Sermons on the Song of Songs

And this is the sign of His coming thus to a soul, as we are taught by one who had experienced it : A fire goeth before Him, and burneth up His enemies round about (Ps. xcvii. 3). For it is needful that in every soul in which He is about to appear such an ardour of sanctified longing should go before His Face, as to consume every impurity of evil thoughts and works, and so to prepare a place for the Lord. And then the soul perceives that the Lord is at hand, when it feels itself consumed in that fiery longing, and it says with the Prophet : From above hath He sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them (Lam. i. 13); and again: My heart was hot within me, and while I was musing the fire burned (Ps. xxxix. 3). 5. After a soul has been thus pressed by frequent aspirations towards God, or rather by continual prayer, and is afflicted by the violence of its longings, it is sometimes the case that He, who is so earnestly desired and longed for, has pity on that soul and makes Himself manifest to it ; and I think that, led by its own experience, it will be able to say with the prophet Jeremiah : The Lord is good to them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him (Lam. iii. 25).

His Angel, too, who is one of the companions of the Bridegroom, who Digitized by Google has been commissioned to [watch over] that individual soul, to be the minister and the witness of that secret and mutual communion, how greatly, I say, does that Angel rejoice ; how is he transported with joy, so that turning to the Lord he says : ' I thank Thee, O God of infinite majesty, for that Thou hast granted the earnest desires of that soul, and hast not denied to him the request of his lips !' It is that Angel which is the untiring attendant everywhere of the soul confided to his care, and does not cease to entreat and warn it by frequent suggestions, saying : Delight thyself in the Lord, and He shall giw thee thy heart's desire ; and again : Wait on the Lord, and keep His way (Ps. xxxvii. 4, 34) ; and again : Though he tarry, wait for Him ; for He shall surely come. He shall not tarry (Hab. ii. 3, Vulg.). Then, addressing himself to the Lord, he says : As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so longeth that soul after Thee, O God (Ps. xlii. 1).

It has desired Thee in the night, its spirit within it has sought Thee early (Is. xxvi. 9). And again : Daily he has stretched out his hands unto Thee (Ps. lxxxviii. 9) ; send her away, for she crieth after Thee (Matt. xv. 23) ; Return, O Lord, how long, and be entreated in favour of Thy servant (Ps. lxxxix. 13, Douay). Look down from heaven, and see, and visit that desolate soul. Faithful is the paranymph '} he is conscious of that mutual love, but without being jealous of it ; and far from seeking his own interest, seeks only that of his Lord.

He goes and comes between the Bridegroom and the Bride, presenting the prayers of the one, bringing back the gifts of the other. The one he arouses, the Other he placates. And sometimes, though rarely, leading on and conducting, he introduces the one to the Other; for he is a servant of God and of His House ; every day he beholds the Face of the Father, nor does he fear to be refused any request. 6. But be most careful not to allow yourself to think that there is anything imaginary, on the one hand, or corporeal, on the other hand, in this mingling of the Word with the soul of the believer. I am saying only that which the Apostle says, that he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit (1 Cor. vi. 17). I go on to express, in what words I am able, the absorption of a pure soul into God, or the hallowed and blessed descent of God into the soul, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. That union, then, is made in the spirit, because God is a Spirit, and is moved with love for the beauty of that soul which He may have seen to be walking according to the Spirit, and to have no desire to fulfil the lusts of the

flesh, especially as He knows that it is filled with ardent love for Himself. A soul in this condition, with such feelings and so beloved, will be far from content that her Bridegroom should manifest Himself to her in the manner which is common to all ; that is, by the things which are made, or even in the manner peculiar to a few, namely, by dreams and visions ; such a soul desires that by a special privilege He should descend from on high into her, wfifoc does not occur in the N. T., but is expressed by a synonym in John iii. 29 : Digitized by Google and pervade herwholly in the deepest affections, and to the very ground of the heart. She desires that He whom she loves should not show Himself to her in an outward shape, but should be, as it were, inpoured into her ; that He should not merely appear to her, but should enter into and dominate her ; nor is it doubtful that her happiness is so much the greater, as He is within rather than without. For He is the Word ; He does not sound in the ears, but penetrates the heart ; He is not full of words, but full of power ; nor does He come to

the ears with a sound, but to the affections with sweetness ineffable.

The features of His countenance are not formed and defined, but exercise a formative power ; they do not strike upon the vision of the eye, but they rejoice the heart, not with charm of form and colour, but with the affection they excite. 7. I am not, however, able to describe the manner in which God manifests Himself as He is, although in this manner of manifestation He declares Himself no other than as He is. For however full of reverence and devotion souls may be, He will not continue His Presence in them permanently and precisely thus, nor with complete uniformity to all individuals. For, according as the desires of a soul vary, so the delight felt in the Divine Presence must needs vary also ; and that heavenly sweetness strikes in divers ways upon the palate of the soul, according to the variation of its desires and longings. Also, you have noticed in this Song of love how often He has changed His countenance, and in how great a number of winning forms He has deigned to appear before His beloved ; and how, like a modest spouse, at one time he seeks to enjoy in secret communion with a holy soul, and to take pleasure in its devotion ; at another He seems to conduct Himself as a physician, with oils and unguents— doubtless on account of weak and tender souls, which have still need of remedies and consolations, and therefore are called by the name of maidens to signify their delicacy. If anyone murmurs, let him recall that they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick (Matt ix. 12).

Sometimes, again, He presents Himself as some traveller, joining Himself to the Bride and the young maidens who are walking with her, and solaces all that company during the fatigues of their way by His pleasant discourses, so that they say when He departs, Did not our hearts burn within us while ffe talked with us of Jesus, by the way (Luke xxiv. 32)? How delightful a companion is He who by the sweetness of His manners and His discourse, as by the delightful odours which He breathes around Him, draws all to follow after Him; and therefore they say, We will run in the odour of Thy perfumes (i. 4). Again, there are times when He appears as some opulent head of a family, in whose house are abundant provisions for all ; or, rather, as a King powerful and splendid, who appears to exalt the poverty of his timid bride, to display to her the treasures of his glory, and excite in her a desire for them ; to show to her his richly-stored winepresses and granaries, the produce of his gardens and his fields, and, finally, to bring her into his inner chamber. For the heart of Digitized by Google 2o6 her husband doth safely trust in her, and he thinks that none of all these things

should be hidden from her whom he hath raised out of poverty, whom he embraces as amiable and beloved, and whom he has proved to be faithful. And He does not cease to manifest Himself from above in this or that inward and spiritual manner to those who seek for Him, so that the word may be accomplished which He spake : Zo, lam with you always \ even unto the end of the world (Matt, xxviii. 20). 8. In all these manifestations He is kind and gentle, and of tender mercy. For as in His embrace He shows Himself loving and tender, so the oil and perfumes and other remedies of which He makes use prove Him forgiving, and rich in pity and compassion. Then in the road He is found to be cheerful, affable, full of help and comfort ; in the showing forth His riches and possessions bountiful, and one who gives recompenses proportionate to His royal liberality. It is thus that you will find the Word shadowed forth under a great variety of figures all through this Song of Songs. It is that, I think, which is signified by the Prophet where He says : Christ the Lord is a Spirit before our face : under His shadoiv shall we live among the Gentiles (Lam. iv.

20) ; which, however, we see now only in a glass, and darkly, and not yet face to face. But that endures only while we live among the nations [of this world] ; for when we are among the angels it shall be otherwise ; then we shall enjoy a felicity similar to theirs ; then we shall see Him, no longer in types and shadows, but as He is — that is, in the form of God. For just as there were only types and shadows to make Him known to those of the elder dispensation, as I have said, but to us, through the grace of Christ present among us in the Flesh, the truth shines forth by its own light ; so also it cannot be denied that we ourselves, in comparison with the life to come, live now in, as it were, a shadow of the truth. Unless we shall contradict the Apostle when He says : We ktww in part, and we prophesy in part (1 Cor. xiii. 9) ; and again : I count not myself to have apprehended (Philip, iii. 13). Is not that the precise difference between him who walks by faith and him who walks by sight of the object aimed at ?

Therefore the just lives by faith (Hab. ii. 4), but the blessed rejoice in beholding [Him whom they love]; and so, also, while the man who is holy lives here below in the shadow of Christ, the angel, likewise holy, glories in the splendour and light of His countenance. 9. And if faith be a shadow yet it is good, for it tempers the Light to our weak and darkened eyes, and prepares them for its brilliance ; for it is written : Purifying their hearts by faith (Acts xv. 9). Faith, then, does not extinguish the light, but preserves it. Whatever that be, and however great, which is open to the vision of an angel, the shadow of faith preserves for me ; wraps it, as it were, in an ample and trusty bosom, to be revealed to me in due time. Is it not better for you to possess, though in a shrouded and hidden state, that which if uncovered and bare you would not be capable of grasping ? Even the Mother of the Lord lived in the shadow of faith, for of her it was Digitized by Google 207 said : Blessed is she that believed (Luke i. 35 and 45). She lived also in the shadow cast by the Body of Christ, according to the

words of the angel : The poiver of the Highest shall overshadow thee. Nor is this a shadow to be lightly thought of, which is cast by the power of the Highest There was assuredly power in the Flesh of Christ which overshadowed the Virgin, and that which was impossible to a mortal woman, to sustain the Presence and the unapproachable Light of the Divine Majesty, she was enabled to endure by the sheltering shadow or envelope of that vivifying Body. A strength, indeed, by which all opposing power was subdued. As strength it puts demons to flight ; as shadow it provides a safe shelter for men ; a strength which gives vigour, a shelter providing pleasant coolness. 10. We, then, who walk by faith and are nourished with the Flesh of Christ, that we may live the life Divine, we live in the shadow of Christ. For His Flesh is meat indeed (John vi. 55). And perhaps it is for that very reason that in the passage quoted at first we have Him described under the figure of a shepherd or pastor, where the Bride seems to address Him as if He were some one of the shepherds, saying : Tell me where Thou feedest, where Thou makest Thy flock to rest at noon. He is the Good

Shepherd, who giveth His Life for His sheep (John x. 11) ; His Life He spends for them to redeem them ; His Flesh He gives to them to nourish them. A marvellous thing, indeed ; He the Pastor, the Pasturage, and the Price of redemption !

But this discourse is growing long, inasmuch as the passage is so extensive, and contains truths so great that it cannot be expounded in a few words ; and I see that this necessity obliges me to break off rather than to finish. It is needful, then, as the subject is not exhausted, that we should keep it still in mind, so that I may resume it where it has been dropped, and complete it, as far as I may be enabled to do by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church, who is over all, God, blessed for ever. Amen.

CHRIST COMMUNICATES HIMSELF TO THE HOLY SOUL AS BRIDEGROOM, AND TO THE SOUL THAT IS WEAK AND IMPERFECT AS PHYSICIAN.

OF THE MOODS OF THE SOUL — HOW THEY DIFFER FROM EACH ^T^ELL me where Thou feedest, where Thou makest Thy flock to j_ rest at noon (i. 7). This is the point where we are ; from hence we proceed with our subject. But before commencing to speak of that vision and interview, I think it well to recapitulate, in a few words, the other modes of vision already treated of, and to show how they may be spiritually applied by us according to the prayers and merits of each ; so that having fully grasped them, if God give us the Digitized by Google 208 grace so to do, we may follow more easily, and with fuller understanding, what remains to be said upon the subject. But that is very difficult indeed ; for although the words in which those visions or similitudes are described are corporeal, and describe objects in the physical sphere, yet they are intended to suggest things spiritual to our minds, and for this reason the causes and meanings of them are to be searched by the spiritual faculty. And who is competent to understand or to sound so many different affections and modes of progress in the spirit by which the manifold grace of the Divine Bridegroom is manifested ? Yet if we

enter into ourselves, and the Holy Spirit deigns to show us by His light that which by His continual working in us He does not disdain to bring about in our souls, I think we shall not remain entirely without understanding of these deep things ; for I trust that we have received, not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we may know the things which are freely given to us by God (i Cor. ii. 12). 2. If, then, any of us finds it, with the Psalmist, good for him to draw near to God (Ps. lxxiii. 28), and to speak more plainly, if any among us is so filled with an earnest longing [for those things that are above] that he desires to be dissolved and be with Christ ; but desires it vehemently, thirsts for it ardently, and, without ceasing, dwells upon the hope of it : he shall, without doubt, receive the Word, and in no other form than that of the Bridegroom in the time of visitation ; that is to say, in the hour when he shall feel himself in wardly embraced, as it were, by the arms of wisdom, and shall receive a sweet inpouring of the Divine Love. For the desire of his heart shall

be granted unto him, though he is still in the body as in a place of pilgrimage, and though only in part for a time, and that a short time. For when [the Lord] has been sought in watching and prayers, with strenuous effort,1 with showers of tears, He will at length present Himself to the soul ; but suddenly, when it supposes that it has gained His Presence, He will glide away. Again He comes to the soul that follows after Him with tears ; He allows Himself to be regained, but not to be retained, and anon He passes away out of its very hands.

Yet if the devout soul shall persist in prayers and tears, He will at length return to it ; He will not deprive it of the desire of its bps. but will speedily disappear again, and not return unless He be sought again with the whole desire of the heart. Thus, then, even in this body the joy of the Presence of the Bridegroom is frequently felt ; but not the fulness of His Presence, because though His appearance renders the heart glad, the alternation of His absence affects it with sadness. And this the Beloved must of necessity endure, until, having laid down the burden of an earthly body, she shall be borne up upon the pinions, so to speak, of her earnest desires, and fly away, passing freely over the plains of contemplation as a bird through the air, and following in spirit her Beloved, whithersoever He goeth, without anything to hinder or retard Digitized by Google 3. Nevertheless, He will not present Himself, even in passing, to every soul ; but to that soul only which is shown by great devotion, vehement desire, and tender affection, to be His Bride, and to be worthy that the Word in all His beauty should visit her as a Bridegroom.

For he who is not as yet in that state, but still is touched with repentance at the remembrance of his sins, and, speaking in the bitterness of his soul, says unto God : Do not condemn me (Job x. 2) ; or who perhaps suffers still from violent temptations, being drawn away and enticed by his own concupiscence — such a soul as this needs not a Bridegroom, but a Physician ; and on this account receives, not, indeed, approval and tenderness, but only remedies, oil and unguents, for the cure of its wounds. Is not this the condition in which we often find ourselves in our prayers, we who are every day either tried by the passions which are in us now, or touched with remorse for those which were in us formerly ? From what a degree of bitter sorrow hast Thou often delivered me by Thy appearance in my soul, O good Lord Jesus ! How many times, after having poured forth tears of distress, sobs and groans, untold, Thou hast anointed my wounded conscience with the unction of Thy mercy, and with the oil of gladness hast besprinkled me! How often have I betaken myself to prayer, despairing almost of my Salvation, and it has sent me back full of joy and confidence of pardon

! Those who are similarly afflicted know well that the Lord Jesus is indeed a Physician who healeth those that are of contrite heart, and giveth medicine to heal their sickness (Ps. cxlvii. 3). And those who have not had this experience, let them believe what He says of Himself: The Spirit of the Lord hath anointed Me, to preach good tidings unto the meek, to bind up the broken-hearted (Is. lxi. 2 ;» Luke iv. 17-21). If they still doubt, let them draw near and make trial of Him, and so learn in their own persons the meaning of that saying : I will have mercy, and not sacrifice (Matt. ix. 13). But let us continue the subject. 4. There are those who, being wearied with spiritual exercises, and fallen into lukewarmness, are in a kind of faintness of spirit, and walk in sadness along the ways of the Lord. Their heart is full of dryness and weariness in doing what is enjoined upon them, and their murmurs are frequent They complain that their days and their nights are long, and they say, with holy Job : When I lie doivn, I say, WJien shall I arise, and the night be gone f and I am full of tossings to and fro until the dawning of the day (Job

vii. 4). When a soul is in such a state as that, if the Lord, touched with compassion, draws near to it upon the road on which we walk, and He who is from heaven begins to speak of heavenly things, or to sing to us some sweet canticle from among the songs of Sion, to relate also somewhat of the City of God, the peace of that City, the eternity of that peace, of the fixedness of that eternity — I declare to you that the pleasantness of that narrative will be as a soft couch to that wearied and slumbering soul ; it will drive away every trace of aversion from the mind, and of weariness from the body, of the hearer. Does it not seem to 14 Digitized by Google 210 you that he who wrote : My soul hath slumbered through heaviness : strengthen Thou me in Thy words (Ps. cxix. 28, Douay), must have experienced this trial, and have prayed for this very succour ? And when he has obtained it, will he not cry out : O how love I Thy Law! it is my meditation all the day (Ps. cxix. 97)? For our meditations on the Word who is the Bridegroom, on His glory, His greatness, His power, His grace, are so many

words spoken by Him to our souls. And not only when He speaks, but when we meditate upon and revolve in our minds with eagerness His testimonies and the judgments of His mouth, when we meditate in His Law night and day, let us know for certain that the Bridegroom is present, and is speaking to us, so that the sweetness of His discourse may prevent our being wearied by our labours. 5. Do you, then, when you feel yourself to be dwelling upon such thoughts as these, not suppose that these thoughts are from yourself, but recognise that they are spoken within you by Him who says by the Prophet: I ivho speak righteousness (Is. lxiii. 1). For the thoughts of our own mind have a great resemblance to the words of the Truth speaking within us ; nor is it easy to distinguish what the heart produces of itself from within, from that which it hears spoken ; unless a man bears carefully in mind what the Lord says in the Gospel : Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts (Matt. xv. 9) ; and again, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts 1 (Matt. ix. 4) ; and again, When lie [the devil] speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his oitm (John ix. 44). And the Apostle

remarks, We are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves (that is to say, anything good1) ; but our sufficiency is of God (2 Cor. iii. 5). When, then, we dwell in thought upon things evil, the thought is of ourselves ; but if upon good, it is by the inspiration of God. In the one kind of thoughts our heart speaks ; but to the other it listens. /, says the Psalmist, will hear what the Lord God will speak in me : for He will speak peace unto His people (Ps. lxxxv. 9, Douay). Therefore it is God who speaks within us thoughts of peace, piety, righteousness; nor do we think those things of ourselves, but hear them spoken with us. Out of the heart there come murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies (Matt. xv. 19) ; these we do not hear, but they are the utterance of our own hearts. For the fool hath said in his heart, There is no God (Ps. xiv. 1). And because of this the wicked hath contemned God: because he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it (Ps. x. 13). But there is still another kind of thoughts which are felt in the heart, but are not the utterance of the heart itself. For

that does not come out of the heart, as do our thoughts. Nor is it that word of which we have been speaking namely, that which is spoken by God the Word : since this other kind of words is evil. It is sent forth by powers which are hostile to us, and consists of thoughts suggested to us by evil angels ; such as, for instance, was that which, as we read, the devil sent into the heart Digitized by Google of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, that he should betray his Lord (John xiii. 2). 6. But who is so skilled and watchful an observer either of the movements of his thoughts within, or of those that come to him from without, that in each forbidden desire he is able to distinguish between the malady of his own, or the wound inflicted by the serpent?

To no mortal do I think this to be possible, except to him who has been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and has thus received that special gift of grace which the Apostle, in enumerating it among other charismata, calls the discerning of spirits (1 Cor. xii. 10). Yet how greatly does it behove a man, as Solomon reminds us, to keep his heart with all diligence (Prov. iv. 23), and to observe all the movements within it with the most vigilant attention ! Even when you are well skilled in this by long experience and frequent trial, yet you may not be able to discern and distinguish with unerring correctness between the evil that is inborn, and the evil that is introduced from without. For who can understand sins ? (Ps. xviii. 13, Douay). Nor, after all, is it of great consequence to us to know whence an evil has come to us ; that which is really of importance is to know that it is in us, if that be the fact ; and from wheresoever it comes, our wisdom is to watch and pray, that we may not give the consent of our will unto it. From both one and the other kind of evil the prayer of the Psalmist asks deliverance : Cleanse Thou me from my secret faults, O Lord, and from those of others spare Thy servant (Vs. xviii. 13, 14, Douay). As for me, I am unable to impart to you that which I have not received. I can give you no precise rule, I confess, whereby to distinguish between the ideas emanating from your own heart, and those sown in it by the enemy.

Both one and the other are evils ; each of them comes from an evil cause ; each of them is in the heart, yet they do not both come from the heart. I am sure that they are in me, though I am not sure which to attribute to my own heart, and which to an enemy. But from that inability arises, as I have said, no danger. 7. But there is another point in which it would be not only dangerous, but even fatal, to be deceived; and deservedly so, inasmuch as a plain rule is laid down for us, not to attribute to ourselves that which is of God in us, or to think the visit of the Word to us to be only the working of our own thoughts. For as far as good is different from evil, so far different are these two from each other ; since evil cannot possibly come from the Word, nor good come from the human heart, unless it has been first conceived there by the Word ; because a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit (Matt. vii. 18). But I believe it has been sufficiently stated what is of God in our heart, and what is of ourselves ; nor was that, I think, without need ; and that it will serve to show those who are enemies to grace,1 that without grace little more than the giving of reason to man, and to the good example given by the Saviour. See on the Eleventh Treatise of St. Bernard.

Digitized by 212 the heart of man is not capable of thinking good thoughts, but that the capacity of doing so comes from God ; and that the good things which it thinks are due to the voice of God in it, and are not its own offspring. Do you, then, if you hear His Voice, be no longer as if ignorant whence it cometh, or whither it goeth ; but recognise that It comes forth from God, and into your heart. Only, take care that the word which comes forth from the Mouth of God does not return unto Him void, but prosper and accomplish all things for which He sent it, so that you, too, may be able to say, His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain (i Cor. xv. 10). Happy the soul of which the Word is the inseparable companion, showing Himself accessible at all times ; and who, being kept in continual delight by the sweetness of His companionship, frees himself without ceasing from every vice and tyranny of the flesh, redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Eph. v. 16). He shall not be cast down, he shall not be rendered weary ; as says the Scripture, There shall no evil happen to t/ie just (Pro v. xii. 21).

8. But I think that the Lord [also] appears as a great Father of a family, or as a Sovereign of royal splendour, to those who, drawing near1 to Him with heart exalted, with greater liberty of spirit, and purity of conscience, and rendered more noble and courageous thereby, are accustomed to lift up their hearts to higher things. These are restless and eager to penetrate deeper mysteries, to attempt loftier achievements, to attain greater perfection, not in sensible things, but in sanctity. These, for the grandeur of their faith, are found worthy to be led forward into all fulness ; and there is nothing so rare in all the treasure houses of wisdom that the Lord, who is the God of all knowledge, thinks fit to withdraw it from those heroic souls who thirst for truth, and are devoid of vanity. Such was Moses, who dared to say to God : If I have found grace in Thy sight . . . show me Thy glory (Exod. xxxiii. 17, 18). Such was Philip, who, for himself and his co-disciples, asked of the Lord that He would show them the Father (John xiv. 8) ; such, too, was Thomas, who refused to believe unless he should touch with his hand the wounds [of the nails], and the pierced Side of

his Master (xx. 25). That was a want of faith, but it came from a greatness of soul which was wonderful in its way.2 Such also was David, who himself said to God : Afy heart said unto Thee, Thy Face, Lord, will I seek (Ps. xxvii. 8). Such souls aspire to great things because they are great ; and because they aspire to them, they attain them, according to the word of promise made to them : Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread, shall be yours (Deut. xi. 24). For great faith merits great rewards ; and you * How could it be from greatness of soul, if it came from weakness of faith ?

St. Bernard distinguishes two things : one, that he refused to believe, which showed a weakness of faith : the other, the condition he named, and this evinced a great ness of mind, the sign of which is to dare great things. See Sermon CLXII, in the Appendix to the works of St. Augustine, and William, Abbot of St. Thierry, 1 De Contemplando Deo,' chap i., n. 3.

Digitized by Google shall obtain the good things of the Lord, in proportion as you shall attain to set upon them the foot of an assured confidence. 9. Thus God speaks to Moses face to face, and it is his eminent reward to behold the Lord openly, not by types and figures, whilst to other Prophets He is said to make Himself known only in vision, and to speak to them in a dream (Numb. xii. 6-8). To Philip, again, according to his heartfelt petition, was shown the Father in the Son, from whom he received, without doubt, the instant reply : Philip, he who hath seen Me, hath seen the Father: and, / am in the Father, and the Father in Me (John xiv. 9, 10). Thomas He permitted to touch Him, according to the desire of his heart, and did not refuse him the request of his lips (xx. 27). What shall I say of David? Does it not signify that he was not left wholly without the granting of his prayer, where he says that he will not give sleep to his eyes, nor slumber to his eyelids, until he find out a place for the Lord (Ps. cxxxii. 4, 5).

A great Bridegroom, then, will present Himself thus to great souls ; and He will treat them magnificently, sending them His Light and His Truth ; leading them on and conducting them at length to His holy mountain and into its tabernacles, so that one thus blessed may say : He that is Mighty hath done to me great things (Luke i. 49).

His eyes shall see the King in His beauty (Is. xxxiii. 17) ; going before him towards oases in the desert, in which bloom the fragrant roses, and the lilies of the valleys, where are the pleasant shades of gardens, the gushing of silver fountains, the storehouses filled with all good things, the odours of perfumes, and lastly, the hidden precincts cf the chamber of the King. 10. These are the treasures of wisdom and knowledge which are hidden in the Bridegroom ; these are the life-giving sustenance prepared for the refreshment of holy souls. Blessed is the man whose longing for them has been satisfied to the full ! Of this only let him be warned, that he ought not to wish to possess alone gifts which would suffice for the needs of many. For if, after all these things, the Bridegroom is described as appearing in the character of a pastor, it is perhaps to warn him who has obtained such great gifts that his duty is to feed the simpler ones of the flock, who are not able to attain by their own efforts to the knowledge of these good things ; just as sheep do not dare to go forth without their shepherd to seek the green pastures. Of this fact the Bride prudently takes note,

and that is why she desires to be told where the Bridegroom feeds [His flock], and takes shelter during the mid-day heat ; being prepared (as may easily be understood from her words) to be nourished and to feed her flock with Him, and under His protection. She does not consider it safe for the flock to stray far from their Chief Pastor, because of the attacks of wolves upon them ; and especially of those who come to us in sheep's clothing ; it is for that reason that she desires to feed in the same pastures, and repose in the same shades, as He. And she gives her motive in the words, Why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of Thy companions? (i. 7). These Digitized by Google 214 are they who wish to appear as friends of the Bridegroom, and are not ; their care is to feed their own flocks, not His ; they are those who go about insidiously, saying : Lo, here is Christ ; or, lo, He is there (Mark xiii. 21), so that they may lead away many, may withdraw them from the flock of Christ, and add them to their own. So far as relates to the letter of the text. As for the spiritual sense

hidden in it, I propose to defer the consideration of it to another discourse, which, by the intercession of your prayers, and in the fulness of His mercy, may He deign to grant unto me to deliver, Who is the Bridegroom of the Church, Jesus Christ our Lord, who is above all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

OF THOSE THINGS WHICH A DEVOUT SOUL OUGHT TO SEEK WITHOUT CEASING. WHAT IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD BY THE WORD ' NOON] *~T^ELL me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where Thou feedest, J[ where Thou makes t Thy flock to rest at noon (i. 7). And another voice speaks thus : Tell me why Thou judgest me thus (Job x. 2, Douay). Where he does not blame the sentence upon him, but examines the cause of it, and asks to be instructed by his afflictions, not destroyed by them. And still another prays in the same sense, saying : Show me Thy ways, O Lord ; teach me thy paths (Ps. xxv. 4). What he means by ' ways ' and ' paths ' he shows elsewhere : He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness (Ps. xxiii. 3).

Every soul, therefore, that is full of care to serve God does not cease to seek for these three things : righteousness, and judgment, and the place where dwelleth the glory of the Lord ; or, as it were, the path in which to walk, the precaution with which to walk, and the dwelling whither to direct our course. Of this dwelling the Psalmist speaks thus : One thing have I desired unto the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life (Ps. xxvii. 4); and, again: Lord, I have lo7'ed the habitation of Thy House, and the place where Thine Honour dwelleth (xxvi. 8) ; while of the two others he says : Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy Throne (lxxxix. 14). It is with reason that the devoted soul seeks these three things, as being the throne of God, and the basis (praiparationem) of His Throne. Beautiful it is to see how, by the peculiar prerogative of the Bride, all these things concur equally to the consummation of her virtues, so that she is beautiful by the form of righteousness, prudent by knowledge of judgments, and chaste by her desire for the presence and glory of her Bridegroom. Such it

Digitized by Google becomes well the Spouse of the Lord to be : beautiful, prudent, and chaste. Therefore the petition, which I have placed last, has reference to place : she seeks that He, whom her soul loves, will tell her where He feedeth, where He makes His flock to rest at noon. 2. And first remark with what beauty she distinguishes the love of the Spirit from that of the flesh, when, wishing to express her beloved more by her very affection than by His Name, she does not say simply, 'Him whom I love/ but, O Thou whom my soul loveth, indicating thereby that her affection is of the soul. Next, consider with attention what it is she finds so desirable in the place where He pastures His flock. Nor let it escape you that she speaks of the midday hour, and inquires especially respecting the place in which He who feeds His flock also reposes, which is a sign of great security.

For I suppose that this word * reposes ' was added because in that land it is not necessary at all to be on foot and wakeful in order to keep the flock in safety ; since even when the shepherd is inactive and reclining under the trees, his flock go to and fro upon the meadows as they please. Happy the region where the sheep go in and out at pleasure, and none make them afraid. Who will grant unto me to behold you, and myself with you, feeding upon the mountains with the ninety and nine, which, as we read in the Gospel (Matt, xviii. 12), the Shepherd of all had left there, while He deigned to go to seek that one which had strayed and was lost ? He, without doubt, reposes securely when He is beside His sheep, who did not hesitate to depart and go far from them, knowing that He left them in safety.

Rightly does the Bride seek and sigh for that spot which is one both of pasturage and of peace, of repose and of security, of joy, of admiration— yea, of wonderment But, alas ! how unhappy am I to be so far distant from it, to salute it only from afar ! The mention only of it makes me break into tears, excites my heart to affection, and my tongue to use the words of those who said : By the rivers of Babylon there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion (Ps. cxxxvii. 1). Our desire is to cry out with the Bride and with the Psalmist : Praise Thy God, O Siony for He hath strengthened the bars of thy gates ; He hath blessed thy children within thee. He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat (Ps. cxlvii. 13, 14). Who would not wish to be fed from thence for peace, and for fatness, and for satiety ? No fear is there, nor distaste, nor deficiency. Paradise is a safe dwelliiu-place, the Word a sweet nourishment, eternity abundance without limit. 3. I have the Word also here below, but in the Flesh ; the Truth also is set before me for nourishment, but in the Sacrament. An Angel is rendered fat with the finest of the wheat, and filled with the pure grain ; but it behoves me to be content during this life with the Sacrament, as with a husk ; with the flesh, as with bran ; with the letter, as with chaff ; with faith, as with a veil [upon the truth]. And such things as these bring death in the tasting (Rom. viii. 6-13), unless they be seasoned in some degree with the firstfruits of the Spirit.

Digitized by 2l6 Assuredly, I can find only death in the pottage, unless it be rendered sweet with the meal of the Prophet (2 Kings iv. 41). Indeed, without the Spirit even the Sacrament is received only to condemnation ; the flesh profiteth nothing (John vi. 63) ; the letter kflleth (2 Cor. iii. 6) ; and faith itself is dead. But it is the Spirit that quickeneth these [means of grace], that I may live in them. But with whatever abundance of the Spirit those things may be enriched it is not possible to find the same sweetness in the husk of the Sacrament, and in the fatness of the wheat ; in faith as in vision ; in remembrance as in presence; in time as in eternity; in the reflection in a mirror as in the countenance itself that is reflected ; in the form of a servant as in the Image of God. Evidently, in all these things, faith is rich for me, but intelligence is poor. Is there not a great disparity between the degree of appreciation and enjoyment experienced by the understanding, and that by the faith, since the one is for a merit, the other for a reward ? You see, then, that there is as much difference between the nature of the nourishment as there is between the places referred to ; and as the heavens are exalted high above the earth, so do those who dwell in them abound far more, and in gifts which are far better, than those below. 4. Let us hasten, then, my children, let us hasten to reach a safer dwelling-place, a sweeter pasturage, a richer and more fruitful field.

Let us hasten to attain a land where we may dwell without fear, have abundance that cannot be exhausted, and can be enjoyed without distaste. Thou, O Lord of Sabaoth, who judgest all things in an awful calm, Thou dost also support all things with justice and in security. Thou art at once the Lord of armies and the Shepherd of the sheep. Therefore Thou dost both pasture Thy sheep and, kt the same time, remain in a Sabbath rest ; but not here. Therefore it was that Thou didst remain quiescent when Thou sawest from heaven one of Thy sheep (I speak of Stephen) beset with wolves upon the earth (Acts vii. 55). And, therefore, I entreat, tell me where Thou feedest, where Thou makest Thy flock to rest at noon ; for that noonday is the whole day, a day which knows no evening. And, therefore, that day in Thy courts is better than a thousand (Ps. lxxxiv. 10), because it knows no set of sun. It has had perhaps a morning, namely, when the dayspring from on high hath visited us, through the tender mercy of our God, to give light to them that sit in darkness (Luke i. 78, 79). Then in truth we have received Thy mercy \ O God, in the midst of Thy Temple (Ps. xlvii. 10, Douay) ; when [the Lord] rose from the midst of the shadow of death, and the morning light broke upon us, and in the morning we beheld the glory of the Lord.

How many kings and prophets have desired to see it, and have not seen it ? Wherefore ? Because it was still the night, and that the morning, so long awaited, and to which mercy was promised, had not yet come. Wherefore, also, one thus prayed : Cause me to hear Thy tovingkindness in the morning, for in Thee is my trust (Ps. cxliii. 8). 5. For that day was heralded by an aurora lasting from the moment Digitized by Google THOSE THINGS WHICH A DEVOUT SOUL OUGHT TO SEEK 21 7 in which the [rising of the] Sun of Righteousness was announced to the earth by the Archangel Gabriel, and that a Virgin had conceived by the operation of the Holy Ghost [Him who was] God, and that a Virgin had brought forth ; and onwards, until He was beheld upon the earth, and lived among men. For up to that time only a feeble light, as it were, the light of an aurora, was visible, so that almost all the earth was ignorant that the Day was among men. And, in truth, if they had known they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (i Cor. ii. 8). To His few disciples He said: Yet a little while ye have the Light with you1 (John xii. 35), inasmuch as it was the aurora, the beginning, or rather the indication of the day, while the Sun still concealed His beams, and scattered them but little upon the earth.

St. Paul also said that the night was far spent, the day was at hand (Rom. xiii. 12), signifying that though the light was still dim, the day was approaching rather than was already come. But when did he say this ? Tt was when the Sun of Righteousness, having returned from the depths, had already mounted into the height of heaven. How much more would he have spoken thus when the likeness of a body of sin — as it were a thick cloud — veiled that dawning ; a body, I say, like ours in all its capabilities of suffering, so that neither the bitterness of death nor the shame of the Cross were wanting to it !

How much more dim and feeble was the light at that season than when the presence of the Sun was plain and evident ! 6. All the Life of Christ upon the earth was, then, as it were, an aurora, or dawning, and even that somewhat indistinct, until, after His Death and Resurrection, He caused the dawning to disappear in the clearer light of His Presence, as it were, the sun full risen ; then the rooming broke, and the night was swallowed up in victory. Thus we read in the Gospel : Very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun (Mark xvi. 2).

Was it not the morning when the Sun was risen ? But that morning drew from the Resurrection of Christ a new beauty, a purer and more steadfast light than was its wont, since even though we have known Him after the Flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more (2 Cor. v. 16). And the Psalmist writes : The Lord hath girded Himself He is clothed with beauty and strength (Ps. xcii. 1, Douay) ; because He hath thrown off from Him as a cloud the infirmities of the flesh, and hath put on Him the robe of His glory. Just so is it with the sun : when he is risen above the horizon, and pours forth his rays upon the earth, he begins to increase by degrees in brightness to the sight and in warmth to the feeling. But though he increase ever so much in strength and in heat, though he multiply his rays in number and power, throughout the whole course of this mortal life of ours (for He shall be with us even unto the end of the world — Matt, xxviii. 20), yet He shall not attain unto His midday light, nor be beheld here below in that fulness of glory in which He shall hereafter reveal Himstill with you.— Ed.

Digitized by Google 218 self, but to those alone to whom He shall deign to accord that vision. O true noontide, fulness of warmth and of light, abiding-place of the sun, which exterminates all shadows, dries up marshes, and drives forth pestilential odours ! O perpetual solstice, and day that declines not ! O mid-day light, enjoying at once the freshness of spring, the beauty of summer, the fruitfulness and abundance of autumn, and, not to omit anything, the deep rest and unbroken quiet of winter !

Or, at least, if you prefer it so, it is the winter only that disappears and is wanting. ' Show to me ' (says the Bride) * this spot of brightness, peace, and abundance so great, that, like as Jacob, still abiding in his mortal body, saw the Lord face to face, and his life was preserved (Gen. xxxii. 30) ; or as Moses beheld Him, not in types and figures, nor through dreams, as did other Prophets, but in a manner transcendent and known to no others but to God and himself (Num. xii. 6-8) ; or as Isaiah, who, after the eyes of his heart had been opened, saw the Lord upon His Throne high and lifted up (Is. vi. 1); or even in the manner of St. Paul, who was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words (2 Cor. xii. 4), and saw with his eyes Jesus Christ his Lord : so may I, too, be found worthy to contemplate Thee in Thy light and Thy beauty by means of a transport and rapture of soul ; and to behold Thee feeding Thy flock with fuller abundance and more complete security than now.1 7. For here, too, Thou dost feed Thy flock, but not to the full ; nor is it permitted to Thee to repose, but it is needful to stand and watch over them because of terrors of the night. Alas ! [here] the light is not clear, nor the nourishment full, nor the dwelling safe ; therefore tell me where Thou feedest, where Thou makest Thy flock to rest at noon. Blessed dost Thou call me when I hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matt. v. 6). What is this in comparison with the happiness of those who are satisfied with the goodness of Thy House (Ps. lxv. 4), who eat and rejoice in the sight of God, yea, who exceedingly rejoice ? (Ps. Ixviii. 3 ) But, and if I suffer anything for righteousness' sake, Thou sayest again that I am none the less blessed (1 Pet. iii. 14). And it is certain that to have nourishment where you apprehend suffering is to experience enjoyment, but not security.

To have nourishment and suffering together, what is that but a grievous joy ? All things that I possess here fall short of being perfect ; many are beyond my prayer, nor is any safe. When wilt Thou fill me with joy with Thy Countenance? (Ps. xv 11, Douay) Thy Face, Lord, will I seek (Ps. xxvii. 8). Thy Countenance is a noonday to me. Tell me where Thou feedest, ivhere Thou makest Thy flock to rest at noon. I know sufficiently where thou feedest without resting ; tell me where Thou doest both the one and the other. I am not ignorant where at other times Thou doest this, but I would know where Thou doest this at noon. For during the time of my mortal life, and in the place of my pilgrimage, I have been accustomed to he spiritually fed, and to feed others, with nourishment from Thee, in the Law, in the Prophets, in the Psalms. Thou dost feed us also Digitized by Google in the pastures of the Gospels, and with the Apostles I have rested.

Often, also, I have sought, and have been able to find, spiritual nourishment for me and mine in the actions, the words, and the writings of the Saints. Still more frequently (because it was very close at hand to me) I have eaten the bread of sorrow, and drunk of the wine of regret ; my tears have been my meat day a?id night, while they daily say unto me, Where is now thy God f (Ps. xlii. 3.) I have, indeed, been nourished from Thy Table : for Thou hast prepared a Table before me against them that trouble me (Ps. xxiii. 5), and from it, I repeat, I receive somewhat by the gift of Thy mercy, which imparts comfort and consolation, as often as my soul is sorrowful and disquieted within me. Those pastures I know, and following Thee, my Shepherd, have often sought them ; but tell me, I entreat, those which I know not. 8. There are, however, other shepherds who call themselves companions of Thine, but are not so ; and these have their flocks, and their fields of pasture filled with deadly things ; to these they lead their followers, but not with Thee, nor by Thy bidding ; these I have not entered, nor drawn near to them. These are they who say

: Lo ! here is Christ, or lo I He is there (Mark xiii. 21), promising pastures fertile with wisdom and knowledge ; and the promise is believed, so that many hearers flock together to them ; and these they make twofold more the children of hell than themselves (Matt, xxiii. 15). Why is this, except that there is not there the clear and noonday light, so that the pure truth should become known to them ; and thus they easily accept falsehood on account of a resemblance to the truth, from which, in the dim light, it is not easily distinguished, and especially also because stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant (Prov. ix. 17). And for this reason I entreat that Thou wouldest tell me where Thou feedest, where Thou makest Thy flock to rest at noon, that is to say, in the clear light, that I may not be seduced, and begin to wander after the crowds of those who follow these [so-called] "companions of Thine"1 who are themselves but unsteady wanderers, having no certitude or steady grasp of true doctrine, who are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (2 Tim. iii. 7). This the Bride [that is, the Church] declares on account of the varying

and vain dogmas of philosophers and heretics. 9. It seems to me that we ought to desire this noonday of Christ, not only on this account, but also on account of the wiles of invisible powers, of seducing spirits who hold themselves in ambush, and make ready their arrows within the quiver, that they may secretly shoot at those who are of a right heart, so that in clear light we may be able to discover the stratagems of the devil, and easily to discern, with the help of our good angel, that angel of Satan, who is able to called themselves * Companions of Christ.* But it is not possible now, apparently, to verify the reference.— Ed.

Digitized by 220 transform himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. xi. 14). For we are not able otherwise to guard ourselves sufficiently from the attack of the demon of noonday (Ps. xcl 6)'unless we walk also in noonday light.

And I think that demon is so called because there are of the number of the evil some who, abiding although they do in a night which is perpetual on account of their will being gloomy and hardened in wickedness, yet know how to simulate the day, and even the mid-day, in order to deceive ; in the same way that their chief is not content to be equal with God, but opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped (2 Thess. ii. 4). That is why, unless the heart of one whom a demon of this nature is endeavouring to tempt be enlightened by the true light of noonday, which shines from heaven, which detects and convicts that which is false, he will not be able adequately to protect himself, but the demon will doubtless tempt and subvert him by an appearance of good, persuading the soul which is incautious and unprepared, to accept evil for good. And then the mid day — that is, the clearness — appears the greater, tempting since it offers a greater show of good. 10. How often, for example, has it suggested to anticipate the watches [of the night] in order to turn to derision some sleeper at the Offices of the brethren ? How often to

prolong fasts in order to render an individual powerless, and therefore useless, in Divine service ? How often, envying those who were making good progress in communities, has it suggested to them, under the pretence of attaining greater perfection, to seek the solitude [of an hermitage] ? And those unhappy ones have learned at length the truth of that maxim which they had read to no purpose : Woe to him that is alone when he falleth,for he hath not another to lijt him up (Eccles. iv. 10). How often has it urged a man to greater manual labour than he has strength to perform, and thus exhausting his powers has rendered him incapable of discharging his regular duties ? How often urged one to immoderate bodily exercise — which, according to the Apostle, profiteth little (1 Tim. iv. 8) — and so withdrawn him from practices of piety? Lastly, have not some of you experienced — I say it to their shame — how at first they could not be restrained, with such ardour they were filled, and then after a time fell back into such a degree of remissness that, in the phrase of the Apostle, having begun in the Spirit, they were made perfect by the flesh (Gal. iii. 3), and have made a shameful alliance with

the body after having entered upon an unrelenting conflict with it ? You see such persons — shame it is to say — demanding importunately things which are superfluous after having obstinately refused those which were necessary. Although will, making abstinences which are unwise and indiscreet, and gravely troubling by their marked singularity those to whom they ought to conform their conduct, as they dwell with them in one house; I know not, I say, whether they are abiding by the rule of piety : they seem to me to have by thus acting, departed far from it. Let those Digitized by Google who are wise in their own eyes, and have determined to abide by no advice nor command but their own, let them see to it how they shall give account, not to me, but to Him who says : Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. And He had declared before that obedience is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rants (i Sam. xv. 23, 22); that is to say, than an abstinence which is disobedient and contumacious. That is why the Lord says by the Psalmist : Will I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? (Ps. 1. 13), in order

to show that the fastings of those who are proud or impure are far from being acceptable in His sight. 11. But here I fear, lest in condemning those who push their fasts beyond measure, I may seem to give licence to the gluttonous, and that they may hear to their peril what is spoken for a remedy to the others. Wherefore let both the one class and the other listen. There are four kinds of temptations, and they are thus described by the Psalmist : His Truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shall not be afraid for the terror by night ; nor for the arrow that flieth by day ; for the pestilence that walketh in darkness ; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday (Ps. xci. 4-6). And do ye all attend also, for I hope that you may all find profit in these words. All among us who have been converted to the Lord feel in ourselves the truth of what the Holy Scripture says : My son, if thou come to serve the Lord, prepare thy soul for temptation, set thy heart aright, and constantly endure (Ecclus. ii. 1). Therefore, according to the order of common experience, it is fear which first disturbs and troubles us at the beginning of our conversion

; and that fear is caused by the frightful image which we form to ourselves of the extremely strict life we are about to embrace, and of the austerity of an unwonted discipline. And this is called 'the terror by night/ either because * night' in Scripture means usually ' adversities,' or because the recompense, on account of which we are preparing to endure adversities, is not yet revealed, but hidden from us as in a shroud of gloom. For if that day should shine in whose light we should discern equally both the trials and the recompenses, the desire of the recompense which would be clearly visible to us would render the fear of any trials whatever as nothing in comparison with the desire to obtain it. For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Rom. viii. 18). But now, since these things are concealed from our eyes and all is night around us, we suffer from the terrors of the night, and are a prey to fears of those evils which are present to us in place of the good things to come which are not visible. Those, then, who are newcomers ought to watch and pray against this first temptation, lest, being suddenly

overcome by weakness of the spirit and by the difficulty of the moment, they fall back (which may God forbid !) from the good work they had begun. 12. But after having overcome that temptation, let us arm ourselves moreover against the praises of men who find occasion for praise in the laudable life we lead ; for otherwise we shall be exposed Digitized by Google 222 to be wounded by the arrow which flieth by day — that is, by vainglory.

For fame is said to fly, and during the day, because it is born of the works of the light. If this is puffed aside as being empty air, there still remains to be feared something more solid — that is, the richest honours of this world ; for one who cares not for praises may desire place and dignity. And see if it was not this order of temptation that was observed towards Our Lord, to whom, after the suggestion was made that He should throw Himself from the pinnacle of the Temple from a motive of vanity alone, all the kingdoms of the world were shown and offered (Matt. iv. 6, 8). Do you, then, also reject these after the example of the Saviour ? otherwise you will inevitably be surprised by the pestilence which walketh in darkness, which is hypocrisy. For that descends from ambition, and has its dwelling in darkness ; there it hides what it really is, and pretends to be what it is not. At all times it has some secret object, and, retaining an appearance of piety to conceal itself, it is prepared to put even virtue up to sale1 in order to obtain honours. 13. The last temptation is the destruction that ivasteth at noonday, which usually besets those who are perfect

— namely, those brave and lofty souls who have overcome other temptations, whether pleasures, flatteries, or honours. For what remains to the tempter, or what means has he left to attack souls like these ? He approaches, then, in disguise, since he dares not do so openly, and attempts to overthrow, by a false pretence of good, the man whom he has found by experience to hold in horror that which is openly evil. For those who are able to say with the Apostle : We are not ignorant of his devices (2 Cor. ii. 11), the more advanced they are in virtue, the more careful are they to guard against this snare. Thus it was that Mary was troubled at the angelic salutation (Luke i. 29), suspecting (if 1 do not mistake) some snare of the enemy ; and Joshua does not receive the angel as a friend before he knew that he was really a friend. In fact, he inquires whether the angel were for them or for their adversaries (Josh. v. 13-15), as one who had had experience of the cunning devices of the demon of the noonday. The Apostles also, when they were once toiling in rowing, the wind being contrary, and the boat labouring in the sea, seeing the Lord walking on the sea, thought

He was a phantom, and cried out for fear. Does not that show clearly that they suspected a delusion of the demon of the noon ? For you remember that the Scripture says that in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea (Matt. xiv. 24-27). Let, then, this fourth temptation, which is the last to be tried, be feared by us : and the higher anyone seems to have attained, the more careful and watchful let him learn to be against the attacks of the demon of noonday.

But the true Noonday, the Lord Jesus, manifested Himself to the disciples in that He said .• // is I : be not afraid ; and their unfounded suspicion was at once dispelled. May God grant that as often as the cloaked falsehood endeavours to creep upon us, the true Digitized by Google Noonday, rising from on high, may send forth His light and His truth to put it to flight — to separate the light from the darkness, so that we may not fall under the censure of the Prophet as putting darkness for light, and light for darkness (Is. v. 20). 14. If the length of this discourse does not weary you, I will now try to assign these four temptations, in their order, to the Body of Christ, which is the Church. And I will endeavour to do this as briefly as possible. Consider the Primitive Church. Was it not at first pervaded in an extraordinary degree with the terror that walketh by night! For it was then, as it were, a night, when everyone who slew the saints thought that he was thus doing God service. But after that temptation was overcome, and that tempest stilled, she became glonous and illustrious, and, according to the promise made to her, was speedily placed in a position of

worldly distinction. Then the enemy, vexed to have been frustrated, turned cunningly from the certain members of the Church. Vain and ambitious men rose up, greedy of reputation, and desired to make for themselves a name ; and, going forth from the Church, their mother, they long afflicted her with various and perverse teachings. But this evil plague also was vanquished by the wisdom of the saints, as the former had been by the patience of the martyrs. 15. At the present time, by the mercy of God, the Church is free from each of these evils ; but evidently it is still contaminated by the pestilence that walketh in darkness. Woe to this generation [which is corrupted] by the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy ! If, indeed, that ought to be called hypocrisy which is so prevailing that it cannot be hidden, and so devoid of shame that it does not try to hide. At the present day a contagious corruption is creeping through the whole body of the Church, the more desperate of cure as it is universal, and the more dangerous because so deeply seated. If an heretic arose to wage against her an open war, she would exclude him from her bounds, and he would dry up and wither away ; or if one

attacked her with violence, she would peradventure hide herself from him. But at the present time whom shall she exclude, or from whom shall she hide herself? All are her friends, and all her enemies ; all are her intimates, and all her adversaries ; all are of her own household, and none at peace with her ; all are very nearly related to her, and yet all are seeking their own interests. They are Ministers of Christ, and they are serving Antichrist. They are advanced to honour upon the goods of the Lord, and to the Lord they render no honour at all. From this proceeds that meretricious splendour, that habit fit for a comedian, that magnificence almost royal which you see every day.

Because of this you see gold upon the bits of their horses, upon their saddles, and even upon their spurs ; yes, their spurs shine more brightly than their altars. Because of this you see fine tables loaded with splendid services of plate, chased goblets, and, also, with viands correspondingly costly ; then follow merrymakings and drunkenness, Digitized by 224 the guitar, the lyre, and the flute. Thence come groaning winepresses and storehouses full and overflowing with all manner of good things.

Thence come vases of rich perfumes, and coffers filled with immense treasures. It is for the attainment of such objects that they desire to be, and are, Provosts of churches, Deans, Archdeacons, Bishops, Archbishops. For these dignities are not given for merit, but are disposed of in that infamous traffic which walketh in darkness. its fulfilment draws near : Behold, in peace is my bitterness most bitter (Is. xxxviii. 17, Douay). It was bitter at first in the death of the martyrs ; more bitter afterwards in the conflict with heretics ; but most bitter of all now in the [evil] lives of her members. She cannot drive them away, and she cannot flee from them, so strongly established are they, and so multiplied are they above measure. The plague of the Church is inward ; it is incurable. It is that which makes its bitterness most bitter, even in the midst of peace. But in what a peace ! Peace it is, and yet it is not peace. There is peace from heathens, and from heretics ; but not from her own sons. At this time is heard the voice of her complaining : / have nourished and brought forth children, and they have rebelled against me (Is. i. 2).

They have rebelled ; they have dishonoured me by their evil lives, by their shameful gains, by their shameful trafficking, by, in short, their many works which walk in darkness. There remains only one thing — that the demon of noonday should appear, to seduce those who remain still in Christ, and in the simplicity which is in Him. He has, without question, swallowed up the rivers of the learned, and the torrents of those who are powerful, and (as says the Scripture) he is to say, those simple and humble ones who are in the Church. For this is he who is Antichrist, who counterfeits not only the day, but also the noonday ; who exalts himself above all that is called God or worshipped — whom the Lord Jesus shall consume with the Spirit of His Mouth, and destroy with the brightness of His Coming (2 Thess. ii. 4, 8) ; for He is the true and eternal Noonday : the Bridegroom, and Defender of the Church, Who is above all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

/Fthou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds* tents (i. 8). Once holy Moses, presuming much on the grace and familiarity into which he had entered by the goodness of God, ventured to aspire to a certain great vision, so as to say to God : If I have found grace in Thy sight, show me Thy glory (Exod. xxxiii. 13Digitized by Google 225 23). But in place of that vision which he had desired he obtained one of a far lower kind, by means of which, nevertheless, he might one day reach that which he wished for. The sons of Zebedee also, walking in the simplicity of their hearts, dared also to ask a great thing, but were, notwithstanding, relegated to a lower step, from which their course upwards must be made (Matt. xx. 21-23). So it is also here with the Bride. She seems to be asking for some great thing, and is repressed with a reply austere indeed, but faithful and helpful. For it behoves one who aspires to things lofty to have lowly thoughts of himself, lest while he exalts himself above his measure he fall below himself, not being steadied and rendered firm by sincere humility.

And because very great graces are not to be obtained except with the merit of humility, it is essential that he who is to receive them should be humbled by reproof, that he may deserve them by humility. Do you, then, when you see yourself humbled, take it as a sign, and even as a certain proof, that some grace from God is drawing near to thee.

For as pride goes before destruction (Prov. xvi. 18), so before honour comes humility. Each of these truths is expressed in that which you read, that God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble (James iv. 6). And, lastly, did He not think fit to recompense with abundant blessing His servant Job, after the great victory which he won over the demon, and after the eminent trial of his remarkable patience ? But note that He took care previously to humble him by many and severe trials, and so to prepare the way for that blessing. 2. But it is little that we endure willingly the humiliation which God of His own accord sends to us, if we do not welcome with a similar willingness that which He puts upon us by the agency of some other person. Wherefore receive a remarkable instance of this from holy David. He was once reviled, and that by one of his servants, but he did not even feel the insults which were heaped upon him, because his mind was preoccupied by Divine grace. What have I to do ivith you, he said, ye sons of Zeruiah? (2 Sam. xvi. 10). O man truly 'after God's own Heart/ who thought that it behoved him to be angry rather with him who would

have avenged the repeated insults, than with him who offered them ! Hence he could say with a quiet conscience : If 1 have rendered to them that repaid me evils, let me deservedly fall empty before my enemies (Ps. vii. 5, Douay). He forbade, then, [his servants] to hinder the man who was attacking him with insolence, regarding his curses as a gain. And he added : // is the Lord that hath said unto him, Curse David. Truly he was a man • after God's own Heart/ since he knew so well the intention in the Heart of God. The tongue of an evil speaker was raging against him, but his concern was only to divine the secret purpose of God in permitting it The voice of the reviler was in his ears ; but his heart was preparing itself in humility for the Divine benediction. Was God, then, in the mouth of the blasphemer ? By no means. But God used it for the humbling of David. Nor was that hidden from the Psalmist, for God had made known to him the hidden secrets of 15 Digitized by 226 His wisdom ; therefore he says : // is good for me that Thou hast humbled me, that I may learn Thy justifications (Ps. cxix. 71, Douay). 3.

Do you see that humility justifies us? I say humility, not humiliation. How many are humiliated who are not humble? Some are bitter and grudging because they are humiliated ; others bear it with patience; some even with willingness. The first are blameworthy; the second blameless; but the last righteous. Although innocence is a part of righteousness, yet its perfection is to the humble. He who is able to say : // is good for me that Thou hast humbled me, is the truly humble. He who bears humiliation unwillingly cannot say this, much less he who murmurs at it. To neither of these do we promise grace merely because he is humiliated; although indeed the two differ widely from each other, since while the one possesses his soul in patience, the other perishes in his murmuring.

But although only one of these is deserving of anger, to neither is there a promise of grace, since it is not to those who are humiliated, but to the humble that God giveth grace (James iv. 6).

He, therefore, is humble who turns humiliation into humility of soul, and it is he who says to God : // is good for me that 1'hou hast humbled me. To no one at all is that good which is endured merely with patience, for we know that God loveth a cheerful giver (2 Cor. ix. 7). Wherefore also when we fast we are bidden to anoint our head with oil, and to wash the face (Matt vi. 17), so that our good work may be seasoned, as it were, with spiritual joy, and our burntoffering be fat and without blemish. For it is a perfect and joyful humility which alone deserves the grace of God, of which it is a sign beforehand. That which is constrained or forced, such as he feds who possesses his soul in patience, although it obtains life because of the patience, yet will not have grace,1 on account of the sorrow and regret mingled with it For such a person does not answer to the description given in this saying of Scripture : Let the brother of low degree* rejoice in that he is exalted (James i. 9), because his humiliation is not endured willingly or gladly. 4. But do you wish to look upon one who glories in the right way, and is truly worthy of glory ? Most gladly \ says the Apostle, will Iglor* in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Cor. xii. 9). He does not say that he patiently endures his infirmities, but that he even glories, and that most gladly, in them, and thus he shows that it was good for him that he was humbled ; nor was it sufficient for him to possess his soul in patience when humiliated, unless be could accept it, as it were, by his own will, and thereby receive grace Listen to that which is the general rule upon this question : He that humbleth himself shall be exalted (Luke xiv. 11). The Lord here signifies that not every kind of humility shall be exalted, but that only which is willingly accepted, not of necessity, nor with sorrow but also outward, and consists in exaltation even in this life. * Humilis.

Digitized by Google 227 and reluctance. So, also, on the other hand, it is not everyone who is exalted that shall be abased ; but those only who exalt themselves of their own accord and through vanity. Thus, then, it is not he who merely is humiliated that shall be exalted, but he who willingly and cheerfully accepts humiliation, and that because his willingness is a merit. For grant that the material part of humility is supplied to you by another person, for example, by reproaches, losses, or sufferings, yet a person cannot be rightly said to be rendered humble by another in the same sense in which he is rendered humble by himself, when he is resolved to suffer all these things quietly and with a joyful mind, because it is the will of God that he should undergo them. 5. But whither am I being borne? Very patiently, as I feel, are you enduring the excessive length of this discourse, though it be of humility and patience ; but let us return to the point whence we have digressed. For all this was suggested to us by the reply made by the Bridegroom to the Bride, who needed to be cautioned and repressed when aspiring to great things. For Him to do this was not to offer her reproaches, but to afford her an opportunity for a greater and more complete degree of humility, and to render her more capable and worthy of those loftier privileges and attainments which she sought. But since we are only, as it were, at the portals of the present chapter, we will resume the consideration of the subject, if you please, at the beginning of another discourse ; especially lest the words of the Bridegroom should be treated of with strength exhausted, or should fall on weary ears. Which may He avert from His servants, who is Jesus Christ our Lord ; above all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

OF THE SHARP REPROOF WHICH THE BRIDEGROOM GIVES TO THE /F thou knowest not, He says, go forth. This is a harsh and severe reproof; since He says, go forth. This is the phrase which servants are wont to hear from their lords when displeased and angry* or maidens from their mistresses, whom they may have deeply offended. 'Go forth/ they say, 'leave me, depart out of my sight and out of this house.' With this speech, severe and bitter, and having so sharp an edge of blame, it is that the Bridegroom addresses His beloved ; but all the blame is under the express condition ' if thou knowest not.' He could say nothing stronger or more effectual to affright her, than to threaten her that she shall b6 sent away from Him. This you may easily realize, if you take notice whence she is bidden to go, and whither. What is she to leave, do Digitized by 228 you think, and for what exchange ? Is it not to go from the Spirit to the flesh, from the blessings of the soul to worldly desires, from the inward rest, in which the mind is at peace, to the din and bustle of the world, and the inquietude of outward cares ? All of these are things in which is nothing but labour, sorrow, and distress of spirit.

For the soul which has once learned of the Lord, and received from Him the power to enter into itself, and in its inmost depths to sigh for the Presence of God, and at all times to seek His Face ; for God is a Spirit, and those who seek Him must walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh, to walk after the flesh ; such a soul, I say, would think it less horrible and less insupportable to endure for a time even hell itself, than, after having once experienced the sweetness of that spiritual life, to go forth from it and leave it, in order to be exposed to the enticements, or rather to the troublous claims of the flesh, to be cast again upon the insatiable desire (curiositalem) of the senses, of which it is said in Ecclesiastes : The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing (Eccles. i. 8). Listen to a man who had experienced that of which I speak : The Lord is good unto than that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him (Lam. iii. 25). If anyone should try to turn away from this supreme happiness that holy soul, I verily believe that it would feel as if torn away from Paradise, and from the portal of glory. Listen, again, to another and a similar soul : My heart said unto Thee, Thy Face, Lord, will I seek (Ps. xxvii. 8).

Wherefore it was his wont to say : It is good for me [i.e., it is for me the highest good] to draw near to God (Ps. lxxiii. 28) ; and again, speaking to his soul, he declares : Return unto thy rest, O my soul: for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee (Ps. cxvi. 7). I say, then, to you : There is nothing which he who has once received this blessing so greatly fears, as that he should be abandoned by grace, and find himself obliged to go forth to the consolations, or rather the desolations, of the flesh, and to support again the tumultuous assaults of the carnal senses. 2. Terrible, then, and greatly to be feared, is that threatening command: Go forth, and pasture thy kids. For it is as if He said: ' Know yourself to be unworthy of that sweet and familiar contemplation of things heavenly, intellectual, and Divine, which you now enjoy.

Wherefore go forth from My sanctuary, which is your heart, in which you were accustomed to drink with pleasure such deep draughts of the hidden and sacred meanings of truth and wisdom ; be as one of those in the world ; entangle yourself again with the delights of the flesh, and feed upon them.' These are what He speaks of as 'kids1 (these signify sins, and are said to be collected, in the Last Judgment, on the left hand of the Judge), the wandering and wanton senses and desires of the flesh, by which, as by windows, death has entered into the soul. To these well apply the words which follow in the text : beside the shepherds1 tents. For kids are pastured, not as lambs, above the tents of the shepherds, but beside them. Now, those shepherds (pastores) who are true pastors, although they have tabernacles cornDigitized by Google SHARP REPROOF WHICH THE BRIDEGROOM GIVES TO THE BRIDE 229 posed of earth, and set upon the earth, that is to say, their bodies, in these days of their service here below, yet are wont to feed their Lord's flocks, not with things of earth, but from celestial pastures ; nor do they preach to them according to their own will, but to that of their Lord. But kids,

that is, the senses of the body, do not seek for, nor desire, heavenly food, but feed beside the tents of the pastors; that is to say, among the good things cognizable by the senses of the present world, which is the region of material bodies, and with these they do not indeed satisfy their desires, because these grow with habit, but indulge them. 3. A sad and shocking change of pursuits ! After having made it his endeavour to nourish the soul during the time of its exile and wandering here with holy meditations, as it were with food from heaven, to seek out the good pleasure of God and the mysteries of His will, to reach up to heaven by the fervency of his devotion, after having saluted Patriarchs and Apostles, and the choirs of Prophets, marked with admiration the triumphs of Martyrs, and viewed with wonder the glorious ranks of the Angels, now, to lay all these occupations aside, to subject himself in disgraceful servitude to the body, unto obedience to the flesh, to become a slave to gluttony or intemperance, and to seek throughout the world for means to satisfy, in some degree, or at least to soothe their imperious, yet insatiable, desires, by the resources of this world which passes away ! My eyes let

fall a torrent of tears over such a soul as that, which, after being brought up in scarlet, embraces dunghills (Lam. iv. 5). He evil entreateth the barren which beareth not, and doeth not good to the widow (Job xxiv. 21).

For notice, it is not merely said, Go forth, but go forth by the flocks of thy companions, and feed thy kids, in which, as it seems to me, a warning is given to us of no small importance. What is it ? Alas ! that a creature so fair, once made a member of the [Lord's] flock, but now rushing miserably to destruction, is not permitted even to remain among the flocks, but is bidden to fall behind them. How is that, do you ask ? It is in that manner of which we read in the Psalms : Man, when lie was in honour, did not understand ; he hath been compared unto senseless beasts, and is become like unto them (Ps. xlviii. 13, Douay). See how this creature, so beautiful," came to belong unto the general body of the animals. And I think that these would say, if they were able to speak : Behold, Adam is become as one of us (Gen. iii. 22, Douay). Says the Psalmist : When he was in honour. If you ask, In what honour ? he dwelt in Paradise ; his life was passed in a place of entire pleasure ; he suffered no manner of pain or of privation ; his steps were among trees loaded with fragrant fruits

; he reposed upon a bed of flowers ; he was crowned with glory and honour, and set over all the works which the Hands of His Creator had made ; but above all, he excelled in glory, because he bore the Divine image and likeness ; he ranked with, and enjoyed the society of, the Angels, and all the powers of the army of heaven. 4. But he changed that glory of God into 4 the similitude of a calf Digitized by Google 230 that eateth hay.' Thence it is that the Bread of Angels is made to be, as it were, hay laid in the manger, and set before us as before the beasts in the stable. Indeed, the Word was made Flesh (John i. 14); and, according to the Prophet, All flesh is but grass. But that grass is not dried up, nor has its flower fallen, because the Spirit of the Lord hath rested upon it. And when once the end of all flesh came [by the Flood], it was for this reason, namely, that the Spirit of life had left it ; for God said : 1 My Spirit shall not remain in man for ever, because he is flesh (Gen. vi. 3, Douay). By the name of ' flesh ' in this passage it

is man's sin that is specified, not his nature; for it is sin, not nature, that drives away the Spirit. Because of sin it is, then, that all flesh is grass, and the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, he goes on, the flower fadeth, but not that Flower which springs out of the stem and root of Jesse, inasmuch as the Spirit of the Lord has rested upon Him (Is. xi. 2) ; not that grass which the Word was made, since the Prophet continues, But the Word of our God shall stand for ever (Is. xl. 6-8).

For if the Word is made [Flesh, that is] grass, and the Word abides for ever, then [that] grass abides for ever. Otherwise, how shall He bestow eternal life, if He Himself does not live eternally ? for He says : If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever. And of what bread He speaks He explains in adding : And the Bread that I will give is My Flesh, which I will give for the life of the world (John vi. 51). How, then, can He, by whom eternal life is bestowed, be other Himself than eternal ? 5. But recall now with me, if you please, the declaration of the Son to the Father in the Psalm : Thou wilt not suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption (Ps. xvi. 10). Doubtless, He refers here only to His Body, which lay for a time dead in the sepulchre. This is that Holy Thing of which the Angel declared to the Virgin : That Holy Thin$ which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God (Luke i. 35).

How, then, could that holy Flesh (grass, fenum) see corruption which was born of a pure womb, as it were of meadows ever flourishing in perpetual greenness, and which draws upon it without ceasing the gaze of the Angels, who regard it with never-failing delight ? It would surely lose its greenness if Mary lost her virginity. The food of man has, then, been changed into that of beasts, since man has changed into a beast. O sad and lamentable transmutation ! that man, the dweller in Paradise, the lord of earth, a citizen of heaven, and one of the household of the Lord of Sabaoth, the brother of blessed spirits, and co-heir of celestial Virtues, should have found himself, by a sudden transformation, and through his own weakness, lying in a stable, clamouring for food such as is the lot of beasts, because of his resemblance to their nature, and still more, bound fast to the manger, on account of his savage unruliness, like as those of whom it is written : With bit and bridle bind fast their jaws, who come not near to thee (Ps. xxxi. 9, Douay). Yet know, O ox, thy owner, and thou, 0 ass, thy master's crib, that the Prophets of God may be found faithful Digitized by Google SHARP REPROOF WHICH THE BRIDEGROOM GIVES TO THE BRIDE 231 in their predictions of these wonderful works of God. Recognise, now that thou art become a beast, Him whom, when thou wert man, thou didst not recognise ; adore in the stable Him whom in Paradise thou didst flee from ; honour the Manger of Him whose Throne of authority thou didst contemn ; and that Bread— yea, that Bread of Angels, from which thou didst turn in distaste, now that it has become food suited to thy state of animal, take and eat. 6. But what is the cause, you would ask, of such an abasement ?

It is certainly no other than that man when he was in honour, did not understand. What did he not understand ? The Psalmist does not explain ; but let me explain. He was placed in honour, and took such pleasure in the loftiness of his elevation, that he failed to remember that he was but clay \ and he soon experienced in himself the truth of what one of the sons of his captivity, at a period far later, both wisely observed and truly recorded, that * if a man think himself to be something, when lie is nothing, he deceive th himself (Gal. vi. 3).

Woe to that unhappy one, who was not then in existence when it was said of him : Why is earth and ashes proud ? (Ecclus. x. 9). Hence it is that a creature so beautiful1 is confounded with the herd ; hence it is that its likeness to God is changed into the likeness of the brute creation ; and in place of the companionship of Angels a fellowship with beasts of burden entered upon. Do you see, then, how great reason we have for fleeing from that ignorance which has been the cause of so many hosts of evils to all our race ? For the Psalmist declares that man became like unto the beasts that perish, and are devoid of reason, because he did not understand. Ignorance, then, must at any cost be avoided by us ; lest, perhaps, if we are found to be still without understanding, after having been so severely disciplined and punished, evils greater and heavier than the former should find us out, and it be said of us : We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed (Jer. li. 9). And rightly so, since chastening has not enabled us to understand and take heed of what we have heard. 7. Is it not perhaps for this reason also that the Bridegroom, in order to turn His beloved from her ignorance by the thunder of His reprimand, said to her, not * Go forth with the flocks or, ' Go forth to the flocks,' but Go forth by [or after] the footsteps of the flocks, Why is this? Without doubt to show that a second ignorance is more shameful and more to be feared than the first, because it has rendered man equal to the beasts, or even inferior to them. For men justly deprived of the light of God's countenance (ignorati), that is reprobate, because of this ignorance of theirs, both have to endure His terrible judgment, and to be given over to the everlasting fire— a punishment to which beasts are not liable. Without doubt, then, the condition of those who will be in that state is worse than that of those who will not be liable to it at all. // were of the Church, which is the aggregate of regenerate souls. — Ed.

Digitized by Google 232 better for him [says the Scripture, of one] if he had not been born a man (Mark xiv. 21, Vulg.). Not, you observe, that he had not been born at all, but that he had not been born a man ; but (for example) a beast of the field, or some other creature which, not having received the power of judgment, would not have to appear before the judgment of God, nor by consequence be liable to everlasting punishment Let the rational soul, then, which is full of shame to have, by its former ignorance, made itself a companion of the beasts of the field in the enjoyment of the good things of earth, know that it will not have even them for companions if it incurs the penalty of enduring the torments of hell ; that it will be driven away with shame from their company ; that it will be no longer with them, but obviously will be after them, since they will have no more evil to endure, while it will be exposed to every kind of suffering ; and from these it will not be delivered for ever, because it has added a second ignorance to the first Therefore man comes forth, and goes away solitary after the bands of his companions,

since it is he alone who is to be thrust into the depth of hell. Does it not seem to you that he who is cast, with hands and feet bound, into the outer darkness (Matt. xxii. 13) is found in the lowest place? Assuredly the last state of that man shall be worse than the first ; since, instead of being made, as before, like unto the beasts that perish, he is now set below even them. 8. I think, farther, that if you examine the matter closely, you will conclude that even in this life [such a] man takes a place lower than the beasts of the field. Does it not seem to you that the man who is gifted with reason, and does not act according to reason, is in some sense more beastlike than the beasts themselves, which are without reason ? For if the beasts of the field do not govern themselves by reason, they have an excuse in their very nature, since the gift of reason has been denied to them ; but man, on whom it has been bestowed as his special endowment and prerogative, has no such excuse. Justly, therefore, on this account, ought man to be separated from other living creatures, and ranked after them all, since he alone has degenerated

from his condition and violated the laws of his nature ; he alone, though gifted with reason, feels and acts similarly to those who are without it. It is shown, then, that man [if in a state of sin] is inferior to all the tribes of the brute creation, both in the present life, by the depraving of his nature, and in the future life, by the extremity of punishment which awaits him. 9. See, then, in what a miserable and accursed condition a man is who is found in ignorance of God. Ignorance of God, or of his own self, ought I to say ? Unquestionably both the one and the othereach kind of ignorance is fatal, and each suffices to bring about everlasting perdition. Would you know how this is the case? As regards ignorance of God, you will, I think, have no doubt, if yon believe without question that this only is eternal life, to know the true j God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent (John xvii. 3). Listen, ] Digitized by Google SHARP REPROOF WHICH THE BRIDEGROOM GIVES TO THE BRIDE 233 then, to the Bridegroom, who condemns clearly and unmistakably in the soul an ignorance of itself. For what does He say ? Not, ' if you know not God/ but if thou

know not thyself etc. (Cant. i. 7, Douay).

It is plain, then, that [the soul] which is ignorant will be left to be ignorant (1 Cor. xiv. 38), whether it be with regard to God, or with regard to itself. Of these two kinds of ignorance there is much to be said that will be useful, if God shall enable me to say it. I will not, however, say it now, lest you being wearied, and the discourse not having been preceded by your prayers, as is our custom, either I may expound with too little care, or you may listen with too little attention to, a subject of such great importance, and which is not to be entered upon except with a strong and eager desire. For if the food of the body, if taken without appetite, and in a state of repletion, not only does not profit, but even is the cause of much harm, much more will the food of the soul bring, not increase of knowledge, but merely unhappiness of mind, if it be taken without desire, or even with disgust. Which sad effect may He avert from us, who is the Bridegroom of the Church, Jesus Christ our Ix>rd, who is above all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF LITERATURE IS GOOD FOR OUR INSTRUCTION, BUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR OWN INFIRMITY IS MORE USEFUL I AM here in fulfilment of my promise, in order to comply with your requests, and in discharge of the duty I owe to God. It is a threefold reason, as you see, which urges me on to speak : respect for my promise, brotherly charity, and the fear of the Lord. If I be silent, my own mouth will condemn me. If, on the contrary, I speak, I still fear the same judgment, inasmuch as my mouth will none the less condemn me because I say and do not. Aid me, I entreat you, by your prayers, that I may be able to speak what is true and edifying, and to carry out in my actions that which I preach to others.

You are aware that I propose to speak to-day of ignorance, or rather of the various kinds of ignorance ; for, if you remember, we distinguished two kinds — the one in regard to ourselves, the other to God — and I warned you that each was to be avoided, because each was a cause of condemnation. What I have to do now is to expound this subject more clearly and at greater length. But I think we must in the first place inquire whether every kind of ignorance be a cause of condemnation ? And it seems to me that this is not the case ; that it is not every [kind or degree of] ignorance that is blamable, since there are many things — they are, indeed, innumerable — of which we Digitized by 234 are allowed to be ignorant without peril to our salvation. For example, if you are ignorant of some mechanical art, as that of the wheelwright, or of the mason, or some other of those industries which are carried on by men for the ^purposes of this present life, would that be an obstacle to your salvation ? How many men are there who have been saved, being acceptable to God in character and actions, without having been acquainted even with the liberal arts (though these latter are more honourable and more useful both in learning and in practice) ! How many persons does the Apostle enumerate in the Epistle to the Hebrews, who became dear to God, not by their acquaintance with polite literature, but by a pure conscience and by faith unfeigned ! (Heb. xi.). Others there were who pleased God in their life by the merits, not of their knowledge, but of their life.

Peter and Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee, and all the rest of their fellow-disciples, were not drawn from the school of rhetoric or of philosophy, and yet the Saviour used them as instruments [by which to bring about] salvation throughout the earth. It was not because the wisdom in them was greater than that of all other men (as a certain holy man confesses of himself — Eccles. i. 16), but because of their faith and gentleness, that He saved them ; yea, and made them Saints, and even teachers of others. They have made known to the world the ways of life, hot by the sublimity of their preaching, or by the learning taught by human wisdom ; but after that the world in its wisdom knew not God ; it pleased Him to save by the foolishness of their preaching those who believed (t Cor. ii. 1 ; i. 17, 2t). 2. I may seem to you, perhaps, to speak too severely of knowledge ; to blame, as it were, the learned, and to forbid the study of literature.

But I would by no means do this. I am not ignorant how great are the services that have been rendered to the Church, and are rendered to her continually, by her learned sons, whether in repulsing the attacks of her enemies or in instructing the simple. Besides, I have read the words of the Prophet : Because thou hast rejected knowledge I will also reject thee, and thou shall be no priest to Me (Hosea iv. 6) ; and also : They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to- righteousness as the stars for ever and ever (Dan. xii 3). But I know also where I have read : Knowledge puffeth up (1 Cor. viii. 1) ; and again : He that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorroiv (Eccles. i. 18). You see that there is a difference between these [kinds of knowledge], for one kind renders [the possessor] vain, and another renders him sad. Now, I would ask you whether of the two is the more conducive to salvation, that which puffs up or that which saddens ? But I doubt not that you would prefer the latter, since pain is a means to health, of which tumour and swelling is but a semblance. But he who entreats for salvation

is near to gain it, for he that asketh receiveth (Luke xi. 10). Also, He who heals the heart that is broken holds in abhorrence that which is swollen with pride, as thehighest Wisdom teaches us : God resisieth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble (James iv. 6). And the Digitized by Google KNOWLEDGE OF LITERATURE IS GOOD FOR OUR INSTRUCTION 235 Apostle declares : I say, by the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [0/ himself] more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly (Rom. xii. 3). He does not forbid knowledge, but only the knowledge which renders vain. And what does he mean by * soberly 9 ? He means to guard with the greatest care that knowledge which is essential before and beyond everything else to our salvation, for the time is short. All knowledge, however, which is founded on the truth is good in itself. But you whom it behoves, on account of the briefness of the time, to hasten to work out with fear and trembling your own salvation, you must take care to acquire first and most carefully what you feel to be of nearer concern to your salvation. Do not the physicians of the body define a part of medicine