows of waters, so that, rising up from the earthly ceremonies of idols, they might believe in Christ. And above he says: *Thou hast mounted [1867C] upon thy horses, thy cavalry is health* [var: Vulg. Hab. 3:8 *quadrigae tuae salvatio*, "thy chariots are salvation"]. O marvellous [sic: *duo decajugum*] of good horses, for whom the bits are of peace, *1557* the reins are of charity: bound fast among themselves by the bonds of concord, and subjected to the yoke of faith, carrying in upon four wheels the mystery of the Gospel to the bounds of the whole world, bearing the good charioteer, the Word of God: by whose whip the enticements of the world were put to flight, the prince of this world driven out, the course of the just fulfilled. O great contest of rational horses! O mystery to be wondered at! A wheel ran within a wheel, and was not hindered: the New Testament within the Old Testament, it ran within that through which it was announced. Into four parts the wheels went, and they turned not backward; because the spirit of life was in them, which ran into the four parts [1867D] of the whole world: and it ran without stumbling, because the good life of the horses squared with it. The horses therefore ran, because he who had mounted the horses was not sleeping.

## 41.

The charioteer of our souls, therefore, is Jesus; who wills that we too should mount our own horses, that is, our bodies, and always be watchful, lest it be said of us: *They have slumbered who mounted horses [n: (Psalm. LXXV, 7)]*. This sea must be crossed briskly; it is scarcely crossed even by the watchful. But if any man shall have slept, he will not be able to cross, but is drowned, like the Egyptian, whose soul and body alike perished. For *the horse* and *the rider he cast [1868A] into the sea [n: (Exod. XV, 1)]* [var: Vulg. *dejecit*, "cast down"], who did not follow the law, but [sic: *per sequebantur*].

## 42.

*To my mare among the chariots of Pharaoh have I likened thee.* The labour of virtue seeks victory, so that she cannot be compared to that mare which is Solomon's, swift for running, apt for bearing young; since the fruitfulness of the soul is desired and sought. This mare therefore is precious, and the chariots of Pharaoh are swift. But in this place we have undertaken to speak of the soul, of this mare who is reckoned like to this soul, that is, of prophetic or apostolic virtue: that she be numbered in the flock of those who by the fruitfulness of their preaching have filled the spaces of the whole round of the earth. And although set in the body, yet they felt no losses of their spiritual course. And therefore she is praised, that, the heavenly precept enlightening her, [1868B] she is now shapely, now beautiful, who bears in her countenance the grace of chastity, and lifts up the necklaces of her neck, in which are the marks of patience and humility. And on this account, praising his bride, he said:

## 43.

*[n: (Vers. 9.)] How shapely are thy cheeks become, as a turtle-dove's, thy neck as necklaces* [var: Vulg. *Pulchrae sunt genae tuae sicut turturis; collum tuum sicut monilia*, "Beautiful are thy cheeks… thy neck as jewels"]. The countenance is freer where there is the consciousness of charity; and to bear the yoke of Christ is sweet, if thou reckon them to be the ornaments of thy neck, not its burdens. Lift up therefore thine eyes always to thy Lord, and seek God, that thou mayest find him. Raise up thy neck: thou wearest necklaces, not chains: even dumb beasts rejoice in trappings, and seem to themselves rather to be adorned than to be tied. *Cheeks as a turtle-dove's:* let them bear the marks of modesty; *the necklaces of the neck:* let them lift up the confidence of freedom; for the yoke of Christ is light, [1868C] and therefore the neck is not pressed down by it, but lifted up.

## 44.

*[n: (Vers. 10, 11.)] Likenesses,* he says, *of gold will we make for thee, out of distinctions of silver, until the king shall be in his reclining* [var: Vulg. *Murenulas aureas faciemus tibi, vermiculatas argento. Dum esset rex in accubitu suo*, "Golden chains will we make thee, inlaid with silver. While the king was at his couch"]. For out of those who are of the Law and of the prophets, they had before believed but moderately in the glory of the Lord Jesus; and his inheritance, spread abroad through the peoples, the more often it was tried, so much the more was it approved. For the frequent persecutions of the Church have brought forth for us the titles of the just, the victories of martyrdom. And so, like good gold: when the Church makes use of wrath, it feels no losses, but rather its brightness is increased, until Christ come into his kingdom, and lay back his head upon the faith of the Church. He, when he had come to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, had not where to lay back his head: but now faith is already fragrant, and therefore [1868D] the Church says: *My spikenard has given its odour;* and she says it, awaiting her recompense with confidence. The ointment of grace breathes forth, in which the Virgin brought forth, and the Lord Jesus took up the sacrament of the incarnation.

## 45.

*[n: (Vers. 12, 13.)] A binding-together of the drop is my brother to me; in the midst of my breasts he shall remain,* or *shall dwell* [var: Vulg. *Fasciculus myrrhae dilectus meus mihi, inter ubera mea commorabitur*, "A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me; he shall abide between my breasts"]. She had indeed said before that her spikenard had given her the odour of the bridegroom, and that through the ointment with which she had anointed him she had received the fragrance of his odour: but now she says: My brother smells to me of the drop, and this not poured abroad nor scattered as it may chance, but [1869A] bound together and drawn tight, so namely that the odour of its own sweetness may be rendered denser and stronger. And he, she says, *1558* being such as he is, dwells and abides in the midst of my breasts, and makes his rest and his mansion in the place of my bosom. *A binding-together of the drop is my cousin, a cluster of cypress is my brother to me; between the midst of my breasts he shall rest.* For the Lord Jesus, taking a body, bound himself with the chains of charity, and joined himself not only to our members and to natural sufferings, but even to the cross; and therefore, like a cluster, he rests in the faith of the Church and in her moral grace.

## 46.

*Spikenard of cypress is my cousin in the vineyards of Engaddi* [var: Vulg. *Botrus cypri dilectus meus mihi, in vineis Engaddi*, "A cluster of cypress is my beloved to me"]. If we seek the place of a certain region which is in Judaea, that place is so called in which the balsam-sap is produced: if we seek the interpretation, in Latin it signifies temptation. [1869B] But in those vineyards there is a wood which, if one prick it, sends forth ointment; this is the fruit of the wood. If the wood be not cut, it does not so give fragrance and odour; but when it has been pricked by the craftsman's hand, then it distils a tear. So also Christ, crucified upon that wood of temptation, wept over the people, that he might wash away our sins, and out of the bowels of his mercy poured forth ointment, saying: *Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do [n: (Luc. XXIII, 34)]* [var: Vulg. *non enim sciunt quid faciunt*, "for they know not"]. Then therefore, pricked upon the wood with the lance, there went out from him blood and water, sweeter than any ointment, a victim acceptable to God, pouring out through the whole world the odour of sanctification. And as balsam out of the tree, so virtue went forth out of his body, whence he says: *I perceive that virtue has gone out from me* [1869C] [n: (Luc. VIII, 46)] [var: Vulg. *nam ego novi virtutem de me exiisse*, "for I know that virtue has gone out from me"]. Thence it is called more expressly *opobalsamum*, in that by the pricking of the wood the balsam bursts out through the hollow of the puncture.

## 47.

Jesus therefore, being pricked, poured forth the odour of the remission of sins and of redemption. For he was also drawn tight, when the Word was made man: and he was made poor, when he was rich, that we might be enriched by his want: he was powerful, and offered himself to be despised, so that Herod scorned him and mocked him: he moved the earth, and clung to the wood: he covered heaven with darkness, and crucified the world, and was crucified: he bowed his head, and the Word went forth: he was emptied out, and filled all things: God descended, man ascended: the Word was made flesh, that the flesh might claim for itself the throne of the Word at the right hand of God: he was a wound, and [1869D] ointment flowed: he was heard as a beetle, and was acknowledged as God. And Christ answered.

## 48.

*[n: (Vers. 14.)] Behold thou art good, my neighbor, behold thou art good: thine eyes are a dove's* [var: Vulg. *Ecce tu pulchra es, amica mea, ecce tu pulchra es; oculi tui columbarum*, "Behold thou art beautiful, my friend… thine eyes are doves' eyes"]. Because the Church had known the mystery, and was preaching the Lord Jesus crucified for the redemption of the whole world, she deserves to hear: *Behold thou art good,* thou who callest me good; *Behold thou art good,* thou who hast seen the comeliness of my glory, and art thyself shapely and comely. But what is it for Christ to say: *Thou art good,* or *Thou art comely,* if not that word of the Gospel: *Be steadfast, daughter, thy sins are forgiven thee [n: (Matth. IX, 22)]* [var: Vulg. Matt. 9:22 *Confide, filia, fides tua te salvam fecit*, "Have confidence, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole"; the clause on forgiveness stands at Matt. 9:2]? Therefore he to whom Christ has forgiven sins [1870A] rightly says: *Reward thy servant, that I may live and keep thy commandments [n: (Psal. CXVIII, 146)]* [var: Vulg. Ps. 118:17 *Retribue servo tuo, vivifica me, et custodiam sermones tuos*, "quicken me, and I will keep thy words"]. He has nothing in the recompense whereof to despair; because the Lord Jesus came to save the world, not to destroy it. Therefore he is unmindful of injury, mindful of grace, as he himself bears witness in the prophetic book, saying: *I am, I am he who blot out thine iniquities, and I will not be mindful of them: but be thou mindful, and let us be judged; tell thou first thine iniquities, that thou mayest be justified [n: (Esai. XLIII, 25 et 26)]* [var: Vulg. *Ego sum, ego sum ipse qui deleo iniquitates tuas propter me, et peccatorum tuorum non recordabor. Reduc me in memoriam, et judicemur simul: narra si quid habes ut justificeris*]. Whosoever therefore tells his iniquities to God is justified: and whosoever is justified fears not the recompense, but demands it: he who fears not the recompense, lives.

## 49.

*[n: (Vers. 15, 16.)] Behold,* she says, *my cousin is well-formed, and indeed beautiful. Our reclining-place is shady, the beams of our houses are cedars, our panelled ceilings [1870B] cypresses* [var: Vulg. *Ecce tu pulcher es, dilecte mi, et decorus. Lectulus noster floridus; tigna domorum nostrarum cedrina, laquearia nostra cypressina*, "Behold thou art beautiful, my beloved, and comely. Our little bed is flowery"]. The Church praises the comeliness of the bridegroom, whom each one praises the more with silent affection; and the faithful interpreter of the mysteries preaches the more by keeping silence. For she who divulges secret things diminishes the comeliness of Christ; therefore let no one cast his pearls before swine, lest he cause precious ornaments to be trodden down. Not then in the tent of the talkative and the chattering — because by much speaking sin is admitted — but in that of a serious man, who is sparing of address, and not intemperate of speech, and by the sobriety of his words avoids the drunkenness of talkativeness, does Christ lay back his head.

## 50.

And with reason does she signify a shady reclining-place; because the virtue of the Most High overshadows those who are set in the Church. In this shadow David asked to be protected, lest the sun burn him by day, or the moon by night *(Psalm. [1870C] CXX, 6)*. This shadow spiritual grace *1559* ministers to those who flee the parched and summer heats of this age and of the world. Shady therefore is the reclining-place of Christ and of the Church, upon whom that eternal rest of God the Father breathes. In this shadow therefore let us rest, wearied by the heats of our sins: whomsoever lust has scorched, let the cross of the Lord refresh them, upon which he laid himself back, that he might take up our debts. Whomsoever guilt has wearied, let Jesus receive them in his bosom, and cherish them with a soft embrace; whence I dare to say that the flesh of Christ is the reclining-place of the Church.

## 51.

*The beams of our houses are cedars.* Under the figure of the cedar the glory of those elders who were just is designated. *For the just shall flourish like the palm tree, and like the cedar which is in Lebanon he shall be multiplied [n: (Psalm. XCI, 13)]* [var: Vulg. *sicut cedrus Libani multiplicabitur*, "like the cedar of Lebanon"]; for as the cedar [1870D] does not rot, so neither is the glory of the elders corrupted by any old age.

## 52.

*Our panelled ceilings cypresses.* This kind of tree never loses its greenness; in winter as in summer it feeds its foliage, nor is it changed with a different colour. This tree alone the wind never despoils of its honour; it alone is never stripped of its old cloak, nor clothed with a new blossom. So too apostolic grace knows no failing, but flourishes by its own age. The soul therefore knows not how to be corrupted, which is vigorous with flourishing members, and always upholds with patient greatness of mind the summits of justice and of the other virtues; [1871A] and therefore it neither flows away nor fails, because there is nothing in it chinked or slack, nothing shifting, nothing slippery, nothing which could be poured out of it by a fault of speech. There follows the Church, or the faithful soul — the soul, I say, because man is nothing so much as soul.

## CHAPTER THE SECOND.

## 1.

*[n: (Vers. 1, 2.)] I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys, as a lily in the midst of thorns* [var: Vulg. *Sicut lilium inter spinas*, "As a lily among thorns"]; for into the whole earth the faith of the believing people has gone out, and Christ has set his feet in a spacious place; and therefore he beautifully says that he is the flower of the field. A flower too was Paul, who said: *We are the good odour of Christ unto God [n: (II Cor. II, 15)]*. And truly a flower, who could bring forth new things and old out of the treasure of his own heart. *I am the flower of the field.* And well is [1871B] the Church a flower, who announces the fruit, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it was said to Mary: *Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb [n: (Luc. I, 42)]*.

## 2.

In another sense also I show thee a flower to be plucked, that one surely who said: *I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys.* Very many think this comparison more apt according to the nature of the flower and the use of the shoot set before us; in that lilies require no tending of any yearly use, nor, as in the case of the yield of the other fruits, does the labour of the year come round again in its circuit for anxious husbandmen with regard to the generation of this flower; for whatever the droughts of the field, all that which is nourished into flower is quickened out of itself by a certain generative power, and in itself by a sap always green; so that when [1871C] thou seest the stalk of its grown leaves to have withered, yet the nature of the flower is green; for the greenness is hidden, not lost. But when it has been called forth by the caresses of spring, it takes up again the clothing of the shoot, the foliage of the flower, or the adornments of the lily.

## 3.

It delights one also to notice this, that lilies are not begotten in the roughnesses of mountains and the uncultivated places of woods, but in the pleasantness of gardens. For there are certain gardens fruitful with divers virtues, according to that which is written: *A garden enclosed,* etc. [n: (Cant. IV, 12)], in that where there is integrity, where chastity, where religion, where the faithful silences of secret things, there is the brightness of angels, there are the violets of confessors, the lilies of virgins, the roses of martyrs. Well is Christ a lily, because where the blood of the martyrs is, there is Christ, who is the flower on high, [1871D] unspotted, harmless, in whom the roughness of thorns gives no offence, but the grace poured about him was shining. For the thorns of the roses are the torments of the martyrs; the unoffended Godhead, which felt no torments, has no thorns.

## 4.

*As a lily in the midst of thorns.* Which is of plain evidence, that virtue is beset by the brambles of spiritual wickednesses, whence no man may carry off fruit save he who comes warily. Take wings therefore, O virgin, but wings of the spirit, that thou mayest fly above the vices, if thou desirest to touch Christ, [1872A] *Who dwelleth on high, and beholdeth lowly things [n: (Psalm. CXII, 5)]*. And his form is like the cedar of Lebanon, which sets its foliage in the clouds, its root in the earth; for his beginning is from heaven, his latter parts on earth, *1560* and they have brought forth fruits nearest to heaven. Search out more diligently so good a flower, to see whether thou mayest find him anywhere in the valley of thy breast; for he is often breathed upon lowly things. He loves to be begotten in gardens, in which Susanna, while she walked, found him: ready rather to die than to be violated.

## 5.

Otherwise: *I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys, as a lily in the midst of thorns.* Behold another place in which the Lord is wont to abide — nay, not in one, but in many: *I,* he says, *am the flower of the field;* because he frequents the open simplicity of a pure mind. [1872B] *And the lily of the valleys;* for Christ is the flower of humility, not of luxury, not of pleasures and wantonness, but the flower of simplicity, the flower of humility. A flower keeps its odour even when cut down, and heaps it up when bruised, nor does it lose it when plucked away; so also the Lord Jesus, upon that gibbet of the cross, neither withered when bruised, nor vanished when plucked away, and, cut by that pricking of the lance, he blossomed the more shapely with the sacred colour of the blood poured out, himself not knowing how to die, and breathing out upon the dead the gift of eternal life.

## 6.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] As a lily in the midst of thorns* — does not the flower of good odour rise up amid the roughnesses of labours and the contritions of minds? For by a contrite heart God is appeased. This is the desert, O daughters, which leads to the kingdom; this is also the desert which [1872C] flowers as a lily, according to that which is written: *Rejoice, thou barren one, and exult, thou desert, and let it flower as a lily [n: (Esai. XXXV, 1)]* [var: Vulg. *Laetabitur deserta et invia, et exsultabit solitudo, et florebit quasi lilium*, "The desert and the pathless land shall be glad… and shall flower like a lily" — indicative, not imperative]. In this desert, O daughters, that good fruitful tree, which makes good fruits, begins to spread abroad the arms of its own deeds, to lift up the crown of its divinity, beside which the trees of our wood may put forth their shoots; because, as the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my brother in the midst of the sons; so that the Church, seeing this, and already glad at the success of our faith, may say: *In his shadow I have desired and sat down, and his fruit is sweet in my jaws* [var: Vulg. *Sicut malus inter ligna silvarum, sic dilectus meus inter filios. Sub umbra illius quem desideraveram sedi, et fructus ejus dulcis gutturi meo*, "Under the shadow of him whom I had desired I sat, and his fruit was sweet to my throat"].

## 7.

[n: (Vers. 3, 4.)] Note that often in this book of Songs Solomon has plainly expressed that threefold wisdom, namely the moral, the natural, and the mystical, as he had said in the Proverbs; that he might write in threefold fashion [1872D] for him who should wish to hear his wisdom. He says therefore in the Songs, the bride concerning the bridegroom: *Behold thou art beautiful, my cousin, behold thou art beautiful and comely; our reclining-place is shady, the beams of our houses are cedars, our panelled ceilings cypresses [n: (Cant. I, 15 et 16)]*. We can take this of moral things; for where does Christ rest, and the Church, if not in the works of his own people? And indeed where there was unchastity, where pride, where iniquity, there the Lord Jesus says: *But the Son of man has not where to lay back his head [n: (Matth. VIII, 20)]*. But what shall we take [1873A] of natural things? *In his shadow,* she says, *I have desired and sat down, and his fruit is sweet in my jaws;* for he who steps over earthly things, and to whom worldly things die (since the world is crucified to him, and he to the world), flees and despises all things which are under the sun. Of mystical things also she says: *Bring me into the house of wine, set charity in me.* For as the vine embraces its own vineyard, so the Lord Jesus, as an eternal vine, embraces his own people with certain arms of charity [var: Vulg. Cant. 2:4 *Introduxit me in cellam vinariam; ordinavit in me caritatem*, "He brought me into the wine cellar; he set charity in order in me" — indicative, not imperative].

## 8.

Consider them one by one: in moral things the flower among thorns is the lily, as he himself says: *I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys [n: (Sup., v. 1)]*. In moral things therefore he is a flower, as in natural things the sun of justice, who, rising and rising again, gives light, and setting, overshadows. Beware lest he set upon thee, for it is written: *Let not the sun go down upon [1873B] your wrath [n: (Ephes. IV, 26)]*. In mystical things he is charity, because Christ is the fullness of the law. And therefore the Church, which loves Christ, is wounded with charity.

## 9.

Beautifully also is the Church called a lily; for as the lily shines, so also do the works of the saints shine forth. Most beautifully also was it said: *The lily of the valleys;* because in lowly things grace shines out the more. But this lily is in the midst of thorns, that is, among the Jews and the heretics, that is, among the anxieties of this age, which prick the mind and the spirit of man. We can take it also otherwise: that as the lily stands out among thorns, so the Church of God shines above all assemblies.

## 10.

It is worth considering also that this lily [1873C] is compassed about with splendour, but that what it has within is red, and this too of good odour; in that the flesh of Christ, hedged about as it were with the moral brightness of the Godhead, had the protection of heavenly grace. And indeed in the latter parts he says: *My kinsman is white and red [n: (Cant. V, 10)]* [var: Vulg. *Dilectus meus candidus et rubicundus*, "My beloved is white and ruddy"]: white with the brightness *1561* divine, red with the appearance of human colour, which he took up in the sacrament of the incarnation. And deservedly that also which is red smells well, because the flesh of Christ is without sin — which the faithless, in handling, defiled their own hands; the saints, in venerating, were fragrant with the odour of piety.

## 11.

The Lord Jesus received this odour of his fragrant Church, and says: *Behold my neighbor is good.* And the Church says to Christ: *Behold thou art good, my kinsman, behold thou art good, as an apple among the trees of the wood.* [1873D] A most beautiful comparison! For what could be said more beautifully or more aptly than that she should compare the bridegroom to an apple tree? For a fruit of this kind has a pleasing odour, so that it surpasses the fragrance of the other fruits. And Christ, fastened to the wood, like an apple hanging on the tree, poured out the good odour of the world's redemption, which wiped away the heavy stench of sin, and poured forth the ointment of a life-giving draught.

## 12.

*As an apple,* he says, *among the trees of the wood, so is my cousin in the midst of the sons;* in that above [1874A] the prophets and apostles he soothed the inmost hearts of men with the sweetness of his words. But not only odour, but also sweet food is in the apple: therefore Christ is sweet food.

## 13.

*In his shadow I have desired, and sat down;* for she had received the law, this she followed, this way she ran: resting therefore in the law, she was resting in the shadow of Christ. Good is the shadow which defends us from the sun of iniquity! And to whom is it a doubt that the law of God is the shadow of Christ? What is the law of the feast day, of the new moon, of the sabbaths, if not a shadow of things to come? What days are they according to the law of Moses: That I may see six days, and again the seventh day, and so perpetual ages? What month is there according to the law of Moses, that, knowing the month, I may know the first new moon of the month, and the things truly holy which are to be offered on the new moons? What year is there according to the law of Moses, [1874B] consisting of those six days of which he says: *Six years shall the Hebrew serve, and in the seventh year he shall be set free [n: (Deut. XV, 12)]* [var: Vulg. *serviet tibi sex annis: in anno septimo dimittes eum liberum*, "he shall serve thee six years: in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free"]; so that there be found six years in which a man works the land, but in the seventh year he releases it to the strangers, and to the poor, and to the beasts of the earth? What is the seventh year, in which all debts are remitted to the Hebrews?

## 14.

In this shadow rested the faith of the Fathers, the holy devotion of the prophets. Say therefore, O religious congregation or holy soul: *In his shadow I have desired, and sat down.* A shadow is the jubilee year: for who sees its mystical things, so as to know face to face those things which were prescribed by the Law to be fulfilled in the five hundredth year? Shadows are the feast days according to the Law, from the first month, from the tenth day of the month unto the fourteenth, [1874C] and thence unto the twenty-first of the month. What shadow is that celebration between the first and the seventh month, at that nameless season? A shadow is the sanctified liberty on the sabbath. A shadow is the feast day of the new moon of the seventh month, and the memorial of the trumpets, the tenth day of the seventh month, the day of propitiation. Thou seest that the monad and the decad are two feast days. Likewise the fifteenth day, the day of the Tabernacles through eight days: in shadow are all these things. In shadow is the first day so called, and the eighth day so called is in shadow, which things are prescribed for the feasts of tabernacles according to the Law.

## 15.

Set before me some of those who believe out of the circumcision, learned in the Law, men of careful observance, and now enlightened by the acknowledgment of the Gospel, fattened with spiritual grace: in these the Church speaks, which sees Christ, [1874D] which receives the bridegroom, which is fed with his food: *In his shadow I have desired, and sat down, and his fruit is sweet in my jaws.* What is his sweet fruit, if not the preaching of the Lord's passion? as he himself says: *Behold the inheritance of the Lord, sons; the reward, the fruit of the womb [n: (Psal. CXXVI, 3)]*. For what fruit can be sweeter in our jaws than the remission of sins?

## 16.

*And his fruit is sweet to my [sic: *gutluri*].* There is a spiritual manna, that is, a rain of spiritual wisdom, which is poured from heaven upon the ingenious and upon those who seek, [1875A] and bedews the minds of the pious, and sweetens their jaws: he therefore who has understood the infusion of divine wisdom is delighted, and seeks no other food, nor lives on bread alone, but on every word of God. He who is more curious asks what that is which is sweeter than honey: the minister of God answers him: This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. What this bread is, hear: *The Word,* he says, *which God ordained.* *1562* This ordinance of God therefore, this nourishment, feeds the soul of the wise man, and enlightens and sweetens it, shining with the flash of truth, and soothing as with a certain honeycomb, so by the sweetness of divers virtues and by the word of wisdom. For *the honeycombs of honey are good words,* as it is written in the Proverbs [var: Vulg. Prov. 16:24 *Favus mellis composita verba*, "Well-ordered words are a honeycomb"]. Therefore, when it has tasted the fruit of sweetness, impatient, it hastens on to more perfect things, saying: [1875B]

## 17.

*[n: (Vers. 4-7.)] Bring me into the house of wine, set love in me, strengthen me with ointments, hedge me about with apples; for I am of wounded love. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me. I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the powers and strengths of the field, if ye shall rouse and rouse up again love, until she will* [var: Vulg. Cant. 2:4–7 *Introduxit me in cellam vinariam, ordinavit in me caritatem. Fulcite me floribus, stipate me malis, quia amore langueo… Adjuro vos, filiae Jerusalem, per capreas cervosque camporum, ne suscitetis, neque evigilare faciatis dilectam, quoadusque ipsa velit*, "He brought me into the wine cellar… Prop me up with flowers… because I languish with love… I adjure you… by the roes and harts of the fields, that ye stir not up, nor awake the beloved, till she please"]. Rightly does she seek him, rightly does she desire him; because our commander has well disposed all things in this course and journey. First of all he judged that this tent must be strengthened upon the foundation of faith. Then, if any lodging of ours is rough and dry and steep, yet that Commander of ours parts asunder the troubled things, waters the dry, makes fruitful the deserts. If there is anything of bitterness, anything of temptation, anything of weakness, our leader both tempers the bitter things, [1875C] and mitigates the anxious; he loosens hard things and strengthens them into strong.

## 18.

Wherever the king of the earth wills his army to rest, he appoints no ignoble village, none lacking in supplies, no sandy and bare places of growth: but a city noble in buildings, restored and rich in stores, or a pleasant field, or one green with pastures, or wooded and level places convenient for a standing camp. If therefore the kings of the earth know how to provide advantages for those who follow them, how much more does God, who is good, know how to dispose things profitable for those who love him? And first, if an unknown road must be taken, guides of the ways are chosen, who run before the column; but these commanders reckon this an injury to themselves: God, however, went before, when the Hebrews made their journey; and indeed he spoke to them in the pillar of cloud. And that thou mayest know [1875D] that he went before, *God,* he says, *went before them: by day indeed in a pillar of cloud, showing them the way; but by night in a pillar of fire, and the pillar of cloud did not fail by day [n: (Exod. XIII, 21 et 22)]* [var: Vulg. Exod. 13:21–22 *Dominus autem praecedebat eos ad ostendendam viam… Numquam defuit columna nubis per diem*, "And the Lord went before them… Never did the pillar of cloud fail by day"]. Following this pillar going before us, which does not fail lest she herself should fail, the Church was refreshed by its shadow; and therefore she says: *In his shadow I have desired, and sat down, and his fruit is sweet in my jaws [n: (Sup., v. 3)]*; because she was fed by the Lord, and led into the place of pastures and the water of refreshment. [1876A]

## 19.

*Bring me into the house of wine.* Out of the supplies made ready, she seeks to go forward to another lodging, in which she may take the grace of the mysteries and the sweetness of gladness. Hence too, advancing on the true way, she says: *Order love in me.* Good standing camps, where there is the fullness of charity. Charity cannot be without faith; for there are as it were three sureties of the Church: hope, faith, charity; when hope has gone before, when faith has been founded, charity is set in order, the Church is joined.

## 20.

*Strengthen me,* she says, *with ointments, hedge me about with apples.* Thou hast other lodgings, to which the Church succeeds with delight. These lodgings are of the cross of Christ and of the burial, in which the Church is wounded, but with the wound of charity; for it is a wound that Christ received, but it is ointment that he poured out. [1876B] It is an apple that hung; this apple the Church has tasted, and says: *And his fruit is sweet in my jaws.* And that thou mayest know that the Lord is an apple, thou hast read above: *As an apple among the trees of the wood, so is my cousin.* We too confess a wound, when we preach Christ crucified, but we are a good odour to God; because the cross of Christ is to the Jews a scandal, to the Greeks foolishness, but to us the power of God and wisdom. With this wound the Church is wounded, when she preaches the death of her Saviour, but this wound is of charity. And indeed he who believes not, denies: he who loves, confesses. The Manichean denies, the Christian confesses; and therefore it is written: *More useful are the wounds of a friend than the willing kisses of an enemy [n: (Prov. XXVII, 6)]* [var: Vulg. *Meliora sunt vulnera diligentis quam fraudulenta oscula odientis*, "Better are the wounds of one who loves than the deceitful kisses of one who hates"]. Beautifully therefore the Church says: *For wounded with charity [1876C] am I.*

## 21.

Let us bare our members to the good wound, let us bare them to the chosen arrow: this arrow is Christ, who says: *He has set me as a chosen arrow [n: (Esai. XLIX, 2)]*; it is good therefore to be wounded with this arrow. This advance is not of a middling lodging; not all can say that they are wounded with love. *1563* The apostles said it, when they were stoned for Christ and preached Christ: Paul said it, when he was beaten thrice with rods, and disputed day and night that Christ was to be adored by the nations: the martyrs say this, who are wounded for Christ; and because they have deserved to be wounded for his name, they love the more. Coming therefore to this lodging, to this advance, that she may offer her sons for Christ, that she may take upon her the wounds [1876D] of charity, the Church, finding as it were the good nourishments of faith, has herself tasted the fruits of piety, and has begun to exhort the rest, saying: *Taste and see that the Lord is sweet.* And the Church added, saying:

## 22.

*His left hand is under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me.* And these lodgings belong to the Church as she walks upon the royal way; *For there are many mansions with my Father [n: (Joan. XIV, 2)]*. The Lord Jesus bears witness: *And behold I come, and summon you [n: (Ibid.)]*. Good is the lodging of wisdom, and whether in her left hand or in her right, it is a good lodging; because it is the royal way. And therefore [1877A] the wise messengers say: *By the royal way will we go; we will not turn aside to the right hand, nor to the left, until we pass thy borders [n: (Num. XX, 17)]*. This the messengers sent by Moses said to the king of Edom, that is, to the earthly king; because all earthly things, whether on the right or on the left, are evil. An evil lodging is folly, an evil lodging is intemperance; and therefore the Hebrew passes through these lodgings: he does not turn aside to them, but passes through, that he may come to the left hand of wisdom and to her right, and abide in these, where are the riches of simplicity, where glory, where length of life is. *For length of life is in her right hand,* as Solomon says: *and in her left hand riches and glory [n: (Prov. III, 16)]* [var: Vulg. *Longitudo dierum in dextera ejus*, "Length of days is in her right hand"]: in the right hand is life, in the left rest. Would that I might rest upon her left hand, and not seek pillows! *For woe to them who [1877B] sew pillows,* Ezekiel says [n: (Ezech. XIII, 18)] [var: Vulg. *Vae quae consuunt pulvillos sub omni cubito manus*, "Woe to them that sew cushions under every elbow"]. These lodgings the good leader prepares for his Church, and by the ways of wisdom he directs her journey. And indeed the wise man praises her ways: *Her ways are good ways, and all her paths are in peace [n: (Prov. III, 17)]* [var: Vulg. *Viae ejus viae pulchrae, et omnes semitae illius pacificae*, "Her ways are beautiful ways, and all her paths peaceable"].

## 23.

*His left hand under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me.* These things the bride speaks concerning Christ, the soul concerning the Word of God: but Christ is the same as the Word of God and wisdom. Blessed therefore is the soul whom wisdom embraces. Great is the hand of wisdom, great her right hand; she embraces the whole soul; for she is wholly fortified who is betrothed to the Word of God. For the fullness of wisdom is to fear God: the soul therefore which fears God fortifies itself with a full defence. Wisdom sends her left hand under her neck, [1877C] and her right hand into her embrace. Both her arms indeed are stretched out unto useful things; yet the several hands of wisdom have their own proper gifts: *In the right hand is length of life,* *in the left hand riches and glory.* With good gifts assuredly is her hand endowed on both sides; yet they have herein a variety of their own office, that they comprehend both present and future times; so that the left hand is the rewarder of present things, the right of things to come.

## 24.

We can know this also from the prophecy of the holy patriarch Israel; for when he had set his right hand upon Ephraim, and his left upon Manasseh, and Joseph had wished to change them out of consideration of their age, so that he might place the father's right hand upon the head of Manasseh the elder son, he would not, and said: *I know, son, and this one also shall be for a people, and this one shall be exalted, [1877D] but the younger brother shall be greater than he [n: (Genes. XLVIII, 19)]* [var: Vulg. *Scio, fili mi, scio: et iste quidem erit in populos, et multiplicabitur; sed frater ejus minor major erit illo*, "I know, my son, I know: and this one indeed shall be for peoples, and shall be multiplied"]. In what greater? In this surely, that he was preferred in the blessing, since those who came after said of Ephraim: *God make you as he made Ephraim and Manasseh [n: (Ibid., 20)]* [var: Vulg. *Faciat tibi Deus sicut Ephraim et sicut Manasse*, "God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasses" — singular]: or because his seed is a multitude of nations, which in this world chose labour, believing in the Lord Jesus, that it might have the consolation of things to come. But the seed of Manasseh is the people of forgetfulness, which, having forgotten its own author, has been exalted for a time in this world, and shall pay heavy penalties for the rest; because it denied its own God and Lord. [1878A]

## 25.

We have said this in order to prove that those things are preferable which are to come. And indeed the left hand of wisdom is under the head of the bride, but the right hand is higher, which embraces the whole bride. And so that hand is as it were the prop of present quiet, upon which the soul, leaning, rests. She has where to lay back her head, because the left hand of wisdom is riches and glory. For that season these things soothe, and are in part a solace; and therefore: *The Son of man had not where to lay back his* *1564* *head [n: (Matth. VIII, 20)]*; *because, when he was rich, he was made poor [n: (II Cor. VIII, 9)]* [var: Vulg. *quoniam propter vos egenus factus est, cum esset dives*, "because for your sakes he became needy, whereas he was rich"]. Nor did he seek any glory of this world; because he had come, not to succour a portion, but the whole human race, saying: *Ye are angry with me because I made a whole man sound on the sabbath [n: (Joan. VII, 23)]*. that is, wholly — not that he might enrich him [1878B] by the bestowal of substance, not with the marks of honours, not that he might heap him up with an increase of worldly glory; for these things have not the fullness of blessedness and of grace: but wholly, that is, so as to embrace the length of eternal life. For the life which is in the right hand of wisdom is not like the common life, but is length of life, so that he who receives life from wisdom may obtain not scantiness of life, but perpetuity and the length of eternity.

## 26.

A good garment is the eternity of life. And so the bride, upheld by the riches of pomegranates, that is, of divers and innumerable fruits, and chiefly by the odours of faith, of grace, of wisdom and of glory and of eternal life, which are about the left hand and the right hand of the bridegroom, rouses Christ through holy souls by the applause of the congregations that praise him, [1878C] saying:

## 27.

*I have adjured you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the powers* from *the strengths of the field, if ye shall rouse and rouse up again love, until she will.* That field which the Lord blessed is not this earthly one, either bristling with woods, or broken with torrents, or useless for vines, or stony with barren gravel, or gaping and dry with drought, or wet with blood, or uncultivated with brambles and thorns; but that field of which the Lord says: *And the beauty of the field is with me [n: (Psalm. XLIX, 19)]*. In this field is found that grape which, being pressed, poured out blood and washed the world: in this field is that fig tree under which the saints shall rest, refreshed by the sweetness of spiritual grace: in this field is that fruitful olive tree, flowing with the ointment of the Lord's peace: in this field flower [1878D] the pomegranates, which cover very many fruits under one defence of faith, and cherish them with a certain embrace of charity.

## 28.

Since therefore wisdom and honourable brightness are so far perfect, if they have charity (for the fullness of the law [n: (Rom. XIII, 10)] is charity), she wills charity to be roused and roused up again: to be roused in the Old Testament, to be roused up again in the New. Charity is God, as we read; charity is Christ [n: (I Joan. IV, 8)] [var: Vulg. *Deus caritas est*, "God is charity"]. He is roused *as a lion, and a lion's whelp; that he may go up out of the seed of Judah [n: (Gen. XLIX, 9)]* [var: Vulg. *Catulus leonis Juda: ad praedam, fili mi, ascendisti*, "Juda is a lion's whelp: to the prey, my son, thou art gone up"]: he is roused up again as [1879A] one sleeping, as one reclining; because he was raised from the dead not by a human majesty, but by his own and his Father's. Whence Scripture says: *Who shall rouse him up?* For neither an angel nor an alien Power could rouse him, since he himself was rousing others. Therefore when he here says: *If ye shall rouse and rouse up again love, until she will;* he speaks of those who can fittingly preach his resurrection, so as to kindle in their hearers the ardour of faith and of devotion: or Christ is roused in those who first come to him, and roused up again in those who, after they have come, have slept. Christ therefore sleeps for the negligent, and is roused in the saints.

## 29.

This charity therefore she rouses and rouses up again, until she receive his voice and summon his presence: because, being sought, he not only comes, but even [1879B] comes leaping. But by now the bridegroom was at hand, so as to prove that which, while we are yet speaking, he says: *I am here.* He is present, because he is roused by the daughters of Judah, as it were roused up again by the daughters of Jerusalem. The Church hears the sound of his voice, and says:

## 30.

*[n: (Vers. 8.)] The voice of my cousin: behold, here he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills* [var: Vulg. *Vox dilecti mei; ecce iste venit saliens in montibus, transiliens colles*, "The voice of my beloved; behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains"]. This book is like a maniple, having many noble persons, as it were a triumphal maniple, and signifying many acts, which we can rather understand than hold expressed. For, as though she had heard the bridegroom coming and [sic: *collonquentem*] with certain who were journeying along with him, the bride says: *The voice of my cousin.* While she speaks with the daughters of Jerusalem, and asks that they stir up and rouse up again the bridegroom, suddenly, perceiving as it were the sound of a voice sent [1879C] from afar, she says: *The voice of my cousin,* announcing him whom before she was seeking to have announced to her. Him whom she desired to be roused by others, believing him now, roused up again by her own prayer, to be coming from the Father, she gladly says: *The voice of my cousin.* Well did she add, *my cousin;* that no other women, but she alone, his cousin, might claim his coming for herself. *1565*

## 31.

*Behold*, she says, *he is come* [var: Vulg. Cant 2:8 *ecce iste venit*, "behold, he cometh"]: still am I seeking him, and he has already come; still am I catching at intercessions that he may come, and he is already near at hand; I long for charity to be roused up in me, I deem myself wounded of charity, and charity herself hastens to me the more. I said, Come; he leaps and leaps over. I ask him to come with grace; he works increases of graces; and while he comes, he carries increases of grace with him, [1879D] and by coming he acquires, because he too is eager to please his own beloved. He leaps upon the high places, that he may ascend to the bride; for the bride's marriage-chamber is the tribunal of Christ. He leaps upon Adam, he leaps over the Synagogue; he leaps upon the Gentiles, he leaps over the Jews.

## 32.

Let us see him leaping He leaps from heaven into the Virgin, from the womb into the manger, from the Jordan into the cross, from the cross into the tomb, into heaven from the sepulchre. Prove to me, David, that he leaps; prove that he runs. For thou hast said: *He hath rejoiced as a giant to run the way. His going forth is from the height of heaven, and his meeting even to the height thereof; and there is none that can hide himself from his heat [n: (Psal. XVIII, 6 et 7)]*. And now he leaps, and now he runs, from [1880A] the heart of the Father upon his saints, from the East upon the West, from the North upon the South. This is he who ascends above the sunset, he himself above the heavens of heavens toward the East, he himself ascends above the mountains, he himself above the hills.

## 33.

Would that I, wretched man, might say it, and that my soul might say: *Behold, he is come*, and he is come not upon earthly things, not upon the valleys, but he is come *Leaping upon the mountains* [var: Vulg. Cant 2:8 *saliens in montibus*, "leaping in the mountains"]; for God is the God of mountains, not of valleys: where therefore he leaps, he leaps upon mountains. If thou be a mountain, he leaps upon thee; he leaps upon Isaiah, he leaps upon Jeremiah, he leaps upon Peter, John, James. *The mountains are round about him [n: (Psalm. CXXIV, 2)]*: if one cannot be a mountain and thou dost not prevail, be at least a hill, that Christ may ascend upon thee; and if he leaps over, that his passing may guard thee. [1880B]

## 34.

We have spoken of Christ and the Church; let us speak of the soul and the Word. The soul of the just man is the bride of the Word. If she should desire, if she should long, if she should pray and pray unceasingly, and pray without any disputing, and stretch herself wholly toward the Word: suddenly she seems to hear the voice of him whom she does not see, and in the fear of her senses she recognizes the odor of his divinity, which those who believe well for the most part experience. Suddenly the nostrils of the soul are filled with spiritual grace, and she feels the breath of his presence breathe upon her, of him whom she seeks, and she says: Behold, this is the very one whom I seek, the very one whom I desire.

## 35.

Is it not so, that when we ponder something out of the Scriptures and cannot find the explanation of it, while we doubt, while we seek, suddenly he seems to us to ascend, as it were, upon the mountains, that is, upon the loftiest doctrines. [1880C] Then, appearing to us as it were upon the hills, he enlightens the mind, that he may pour into our senses what seemed difficult to be found: and so the Word becomes, as it were from absent, present in our hearts. And again, when something is somewhat obscure to us, the Word is as it were withdrawn, and we long for the coming of him as though he were absent; and again he appears, he shows himself to us as though he were present with us in the knowing of those things which we seek.

## 36.

He leaps, then, often in the heart of each one; he leaps over and goes out and returns: if thou shouldst follow, if thou shouldst seek, if by the welcome disputation of faithful teachers thou shouldst beg that the Word which had gone out and had passed over be raised up again for thee. Like her who sought and found, who said: *My brother has passed by, my soul went out at his word [n: (Cant. V, 6)]* [var: Vulg. *at ille declinaverat atque transierat; anima mea liquefacta est, ut locutus est*, "but he had turned aside and passed on; my soul melted when he spoke"]. Therefore even if he leaps upon the mountains, follow; even if [1880D] upon the hills, follow. For there are found on the mountains and on the hills the hunters of the Lord, who track out those who are taken for life; for thus God said through Jeremiah: *Behold, I send many fishers and many hunters, and they shall hunt them upon every mountain and upon every hill [n: (Jerem. XVI, 16)]* [var: Vulg. *de omni monte et de omni colle*, "from every mountain and from every hill"]. There, then, let the people of God be sought and found in the doctrine, the grace, the discipline of Peter and of Paul; that they be not in the deep valley, where there is weeping, but on the mountains from which Christ enlightens each man. And when we read Peter, Christ enlightens; and when we read Paul, Christ enlightens. Paul healed, Christ enlightened; for when the name of the Lord Jesus had been invoked, he rose again, by whose gift he was made [1881A] whole. Peter raised up a dead woman, Christ enlightened; and therefore he says: *Thou dost enlighten wonderfully from the everlasting mountains [n: (Psal. LXXV, 5)]*.

## 37.

We therefore who cannot be mountains, let us stand *1566* on the mountains or on the hills; so that when the Lord shall have sent his fishers and hunters to hunt those who are upon every mountain, or upon every hill, that is, in the precepts of the law and of the prophets, and who have all their conversation in the knowledge of the New and the Old Testament, they may find us ready and may gather us like good ears of corn, reapers sent at the opportune season; because if anyone shall have been found outside the mountain or the hill, he will not be able to be gathered as a good ear by those who, that we may make mention of another comparison, shall be sent to separate the wheat [1881B] from the chaff. The Lord therefore has skilled ministers of very many operations: the same are fishers, the same also are hunters, and reapers. If in the time of harvest, at which these are directed to reap, thou shouldst wait ripe, thou wilt be able to behold him leaping upon the mountains, and thou wilt see the Lord Jesus like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bethel. For he leaps upon the Church, which is the house of bread, in that he strengthens the hearts of the faithful; whence the bride also says of him:

## 38.

*[n: (Vers. 9.)] My cousin is like a roe or a young hart, upon the mountains of Bethel;* [var: Vulg. Cant 2:9 *similis est dilectus meus capreae hinnuloque cervorum*, "my beloved is like a roe and a young hart," with no mountains of Bethel] for he leaps upon the Church, which is the house of God, in that he strengthens the hearts of the faithful. Rightly, like a little roe, because the goat is pastured in high places. She is called *dorcas* from seeing, [1881C] for the *dorcadion* is of keener sight. What is fitter to Christ than this, who saw the Father whom no one has seen, or, if anyone has seen him in Christ, the Son himself revealed him? Rightly *like a young hart*: the fawn is as it were a son, in whom the force of the paternal nature has grown, so that hidden things do not lie concealed from him, serpents flee, poisons do not harm. Accordingly the serpent, led forth out of his lurking-places, who was being led forth out of the man, said: *Why hast thou come before the time to torment us [n: (Matth. VIII, 29)]*. Let us therefore gaze upon this leaping fawn, that we may not be able to fear the serpent.

## 39.

*Behold, he himself stands behind our wall, looking through the windows, peering through the nets.* [var: Vulg. Cant 2:9 *prospiciens per cancellos*, "looking through the lattices"] He comes, then, and first is behind the wall, that he may loose the enmities of soul and body, the wall being taken away which seemed to bring a hindrance [1881D] to concord. Then he peers through the windows: what the windows are, hear the Prophet saying: *The windows are opened from heaven [n: (Esai. XXIV, 18)]* [var: Vulg. Isa 24:18 *cataractae de excelsis apertae sunt*, "the floodgates from on high are opened"]. He signifies therefore the prophets, through whom the Lord looked upon the human race, before he himself came down to the earth. And today too, if any soul seeks him much, she will merit much of mercy; since to him who seeks much, much is owed. If therefore any soul should seek him more earnestly, she hears his voice from afar: and although she seeks him from others, she hears his voice before those very ones from whom she seeks. She sees him coming to her with a leap, that is, hastening and running [1882A] and leaping over those who with feeble heart cannot take in his power; then peering through the riddles of the prophets, by reading them and holding fast their words; for she sees him peering, but as it were through a window, not as though he were yet present. She sees him raised above the nets. What is this? Unless perhaps because those nets are nets to us, they are not nets to him, in that that soul is still within things sensible and worldly, which are wont to catch the mind of man and to wrap it in a certain fold of their own.

## 40.

*Behold, he himself stands behind our wall, looking through the windows, peering through the nets.* [var: Vulg. Cant 2:9 *prospiciens per cancellos*, "looking through the lattices"] For the Church, or the soul of the just man, had seen him leaping like a fawn upon the mountains, and, first catching sight of him suddenly behind the wall of her house, peering through the windows, [1882B] raised above the nets, she exults and rejoices, because she too is loved by the Bridegroom. And he, as though he himself also were wounded by the beauty of charity, when at first he was away from his beloved, was present at her asking for kisses (for he is asked when it is said [n: (Cant. I, 1)]: *Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth* ); then did not spurn the prayers and blandishments of the bride as she offered him her breasts; and kindly led her into the inner parts of the house; then, playing as with a wanton love, because he wished to try the senses of her who loved him, going out often that he might be sought by the Bride, returning often that he might be invited to kisses, stood behind the wall, peered through the windows, raised above the nets; that he might neither be wholly absent, nor as it were wholly enter in, and that he himself might call the bride to himself; that the exchanges of coming to one another might become the more welcome, and that they might kindle love [1882C] with mutual words. *1567*

## 41.

*[n: (Vers. 10.)] Rise up,* he says, *come, my neighbor, my well-formed one, my dove;* [var: Vulg. Cant 2:10 *surge, propera, amica mea, columba mea, formosa mea, et veni*, "arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come"] and thou too, if thou hast a wall well founded, not that middle wall which divides the members of one house, but one built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, so that its framed structure may grow into a temple, and may not sever its inner parts but fortify them. If therefore thou hast in thee the building of God, and thy windows stand ever open toward the East, the Word comes, *He stands behind thy wall [n: (Cant. II, 9)]*; for *the eyes of the Lord are upon the just [n: (Psal. XXXIII, 16)]*; *he peers through thy windows [n: (Cant. II, 9)]*.

## 42.

What are these windows? We read of the windows of which Jeremiah says: *Death has entered through the windows* [1882D] [n: (Jerem. IX, 21)] [var: Vulg. *quia ascendit mors per fenestras nostras*, "for death is come up through our windows"], through which avarice entered, lust entered. Thine eye is a window. If thou hast looked upon a woman to lust after her, death has entered through thine eye: if thou hast looked upon a widow's estate, or the treasures of a minor, and hast stirred up thy covetings, *Death has entered through the window.* As therefore death enters through these, life enters too: if, looking upon the comeliness of a consecrated girl, thou reverencest the Lord Jesus, in that the age of old age has come into her tender years, a life unspotted, and thou thyself offerest thy daughter, that she may be consecrated with the holy veil; if thou lookest upon a minor's estate not like an anxious invader, but guardest it like a diligent parent with religious [1883A] affection: through these windows Christ peers, that he may call the bride.

## 43.

*Raised above the nets:* rightly *raised;* because he alone is the one whom the nets of sins have not enwrapped. We were all within the nets, nay rather we are still within the nets; because no one is without sin save Jesus alone, whom, knowing no sin, the Father made sin for us; for indeed he delivered him to the snares, delivered him to the nets: sending him not in the sin in which all men were, but in the likeness of sinful flesh, that of sin he might condemn sin in the flesh. The flesh was sin, according to that saying, because it had been condemned by a hereditary curse; sin was the enticement and the handmaid of sin. The Lord Jesus came, and in flesh liable to sin he practiced the warfare of virtue: our members [1883B] have been made now no longer weapons of lust, but weapons of virtue; for where the incitements of lust were, there now are the dwellings of chastity. Here therefore he came to the snares, but willingly: he came to the nets, but secure. All things were full of nets, crammed with snares; hear him who says: *In this way wherein I walked, the proud have hidden a snare for me [n: (Psal. CXLI, 4)]* [var: Vulg. Ps 141:4 *in via hac qua ambulabam absconderunt laqueum mihi*, without *superbi*, "the proud"]. And in the book of the wisdom of Sirach thou art admonished to know that thou walkest in the midst of snares [n: (Eccli. IX, 20)]. As many vices, so many nets: as many sins, so many snares.

## 44.

Already the hereditary bonds held thee; Jesus came to the snares, that he might loose Adam: he came to set free what had perished. We were all held by the nets, no one could rescue another, since he could not rescue himself. Such a one therefore was needful, whom the chains of human generation, liable to offenses, [1883C] would not hold, whom avarice had not taken, whom guile had not bound. That one alone was Jesus, who, though he had surrounded himself with the bonds of this flesh, was not captured, was not fettered: but bursting them and dissolving them, he called the Church the more to himself, *Peering through the snares, raised above the nets;* that she too might learn not to be held by chains. In fact he was so far from being far from the chains, that for us he underwent even death, yet not made a slave of death, but free among the dead; for he was free who had the power of loosing death. In fine, let him himself teach thee who says: *Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again [n: (Joan. II, 19)]* [var: Vulg. John 2:19 *et in tribus diebus excitabo illud*, "and in three days I will raise it up"]. Let us hear, then, what he says:

## 45.

[n: (Vers. 11 - 13)]. *Rise up, come, my neighbor;* that is, rise from the dead, rise up from the chains by which thou wast held [1883D] encompassed. Rise up, for I have risen again for thee: loose the bonds of iniquity, for I have already loosed them for thee: come, for already the nets are loosed, the Virgin has borne, a child is born of a virgin, he owes nothing to the inheritance of woman, as the son of a woman he is not held: behold the middle wall of the enclosure now loosed, which divided the concord of the inward affections, and stirred up in diverse directions the dissensions of bodily passions. Come therefore secure; I long to see thy face and to hear thy voice: come, that thou mayest no longer see me through nets, but, beloved, mayest enjoy face to face the countenance of thy lover.

## 46.

And let these things be run through thus far in the moral sense. But those [1884A] mystical things, if we can, let us behold at least in their outermost line. The Bride was sitting within the house, devoted to the Lord, within the wall of the Law and *1568* of the prophets, founded upon a building of spiritual stones, which shut in and walled about the royal house, full of delight and gladness. She marveled at the royal treasures, and gazed upon them anxiously, longing to take to herself the wisdom which might show her these riches. She was in secret, but she was seeking the interpreter of that very secret. The Lord Jesus came, leaping upon the mountains. To us he seemed to come late, but he was hastening. He was leaping, in fine, and leaping over, that he might leap over the bodily and stony doctrines of the Jews. He stood behind the wall of the house which was in the Old Testament, peering through the window of the Law and the caverns of the prophets. [1884B]

## 47.

Not yet were the vestibules of that house open, not yet had the keys of wisdom laid open the barriers of the gates by which the inner parts of the Law were shut; yet from the higher part, that is, the spiritual part, looking forth he calls the Church, that she, rising sublime through the Law and the prophets to the summit of the Gospel, may tread with fearless foot upon the nets and the knots of Jewish interpretation. And therefore she is called *Neighbor*, that she may cleave to Christ and not seek worldly things: therefore *Well-formed*, that she may bear the shapely feet of those who preach the Gospel: therefore *Dove*, that she may seek spiritual things and leave earthly things behind.

## 48.

*Behold,* he says, *the winter is past, the rain is gone, it has departed to itself, flowers have been seen in the earth, the time of cutting is come.* [var: Vulg. Cant 2:11-12 *jam enim hiems transiit; imber abiit, et recessit. Flores apparuerunt in terra nostra; tempus putationis advenit*, "for now the winter is past; the rain is gone and departed. The flowers have appeared in our land; the time of pruning is come"] Before the coming of Christ it was winter: Christ came, he made summer. Then all things were destitute of flowers, [1884C] bare of virtues: Christ suffered, and all things began to be made fruitful with the buds of a new grace. The rain of overflowing wantonness is gone, and the clouds risen from foul disgraces are now dispersed in the summer serenity of a pure conscience. Therefore they do not escape whose flight is made in winter; because they do not follow the passion of the Lord, they do not take up their cross, and they follow Christ.

## 49.

Rain hinders flowers: but now flowers are seen in the earth. Good flowers are the apostles, who poured out the fragrance of their diverse writings and works. *The time of cutting is come,* when ripe grain is stored in the barns; and he who reaps receives a reward. *The voice of the turtledove has been heard,* because she has found a nest for herself; for the Church is the house of chastity. *The fig tree,* which for its unfruitfulness was ordered to be cut down, *has now begun to bear fruit.* [1884D] The vine carried over out of Egypt, destroyed by the casting down of its walls, is now not assailed by beasts; nor is it unshapely with brambles, but now fragrant with flowers.

## 50.

*Rise up,* he says, *come, my neighbor, my well-formed one, my dove, my perfect one; neighbor* indeed by the desire of faith, *well-formed* by the comeliness of virtue, *dove* by spiritual grace; for *the wings of the dove covered with silver* signify that eternal power, and the flight of the dove declared the presence of the Holy Spirit. Christ therefore calls her to himself that she may come, since she was already coming endowed with spiritual dowries. *For behold,* he says, *the winter is past, the rain is gone, it has departed [1885A] to itself, flowers seen in the earth.* See in what manner the holy Church is invited. *The winter,* he says, *has departed to itself,* lest, being naked, she dread the winter, a winter not of the season but of infirmity, which strips the fruitful field of the soul of every flower. For there is a winter not of the earthly sun, there is a winter of the mind, when cold glides into the soul, when the warmth of the spirit fades away, when the vigor of sense is loosened, when excessive humour overflows and weighs down the mind, when the inward sight grows dark. And therefore the Lord says: *See that your flight be not in winter or on the sabbath [n: (Matth. XXIV, 20)]* [var: Vulg. Matt 24:20 *orate autem ut non fiat fuga vestra in hieme vel sabbato*, "but pray that your flight be not in winter or on the sabbath"]; for it is good that the day of judgment or of death should come then, when the kindly temperateness of the soul is in vigor, when the heavenly mystery shines back with serene light, when our heart burns within us. For then Christ is present, as Ammaon and Cleophas testify [1885B] in the Gospel, saying: *Was not our heart burning within us in the way, when he had opened the Scriptures in us [n: (Luc. XXIV, 32)]*. And the soul is in vigor when the flower too is seen in the earth. Who is this flower of good fragrance, save he who said: *I am the flower of the field and the lily of the valleys [n: (Supra, vers. 1)]*: of whom also it is written in Isaiah: *A rod shall go forth from the root of Jesse, and a rod shall ascend from the root, and a flower shall go forth from the rod [n: (Esai. XI, 1)]* [var: Vulg. Isa 11:1 *et egredietur virga de radice Jesse, et flos de radice ejus ascendet*, "and there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root," with no middle member]. The root indeed is the family of the Jews, the rod is Mary, the flower of Mary is Christ: and when he shines forth in our earth, and is fragrant in the field of the soul, or blooms in his own Church, we can neither fear cold nor dread rain, but may await the day of judgment. And therefore the Church, that she might see this flower, was hastening with all zeal, as she herself testifies *1569* [1885C] in what follows, saying: *In the bed by nights I sought him whom my soul loves [n: (Cant. III, 1)]* [var: Vulg. Cant 3:1 *in lectulo meo per noctes quaesivi quem diligit anima mea*, "in my little bed by night I sought him whom my soul loveth"].

## 50.

*The fig tree has put forth its green figs.* The comparison of that tree is apt for the Synagogue, because just as that tree, overflowing with flowing leaves, disappoints the hope of its owner by an empty expectation of the yields that were hoped for: so also in the Synagogue, while its teachers, unfruitful in works, glory only in words as in overflowing leaves, the empty shade of the Law prevails; and the hope of a false yield, once awaited, mocks the prayers of the believing people.

## 51.

There is also in the nature of the tree that whereby thou mayest the more believe that the likeness of the Synagogue is expressed by comparison with it. For indeed, if thou inquire diligently, thou wilt find the habit of this tree's nature distinct from the practice of the rest; [1885D] for others bear the flower before the fruit, and mark out the apples that are to come by the flower that heralds them: this one alone from the beginning buds forth apples in place of flowers; in the others the flower is shaken off and the apples are born, in this one the apples fall off, that apples may succeed them. Therefore those earlier ones, void of fruit, come forth in the place of the flower: thus, by a certain premature habit of being born, they that know not the order of nature cannot keep the benefit of nature. For indeed where the bud is wont to thrust itself out from the middle of the bark, there each of the tiniest apples of this kind breaks forth: concerning which we read in the Song [1886A] of Songs: *The fig tree has put forth its green figs.* And so, while the other shoots whiten in the first spring, the fig alone knows not how to grow white with a flower of its own; perhaps because there is for these no riper use in their apples. For when others succeed, which are spat out as though degenerate, and the weak root being dry, they are stripped away, those being renewed whose sap is more serviceable. Yet some very few remain, and do not fall, upon which this yield has smiled, so that they push forth from the middle of two twigs by a short tendril breaking out, whereby, covered by twin defenses, as though in the lap of nature their parent, they grow up by the fostering of a fuller sap. These, called forth by the mildness of a gentler air, and grown to maturity through longer seasons, when they have put off the wild temper of their former sap, are preferred to the rest in appearance and in the grace of ripeness. [1886B]

## 52.

Look now upon the observances and the minds of the Jews, who, as it were the first fruits of the ill-bearing Synagogue, fell after the likeness of what is slipping away, that apples of our kind, destined to abide beyond the age, might succeed them. For indeed the first people of the Synagogue, weak as it were with a dry root of works, could not draw in the richness of natural wisdom. And therefore it fell like useless fruit, that as it were from the same tendrils of a fruitful tree, out of the richness of the ancient religion, the new people of the Church might come forth. Therefore he who was ceased to be, that this one might begin who was not: yet the first out of Israel, whom the branch of a stronger nature had lifted up, under the shadow of the Law and of the cross, colored in the bosom of each by a twin sap, after the pattern of the ripening green fig, surpassed the rest in the grace of most beautiful fruits, to whom [1886C] it is said: *You shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel [n: (Matth. XIX, 28)]* [var: Vulg. Matt 19:28 *sedebitis et vos super sedes duodecim*, "you also shall sit upon twelve seats"].

## 53.

*The vines in flower have given their fragrance [n: (Sup., v. 5)]*. Well is the Church designated by the vine; for as the vine is wedded to trees, so the body is joined to the soul, and the soul also to the body: as the vine, while it is bound, is raised up, and when cut back is not diminished but increased; so the holy people, while it is bound, is stripped: while it is humbled, it is lifted up: while it is cut back, it is crowned. Nay more, as a tender shoot, cut off from the old tree, is grafted into the offspring of another root: so this holy people, the scars of the old shoot being smoothed away, grows up cherished in that new sign of the cross as in the lap of a devoted parent; and the Holy Spirit, poured into this prison-like body, as though let down into deep [1886D] trenches of the earth, washes away by the watering of the water of salvation whatever is foul, and raises the bearing of our members into heavenly discipline.

## 54.

This vine the diligent husbandman is wont to dig, to water, to strive over; and, the mounds of earthy mass being cleared away, he is accustomed now to scorch the works of our body with the sun, now to drench them with rain, and to hem the field close, lest the bud be hurt by brambles, lest the shade of the leaves run riot, and lest the unfruitful boasting of words, by overshadowing the virtues, hinder the ripeness of the natural disposition. [1887A]

## 55.

*[n: (Vers. 14.)] And come,* he says, *my dove, in the covering of the rock, beside the outwork;* [var: Vulg. Cant 2:14 *columba mea in foraminibus petrae, in caverna maceriae*, "my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow of the wall"] that is, come beside the Gospel: the bulwarks of thy faith are the deeds of Christ; the supports of thy wall *1570* are the words of the Lord; the passion of the Lord's body is thy strength.

## 56.

*Show me thy face, and make thy voice known; for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely.* [var: Vulg. Cant 2:14 *sonet vox tua in auribus meis: vox enim tua dulcis*, "let thy voice sound in mine ears: for thy voice is sweet"] Sweet is thy voice; *for with the mouth confession is made unto salvation:* and comely the face; because she who is not ashamed of her author is not confounded at her Redeemer. She shows therefore her face, bearing before her the seal of the cross; and she makes her voice known, taking up the authority of preaching. For by the covering of the body of Christ, whereby he was redeemed from sin, he finds the defense of spiritual grace, so that he may both perceive and speak the things that are for his salvation. Sweet [1887B] therefore is the voice, which spoke in the divine testimonies: *Comely the face,* which was not confounded in the sight of kings.

## 57.

*Rise up,* he says, *come, my neighbor;* that is, rise up from the delights of the world, rise up from earthly things, and come to me, thou who still labourest and art laden, thou who art anxious for the things that are of the world: come above the world, come to me, for I have overcome the world: come near to me, now beautiful with the comeliness of eternal life, now a dove, that is, gentle and meek, now wholly full of spiritual grace. Rightly therefore she ought no longer to fear the nets, since he calls the soul to himself who could not be caught by the temptations and the nets of the world. For since we men walk in the midst of snares, through the appetite for food we are liable at once to nets and to snares. [1887C] He, set in a body, did not fear the nets, but was raised above the nets, that is, above the temptations of the world and the passions of the body; nay, he made others also to be raised above them.

## 58.

Rise up, come, my neighbor, fear not the nets, already the winter is past. The passover is come, indulgence is come, the remission of sins is come, temptation has ceased, the rain is gone, the storm and the buffeting are gone. Before the coming of Christ it was winter; after the coming of Christ there are flowers, whence he says: *Flowers have been seen in the earth.* Where before there were thorns, there now are flowers. *The time,* he says, *of cutting is come.* Where before there was desert, there is harvest. *The voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land:* well did the prophet add *our*, as though marveling, that where before there was shamelessness, there is chastity. *The fig tree has put forth its green figs.* [1887D] She who as unfruitful was ordered to be cut down has now begun to bring forth fruit. But why dost thou doubt, because he said green figs? He shakes off the earlier ones, that he may bring forth later and better ones: as the fruit of the Synagogue is cast away, but that of the Church is renewed.

## 59.

And although there is full tranquillity, and the mysteries have grown to their strength, yet again he says: *Rise up secure in the covering of the rock,* that is, safe by the protection of my passion and by the defense of faith. For they sucked honey out of the rock and oil out of the firm rock. Clothed with this covering, the souls of the pious are no longer naked, and this is their [1888A] outwork. And therefore to this soul also he says: *And come thou, my dove, in the covering of the rock beside the outwork: show me thy face, and make thy voice known.* He exhorts her to confidence, that she be not ashamed of the cross of Christ, nor of its seal. He exhorts her to confession; he wills that all snares be removed, that the good fragrance of faith may breathe, that the day may shine, that the shadow of the hostile night may not harm; since he who is beside Christ says: *The night is passed, and the day has drawn near [n: (Rom. XXIII, 12)]*. There is also a shadow of worldly things which passes away, and the day of heavenly things is Christ, who shines for his saints.

## 60.

*[n: (Vers. 15.)] Take for us the little foxes that destroy the vines, that our vines may flower.* [var: Vulg. Cant 2:15 *capite nobis vulpes parvulas quae demoliuntur vineas: nam vinea nostra floruit*, "catch us the little foxes that destroy the vines: for our vineyard hath flourished"] Scripture calls him a man who is after the image and likeness [1888B] of God; but the sinner it is wont to call not a man, but either a serpent, or a horse neighing after females, or a little fox, or a beast of burden. Of one of these the Lord says: *Go, tell that fox [n: (Luc. XIII, 32)]*, that is, of Herod. And elsewhere, when he perceived that he was being questioned deceitfully, he said: *The foxes have dens, and the birds of heaven nests, where they may rest [n: (Matth. VIII, 20)]* [var: Vulg. Matt 8:20 *vulpes foveas habent, et volucres caeli nidos; Filius autem hominis non habet ubi caput reclinet*, "the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head"]; in that they linger deceitfully in certain lurking-places of earthly passions.

## 61.

Whence Samson too bound foxes to himself two by two, to whose tails he tied torches, and sent them out through the harvests of the *Allophyli* [n: (Judic. XV)]: signifying by this figure that wicked and deceitful men, and most of all heretics, have a tongue free for barking, but that their outcomes are hindered, or their beginnings quarrelsome, [1888C] while the end of their fraud is assigned to burning. And therefore he sent out three hundred foxes also, in that the faithless do indeed desire to commend themselves by the preaching of the cross, but cannot hold its mystery: they who, by this *1571* preaching made up, and false and feigned, attempt rather to burn up the fruits of others, whereas assuredly the true cross of the Lord does not burn up the merits of others, but makes them fruitful.

## 62.

And deservedly is it written: *Take for us the little foxes that destroy the vines, that our vines may flower.* By which it is shown that either the Lord Jesus or the Church commands that the wiles of the deceitful be driven out from his vines, lest they harm the tiny vines, since they cannot harm vines already grown up. For a heretic can tempt the imperfect; he cannot supplant [1888D] the perfect.

## 63.

*[n: (Vers. 16.)] My brother is mine, and I am his.* [var: Vulg. Cant 2:16 *dilectus meus mihi, et ego illi*, "my beloved to me, and I to him"] This is the voice of a virgin; for to keep the body unspotted from mingling with a man, and, in a body of clay, to bear up the palm of chastity by the guardianship of integrity even to the converse of angels, is a private benefit and a public praise. How rare on earth is he who can say this, how estranged from vices, how set apart from every stain of sin, who has nothing in common with the world, saying: *My beloved is mine and I am his, he shall abide in the midst of my breasts.* [var: Vulg. Cant 1:12 *inter ubera mea commorabitur*, "he shall abide between my breasts" — the second member of the printed lemma follows this verse rather than 2:16] That is to say, let him claim nothing [1889A] of this world for himself, one who has no possession of bodily desires, whom lust does not inflame, avarice does not goad, wantonness does not unman, excess does not discolor, ambition does not lay low, envy does not waste, no care of secular business makes anxious: a true minister of the altar, born for God, not for himself; for Levi, as the interpretation has it, signifies: He himself taken up for me; it signifies: And he himself is mine; it signifies also merely: Taken up; it signifies: And taken up for me.

## 64.

The very same man is Levi both for me and for God. How the same is a priest both for me and for God. And he is both my advocate and the Lord's intercessor: offering sacrifice for me, and the same man offering himself to the Lord. In fine, elsewhere too by the interpretation of Levi it is said, *For me;* for indeed if Levi be named by me, Levi is for me: if he offer for me, [1889B] he is for me: if he intercede for me, he is for me: but if he be called by the Lord, he is said to be mine: that is, tributary to no other, tithe-paying to no other, bountiful to no other out of a possession. He himself is mine, that is, as one abounding in place of all his own goods. From him I seek no tithes, no fruits, no gifts, no offerings; he himself is to me in place of an offering, he himself in place of tribute. Not bountiful to me in his own possession, but he himself is my possession, he himself my fruit, he himself my understanding. Taken up by me, or taken up for me: this cannot be without divine grace. For as a possession cannot be mine unless I have bought it, so he cannot be Levi unless he has been taken up by the Lord; for when he has been taken up, rightly is it said, he himself is mine. In fine, when it had been said to Moses that he should divide the dwelling-places among the people of the Jews tribe by tribe, [1889C] and should distribute a portion to each several tribe, God excepted the Levitical tribe, saying to the sons of Levi: *He shall have no portion, nor lot in the midst of his brethren; because the Lord God is their part [n: (Deut. X, 9)]* [var: Vulg. Deut 10:9 *non habuit Levi partem neque possessionem cum fratribus suis, quia ipse Dominus possessio ejus est*]: and elsewhere: *I the Lord am their portion [n: (Num. XVIII, 20)]* [var: Vulg. Num 18:20 *ego pars et hereditas tua in medio filiorum Israel*, "I am thy part and inheritance in the midst of the children of Israel"].

## 65.

An earthly division is denied to these, that they themselves, while they claim no secular portion for themselves, may become the possession of the heavenly one; or that they may know how to possess this only, that is, the obedience of faith and of devotion, being far richer than those who spread out the ample expanses of their possessions. For however far they extend their boundaries, both the land fails and the sea shuts in their mad desires, and they pay tributes greater than their fruits are. But this man, possessing nothing, serves as a soldier to none but God; his portion is above the earth, [1889D] it does not fail with the earth, it is not shut in by the sea. He whose portion is God is possessor of the whole of nature. In place of fields, therefore, he is enough for himself, having a good fruit which can never perish. In place of houses it is enough for him to be the dwelling of the Lord and the temple of God, than which nothing can be more precious. For what is more precious than God? Or what is lacking to this man who can say: *Let it not befall me to glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world [n: (Galat. VI, 4)]* [var: Vulg. Gal 6:14 *mihi autem absit gloriari nisi in cruce*, "but God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross"] ?

## 66.

The prince of this world cannot claim [1890A] fellowship for himself in this man, in whom he finds nothing of his own. And therefore the Lord, who came to teach that God should become our portion, says: *For the prince of this world comes, and in me he finds nothing [n: (Joan. XIV, 30)]* [var: Vulg. John 14:30 *et in me non habet quidquam*, "and in me he hath not any thing"]. And deservedly, willing them to be imitators of himself, he says: *Do not possess gold, nor silver, nor money [n: (Matth. X, 9)]*. Whence Peter, showing that his portion was in God, not in the world, says: *Silver and gold I have not, but what I have,* *1572* *this I give thee: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk [n: (Act. III, 6)]* [var: Vulg. Acts 3:6 *argentum et aurum non est mihi*, "silver and gold I have none"]; that is, this is my portion, my portion is Christ: *In the name therefore of Christ Jesus rise up and walk (Ibid)*. That is, in my portion I am rich, in my portion I am powerful. Deservedly do I look for such fruits of that portion, that health and life may be given; because this is the patrimony of that portion which I have chosen for myself: *My beloved is mine, [1890B] and I am his.*

## 67.

*Who is pastured among the lilies.* The lily signifies chastity. The good shepherd therefore knows where he may pasture his flock, what fodder is fit for his sheep. What are our pastures, that is, the pastures of the faithful, save Christ? In whose pastures the Prophet rejoiced that he was set, saying: *In a place of pasture, there he has set me [n: (Psal. XXII, 2)]*; for there he pastures and refreshes us. Good pastures are the divine sacraments. There thou pluckest the new flower, which has given the good fragrance of the resurrection: thou pluckest the lily, in which is the splendor of eternity: thou pluckest the rose, that is, the blood of the Lord's body. Good pastures too are the books of the heavenly Scriptures, in which we are fed by daily reading, in which we are restored and refreshed; when we taste the things that are written, [1890C] or more often chew over what we have sipped with the edge of the lips. By these pastures the flock of the Lord is fattened. Good pastures of Christ too are the mountains of the valleys; for in these also Christ pastures like a roe or a young hart, that is, in the splendors of the saints.

## 68.

*[n: (Vers. 17.)] Until the day breathe, and the shadows decline.* Zacchaeus climbed up into a sycamore tree that he might see Christ: for us too Jesus spread out his hands, that he might overshadow the whole world. How are we not in the shadow, we who are protected by the veil of his cross? How are we not in the shadow, whom the crucified defends from the malice of the world and from the burning of the body? Or do we not know that the Word of God, coming into this world, did not come as the Word. Such as it was in the beginning, such as it was with God: *but he emptied [1890D] himself, taking the form of a servant [n: (Philip. II, 7)]*. He came in a light cloud, and since he was the power of the Most High, he overshadowed Mary; that he might transfigure the body of our lowliness, to be made conformable to the body of his glory. As he therefore changed his form when he was born of the Virgin, so to us also the words of God seem to be transfigured when they are read in the Gospel, when their appearance is seen in the Scriptures as through a mirror; because the whole truth cannot be grasped here, but when that which is perfect shall have come, they shine forth no longer through examination, not through appearance as transfigured, but in whole and expressed truth. [1891A]

## 69.

Let him therefore bend the soul with the yoke of the Word, and rule it with his reins, that by the will of God it may be led away from vices and take in the fragrance of eternal life; for this life is not the perfect life, but this life is in shadow. Therefore, that Christ Jesus might be born a man of the Virgin, the power of the Most High overshadowed her who was to be his mother; because he came down in shadow, beginning from shadow to work the salvation of man, and about to complete it in the brightness of the eternal sun. This life, then, is a shadow. Hasten to the sun, that he may defend thee from the cold of this shadow, and pour over thee the warmth of summer. And therefore he urges that prayer must be made that our flight be not in winter or on the sabbath, not signifying a season and a day, but forbidding us to be cold in merits and to be fasting from good works.

## CAPUT TERTIUM.

## 1.

[1891B] *[n: (Vers. 1.)] In my bed, in the night I sought him whom my soul loved: I sought him and I found him not. I will rise up therefore, and will seek in the city, in the forum, in the streets, him whom my soul loved.* [var: Vulg. Cant 3:1-2 *in lectulo meo per noctes quaesivi quem diligit anima mea… surgam, et circuibo civitatem: per vicos et plateas quaeram*, "in my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loveth… I will rise, and will go about the city: in the streets and the broad ways I will seek," with no forum] This soul had already received the good pledges of charity; but because we ought always to be anxious, always intent, and because the Word of God leaps forth like a little roe, or like a young hart, let the soul be always watchful, and hold out before her him whom she seeks and whom she longs to hold. Therefore, as though lamenting that he had slipped away from her, *In my bed,* she says, *by nights I sought him whom my soul loved.* Let him who seeks well seek in the bed, seek by night: let there be neither a day of rest nor nights of it; let no time be empty of the duty of piety; and even if he has not found at the first, let him persevere in seeking. And therefore she says:

[1891C]

## 2.

*[n: (Vers. 2.)] I will rise up* therefore, *and will seek in the city, in the forum, in the streets.* And perhaps she has not yet found him for this reason, that she sought in the forum, where lawsuits are; in the streets, where the markets of things *1573* for sale are; for Christ is not purchased with money. Let holy devotion suffer no time of preaching to pass by empty. If those who study secular teachings indulge very little in sleep, how much more ought those who long to know God not to be hindered by the sleep of the body, save so far as is enough for nature? David washed his bed with tears through the several [sic: *nocctes*], and rose also in the middle of the night that he might confess to the Lord: and dost thou think that the whole night is to be assigned to slumber? Then the more must the Lord be prayed to by thee, then must protection be sought and fault be guarded against, when it seems to have secrecy. [1891D] Then most of all, when darkness is round about me and walls cover me, must it be considered that God beholds all hidden things. Say not therefore, wrapped about with darkness: Who sees me? And whom do I fear, hedged in and shut up by walls? Because *The face of the Lord is upon them that do evil [n: (Psalm. XXXIII, 17)]*. In fine, if thou seest no witness, dost thou not see thyself? Dost thou not fear the testimony of thine own conscience? Dost thou not know that that gloom of night is not a covering but an incitement of sin? When bodies grow hot with sleep and food, then too the vigor of the mind is loosened by slumber, is dissolved by sleep. Then [1892A] the lust of impure embrace creeps in, then the heart is troubled with the squalor of uncleanness, chastity is not seen, purity is not considered, the glory of modesty is not reckoned.

## 3.

It was night when Judas betrayed, when Peter denied. At that time therefore especially must the justifications of God be woven over again in the mind, and the exhorting commandments be read again: let those precepts concerning chastity not be absent, so that the mind, occupied with these, may quench the blaze of lust, the burning of the flesh. Hold that in mind: *I will wash my bed every night [n: (Psal. VI, 7)]*. For who, given over to debauchery, wrapped up in disgraces, washes his bed every night? He knows not how to weep who commits what must be wept for; and though he himself is a thing to be wept over, he has no tears for his own punishment. But he who chastises his body, and is an anxious governor of himself, and, groaning and [1892B] grieving over the offense of a former fall, seeks how he may wash it away with the weeping of penitence, this man washes his bed every night. Let us not therefore sleep whole nights through, but let us assign the greatest part of them to reading and to prayers. Hear the voice of the Church seeking Christ even by night: *In my bed,* she says, *by nights I sought him whom my soul loved.*

## 4.

Take it according to the letter, that she sought by night by praying, by beseeching, and also by lamenting with tears. She sought by night; because *He made darkness his hiding-place [n: (Psal. XVII, 12)]*, that we might learn to seek him more anxiously. The Church gathered out of the nations therefore sought him in the prophets, and therefore believed. In fine, the Evangelists and Paul set down testimonies of the Lord's coming out of the prophets, whence it is written [1892C]: *For night unto night showeth knowledge [n: (Psal. XVIII, 3)]*. She sought by night, in persecutions and adversities, in tribulations and hard sorrows. It is night for all for whom there is no perfect security; whence the Lord says: *The night will come when no man can work. While I am in this world, I am the light of this world [n: (Joan. IX, 4)]* [var: Vulg. John 9:4-5 *venit nox, quando nemo potest operari. Quamdiu in mundo sum, lux sum mundi*, "the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world"]. Let us not therefore work in darkness; for if our works shine, we do not work in darkness, but in light.

## 5.

It is day for those to whom Christ is present, it is night for those to whom he denies himself. It is no great thing for thee if thou give thanks to the Lord then, when thou art in prosperity and in favorable things: but if thou cleave to Christ then, when a persecutor harries thee, when some storm troubles thee. Hast thou lost a son? In that grief, in that night, in that destitution, remember the Lord thy God; lest, as one not heard, [1892D] thou be ungrateful and transgress in thine affliction. Hast thou been driven into exile? Remember the Lord thy God, lest thou prefer the love of a fatherland forbidden thee before God. Crushed by the power of some rich man, hast thou lost thine own means, dost thou lack the wherewithal to live? Remember the Lord thy God, lest the night of want lead thee away from the affection of devotion. For this is the commandment of the Law, that thou seek the more by night, when thou art the more heard by the Lord, and mayest be able to say: *In tribulation I called upon the Lord, and the Lord heard me in a broad place [n: (Psal. CXVII, 5)]*.

## 6.

But neither does it suffice for grace to seek perfunctorily, [1893A] but that thou press on and bend thyself to the task. In fine, this Church or soul, who sought in the bed, sought by night, did not find at the first; because perhaps she sought in the bed. *1574* But after she rose and went away into the city (see whether it be into that city in which the Lord, about to celebrate the passover, sent his disciples, saying [n: (Matth. XXVI, 18)]: *Go into the city to a certain man* ), after she sought, as I have said, in the forum, where oil is sold, which those awaiting the Bridegroom are wont to buy; where right is, where the laws are. For if the law is spiritual, the forum too is assuredly spiritual, where those skilled in the eternal law dispute. Which forum is not tumultuous with lawsuits, but glorious with the tribunals of Christ. Where did she seek, I say? In the forum, and afterward she sought in the streets, out of which were gathered those who were to come together to the banquet of the householder of [1893B] the Gospel: who, being called, did not think that they should excuse themselves from such a feast. After she sought, I say, in the forum and in the streets, she fell in with those who go about the city, and then at last she was able to find what she was seeking; perhaps because, set in tribulation and fear, she the more finds grace. In fine, she says afterward:

## 7.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] They found me who go about the city; they took away my cloak.* [var: Vulg. Cant. III, 3 *Invenerunt me vigiles qui custodiunt civitatem*; the taking of the cloak stands at Cant. V, 7] She had a struggle, then: but by what reasoning they did not take away her cloak here, I am at a loss to find out; unless perhaps because there she said that she had asked: *Have you seen him whom my soul has loved?* She who was speaking Christ, [sic: *nex*] was not stripped of her cloak, and she found him whom she was seeking. Learn in what manner Christ is sought: by those, surely, who do not seek him perfunctorily, but hold him fast [1893C] by force, as she does who says: *I held him and I will not let him go,* who found him with faith and bound him fast with meditation.

## 8.

If we take them for good guards, they are certainly angels. But he who passed beyond the angels. Found the Word; and therefore there was not much of an interval, when he passed beyond these and found Jesus. How then did they take away her cloak below, unless perhaps because, by the advance of an offense against faith, the Church, while she is stripped bare, is the more loved by the Lord, putting off from herself the old man that she may put on the new, whom sins do not cover but the hidden things of the mind make bright; or because, being about to come to Christ, she laid aside the mantle of worldly wisdom? And he was not stripped of his cloak, after he had begun to be more perfect.

## 9.

Let us therefore be mindful of the heavenly ordinances of justification; that while we sing them with the hidden voice of the mind, we may be mindful [1893D] in the night of the name of the Lord, and may say as it is written: *This was made mine, because I sought out thy justifications [n: (Psal. CXVIII, 56)]*; that is, this remembrance was made mine, that I might be mindful even in the night of thy name, not lulled asleep by drunkenness, not loosed into slumber by feasting, not taken up with worldly cares, lest forgetfulness of the reverence owed to thee should creep upon me: but chastening my members by daily meditation, and exercising the intention of the mind; so that by constancy this course may become a solemn one for us, so that we may reverence the Lord Jesus with our whole affection even in the nights.

## 10.

*In my chamber, in the nights I sought him whom [1894A] my soul has loved.* [var: Vulg. *In lectulo meo per noctes quaesivi quem diligit anima mea*] We can understand it in this way as well. He seeks Christ in his bed who seeks him with tranquillity, with peace. He seeks in the nights, since he was speaking in parables; for *He hath set* indeed *darkness for his covert, and night sheweth knowledge unto night [n: (Psal. XVII, 12)]*. Then, because the things which we say in our heart ought to prick us in our beds.

## 11.

But even so she did not find him, and therefore she says: *I will rise up,* that is, I will raise and lift up my intention, that I may seek untiringly, may seek anxiously: I will go into the city. There is also a soul which says: *I am a fortified city, I am a besieged city [n: (Esai. XXVII, 3)]*. [var: Vulg. Isa. XXVII, 3 *Ego Dominus qui servo eam*] There is a city fortified through Christ; there is that city Jerusalem in heaven, in which the interpreters of the divine law abound, and men skilled in the disciplines, through whom the Word of God is sought. [1894B] I will seek, she says, in the forum of that city, in that forum where those learned in the law handle rights, where the oil is sold which the Gospel virgins buy, that their torches may always shine, and that the smoke of iniquity may not put them out. I will seek, she says, in the streets in which the waters overflow, bursting out from those fountains of which Solomon says that one must drink.

## 12.

*They found me,* she says, *the guards who go about the city.* While therefore she seeks Christ, she finds the guards who are in ministry; from these she asks: *Have you seen him whom my soul loves?* But the soul which seeks God passes even the guards by. For there are mysteries which even the angels long to see, whence Peter says: *They were announced,* he says, *to you by those to whom they preached the gospel, the Holy* *1575* *Spirit having been sent from heaven, [1894C] upon whom the angels long to look [n: (I Pet. I, 12)]*. [var: Vulg. *per eos qui evangelizaverunt vobis* … *in quem desiderant angeli prospicere*]

## 13.

*[n: (Vers. 4.)] How little a while after I had passed beyond them, I found him, I held him, and I did not let him go.* [var: Vulg. Cant. III, 4 *Paululum cum pertransissem eos, inveni quem diligit anima mea*] Therefore he who has passed beyond the guards has found the Word. John passed beyond them, who found the Word with the Father. There are also many others who seek Christ in leisure and do not find him; and they seek him in persecutions, and they find him. And therefore, as if after temptations — because he is present in the perils of his faithful ones — *How little a while,* he says, *after I had passed beyond them, I found him, and I held him, and I did not let him go.* For everyone who seeks, finds; and he who has found ought to cleave to him, lest he be able to lose him.

## 14.

And since through the Gospel we see the heavenly mysteries figured upon earth, let us come to Magdalene, [1894D] let us come to the other Mary. Let us consider in what manner they sought Christ in the nights, in the chamber of his body in which he lay dead, when the angel said to them: *You seek Jesus who was crucified: he is not here, for he is risen: why then do you seek the living with the dead [n: (Matth. XXVIII, 5 et seq.)]*? [var: Vulg. Matth. XXVIII, 6 ends *surrexit enim, sicut dixit*; *Quid quaeritis viventem cum mortuis* stands at Luc. XXIV, 5] Why do you seek in the sepulchre him who is already in heaven? Why do you seek in the bonds of burial him who looses the bonds of all men? Not the sepulchre but heaven is his seat; therefore one of them said: *I sought him, and I did not find him [n: (Cant. III, 1)]*. Yet while they go to bring word to the apostles, Jesus, having pity on those who sought him, met them, saying: [1895A] *Hail.* But they came near, and held his feet, and adored him.

## 15.

Jesus therefore is held, and is delighted to be held so, because he is held by faith. In short, that woman also delighted him who touched him and was healed of the flow of blood, of whom he said: *Someone has touched me; for I feel that power has gone out from me [n: (Luc. VIII, 46)]*. [var: Vulg. *nam ego novi virtutem de me exiisse*, "for I know"] Touch him therefore, and hold him by faith, and clasp his feet faithfully; that power may go out from him to heal thy soul. And if he say: *Do not touch me;* do thou hold him. *For I have not yet ascended to my Father,* he said [n: (Joan. XX, 17)]. Once he said: *Do not touch me,* when he had risen: or perhaps he said it to her who thought that he had been carried off by theft and not raised up again by his own power. In short, in another book thou hast it that to those holding his feet and adoring him he said: *Do not [1895B] be afraid [n: (Matth. XXVIII, 10)]*.

## 16.

Hold him therefore, thou also, O soul, as Mary too was holding him, and say: *I held him, and I will not let him go:* to whom both of them were saying, we hold thee. Go to the Father, but do not forsake me, lest I slip again; and with Mary, who does not stray but holds the tree of life, snatch up with thee her who clings to thy feet. I will ascend with thee, do not let me go, lest again the serpent pour out his venom, lest again he be able to bite the woman's heel, that he may supplant Adam. Let thy soul therefore say: *I hold thee, and I will bring thee into the house of my mother, and into the secret place of her who conceived me [n: (Cant. III, 4)]*; that I may know thy mysteries, that I may drink in thy sacraments.

## 17.

*I held him, nor will I leave him, until I bring him into the house of my mother, and into the chamber of her [1895C] who conceived me.* [var: Vulg. Cant. III, 4 *in cubiculum genitricis meae*, "into the chamber of her that bore me"] What is the house of my mother and her chamber, but the inward and hidden part of thy nature? Guard this house, cleanse the inner rooms of this house, so that when the house has been unstained, and defiled by the filth of no adulterous conscience, a spiritual house may rise up, framed together upon the corner stone into a holy priesthood, and the Holy Spirit may dwell in it. She who seeks Christ thus, who thus entreats Christ, is not left by him: nay rather, she is even visited again and again.

## 18.

Or the house of the mother is perhaps the house in which the discipline of morals shines out: while that secret place is the one in which are the higher mysteries, in which the honey of divine grace gives out its fragrance. Or is not the remission of sins sweeter than all honey? Is not the resurrection of the dead [sic: *floregratior*] than every one? Receive then Eve, no [1895D] longer covered with the leaves of the fig tree, but clothed with the Holy Spirit, and glorious with new grace; because now she is not hidden away as one stripped bare, but comes to meet us as one surrounded with the splendour of a shining garment, because grace clothes her: yet neither was Adam naked at first, when innocence clothed him. And so the daughters of Jerusalem, seeing her clinging to Christ and still ascending with him (for he deigns often to meet those who seek him, and to come down, that he may lift them up), say:

## 19.

*[n: (Vers. 6.)] Who is this that ascends from the desert?* [1896A] Be thou like that soul which stirs up in itself the charity of Christ, at whose ascent the powers of the heavens marvel; that she ascends without stumbling *1576* and ascends out of this world with gladness and delight, like the shoot of a vine, and lifts herself like smoke to the things above, fragrant with the odour of a holy resurrection and with the sweetness of faith, as thou hast it written: *Who is this that ascends from the desert, like the shoot of a vine, made odorous with the smoke of incense, with myrrh and frankincense, out of all the powders of the ointment.* [var: Vulg. *sicut virgula fumi ex aromatibus myrrhae et thuris et universi pulveris pigmentarii*] Beautifully has he expressed her fineness by the comparison of powder and by the mention of ointment; because in Exodus we read of a fine incense compounded of many things, that this is the prophetic incense which is the prayer of the saints, that it may be directed in the sight of the Lord, as David also says: *Let my prayer be directed as incense in [1896B] thy sight [n: (Psalm. CXL, 2)]*.

## 20.

*Who is she that ascends from the desert?* This desert appears as a place of earth and untilled, overgrown with the briars and thorns of our offenses. They marvel, plainly, how the soul which before was being left in hell should cleave to the Word of God, and should have ascended like the shoot of a vine, raising herself into the higher regions, like smoke born of fire and seeking the heights, and should moreover be fragrant with good odours. And that odour of holy prayer breathes out a sweetness which is directed *as incense in the sight of the Lord [n: (Psal. CXL, 2)]*. And in the Apocalypse we read that *The smoke of the incense went up from the prayers of the saints [n: (Apoc. VIII, 4)]*. which are offered as incense through the prayers of his angels, namely upon that golden altar which is before the seat of God. And it is fragrant like the sweet [1896C] ointment of holy entreaty; because it is compounded out of the asking for eternal and invisible things, not for bodily ones: yet chiefly it smells of myrrh and frankincense, in that she is dead to sin and lives to God. Whence also in what follows: *I will go,* he says, *for myself to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.* There follows:

## 21.

*[n: (Vers. 7.)] Behold, sixty mighty men round about her shoot, armed with drawn swords, and trained in the disciplines of war.* [var: Vulg. Cant. III, 7–8 *En lectulum Salomonis sexaginta fortes ambiunt ex fortissimis Israel*, "sixty valiant men surround Solomon's bed"] Consider who these strong men are, and trained in the disciplines of war. It belongs to a strong and churchly man not to dissemble when something threatens, but to look out ahead and, as it were, to scout from some watchtower of the mind, and to meet with provident thought the things that are to come; lest afterwards he say: I fell into this because I did not think it could happen. In short, unless adverse things are scouted out, [1896D] they quickly overtake us. As in war an unforeseen enemy is scarcely withstood, and if he finds men unprepared he easily overwhelms them: so evils unexplored break the mind the more. In these two things, then, lies that excellence of mind: first, that thy mind, exercised in good thoughts, may see with a clean heart what is true and honourable: for *Blessed are the clean of heart, because they also shall see God:* and that it may judge that alone to be good which is honourable. Then, that it be disturbed by no occupations, that it waver with no covetous desires. [1897A]

## 22.

Nor indeed does anyone do this easily: for what is so difficult as to look down, as from some citadel of wisdom, upon riches and all the other things which seem to most men great and lofty? Then, that thou shouldst confirm thy judgment by settled reason, and despise the things thou hast judged trifling as things that will profit nothing? Then, that if anything adverse should befall, and be thought grievous and bitter, thou shouldst bear it in such a way as to think that nothing has happened contrary to nature, since thou hast read: Naked was I born, naked shall I go out: the things which the Lord gave, the Lord has also taken away [n: (Job. I, 21)]; [var: Vulg. Job I, 21 *Nudus egressus sum de utero matris meae, et nudus revertar illuc*] and he had indeed lost both his sons and his goods: and that in all things thou shouldst keep the character of a wise and just man, as he kept it who said: *As it pleased the Lord, so it has been done, blessed be the name of the Lord [n: (Ibid.)]*. And below, *Thou hast spoken as one of the foolish women: if we have received good things [1897B] from the hand of the Lord, shall we not bear the things that are evil [n: (Ibid., 2)]* ? [var: Vulg. Job II, 10 *si bona suscepimus de manu Dei, mala quare non suscipiamus?*]

## 23.

The fortitude of the mind, therefore, is no middling thing, nor one set apart from the rest, that it should wage war with the virtues; but it is that which alone defends the ornaments of all the virtues, and guards their judgments, and which contends in inexpiable battle against all vices, unconquered in labours, brave in dangers, more rigid against pleasures, hard against enticements, to which it knows not how to lend an ear, nor (as the saying is) to bid them hail; which neglects money, flees avarice as a kind of stain that unmans virtue; for nothing is so contrary to fortitude as to be overcome by gain. Often, when the enemy has been driven back and the line of the adversaries turned to flight, while the fighter is taken up with the spoils of the slain, he has fallen, a man to be pitied, among the very men [1897C] whom he laid low: and legions cast down by their own triumphs, while they are busied with the *1577* spoils, have called back upon themselves the enemy who had fled.

## 24.

Let fortitude therefore drive back and trample down so monstrous a pest, and let it not be tempted by covetous desires, nor broken by fear; because virtue is consistent with itself, so that it pursues all vices bravely, as the poisons of virtue. Let it drive off anger as with certain weapons, since anger takes away counsel, and let it shun it as a sickness. Let it beware also of the appetite for glory, which has often done harm when sought too immoderately, but always when usurped. For to be softened by flattery seems not only not to belong to fortitude, but even to belong to cowardice. Seeing in the spirit the camp of these strong men, Jacob said: *These are the camps of God [n: (Gen. XXXII, 2)]*. [1897D]

## 25.

But what are the sixty? We know that the hebdomad belongs to the Old Testament, and the ogdoad to the New — namely when Christ rose again, and the day of the new salvation shone upon all: on which day the brightness of the full and perfect circumcision poured itself into human breasts. Now seven and eight make fifteen. These, then, are the seven and the eight, that is, the fifteen, for which Hosea hired the harlot whom the Lord had commanded him to hire. And so the hebdomad and the eighth signify the consummation of the two Testaments [1898A] and the fullness of faith: while the number fifteen taken four times, which is sixty, signifies the perfection of the Gospel.

## 26.

But what is the shoot round about which these mighty men are? *Nephthalim,* he says, *a vine let loose, putting forth beauty in its bud.* [var: Vulg. Gen. XLIX, 21 *Nephthali, cervus emissus*, "a hind let loose"] One branch of the vine is cut away which seems useless, lest the vine run to waste in an empty exultation of branches, and another is pruned back a little and let loose, that it may bear fruit, whose beauty is put forth in its bearing; because while it lifts itself to the things above it embraces the vine, and climbing to the top it clothes the necks of the vines' yoke-poles with a certain necklace of precious shoot. That one too is comely in its bearing, because with full shoots it pours out many fruits. This is comely, but that other is far more beautiful, which signifies the shoot [1898B] clinging to the spiritual vine, of which we are the branch, and we can bear fruit if we remain in the vine; but if not, we are cut off. The holy patriarch Nephthalim was an abounding shoot, whence Moses also says: *Nephthalim, the satisfying of those who receive, shall be filled with blessing from the Lord: he shall possess the sea and the south-west wind [n: (Deut. XXXIII, 23)]*; [var: Vulg. Deut. XXXIII, 23 *mare et meridiem possidebit*, "shall possess the sea and the south"] explaining what Jacob had said, what *a vine let loose* is, that is, one stripped of the bonds of death through the grace of faith: in which is signified the people of God, called to the liberty of faith and the richness of grace, spread through the whole world, which clothes the yoke of Christ with good fruit, and encircles the wood of that true vine, that is, the mysteries of the Lord's cross, and does not fear the peril of confessing him: but rather, even when set in persecutions, glories in the name of Christ. [1898C]

## 27.

Now these strong men hold swords in their hands, which they do not refuse for the name of Christ, or by which they distinguish bodily things from spiritual, the shadow from the truth. *For the word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two-edged sword, and reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit, of the joints also and of the marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart: and there is no creature invisible in his sight, but all things are naked and open to his eyes [n: (Hebr. IV, 12 et 13)]*. For the word of God is a sword twice sharpened. There are also two other swords in the Church, of which it is said: *Lord, behold, here are two swords,* namely of the churchly power and of the worldly, against which a false mercy fights.

## 28.

There is a just mercy: but there is also an unjust [1898D] mercy. In short, it is written in the Law concerning a certain man: *Thou shalt not have mercy upon him [n: (Deut. XIX, 13)]*. And in the books of Kingdoms thou readest that Saul incurred offense for this reason, that he had mercy on Agag the king of the enemy, whom the divine sentence had forbidden to be kept alive [n: (I Reg. XV, 9)]. So that if anyone, moved by the pleading of a robber's children and bent by the tears of his wife, should think that he ought to be acquitted, while the desire of robbing still pants within him: will he not hand over the innocent to destruction, who sets free a man who is plotting the destruction of many? Assuredly, if he holds back the sword, looses the chains, [1899A] relaxes the exile; [sic: *car*] why does he not take away, by the gentler road that lies open to him, the power of robbing, he who could not wrest away the will? Then, between two men, that is, an accuser and a defendant contending at equal peril of life — the one if he did not prove his case, the other if he were not convicted by the accuser — let not the judge follow that *1578* which belongs to justice; but while he has mercy on the defendant, let him condemn the man who proves the charge: or while he favours the accuser who cannot prove it, let him cast off the guiltless. This therefore cannot be called a just mercy.

## 29.

In the Church itself, where it is most fitting to show mercy, the form of justice ought to be kept as strictly as possible, lest anyone who has been kept back from the fellowship of communion should, by a brief little tear made ready for the moment, or even by more abundant weeping, wring out through the easiness of the priest [1899B] the communion which he ought to ask for over a very long time. Does he not, when he indulges one unworthy man, cause very many to be drawn on to the contagion of falling? For easiness of pardon supplies an incentive to offending. This has been said for this reason, that we may know that mercy is to be dispensed to debtors according to the word of God, according to reason: but otherwise let the sword carry out what belongs to it.

## 30.

*[n: (Vers. 9, 10.)] King Solomon made himself a bed out of the woods of Lebanon; he made its pillars of silver, its headrest of gold, its ascent of purple, its back strewn with jewels.* [var: Vulg. Cant. III, 9–10 *Ferculum fecit sibi rex Salomon*, "a litter"; and Vulg. has nothing answering to *dorsum ejus gemmis stratum*] What is this bed, but the appearance of our body? For in jewels the air is displayed under the appearance of brightness, in gold fire, water in silver, earth by wood; of which four elements the human body consists, in which our soul reclines, [1899C] if it be not without rest upon the roughness of the mountains or upon the dry ground; but, raised on high above the vices, may rest propped upon the wood. Whence David also says: *May the Lord bring help to him upon the bed of his sorrow [n: (Psal. XL, 4)]*; for how can there be a bed of sorrow, when that which has no feeling cannot feel sorrow? Now a body of sorrow is like a body of death: *Unhappy man that I am! who will free me from the body of that death [n: (Rom. VII, 24)]*? [var: Vulg. Rom. VII, 24 *de corpore mortis hujus*, "of this death"]

## 31.

And since we have brought in a verse in which we have made mention of the Lord's body, lest perhaps it disturb any reader that the Lord took upon himself a body of sorrow, let him remember that he both sorrowed over the death of Lazarus and wept, and in the passion was wounded, and from the wound blood and water came out, and he breathed out his spirit [n: (Joan. XI, 35)]. Water for the washing, blood for [1899D] drink, spirit for the resurrection. For Christ is to us one hope, faith, charity: hope in the resurrection, faith in the washing, charity in the sacrament. Yet as he took upon himself a body of sorrow, so also he turned the couch in infirmity; because he turned it to the advantage of human flesh: for by the passion infirmity was loosed, death by the resurrection. And nevertheless you ought to mourn for the world and to rejoice in the Lord: sorrowful unto penitence, eager unto grace — although the Doctor of the Gentiles has laid it down by a saving precept that we must both weep with them that weep and rejoice with them that rejoice [n: (Rom. XII, 15)]. [1900A]

## 32.

*He strewed the midst with charity, for the daughters of Jerusalem.* Who are these daughters? It ought not to be hidden that those seem superior who are [sic: *generali*] beforehand, and weaker those who come afterwards. For the birth-throes of this world are compared to the womb of a woman; since those are stronger who were born in the strength of youth, weaker those born in the time of old age. For this world has failed in the multitude of its begetting, like the womb of one giving birth, and like an aging creature it lays down the strength of its youth, as though the vigour of its powers were now withering. These, then, are the daughters of Jerusalem, that is, the more tender and weaker souls: to these he shows himself, that his image may shine in their confession, may shine in their love, may shine in their works; and, if it can be done, that his whole form may be expressed in them.

## 33.

[1900B]These daughters of Jerusalem, therefore, seeing the bride ascending and not resisting, and delighted by the odours of her merits, recognizing also that she is the bride of that peaceable Solomon, follow after her with sedulous escort as far as the bed of Solomon: because true rest in Christ is due to her. For the bed of the saints is Christ, in which the hearts of all men, wearied by the battles of the world, find rest. In this bed Isaac rested, and blessed his younger son, saying: *The greater shall serve the lesser:* reclining in this bed Jacob blessed the twelve patriarchs: reclining in this bed the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue rose from death: lying in this bed the widow's only son, who had died, loosed the bonds of death when called by the voice of Christ. The bride, therefore, having been brought as far as the rest of the bridegroom, they sing the marriage [1900C] song, saying to the daughters of Jerusalem:

## 34.

*[n: (Vers. 11.)] Go forth and see upon king Solomon the crown with which his mother crowned him, in the day of his espousals.* [var: Vulg. Cant. III, 11 *in diademate quo coronavit illum mater sua in die desponsationis illius*] They sing the epithalamium, and call the other powers of the heavens, or *1579* the souls, to see the charity which Christ has toward the daughters of Jerusalem. Whence he also deserved to be crowned by his mother as the son of charity, as Paul shows, saying: *Because God has rescued us from the power of darkness, and has carried us over into the kingdom of the son of his charity [n: (Coloss. I, 13)]*. [var: Vulg. Col. I, 13 *in regnum filii dilectionis suae*, "of the son of his love"] And so the son of charity is himself also charity: not having charity from accidents, but having it by his own substance, like the kingdom of which he says: *For this was I born [n: (Joan. XVIII, 17)]*.

## 35.

And therefore he says, *Go forth,* that is, go out from the [1900D] anxieties and thoughts of the world: go out from bodily straits: go out from the vanities of the world, and see what charity the peaceable king has in the day of his espousals: how glorious he is, because he gave resurrection to bodies, and joined souls to himself. This is the crown of a great contest, this the illustrious gift of Christ's espousals, his blood and his passion. For who could give more, he who did not even spare himself, and laid down his soul unto death for us?

## 36.

But what is the crown of glory, but the Church which [1901A] crowns Christ her head? What is the delight of the whole earth, but the house of the Christian people, the court of the saints, of whom it is written: *Their sound has gone out into all the earth [n: (Psal. XVIII, 5)]*? Therefore, because the Church is the crown of glory, it is said: *Go forth, daughters of Sion, and see king Solomon, in the crown with which his mother crowned him, in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.*

## 37.

It is said to souls that they should go out from the hovels and prisons of the body, that they should go out beyond the thoughts of the body, that they should depart from covetous desires, and from cares, and from the other passions of this flesh and of slippery affection: that they should climb above the world, go out from this world, meet Christ, be present and ready, shining with burning torches. As though the angels of Christ were speaking, they say these things: You [1901B] cannot see his brightness, his glory, unless you go out from the cares of human frailty, O daughters of Jerusalem. As if they said: *Why do you seek the living among the dead [n: (Luc. XXIV, 5)]*? [var: Vulg. Luc. XXIV, 5 *Quid quaeritis viventem cum mortuis?*] Christ is not sought within this world, who willed his disciples to be above the world.

## 38.

What is the crown with which Christ is crowned, but the crown of glory? Joseph had the crown of chastity, Paul of justice, Peter of faith. There are crowns of the several virtues. Christ alone has the crown of glory, with which the Church crowned him. In this crown are all the crowns; because glory is not the portion of one crown, but the reward of all the crowns.

## CHAPTER FOUR.

## 1.

[1901C] [n: (Vers. 1.)] But now the Bridegroom, turned to the praise of the bride, says: *How beautiful thou art, my love, how beautiful thou art! thine eyes are as doves, apart from silence.* [var: Vulg. Cant. IV, 1 *Oculi tui columbarum, absque eo quod intrinsecus latet*] Beautiful in preaching, beautiful in her manner of life. *Her eyes also,* he says, *are as doves.* They are the eyes of a man, plainly adorned with spiritual senses, which are keen for seeing the mysteries, and ready for penetrating the secret things of divine Scripture, shining with reasonable milk, in which there is no spotted confusion of guile, but the pure and unstained simplicity of a single-hearted affection. Therefore he afterwards mentioned these doves as washed in milk, in an abundance of waters.

## 2.

Now as for the rest — the teeth and the cheeks, and the lips of the bride like a scarlet cord — we understand them to be the virtues of the soul and the diversities of teachers: who either supply spiritual [1901D] nourishment to the mind by sedulous dispensation, or, by the preaching of the Lord's cross, bind the hearer as with a certain cord of the Word: or who are modest in their bashfulness and most pleasing in the flower of youth. And though they be called back from the touch by shame, yet let the odour of Christ be fragrant in them: and just as the ointment runs down upon the cheeks, as from the priestly head, so also let the beauty of doctrine shine out in them.

## 3.

*Thine eyes are as doves apart from thy silence;* which both sees spiritually, and knows that there is a time for keeping silence and a time for speaking; so that it may bring forth its word [1902A] in season, lest by unseasonableness of speaking it be able to incur sin.

## 4.

*Thine eyes are as doves.* Here the simplicity and grace of the dove, that is, of the Church, is revealed. See then the simplicity of the eye: for he who sees a just man and rejoices, himself also wishes to be just: for it is a beautiful thing that a man should be delighted in others by that *1580* which he wishes to keep in himself, if he can: for it is inborn in good men that the modest man should love the chaste, the wise man the prudent, with holy affection, the merciful man the generous, and that they should love their own virtues in others. For very many, indeed, the sight of a just man is an admonition to correction, but for the more perfect it is a joy. For if there is such power in natural things that a living creature, when seen, profits the jaundiced — so that even the body of that creature when dead is said to profit, if it be shown to those who have fallen into [1902B] this kind of ailment — can we doubt that the sight of a just man heals, whose eyes are as doves, simple and modest? Therefore a cheap and irrational animal has such power that it can heal a man in the tiny moment in which it is seen: will a just man, if only he be looked upon with faith by one who desires to receive benefit from him, confer nothing? How beautiful a thing it is, then, that thou shouldst be seen and do good!

## 5.

A just man, then, is a good thing. This, in short, is why the apostle Paul went up to Jerusalem, that he might see just men: and he stayed with Peter fifteen days, that he might gain something from living with him [n: (Gal. I, 18)]. For this reason Paul himself and Barnabas, when they were entering Jerusalem, were magnificently received by [1902C] the Church, and by the apostles, and by the elders: but when they wished to depart, they were begged not to go away, and, as we read afterwards concerning Paul, he was escorted on his way with tears. Do not the very rays of the eyes seem to pour a certain power into those who faithfully desire to see him?

## 6.

But just as a just man gladdens the heart of the innocent when he is seen, so the wicked are tormented by the knowledge of the just, because they are reproved even by the silent conduct of the saints. Chastity torments the incontinent, generosity avarice, faith impiety. Of this too let us take a like example from a cheap living creature. For as we have said that a dumb animal profits when it is seen, so we perceive that the wolf does harm, if he has got ahead of anyone in the seeing; for those whom the wolf [1902D] has seen first are reported to lose their voice. The basilisk also (this is a harmful serpent), if it should see any animal first, is reported to kill it: and it is alleged that a man is slain at once who has been able to be seen beforehand by a serpent of this kind. The serpent itself also is said to die, if it has been forestalled by the sight of a man. Therefore, if there is such power either in the eyes of a serpent or in the eyes of a man, that if the one sees the other first he can kill him: is there no power in the eyes of a just man, who is filled with the grace of virtue — especially since faith works so much that even she who touched the Lord's fringe was healed, and he upon whom the Lord Jesus looked drew at once [1903A] from his eyes the grace of health [n: (Matth. IX, 22)]?

## 7.

But he who sees a just man ought to know what he sees. He does not see him in the body, not in his clothing, not in his patrimony, not in his face: but he sees within. He does not, I say, see him, unless he has seen his mind, unless he has attended to his speech, unless he has been able to grasp his understanding, has been able to take up wisdom from his discourse. Then therefore will he rejoice, when he has looked upon these things, when he has come to know them. So then let us also, whenever we hear of a just man, hasten to see him, like that woman who heard that the Lord Jesus was reclining at table in the house of the Pharisee, and went in, and poured ointment over his feet [n: (Luc. VII, 37 et 38)]. Let us be imitators of her, for who would doubt that in that woman there is a figure of the Church? [1903B] Wherever, then, a just man may sit, wherever he may recline at table, let us hasten to see him. It is a precious thing to see a just man, that thou mayest see him according to the image of God. What is outside profits nothing: what is within heals. Certainly in him who is without we often behold him who is within: so that if we see a poor man, let us honour in the poor man him to whose likeness he was made, of whom he says: *You gave me to eat, because what you gave to one of these, you gave to me [n: (Matth. XXV, 35 et 40)]*.

## 8.

*Thy hair is as a flock of shorn ones, which have been revealed from mount Galaad.* [var: Vulg. Cant. IV, 1 *Capilli tui sicut greges caprarum quae ascenderunt de monte Galaad*] Therefore hair, because the power of all the senses is in the head: for *The eyes of the wise man are in his head [n: (Eccl. II)]*. Deep, then, is the prudence of teachers, which can reveal the things that are obscure, [1903C] and open up the heights of the senses.

## 9.

*[n: (Vers. 2.)] Thy teeth are as a flock of shorn ones, which have come up from the washing, all of which bring forth twins, and there is not a barren one among them.* [var: Vulg. Cant. IV, 2 *omnes gemellis fetibus, et sterilis non est inter eas*] What is said in the literal sense of she-goats is to be understood mystically of the flock of the Church. And let these animals not seem cheap to thee; thou seest that this flock feeds on the heights, bold upon the mountain. And so where for others there are precipices, there for the she-goats is no danger: where for others is danger, there is the food of that flock, there the sweeter *1581* fare, there the choicer fruit. They are watched by their shepherds as they hang from the bushy rock, where the inroads of wolves cannot reach; there fruitful trees supply whole fruit. One may see them swollen with abundant milk, anxious with a mother's love over their tender offspring. [1903D] Therefore the Holy Spirit chose them, to which he might compare the coming together of the venerable Church.

## 10.

And that thou mayest hear it mystically: the hair of the Word is the height, and a certain eminence, of just [sic: *animasum*]; since the understanding of the wise man is in his head. For it is certain that wisdom lies in the height of human thought. And just as she-goats are shorn, that they may lay aside what is superfluous: so also holy Church has a flock of shorn souls, that is, the virtues of many souls, in which flock thou couldst find nothing without feeling, nothing superfluous; since faith has made them wise, [1904A] and spiritual grace has cleansed them from every stain of superfluous things.

## 11.

Rightly, therefore, have the souls of the just been revealed, and revealed from mount Galaad, that is, from the passing over of testimony, in that the heavenly testimony passed over from the Synagogue to the Church. And so on this mountain grow the incense-gum, the resin, and the other perfumes which those Ishmaelite traders were carrying, as thou hast it in the first book of the Old Testament [n: (Gen. XXXVII, 25)]. And so, just as she-goats refreshed with good food and blooming in the warmth of the sun are washed in the river, and rise up out of the river exulting and clean: so the souls of the just come up from the spiritual washing.

## 12.

These are they who truly bring forth twins, in whom there is no barrenness of virtues, no sterility [1904B] of merits. Well do they bring forth twins, because they double their understandings; whence thou hast it written in Proverbs: *And do thou write these things for thyself in threefold fashion, unto counsel and unto knowledge [n: (Prov. XXII, 20)]*. [var: Vulg. Prov. XXII, 20 *Ecce descripsi eam tibi tripliciter, in cogitationibus et scientia*] He set a threefold writing before, and added two things, counsel and knowledge. But knowledge is twofold: one of incorporeal things, the other of corporeal; whence also in what follows thou hast: *Thy two breasts are as two twin fawns of a roe, which feed among the lilies, until the day break and the shadows retire [n: (Vers. 5)]*.

## 13.

We have spoken of fruitfulness; let us speak of the teeth. For very many who sail, and those hastening on a journey by land, when they have seen some beautiful place, linger there for the sake of the delight, they feed their eyes and lift up [1904C] their mind. Nor is any of this reckoned a delay in their travelling, but a favour. So it is our heart's desire also to consider the most beautiful teeth of just souls; for Scripture has taught that the teeth of the just are most beautiful, speaking indeed according to the letter of the patriarch Judah, but spiritually of Christ: *His eyes are merry from wine, and his teeth are as milk [n: (Genes. XLIX, 12)]*. [var: Vulg. Gen. XLIX, 12 *Pulchriores sunt oculi ejus vino, et dentes ejus lacte candidiores*] In which it proclaimed not the services of human flesh, but the gifts of divine grace. The example teaches us, therefore, that the teeth are not to be passed over, where we have discoursed of the eyes.

## 14.

What then are the teeth of just souls, but those which, receiving food shapeless and hard, or often cold, or hot beyond measure, now break it small, now warm it, now temper it, according as the quality of the nourishment has been? They break the hard things small, [1904D] lest the harshness of the letter in the Old Testament and the rigidity of a worldly understanding, if it be not dissolved by the spiritual tooth, should choke the vital parts themselves — the passages of the books of salvation being shut off — and choke a certain gullet of the soul, by a careless voracity. It is fitting, therefore, that thou first divide it, if the food which is taken seems solid to thee, and that thou distinguish it; and that, having softened it, thou pour it without any harm to the soul into all its members by a natural division; so that its whole body may feast upon the vital juice, and that thou take nothing corpse-like, nothing dead, into thy mouth, lest it be said: *Their throat is an open sepulchre [n: (Psalm. XIII, 3)]*. But mayest thou drink in the living word, [1905A] that it may be able to work in the inward parts of thy mind. These teeth are whiter than milk; because they are the teeth of the just.

## 15.

In short, although all our fathers were baptized in Moses in the cloud and in the sea, it is nevertheless not written idly: *That all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink [n: (I Cor. X, 3 et 4)]*; so that a certain greater brightness might come to these teeth of the saints, whom, after the passage of the Red Sea, we shall recognize to have been cleansed by the bitterness of the fountain of myrrh tempered through the grace of the wood *(Exodi XV, 25)*; then by the drink of the twelve fountains, and last by the watering of the rock that poured out a spiritual wave; *For the rock was Christ [n: (I Cor. X, 3 et 4)]*. *1582* Therefore they also ate manna [n: (Num. XX, 11)], that so often washed they might eat the bread, as it is written, [1905B] of angels [n: (Psalm. LXXVII, 25)]. Now too in the mysteries of the Gospel thou recognizest that the baptized, though washed in the whole body, are nevertheless afterwards cleansed by spiritual food and drink; for that is the true brightness of the teeth, where the tuneful confession of a mind well aware of itself resounds. That eye is clean which no beam of grave sins has weighed down, which no mote of light defilements has troubled.

## 16.

*Thy teeth are as a flock of shorn ones, which have come up from the washing, all of which bring forth twins, and there is not a barren one among them.* This is no ordinary praise: first, by the fitting comparison with shorn ones; for we know that she-goats both feed on the heights without danger, and take their food in safety upon sheer crags, and then, when they are shorn, are unburdened of what is superfluous. To their flock the Church is compared, having in herself many virtues of souls, which through the washing lay aside [1905C] their superfluous sins, which bring to Christ mystical faith and moral grace, which speak of the cross of the Lord Jesus. In these the Church is well-formed, whence God the Word says to her: *Behold, thou art well-formed, my neighbor: behold, thou art well-formed; thine eyes are as doves. Thou art wholly well-formed, my neighbor, and there is no reproof in thee;* [var: Vulg. Cant. IV, 1 and 7 *amica mea* … *macula non est in te*] because guilt has been drowned. *Come hither from Lebanon, O bride, come hither from Lebanon, and thou shalt pass through from the beginning of faith;* [var: Vulg. Cant. IV, 8 *veni de Libano … coronaberis de capite Amana*] in that, renouncing the world, she has passed beyond the age, and has passed over to Christ.

## 17.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] Thy lips are as a scarlet cord.* For in scarlet the appearance of fire, and the blood of the Lord's cross, glows red. The lips of the Lord are scarlet, which spoke his own passion. In short, in Exodus scarlet is set in the place of fire [n: (Exod. XXV, 4)]. For the world does not consist [1905D] of scarlet, but of four elements. But in scarlet the figure of fire is expressed, and unless its heat penetrated heaven and the air, the seas and the lands, all things would be dissolved as though their powers were spent. By the cord, therefore, we recognize the bond of persuasion; by the scarlet, either the ardour of desire which sparkles in the minds of the hearers, or the token of the passion.

## 18.

*[n: (Vers. 4.)] Thy neck is as the tower of David, which is built in Thalphioth; a thousand shields hang upon it, all the darts of the mighty.* For the neck is upright toward God, and fit for the yoke of Christ, and is bent by no bending down to the earth [1906A] of enticements; as the royal tower of Christ is, upon which Nebuchadnezzar cannot lay his yoke. For David, that man mighty of hand, founded that tower, and built it above the heights of the walls; that it might be both for defence and for adornment: for defence, because it foresees the enemy and drives him off: for adornment, because it stands out not only among lowly things, but even among lofty ones. Yet it is so for defence or for adornment only if it has in itself the teachings of the word as certain necklaces of trappings: if it has also the darts of the mighty prophets, which are aimed by certain arms of faith against every height that exalts itself.

## 19.

Do not, therefore, bring down into the dust of death thy soul, to which the Lord has granted also a natural height and vigour, by which it may rouse itself and rise up. [1906B] Whence also what is said of this conjunction of soul and body is opportunely taken, in that in the natural mystery of our life the soul, bound to the body, creeps as it were upon the ground and clings to the pavement, partly on account of this earthly dwelling, partly because this body is of earth. Both the lodging of the region, therefore, and the very matter of our body agree with this judgment. And therefore the Apostle beautifully desires to be freed from the body of this death; because we are shut in a certain prison, and, set in a certain hovel of wantonness, we are wrapped in the darkness of our offenses.

## 20.

Let us therefore walk according to the will of God, that we may be said to cleave to God. For he who lives according to the appetite of the body is flesh: he who lives according to the precepts of God is spirit. Let not our soul then become flesh, that is, so that we should be called flesh; like those also who perished in [1906C] the flood, of whom it was said: *That they are flesh [n: (Genes. VI, 3)]*. But rather let our flesh, obeying the governance of the soul, become soul, and deserve to be called by this name; as the household of the patriarch Jacob was called, and the holy posterity of his generation; for so it is written: *These are the sons of Bala, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter: she bore these to Jacob, seven souls.* And in the same place: *And all the souls which entered with Jacob into [sic: Aeyyptum], which came out of his thighs, besides the wives of his sons, sixty-six [n: (Genes. XLVI, 25 et 26)]*. And at the beginning of Exodus we read: *And all the souls from Jacob were seventy-five [n: (Exod. I, 5)]*. [var: Vulg. Exod. I, 5 *septuaginta*, seventy] *1583*

## 21.

Therefore those who dwelt with Joseph and came out of Egypt are souls: but they who, [1906D] though they were angels of God — that is, imitating by the uprightness of their life the grace of the angels ( *For they who [n: (Matth. XXII, 30)] do not take wives, and they who do not marry, shall be as the angels of God in heaven* ) [var: Vulg. Matth. XXII, 30 *neque nubent neque nubentur, sed erunt sicut angeli Dei in caelo*] — they, then, who, though they seemed to be angels, were captivated by womanly beauty, these are flesh, as the Lord God said: *My spirit shall not remain in men for ever, because they are flesh [n: (Genes. VI, 3)]*. [var: Vulg. Gen. VI, 3 *in homine … quia caro est*, in the singular] And rightly are those who have no part in lust compared to angels, for they are not flesh, because they are not in the flesh, but in the spirit: such were those who followed the Apostle as their teacher, to whom he says: *But you [1907A] are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit [n: (Rom. VIII, 9)]*. But those who are captivated by the bodily lust of women are flesh: and would that they were only flesh, and not neighing horses as well! *For,* he says, *they neighed after the wife of his neighbor [n: (Jerem. V, 8)]*.

## 22.

*[n: (Vers. 7.)] Thou art wholly well-formed, my neighbor, and there is no reproof in thee.* [var: Vulg. Cant. IV, 7 *Tota pulchra es, amica mea, et macula non est in te*] But who can reckon any beauty greater than the comeliness of her who is loved by the king, approved by the judge, dedicated to the Lord, consecrated to God. Always a bride, always unwed; so that neither may love have an end, nor modesty a loss. This assuredly is the true beauty, to which nothing is lacking, which alone deserves to hear from the Lord: *Thou art wholly well-formed, my neighbor, and there is no reproof in thee.*

## 23.

*[n: (Vers. 8.)] Come hither from Lebanon, come hither from Lebanon: [1907B] thou shalt pass over and pass through from the beginning of faith, from the head of Sanir and Hermon, from the lairs of lions, from the mountains of leopards.* By these tokens it is shown that the perfect and irreproachable beauty of the virgin soul, consecrated at the divine altars, not bent by mortal things amid the encounters and the lairs of spiritual beasts, but intent upon the mysteries of God, has deserved her beloved, whose breasts are full of gladness; for wine gladdens the heart of man.

## 24.

*And the odour,* he says, *of thy garments is as the odour of Lebanon. Come from Lebanon, O bride, come from Lebanon: thou shalt pass over and pass through from the beginning of faith:* thou shalt pass over into the world to do battle, thou shalt pass through to Christ to triumph over the world. Thou hast heard that he has separated thee from the assaults of lions and leopards, that is, of spiritual wickednesses: [1907C] thou hast heard that the beauty of thy virtues pleases him.

## 25.

*Come hither from Lebanon, bride, come hither from Lebanon: thou shalt pass over, and thou shalt pass through, from the beginning of faith, from the head of Sanir, and Hermoniim, from the caves of lions, from the mountains of leopards;* [var: Vulg. *Veni de Libano… coronaberis de capite Amana, de vertice Sanir et Hermon, de cubilibus leonum*, "come from Lebanon… thou shalt be crowned from the head of Amana"] that is, go forth out of the body, and [sic: *exne*] thyself wholly. For thou canst not be present to me unless thou first be a pilgrim away from the body; since they who are in the flesh are pilgrims away from the kingdom of God. *Come hither,* he says, *come hither.* Well did he repeat it, because whether present or absent thou oughtest to be present to and to please the Lord thy God: be present when present, be present when absent, even if thou art still in the body; for all are present to me whose faith is with me. He is present to me who has gone out from the world: he is present to me who thinks of me, who gazes on me, who hopes from me, to whom I am the portion: he is present to me who [1907D] has been absent from himself: he is with me who is not within himself; since he who is in the flesh is not in the spirit: he is with me who goes forth out of his own self: he is beside me who has been outside himself: he is whole to me who for my sake has lost his own soul; and therefore, *Come hither, come hither, bride; thou shalt pass over and pass through from the beginning of faith.* She passes over and passes beyond the rest who has come through to Christ: she passes over by the merit of faith and by the brightness of works, she who shines like Sanir and Hermon, that is, the way of the lamp: she passes over when the temptations of the world are conquered and the spiritual [1908A] wickednesses overcome, seeking the crown of a lawful contest.

## 26.

*[n: (Vers. 9.)] Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, bride, thou hast wounded my heart with one of thine eyes, and with one hair of thy neck.* For these eyes are the eyes of the mind, namely of the inner man, not these eyes which discharge the service of looking. For there is an eye both of the mind and of the flesh, but that eye is blind which does not see the things that are divine, which is puffed up in vain by the mind of the flesh. There is also another eye, the sense of Christ, by which the Church sees Christ, as he himself says to the Bride: *Thou hast taken us in heart by one of thine eyes.* [var: Vulg. *Vulnerasti cor meum in uno oculorum tuorum*, "thou hast wounded my heart with one of thine eyes"] Rightly is Christ seen with one eye, because he is not seen with the eye of the flesh, or because the Church, having two eyes, the moral and the mystical, sees Christ more with the eye of faith; [1908B] for the mystical eye is the keener, the moral the sweeter.

## 27.

And perhaps these are the eyes with which Paul saw eternal things, when he began not to see temporal things. In short, he who did not see Christ before he lost his eyes, saw *1584* him after he had lost the sight of his eyes; for he saw who said: *Who art thou, Lord [n: (Act. IX, 5)]*? Certainly he saw Christ, whom he also confessed as Lord. And below, *Lord,* he says, *what wilt thou have me to do?* Did he not then see him whose command he was awaiting? With what eyes therefore did Paul begin to see more, save with those which he himself showed us, saying: *I will pray with the spirit, I will pray also with the mind [n: (I Cor. XIV, 15)]*? In short, that thou mayest know that he saw while praying: *It came to pass,* he says, *when I was returning to Jerusalem, while I was praying in the [1908C] temple, I had a dread, I saw him saying to me: Make haste, go out more quickly from Jerusalem; for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me [n: (Act. XXII, 17 et 18)]*. [var: Vulg. *fieri me in stupore… exi velociter ex Jerusalem: quoniam non recipient*, "that I was in a trance… go out speedily from Jerusalem"]

## 28.

These eyes therefore fail for the word of God, and say: *When wilt thou comfort me?* With these eyes the prophets were called seers, because through revelation they discerned with the mind the things that were hidden. But because the eye of the mind and the eye of the flesh are one eye, and man is then upheld by consolation when the flesh and the mind do not desire diverse things, but desire one thing and seek one thing; therefore they are intent upon him who says: *I and the Father are one [n: (Joan. X, 30)]*. These eyes too confess that they are one; because they discharge one and the same desire and office.

## 29.

*[n: (Vers. 10.)] Thy breasts are more beautiful than wine, [1908D] and the odor of thine ointments above all spices.* And below: *The odor of thy garments is as of Lebanon.* [var: Vulg. *sicut odor thuris*, "as the odor of frankincense"] See what advance thou grantest us, virgin! For thy first odor is above all the spices which were sent to the Saviour's burial, and it breathes out that the motions of the body are dead and that the delights of the members have perished. Thy second odor, as the odor of Lebanon, breathes forth the integrity of the Lord's body, the flower of virginal chastity. Let thy works therefore compose a honeycomb of honey. The odor of the garments also is the odor of our acts. [1909A] Bring thy hands therefore to thy nostrils, and with unwearied and ever-watchful eagerness of mind search out the odor of thine acts. The odor of thy right hand will soothe thee, and thy members will breathe out the fragrance of the resurrection, thy fingers will sweat myrrh, that is, thy spiritual deeds will breathe out the grace of true faith. Thou takest therefore, virgin, delight from thine inner body, and thou art sweet to thyself, thou art pleasant to thyself, and thou dost not begin to be displeasing to thyself (which often happens to those who sin).

## 30.

*[n: (Vers. 11.)] A dropping honeycomb, thy lips, bride.* Let thy works therefore compose a honeycomb of honey; for virginity is worthy to be compared to bees, so laborious, so chaste, so continent: the bee feeds on dew, knows no coupling, composes honey. Dew too, for the virgin, is the divine word; because the words of God come down like dew. [1909B] The virgin's modesty is an unviolated nature, the virgin's offspring is the fruit of the lips, without bitterness, fertile in sweetness: the labor is for the common good, the fruit is common. How I would wish thee, daughter, to be an imitator of this little bee, whose food is the flower, whose offspring is gathered with the mouth, composed with the mouth. Do thou imitate her, daughter; let thy words hold out no veil of guile, let them have no wrapping of fraud; that they may both have purity and be full of gravity. Let an eternal posterity of thy merits also be brought forth for thee by thy mouth, and gather not for thyself alone, but for many also for what dost thou know when thy soul shall be required of thee; lest, leaving behind the receptacles of thy granaries heaped up with grain, which will serve neither the use of thy life nor thy merits, thou be snatched away thither, whither thou canst not carry thy treasure. Be rich therefore, [1909C] but for the poor man, that they who share thy nature may share thy means also.

## 31.

*A dropping honeycomb, thy lips, bride.* What the honeycomb is, teach us, Solomon. For thou hast said: *Good words are a honeycomb of honey [n: (Prov. XVI, 24)]*. [var: Vulg. *Favus mellis composita verba*, "well-ordered words are a honeycomb of honey"] And truly a good honeycomb, which the Church eats, redolent of honey gathered by the spiritual richness of many prophets as of bees. This is the honey of which he says: *I have eaten my bread with my honey [n: (Cant. V, 1)]*. [var: Vulg. *comedi favum cum melle meo*, "I have eaten the honeycomb with my honey"] The lips of the preacher drop honey, when the limbs of a fallen soul, bruised by hard mischances or downfalls, are revived. *Thy lips drop a honeycomb, bride, honey and milk are under thy tongue;* [var: Vulg. *Favus distillans labia tua*, "thy lips are a dropping honeycomb"] for the mouth of the just distils wisdom: from the mouth of the just proceed the honeys of sweetness and of mercy: in the mouth of the just there is no guile, no deceit, no bitterness [1909D] of sin. The Church hears the words of the just, the people of God hears the words of the wise man, is delighted by the sweetness of the address, is soothed by the pleasantness of moral discourse, saying: *How sweet are thy words to my throat, above honey and the honeycomb to my mouth [n: (Psalm. CXVIII, 103)]*! [var: Vulg. *Quam dulcia faucibus meis eloquia tua, super mel ori meo*, "how sweet are thy words to my throat, above honey to my mouth" — without *et favum*] For the honey of bees delights for an hour, but its savor quickly *1585* vanishes, and for the most part corrupt bowels are hurt: but the honeys of moral words, though they sting, do not hurt.

## 32.

Know however to whom those things are entrusted; for it is written: *Say nothing into the ear of a fool; lest at any time [1910A] he mock thy prudent words [n: (Prov. XXIII, 9)]*. [var: Vulg. *In auribus insipientium ne loquaris, quia despicient doctrinam eloquii tui*, "speak not in the ears of fools, for they will despise the instruction of thy speech"] For the fool will vomit out and cast back thy word, who cannot perceive its sweetness. How can the words of God be sweet in thy throat, in which is the bitterness of wickedness? How is there *honey and milk under thy tongue,* when thy tongue frames guile; so that thou conceivest one thing in thy breast, and puttest forward another in public speech, that thou mayest deceive the unwary? Since Peter the apostle says to thee that thou shouldest lay aside all malice, and cast off the paint of dissimulation, saying: *As infants born a while ago, reasonable and without guile, desire ye milk [n: (I Pet. II, 2)]*. [var: Vulg. *sicut modo geniti infantes, rationabile, sine dolo lac concupiscite*, "as newborn infants desire the reasonable milk without guile"] For showing us what it is to have honey and milk under the tongue, he teaches that we should know not to curse those who curse, but to render blessing: let us not know how to hate save the way of iniquity, that with a resisting [1910B] affection we may beware of doing what we execrate.

## 33.

*[n: (Vers. 12.)] A garden enclosed, my sister, bride, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed. Thy shoots,* etc. Because in gardens of this kind the image of God, impressed by the seals, shines back in the wave of the unmixed fountain, nor are the streams, bespattered with mire, disturbed by the wallowing-places of spiritual beasts. Hence that modesty, hedged about by a wall-like spirit, is shut in, lest it lie open to plunder. And so, like a garden inaccessible to thieves, it is redolent of the vine, it breathes the olive, it shines with the rose; that in the vine religion, in the olive peace, in the rose the modesty of consecrated virginity may grow. This is the odor which Jacob the patriarch breathed, when he deserved to hear: *Behold the odor of my son, as the odor of a full field [n: (Genes. XXVII, 27)]*. For although the field of the holy patriarch was full of almost all fruits, yet he brought forth crops by a greater [1910C] labor of virtue, this one flowers. Gird thyself therefore, virgin, and if thou wishest such a garden to breathe upon thee, shut it with the prophetic precepts: *Set a guard to thy mouth, and a door of enclosure to thy lips [n: (Psal. CXL, 3)]*. [var: Vulg. *Pone, Domine, custodiam ori meo, et ostium circumstantiae labiis meis*, "set, O Lord, a guard to my mouth"]

## 34.

*A garden enclosed, my sister, bride, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed; thy shoots a paradise of pomegranates, with the fruit of the apples of Cyprus.* [var: Vulg. *cum pomorum fructibus, cypri cum nardo*, "with the fruits of apples, cypress with spikenard"] The Bride is praised in that she is a garden, having in herself the odor of that full field, of which Isaac says: *The odor of my son, as the odor of a full field [n: (Genes. XXVII, 27)]*. A good soul therefore breathes out the odors of justice. And perhaps the field is the patriarch, the garden is the soul of some lesser one, as it were a portion of the field: and *a garden enclosed,* lest it be assailed by beasts: and *a fountain sealed,* she who by the integrity of the seal [1910D] and by the perseverance of faith has washed away her own sins. For he who has received from the Church; has that which he may refer to the grace of virginity; in that, placed in the paradise of delight, she takes spiritual fruits without labor, so that the souls of the patriarchs confer their own fruits upon her by a certain rustic labor of their own soul, whereby she may be able to take perpetual sweetness: who is rightly called a fountain sealed, in that the image of the invisible God is expressed in her.

## 35.

*A garden enclosed, my sister, bride, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed.* All the teachers agree [1911A] upon paradise, and upon the tree of life rooted there and the tree of knowledge, by which one may discern good and evil: and the other trees full of vigor, full of quickening, breathing and rational. From which it is gathered that paradise itself can be seen as earthly, not in any soil, but in our ruling part, by which the soul is animated and quickened with virtues and with the infusion of the Holy Spirit. In short Solomon in the spirit plainly declared that paradise is in man. And because he expresses the mysteries either of the soul and the Word, or of Christ and the Church; therefore he says of the virgin soul or the Church, whom he wished to assign as a chaste virgin to Christ: *A paradise enclosed, my sister, bride, a paradise enclosed, a fountain sealed.* Paradise in Greek is in Latin called a garden. In short Susanna was in a paradise, and so it is read in Latin: and Adam was in [1911B] paradise, and so we read. Therefore let it not disturb thee that some Latin codices have *hortum*, others *paradisum*. There then is the chaste wife, where the virgin also is. Although the virgin, set apart, has her own enclosures and seals, yet both are in paradise; that against the heats of the body and the burning of the flesh she may be cooled by the shades of the virtues.

## 36.

Therefore paradise is in our ruling part, growing wild with the nurseries of very many opinions, in which God chiefly set the tree of life, that is, the root of piety. For this is the substance of our life, if we render to the Lord our God *1586* the worship due to him. He set also a seed-plot of the knowledge of good and evil; for man alone among the other earthly living creatures has the knowledge of good and evil. There too are other [1911C] divers nurseries, whose fruits are the virtues. But because the affection of man, capable of knowledge, was known to God, that it would sooner incline to cunning than to the height of prudence; nor could the quality of his own work lie hidden from him, the judge who set fixed bounds in our soul: he willed to cast out cunning from paradise, as the provident author of our salvation, and to pour in the pursuit of life and the discipline of piety. And therefore he commanded man that of every tree which is in paradise he should taste, but that of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he should not taste. But because every creature is liable to passion, therefore delight crept into human affections as by a serpent's gliding.

## 37.

And so not without reason did holy Moses figure delight under the likeness of a serpent; for it is prone [1911D] upon its belly like a serpent, not walking upon feet, nor raised upon any legs: but slippery, as it were, with the winding bend of its whole body. Earth is its food, as it is the serpent's, since it knows no heavenly meat; for it feeds upon bodily things, and is changed into various kinds of desires, and is bent into tortuous windings. It has venom in its teeth, with which every luxurious man disembowels himself, the glutton slays himself, the squanderer destroys himself. How many have wines burst, drunkenness undone, indigestion distended! Now I understand for what cause the Lord God breathed into the face of man; for there are all the senses, there the seat and the enticement of delight, in the eyes, the ears, the nostrils, and in the mouth; that he might make our senses stronger [1912A] against delight. This then poured cunning into us as the serpent did; for it is not delight, but labor and long meditation with the grace of God, that gives perfect prudence. Yet because the inheritance of the human race is wrapped in the deceits of the serpent, let us in this follow the serpent's cunning, that we cast not our head into dangers, but keep it whole before all else; and our head is Christ. Let this remain unharmed, that the serpent's venoms may not be able to hurt us: for wisdom is good with an inheritance, that is, with faith; since there is an inheritance of those who believe in the Lord.

## 38.

But if the first man, who spoke with God, set in paradise, could fall so easily, created from virgin earth, which had been formed and created at the word of God in a fresh springing forth, that earth not yet clotted with parricidal [1912B] blood and the blood of the rest, not yet polluted with crimes and disgrace, our flesh not yet condemned by the curse of a liable inheritance: how much more easily afterwards, the road to sinning being slippery, did it bring a greater downfall upon the human race, when the worse succeeded the more tolerable through the turns of generation! For if the magnet stone has such force of nature that it draws iron to itself, and pours itself over into its likeness; so that, when many who wished to make trial have brought several iron rings to that stone, it holds them all in like manner: then if to that ring to which the stone has clung thou bring another ring, and again set one under each in order; although the force of nature from that stone penetrates them all in order, yet it binds the earlier ones with a more vehement bond, the later with a slacker: [1912C] how much more has the condition and nature of the human race fallen from a purer state into a worse, the more wicked the state it has reached! For if nature is diminished through those kinds of things which are not capable of guilt: how much more is its strength blunted through minds and limbs polluted with the stain of crimes! Whence, because when malice prevailed innocence had been abolished, there was none that did goodness, there was not so much as one. The Lord therefore came, to reform the grace of nature, nay rather to increase it; that where sin had superabounded, grace might superabound.

## 39.

It is clear therefore that God is the author of man, and that there is one God, not many gods, but one who wrought the world, and one world, not many worlds, as the philosophers say. First then he created the world, [1912D] then the inhabitant of the world, to whom the whole world should be a fatherland: for if today the wise man goes anywhere, everywhere he is a citizen, everywhere he understands what is his own, nowhere does he judge himself a stranger, nowhere a guest: how much more was that first man an inhabitant of the whole world, and, as it is said in Greek, *cosmopolites*, a fresh *1587* converser with God, an assiduous citizen among the saints! planted about with virtues, set over all living creatures of the land, of the sea, of the air, he counted the whole world his own possession, which the Lord watched over as his own work, nor did he, as a good parent and author, desert it. In short he so cherished the creature he had made, that he redeemed him when disowned, received him back when cast out, raised him up when dead by the passion of his only-begotten Son. God therefore is the author of man, [1913A] and as a good workman he loves his own work, nor does the good father forsake him whom, like a rich householder, he has redeemed at the cost of his own inheritance.

## 40.

Let us beware therefore lest that woman, that is, the passion of our senses, herself deceived and mocked by delight, make effeminate that man, that is, the νοῦν, and draw him, circumscribed, into her own laws and judgment. Let us flee delight as a serpent, it has many arts and chiefly in man. For other living creatures are caught by greediness for food; man, since he has more senses of the eyes and of the ears, has by so much the greater dangers. And so beware lest the vigor of thy mind, bent by a certain coupling with bodily pleasure, be softened, and be dissolved into all its embraces, and open its fountain, which ought to be closed and hedged about by earnestness of purpose [1913B] and by the consideration of reason: *For a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed.* For when the sense of the mind is unstrung, bodily delights pour themselves forth, exceedingly destructive, and flowing on into an appetite full of grave danger; and if the considered guard of a living mind had remained, it would have reined them in.

## 41.

*[n: (Vers. 3, 4.)] Thy shoots,* he says, *are a paradise of pomegranates with the fruit of apples, cypress with spikenard, spikenard and saffron, sweet cane and cinnamon with all the trees of Lebanon, myrrh and aloes with all the chief ointments.* The gifts of the soul are praised which were sent by the Bridegroom, with which she came dowered (and to God the good odors are those of a devout soul), myrrh, aloes, saffron and the rest, with which the grace of the gardens breathes, and the stench of sins is done away. And so, made secure by so great a proclamation, [1913C] she asks that the north wind, that heavy wind, be still, lest it shake off the flowers: that the south wind blow, that is, that the winter as it were pass by, and that the mildness of a softer breath come as spring. She invites the Bridegroom into her garden, the bridegroom comes down, and delighted by the diversity of its fruits, he rejoices that he has found a stronger food, and has found a sweeter also. For there is as it were a certain bread of the Word and a honey, one discourse more vehement, another persuasive. There is also one faith more fervent, like wine; another clearer, as is the juice of milk. This food Christ feasts upon in us, this cup he drinks, and by the drunkenness of his draught he provokes us to make a passing over from lower things to better and best.

## 42.

The soul hearing these things drank in the drunkenness of the heavenly mysteries, and as though lulled to sleep by wine, and set as it were in [1913D] ecstasy or stupor, says: *I sleep, and my heart waketh [n: (Cant. V, 2)]*. Then, struck by the light of the Word present, she is roused by the Word. And this is the fourth advance of the soul. For first, impatient of love, and not bearing the Word's delays, she asked that she might merit kisses, and merited to see him whom she desired. Secondly, brought into the king's chamber, while she exchanged mutual speech, she rested in his shadow, and suddenly the Word departed from her in mid-discourse; yet he was not long absent from her as she sought him, but came leaping upon the mountains and skipping over the hills. And not long after, like [1914A] a roe or a young hart of the stags, while he speaks to his beloved, he leapt away and left her. Thirdly, when in her bed and by night, in the city and the market place, in the streets, she did not find him whom she sought, and at length grace by her prayers called back the one who was seeking, so far even that she was called nearer by the bridegroom. Fourthly, she herself, now sleeping, is roused by him, although she was waking in heart; so that at once she heard the voice of him that knocked: but having suffered delay, while she rises (because she could not grasp the swiftness of the Word), while she opens the door, the Word passed by, and she herself went out at his word: and having sought him through wounds, but the wounds of love, at last she scarcely found him, and held him, that she might not afterwards lose him. In sum I have touched upon these things in a compendious discourse, now let us examine them one by one.

## 43.

*[n: (Vers. 15.)] A fountain of gardens, a well of living [1914B] waters, which flow with force from Lebanon.* Thou hast these things in Solomon, since his Proverbs are moral, Ecclesiastes natural, in which he as it were despises the vanities of this world: mystical is his Song *1588* of Songs. Thou hast it also in the prophet: *Sow for yourselves unto justice, gather the vintage unto the fruit of life, light for yourselves the light of knowledge [n: (Ose. X, 12)]*; [var: Vulg. *Seminate vobis in justitia, et metite in ore misericordiae; innovate vobis novale*, "sow for yourselves in justice, and reap in the mouth of mercy; break up your fallow ground"] for this is the light of knowledge, to have the perfection of charity. And therefore it is said: *Fear not [n: (Joan. XII, 15)]*; [var: Vulg. *Noli timere, filia Sion*, "fear not, daughter of Sion"] for charity casteth fear out of doors.

## 44.

But that we may know that Solomon so interpreted these three wells, which Jacob dug, as to refer them to moral and natural and mystical teaching, in each of his books, which he wrote concerning moral and natural or mystical things, he set these wells. [1914C] For in the Proverbs too, when he said that the appearance of worldly enticement must be turned aside, he says: *Drink water out of thine own vessels, and out of the fountains of thine own wells, and let the waters overflow for thee out of thine own fountain [n: (Prov. V, 15)]*. [var: Vulg. *Bibe aquam de cisterna tua, et fluenta putei tui*, "drink water out of thy own cistern, and the streams of thy own well"] And below: *Let the fountain of thy water be thine own, and rejoice with the wife who is from thy youth [n: (Ibid., 18)]*; [var: Vulg. *Sit vena tua benedicta, et laetare cum muliere adolescentiae tuae*, "let thy vein be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of thy youth"] in that true wisdom is a remedy for us against the temptations of the world. Moral teaching also, which may wash away with its own watering the image of worldly pleasure smeared with certain harlot's paints, and wipe it off with the stream of its own fountain.

## 45.

Of natural things too thou hast the same in Ecclesiastes: *I made myself pools of waters, to water from them a sprouting wood [n: (Eccles. II, 6)]*. [var: Vulg. *Exstruxi mihi piscinas aquarum, ut irrigarem silvam lignorum germinantium*, "I made myself pools of water, to water the wood of sprouting trees"] And let it not move thee that he put pools for a well, since Moses too spoke of a well of breadth; because he is loosed from all anxiety [1914D] and from straits who has passed beyond this world with a devout mind. Not without reason therefore has Ecclesiastes pools, who saw that there is no abundance under the sun: but if any wish to abound, let him abound in Christ.

## 46.

Of mystical things there remains for us also the well, which we find in the Song of Songs itself, Scripture saying: *A fountain of gardens, a well of living water, and coming down with force from Lebanon.* For if thou pursue the depth of the mysteries, it seems to thee a well, as though mystical wisdom were set in the deep: but if thou wouldst draw the affluence of charity, which is greater and richer [1915A] than faith and hope, then it is a fountain for thee. For charity overflows, so that thou canst both draw it close at hand, and water with its affluence thy garden, abounding in spiritual fruits. And because he himself is a well of breadth who has charity; therefore he said that where charity is, there a great force comes down from Lebanon.

## 47.

But lest anything move thee, that he called the same thing both a well and a fountain; let the Gospel also instruct thee, in which it is written: *That Jesus came into a city of Samaria, which is called Sichar, near the estate which Jacob gave to Joseph his son [n: (Joan. IV, 5 et 6)]*. And the fountain of Jacob was there: *And being wearied,* he says, *he sat thus upon the well.* Whence we recognize there also that this well is referred to mystical teaching, because there that Samaritan woman, that is, a keeper (and a keeper of the heavenly [1915B] precepts) drew from that well the divine mysteries, knowing that God is a spirit, and is not adored in a place, but in spirit: and that the Messias comes, who is Christ. Having heard these things, that woman, who bears the figure of the Church, knew the sacraments of the Law and believed.

## 48.

*A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and a force coming down from Lebanon.* These forces the Church has drawn down from Lebanon, by this force sins are washed away, by this force of the pure fountain of the Holy Spirit the Bride came from Lebanon, and from the beginning of faith she passed over the world, and passed through to the kingdom. To some spiritual grace is a fountain, to others a well, according to our capacity: to some a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed, to others a fountain of gardens, which is numbered in the Church's dowry: to others a force coming down from Lebanon, [1915C] and a great force which never fails. For the breasts fail not from the rock, nor the snow from Lebanon, nor the water which is borne by a strong wind to the virgin Jerusalem.

## 49.

The force came down from Lebanon, when, the apostles and many believers being gathered into one, there was suddenly a sound from heaven, as though a spirit were borne with great violence, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, who granted diversities of tongues [n: (Act. II, 1, 3)]. A good force, which knows not how to hurt, but knows how to fill. If anyone therefore wishes to merit this force of grace coming upon him from heaven, let him also himself go down with his eyes into the runnings of waters. He who has first poured out this force will merit that one. She went down with her eyes into these channels of waters, she who in the Gospel watered the Lord's feet with tears [1915D] [n: (Luc. VII, 38)], and therefore by the price of her faith bought health for her soul and for her body, flowing now no longer with blood, but with spiritual grace.

*1589.* 50. David the prophet therefore went down, and therefore he brought back grace out of sin. He went down into the channels of waters, that is, he filled them, and heaped up the streams of the running waters with his own tears, or filled the empty and void channels with weeping alone. Or, because he shows certain senses of moral utterance, he went down into the channels of waters, he passed over them. And we might say, he transcended [1916A] them, and passed above them: but the force of the utterance is lessened, whereby a greater force of the affluence coming down than of that going up is expressed. See, I pray, what the words have from usage, that the prophetic discourse may not lose its own force, although usage itself has been accustomed, with greater fitness, to serve the sense of the writers.

## 51.

*A well of living waters;* for a well, if thou draw nothing from it, is easily corrupted by inert idleness and degenerate mould: but when it is used it grows bright to the sight, sweet to the drinking. So too a heap of riches, sandy in its pile, is comely in use, but in idleness is held useless. Draw off therefore something from this well: *For water quencheth a burning fire, and alms resisteth sins [n: (Eccli. III, 33)]*. But standing water quickly breeds worms: let not thy treasure stand, lest thy fire stand. [1916B] It will stand in thee, unless thou turn it away by the works of thy mercy.

## 52.

*[n: (Vers. 16.)] Arise, north wind, and come, south wind, breathe upon my garden, and my spices flow forth.* [var: Vulg. *Surge, aquilo, et veni, auster; perfla hortum meum, et fluant aromata illius*, "arise, north wind… and let the spices thereof flow"] Thou hast heard, bride of Christ, that the beauty of thy virtues pleases him; thou hast heard that he has preferred the spices of thy garments, that is, the good odor of integrity, above all odors. Thou hast heard that thou art a garden enclosed, filled with the produce of sweet fruit-trees. Ask therefore that the Holy Spirit may breathe upon thee, may breathe above thy bed, and may heap up the odor of a devout mind and of spiritual grace. Rouse the Holy Spirit, saying: *Arise, north wind, and come, south wind; breathe upon my garden, and let my spices flow forth. Let my kinsman come down into his garden, and eat the fruit of his fruit-trees.* [1916C] The garden of the Word is the affection of the soul in its spring, and in the fruit-trees is the fruit of virtue. He comes therefore, and whether thou eat or drink, if thou callest upon Christ, he is present, saying: *Come, eat my loaves, and drink my wine [n: (Prov. IX, 5)]*. [var: Vulg. *Venite, comedite panem meum, et bibite vinum quod miscui vobis*, "come, eat my bread, and drink the wine which I have mingled for you"]

## 53.

*Arise,* he says, *north wind, and come, south wind; breathe upon my garden, and let my spices flow forth.* For from all parts of the world the odor of holy religion has grown, with which the limbs of the beloved virgin have been fragrant. Whence the Church also, keeping the loftiness of the heavenly mysteries, casts from herself the heavier storms of the wind, and invites the sweetness of springlike grace; and knowing that her garden cannot displease Christ, she calls her Bridegroom: *Arise,* he says, *north wind, and come, south wind.* Very many take these words thus, as though the north wind were cast out and the south wind invited. [1916D] But if they so take it, the icy harshness of unbelief is driven out from the Church, lest our flight be in winter or on the sabbath, and the southern springtime mildness is invited.

## 54.

Or certainly: *Arise, north wind,* that is, *rise, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead [n: (Ephes. V, 14)]*. Thou people of the nations, who hast long slept before, awake at last, and Christ shall shine upon thee. Lastly all are invited to the Church, both the people of the Synagogue and that of the Gentiles: but the Synagogue's first, because the apostles from among the Jews believed first [1917A] and through them afterwards the peoples of the nations were gathered. See therefore our sun coming to the south, afterwards wheeling round to the north. *Jerusalem, Jerusalem:* he came indeed to her, whom he even deigned to call: but this Jerusalem is the earthly one, which slays [sic: *eccidit*] the prophets, that is, the Synagogue of the Jews: *How often,* he says, *would I have gathered thy children, as a hen her chickens, and thou wouldest not? Behold your house shall be left desolate [n: (Matth. XXIII, 37 et 38)]*. He wheeled therefore to the nations: and in wheeling the Spirit of God wheeled, and was turned into his own circles, that God might become all in all.

## CHAPTER FIVE.

## 1.

*[n: (Vers. 1.)] Let my beloved come into my garden, and eat the fruit of his apples.* [var: Vulg. *Veniat dilectus meus in hortum suum*, "let my beloved come into HIS garden"] Hence Plato framed for himself that garden [1917B] which he called in one place the garden of Jove, in another the garden of the mind; for he called Jove both God and mind. Into this, he says, the soul entered, which he names Venus, that she might fill herself with the abundance and riches of the garden, in which, filled with drink, she might lie, with a drink that poured out nectar. This therefore he framed out of the book of the Songs; in that the soul cleaving to God has entered into the garden of the mind, in which there was an abundance *1590* of divers virtues, and the flowers of discourses. And who does not know that out of that paradise, which we read in Genesis to have the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil [n: (Gen. II, 8)], and the other trees, he thought an abundance of virtues was to be transferred, and to be planted in the garden of the mind?

## 2.

Which garden in the Song of Songs signifies the soul, or the soul herself; for so it is written: [1917C] *A garden enclosed, bride, my sister, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed.* And below the soul says: *Arise, north wind, and come, south wind; blow through my garden, and let thine ointments flow down, let my brother come down into his garden [n: (Cant. IV, 12 et 13)]*. How much more beautiful is this, that the soul adorned with the flowers of the virtues should be a garden; or should have in herself a sprouting paradise, into which garden she invites the Word of God to come down; that that soul, watered by the shower of the heavenly Word and by his abundance, may bear fruit! But the Word of God is fed with the virtues of the soul, as often as he has found the soul obedient to him and rich: and he plucks her fruits, and is delighted with them. And when the Word of God has come down into her, the ointments of healthful words flow down from her, and the breathings of divers [1917D] graces glow, redolent far and wide. Whence the Bridegroom says (and the Bridegroom of the soul is God the Word, to whom the soul is joined by a certain lawful covenant of wedlock):

## 3.

*[n: (Vers. 2.)] I have entered into my garden, my sister, bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my ointments, I have eaten my bread with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, my neighbors, and drink and be drunken, my brethren. I sleep, and my heart waketh.* [var: Vulg. *Veni in hortum meum… messui myrrham meam cum aromatibus meis; comedi favum cum melle meo… Comedite, amici… carissimi*, "I came into my garden… I reaped my myrrh with my spices; I ate the honeycomb… eat, friends… dearest ones"] Let us learn what fruits or foods God feasts upon, or in what he is delighted. He is delighted in this, if any [1918A] mortify his own sin, blot out his own fault, bury and abolish his iniquities; for myrrh is the burial of the dead, and dead are the sins which cannot have the sweetness of life. And certain wounds of offenses are bathed with the ointments of the divine word, and are healed with the stronger food of the word as with bread, and with sweeter discourse as with honey. And Solomon teaches elsewhere too that words are foods, saying: *Good words are honeycombs of honey [n: (Prov. XVI, 24)]*. [var: Vulg. *Favus mellis composita verba*, "well-ordered words are a honeycomb of honey"] In that garden therefore there are good words, one that may restrain fault, another that may rebuke iniquity, another that may make insolence die, and as it were bury it, when one who has been rebuked renounces his errors.

## 4.

There is also a stronger word, which strengthens the heart of man [1918B] with the more powerful nourishments of the heavenly Scripture. *I have eaten the honeycomb with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk.* For there is a persuasive word, sweet as honey, and yet in its very sweetness pricking the conscience of the sinner. There is also a word of more fervent spirit, which makes drunken like wine, and gladdens the heart of man. There is finally a milky word, pure and white. These foods of sweet and useful words the Bridegroom bids his neighbors feast upon: *Eat, my neighbors, and drink, and be drunken, my brethren.* And the neighbors are those who follow him, and are present at his marriage. With which food and drink (for every man drinks [n: (Prov. V, 15)] water out of his own vessels, and out of the fountains of his own wells) the soul, filled and made drunken, was sleeping to the world, was waking to God. And therefore, as what follows teaches, God the Word demanded that her door be opened to him, that he might fill her with his entering. [1918C]

## 5.

Hence therefore those Platonic feasters, hence that nectar out of the prophetic wine and honey, hence that sleep was transferred, hence that perpetual life which he said his gods feast upon, because Christ is life. And therefore with the seeds of such words the belly of his soul was filled, and she herself went out at the Word: and the soul which goes out from that servitude, and lifts herself up from the body, follows the Word. Otherwise, that we may go back somewhat to what is above [n: (Sup., cap. 4)]: *A garden enclosed, my sister, bride, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed.* By which he signifies that the mystery ought to remain sealed with thee, lest it be violated by the works of an evil life, and by the adultery of chastity: lest it be divulged to those to whom it is not fitting, lest it be scattered among the faithless by garrulous talkativeness.

## 6.

[1918D] Good therefore ought the guard of thy faith to be, that the undefiled integrity of life and of silence may persevere. Whence the Church also, keeping the loftiness of the heavenly mysteries, casts from herself the heavier storms of the wind, and invites the sweetness of springlike grace. And knowing that her garden cannot displease Christ, she calls the bridegroom himself, saying: *Arise, north wind, and come, south wind: blow through my garden, and let my ointments flow [n: (Cant. IV, 10)]*: *1591* *let my brother come down into his garden, and eat the fruit of his fruit-trees [n: (Cant. V, 1)]*; for she has good and fruitful trees, and her roots [1919A] which she had dipped in the watering of the sacred fountain, and they have sprouted into good fruits with the bud of a new fecundity; so that they may no longer be cut down by the prophetic axe, but be made fruitful with evangelical richness. In short the Lord, delighted by their fertility, answers:

## 7.

*I have entered into my garden, my sister, bride: I have gathered myrrh with my ointments, I have eaten my bread with my honey: I have drunk my drink with my milk.* Why I have said bread and wine, the faithful understand. But this is not doubtful, that he himself eats and drinks in us, as thou hast read in our case, that he said he was in prison [n: (Matth. XXV, 36)]. Whence the Church also, seeing so great a grace, exhorts her sons, exhorts her neighbors, to run together to the sacraments, saying: *Eat, my neighbors, and drink, and be drunken, my [1919B] brethren.* What we should eat, what we should drink, the Holy Spirit has expressed to thee elsewhere through the prophet, saying: *Taste, and see that the Lord is sweet; blessed is the man that hopeth in him [n: (Psalm. XXXIII, 9)]*. In that sacrament is Christ, because it is the body of Christ: it is therefore not bodily food, but spiritual. Whence the Apostle also says concerning its type: *That our fathers ate spiritual food, and drank spiritual drink [n: (I Cor. X, 3)]*. For the body of God is a spiritual body, the body of Christ is the body of the divine Spirit; because Christ is spirit, as we read: *The Spirit before our face, Christ the Lord [n: (Thren. IV, 20)]*. [var: Vulg. *Spiritus oris nostri, christus Dominus*, "the breath of our mouth, Christ the Lord"] And in Peter's epistle we have: *Christ died for us [n: (I Pet. II, 21)]*. [var: Vulg. *Christus passus est pro nobis*, "Christ suffered for us"] In short this food strengthens our heart, and this drink gladdens the heart of man, as the prophet recorded [1919C] [n: (Psal. CIII, 25)].

## 8.

*A garden enclosed, my sister, bride, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed;* let her not easily open her mouth, nor unseal it with common speech; for it is not fitting that thou answer even concerning divine things themselves, unless questioned by the word of God. What hast thou to do with the rest? Speak to Christ alone, converse with Christ alone. For if it is written that women should keep silence in the Church [n: (I Cor. XIV, 34)]: how much more is it unfitting that a virgin's door lie open, unfitting that a widow's doors lie open! Quickly the plotter against modesty creeps in, quickly he catches up a word which thou wouldst wish to call back. If Eve's door had been closed, neither would Adam have been deceived, nor would she, being questioned, have answered the serpent. Death entered through the window, that is, through Eve's door. Death enters through thy door, if thou speak falsehood, if basely, if [1919D] shamelessly, lastly if thou speak where it is not fitting. Let the doors of thy lips therefore be closed, and let the vestibule of thy voice remain barred, then perhaps to be unbarred, when thou shalt have heard the voice of God, when thou shalt have heard the word of God. Then myrrh shall sweat for thee, then the grace of baptism shall breathe upon thee, that thou mayest die together with Christ from the elements of the world, and rise again with Christ. *Why yet,* he says, *as though living, do ye decree concerning this world? Touch not, handle not, taste not, the things which are unto corruption by the very use [n: (Coloss. II, 20 et seq.)]*. [var: Vulg. *Ne tetigeritis, neque gustaveritis, neque contrectaveritis: quae sunt omnia in interitum ipso usu*, "touch not, taste not, handle not: which are all unto destruction by the very use"]

## 9.

*Let my brother come down into his garden, that he may eat [1920A] the fruit of his fruit-trees.* What are these fruit-trees? Thou wast made a dry tree in Adam, but now through the grace of Christ thou hast sprouted as a fruit-bearing tree. Gladly did the Lord Jesus receive it, and with heavenly condescension answered his Church: *I have come down,* he says, *into my garden, I have gathered myrrh with my ointments, I have eaten my bread with my honey, and I have drunk my wine with my milk.*

## 10.

Eat, he says, my brethren, and be drunken: *I have gathered myrrh with my ointments [n: (Psalm. LXXIX, 9)]*. What is this vintage? Know the vineyard, and ye shall recognize the vintage. *A vineyard,* he says, *thou hast brought out of Egypt,* that is, the people of God. Ye are the vineyard, ye are the vintage: as a vineyard ye were planted, as a vintage ye have given fruit. *I have gathered myrrh with [1920B] my ointments,* that is, unto the odor which ye have received.

## 11.

I have eaten my bread with my honey. Thou seest that in this bread there is no bitterness, but that all is sweetness. *I have drunk my wine with my milk,* dost thou see that such is the gladness, which is polluted by the filth of no sin? For as often as thou drinkest, thou receivest remission of sins, and art made drunken with the spirit. Whence the Apostle also says: *Be not drunk with wine . . . . . but be filled with the Holy Spirit [n: (Ephes. V, 18)]*. For he who is made drunken with wine staggers and totters: he who is made drunken with the spirit is rooted in Christ, and therefore that drunkenness is excellent which works soberness of mind.

*1592.* 12. *Eat,* he says, *my friends, and drink, and be drunken.* A good drunkenness, which makes a certain ecstasy of the mind toward better and pleasant [1920C] things, so that our mind, forgetful of its anxieties, may be gladdened with the wine of pleasantness. Good is the drunkenness of the spiritual table; in short, *how excellent is the inebriating cup [n: (Psalm. XXII, 5)]*! [var: Vulg. *calix meus inebrians quam praeclarus est*, "how excellent is my inebriating chalice"] And elsewhere thou hast: *Make drunk her streams, multiply her generations [n: (Psalm. LXIV, 11)]*; [var: Vulg. *multiplica genimina ejus*, "multiply her fruits"] in that the drunkenness of the earth, when it has been poured in by a heavenly shower, is wont to raise up seeds and to multiply fruits. And so, when the Word, which came down from heaven like rain, has made drunken with divine preaching the veins of our earth, that is, of the soul and of the mind, the pursuits of divers virtues are aroused, and the fruit of faith and of chaste devotion grows up, and rightly is it said to him: *Thou hast visited the earth, and hast made it drunken [n: (Psalm. LXIV, 10)]*. For by the assumption of a body he visited, that he might heal the sick: he made drunken with spiritual grace, that he might soothe the anxious [1920D] with pleasantness.

## 13.

*I sleep, and my heart waketh.* There is also a working sleep of the saints, according to what is written: *I sleep, and my heart waketh.* And according as holy Jacob, sleeping, saw the divine mysteries which waking he had not seen; from heaven to the lands the air going before the saints, the Lord looking back, and promising the possession of that land. And so, sleeping in a short sleep, he obtained what afterwards he acquired with great labor, for his inheritance is the sleep of the saints, keeping holiday from all pleasures of the body. [1921A] from every disturbance of the mind, bringing tranquillity to the mind, placidity to the soul; that, as though loosed from the bond of the body, it may lift itself up and cleave to Christ. This is the sleep of the life of the saints.

## 14.

*The voice of my beloved knocking, open to me, my sister.* Even if thou sleep, if only Christ has known the devotion of thy soul, he comes, and knocks at her door, and says: *Open to me, my sister.* Well *sister,* because the marriage of the Word and of the soul is spiritual; for souls know not the covenants of wedlock, and the practice of bodily union, but are as the angels of God in heaven. *Open,* he says, *to me,* but close to strangers. Close to the age, close to the world. Neither go thou forth outside to those material things, nor, leaving thine own light, seek another's; because material light pours in a dark [1921B] gloom, so that the light of true glory is not seen. *Open therefore to me,* be not straitened, but enlarge thyself, and I will fill thee. And because, having traversed the world, I have found more of troubles and of offense, and have not easily had where I might rest; therefore do thou open, that in thee the son of man may lay his head, for whom there is no rest save upon the humble and the meek.

## 15.

*Open to me, my sister; arise, my neighbor, my dove, my perfect one.* [var: Vulg. has *amica mea* and *immaculata mea*, "my friend… my spotless one," and prints no *surge*] Neighbor by charity, a dove by simplicity, perfect by virtue. *For my head is full of dew;* for as the dew of heaven removes the drynesses of the night, so the dew of our Lord Jesus Christ has distilled the moisture of eternal life upon the nightly and worldly darkness. This is the head which knew not how to grow parched by the heat of the world, whence he says: *For if they do these things in the moist, [1921C] what shall they do in the dry [n: (Luc. XXIII, 31)]*? [var: Vulg. *in viridi ligno… quid fiet*, "in the green wood… what shall be done"] This head therefore bedews others, and for itself abounds. And well does the head of Christ abound; because thy head is Christ, who is always full, and is not drained dry by his own liberalities, nor fails through long-continued largess. Upon this head no iron comes up, which is the instrument of war, the badge of discord. Now look, and see of what sort that dew is, namely, not of common moisture.

## 16.

*But my locks are of the drops of the night.* [var: Vulg. *cincinni mei guttis noctium*, ablative and with "nights" plural] Do not, my neighbor, take these locks to be locks of bodily hairs: those are not ornaments, but crimes; the pandering of beauty, not the precepts of virtue. The Nazirite has other locks, upon which no iron comes up, which no one cuts away: locks not arranged with the curling-iron or ordered by art, but which shone forth curling with the manifold grace of gleaming virtues. [1921D] Learn in the history what manner of locks the Nazirite has, which, so long as Samson kept them untouched, he could never be overcome. He lost his locks, and lost the merit of his virtue [n: (Jud. XVI, 17)].

## 17.

[n: (Vers. 3.)] Therefore, when the voice of the Word has been heard, seek not how thou mayest put on the tunic which thou hadst put off by night; for it is shown, and frequently offered through spiritual wickedness, how — how, I say, thou mayest put it on: forget it and know it not; as though the Lord were already standing by, do thou, free of bodily bonds, rise up troubled, [1922A] and prepare the inward mind by prayers while thou risest; that from lowly things thou mayest strive toward the things above, and be zealous to open the doors of thy heart. While *1593* thou stretchest out thy hands to Christ, thy deeds shall breathe a faithful odor.

## 18.

*Open to me, my sister.* When thou desirest to meet one of the foremost men, dost thou not first draw near to his house: afterwards thou seekest to be informed and instructed, that thou mayest learn the mind of the master of the house: then, that thou mayest enter his house, thou entreatest that no one cast thee off and shut thee out. Knock thou therefore also at that heavenly palace; knock not with the hand of the body, but with a certain right hand of thy prayer. Not the hand of the body alone knocks; the voice knocks also, for it is written: *The voice of my brother knocks at the door.* [var: Vulg. Cant. 5:2 *Vox dilecti mei pulsantis*, "the voice of my beloved knocking"] We knock also with the finger. In short, [1922B] Thomas too deserved with his finger to open the door of the resurrection: and Jesus says to thee: *Put thy finger hither, and put it into my hands and my side, and be not unbelieving, but faithful [n: (Joan. XX, 27)]*. [var: Vulg. *et vide manus meas, et affer manum tuam, et mitte in latus meum*, "and see my hands, and bring thy hand, and put it into my side"] Knock therefore with thy finger, if thou canst not with the whole hand; knock at the door. Christ is the door, who says: *By me if any man shall enter in, he shall be saved [n: (Joan. X, 9)]*.

## 19.

When therefore thou hast knocked at this door, see how thou enterest; lest perchance, even having entered, thou be outside the sight of the king. Many enter palaces, and do not straightway see that king of the earth, but often keep watch, that at some time they may deserve to see him. Nor do they presume upon the opportunity of seeing him, but are presented at his bidding, and pour out a petition; that they may be received with good will, being careful of the first approaches of their speech; [1922C] that nothing stumble, that nothing give offense: how much more must God be entreated, that our prayer may enter the door of his mercy!

## 20.

*The voice of my brother knocks at the door.* Learn thou also, O bride of Christ, to bar thy door in the times of night; lest anyone easily find it lying open. The Bridegroom himself wills it to be shut when he knocks. Our door is our mouth; it ought to be opened to Christ almost alone, nor let it be opened unless the Word of God has first knocked. *The voice of my brother knocks at the door.* Hear him knocking, hear him desiring to come in.

## 21.

*[n: (Vers. 2.)] Open to me, my sister, my bride, my dove, my perfect one; for my head is full of dew, and my hair of the drops of the night.* Consider when God the Word most of all knocks at thy door: when [1922D] his head has been filled with the nightly dew. For he deigns to visit those set in tribulation and temptations; lest anyone perchance succumb, overcome by hardships. His head therefore is filled with dew or with drops, when his body labors. Then therefore must we keep watch, lest, when the Bridegroom has come, he depart shut out. For if thou sleep, and thy heart do not keep watch, he departs before he knocks: if thy heart keep watch, he knocks, and demands that the door be opened to him.

## 22.

We have therefore a door of our soul; we have also gates, of which it is said: *Lift up your gates, ye princes, [1923A] and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting gates, and the King of glory shall enter in [n: (Psal. XXIII, 7)]*. There is therefore also a heaven in those in whom are the everlasting gates. If thou wilt raise up these gates of thy faith, the King of glory shall enter in to thee, bearing the triumph of his own passion. For justice has gates, for of these too we read it written, the Lord Jesus saying through his prophet: *Open to me the gates of justice [n: (Psal. CXVII, 19)]*. And below the prophet David says: *Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Sion; for he hath strengthened the bolts of thy gates [n: (Psal. CXLVII, 12)]*.

## 23.

There is therefore a soul which has a door, there is one which has gates. To this door Christ comes, and knocks: he knocks also at the gates. Open therefore to him; he wills to enter, he wills to find the Bride keeping watch. Do not therefore [1923B] make delays for a good lover: he quickly withdraws; and thou by the sleep of thy body shalt be seen to have shut out him who knocks. For thou dost shut him out when thou art slothful, when lazy, when drowsy. By these bars Christ is shut out: if thou be chaste and sober, beware lest thou be negligent. He does Christ the greater injury who repels him at his coming.

## 24.

*Open to me, my sister, my neighbor:* he knocks at the door even when thou sleepest: if only, being roused, thou awake, or, being called, thou open the door of thy breast, he will enter in. But if thou flee the prophetic reading, if thou read not at home, if thou be unwilling to hear in the Church — art thou not like him who winks with averted gaze, that he may not see what he could see, and shuts his eyes lest he look, though the power of seeing is his: or as many in a rage have cast their hands upon their own eyes; so thou too at first turnest away [1923C] rather by a winking dissimulation than by an abrupt refusal. For when thou comest to the Church and assertest that thou art *1594* a Christian, thou seemest whole, thou openest the eyes with which thou couldst see: but while thou dissemblest to hear the things that are read, thou closest them lest thou see for thyself, even if to others thou seem to see. Thou castest also certain hands of faithlessness and intemperance upon the eyes of thy soul, and bringest upon thy heart a blindness (which is the graver thing) that is voluntary; so that seeing thou seest not, hearing thou hearest not.

## 25.

Dost thou think that thou art alone when thou committest fornication, and dost not remember that the eyes of the Lord behold the round earth? Dost thou not hear him who says: *Behold, the hour comes that ye be scattered every man to his own, and leave me alone: but I am not alone, for the Father is with me [n: (Joan. XVI, 32)]*. The Father therefore is present, the Son of God also is present, the ministers are present, [1923D] the Cherubim and Seraphim are present, who say. *Holy, holy, holy, the earth is full of thy majesty [n: (Esai. VI)]*. [var: Vulg. *plena est omnis terra gloria ejus*, "the whole earth is full of his glory"] For the world is full of virtues, because it is full of wickednesses: the round earth is full of remedies, because it is full of snares.

## 26.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] I have put off my tunic, how shall I put it on?* [var: Vulg. *Expoliavi me tunica mea: quomodo induar illa?*, passive, "how shall I be clothed with it?"] For indeed in this night of the world the garment of bodily life must first be put off by thee; for the Lord put off flesh from himself, that for thee he might triumph over the dominations and powers of this world. *How shall I put it on?* See, O soul devoted to God, what she says. [1924A] So has she put off the acts of the body and earthly manners, that she knows not how, even if she should wish it, she could put them on again. *How shall I put it on?* That is: with what shame, with what modesty, with what memory at the last? For the habit of good has lost the use of the old depravity.

## 27.

The soul, hearing *Open to me,* having a head full of dew — that is, of worldly temptations — suddenly troubled, and as one about to rise who was bidden to rise, says, while she gave off the scent of aloes and myrrh, the badge of burial: *I have put off my tunic, how shall I put it on: I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?* For she fears lest she rise again into temptations, lest she return again into fault and sin, and begin to defile her goings-out and the advances of her virtues with earthly footprints. [1924B]

## 28.

Assuredly in this way also she declares the perfection of her virtue, in that she has deserved so great a charity of Christ; that he comes to her, and knocks at her door, and comes with the Father, and sups with that same soul, and she with him, as John the apostle said in the Apocalypse [n: (Apoc. III, 20)]. For indeed, when she had heard in the passages above: *Be here from Lebanon;* [var: Vulg. *Veni de Libano, sponsa, veni de Libano*, "Come from Lebanon, my bride, come from Lebanon"] and when she perceived that she could not be present to Christ in the flesh, but was then present if she were present in the spirit, conforming herself to his will, that she too might be conformed to the image of Christ; now she does not feel the spoils of the flesh, now, as it were a spirit stripping itself of the conjunction of the body, now as one forgetful, and one who, if she wished, could not remember that coupling, she says: *I have put off my tunic, how shall I put it on?* For I have put off that garment of skins which Adam and Eve received after [1924C] their fault, the tunic of corruption, the tunic of the passions; *How shall I put it on?* She does not ask to put it on: but so signifies it cast away, that now it could not be a garment for her.

## 29.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?* That is: I have washed my footsteps, while I was going out, and lifting myself from the fellowship of the body, from that connection and familiarity of the carnal embrace: how shall I defile them, so as to return into the enclosure of the body and that dark prison of its passions? So do we bury the passions, if we do not loose the cross of this body; if we do not write again, upon the cross of Christ, the bond of sin which has been blotted out; if we do not put on the garment of the old man which we have put off. For it is written in the Canticles: *I have put off my tunic, [1924D] how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?* The members of the body therefore have been mortified: why do its vices sprout up? Therefore the law did not prevail, because it did not mortify the flesh: therefore it passed by like a shadow, because it did not discolor: and therefore it overshadowed us from the sun of justice, because it heaped up crimes.

## 30.

Sometimes to be naked is a sign of virtue, because it is written: *I have put off my tunic, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?* What tunic therefore she has put off, and how she has not found in what manner [1925A] to put it on, let us disclose from the Scriptures if we can. For there is a certain bodily tunic, there are certain woven veils of desires; and therefore it is sometimes better to be naked in body than veiled in heart. Whence Paul too admonishes us that it is *1595* much better to be stripped than to be clothed over, saying elsewhere: *Stripping yourselves of the old man with his acts, put on the new, who is renewed unto knowledge, according to the image of him who created him.* [var: Vulg. *et induentes novum*, a participle, "and putting on the new"] Therefore she who has been stripped, and has her feet washed, knows not how she may not be defiled; for by grace she forgets what she had drawn in by nature.

## 31.

*I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?* Thou hast learned in the Gospel that to wash the feet is a mystery of faith, a badge of humility, according to what is written: [1925B] *If I, the Lord and master, have washed your feet, how much more ought you to wash one another's feet [n: (Joan. XIII, 14)]*! [var: Vulg. *et vos debetis alter alterius lavare pedes*, "you also ought to wash one another's feet"] But this pertains to humility. As to the mystery, however, he ought to wash his feet who wishes to have part with Christ: *For if I shall not wash,* he says, *thy feet, thou shalt not have part with me [n: (Ibid. 8)]*. [var: Vulg. *Si non lavero te*, "If I wash thee not"] When this is said to Peter, what is judged of us? He therefore who has washed his feet has no need to wash again; and therefore let him beware lest he defile them.

## 32.

And well does holy Church say: *I have washed my feet;* she does not say, how shall I wash them again, but *how shall I defile them again?* As one forgetful of the old stain, forgetful of the contagion, she admonishes how in a bodily ministry we ought to wash away the spiritual trace of our acts. And so, when once thou hast washed thy feet [1925C] with the watering of the eternal fountain, and hast cleansed them by the sacrament of the mystery, beware again of the filth of bodily desire, lest thy miry acts be defiled with earthly squalor. These are the feet which David washed in the spirit, who teaches thee how thou canst not defile them, saying: *Our feet were standing in thy courts, O Jerusalem [n: (Psal. CXXI, 2)]*. Assuredly understand here the feet not of the body but of the mind; for how should an earthly man have the feet of the body in heaven? Jerusalem, as Paul has taught thee, is in heaven: and the same has taught thee how thou canst stand in heaven, when he says: *But our conversation is in heaven [n: (Philip. III, 20)]*. The conversation of manners, the conversation of deeds, the conversation of faith.

## 33.

*I have done judgment and justice, deliver me not [1925D] to them that slander me.* Where justice is, there is mercy. Mercy frees from sin. How therefore am I delivered to sinners? Like to this is that in the Canticles: *I have put off my tunic, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?* I have put off the tunic of the sinner, and the veil of the earthly man; why am I adjudged as though a sinner and an earthly man? I have washed my feet, that no lot of sin might cleave to my footstep; why dost thou give power over me to them that offend?

## 34.

Jeremiah in his Lamentations says: *Thy iniquity hath failed, [1926A] O daughter of Sion; he shall no more add to drive thee out: he hath visited thine iniquities, O daughter of Edom, he hath revealed upon thy sins [n: (Thren. IV, 21)]*. [var: Vulg. *Completa est iniquitas tua… discooperuit peccata tua*, "Thy iniquity is accomplished… he hath uncovered thy sins"] Dost thou observe that iniquity could not fail without God's visitation, nor the correction be full, save through the grace of the Lord and Savior? But how iniquity fails, hear the Church saying: *I have put off my tunic, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?* The garment of the old man, therefore, woven through with the vices of error, laid down in the regeneration of the laver, she knows not how she could put on; for by the zeal of correction a forgetfulness of sins had grown up in her. So great is the force of a completed amendment, that she returns to a certain age of spiritual childhood, which knows not the ways of error; even if she wished, she could not admit a crime, because use has grown unaccustomed [1926B] to knowing how to sin.

## 35.

*[n: (Vers. 4.)] My brother put his hand in from the lookout, and my belly was troubled over him. I myself rose up to open to my brother. My hands dropped myrrh, my fingers were full of myrrh.* [var: Vulg. *Dilectus meus misit manum suam per foramen, et venter meus intremuit ad tactum ejus*, "My beloved put his hand through the opening, and my belly trembled at his touch"] First therefore he puts in his hand as though from a lookout, when God is estimated from his works, whence he says: *If ye believe not me, believe the works [n: (Joan. X, 38)]*. [var: Vulg. *et si mihi non vultis credere*, "and if you will not believe me"] Then love is increased, and, conceived in the innermost bowels, grows up. Thereupon, his seeds having been poured into the intelligible womb in which is the receptacle of the Word, our soul desires to drink in his fullness dwelling bodily; for the womb of women is not troubled, save the wombs of those who have been heavy in the belly. The soul therefore rises to open to the Word of God, but while she spreads herself out and [1926C] opens, that she may mortify the works of this world by the reception of the Word, like him who says: *We carry about the mortification of the Lord Jesus in our body [n: (II Cor. IV, 19)]*. Therefore, while she opens, the Bridegroom passes by; for he wills always to be sought, and more frequently to be found. And if he shall have found the door shut, he knocks; and if through delay *1596* he has been shut out, he withdraws; but quickly he returns, to him he knocks again, that at least afterwards he may find his Bride prepared.

## 36.

It can indeed be taken thus also, *My brother passed by:* as we read that he penetrated the inmost marrow of the beloved, in the manner in which it was said to Mary: *And a sword shall pierce through thy own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed [n: (Luc. II, 35)]*. [var: Vulg. *ex multis cordibus*, "out of many hearts"] In short, the Bride added that her soul had gone out at his word, which happens when the soul is a pilgrim from [1926D] the body and is present to God. Hearing these things the Bridegroom sent his operation, the Word, as through a cave, not yet face to face: he sent it as it were a hand, *And my belly,* she says, *was troubled over him.* Whosoever so lives can say:

## 37.

*My brother put his hand through the lookout, and my belly was troubled at him: I rose to open to my brother.* It is good that at the coming of the Lord the inward parts be troubled. If Mary was troubled at the coming of the angel, how much more are we troubled at the coming [1927A] of Christ! For when the things of God flow in, bodily affection goes into exile, and that habit of the outward man grows out of use. Do thou also be troubled, do thou make haste. Those men are bidden to eat the lamb in haste. Rise, open: Christ is at the door, he knocks at the porches of thy house: if thou shalt open, he will enter in, and will enter in with the Father. Nor only when he has entered does he leave a reward: but even before he enters he sends the reward on ahead. Still the soul is troubled, still she gropes along the walls of her house, still she seeks the door where Christ is, still she looses the bond of the flesh and the enclosure of the body, still Christ knocks outside.

## 38.

What is our window, but that through which we see the works of Christ, namely the eye of the soul and the gaze of the mind? And therefore, O virgin, let Christ come in through thy window, [1927B] let Christ put in his hand: let the love of the Word come to thee through the window, not the love of the body. If therefore the Word of God puts in his hand through thy window, see how thou preparest thy windows, see how thou oughtest to wipe them clean from every dust of offenses. Let the windows of a virgin have nothing foul, nothing adulterate. Far off be the antimony and the other trifles of an affected comeliness, far off the enticements of an adulterate love. Like to this is the closing of the ears, on which no burdens are to be hung, no wounds to be fixed, but there is one adornment: to hear what profits.

## 39.

*[n: (Vers. 6.)] I opened,* she says, *to my brother; my brother passed by.* How he passed by: that is, he penetrated the inward parts of the mind, as it was said to Mary: *And a sword shall pierce through thy own soul.* For the living Word of God, [1927C] like a sharp sword, penetrating the bars of bodily thoughts, searches out the inward parts of the heart. Set therefore in thy chamber and in the time of night, meditate always upon Christ, and hope for his coming at every moment. If he seems to thee to delay, rise up. He seems to delay when thou sleepest long: he seems to delay when thou art idle from prayer: he seems to delay when thou dost not lift up thy voice in psalms. Dedicate to Christ the firstfruits of thy watchings, offer to Christ the firstfruits of thy acts.

## 40.

*[n: (Vers. 5.)] I myself rose up to open to my brother; my hands dropped myrrh, my fingers are full of myrrh upon the hands of the fastening.* [var: Vulg. *digiti mei pleni myrrha probatissima*, "my fingers full of the choicest myrrh"] Let us consider what this signifies. First, as I have said, God the Word is seen in his own works as through a cave, not fully [1927D] and perfectly: then love is increased and the conception grows, and out of his seeds, which the soul has received in a certain intelligible womb, she desires to see the whole fullness of his divinity dwelling in him bodily, as we read. She rose that she might see that Word of God more closely, and in this very thing her advance is signified, that she rose by vigor and strength; for the presence of the Word drew forth the strength of the soul, as the presence of Mary, when she was heavy with the womb, instructed John set within the womb: so far that he leapt out of the womb and exulted, recognizing the presence of the Lord. [1928A]

## 41.

She rose to open, and her works and deeds were mortified to the world. For such ought the soul to be which is to receive the Word: that she die to the world, and be buried together in Christ; for thus is Christ found, and such a lodging does he seek for himself. Then the very ministries of her operations, that is, the hands and the fingers by which Christ is grasped, are mortified: which fingers we may reckon as the eminent works *1597* of our deeds. And so, as it were out of her own embrace, when she was already stretching out her intelligible hands and fingers to grasp the Word, the devout soul says that it passed by her, yet not that it had as yet passed through. And this advance it has, when the Word of God passes by and passes through the soul, because it is written: *And a sword shall pierce through thy own soul, that the thoughts of many [1928B] hearts may be revealed [n: (Luc. II, 35)]*. Hence there is as yet a passing by, not a passing through; as in Mary, in the later things, there is perhaps a passing through, where the Lord Jesus is set as a seal in the midst of her.

## 42.

In short, straightway there is another advance of the Word passing through, in that the soul went out at his Word; that is, following his Word she went out of the body, lifting herself out of its habitation, and making herself a pilgrim to it, that she might be present to God, and be a fellow-citizen of the saints. For we cannot at once be of the household both of the flesh and of God. Therefore in this place the soul is signified to go out, as I have said, when she withdraws herself from the pleasures of the body. In short, it is written: *Go out of Babylon, fleeing from the Chaldeans [n: (Esai. XLVIII, 20)]*. [var: Vulg. *Egredimini de Babylone, fugite a Chaldaeis*, both plural imperatives] Not indeed that the Hebrew should flee the regions of Babylon, but its manners, as he is admonished by the prophetic [1928C] address: since indeed there are those who are Hebrews in Babylon, and teach by their manners that they have gone out of Babylon. For those too of whom the prophet says that *they sat upon the rivers of Babylon [n: (Ps. CXXXVI, 1)]* sat indeed in the region of Babylon, but were not in its vices and confusion. For how were they in that confusion of vices, who wept, doing penance, because they had fallen away from the ark of devotion and faith, and from the merits of their fathers' virtue? But the soul which goes out at the word seeks the Word; whence she also, while she was seeking, fell in with the guards who go about the city.

*[n: (Vers. 7.)] The guards who go about the city found me, they struck me, and wounded me, and the guards of the walls took away my cloak from me.* Well indeed did she come as a bride with a cloak, with which she might veil [1928D] her head when the bridegroom should meet her; as Rebecca, who, having learned that Isaac was coming to meet her, came down from the camel and covered herself with a cloak: so this soul too sent before her the badges of the nuptial garment, lest perchance she be cast out as not having a wedding garment; or that she might veil her head because of the angels. But they struck her, that she might be the more tested; for souls are exercised by temptations. They took her cloak from her, seeking whether she brought the true beauty of naked virtue, or because one ought to enter that heavenly city without a covering, bringing with him no coverings [1929A] of paint. There are also those who search out whether any soul carries with her the spoils of carnal enticement and bodily concupiscence. She is stripped of her cloak when her conscience is made manifest. But there is one who is well stripped, to whom it is permitted to imitate him who says: *For the prince of this world comes, and in me he finds nothing [n: (Joan. XIV, 30)]*; [var: Vulg. *et in me non habet quidquam*, "and in me he hath not anything"] for assuredly he found nothing in him alone who did no sin.

## 44.

Blessed also is she in whom he finds nothing grievous or manifold, but finds in her the garment of faith and the discipline of wisdom. And so without loss to herself (because even if one should wish it, he cannot take away true wisdom), though the adversary clamor; yet where the true integrity of a harmless conversation shines out, she has passed the guards, and, mingled with the daughters of that heavenly city, seeks the Word; [1929B] and by seeking she stirs up his charity within herself, and learns where she may seek the Word. It is not only an injury not to have found him whom thou seekest, but very often to have sought where one ought not is itself a wound: to have sought in the houses of men who falsely take to themselves the name of teachers, to have sought more boldly than modestly. Therefore let us beware, by her example, lest the guards who go about the city find us.

## 45.

*They found me,* she says, *the guards who go about the city: they struck and wounded me, and the guards of the walls took away my cloak from me.* Not in herself, O daughters, but in us is the Church wounded. Let us therefore beware lest our fall become the Church's wound, lest anyone take from us the cloak, that is, the garment of prudence, the badge of patience, by which the ambition of a softer [1929C] garment is put off: for *They who are clothed in softer garments are in the houses of kings [n: (Matth. XI, 8)]*. [var: Vulg. *qui mollibus vestiuntur*, "they who are clothed in soft things"] But to us Christ has given the cloak with which he himself clothed his apostles and his own body, which in short he bids thee give, if any man asks thy tunic, that thou leave him the cloak also [n: (Matth. V, 40)]; that is, that thou hand over the badge of thy philosophy, and clothe him about, as with the garment of thy prudence, *1598* who before was naked.

## 46.

There therefore, O daughters, let us seek Christ where the Church seeks him, on the mountains of good odor, which by the sublimity of their lofty deeds breathe out the sweet odor of life according to the summits of their merits. She who seeks Christ ought not to be common, ought not to be in the market or in the streets, querulous of voice, slippery of step, easy of approach, cheap of aspect. The Apostle denies thee earthly fellowship, and teaches that beyond the bounds, almost, of nature [1929D] we must fly up to heaven on spiritual wings. *Mind the things that are above,* he says, *not the things that are upon the earth [n: (Colos. III, 2)]*. But because this was impossible for those shut up in this enclosure, as it were, of the body, and because when bodies are dead the soul is said to fly back to the things above, being bound by a certain law of our nature while we live, therefore he added: *For you are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God [n: (Ibid., 3)]*. If it is hidden with Christ in God, let it not appear to the world, for Christ is dead to the world, and lives to God. See now how Christ loves to be desired, and loves not [1930A] idle talk. That virgin opened her doors to the Word of God: but *he passed by,* she says, *and my soul went out at his word [n: (Vers. 6)]*. [var: Vulg. *Anima mea liquefacta est, ut locutus est*, "My soul melted when he spoke"] She went out from the world, she went out from the age, she remained in Christ. *I sought him,* she says, *and I found him not.* For Christ loves to be sought long.

## 47.

The guards of the walls found her. Perhaps there are also other guards, whom we ought rather to understand. For there is a city which does not have the gates of its walls shut, of which it is said: *And the gates thereof shall not be shut by day [n: (Apoc. XXI, 25)]*; for night shall be no more in it, the nations shall bring glory and honor into it. That therefore is the city Jerusalem which is in heaven, within which thou art now kept as one perfect and unspotted; for no common thing enters into it. Chastity which is written in the book of life is not common, modesty [1930B] is not common.

## 48.

If therefore we have found the city, let us enter into it, let us see its light, let us see the walls, let us see the foundations of the walls, let us see also the guards of the walls. But how shall we enter into it? In this city is life, and there is one way which leads to life. The way therefore is Christ; let us therefore follow Christ. But that city is itself in heaven; how then shall we ascend to heaven? The Evangelist teaches, who says: *And he led me forth in the spirit into a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down from heaven [n: (Apoc. 21, 10)]*. [var: Vulg. *sustulit me in spiritu*, "he took me up in the spirit"] Let us therefore ascend in the spirit, because the flesh cannot ascend to it. Let us ascend meanwhile into heaven, that afterwards it may come down from heaven to us: in which the light is like [1930C] a most precious stone, and as of the jasper stone and of crystal it has a wall great and high.

## 49.

Thou hast learned of the light, thou hast learned of the wall; learn of the gates, learn of the guards. *It has,* he says, *twelve gates, and in the gates twelve angels, upon which the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel are written above [n: (Ibid., 12)]*. In the gates the names of the patriarchs are contained, in the wall those of the apostles; for the foundations of the city are the apostles, and the corner-stone is Christ, in whom the whole structure rises up. God is without, God is within, God is everywhere: *For the city has,* he says, *the majesty of God [n: (Ibid., 11)]*. [var: Vulg. *habentem claritatem Dei*, "having the brightness of God"] Therefore you also, holy virgins, and whosoever of you are just, and bear the unspotted chastity of the soul, are fellow-citizens of the saints and of the household of God. But then shall you possess that nobility of your fatherland, if you seek Christ within the enclosures of that city, having entered [1930D] by faith and by precious acts, made bright by the light of the patriarchs, founded upon the apostles, dwelling among the angels.

## 50.

How therefore are those guards angels, who take away the cloak of a chaste soul? The cloak of virgins is one thing, that of a girl who haunts the streets another. She who seeks Christ in the market has lost even the cloak she had. For prudence is possessed not in the market, not in the streets, but in the Church. And perhaps, that we may come into favor with them also, and may teach that God is merciful to all — since they too [1931A] at some time find Christ, if only they seek continually — this cloak is the garment of the body. Therefore he who has sought Christ in his chamber, if only he has so sought as he who said: *So have I been mindful of thee upon my bed [n: (Ps. LXII, 7)]*; [var: Vulg. *Si memor fui tui*, "If I have been mindful of thee"] if he has sought him in the nights, according to what is written: *In the nights lift up your hands to the holy places [n: (Ps. CXXXII, 2)]*: if he has sought him in the city, in the market and in the streets, in the city of our God: in the market perhaps *1599* in which that judge of divine right sits, in the streets from which were gathered those who came together to the Lord's supper — he can, while he seeks long, meet with the angels who keep the city of God. Nay more, from the heavenly nature of the guards we can understand the city to be heavenly, and the market a heavenly market of everlasting justice, and the streets not cheap streets, but perhaps those in which [1931B] that fountain was wont to overflow, of which it is written: *Let thy waters overflow from thy fountain, and let thy waters be poured out in thy streets [n: (Prov. V, 16)]*. [var: Vulg. *Deriventur fontes tui foras, et in plateis aquas tuas divide*, "Let thy fountains be conveyed abroad, and divide thy waters in the streets"] He therefore who so seeks Christ comes to the angels.

## 51.

But if it is by good merits that one comes to the angels, why is he who has come wounded? There is also a good sword, and the wound of that sword is good. The Word of God wounds, but does not ulcerate. There is a wound of good love, there are wounds of charity; and therefore she said: *I am of wounded charity [n: (Cant. II, 5)]*. [var: Vulg. *quia amore langueo*, "for I languish with love"] She who is perfect is wounded with charity. Good therefore are the wounds of the Word, good are the wounds of the lover: *For more useful are the wounds of a friend than the willing kisses of an enemy [n: (Prov. XXVII, 6)]*. [var: Vulg. *Meliora sunt vulnera diligentis quam fraudulenta oscula odientis*, "Better are the wounds of one that loves than the deceitful kisses of one that hates"] Of wounded charity is Rebecca, who, leaving her parents, journeyed to her bridegroom. Of wounded charity [1931C] is Rachel, who was jealous of her sister and loved her husband; for she, still barren, envied her sister in that she abounded in sons, because she bore the type of the Church, to whom it is said: *Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not, break forth and cry, thou that travailest not [n: (Esai. 54, 1)]*. [var: Vulg. *Lauda, sterilis, quae non paris; decanta laudem, et hinni, quae non pariebas*, "Praise, O thou barren that bearest not; sing forth praise and cry out, thou that didst not bear"]

## 52.

The guards therefore found her and wounded her, and took her cloak from her: that is, they carried off the wrapping of bodily action, that the naked simplicity of the mind might seek Christ; because no one clothed with the garment of philosophy, that is, in the habit of worldly wisdom, can see Christ. And well is the garment of philosophy taken from her, lest anyone despoil her through philosophy. Well is the cloak taken from her who draws near to Christ, that, being about to see God, she may walk with a clean heart: for *Blessed are the clean of heart, for [1931D] they shall see God [n: (Matth. V, 8)]*. In short, when she had cleansed her heart, she found the Word, she saw God. Seek him therefore, O virgin — nay rather, let us all seek him; for the soul has no sex. But perhaps it received a feminine name for this reason, that a more violent heat of the body drives it: while it soothes the onset of the flesh and of its own love by a certain soft and gentle reasoning. Therefore by prayers and supplications we ought to invite God, that he may deign to breathe upon us like a good south wind. And let him breathe upon us the breeze of the heavenly Word: which is wont to stir the fruit-bearing trees not with a heavy wind, but with a light breathing and a soft blast. [1932A]

## 53.

*They took away my cloak from me.* A good garment is the eternity of life; this cloak of the Bride the guards of the walls wished to take away, of which the first man had been stripped; but the soul devoted to God, by holding fast the long-sought and not letting go her beloved, clothed herself with the precious wrapping of divine charity. Blessed therefore are they who are clothed with such a cloak, and have deserved a garment of this kind by the observance of the law; because they have not been forgetful of the law, but have done the things that were of the law.

## 54.

*[n: (Vers. 8.)] I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you announce to him that I languish with love.* [var: Vulg. *ut nuntietis ei*, "that you tell him"] But what is this languor of the soul? The moral sense makes it needful that we remember the old history, which is of holy Moses, who asked God to show himself to him, and that he might see him face to face. Assuredly [1932B] the holy seer of the Lord knew that he could not see the invisible God face to face. But holy devotion oversteps measure, and he thought that even this was possible to God, that he should cause that which is incorporeal to be comprehended by bodily eyes. This error is not blameworthy, but rather a pleasing and insatiable desire, in that he longed to hold his Lord as it were with the hand, and to see him with the gaze of the eyes. For he knew that man had been made to the image and likeness of God; for when, chosen by the Lord God to free the people, he was filled with the spirit of wisdom, he had seen that angel, and his face in glory; in short, he was made afraid by his shining light, and saw the bush burning and not burnt up. By sight he took in the brightness, and marvelling at it he drew near; provoked by desire and by grace, that he might more diligently [1932C] look upon that brightness in the bush. And so, if he received so great an ardor and underwent so great a desire when he had seen the angel in the flame of fire out of the bush, that, though seized with dread he dared not look, yet he wished to look: how much more did he desire to see the countenance of the Lord bodily, saying within himself: That countenance full of light, *1600* full of grace, full of virtue, full of divinity — what shall I say it is? I can say or feel no more of God; for when a man has finished, then he begins; and when he has made an end, then shall he be at a loss, as it is written, because *the eternal majesty of God is incomprehensible [n: (Eccles. XVIII, 6)]*.

## 55.

Vain indeed was the effect of his petition, but the affection of the servant was worthy of approval; because, having advanced by devotion beyond his own nature, he estimated from the Lord's angels [1932D] how much more he might desire of the Lord's countenance, whereby he longed to fill up his desire. He knew that in man himself there would be after death one glory and another brightness: *For as star differs from star in brightness, so also is the resurrection of the dead; which, even if it is sown in corruption, yet shall rise in incorruption, shall rise in glory, shall rise in power, shall rise a spiritual body [n: (I Cor. XV, 41-44)].* He therefore who could know these things rightly presumed to desire to see the countenance of the Lord, since he would see it when the death of the body had been undergone. Such a form assuredly had he taken on, and such did the Lord already approve, that the heavenly minister and executor of the oracle stood no distance from the angels. And therefore, [1933A] since he knew *That the angels of the little ones daily see the face of the Father who is in heaven [n: (Matth. XVIII, 10)]*, [var: Vulg. *angeli eorum in caelis semper vident faciem Patris mei*, "their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father"] he thought that he could and ought already to see it, as one forgetful of the body and having laid the flesh aside; like him who, being still set in the body, when he was caught up into paradise, said that he knew no further whether he had been caught up to the third heaven in the body or outside the body [n: (II Cor. XII, 3)]. For the saints, even when they bear a body, are nevertheless not in the flesh but in the spirit; since they who are in carnal desire and conversation cannot please God. But the saints are not in the flesh by their conversation, but in heaven.

## 56.

From these things therefore let us comprehend the affection of the languishing Bride. She desired to see the countenance of God as one innocent, as it were with a certain countenance of conscience, and she longed to open [1933B] to him the face of her inward mind, and to be more fully known. Impatient love, knocking day and night at harlots' doors, if the desires of possessing are put off longer, itself faints in the waiting while it hopes: in which assuredly there is not an end of love, but an increase. And whatever is desirable, if it does not fall to him who desires it, he faints toward it, and he who desires lays down, as it were, his very soul; yet if a nearer hope rises up, the hope close at hand gives strength; but if there be an absence of the beloved, by that very thing whereby she desires him absent, she who has longed suffers a fainting of her own soul. And so, the further off that is which is desired, the more does he faint who desires it. This therefore is to faint: that every man passes over with all his zeal into that which he loves; he thinks it, he cleaves to it, he sounds it forth, that which he has received to be loved; into it he is poured over by a certain [1933C] fainting of the soul. As if a mother should await the presence of a son, in the way that the wife of Tobias awaited her travelling son; fainting from desire, and set in straits, she seemed as one undone [n: (Tob. X, 3 et seq.)]. For what else do her words signify but a certain fainting? But the more the affection is wearied, the more abundantly does love grow; and the longer he who desires is absent, the more do the desires of her who waits take fire with a certain greater force of love. The flesh faints, but the desire is nourished and increased.

## 57.

And so the holy soul knows not how to desire anything other than the Bridegroom, who is Christ Jesus: him she longs for, him she desires, toward him she strains with all her powers, him she cherishes in the bosom of her mind, to him she opens and pours out herself, and this alone she fears, that she might lose him. [1933D] And so, the greater the desire with which the soul has been roused, longing to cleave to God her Savior, so much the more does she faint. Therefore this fainting works indeed a diminution of frailty, but a taking-on of strength. She longed, she desired, she fainted, she was dissolved in her whole affection, that she might become wholly his whom she desired, as David himself also says: *I pour out my prayer in his sight, and I declare my tribulation before him, in the failing of my spirit [1934A] from me [n: (Ps. CXLI, 3 et 4)]*. For his spirit failed; nay rather, the spirit failed from him who denies himself, that he may cleave to Christ. And so, as one impatient of love, she ran about, and sought everywhere the Word of God, because she was wounded, because she was naked; and she sought the support of someone by whom Christ might be asked to come. See her burning, see her desiring: *I adjure you,* she says, *O daughters of Jerusalem,* etc.; then, mingled with the daughters of that heavenly city, she seeks the Word, and by seeking and by contemplating his beauty, she stirs up his charity within herself. *1601*

## 58.

*[n: (Vers. 10.)] My brother,* she says, *is white and red, chosen out of thousands.* [var: Vulg. *Dilectus meus candidus et rubicundus*, "My beloved is white and ruddy"] For it is fitting, O virgin, that thou shouldst fully know whom thou lovest, and shouldst acknowledge in him every mystery both of his unbegotten divinity and of the incorporation [1934B] he assumed. He is therefore white by right, because he is the splendor of the Father: red, because he is the offspring of a virgin. The color of each nature shines and glows red in him. Yet remember that the badges of divinity in him are more ancient than the mysteries of the body; because he did not begin from the Virgin, but he who was came into the Virgin.

## 59.

*My brother is white and red.* White with eternal brightness, red with the appearance of human color, which he took on by the mystery of the incarnation. And rightly does that very thing which is red smell sweet; because the flesh of Christ is without sin, which the faithless, handling it, defiled their own hands: while the saints, venerating it, burned with the odor of piety.

## 60.

*Chosen out of thousands. Ten thousands,* says Jacob, *of Ephraim and thousands of Manasseh;* that is, let him have dominion over both the Jews [1934C] and the Gentiles, and out of both peoples acquire for himself the fullness of the Church. And therefore holy Jacob laid his right hand upon Ephraim; because thou readest, the Church saying in the Song of Songs: *My brother is white and red, chosen out of ten thousands.* [var: Vet. Lat. — Migne prints this same lemma as *ex millibus*, "out of thousands," at §§58–59 above, and *ex decem millibus* here; the plate is inconsistent with itself and is not harmonized] In short, they proclaimed even David — the author of the young Mary, from whose succession Christ was born by the Virgin's childbearing — in ten thousands: but Saul in thousands, though they ought rather to have set the favor of reverence toward the king first.

## 61.

*[n: (Vers. 11.)] His head is gold Cephas.* [var: Vulg. *aurum optimum*, "the finest gold"] Which signifies a steadfast and eminent wisdom. The body of Christ is the Church, and the head of this is as gold, because the wisdom of the saints is precious, that is, men just and prudent. [1934D]

## 62.

*His hairs are as fir trees, black as the raven.* [var: Vulg. *comae ejus sicut elatae palmarum, nigrae quasi corvus*, "his locks as the branches of palm trees, black as a crow"] Of this he said elsewhere, *Thy head of hair is as a flock of shorn ones.* Therefore a head of hair, because the power of all the senses is in the head: for *The eyes of the wise man are in his head [n: (Eccle. II, 14)]*. The deep prudence, therefore, of the teachers, which can reveal the things that are obscure and open the heights of the senses. And disputants of this kind are the hairs of the Church, like the young of the ravens to whom the Lord gives food: as he gave to holy Jacob, and fed him [1935A] from his youth. These others, and deep ones, the Lord feeds with heavenly mysteries in the richness of doctrine.

## 63.

*[n: (Vers. 12.)] His eyes* also *are as doves.* The eyes are men, that is to say, adorned with spiritual senses, who are keen for the seeing of mysteries, and ready for penetrating the secrets of divine Scripture, shining with rational milk, in whom there is no spotted confusion of guile, but the unspotted sincerity of a simple affection. Therefore he made mention of these doves as washed in milk amid an abundance of waters, saying:

## 64.

*His eyes are as doves upon the abundance of waters, washed in milk, of one sitting upon fullness,* [var: Vulg. *super rivulos aquarum, quae lacte sunt lotae, et resident juxta fluenta plenissima*, "upon the little brooks of waters, which are washed with milk, and sit beside the plentiful streams"] The Lord baptizes in milk, that is, in sincerity. And these are they who are truly baptized in milk, who believe without guile, and bring a pure faith, that they may put on an unspotted [1935B] grace. Therefore the Bride ascends white to Christ, because she has been baptized in milk; therefore the powers marvel at her, saying: *Who is this that comes up made white [n: (Cant. VIII, 7)]*? [var: Vulg. Cant. 8:5 *Quae est ista quae ascendit de deserto, deliciis affluens*, "Who is this that comes up from the desert, flowing with delights"] A little while before she was saying, *I am black [n: (Cant. I, )]*: now she is seen made white, and ascends to heaven, and, leaning upon the Word of God, now penetrates the heights.

## 65.

And not undeservedly is there an abundance of waters there where Christ is, from whom the human mind desires to be filled. These are the waters the stag thirsts for, which, when he has drunk them, he cannot thirst. These waters the Prophet thirsted for when he said: *My soul hath thirsted for thee [n: (Psalm. XLI, 3)]*. [var: Vulg. Ps 41:3 *Sitivit anima mea ad Deum fontem vivum*, "My soul hath thirsted after God, the living fountain"; the printed wording is that of Ps 62:2] Christ therefore sits upon the abundance of waters, and upon the fullness, and therefore he who baptizes in water says: *And we all have received of his fullness [n: (Joan I, 16)]*. Whence the eye of punishments also is not alien to the Church; because [1935C] even if John was baptizing in Aenon, he was baptizing near Salim, where there was an abundance of waters, and twelve fountains, and seventy palm trees. These fountains the Church has, that is, in the Old Testament the twelve patriarchs, in the New the twelve apostles; and therefore it was said: *In the churches bless ye the Lord God from the fountains of Israel [n: (Psalm. LXVII, 27)]*. With these fountains is he first washed over, whosoever attains the most sacred mysteries; for these fountains, flowing out from the eternal fountain, have streamed over the whole world. Where these fountains are, there is the ascent of souls. In short, they have interpreted Salim as "the very one ascending"; for he truly ascends who lays down his own sins. By this word, therefore, *1602* the use of a purifying sanctification is expressed.

## 66.

*[n: (Vers. 13.)] His cheeks are as phials of spice, [1935D] bringing forth perfumeries.* [var: Vulg. *Genae illius sicut areolae aromatum, consitae a pigmentariis*, "his cheeks are as beds of spices set by the perfumers"] Now we understand the cheeks and the rest to be the virtues of the soul, and the diversities of teachers: who either administer spiritual nourishment to the mind by a diligent stewardship, or bind the hearer, by the preaching of the Lord's cross, as it were with a certain line of the Word, or are most pleasing by the modesty of a bashful nature and by the bloom of youth. And even if they are called back from touch by shame, yet let the odor of Christ be fragrant in them: and as upon the cheeks the ointment comes down as it were from the priestly head, so also let the beauty of doctrine shine out in them.

## 67.

*His lips distilling full myrrh.* [var: Vulg. *Labia ejus lilia distillantia myrrham primam*, "his lips are lilies distilling the first myrrh"] For by [1936A] myrrh is declared the ointment of the passion and the grace of the resurrection, which pours the revived odor of life into the raised-up inward parts of the dead. Let the doors of thy lips therefore be shut, and let the porch of thy voice remain barred, then perhaps to be unbolted when thou hast heard the Word of God. Then shall myrrh sweat forth for thee, then shall the grace of baptism breathe upon thee; that thou mayest die together with the elements of the world, and rise again with Christ.

## 68.

*His lips distilling full myrrh.* But we think ourselves idle if we seem to devote ourselves to the word only: and we reckon of more account those who work than those who exercise the pursuit of knowing the truth; for very many say: Behold the man and his works — as though he who devotes himself to the word does not work; whereas [1936B] this is a work rather than the others. For if justice is a work, if temperance is a work, if fortitude is a work, then assuredly wisdom also is a work; for these four are held to be the principal virtues. For if Christ works according to that which is justice, assuredly he works according to that which is the Word. And he was working when he was in the beginning with the Father. In short, through him all things were made, that thou mayest know that he is the worker of all things, and that our work is Christ Jesus. For indeed, according to that which he is the Word, the Word to those who inquire, the Word is a great work. Whence, when Martha was hastening about the service, but Mary was hearing the word of the Lord, she who was hearing deserved to be set before her who was serving; for when Martha said: *Lord, hast thou no care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore [1936C] that she help me,* the Lord answered and said: *Martha, Martha, Mary hath chosen a good part, which shall not be taken away from her [n: (Luc. VII, 40-42)]*. [var: Vulg. Luke 10:42 *Maria optimam partem elegit, quae non auferetur ab ea*, "Mary hath chosen the best part"] Thus it is determined by the authority of a divine sentence that to know the Word is a greater work than to serve.

## 69.

But perhaps someone may say that it has been said by the Apostle: *That the kingdom of God is not in speech, but in power [n: (I Cor. IV, 20)]*. I do not deny that it is written, but I recognize in what speech; namely, that which a puffed-up man has poured out, a speech which cannot profit the hearers, which is without the showing of the Spirit and of power. This speech Paul does not deign to recognize; for he wishes rather to commend the power of speech. In short, the Apostle wished his own speech to be such as came in weakness, that it might make others stronger: in fear [1936D] and trembling, that those who feared might dread nothing but the Lord Jesus; that, trembling, they might keep his peace and tranquillity. Hear then what manner of speech the Apostle had: *And my speech,* he says, *and my preaching were not in the persuasion of the words of human wisdom, but in the showing of the Spirit and of power [n: (II Cor. II, 4)]*; [var: Vulg. 1 Cor 2:4 *non in persuasibilibus humanae sapientiae verbis*, "not in the persuasive words of human wisdom"] because faith is established not in the forensic speech of wisdom, but in the showing of the Spirit, but in the power of God.

## 70.

Therefore in the speech of the saints there is power, but in that forensic and philosophical speech the vanity of the world. And that there is power in the speech of the saints, [1937A] let this prophet also teach thee, who says: *The Lord will give the word to them that preach the gospel with much power [n: (Psal. LXVII, 12)]*; that is, that they may be able to preach the Gospel with much power. It is proved therefore that in the preaching of the Gospel there is power, and the preaching of the Gospel is the speech of the saints; so there remains no doubt that in holy speech there is power. And this is the myrrh distilling from the lips of the Bridegroom, namely that by which vices are mortified.

## 71.

*[n: (Vers. 14.)] His hands are turned on the lathe, golden, full of hyacinths.* See what hands made man, and what a man they made! Him assuredly *Whom we have put on according to Christ, despoiling the old man with his acts, and putting on the new who is renewed unto the knowledge according to the image of him who created him: where there is no bondman and free, but all things and [1937B] Christ in all [n: (Colloss., III, 9-11)]*. We have put on Christ therefore, as it is said also elsewhere: *Ye have put on Christ [n: (Galat. III, 27)]*. We have received the Holy Spirit, who not only forgives our sins; *1603* but even makes us his priests, to forgive sins to others. Therefore the Prophet says: *Thou hast fashioned me and hast laid thy hand upon me [n: (Psal. CXXXVIII, 5)]*: [var: Vulg. *Tu formasti me*, "Thou hast formed me"] he fashioned by the clay, he laid on his hand by spiritual grace; although very many take this psalm to be spoken in the person of the Savior. Hear that the hand of the Lord is also called Spirit: Job cries out, *The divine Spirit who made me [n: (Job. XXXIII, 4)]*. [var: Vulg. *Spiritus Dei fecit me*, "The Spirit of God made me"] These therefore are the hands which prepared man, Christ and the Spirit.

## 72.

Therefore the Lord Jesus is also the author of our body, who first made man unto the image; [1937C] and afterwards fashioned him from clay, and willed to save what he had made, to save what he had molded, that he might make the whole man safe. These are the hands of God turned on the lathe, that is, perfect: golden on account of the wisdom which is Christ, full of hyacinths on account of the Holy Spirit, and the fullness of his graces.

## 73.

*[n: (Vers. 14.)] His belly is of ivory, set apart with sapphires.* The Apostle says, *And if he was crucified out of weakness* — behold the belly, that is, the weakness of the flesh — *yet he lives out of the power of God [n: (II Cor. XIII, 4)]*; behold the distinction of the sapphire. For the sapphire, in that it bears the appearance of a serene sky, signifies the works which are of the divinity. But [sic: *Onir*], on account of chastity and brightness and perpetuity, signifies that flesh of the Savior, of which the same Apostle says: *That although we have known Christ according to [1937D] the flesh, yet now we know him no more [n: (II Cor. V, 16)]*.

## 74.

*[n: (Vers. 15.)] His legs are pillars of marble, founded upon golden bases.* They signify that the Apostles are the pillars of the Church, who were founded in holy fear. For as Peter, James, John and Barnabas seemed to be pillars of the Church, so also whosoever has overcome this world becomes a pillar of God, whom he strengthens who says: *I have strengthened its pillars [n: (Psal. LXXIV, 4)]*. So too the golden base is fear full of discipline, [1938A] because it is the beginning of wisdom. In the fear therefore of the wise, apostolic preaching is made firm as a pillar of Christ upon a golden base. Accordingly, to speech and to the apostolic word the tribunal is the fear of the just man, and the golden base full of prudence: but the good image, as a likeness of the truth, is the speech of the saints.

## 75.

And see that the fear of the saints is as it were a golden base. Read Isaiah: see how many things he set fear under, that he might make fear blameless and good: *The Spirit,* he says, *of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of piety, the Spirit of the fear of the Lord [n: (Esai. XI, 2)]*; [var: Vulg. *spiritus consilii et fortitudinis, spiritus scientiae et pietatis*, "the spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the spirit of science and of godliness"] how many things did he set fear under, that it might have what it could follow! It is formed by wisdom, it is instructed by understanding, it is directed by counsel, it is made firm by power, it is ruled by knowledge, [1938B] it is adorned by piety. Take these things away from the fear of the Lord, and it is an irrational and unwise fear, one of those: *Without, fightings; within, fears [n: (II Cor. VII, 5)]*; with which Paul too would have been afflicted, had he not had the Lord consoling him.

## 76.

*[n: (Vers. 15.)] His appearance is as of Lebanon, choice as the cedars.* He dwells in the heights, and looks upon lowly things, because his appearance is like the cedar of Lebanon, which sets its foliage among the clouds and its root in the earth; for its beginning is from heaven, and its hinder parts in the earth have brought forth fruits nearest to heaven. This kind of tree never loses its greenness, in winter as in summer it feeds its foliage, nor is it changed with a different color: this tree alone the wind never despoils of its honor: this alone is never stripped of its old covering, nor clothed with a new bloom. So apostolic grace too knows no failing, and [1938C] blossoms with a perpetual comeliness of its own. The soul therefore knows not how to be corrupted, which is vigorous with flourishing members, and always upholds with patient greatness of heart the summits of justice and of the other virtues; and therefore it neither flows away nor fails, because in it there is nothing ruinous or slack, nothing shifting, nothing slippery, nothing which could be poured out of it by a fault of speech.

## 77.

*[n: (Vers. 16.)] His throat is most sweet, and he is wholly desire. The judgments of the Lord are true, justified in themselves, to be desired above gold and much precious stone [n: (Psal. XVIII, 10 et 11)]*. [var: Vulg. Cant 5:16 *et totus desiderabilis*, "and he is wholly desirable"] What is severe in others, in Christ is sweet, in Christ is pleasant; because he himself is pleasant: *In short, taste and see that the Lord is sweet [n: (Psal. XXIII, 9)]*. Sweet are the judgments to him who confesses, because he himself says: *I am he, I am he, who blot out [1938D] thine iniquities, and I will not be mindful of them: but be thou mindful, and let us be judged. Tell thine iniquities, that thou mayest be justified [n: (Esai. XLIII, 25 et 26)]*. [var: Vulg. *Ego sum, ego sum ipse qui deleo iniquitates tuas propter me, et peccatorum tuorum non recordabor. Reduc me in memoriam, et judicemur simul: narra si quid habes ut justificeris*] Sweet are the judgments to him who does penance, because he himself said: *There shall be joy over one sinner doing penance, than over ninety and nine just who need not penance [n: (Luc. XV, 7)]*. If therefore the judgments of the Lord are sweet, let us labor to receive the fruit of his *1604* sweetness. Wilt thou know how sweet the judgments of the Lord are? *He who believes in him is not judged [n: (Joan. III, 18)]*. Sweet therefore are the judgments to them that believe: but they who [1939A] believe not have been condemned not by the judgment of Christ, who came not to judge the world but to save and redeem it; rather they have undergone the judgment of their own impiety, who would not believe unto the remission of sins. For they cannot belong to the benefit of him whom they have refused to acknowledge. Therefore they who have not believed in him are seen to be unworthy of his judgment. For learn what his judgment is, since he himself says: *And this is the judgment, whereby the light came into this world [n: (Ibid. 19)]*. Sweet therefore is that which is light, sweet is the judgment which mercy goes before; for so it is written, *Mercy and judgment will I sing to thee, O Lord [n: (Psal. C, 1)]*. Sweet also and most pleasant is the throat, whence this mercy goes before and this judgment.

## 78.

*[n: (Vers. 16.)] And he is wholly desirable. Shapely in form [1939B] above the sons of men [n: (Psal. XLIV, 3)]*. He was indeed man according to the flesh, but beyond man, according to his divine working. In short, when he touched the leper, he was seen to be man: but beyond man, when he cleansed him. And when he wept for Lazarus dead, he wept as man: but he was above man, when he bade the dead man come forth with his feet bound. He was seen to be man, when he hung upon the cross: but above man, when, the tombs being unbarred, he raised the dead. Nor let the venom of Apollinaris flatter itself, because it is read thus: *And in appearance found as a man [n: (Philip. II, 7)]*; [var: Vulg. *et habitu inventus ut homo*, "and in habit found as a man"] for Jesus was not denied to be man, since elsewhere Paul himself says of him: *The mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus [n: (I Tim. II, 5)]*; but he was confirmed. For it is the usage and custom of Scripture so to signify, as we read also in the Gospel: [1939C] *And we saw his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father [n: (Joan. I)]*. As therefore he is called "as the only-begotten," and yet the only-begotten Son of God is not denied; so also he is called man, and the perfection of man in him is not denied.

## 79.

Since therefore he was in the form of a servant, humbled even unto death, he was nevertheless in the glory of God. What then did servitude harm him? But he is read to have been made a servant, because he is read to have been made of a Virgin, and created in the flesh; for every creature serves, as the prophet says: *For all things serve thee.* This is the glory of Christ, that he took servitude upon himself in his own body, that he might restore liberty to all: he bore our sins, that he might take away the sin of the world: he was made a servant, sin, a curse, that thou mightest cease to be the servant of sin, and that he might absolve thee [1939D] from the curse of the divine sentence. He therefore took upon himself thy curse: for *Cursed is every one that hangeth upon a tree:* he was made a curse upon the cross, that thou mightest be blessed in the kingdom of God: he was dishonored and cheapened, and accounted as nothing: he said, *I have labored in vain;* through whom Paul deserved to say, *I have not labored in vain [n: (Philip. II, 16)]*; that he might confer upon his little servants the fruit of good work, and the glory of evangelical preaching, whereby all men might be released from the burden of labor.

## 80.

*[n: (Vers. 17.)] Such is my beloved, and my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.* So the Church, or the [1940A] holy soul, mingled with the daughters of that heavenly city, seeks the Word, and by seeking stirs up his charity within herself: while they indeed ask and say: *Whither is thy beloved gone, O most beautiful of women?* Whither has thy beloved turned aside, that we may seek him with thee?

## CAPUT SEXTUM.

## 1.

*[n: (Vers. 1.)] My beloved,* she says, *is gone down into his garden, to the little bed of spice, that he may feed in the gardens, and gather lilies.* She recognizes where she should seek the Word: she knows that he tarries among the prayers of the saints, and that he cleaves to them, and she understands that he feeds his Church, or the souls of his just ones, among the lilies. This mystery he showed thee in the Gospel, when on the sabbath he led his disciples through the sown fields. [1940B] Moses led the people of the Jews through the desert, Christ leads through the sown fields, Christ leads through the lilies; because through his passion the desert flowers as a lily. Let us follow then, that on the day of that great sabbath, in which is the great rest, we may gather fruits. And fear not that the Pharisees may accuse those who gather from the sown fields: even if they accuse, Christ excuses, and makes the souls which he wills, following him, like to that David who ate the loaves of proposition above the Law, already then conceiving in mind the prophetic sacraments of the new grace.

## 2.

*[n: (Vers. 2.)] I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine, who feeds among* *1605* *the lilies.* The utterance seems easy and common, but it belongs to few. For rare enough is he who can say: *I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine.* What is it to say, I am thine? For he says it who cleaves to [1940C] God with all his senses, who knows not how to think of anything else; he uses this utterance who can say to the Lord: *Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us [n: (Joan. XIV, 8)]*. Does the man greedy of money, of honor, of power use this utterance? For many it is not enough to know God — indeed for very many. So many peoples, so many nations, so many rich men think it poverty to serve the Lord; and he who is above all is to them a small and narrow thing: for them the Son of God, in whom are all things, is not enough. In short, that rich man in the Gospel to whom it was said: *If thou wilt be perfect, sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor [n: (Matth. XIX, 21)]*, [var: Vulg. *vade, vende quae habes*, "go, sell what thou hast" — without *omnia*] judged that God was not sufficient for him. In short, he was also made sorrowful, as though he were bidden to leave what was of more worth, and to choose what was of less. He therefore says, I am thine, who can say: *Behold, we have left [1940D] all things, and have followed thee [n: (Ibid., 27)]*.

## 3.

This is the voice of the apostles, and yet not of all the apostles; for Judas too was an apostle, and reclined among the apostles at the banquet of Christ. He too was saying, I am thine; but with the voice, not with the heart. Satan came and entered into him, and began to say: He is not thine, Jesus, but he is mine. In short, he thinks of the things which are mine, he turns over in his breast the things which are mine: he banquets with thee, and feeds with me: from thee he received bread, from me money: with thee he drinks, and to me he sells thy blood: he is thine as apostle, and mine as hireling. The worldly man cannot say, I am thine; for he has [1941A] many masters. Lust comes and says: Thou art mine; because thou lustest after the things which I am, the things of the body: in the love of that young girl thou hast sold thyself to me: in the embrace of that harlot I have counted out the price for thee. Avarice comes and says: The silver and gold which thou hast is the price of thy servitude: the possession thou holdest is the purchase of thy right, the sale of thy liberty. Luxury comes and says: Thou art mine; the banquet of a single day is the price of thy life: that outlay of feasts is the bidding for thy head, it is the sum of thy contract. And what is worse, thou hast been bought at a dear price, thou art cheaper than thy food: thy table for one day is more precious than the life of thy whole time: among cups I have redeemed thee, among feasts I have acquired thee. Ambition comes and says to thee: Plainly thou art mine. Knowest thou not that I therefore made thee command others, that thou thyself [1941B] mightest serve me? Knowest thou not that I therefore conferred power upon thee, that I might subject thee to my power? Or art thou ignorant that it was said to the Lord Savior himself by the prince of this world, when he had shown him all the kingdoms of the world: *All these will I give thee, if falling down thou wilt adore me [n: (Matth. IV, 9)]*? Before all, then, he himself is made subject who wishes to have others subject. All the vices come, and each says: Thou art mine. He whom so many claim, how cheap a chattel is he! How therefore canst thou, who art of this sort, say to Christ: I am thine? He will answer thee: *Not whosoever saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven [n: (Matth. VII, 21)]*: [var: Vulg. *Non omnis qui dicit mihi*, "Not every one that saith to me"] not whosoever says to me, I am thine, is mine.

## 4.

Plainly thou art mine, if conscience does not refute the voice, if thy mind or thy works do not disprove thy speech. [1941C] I do not deny him to be mine who does not deny himself, or at any rate if for my sake he denies his very self to himself. I will not have a little servant who serves very many masters. For how is he mine, if he says to me in word: I am thine; and denies it by his works, and by his deeds adjudges and binds himself to the devil? He is not mine whom lust inflames, because chastity is mine: he is not mine whom the care of despoiling lesser men drives about, because bounty is mine: he is not mine whom the breeze of fickleness disquiets, because tranquillity is mine. He is not mine who is drunken with the surfeit of wine, unclean with the filth of ambition, greedy of worldly glory, drunk unto peril, who cannot keep the track of sober moderation. I am peace, I know not how to quarrel: to what end is he mine, concerning whom the devil may come and say, He is mine; for to me he has bowed his neck, [1941D] I find more of my own in him: he claims thy name for himself, and my gift. He is not Christ's, therefore, save he who is a stranger to crime: he is not Christ's, save he who can always show himself Christ's little servant.

## 5.

*I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine, who feeds among the lilies.* She seems to say, among the beloved things of the beloved: *My secret to me, my secret to me.* For she had understood, in the ecstasy of her love, certain hidden mysteries of the faith, which she judged were not to be published even to the daughters of Jerusalem themselves. *It is good to hide the mystery* *1606* *of the king;* for he sins against God who thinks that the mysteries committed [1942A] to him are to be divulged to the unworthy. [var: Vulg. Tob 12:7 *Sacramentum regis abscondere bonum est*, "It is good to hide the sacrament of the king"] And so it is a danger not only to speak false things, but even true ones, if a man insinuates them to those to whom he ought not. Which fault is of four parts, either of flattery, or of avarice, or of boasting, or of incautious talkativeness; because while a man wishes to flatter the one to whom he speaks, he pours out the mystery: some too, from zeal for gain, pursue the wage of betrayal, so as to sell by speaking what ought to be covered with silence: others, that they may seem to know more, and may vaunt their own knowledge, open what they ought to conceal: very many, while they speak without judgment, let go a word which they cannot call back. Therefore a serious man is praised, and not an idle one. There was a man hiding his own words, as the apostle Paul, who knew what he should speak to individuals, and when he ought to speak anything. [1942B]

## 6.

*[n: (Vers. 3.)] Thou art well-pleasing, my sister, shapely as Jerusalem, a wonder as one set in order.* [var: Vulg. *Pulchra es, amica mea; suavis, et decora sicut Jerusalem; terribilis ut castrorum acies ordinata*, "Thou art beautiful, my love; sweet and comely as Jerusalem; terrible as an army set in array"] The truth of love is proved by its perpetuity. And so the Bride is praised by the Bridegroom, because she has sought him so well and so constantly. And therefore she is now not only called *sister*, but is even named *well-pleasing*, as being pleasing to him; because she has pleased the Father: and, *shapely as Jerusalem, a wonder as one set in order;* because she has all the mysteries of the eternal city: and is a wonder to all who see her; because she is full as equity is, and perfect: and, having borrowed her brightness from the light of the Word, while she ever strains toward it, she is even terrible, being advanced by a certain order to the summit of the virtues.

## 7.

*Thou art beautiful,* he says, *my love, sweet and comely,* etc. And truly beautiful is she who strains toward him of whom [1942C] it is said: *Shapely in form above the sons of men [n: (Psal. XLIV, 3)]*. Whence let us too strain our mind toward him as much as we can, and be in him. Let us hold in mind that which is beautiful, comely, good; that by his illumination and brightness our soul may become shapely, and our mind clear. For if our eyes, when they are overspread with any dimness, are fed with the greenness of the fields, and by the appearance of a grove or a shady hill drive off all the unevenness of a sickening gaze, and the very pupils and orbs seem to be colored with a certain healthful appearance: how much more does this eye of the mind, when it beholds that highest good, and is engaged in it, and is fed by it, grow bright and shine forth. *Beautiful as Jerusalem.* [var: Vulg. *decora sicut Jerusalem*, "comely as Jerusalem"] This therefore is not the beauty of a perishable body, to perish either by disease or by old age, but a beauty subject to no [1942D] mischances, never to die in the esteem of good deserts; since it is worthy to be compared now not with human things, but with heavenly, whose life she lives on earth. And therefore the Bridegroom says to the Bride, as to one already perfect:

## 8.

*[n: (Vers. 4.)] Turn away thine eyes from me, because they have made me fly away.* Strain not against me with too great devotion and faith. Thou hast passed beyond the possibility of thy nature and of thine own condition, because to gaze straight upon the inaccessible light is a heavy thing. *Turn away,* he says, *thine eyes from me:* for this reason, that she cannot bear the fullness of his divinity, and the splendor of the true light. [1943A]

## 9.

Yet we can also take it thus: *Turn away thine eyes from me;* even if thou art perfect, there are other souls still to be redeemed by me, others to be propped up. For thou liftest me up by seeing me: but I came down for this, that I might lift up all. Even if I have risen, and have the seat of the Father, yet I will not leave you orphans, destitute as of a father's protection, but by my presence I will strengthen you. Thou hast this written in the Gospel: *Behold, I am with you even to the consummation of the world [n: (Matth. XXVIII, 20)]*. Turn away then thine eyes from me, because thou liftest me up. For the more a man strains toward the Lord, so much the more does he lift up the Lord, and is himself lifted up. Whence he too says: *I will exalt thee, O Lord, because thou hast upheld me [n: (Psalm. XXIX, 1)]*. For the holy man exalts the Lord, the sinner humbles him. He wishes therefore that she turn away her eyes, lest, [1943B] beholding her, because she can now follow to higher things, he be lifted up and leave the other souls behind. Therefore in the Gospel also he showed his glory not to all the disciples, but to the more perfect [n: (Matth. XVII, 1)]. Set before thyself now some teacher who wishes to open an obscure matter to his hearers: how, even if he himself be powerful in speech and knowledge, he yet condescends to the ignorance of those who do not understand, and uses a simple and plainer and more familiar speech, that he may be able to be understood. If therefore there be among the hearers one quicker in sense, who can easily follow, he lifts him up and rouses him. Seeing this, the teacher calls him back, that he may rather allow the teacher to dwell upon lowlier *1607* and plainer things; whereby the rest also may be able to follow.

## 10.

[n: (Vers. 5-7.)] The Bride is praised also because she is faithful, [1943C] because she is powerful in word, because she is fruitful with diverse fruits, because she is one dove, having the unity of the Spirit, in which is peace, which makes both one: and because she is not composed of the diverse elements of a distinct and warring nature. For what is so diverse as fire and water, air and earth, out of which the creature of our body consists? But every blessed soul is simple, which imitates him who says: *That all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee, and that they themselves may be one in us [n: (Joan. XVII, 21)]*; for this is the consummation and the perfection, whence he added also: *That they may be one, as we also are one: and I in these, and thou in me, that they may be consummated in one [n: (Ibid., 23)]*. This therefore is the one and perfect dove, which, being simple and spiritual, is not disturbed by the passions of this body, in which [1943D] there are fightings without, fears within. In short, Scripture teaches us that by this word of unity concord and peace are signified, saying: *And the multitude of them that believed had one heart and one soul, and there was no separation at all among them [n: (Act. IV, 32)]*. [var: Vulg. *Multitudinis autem credentium erat cor unum et anima una*, without the final clause]

## 11.

Nor is the soul praised idly for its fruitfulness, not only because it is fruitful in virtues, but also because it has nothing of evil in itself; for that is comely and shapely in which there is nothing of evil. For that is comely which is good; but that which is uncomely, this is evil. Shapely is the fruitfulness of good works, contrary [1944A] therefore to shapeliness is barrenness; since in him who is deprived of shapeliness or comeliness there is every evil: but that which is evil, this is barren and unfruitful. And of this matter what plainer sign is there than the earth? For the earth which is good is fertile and fruitful: but that which is bad is meager and barren; but that which is fertile, this is also comely. For what is more beautiful than a full field, when the crop waves, when the apples redden, or when the garlands of grapes hang down, or the olive, laden with berries, bends over, or when the tops of the mountains and the low places of the valleys are clothed with green herbage?

## 12.

For God is the author of all good things: and the things which are his are assuredly all good, and there is no evil there; and if our mind abide in him, it knows no evil. The soul therefore which does not abide in God is [1944B] to itself the author of evils, and so it sins: but *the soul that sinneth, the same shall die;* for being loosed from the golden chains of the virtues, it is borne headlong down the precipice, and slips to lower things. But blessed is the soul which no adverse battles of the body storm. This soul, like a sparrow when the snare is broken, flies away. For the baits of evils are the pleasures of the body: whosoever strains after these entangles his own soul in the snare. But he who abstains from its baits, and comes out of its darkness, his soul shines as the dawn, of which it is said:

## 13.

*[n: (Vers. 9.)] Who is this that looks forth as the dawn, beautiful as the moon?* [var: Vulg. *Quae est ista quae progreditur quasi aurora consurgens, pulchra ut luna*, "Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon"] For she looks forth as from a free house, nor does she say: *Darkness covers me, and walls surround me, and who knows whether the Most High sees [n: (Eccli. XXIII, 26)]*? [var: Vulg. *Tenebrae circumdant me, et parietes cooperiunt me, et nemo circumspicit me: quem vereor?*, with the verbs the other way about and a different close] But she rather seeks the light [1944C] as in the upper parts of her house, that is, of her body: and, set above the world, she gazes upon divine things and lifts herself to eternal things, that she may stand near to God; now carrying the light of her works round her own orb, as the moon does, over the whole world.

## 14.

*[n: (Vers. 10.)] I went down into the garden of the nut tree, to see in the birth of the torrent, and to look whether the vine had flowered, and the pomegranates had budded.* [var: Vulg. *Descendi in hortum nucum, ut viderem poma convallium*, "I went down into the garden of nuts, to see the fruits of the valleys"] The Word of God is invited, in short, into the garden of the nut tree, in which is the fruit of prophetic reading, and the priestly grace, which is bitter in temptations, hard in labors, fruitful in the inward virtues. Whence Aaron's rod of nut-wood also flowered, not now by its own nature, but by a hidden power. Let him come down therefore into the garden, that he may gather the vintage of faith, take in the odors, find the heavenly fodder, feast upon the sweetness [1944D] of our honey.

## 15.

For while she is praised by the Bridegroom, modestly shrinking from being praised to her face; then, called back by the love of the Bridegroom, she says: *I went down into the garden of the nut tree to see in the birth of the torrent.* For where is the Church, save where the priestly rod and grace flowers? There she is frequently, that she may be tried in bitternesses and in temptations. By the nut we understand bitternesses, by the torrent temptations, yet tolerable ones, because it is written: *Our soul hath swum through the torrent [n: (Psalm. CXXIII, 5)]*. [var: Vulg. *torrentem pertransivit anima nostra*, "our soul hath passed through the torrent"] And so she went down into the place of bitterness, where the vine flowers, [1945A] and the fruit various and manifold in the appearance of pomegranates, which as it were under one covering of the whole body is fortified by faith and charity. *1608*

## 16.

In that bitterness, therefore, the soul did not know itself, *For the corruptible body weighs down the soul, and the earthly dwelling is quickly bowed down [n: (Sap. IX)]*. [var: Vulg. *Corpus enim quod corrumpitur aggravat animam, et terrena inhabitatio deprimit sensum multa cogitantem*] But it ought always to know itself. Yet Peter was tempted, and Peter too did not know himself; for if he had known himself, he would not have denied his author. But Christ knew him. In short, he knew him, because he also looked back at him; for the Lord knows who are his: and, as a good ruler, by the reins of his mercy he called back his own from the fall: our ruler therefore is Christ. Whence there follows also:

## 17.

*[n: (Vers. 11.)] The chariot of Aminadab has set me:* [var: Vulg. *Nescivi: anima mea conturbavit me propter quadrigas Aminadab*, "I knew not: my soul troubled me because of the four-horse chariots of Aminadab"] in that the soul is joined to the body, and, like a certain [1945B] chariot of raging horses, seeks a charioteer to rule it. For Aminadab was the father of Naason, as we read in Numbers [n: (Num. I, 7)], who was prince of the people of Juda, whose figure is referred to Christ, who, the true prince of the people, mounting the soul of the just man as a chariot, guides it as driver with the reins of the Word, lest by the fury of violent horses it be swept headlong and over precipices. For his four horses, as it were, are the four affections: anger, desire, pleasure, fear; and when it has begun to be driven by these in their raging, it in no way knows itself. For the corruptible body weighs down the soul, and, like a chariot of irrational animals, sweeps it away unwilling, rushing forward as by a certain onset while cares roll on, until the aforesaid passions of the body grow mild by the power of the Word. [1945C]

## 18.

This is the foresight of the Word as of a good driver: that the mortal body joined to that soul which is not in itself subject to death may not make the driving of it difficult. First therefore let him tame these swift motions of the body, and bridle them with the bond of reason: then let him beware lest, by unequal motion, they entangle themselves like horses; so that either the wicked one discolors the good, or the slow one hinders it, or the turbulent one disquiets it. For the horse of malice snorts, and by tossing itself injures the chariot, and weighs down its yoke-fellow. This the good charioteer soothes, and sends forth into the field of truth, and turns aside from the windings of deceit. Safe is the course to higher things, perilous the descent to lower. Thence, as though well discharged from service, they who have borne the yoke of the Word are led even to the Lord's manger, in which the food is not hay, but the bread which came down from heaven. Of this [1945D] chariot there are wheels, of which the Prophet said: *And the spirit of life was in the wheels [n: (Ezech. I, 20)]*; in that the chariot of the soul, smooth and round, rolls on without any stumbling.

## 19.

*The chariot of Aminadab has set me.* The soul therefore is a chariot, which bears a good ruler. If the soul is a chariot, it has horses either good or bad. The good horses are the virtues of the soul: the bad horses are the passions of the body. The good ruler therefore restrains and calls back the bad horses, and urges on the good. The good horses are four: prudence, temperance, fortitude, justice: the bad horses are wrathfulness, concupiscence, fear, iniquity. Sometimes the horses themselves disagree among themselves, and either wrathfulness stretches forward, or [1946A] fear: and they hinder one another, and slow the course. But indeed the good horses fly, and raise themselves from the earth to higher things, and lift up the soul; especially if they have the sweet yoke and light burden of him who says: *Take my yoke upon you; for my yoke is sweet, and my burden light [n: (Matth. XI, 29)]*.

## 20.

He himself is the ruler, who knows how to govern his own horses, so that the course of all may be even: he slows the swifter ones by prudence, justice admonishes the more sluggish with its own lash; temperance makes them gentler, fortitude makes them harder. He knows how to couple the discordant, lest perchance they shatter his chariot. And so it is possible to see, by an intelligible spectacle, every soul caught up to heaven with the highest striving, the horses hastening to come first to the prize of Christ, upon whose necks the palm may first be laid. [1946B] These are the horses subjected to the yoke of faith, bound fast by the chain of charity, by the reins of justice, by the halters of sobriety.

## 21.

Beautifully therefore she says: *The chariot of Aminadab has set me,* that is, the father of the people: but he himself who is the father of the people is likewise the father of Naason, that is, of serpents. Now do thou call to mind who hung upon the cross like a serpent for the salvation of all men, and thou wilt understand that soul to be peaceable whose president is God the Father, and whose driver is Christ; because this name too is written in our books: *Father, father, driver of Israel [n: (IV Reg. XI, 12)]*. [var: Vulg. 4 Kings 2:12 *Pater mi, pater mi, currus Israel et auriga ejus*, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its charioteer"] This driver therefore says:

## 22.

*[n: (Vers. 12.)] Turn, O Sunamite, turn.* [var: Vulg. *Revertere, revertere, Sulamitis*, "Return, return, O Sulamitess"] Well does he say it as a driver, and as one speaking to a chariot: *Turn, O Sunamite,* that is, O peaceable one; for the soul which is peaceable turns and corrects itself quickly, even if it has sinned before: and the more does *1609* Christ mount it, [1946C] and deign to rule it — he to whom it is said: *Mount upon thy horses, and thy riding is health.* And elsewhere: *Thou hast sent thy horses of Tharsis [n: (Habac. III, 8)]*. [var: Vulg. Hab 3:8 *qui ascendes super equos tuos, et quadrigae tuae salvatio*, "who wilt mount upon thy horses, and thy four-horse chariots are salvation"] These are the horses of Christ. Christ therefore mounts his own horses: the Word of God mounts holy souls. When our soul has become peaceable, so that it is said to it: *Turn; turn, O Sunamite,* which signifies "peaceable," then it will receive into itself Christ as a seal, that is, the image of God, that it may be unto the image; since *As is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly, and we must bear the image of the heavenly [n: (I Cor. XV, 48)]*, that is, peace. And that we may know it to be true, thou hast in the same Song of Songs, at the very end, this said to the soul now made perfect, which may the Lord Jesus say to me also: *Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm [n: (Cant. VIII, 6)]*; that peace may shine in my heart, and Christ in my works, [1946D] that wisdom, and justice, and redemption may be formed in me.

## CAPUT SEPTIMUM.

## 1.

*[n: (Vers. 1.)] How shapely are thy steps made in sandals, O daughter of Aminadab! The measures of thy thighs are like collars, the work of a craftsman.* [var: Vulg. *Quam pulchri sunt gressus tui in calceamentis, filia principis! Juncturae femorum tuorum sicut monilia quae fabricata sunt manu artificis*, "How beautiful are thy steps in shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels"] There is no doubt that here too the steps of the Church, or the advance of the soul, are signified. *How shapely are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, of them that preach good things [n: (Esai. LII, 7)]*! [var: Vulg. Isa 52:7 *Quam pulchri super montes pedes annuntiantis et praedicantis pacem*, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that announceth and preacheth peace"] Assuredly he calls shapely the advances of evangelical preaching and disputation, as it is said elsewhere: *Pass over the rivers [n: (Esai. XLVII, 2)]*, that is, run across the streams and slippery places of this world with a steadfast [1947A] gait of the mind. That this is said of the going of the soul, David plainly shows, when he brings forward that his soul had passed over the torrent of iniquities [n: (Psal. CCXIII, 5)].

## 2.

But what does he mean by saying that the steps of the Church are shapely in sandals? We read it said to Moses: *Loose the sandal of thy feet (Exodi III, 5)*: whereby he seems to be admonished not to be held bound by bodily chains. Therefore in the Song of Songs he signifies the shapely loveliness of the soul, which uses the flesh as a sandal, and in that very sandal suffers no hindrance, but excels in the comeliness of its going. Let the soul therefore shoe itself with ecclesiastical grace, that it may pass over the course and passage of this life with comeliness. Which comes about if it does not befoul its own sandal with bodily mud, does not plunge it into the abyss of vices: if it chastise [1947B] its own flesh, lest it delay in the course, and be weighed down with the burden of fat grease. The good sandal of the soul is modesty, the good step is in the track of chastity. But wisdom is the mantle of the soul, whence it is written: *Honor her, and she will embrace thee [n: (Prov. IV, 8)]*. [var: Vulg. *Arripe illam, et exaltabit te; glorificaberis ab ea cum eam fueris amplexatus*, "Take hold of her, and she shall exalt thee"] Let us use the body therefore as a sandal for the works of a lower virtue: for ministry, not for command: for compliance, not for delight: for obedience, not for dissension; and let us set our footstep in the way of wisdom, lest some force of a torrent shut in our steps.

## 3.

Therefore it was said to Moses: *Loose thy sandal (Exodi III, 5)*. It was said to Jesus son of Nave also [n: (Josue V, 16)]. But of Christ it was not said, but rather it is written, the Baptist saying: *After me there comes a man, [1947C] whose sandals I am not worthy to bear [n: (Matth. III, 11)]*; [var: Vulg. Matt 3:11 *qui autem post me venturus est, fortior me est*, "he that shall come after me is mightier than I"; *post me venit vir* is the wording of John 1:30] because they are rightly admonished to loose their sandal who could not be without sin. But he not only did not loose his sandal, but even unlooses the sandals of others; because he not only kept his own body immune from sins, but also gave pardon of the sins of all.

## 4.

Therefore the Church, in imitation of Christ, is shapely, and in its sandals washed from every fault. And perhaps when it speaks wisdom among the perfect, it is shapely in its upper members: but when men even of a lower rank or of lower teaching follow the Word, do not forget the order of faith, keep the precepts of the priest, it is shapely in its sandals. Very often the clergy has erred, the priest has changed his sentence, [1947D] the rich have sided with the earthly king of this world, and the people has kept its own faith.

## 5.

Whence of the Lord Jesus also we can rightly say that even in those things which are bodily the Word has shapely steps, when there is disputing about moral matters. And the apostles are perhaps for this reason sent with bare feet, lest their disputation be overshadowed, but rather shine out. And so the Church is the daughter of Aminadab, that is, of the willing or the well-pleasing one; because a willing or well-pleasing one gathered her, and she is shapely in her sandals. And deservedly it is added:

[1948A] *1610* 6. *The measures of thy thighs are like collars, the work of the hands of a craftsman;* that the ornaments of the Church's posterity might be sung. For by the thigh we recognize the badge of generation, according to that word: *Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty [n: (Psal. XLIV, 4)]*: whereby it is signified that the Son of God, when he had emptied himself, girt with the divinity of the Word, and shod with human generation, should come forth from the Virgin to give salvation to all. But "measures" are the precious ornaments which are wont to be hung upon the necks of matrons. So great therefore is the advance of the Church that is signified, that it is compared to the most precious ornaments, and to the collars of those who triumph; for these are the ornaments of warriors. Whence Symmachus also said *Epitrachelia*, that is, the things which are about the neck. Whether therefore the generation of Christ [1948B] from the Virgin, or the propagation of the Church, in appearance indeed as by the hand of a craftsman with adorned collars, but with the spiritual badges of true virtue, has adorned the necks of the faithful. In short, this whole description of the members of the Church is full of comeliness and of praise. For also:

## 7.

*[n: (Vers. 2.)] Her navel is as a turned goblet,* it is proclaimed, not lacking in the mixture; in that, being turned upon the lathe in every doctrine, in the fullness of knowledge, it does not lack the spiritual draught either. And her belly is not only fattened with the heap of wheat, that is, with the stronger foods of the heavenly mystery, but is also filled as with certain lilies with the sweetness of moral things. Whence she too, as one well deserving, is crowned as a queen with the blood of Christ, as it is written: *And the adornment of her head is as purple.* [var: Vulg. Cant 7:5 *comae capitis tui sicut purpura regis*, "the hairs of thy head as the purple of the king"] The blood of Christ is the purple, which dyes [1948C] the souls of the saints, resplendent not only in color, but also in power; because it makes them kings, and better kings, to whom it gives an eternal kingdom.

## 8.

*Thy navel is as a turned goblet, never wanting cups.* The navel of the soul and the belly of her who ascends to Christ is fine; and therefore she is praised by the voice of the Bridegroom saying: *Thy navel is as a turned goblet, not lacking in the mixture; thy belly a heap of fortified wheat among the lilies.* [var: Vulg. Cant 7:2 *numquam indigens poculis… venter tuus sicut acervus tritici vallatus liliis*; the first form Migne prints in this same paragraph agrees with the Vulgate, the second does not] For it is turned upon the lathe in every doctrine, and the spiritual draught is not lacking in fullness, and in the knowledge of heavenly secrets. The belly of the soul also is mystical, as the navel is; by which belly it takes not only the strong food by which hearts are made firm, but also the sweet and flowery food by which they are delighted.

## 9.

*[n: (Vers. 4.)] Thine eyes are pools in Hesebon, in the gates [1948D] of the daughter of many, Thy nostrils are as the tower of Lebanon.* [var: Vulg. Cant 7:4 *Oculi tui sicut piscinae in Hesebon quae sunt in porta filiae multitudinis. Nasus tuus sicut turris Libani*, "Thy eyes like the fishpools in Hesebon which are in the gate of the daughter of the multitude. Thy nose is as the tower of Libanus"] What are the pools in Hesebon, save an abundance in reasonable thoughts, which is in the gates of the Church, to which the multitude of doctrine is deservedly brought? For the daughter of many is the posterity and the effect of very many doctrines, whose nostrils are the odor of sacrifices, surpassing all flowers.

## 10.

*Thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon:* exceedingly lofty beyond measure, and therefore it looks forth upon the face of Damascus, smelling out, that is, the gentile people, and its faith, by whose grace it might wipe away the stench of its own faults. The face [1949A] therefore of Damascus is the faith of the Gentiles, overshadowed by no covering, hidden by no clothing, naked and free, more intent upon heaven than upon earth. This the nostrils of the Church watch and look forth upon, gathering what is sweet in it both of the breathings of odors and of grace.

## 11.

And well is it said, *Her nostrils are as the tower of Lebanon;* [var: Vulg. Cant. 7:4 *nasus tuus sicut turris Libani*, "thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon"] because in the sacrifices there is the sweet odor of the Church, in which sacrifices the remission of sins is a victim of good odor. Take therefore these nostrils, O man, that thou mayest sunder the flowery things from the rank-smelling, and then the Lord will quicken thee. For when he shall have marked what thou askest of him, that he may turn the eyes of thy mind away from vanity, he works together with thy soul, so that, if it is caught by some appearance, or is not bent either by hardness or by weakness, he may bend it with the yoke of the Word, and govern it with his own reins, that by the will of God it may be drawn away from vices, and may take the odor of everlasting [1949B] life.

## 12.

*[n: (Vers. 8.)] I will go up into the palm tree, and I will lay hold of its height.* [var: Vulg. *Dixi: Ascendam in palmam, et apprehendam fructus ejus*, "I said: I will go up into the palm tree, and will take hold of the fruit thereof"] Whence know thou that he has gone up even to this soul, and has led her through to the place of the palm, when he also says to her: *How beautiful and sweet art thou become, O charity, in thy delights! Thy stature is become like to a palm tree [n: (Cant. VII, 6)]*. [var: Vulg. Cant. 7:6–7 *Quam pulchra es, et quam decora, carissima, in deliciis… Statura tua assimilata est palmae*, "How beautiful art thou, and how comely, my dearest, in delights"] And she herself says: *I said, I will go up to the palm tree.* But charity itself also is a palm, for it is itself the fulness of victory; for the fulness of the Law is charity. Let us run therefore that we may lay hold, let us run that we may conquer: he who has conquered goes up into the palm, and eats the fruits thereof; he who has conquered runs no longer, but sits, as *1611* it is written: *He that shall overcome, I will give to him to sit with me in my seat, as I also have overcome, and have sat with my Father in his seat [n: (Apoc. III, 21)]*. Hence [1949C] the philosophers set forth in their books those race-course contests of souls, nor yet were they able to come through to the palm; because their souls knew not the sweetness and the height of the Word. *I will go up,* she says, *into the palm* by conquering the world; that I may hold the height of the Word, which this soul knew, in whom was the turning of the Word; for thus she says:

## 13.

*[n: (Vers. 10.)] I am my brother's, and his turning is upon me.* [var: Vulg. *Ego dilecto meo, et ad me conversio ejus*, "I to my beloved, and his turning is toward me"] This sense she has repeated a third time, and diversely, in the Song of Songs. At the beginning she says: *My brother is mine, and I am his: who feeds among the lilies until the day breathe, and the shadows incline [n: (Cant. II, 16)]*. [var: Vulg. Cant. 2:16–17 *Dilectus meus mihi, et ego illi, qui pascitur inter lilia, donec aspiret dies*, "My beloved to me, and I to him, who feedeth among the lilies, till the day break"] Then she says: *I am my brother's, and my brother is mine, who feeds among the lilies [n: (Cant. VI, 2)]*. At the end she says: *I am my brother's, and his turning is upon me.* The first belongs to the instruction [1949D] of the soul; and therefore she also set first: *My brother is mine;* for by his showing himself she took also the affection of cleaving to God. That which follows is according to progress: the third according to perfection? In the first, as in instruction, the soul still sees shadows, not yet stirred by the revelation of the Word drawing near; and therefore the day of the Gospel did not yet shine upon her: in the second, without the confusion of shadows, she gathers holy odors: in the third, being now perfect, she ministers rest to the Word within herself; that he may be turned upon her, and lay back his head and rest; and she invites him to her field, saying: [1950A]

## 14.

*[n: (Vers. 11.)] Come, my brother, let us go out into the field, let us rest in the strongholds.* [var: Vulg. *Veni, dilecte mi, egrediamur in agrum, commoremur in villis*, "Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field, let us abide in the villages"] Above she was inviting him to the garden; here to a field having not only the grace of flowers, but also wheat and barley, that is, the firm foundation of solid virtues, that he may look upon its fruit. *Let us rest,* she says, *in the strongholds,* to which Adam, when he had been cast out of paradise, had been banished: in these he rested, but he tilled the earth.

## 15.

But for what reason she would have him go out into the field, the understanding of it is plain: that as a good shepherd he may feed his flock, may lift up the weary, may call back the wandering. For although this soul has kept both new things and old, yet there are still, as it were, lambs who must be nourished with the juice of milk. Therefore, as one perfect, she intercedes not for herself, but [1950B] for others; that he may go out from the bosom of the Father, that he may proceed forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber; that going out he may run his way, that he may win the weak; that he may not linger in that hidden throne of the Father, and in that light, whereto weak horses are not able to climb; but that he may be taken up and brought into the house and the secret place of the Bride. Let him be without for himself, that he may be within for us: let him be in our midst, even though he be not seen by us. Whence she says: *Who shall give thee to me, my brother, sucking the breasts of my mother? Finding thee without, I will kiss thee [n: (Cant. VIII, 1)]*. [var: Vulg. *Quis mihi det te fratrem meum sugentem ubera matris meae, ut inveniam te foris, et deosculer te*, "Who shall give thee to me for my brother, sucking the breasts of my mother, that I may find thee without, and kiss thee"] Good is the soul which is without, that the Word may be within: she outside the body, that the Word may dwell in us.

## 16.

*I will take thee up,* she says, *and I will bring thee in [n: (Ibid., 2)]*. [var: Vulg. Cant. 8:2 *Apprehendam te, et ducam in domum matris meae*, "I will take hold of thee, and bring thee into my mother's house"] Rightly is the Word of God taken up and brought in; because he knocks at the soul, that the door may be opened to him: and unless [1950C] he shall have found the door opened to him, he does not enter. But if any man shall have opened the gate, he enters and sups. Thus the Bride takes up the Word, that by taking him up she may be taught. Whence not undeservedly he goes up to her, to the higher dwellings, and she ever receives an advance of virtue.

## 17.

*Come, my brother, let us go out into the field, let us rest in the strongholds, let us rise at daybreak in the vineyards, let us see whether the vine has flowered.* [var: Vulg. Cant. 7:12 *Mane surgamus ad vineas; videamus si floruit vinea*, "Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vineyard flourish"] Many fields have fruits; but that one is better which abounds both with fruits and with flowers. The field of the Church, then, is fruitful with diverse plenties. Here thou mayest discern the buds of virginity blooming with flower; there, as woods in the plains, widowhood strong in gravity; elsewhere, as the rich produce of the Church, the harvest of wedlock filling the barns of the world, and, as it were with the offspring of a wedded vine, the winepresses of the Lord Jesus overflowing, [1950D] in which the fruit of faithful wedlock abounds.

## 18.

The Bride, having obtained the plenty of her desire, speaks to the Bridegroom: *Come, my brother, let us go out into the field, let us rest in the strongholds, let us rise at daybreak to the vineyards.* Thou seest how the Bride invites the Word of God, that he may come into the lands and take away the sins of the world. This field was before a desert, squalid with the briars of our offences, bristling with thorns. There was a stronghold in which Adam, bound fast, held the heirs of his posterity in perpetual exile. Thither, then, the Church leads Christ, [1951A] that he may set Adam free. Then, the exiles being loosed, the field of this world began to have fit tillers: and that which was before hungry was made fruitful by the planting *1612* of the eternal vine. Nor yet does she so range abroad, glad with spiritual shoots, but she calls Christ to these vineyards, where there are those who sing psalms and those who pray, where by nights and by days a harmless fruit endures.

## 19.

*[n: (Vers. 12.)] There,* she says, *will I give my breasts, there the mandrakes have given their odor.* [var: Vulg. Cant. 7:12–13 *ibi dabo tibi ubera mea. Mandragorae dederunt odorem*, "there will I give thee my breasts. The mandrakes have given a smell"] Very many distinguish a certain sex among mandrakes, so that they think there are both males and females, but that the females are of heavy odor. It signifies therefore that the nations, which before stank, since they were the weaker by a certain unmanned feebleness of unbelief, began to bear fruits of good odor after they believed unto the coming of the Lord. We read also that [1951B] holy Rachel received mandrakes from her sister Lia, that she might grant her to sleep that night with holy Jacob. Ruben the firstborn had brought the mandrakes to his mother Lia, who, with bleared eyes, took on the figure of the Synagogue; because she could not see the grace of Christ, the gaze of her feeble mind being dulled. By which it is declared that the fruits which the Synagogue had before received from the firstborn Son of God, she yielded up to the Church. But because, the lying-together of that night having been sought, Lia conceived and bore an heir of her posterity, she fulfilled the mystery; since, when the apostles believed, the remnant of the Jews were made safe through the election of grace, whence the Church says:

## 20.

*[n: (Vers. 13.)] New things and old, my brother, have I kept for thee. Who shall give thee to me for a brother, sucking the breasts of my mother? Finding thee without, I will kiss thee, and indeed they shall not [1951C] despise me. I will take thee up and bring thee into my mother's house, and into the secret place of her that conceived me: there thou shalt teach me.* [var: Vulg. Cant. 7:13–8:2 *omnia poma nova et vetera, dilecte mi, servavi tibi… et jam me nemo despiciat. Apprehendam te, et ducam in domum matris meae: ibi me docebis*, "all fruits new and old, my beloved, I have kept for thee… and now no man may despise me. I will take hold of thee, and bring thee into my mother's house: there thou shalt teach me"] Having therefore the shaping of the new and the old Scriptures, and not feeling herself contemptible, she holds the Word not only by prayers in the secret of the heart, but also with the voices of a psalm-singing choir she kisses him, as with certain kisses of grace.

## 21.

*New things and old, my brother, have I kept for thee;* this is to say, I hold all the commandments of the New and the Old Testament. The Church alone can say this: no other congregation says it, the Synagogue does not say it, holding neither the new things according to the letter, nor the old things according to the spirit. The Manichaean heresy does not say, *The old things have I kept for thee,* seeing that it does not receive the prophets. Deservedly is she called made white, who shines with the grace of either Testament. [1951D]

## 22.

*I have adjured you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you stir up and stir up again love, until such time as it shall will.* [var: Vulg. Cant. 8:4 *Adjuro vos, filiae Jerusalem, ne suscitetis, neque evigilare faciatis dilectam, donec ipsa velit*, "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you stir not up, nor make the beloved to awake, till she please"] Still she seeks one that stirs up, and demands that it be stirred up for her by the daughters of Jerusalem, for whose sake, that is, for the sake of faithful souls, she desires that the Bridegroom be provoked to a more abundant love of her. And so those powers speak, which guard the gates of heaven.

## CHAPTER THE EIGHTH.

## 1.

*[n: (Vers. 5.)] Who is she who this one comes up white, leaning upon her brother?* [var: Vulg. Cant. 8:5 *Quae est ista quae ascendit de deserto, deliciis affluens, innixa super dilectum suum?*, "Who is this that cometh up from the desert, flowing with delights, leaning upon her beloved?"] In what manner she who has set [1952A] her head upon the left hand of wisdom, that she might open her hand to the poor for the relieving of the needy; that she might use riches divided or left to her, not riches seized and plundered — riches which, desirous of glory, she acquired even by good works, and did not court by the empty boasting of worldly dignity: for this it is to set one's own head, and a certain ruling part of the senses, above the hand of wisdom. That soul, I say, ascends by whitening merits, out of the desert of this life, as very many hold it to be, unto that ever-flowering place of eternal gladness.

## 2.

These are the powers which also in the book of Isaiah say: *Who is this that comes from Edom, the redness of garments out of Bosor, so shapely in his robe [n: (Esai. LXIII, 1)]*? [var: Vulg. *Quis est iste, qui venit de Edom, tinctis vestibus de Bosra? iste formosus in stola sua*, "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bosra? this well-formed one in his robe"] These, I say, are they that marvel that out of this broken and rocky desert any soul is able to ascend [1952B] without the ruin of great vices; and therefore they give thanks that she has been found, who has not defiled the garments of natural innocence with the ink of worldly folly, but rather has cleansed them with the whiteness of spiritual wisdom and of grace. The daughters of Jerusalem marvel, the holy souls of the patriarchs and of the prophets and of the just of old, or the heavenly powers, saying: *Who is this that comes up made white, leaning upon her brother?* That is, with such solemnities the Church shines, and she who before was dark through the day now is splendid in the nights, and gives back her light. The Lord himself also, delighted with so great an offering of them that sing psalms, says:

## 3.

*[n: (Vers. 6.)] Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a signet upon thy arm; because charity is strong as death, hard* *1613* *as hell is thy zeal. [1952C] Its wings are wings of fire, and of flames. Much water shall not be able to shut out charity, and the floods shall not overwhelm it.* [var: Vulg. Cant. 8:6–7 *quia fortis est ut mors dilectio, dura sicut infernus aemulatio; lampades ejus lampades ignis atque flammarum. Aquae multae non potuerunt exstinguere caritatem, nec flumina obruent illam*, "because love is strong as death, jealousy hard as hell; the lamps thereof are lamps of fire and of flames. Many waters could not quench charity, neither shall the floods drown it"] Because the Church has seen so great a devotion, she thinks the peoples now fit, that we may be able to bear his seal in our heart and on our arm. For him the Father, God, has sealed, and he who has received his testimony has set his seal that God is true; and therefore they that work the food which endures unto life everlasting are sealed unto the image and likeness of Christ, who is the image of the invisible God. As therefore God is true, do thou also seal truth in thy thought and in thy work; that thy mouth speak not a lie, that thy hands work not the works of men, which are of this deceitful world, but those things which are of God: that they may give bountifully to the poor, may raise up the weak, may honor the dead with the mounds of burial. By these works [1952D] charity is sought, that no one may be able to be torn away from Christ even by the peril of death; whence he says: *Who shall separate us from Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution [n: (Rom. VIII, 35)]*? [var: Vulg. *Quis ergo nos separabit a caritate Christi?*, "Who then shall separate us from the charity of Christ?"] And below: *For I am confident that neither death, nor life, nor angels [n: (Ibid.)]*. [var: Vulg. Rom. 8:38 *Certus sum enim*, "For I am sure"]

## 4.

In that same fashion also the zeal of charity is hard, and its wings are wings of fire. It has wings as a dove, for the feathers of the dove are silvered, wherewith he who loves flies forth, saying: *Behold, I have gone far off in flight, and I abode in the wilderness [n: (Psal. LIV, 8)]*. But the wings of charity are wings of fire, wherewith it kindles the ardor of love. [1953A] With this heat the Lord made his angels fervent spirits, and his ministers a fire that burns, but does not burn up. We read also of a wing of the temple, upon which the devil, tempting, made the Savior to go up, which was on the pinnacle of the temple [n: (Matth. IV, 3)]. There are therefore heights of piety, there are pinnacles of charity, which have been wont to kindle the vapor of grace in human breasts; so that much water is not able to quench nor to shut out charity, and no floods of worldly tempests shut it in. We have said that charity shuts out fear; we have not said that it shuts out every disturbance; for indeed to him who loves God there is a deep tranquillity of a mind confirmed.

## 5.

*[n: (Vers. 7.)] Many waters,* he says, *shall not be able [1953B] to shut out charity, and the floods shall not overflow it.* Much water is of diverse passions, and the floods of worldly desires stirred up by the motions of the body, which nevertheless cannot overthrow the wall of charity. And therefore one grounded in charity says: *Our soul has passed through the torrent [n: (Psal. CXXIII, 5)]*. Could the water of the sea shut out the charity of Moses? And that the series of the psalms may support thee according to the letter: assuredly he who loved God believed the way through the seas to be safe for him; but they who loved not God, being sunk in the waves, endured an end worthy of their sacrilege.

## 6.

*[n: (Vers. 5.)] Who is this that comes up, leaning upon her brother?* Above they said, *Who then is this that looks forth as the daybreak, shapely [1953C] as the moon, choice as the sun?* [var: Vulg. Cant. 6:9 *Quae est ista quae progreditur quasi aurora consurgens, pulchra ut luna, electa ut sol?*, "Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun?"] Here something more was found to be added, in that she had ascended leaning upon the Word of God; for the more perfect recline upon Christ, as John also was reclining on the breast of Christ. So therefore this one also either was leaning upon Christ, or was laying herself back upon him: or assuredly, since we are speaking of a marriage, being now as it were delivered over into the right hand of Christ, she was being led into the chamber for the Bridegroom. And because there is now a bond of charity, the bridegroom caresses her, and says:

## 7.

*Under the apple tree I raised thee up; there thy mother travailed with thee, there she travailed with thee that bore thee.* [var: Vulg. Cant. 8:5 *Sub arbore malo suscitavi te; ibi corrupta est mater tua, ibi violata est genitrix tua*, "Under the apple tree I raised thee up: there thy mother was corrupted, there she was defloured that bore thee"] Good is the soul which rests under a fruitful tree, and one especially of good odor. For if Nathanael was good, in whom there was no guile, and was seen under a fig tree, surely good is the soul which under the apple tree was raised up by [1953D] her Bridegroom. For it is more to be raised up than to be seen: and more still to be raised up by the bridegroom. For although Nathanael was seen under the tree, yet his soul was not a bride; because he came secretly to Christ, because he feared the Jews. She was not shapely as the moon, choice as the sun, who was in the shadow; because a bride who weds by day confesses publicly. Therefore this one is under the apple tree, that one under the fig; because this one spread abroad more widely the odor of her confession, while that one had the sweetness of the purity of innocence, and had not the burning of the spirit.

## 8.

*There,* he says, *thy mother travailed with thee, there she travailed with thee that bore thee;* for there we are born, there we are born again. [1954A] But those are travailed with in whom the image of Christ is formed, whence *1614* Paul also says: *Little children, whom I travail with, until Christ be formed in you [n: (Galat. IV, 19)]*. [var: Vulg. *Filioli mei, quos iterum parturio*, "My little children, of whom I am in labour again"] For he has travailed who receives in the womb the spirit of salvation, and pours it into others. Whence, since Christ was now formed in her, he says:

## 9.

*[n: (Vers. 6.)] Set me as a seal in thy heart, as a signet on thy arm.* The seal of Christ is on the forehead, the seal is in the heart: on the forehead, that we may always confess; in the heart, that we may always love; the seal on the arm, that we may always work. Let his image therefore shine in our confession, let it shine in our reading, let it shine in our works and deeds; that, if it can be brought to pass, his whole appearance may be expressed in us. Let him be our head, because the head of the man is Christ; let him be [1954B] our eye, that through him we may see the Father; let him be our voice, whereby we may speak to the Father; let him be the right hand, whereby we may offer our sacrifice to God the Father. He also is our seal, which is the badge of charity and of perfection; because the Father, loving, sealed the Son, as we read: *Whom the Father, God, hath sealed [n: (Joan. VI, 27)]*. [var: Vulg. *Hunc enim Pater signavit Deus*, "For him hath God the Father sealed"] And so Christ is our charity. Good is the charity, when he offered himself to death for those he loved: good is the charity which forgave sin.

## 10.

And therefore let our soul put on charity, and charity of such a kind as is strong as death; because as death is the end of sins, so also is charity; since he who loves the Lord ceases to sin: for *charity thinks no evil, neither rejoices over [1954C] iniquity, but bears all things [n: (I Cor. XIII, 5)]*. For he who seeks not the things that are his own, how shall he seek the things of another? There is also that strong death through the laver, by which every sin is buried and the fault is remitted. Such was the charity which that woman of the Gospel bore, of whom the Lord says: *Her many sins are forgiven, because she has loved much [n: (Luc. VII, 47)]*. [var: Vulg. *Remittuntur ei peccata multa*, "Many sins are forgiven her"] There is also that strong death of the holy martyrs, which does away former guilt; and therefore is it strong, and charity is not unequal to it, charity which is made equal to the passion of the martyrs, that it may take away the desert of offences.

## 11.

Zeal also is as hell, since he who has the zeal of God spares not even his own for Christ. And so charity has death, and charity has zeal, and charity has wings of fire. In fine, Christ, loving [1954D] Moses, appeared to him in fire. And Jeremiah, having in himself the gift of divine charity, said: *And there was a fire flaming in my bones, and I am undone on every side, and I cannot bear it [n: (Jerem. XX, 9)]*. [var: Vulg. *et factus est in corde meo quasi ignis exaestuans, claususque in ossibus meis: et defeci, ferre non sustinens*, "and it became in my heart as a burning fire, shut up in my bones: and I fainted, not able to bear it"] Good therefore is charity, having the wings of burning fire, which flits through the breasts and the hearts of the saints, and burns up whatever is material and earthly; but whatever is unmixed it proves, and what it has touched it makes better with its own fire.

## 12.

This fire the Lord Jesus sent upon the earth, and faith shone out, devotion was kindled, charity was lit up, justice shone again. With this fire he inflamed the hearts of his apostles, as Cleophas testifies, [1955A] saying: *Was not our heart burning within us, when he opened the Scriptures [n: (Luc. XXIV, 32)]*? The wings of fire in the flame, therefore, are the divine Scriptures. In fine, he was opening the Scriptures, and fire was going forth, and was piercing the hearts of them that heard. And they are true wings of fire, because: *The words of the Lord are chaste words, silver tried by the fire [n: (Psalm. XI, 7)]*. When Paul also was taken up by Christ, he saw a light shine round about upon him, and upon those who were with him; he fell from terror, and rose up the more approved. In fine he was made an apostle, who had come as a [sic: *presecutor*]. The Holy Spirit also came down, and filled the whole house in which very many were sitting, and there appeared parted tongues as it were of fire. Good wings, wings of charity, truly wings which flitted through the mouths of the apostles: and wings of fire, because they spoke a purified [1955B] speech.

## 13.

With these wings Enoch flew forth, caught up to heaven; with these wings Elias flew forth, carried over to the things above by a fiery chariot and by fiery horses. With these wings the Lord God led the people of the fathers by a pillar of fire. These wings the Seraphim had, when it took coals of fire from the altar, and touched the mouth of the prophet, and took away his iniquities, and purged his sins. By the fire of these wings the sons of Levi were purged, and the peoples of the nations were baptized, as John testifies, saying of the Lord Jesus: *He shall baptize you in the spirit and in fire [n: (Matth. III, 11)]*. [var: Vulg. *in Spiritu Sancto et igni*, "in the Holy Spirit and fire"] Deservedly did David wish his reins and his heart to be burned, because he knew that the fiery wings of charity are not to be feared. Deservedly did the Hebrew children in the burning furnace not feel the burnings of the fire, because the flame of charity [1955C] cooled them. And that we may know more fully *1615* that perfect charity has wings, thou hast heard him saying a while ago: *How often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings [n: (Matth. XXIII, 27)]*.

## 14.

Let us take therefore these wings, which as flames direct us to the things above. Let every man strip his soul of its filthier wrappings, and, as gold by fire, let him approve it wiped clean of the mire. For thus the soul is purged, as the best gold. But the beauty of the soul is unmixed virtue and comeliness, a truer knowledge of the things above; that it may see that good upon which all things hang, while itself hangs upon none. By it, therefore, it lives, and receives understanding. For that highest good is the fountain of life, the desire of which is kindled within us, to draw near [1955D] to which and to be mingled with it is a delight: which to him who does not see it is a matter of desire, and to him who sees it is life; and therefore he despises all other things, and by this one alone is soothed and delighted. This is that which supplies all substance; but itself, remaining in itself, gives to others, and takes nothing into itself from others; of which the Prophet says: *I said to the Lord: Thou art my God, for thou hast no need of my goods [n: (Psal. XV, 2)]*.

## 15.

*Its wings are wings of fire.* All must be proved by fire, whosoever desire to return to paradise; for not idly is it written that, when [1956A] Adam and Eve had been cast out of the seat of paradise, God set at the outgoing of paradise a fiery sword that turned about. All must pass through the flames, whether it be John the evangelist, whom the Lord so loved that he said of him to Peter: *If I will that he remain, what is that to thee? Follow thou me [n: (Joan. XXI, 22)]*. [var: Vulg. *Sic eum volo manere donec veniam, quid ad te?*, "So I will have him to remain till I come, what is it to thee?"] Some have doubted of his death; of his passing through fire we cannot doubt, because he is in paradise, nor is he separated from Christ. Whether it be Peter, who received the keys of the kingdom of heaven, who walked upon the sea, he must say: *We have passed through fire and water, and thou hast brought us out into a refreshment [n: (Psalm. LXV, 12)]*. But for John the fiery sword will quickly turn aside, because there is not found in him iniquity, whom equity loved. If there was in him anything of human vice, divine charity boiled it away: *For its wings [1956B] are as wings of fire.* He who here shall have had the fire of charity, there will not be able to fear the fire of the sword. To Peter himself, who so often offered his own death for Christ, he says: Pass over, recline. But he says: *He has tried us by fire, as he himself has tried silver.*

## 16.

*Its wings are wings of fire.* Since therefore the power of flying has been given to us, let every man stir up in himself the grace of God, and, forgetting the things behind, seeking after the things before, let him press on toward what is appointed. Far from the honors of the soldiery, far from the heats of the world; lest, as the fables relate, the wax loosed by the heat of the sun, the feather slipping back, fail the [sic: *lcareos*] flights. For although the weightiness of their sayings be against it, yet with poetic salt they meant to declare that flights through heaven are safe for the maturity of the prudent; but that youthful levity, liable to the desires of the world, its feathers flowing back, [1956C] and the framework of its merits loosened through the forgettings of truth, slips back to the earth with the greater ruin.

## 17.

Flight is by no means easy for all; the course of human life is difficult also for the living creatures that are at discord upon the earth. But if the order of our action agree with thee, the prophet will see even in us that one wheel upon the earth, joined to the four living creatures. Ezechiel therefore will see again — for he still sees, and is in vigor, and will be in vigor [n: (Ezech. I, 15 et 16)] — he will see, I say, a wheel in the midst of a wheel, gliding upon the earth without stumbling. For the wheel upon the earth is the life of the body, fitted to the virtue of the soul, and formed with a coherent course to the precept of the Gospel. But the wheel in the midst of the wheel is as it were a life within a life, in that the life of the saints [1956D] is not out of tune with itself; but such as it was in the earlier age, such let it be also in that which follows: or that in this life of the body the practice of eternal life be turned round. When these things shall have agreed together, then let the divine voice sound back, then above the likeness of the throne a likeness as the appearance of a man will appear. This man is the Word, because *the Word was made flesh [n: (Joan. I, 14)]*: this man is the driver of our living creatures, the ruler of our manners, who, according to the measure of our merits, mounts now for the most part a chariot, now a mountain, now a ship.

## 18.

*Set me as a seal in thy heart, as a signet [1957A] on thy arm, thou who hast kept new things and old for me.* Thou art my seal, thou art unto my image and likeness. In thee shines the image of justice, the image of wisdom, the image of virtue. And because the image of God is in thy heart, let it be also in thy works: let the likeness of the Gospel be in thy deeds, that in thy manners thou mayest keep my precepts. The likeness of the Gospel will be in thee, *1616* if to him that strikes thy cheek thou offer the other, if thou love thine enemy, if thou take up thy cross and follow me. Therefore have I carried the cross for thee, lest thou shouldst hesitate to carry it for my sake. The daughters of Jerusalem heard this, that the Lord God was now joining the Church to himself: and because, considering the greatness of the Word, they esteemed themselves unequal to so great a marriage, lest perchance they might not be able to bear the weight of so great a union, they excuse themselves, saying: [1957B]

## 19.

*[n: (Vers. 8.)] Our sister is a little one, and she has no breasts.* [var: Vulg. *Soror nostra parva*, "Our sister is little" — without the diminutive] For thus they who wish to put off a marriage are wont to excuse it: that they allege the weakness of unripe age, and assert that she has no breasts, which signify the time of marriageable age. This token is wont to be common to all virgins about to wed: that when the breasts have begun to stand out, then they are judged fit for union. Troubled therefore, because in the zeal of love the Bridegroom urges on the marriage, they say:

## 20.

*What shall we do to our sister, in the day in which he shall speak in her,* or, as Symmachus has it, *in which he shall speak to her?* [var: Vulg. Cant. 8:8 *Quid faciemus sorori nostrae in die quando alloquenda est?*, "What shall we do to our sister in the day when she is to be spoken to?"] That is: in the solemnity of a betrothal a conference is wont to take place, and a confirmation of the marriage. What then shall we do, they say, being troubled, because the spiritual union presses upon us? They cannot excuse themselves from so great a marriage; for there is no one [1957C] who does not think the union either of the soul and the spirit, or of Christ and the Church, a blessed thing. But because the fulness of the Word and of the Holy Spirit quivers and flashes, and there is nothing that can be made equal to them, therefore they desire to defer it, that by that postponement either the soul or the Church may be able to be more perfect. They say therefore:

## 21.

*[n: (Vers. 9.)] If she is a wall, let us build upon her chambers of silver: and if she is a gate, let us carve upon her boards of cedar.* [var: Vulg. *Si murus est, aedificemus super eum propugnacula argentea; si ostium est, compingamus illud tabulis cedrinis*, "If she be a wall, let us build upon it bulwarks of silver: if she be a door, let us join it together with boards of cedar"] The soul of a holy man is a wall. The Church too has her walls, who, being now more perfect, says: *I am a fortified city [n: (Esai. XXVII, 3)]*. [var: Vulg. Isa. 27:3 *Ego Dominus qui servo eam*, "I am the Lord that keep it"; the reading here follows the Greek] This is the wall which has twelve apostolic gates, through which entrance into the Church lies open to the people of the nations. But a wall, although it enclose the circuit of the whole city, is then [1957D] the better fortified when it has had chambers made ready, in which the defenders of the city may have a safe resource for watching and for guarding. But because this city is rational, and all its hope is in the Word of God, not iron but silver bulwarks are required for it, accustomed to beat back the assaults of the enemy by heavenly sayings rather than by bodily pleasures.

## 22.

Propped by that defence, shining with that splendor, she is judged the fitter for the union with Christ. And because Christ is the gate, who says: *If any man enter in by me, he shall be saved (Joan. [1958A] X, 9)*; the church too is called a gate, because through her the approach to salvation lies open to the peoples. But lest she be corrupted by the moths or worms of the heretics, the daughters of Jerusalem, or the angels, or the souls of the just, say: *Let us build upon her boards of cedar,* that is, the good odor of a sublime faith. For the odor of this timber is sweet, and neither worm nor moth corrupts it. Therefore the use of this timber is chosen for raising the peaks of roofs, and for shaping the elements of letters, with which the age of boyhood is steeped in the study of liberal learning. This timber, then, is sublime for grace, light for burden, sweet for odor, useful as an instrument of knowledge, apt for the ministry of eternal knowledge. But even as Christ, loving his Bride, was urging her toward the solemnity of the spiritual union, so also the Church, now taken with the comeliness of the Word, was hastening [1958B] to the marriage. And so, impatient of the delays and of the postponement which the daughters of Jerusalem were eager to weave in, she says:

## 23.

*[n: (Vers. 10.)] I am a wall, and my breasts are towers.* [var: Vulg. *Ego murus, et ubera mea sicut turris*, "I am a wall, and my breasts are as a tower"] That is: do not doubt whether I am a wall; for they had said: *If she is a wall;* I, she says, am a wall, and I have not small breasts, but my breasts are as towers. How do you say that I have no breasts? I have senses as towers of wisdom, in which there is abundance, as it is written: *And abundance in thy towers [n: (Psalm. CXXI, 7)]*. By these breasts, that is, by her senses, she esteemed herself fit for so great a marriage. But the daughters of Jerusalem could not yet so esteem her, because they did not see the abundance of her senses. And she added: [1958C]

## 24.

*[n: (Vers. 11.)] I was in his eyes as one finding peace;* [var: Vulg. Cant. 8:10 *ex quo facta sum coram eo, quasi pacem reperiens*, "since I am become in his presence as one finding peace"] that is: my senses being deliberated upon, since I have found the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, and keeps hearts and senses in Christ Jesus. Such, she says, was I in the eyes of the bridegroom, as one who has peace; for it is written: *They who rightly seek peace shall rejoice.* *1617*

## 25.

*[n: (Vers 12.)] I,* she says, *am a fortified city, I am a besieged city [n: (Esai. XXVII, 3)]*. By these walls she is fortified, by these, when besieged, she is defended. And truly the soul is a wall, which is stretched out before the camp. Whence she herself also says in the Song: *I am a wall, and my breasts are as towers [n: (Vers. 10)]*. A good wall is that which the Lord has painted, as he himself says: *In my hands I have painted thy walls, and thou art always in my sight [n: (Esai. XLIX, 16)]*. [var: Vulg. *Ecce in manibus meis descripsi te; muri tui coram oculis meis semper*, "Behold, I have graven thee in my hands: thy walls are always before my eyes"] Good is the soul which has [1958D] God as its watchman, and is in his hands; as the prophetic soul, which is commended into the hands of God as a spirit [n: (Psal. XXX, 6)], and which is in the sight of God: *For the eyes of the Lord are upon the just;* as he himself also says: *I was in his eyes as one finding peace.* She has good towers, who has both a word concerning things intelligible and a discipline concerning things moral. The beloved and the beloved one therefore hastening, the spiritual union was celebrated, sought by mutual consent. And so, singing as it were a marriage song, the Spirit exulted in the prophet, saying: [1959A]

## 26.

*[n: (Vers. 11.)] A vineyard was made for Solomon in Beelamon; he gave his vineyard to those who keep it.* [var: Vulg. *Vinea fuit pacifico in ea quae habet populos: tradidit eam custodibus*, "The peaceable had a vineyard in that which hath people: he let out the same to keepers"] The Spirit therefore cries out: A congregation of peoples has been planted, but founded upon the root of the eternal vine; and it has subjected spiritual hearts, with a meek heart, under the yoke of the Word. And it was planted in a multitude of nations. For that *Beelamon* is to be understood thus, Symmachus, Aquila, and the other translations have taught in the Greek tongue. The old union, which could not bring forth fruit, was repudiated; the vineyard was given to new and faithful tillers, who could not only make fruit, but also keep it. One sheep therefore went astray, but being called back it filled the spaces of the whole world. Error had led away one sheep, but the grace of the Lord gathered together a multitude of peoples. Man went astray, but in the Church he is now a wall, [1959B] and a strong wall. Adam went astray; David is a wall, who did not forget the commandments of God. This vineyard, therefore, being guarded and walled about with a spiritual fortification, gives a thousand fruits to Christ, but two hundred fruits to the keepers; and so the Church says:

## 27.

*[n: (Vers. 12.)] My vine is in my sight: a thousand for Solomon, and two hundred for those that keep the fruit.* [var: Vulg. *Vinea mea coram me est. Mille tui pacifici, et ducenti his qui custodiunt fructus ejus*, "My vineyard is before me. A thousand are for thee, the peaceable, and two hundred for them that keep the fruit thereof"] The perfection and fulness of Christ is the portion of little ones. Thou hast this mystery in Genesis, where Joseph assigned five portions to Benjamin the younger brother, and single portions to the remaining brethren [n: (Gen. XLIII, 34)]. To the Lord therefore is offered the portion and the prerogative of the five senses, which he himself whom he loves assuredly assigns to him, as he loved Paul also, to whom he gave the chief place of wisdom for the calling forth of the nations. Let fear depart here from the holy virgins, to whom the Church first assigns so great [1959C] defences, she who, anxious for the increase of her tender offspring, herself as a wall grows up with breasts abounding after the manner of towers: until, the assault of the hostile siege being broken up, she may win peace for a strong youth by the defence of a mother's strength. Whence the Prophet also says: *Let peace be in thy strength, and abundance in thy towers [n: (Psalm. CXXI, 7)]*.

## 28.

*[n: (Vers. 13.)] Thou that sittest in the gardens, the friends listening to thy voice, make thy voice known to me.* [var: Vulg. *Quae habitas in hortis, amici auscultant; fac me audire vocem tuam*, "Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the friends hearken; make me hear thy voice" — the Vulgate's addressee is feminine, Migne's masculine] And so this soul, having the grace of her own breasts, enters into the gardens, and finding there the Bridegroom sitting and disputing with his friends, says: *Thou that sittest in the gardens, make thy voice known to me:* to me, she says, not to the friends.

## 29.

*Thou that sittest in the gardens, the friends listening to thy voice, make thy voice known to me.* For she was delighted [1959D] that Christ was sitting in the gardens, and that the friends set in the gardens were listening to his voice: but because those friends were of the heavenly ones, Archangels or Dominations and Thrones (for men had been driven out of paradise on account of disobedience to the heavenly commandments, and therefore the Church could not yet hear his voice, which she desired to hear), therefore she says: *Make thy voice known to me.* Whence we also, if we wish him to sit within us, let us be gardens enclosed and fortified, let us bear the flowers of the virtues, the sweetness of grace, that we may be able to hear the Lord Jesus disputing [1960A] with the angels. But because it was to come to pass that, when the Church had come through to fulness, she would be tried by various persecutions, therefore, while she was being delighted with the grace of the Word, suddenly she discerns the ambushes of the persecutors: and since she feared more for the Bridegroom than for herself, or because Christ is the more sought after by persecutors in us, therefore she says:

## 30.

*[n: (Vers. 14.)] Flee, my brother, and be thou like to a little roe or to the fawn of the harts, upon the mountains of spices.* [var: Vulg. Cant. 8:14 *Fuge, dilecte mi, et assimilare capreae hinnuloque cervorum super montes aromatum*, "Flee away, O my beloved, and be like to the roe and to the young hart upon the mountains of spices"] He flees on account of the weak, who could not bear the heavier trials. Therefore it is written that we should flee from cities to cities: and if they shall have persecuted us in this city, let us flee into another. On account of the weak, therefore, as we have said, let him flee those who pursue: or let him flee from the lowest things, and pass over to the mountains of spices, [1960B] he who for martyrdom may be able to bring the odor *1618* of the blessed resurrection. The mountains of spices are the saints. To them Christ flees for refuge; because *His foundations are in the holy mountains [n: (Psal. LXXXVI, 1)]*. To them therefore he flees for refuge, who are his stable foundations. In us he flees; in them he abides in a faithful station. A mountain of spices, therefore, is Paul, who can say: *We are the good odor of Christ unto God [n: (II Cor. II, 15)]*. A mountain of spices is David, the odor of whose prayer went up to the Lord, and therefore he said: *Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight [n: (Psal. CXL, 2)]*.

## 31.

Symmachus, however, and Aquila have rendered it as that Christ says to the Church: *Thou that sittest in the gardens,* that is, thou already sittest in the gardens, thou art worthy of the paradise above; and therefore *Make thy voice known to me, to which the friends are listening:* [1960C] I too desire to hear it. The Church began to be in the gardens, after Christ was taken in the gardens.

## 32.

*Flee, my brother, and be made like to a hart or to the fawn of a hart, unto the mountains of spices.* For, hated by the serpent snakes, and fleeing of dogs, and an enemy to the serpents that creep upon the ground, he knows not how to dwell save in the sublimity of virtues, knows not how to abide save with such daughters of the Church as can say: *For we are the good odor of Christ unto God [n: (II Cor. II, 15)]*. But to some it is the odor of death unto death, in them that perish; to others the odor of life unto life, in those assuredly who with a living faith hope for the odor of the Lord's resurrection. These are the mountains of spices, who received the body of the Lord Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with spices. [1960D] For whosoever have believed that Jesus died, and was buried, and rose again, these have lifted up the lofty summit of true faith with the peaks of the virtues. Where then is Christ sought, namely in the breast of a prudent priest?

## 33.

*Flee, my brother.* She exhorts the Bridegroom to flee, because now she herself, earthly as she is, will be able to follow him as he flees. She says that he should be like a little doe which escapes out of the nets; for she herself also wishes to flee, and to fly out above the world. Let us flee therefore into the truest fatherland. There is our fatherland, [1961A] and the Father by whom we were created, where is Jerusalem the city which is the mother of all. But what is that flight? Assuredly not of the feet, which are of the body; for these, wherever they run, run upon the earth, and pass from soil to soil. Nor let us flee by ships or by chariots, or by horses which are bound fast and fall; but let us flee with the mind and with the eyes, or with the inward feet let us accustom our eyes to see the things that are bright and clear, to gaze upon the countenance of continence and of temperance, and upon all the virtues, in which there is nothing rough, nothing dark and crooked: and let a man look upon himself and upon his own conscience, and cleanse that eye, that it may have nothing filthy. For that which is seen ought not to be out of tune with him who sees; since God willed us to be conformed to the image of his Son. [1961B]

## 34.

That good, therefore, is known to us, nor is it far from every one of us: *For in him we live, and are present, and are moved; for we are also his offspring [n: (Act. XVII, 28)]*, [var: Vulg. *In ipso enim vivimus, et movemur, et sumus*, "For in him we live, and move, and are"] as the Apostle wished to admonish the Gentiles. For it is itself the good which we seek, and the only good; for no one is good, but God alone. This is the eye which beholds that great and true comeliness. None but a sound and strong eye looks upon the sun, nor can any but a good soul [1962A] see the good: let him therefore become good who wishes to see the Lord, and that which is good. Let us be like to this good, and according to it let us work the things that are good. This is the good which is above all working, above all mind and understanding; it is that which always remains, giving to all to live and to be; because Christ is the fountain of the life of all, of whom the prophet says: *In his shadow we shall live.* For now *our life is hidden in Christ: but when Christ our life shall have appeared, then we also shall appear with him in glory.* [var: Vulg. Col. 3:3–4 *vita vestra est abscondita cum Christo in Deo. Cum Christus apparuerit, vita vestra, tunc et vos apparebitis cum ipso in gloria*, "your life is hid with Christ in God"]

## 35.

Therefore let us not fear death; since it is the rest of the body, but of the soul either liberty or release. Nor let us dread him who can kill the flesh, but cannot kill the soul; because we do not [1962B] fear him who can take away a garment, we do not fear him who can steal what is ours, but cannot steal us. Let us therefore be souls, if we wish to be Hebrews of those who are the companions of Jacob, that is, his imitators. Let us be souls; but our members are garments: garments indeed are to be kept, that they be not torn, that they grow not old: but far more ought he who uses them to keep and guard himself.