Saint Ambrose of Milan, Bishop. On Isaac and the Soul, Book One.

Latin Text from public domain Migne Editors, Patrologiae Cursus Completus.

Translated into English using ChatGPT.

Table of Contents Chapter I. Chapter II. Chapter III. Chapter IV. Chapter V. Chapter VI. Chapter VII. Chapter VIII.

Chapter I.

The holy Isaac is commended both for his paternal origin and grace, as well as for his prefiguration of the Lord's descent and passion, and the mystery represented between Christ and Isaac, and the soul represented by Rebecca is opened.

1. In our father Isaac or the origin is sufficiently expressed, either by grace or by glory: to whom all glory redounds, that he was born to Abraham, a reward for such a worthy and admirable man. Nor is it surprising, since he preceded in the figure of the Lord's generation and passion. For even a barren old woman gave birth to him according to God's promise, so that we may believe that God is able to make a virgin conceive and that the only begotten one offered as a sacrifice would not perish for the father and would fulfill the sacrifice. Therefore, by its very name, it signifies both form and grace. For Isaac, in Latin, means laughter, and laughter is a notable sign of joy. And who is ignorant that he is the joy of all, who, with dreadful death or fear suppressed or sorrow removed, becomes the remission of sins for all? Therefore, he was named, and he was designated: he was expressed, and he was announced. He is the one whom the maidservant already pursued: he is the one for whom it was already said: Cast out the maidservant, for the son of the maidservant will not be heir with my son, Isaac (Gen. XXI, 10). He is the one to whom his father acquired a foreign bride. He is gentle, humble, and meek, who, with the arrival of Rebecca, that is, patience, went out into the field to be alienated. For it is the mark of a wise man to separate oneself from the pleasures of the flesh, to elevate the soul, and to withdraw from the body; for this is truly to recognize oneself as a human being. He who is called Enos in the Chaldean language is called, in Latin, homo. But Enos, who assumed and hoped to invoke God; and therefore, it is believed that he was translated. Therefore, it does not seem that a man exists unless he hopes in God. But whoever hopes in God does not live on earth, but rather, as if carried away, clings to God, signifying a clear interpretation of truth.

Therefore, Isaac is a true blessing, full of grace, and a source of joy. To this source, Rebecca came to fill her water jug. For the Scripture says that as she went down to the spring, she filled her jug and went up again (Gen. XXIV, 16). So she went down to the fountain of wisdom, whether the Church or the soul, to fill her entire vessel and to draw from the pure disciplines of wisdom that the Jews refused to draw from the flowing fountain. Who is this fountain, listen to the one saying: They have abandoned me, the fountain of living water (Jeremiah II, 13). To this fountain ran the thirsting soul of the prophets, as David also says: My soul thirsts for the living God (Psalm XLI, 3); so that it could quench its thirst with the richness of divine knowledge and wash away the blood of foolishness with the flow of spiritual waters. For this is the flow of blood, as the law signifies (Leviticus XX, 18), which is covered, when a man lying with a woman during her days of menstruation. Woman is a delight of the body and a temptation. Therefore, beware that the strength of your mind is not weakened by a certain union of bodily pleasure, and that everything dissolves into its embrace, and it opens the fountain, which ought to be closed and sealed by the study of intention and the consideration of reason. For a garden is closed, a fountain is sealed (Canticles 4:12). For when the strength of the mind is dissolved, the senses pour forth a bodily pleasure excessively pernicious, and rush into a desire full of serious danger; which, if it had remained under the vigilant custody of a vivid mind, it would have restrained.

Chapter II.

What is man, and in what part does he chiefly consist; and what kind of soul does he have, both in terms of its nature and through its irrational part, which is subject to corruption.

So consider, O man, who you are and how you protect your well-being and life. What, then, is a man? Is he a soul, or flesh, or the union of both? For we are one thing, and our body is another: one that is clothed, and another that is clothing. We read in the Old Testament: 'All the souls who came to Egypt' (Gen. 46:26), speaking of humans. And elsewhere it is said: 'My spirit will not remain in these humans, for they are flesh' (Gen. 6:3). Therefore it is read in both senses, because man is said both of the soul and of the flesh. But there is this distinction, that where the soul is put for man, it signifies adhering to God, not to the body, as in this passage: The blessed soul is every man's friend (Prov. XI, 20). But where the flesh is called man, the sinner is expressed, as in this passage: But I am carnal, sold under sin; what I am working, I do not understand. For what I am willing, that I am not doing: but what I am hating, that I do (Rom. VII, 14 and 15). This is now later and about both. For one person wants, another person hates, another person does. Ultimately, he added: If therefore I do what I hate, I consent to the law, because it is good. But now I do not do that, but what sin dwells in me (Ibid., 16 and 17). That also more explicitly: I see the law of my flesh opposing the law of my mind, and taking me captive in the law of sin (Ibid., 23). And yet, when he declared both struggling within himself, that is, the inner and outer, he preferred to establish himself more in the part of the soul than the body, so that his captive soul would be drawn to sin, in which he would rather be, and affirms saying: Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? As if from a foreign enemy, so he desires to be freed from the flesh.

4. Therefore blood is not the soul, because the blood is of the flesh; nor is harmony the soul, because harmony of this kind belongs to the flesh; nor is air the soul, because breath is one thing, soul is another; nor is fire the soul, nor is it actuality; but the soul is a living soul, because Adam was made into a living soul (Gen. II, 7); because the soul gives life to and governs the insensible and lifeless body. And man is superior, of whom it is said: But the spiritual man judges all things; himself he is judged by no one (I Cor. II, 15). Here is the most excellent among the others. From where David also says: What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you visit him (Psalm 8:5)?... Man has become like vanity (Psalm 143:4). He is not a man of vanity according to the image of God, but he who has lost that image and fallen into sin, and has been dissolved into these material things, he is a man of vanity.

5. Therefore, the soul, according to its nature, is the best thing: but often it is corrupted by its own irrationality, so that it inclines towards bodily pleasures and impudence, while it does not hold the measure of things, or is deceived by opinion, and leaning towards matter, it adheres to the body. Thus its invisibility is hindered and filled with wickedness; because while it directs itself towards wickedness, it is filled with its vices, and becomes more intemperate by the lack of goodness.

Chapter III.

With a perfect soul having renounced earthly things and tamed vices, it desires to kiss the Word: to whom God the Word pours Himself entirely. Delighted by this, it seeks to be drawn closer to Him; which the holy man, even the Church, also provides.

However, the perfect soul despises matter: it avoids and rejects everything excessive, mobile, and evil; it neither sees nor comes close to the corruption of any earthly stain: it directs itself towards divine things and flees earthly matter. But flight is not to leave the earth, but to be on earth, to hold onto justice and sobriety, to renounce vices, not to the uses of elements. It fled (On Penitence, Distinction 2, Chapter When they came to know, § It fled). David, holy in the sight of Saul, not so much to abandon the land, but to avoid the contagiousness of cruelty, ingratitude, and faithlessness. He fled while adhering to God, as he himself says: My soul clings to you (Ps. LXII, 9). He withdrew himself and cleansed himself from the vices of this world, elevating his soul like Isaac in the field, or (as others have it) walking freely. For he also shows that he is familiar with virtues, so that each person may walk in the innocence of their heart, not mingling with earthly vices, and may tread an irreproachable path with an untainted mind, and may not open any place within themselves to corruption.


Such was Isaac, as he awaited the arrival of Rebecca, preparing himself for spiritual union. For she came now endowed with heavenly mysteries: she came bringing with her great adornments of ear and hand; because she excels in hearing and works, the beauty of the Church, to which we rightly apply the verse: 'Be thou multiplied as the sand of the sea, and thy seed shall possess the gates of their enemies.' Therefore, O Church, adorned with this holy offspring, which thou hast gained from the enemy nations. But this can also be attributed to the soul, which governs the passions of the body and directs them to the duties of virtue, making conflicting movements obedient to itself. Therefore, just as the soul of the Patriarch saw the mystery of Christ and saw Rebecca coming with vessels of gold and silver, like the Church with the people of the nations, marveling at the beauty of the Word and His sacraments, it says: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth (Song of Solomon 1:1). And Rebecca, seeing the true Isaac, that true joy, that true happiness, desires to kiss him.

8. The first step of the soul. So what is this: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth? Consider either the Church, long waited for by the promise of the coming of the Lord through the prophets, suspended for many ages, or the soul, which, lifting itself up from the body, having cast off luxury and pleasures and carnal desires, and also freed from the cares of worldly vanities, longs for the divine infusion of his presence and the grace of his saving word, to be tortured because he comes late and to be afflicted; and therefore, as if wounded by his love, since she cannot bear his delays, she turns to the Father and asks him to send her the Word of God; and she declares the cause for which she is so impatient, saying: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. She seeks not just one kiss, but many kisses; so that she may be able to fulfill her desire. For what she loves, is not content with the scarcity of one kiss, but demands many, claims many; and thus she is accustomed to commend herself more to her beloved. Finally, she was proven in the Gospel in this way: because she did not cease, she said, to kiss my feet...and therefore her many sins were forgiven, because she loved much (Luke 7:45 and 47). Therefore, this soul also desires many kisses from the Word, in order to be illuminated by the light of divine knowledge. For this is indeed the kiss of the Word, namely, the light of sacred knowledge. For God the Word kisses us when he illuminates our heart, the very core of our spiritual being, with the light of divine knowledge, by which the soul, endowed with the pledge of marital charity, joyfully and exultantly declares: I have opened my mouth and breathed (Ps. 118:131). For the kiss is the means by which lovers cling to each other and enjoy the sweetness of inner grace. Through this kiss the soul is united to God the Word, by which the spirit of the one who kisses is poured into himself: just as those who kiss each other are not satisfied with a mere touching of lips, but seem to pour their own spirit into each other.

Therefore, showing not only the appearance of the Word and a certain countenance, but also loving all its inner depths, he adds to the grace of kisses: For your breasts are better than wine, and the scent of your ointments is above all aromatic spices (Song of Songs 1:2). She asked for a kiss: God the Word poured himself out to her entirely, and revealed his breasts to her, that is, his doctrines, and the teachings of his inner wisdom, and he filled the air with the sweet fragrance of his ointments. He says that, once captured, there is a more abundant delight in divine knowledge than in the joy of all bodily pleasure. Indeed, he desires in the Word the fragrance of grace and the forgiveness of sins, which, poured out throughout the whole world, has filled everything like an emptied ointment. For through all, the heavy flood of vices has been washed away.

10. Therefore, he says, the young girls loved you. Draw us, so that we may run after the fragrance of your ointments (Ibid., 2 and 3). Indeed, there is good wisdom, but sweet mercy. Few attain the former, while the latter reaches everyone. Because of this, he says, souls renewed by the spirit love you. Hence, it is also said to the soul: Your youth will be renewed like the eagle's (Ps. 103:5). For he was speaking to the soul, saying: Bless the Lord, O my soul (Ibid., 1). And therefore it hurries to the Word, and asks to be drawn, lest it be left behind; for the Word of God runs and is not hindered. Finally, it leaps like a giant to run the way. And because its going forth is from the highest heaven, and its course is to the highest heaven, seeing itself unequal to such speed, it says: Draw us. O good soul, which prays not only for itself, but for all. Draw us, it says. For we have the desire to follow, which the grace of your ointments inspires us with: but since we cannot equal your course, draw us, so that supported by your help, we may be able to follow in your footsteps. For if you draw near, we will also run and we will capture the breaths of spiritual swiftness. For the burden is laid down by which your hand is supported, and your oil is poured out, by which he who was wounded by thieves is healed. And lest it seem impudent to you that he says: Draw us, listen to him saying: Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you (Matthew 11:28). You see that he gladly draws us, so that we do not remain behind. But whoever wants to be drawn, let him run to comprehend; and let him run forgetting the things that are behind, and desiring those things that are before; for in this way he will be able to comprehend Christ. Therefore, the Apostle also says: Run in such a way that you may all comprehend (1 Corinthians 9:24). He wants to attain those rewards that he desires to comprehend. Therefore, he prudently asks to be drawn, because not everyone can follow. Finally, when Peter said, 'Where are you going?' the Word of God answered, 'You cannot follow me now, but you will follow later' (John 13:36). He entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven to her and considered her equal by following him. However, he did not delay this soul; because she did not presume, but she asked.

Chapter IV.

A perfect soul is introduced into the King's chamber. When it complains of being stained by the contamination of the body and desires to know itself, Christ commands it to leave, etc. The same thing is compared to Solomon's horses. What do the wells dug by Isaac signify? And how does Christ, once recalled from the soul and returning by leaping, also appease it?

11. The second process of the soul.—Finally he says: The king brought me into his chamber (Song of Songs 1:3). Blessed is the soul that enters the innermost sanctuary of the Word. Rising up from the body, it becomes more distant from all things and searches and seeks that divine reality within itself, by which it may in some way attain. And when it is able to comprehend that, having surpassed what is intelligible, it is confirmed in that and nourished by it. Such was Paul, who knew that he was caught up to paradise, but whether caught up outside the body or in the body, he did not know. For his soul had risen from the body, and had drawn itself away from the entrails and bonds of flesh, and had lifted itself up; and having become estranged from itself, it held within itself unspeakable words which it had heard, and it could not express them in common speech; for it realized that it was not permitted for a man to speak of those things. Therefore, the good soul despises visible and tangible things, and does not dwell or abide in them, nor does it stay and reside in despising these things, but it ascends to those eternal and invisible things, full of miracles, uplifting itself with the pure sense of a pious mind. For indeed, desiring perfection, he aims only at that good of Divinity, and does not think that anything else should be sought; because he holds that it is the highest. Therefore, a man of this kind, in whom beauty of the soul exists, is sufficient for himself alone, because he is sufficient for himself. Nor is he ever alone, to whom the Lord is present as a guide.

Finally, let us enter into that divine secret: Let us exult and rejoice in you, and let us love your breasts more than wine (Song of Songs 1:3). For the just person does not exult in riches, or treasures of gold and silver, or the fruits of possessions, or in powers, or in banquets, but only in God alone.

However, the same soul, aware that it is obscured by the association with the body, says to other souls, or to those celestial powers that are assigned to sacred ministry: 'Do not look at me because I am obscured; for there is no sight of the sun in me. The sons of my mother have fought against me' (cf. Ps 68:9); that is, the passions of the body have attacked me, the allurements of the flesh have discolored me, therefore the sun of justice did not shine on me. Deprived of its protection, I was unable to maintain my devotion and full observance; for in truth, 'I have not kept my vineyard' (cf. Song 1:6), because I have brought forth thorns instead of grapes, that is, I have committed sins instead of producing good works.


14. And when he speaks of the Word, turned to it by the shining splendor of the Word, he says: Where do you graze? Where do you remain at midday? He rightly says: Where do you graze? because the Word of God is regal; Where do you remain, because it is moral; At midday, because it is mystical. Indeed, at midday, Joseph, when he was seated with his brothers at the banquet, revealed the mysteries of future times. But David also says: Reveal your way to the Lord, and trust in him, and he himself will do it: and he will bring forth your justice like the light, and your judgment like midday. And Paul himself declared that a light shone around him at midday (Acts 9:3), when he was converted from persecution to grace. Therefore, it is questioned why she has been abandoned, why the poor has been deserted by the rich. For she was abounding in the gift of grace, but she began to be in need when the abundance of divine presence was denied to her; and therefore, she demands to be possessed as if for payment, which she previously claimed as a more precious bond of grace.

15. To whom the Word of God responds: Unless you know yourself, beautiful among women (Song of Songs 1:7); why do you complain about being abandoned unless you know yourself, unless you repent of your fall, unless you approve of the intention of your devotion, unless your faith and sincerity increase, your complaint will be of no avail. Or thus: Unless you know yourself to be beautiful, unless you preserve the beauty of your nature, and do not immerse yourself in the allurements of the body, nor be detained by hindrances, the nobility of a more excellent creature will be of no benefit to you.


Therefore, know yourself and the beauty of your nature, and go forth as if your foot were freed from chains and your naked foot exposed, so that you may not feel the trappings of the flesh; let the bonds of the body not entangle the mark of your mind, so that your foot may appear graceful. For such are those who are chosen by the Lord to proclaim the kingdom of heaven, of whom it is said: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach peace (Isaiah 52:7)! Such was Moses, of whom it is said: Take off the sandals from your feet (Exodus 3:5), so that he, in calling the people to the kingdom of God, might first lay aside the trappings of the flesh and walk with a naked spirit and the mark of the mind. This is therefore what it says: Go, you on the heels of kings, and feed your goats in the tents of shepherds (Song of Songs 1:7); for by flocks we understand the kingdom, because it is able to preside over flocks. And each person presides over themselves with a certain royal power, if they restrain the luxury of the body in themselves, and bring their flesh into servitude. Therefore it is said: The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). Hence it beautifully advises the soul: Go, that is, go out from servitude, go out from the authority and dominion of the flesh, and go out not in the flesh, but in the spirit: go out to the governance of power. Therefore, he added. Feed your young goats. Rule over those things on your left hand; for if they are not ruled, they easily slip away. Restrain the impudence, the sensuality of your body, and irrational luxury: tame the light movements, feed them not in bodily dwellings, but in the dwellings of shepherds, who know how to rule the flock. For the dwellings of Israel are lovely like shady groves by the river, in which the soul, like one prepared for war, exercises good military service, explores hostile attacks, seeks victory through the toil of virtue; so that she may be compared to the horse that belongs to Solomon, swift in running, capable of bringing forth (Cant. I, 8); for the fruitfulness of the soul is desired and sought after.


17. Therefore, this precious horse and the swift chariots of Pharaoh, which some refer to the Church and the people. But we have spoken often elsewhere about this mystery, especially in Psalm 118 verse 10 (Sermon 2 on Psalm 118). However, in this place we have undertaken to speak about the soul. This horse is considered similar to that soul, that is, of prophetic or apostolic virtue, which is numbered among those in their flock who brought the entire world under the influence of their preaching; and although they were in the body, they did not experience any spiritual setbacks in their course. Therefore, it is praised that she, with the heavenly commandment illuminating her, is now beautiful and lovely, and she presents the adornment of chastity in her face, and raises the ribbons of her neck, in which the insignia of patience and humility are found. Isaac truly loved such a soul's beauty, humility, and patience; and that is why he eagerly sought her offspring.

18. And Rebecca conceived, and by her patience she untied the knot of sterility. But let us consider what the prophetic and apostolic soul gives birth to and how it gives birth. She went, it says, to inquire of the Lord (Gen. XXV, 22), because the infants in her womb were rejoicing. And she received this answer: Two nations are in your womb (Ibid., 23); for she presumes nothing of her own accord, but in all things she seeks the highest God as the ruler of her plans. In fullness of peace and piety, she joins together two peoples by her faith and preaching, and she encloses them as in her own womb.


She is rightly called sister more than wife, because she adopts the name of a gentle and peaceful soul of shared piety rather than a special bond; and because she considers herself more bound to all than to one.

But Isaac dug wells; and indeed, he redug many of the wells that his father had dug, and the Philistines had filled them after Abraham's death. However, he dug these wells in particular, one in the valley of Gerar, and he found there a well of living water. And the shepherds of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's shepherds because they claimed the water of his well as their own, so he called its name Injustice. And he dug another well, which caused a dispute, and he named it Hostility. And he dug a third [well], in which there was no quarrel among the shepherds, and he called it Rehoboth. And he dug another well, and he did not find water in it; and he called it Sitnah.

21. Whoever, while reading this, thinks that these works are more earthly than spiritual, because either Abraham dug wells or Isaac, such a great patriarch, or even Jacob, as we find in the Gospel (John 4:12), are like certain sources of the human race, and particularly of devotion and faith. For what is a well of living water, if not the deep depth of doctrine? Hence, Hagar saw the angel at the well, and Jacob found Rachel as a wife for himself at the well: Moses also put the future well in a safe place as the first merits of marriage.


22. Therefore, Isaac opened the wells, and in good order: so that the first reasonable water of his well might wash and nourish his soul, and make his sight clearer. He also dug several other wells. Hence it is written: 'Drink water out of thine own cisterns, and out of the wells of thy own fountains' (Prov. 5:15). The more there are, the more abundant is the overflow of blessings. However, he dug the well that his father Abraham had dug, which the shepherds of Gerar, that is, argue over the wall. For where there is a wall, there is a division between those who oppose each other, and there is injustice; and therefore it is called Injustice. It also undermines another, and from the resulting dissension, it is called Enmity. In these things, the moral doctrine seems to shine forth; because with the wall of division removed, the enmities in human flesh are dissolved, and both have become one in form through Isaac, and in truth through Christ; and rightly afterwards, pure water has been found in that well, as if a useful moral doctrine to be drawn from. The well of Latitude implies nothing else but the discipline of natural things. For this reason it is called Latitude, because one who has surpassed these worldly and sensible things is already calm and secure, without contention or dispute. Having overcome the opposing and foreign thoughts (for what could be more foreign than all secular things, which cannot be eternal), a wise person can say: The Lord has enlarged us and increased us upon the earth (Gen. XXVI, 22), because he surpasses earthly things. The last is the well of the Oath, in which God appeared to him, and said to him: 'Do not be afraid, for I am with you' (Genesis, 26). And he blessed him. This doctrine is already mystical.

You have these in Solomon; because his Proverbs are moral; Ecclesiastes is natural, in which he despises the vanities of this world; his Songs of Songs are mystical. You also have in the prophet: Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of life, enlighten yourselves with the light of knowledge (Hos. 10:12). For this is the light of knowledge, to have the perfection of charity. Therefore it is said: Do not be afraid; for charity drives fear away. But in order for us to understand that, Solomon also interpreted these wells as referring to moral doctrine, natural doctrine, and mystical doctrine, and placed these wells in each of his books that he wrote on moral, natural, or mystical topics.

24. For in Proverbs, when it speaks of the appearance to be avoided, it says: Drink water from your own vessels, and from the fountains of your own wells, and let there be an abundance of water for you from your own fountain (Prov. 5:15). And further: Let your fountain be for yourself alone, and rejoice with the wife of your youth (Ibid., 18); for true wisdom is our remedy against the temptations of the world. Moral doctrine also washes away with its flowing stream the image of worldly pleasure, stained with certain cosmetics of a harlot, and cleanses with the current of its own fountain.


25. You also have in Ecclesiastes the saying about natural things: I made for myself pools of water to irrigate a flourishing grove (Eccles. II, 6). Do not be surprised that he used the word 'pools' instead of 'well'; for even Moses called it a well of width, because it is freed from all worries and narrowness when one transcends this world with a devout mind. Therefore, Ecclesiastes rightly has pools, since he saw that there is no abundance under the sun: but if anyone wants to abound, let them abound in Christ.


26. And about mystical wells it remains for us, which we also find in the Song of Songs, as Scripture says: A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and flowing down from Lebanon (Song of Songs 4:15). For if you pursue the depth of mysteries, the well appears to you as if the mystical wisdom is located in the profound: but if you desire to draw from the abundance of charity, which is greater and richer than faith and hope, then the fountain is for you. For charity is overflowing, so that you can both draw it near and water your garden with its abundant spiritual fruits. And because the person who possesses charity is beyond measure, it is said that where charity is, there descends a great force from Lebanon. But let the fact that he uses both the term 'well' and 'spring' teach you, as the Gospel instructs you, where it is written: 'So Jesus came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there.' And, tired, he sat thus upon a well (John 4:5-6). Hence, in the mystical doctrine, we understand that this well is also referred to there, because there the Samaritan woman, that is, the guardian (the guardian, however, of heavenly precepts), drew divine mysteries from that well, knowing that God is spirit, and is not worshipped in a place but in spirit (ibid, and following, 24); and because he is the Messiah, Christ. And therefore, he who is still expected by the Jews has already come. Having heard these things, that woman who appears to be of the Church, recognized the sacraments of the law, and believed.

27. In the Book of Songs, Solomon also clearly expressed this triple wisdom; although he said in Proverbs (Prov. XXII, 20) that anyone who wishes to hear his wisdom should write it down three times. Therefore, in the Song of Songs, the bride speaks of the bridegroom: 'Behold, you are my cousin and indeed handsome: our resting place is shady, the beams of our houses are cedar, and our rafters are cypress' (Cant. I, 15 and 16). We can understand this morally. For where does Christ and the Church find rest, if not in the works of His people? Finally, where there was impurity, where there was pride, where there was injustice, there the Lord Jesus said: But the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head (Matthew 8:20).

28. But what do we understand about natural things? 'In its shade,' it says, 'I desired and sat, and its fruit was sweet to my mouth.' (Song of Solomon 2:3) For whoever surpasses earthly things and to whom worldly things die (for the world is crucified to him, and he to the world), he flees and despises all things that are under the sun.

29. He also says about the mystics: Lead me into the house of wine, establish charity in me (Song of Songs 2:4). For just as the vine embraces its own vineyard with branches of eternal charity, so the Lord Jesus embraces his people with certain arms of charity.

Consider each thing individually. In moral matters, it is a flower, and among thorns, a lily, as he himself says: I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys (Ibid., I). Therefore, in moral matters, it is a flower. In natural matters, it is the sun of justice, which rising and shining illuminates, setting and overshadowing. Beware lest it set on you, for it is written: Let not the sun go down upon your anger (Ephes. IV, 26). In mystical matters, it is charity, for Christ is the fulfillment of the law. And therefore the Church, which loves Christ, is wounded by love.

Therefore this charity raises and revives until it receives his voice and calls forth his presence; because the one sought not only came, but also came leaping: Leaping over the mountains and bounding over the hills (Song of Songs 2:8). He leaps over the souls of greater grace, he bounds over those of lesser grace. Or thus: how does he come leaping? He comes with a leap into this world. He was with the Father, he came into the Virgin, and he leaped from the Virgin into the manger. He was in a manger, and shone in the sky. He descended into the Jordan, ascended the cross, descended into the tomb, rose from the tomb, and sits at the right hand of the Father. Then, like a young deer longing for the springs of water, he descended to Paul, and enveloped him, and leaped upon the holy Church, which is Bethel, also known as the house of God. For the calling of Paul is the strength of the Church.

Therefore, he comes, and first after the wall is removed, which seemed to be an obstacle to harmony, in order to dissolve the enmities between soul and body. Then he looks through the windows. About what the windows are, hear the prophet saying: The windows are opened from heaven (Isaiah XXIV, 18). Certainly, the prophet signifies those through whom the Lord looked upon the human race before he himself descended to the earth.

33. And today, if any soul earnestly seeks him, it will receive much mercy; for the one who seeks much is owed the most. Therefore, if any soul seeks him diligently, it hears his voice from far away: and even though it may seek from others, it hears his voice before those from whom it seeks. It sees him coming towards it, that is, hastening and running, and surpassing those who are unable to grasp his power with a weak heart; finally, it sees him looking through the riddles of the prophets, reading them and understanding their words. It sees him looking, but as through a window, not yet as present. He sees something prominent above the nets. What is this, unless perhaps because those nets are ours, not his. The nets are, because that soul is still within the sensible and worldly things, which it is accustomed to captivate the mind of man, and wrap in its own embrace. Therefore, still placed in secular things, but nevertheless to one who seeks him, he reveals himself through the nets.

34. Finally, He says to that soul: Arise, come to me, my love (Song of Songs 2:10). That is, rise from worldly pleasures, rise from earthly things, and come to me, who are still laboring and burdened, because you are anxious for the things of the world. Come above the world, come to me, for I have conquered the world. Come near to me now, beautiful with the beauty of eternal life, now a dove, that is, gentle and meek, now completely full of spiritual grace. Therefore, by law, it should not fear the nets any longer, since it calls to itself the soul that could not be captured by the temptations and snares of the world. For when we humans walk in the midst of traps, we are subject to both the nets and the snares because of our desire for food. He who was placed in the body did not fear the nets, but rose above them, that is, above the temptations of the world and the passions of the body; indeed, he made others rise as well. Therefore, desiring to establish this soul, he said: Rise up, come near to me, do not fear the nets.


35. Now winter has passed, that is, Easter has come, indulgence has come, remission of sins has come, temptation has ceased, the rain has gone, the storm has gone, and the shaking. Before the coming of Christ, there is winter, after His coming there are flowers. Hence it says: Flowers are seen on the earth. Where there were thorns before, there are now flowers. It is said that the time for cutting has come. Where there was a desert before, there is now a harvest. The voice of the turtle-dove has been heard in our land. The prophet added well, Our Lady, as if marveling that where there was once impurity, there is now chastity.

The fig tree produced its large fruits (Ibid., 13). What was previously commanded to be cut down as if it were unfruitful, now began to bear fruit. But why do you hesitate because he said 'large'? It rejects the earlier ones in order to bring forth better ones later. Just as the unripe fruit is cast aside by the Synagogue, so too is the Church renewed.

37. And although full tranquility exists, and mysteries have grown, nevertheless he says again: Rise securely under the covering of the rock (Ibid., 14), that is, safe under the protection of my passion, and the safeguard of faith. For they have drawn honey from the rock, and oil from the firmest rock. By being clothed with this covering, the souls of the righteous are no longer naked, and this is their defense. Therefore, he also says to this soul: And you, my dove, come under the covering of the rock near the defense, show me your face, and let me hear your voice. He encourages to confidence, so that one does not be ashamed of the cross of Christ, nor his seal. He encourages to confession, wanting all snares to be removed; so that the good odor of faith may breathe, so that the day may shine, so that the shadow may not harm those who have encountered it; for the one who is close to Christ says: The night has gone, but the day has approached (Rom. XXIII, 12). There is also the shadow of secular things which has passed, and the day of the heavenly Christ who shines upon his saints. This good soul accepts these tokens of love.

Chapter V.

The bridegroom, once again fallen from his soul in his bed at night, etc., is sought in vain; and why? Yet the same is afterwards found; how should he be held? Then, as he ascends from the wilderness with his bride, the daughters of Jerusalem admire him, and escort him to the bridal chamber with a wedding song. He also beautifies the soul itself, which is called closer with various praises.

38. The third process of the soul. But because we must always be anxious, always attentive; and because the Word of God leaps forth like a young goat, or like a fawn, the soul must always be vigilant and strive for what it seeks and desires to hold. Therefore, as if having slipped, the soul says, 'In my bed, I sought the one whom my soul loves during the nights.' Whoever seeks well, let them seek in their bed, let them seek during the nights, neither on holidays nor on nights of rest. Let no time be vacant from the duty of piety; and if it does not find it at first, let it continue in seeking. Therefore, it says: 'I will rise, therefore, and seek in the city, in the forum, in the streets' (Song of Solomon 3:2). And perhaps it has not yet found it, because it sought in the forum, where there are legal disputes; in the streets, where there are markets for the sale of goods. For Christ is not purchased with any money.

39. We can understand it in this way. In the bed, she seeks Christ, and she seeks him with tranquility, with peace. In the nights, she seeks, for he spoke in parables. For he has set darkness as his hiding place; and night reveals knowledge to night. Then, what we say in our hearts, we should be mindful of in our beds. But even so, she does not find, and therefore she says: I will rise up, that is, I will raise up, and I will lift up my intention, so that I may seek diligently, I may seek earnestly: I will enter the city. And it is the soul that says: I am a fortified city, I am a besieged city (Isaiah 27:3). It is a city fortified by Christ, it is the city of Jerusalem in heaven where the interpreters of divine law abound, and the learned in discipline: through them the Word of God is sought. Let me seek, he says, in the marketplace of that city, in that marketplace where the legal experts handle the law, where the oil is sold, which the virgins of the Gospel buy (Matthew 25:9) so that their lamps may always shine, and the smoke of iniquity may not extinguish them. I shall look, he said, in the streets where the waters overflow from those fountains, of which Solomon says they are to be drunk (Prov. V, 15).

While therefore she seeks Christ, she finds the guards who are in the ministry; from them she seeks, Song of Songs 3:3. But the soul that seeks God, even passes the guards. For there are mysteries which even the angels desire to see. Hence Peter says: They have been announced to you, he says, by those through whom they evangelized. The Holy Spirit being sent from heaven, in whom the angels desire to see, 1 Peter 1:12. Therefore, whoever passes the guards, finds the Word. John passed by, who found the Word with the Father (John 1:1).

41. There are also many who seek Christ in leisure and do not find Him, but find Him in persecutions, and quickly find Him. And therefore, as if after temptations, because He is present in the dangers of His faithful ones: 'As soon as I got away from them, it says, I found Him, I held Him, and I did not let Him go' (Song of Songs 3:4). For everyone who seeks, finds; and whoever finds, must cling, so as not to lose Him.

And since we see heavenly mysteries prefigured in the Gospel on earth, let us come to that Mary, let us come also to Magdalene. Let us consider how they sought Christ in the bed of his body, in which he lay dead, on the nights when the angel said to them: You seek Jesus who was crucified; he is not here, for he has risen. Why, therefore, do you seek the living among the dead? (Matthew 28:5 et seq.)? What do you seek in the tomb of one who is already in heaven? What do you seek in the chains of universal imprisonment, who breaks the chains? This is not a tomb, but a dwelling place. Therefore, one of them said: I sought him, but did not find him (Song of Songs 3:1).

43. However, while they were going to the apostles to announce, Jesus, having compassion on them, met them saying: Hail. But they approached and held his feet, and worshipped him (Matthew XXVIII, 9). Therefore, Jesus is held, but he delights to be held in this way, because he is held by faith. Finally, he delighted in that woman who touched him and was healed of a flow of blood, of whom he said: Someone touched me; for I perceive power going out from me (Luke VIII, 46). Touch therefore, and hold him by faith, and faithfully bind his feet; so that power may go out of him, and heal your soul. And if he says: Do not touch me (John 20:17): you hold him; For I have not yet ascended to my Father, he said once. He said: Do not touch me, when he rose again: or perhaps he said to her what she thought was taken by theft, and not raised by his own power. Lastly, in another book you have, that to those who held his feet and adored, he said: Do not be afraid (Matthew 28:10). Therefore, hold on to your soul, just as Mary held on, and say: I held him, and I will not let him go (Song of Solomon 3:4), just as they both said: Let us hold on to you. Go to the Father, but do not abandon Eve, lest she fall again. Lead her with you, no longer wandering, but holding on to the tree of life. Take her clinging to your feet, so that she may ascend with you: do not let me go, lest the serpent once again release its venom, lest it seek again to bite the trace of the woman, so as to overthrow Adam. Say, therefore, to your soul: I hold you, and I will lead you into the house of my mother, and into her secret place, who conceived me; that I may know your mysteries, that I may draw from your sacraments. Receive, therefore, Eve, now no longer covered with fig leaves, but clothed with the holy Spirit, and adorned with new grace; for now she is not hidden as if naked, but shines forth as if surrounded by the splendor of a shining garment, because grace clothes her. But neither was Adam naked at first when innocence clothed him (On Penance, Distinction 2, Chapter But neither was Adam).


Seeing therefore the daughters of Jerusalem cleaving to Christ and still ascending with Him (for He deigns frequently to meet with them who seek Him, and to descend to raise them), they say: Who is this that ascendeth from the desert? (Cant. III, 6) For this desert place of the earth appears rough and uncultivated, covered with the thistles and thorns of our sins. They marvel, indeed, how a soul which was formerly abandoned in hell, can cleave to the Word of God and ascend like a shoot of the vine, raising itself above, as it were smoke that rises up from the fire, and reaching high, and moreover being inflamed with good works. But that smell of pious prayer gives off a pleasant fragrance, which rises up like incense in the sight of God. And in the Apocalypse we read that: Smoke from the incense rises up from the prayers of the saints (Apoc. VIII, 4), which are offered up by an angel, namely the prayers of the saints, on that golden altar which is before the throne of God, and like the sweet fragrance of pious prayer, it burns as an ointment; because it is composed not of requests for temporal and visible things, but especially of myrrh and incense, because it is dead to sins and alive to God.


So, seeing her ascend and not resist, and delighted with the fragrance of her merits, recognizing her as the peaceful bride of that Solomon, they also diligently accompany her to the bed of Solomon; for true rest is owed to her in Christ. The bed of the saints is Christ, in which the weary hearts of all rest from worldly battles. It is on this bed that Isaac rested and blessed his younger son, saying: 'The older shall serve the younger.' Reclining on this bed, Jacob blessed the twelve Patriarchs. Reclining on this bed, the daughter of the chief synagogue rose from death. Lying on this bed, the deceased widow, called by the voice of Christ, dissolved the bonds of death.

46. Therefore, when the bride reaches the rest of the bridegroom, they sing a wedding song, saying to the daughters of Jerusalem: Go forth and see King Solomon, in the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding (Cant. III, 11). They sing the wedding hymn and invite the other powers of heaven, or souls, to see the love that Christ has for the daughters of Jerusalem. Hence, he merited to be crowned by his mother as the son of charity, as Paul shows, saying: For he has delivered us from the power of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son (Coloss. I, 13). The Son of Charity is himself Charity, not having charity from accidents but always having it in his substance as a kingdom, of which he says: 'I was born for this' (John 18:37). And so they say: 'Go forth,' that is, go out from the worries and thoughts of the world, go out from bodily afflictions, go out from the vanities of the world, and see how the peaceful king has charity on the day of his wedding; how glorious he is, because he has given resurrection to bodies and has united souls to himself. This is the great crown of the contest, this is the glorious gift of the espousals of Christ, his blood and passion. For what could he have given more, who did not even spare himself, and offered his own life for us in death?

47. The Lord Jesus himself, also delighted by the faith of this soul, her confession, grace, and praised merits, calls her closer, saying: Come here from Lebanon, my bride, come here from Lebanon: you will pass through and cross over from the beginning of faith from the head of Sanyr and Hermon, from the lion's dens, from the mountains of leopards (Songs 4:8) - that is, leave the body and shed it entirely. For you cannot be with me unless you first journey away from the body; for those who are in the flesh are journeying away from the kingdom of God. Come, he says, come. He has reviewed well, because whether present or absent, you must be present and please your Lord God. Be present, be absent, even though you are still in the body. For to me, all who are present are, whose faith is with me. He is present to me, who came out of the world. He is present to me, who thinks of me, looks at me, hopes for me, for whom I am a part. He is present to me, who has been absent to himself. He is present to me, who has denied himself. He is with me, who is not within himself; because he who is in the flesh is not in the spirit. He is with me, who comes forth from himself. He is beside me, who has gone beyond himself. He is whole to me, who has lost his soul for my sake. And so, come, bride, come, you will pass from the beginning of faith. She passes and passes through lands, and passes through what reaches Christ. She passes rightly by faith, and by the clarity of deeds, which shine like Sanyr and Hermon, that is, the way of the lamp passes by the conquered temptations of the world, and the spiritual wickednesses overcome, seeking the rightful crown of the contest; and so she deserved to be praised by Christ the judge.


48. My sister, my spouse, is a closed garden, a closed garden, a sealed fountain. Your springs are a paradise of pomegranates with fruits from Cyprus (Song of Solomon 4:12). The bride is praised because she is a garden, filled with the fragrance of that field, of which Isaac says: The smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed (Genesis 27:27). Therefore, a virtuous soul exudes the odor of righteousness. And perhaps the field is the Patriarch; the garden is the soul of someone lower, like a portion of the field; and the closed garden, so as not to be invaded by beasts; and the sealed fountain, which, by the integrity of the seal and the perseverance of faith, washes away its own sins. What the Church receives, it has to refer to the grace of virginity, because in the paradise of delight it receives spiritual fruits without labor, so that the souls of the patriarchs, through a kind of rural labor, may contribute their fruits to it, enabling it to enjoy perpetual sweetness. It is rightly called a sealed fountain because the invisible image of God is expressed in it. They also praise the gifts of the soul that were sent by the bridegroom, with which she came endowed. But the souls of the pious are good odors, myrrh, aloes, saffron, by which the grace of gardens breathes, and the stench of sins is abolished.

And so, after the dry proclamation, it seeks the heavy north wind, so that it may not scatter the flowers, the breeze blows gently, that is, it wants to pass through winter, and to enjoy the milder breezes of spring. It invites the groom into its garden. The groom descends, and delighted by the diversity of its fruits, he rejoices that he has found a stronger food, he has also found a sweeter one. For it is like a certain bread of the word, and honey: one speech is more forceful, another more persuasive. And there is another faith, more ardent, like wine: another, more clear, like the juice of milk. Christ feasts on this food within us, drinks this cup, and by the intoxication of his drink, he incites us to surpass lower things and strive for better and best things.

Chapter VI.

He discusses the more perfect processes of the soul, which have been strictly repeated in the previous three movements, more extensively in the fourth. In this, the soul, while sleeping, is awakened by the groom. But while it delays in rising, the Word passes by. However, when it goes out, it finally finds, through the wounds of love, that which it has been seeking and holds on to it in such a way that it no longer loses it.


50. The soul, having drunk the intoxication of heavenly mysteries, and as if intoxicated with wine, and placed in a state of excess or stupor, says: I sleep, and my heart is awake (Song of Songs, 5:2). Then, struck by the light of the present word, with her eyes resting and bent, she is awakened by the Word. This is the fourth process of the soul. For at first, impatient of love and unable to bear the delays of the Word, she prays to be worthy of kisses, and she deserved to see the desired. Secondly, when she was also introduced into the king's chambers and engaged in mutual conversation, she rested in his shadow, and suddenly the Word departed from the midst of their conversation; however, it was not absent for long, but came forth leaping over the mountains and bounding over the hills. And not long after, like a young deer or a fawn, while addressing his beloved, he leaped forth and departed. After searching for him in her chamber, during the night, in the city, in the marketplace, and in the streets and not finding him, she finally called him back through her prayers and her charm, so that she was even called closer by her spouse. In the fourth watch of the night, she herself is awakened by him while she is sleeping, even though she was awake in her heart, so that she could constantly hear the voice of the one knocking. But after enduring a delay while she rises, because she could not comprehend the swiftness of the Word, while she opens the door, the Word passes through, and she herself goes out in his word, and through the wounds sought, but the wounds of love, she finally finds and holds onto, so that she would not later lose it. In summary, these things have been explained briefly in this discourse. (Sup. cap. 3, 4 and 5). Now let's discuss each item individually.

51. And if you sleep, if only Christ knows the devotion of your soul, he comes and knocks on its door and says: Open to me, my sister (Song of Songs V, 2). Well, sister, because the spiritual marriage is between the Word and the soul. For the soul does not know the bonds of earthly marriage and the use of physical union, but it is like the angels in heaven. Open to me, he says, but close to strangers: close to the world, close to the material things, and do not go out to those worldly matters, nor leave your light behind to seek for something foreign; for earthly light casts a dark shadow and the light of true glory cannot be seen. Therefore, open to me, do not open to the adversary, nor give place to the devil. Open yourself to me, do not be constricted, but expand, and I will fill you. And because, as I have journeyed through the world, I have found more troubles and offenses, and I have not easily found where I could rest: therefore, you open yourself, so that the Son of Man may recline his head in you, to whom there is no rest except on the humble and meek.

52. Hearing this, my soul says: Open to me . . . . that head full of dew (cf. Song of Songs 5:2), that is, that soul troubled suddenly by worldly temptations, and as if about to rise, as it was commanded to rise, says, while it gives off the smell of aloes and myrrh, the symbols of burial: I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on again (cf. Song of Songs 5:3)? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them (cf. Song of Songs 5:3)? For it fears lest it rise again into temptations, lest it return into guilt again and sin, and begin to defile its goings forth and the process of its virtues with earthly footsteps. Certainly, in this way, she indicates the perfection of her virtue, which has deserved such great love of Christ; that she may come to it, and knock at his door, and come with the Father, and dine with the same soul, and she with him, as John said in the Apocalypse (Rev. III, 20). For when she had heard in the previous verses: Come here from Lebanon, O bride, come here from Lebanon (Song of Solomon IV, 8); and when she realized that she could not be present to Christ in the flesh, but would be present then, if she were present in the spirit; conforming herself to his will, so that she may be conformed to the image of Christ, she no longer feels the burden of the flesh; she as if sheds the bond of the body; as if forgetful, and if she wishes, she cannot remember that union, she says: I have taken off my tunic, how shall I put it on again? For he took off that tunica, of flesh, which Adam and Eve received after the Fall, a tunica of corruption, a tunica of passions. How shall I put it on? It does not require putting on; but it signifies being cast off, so that it could no longer be a garment for oneself. I washed my feet, how shall I defile them? This means, I washed my footsteps, as I was going out, and as I lifted myself from the intimate bodily association, from that connection and familiarity of carnal embrace, how shall I defile them, so that they may return to the closed chamber of the body, and that gloomy prison of its passions?


53. While she was saying these things, the Word sent his operation like through a cavern, not yet face to face, sent as it were a hand: And my belly, she says, was troubled over it. And I rose up to open to my brother. My hands dropped with myrrh, my fingers with the choicest myrrh upon the handles of the lock. (Songs of Solomon 5:4-5). Let us consider what this signifies. First it seems, as I said, that God sent the Word like through a cavern, not fully and perfectly: then love is stirred up, and conception grows, and from the seeds which the soul has received in a certain intelligible womb it desires to see the whole fulness of his divinity dwelling bodily in him, as we read. He rose so that he might see that Word of God more closely. And in this very act of his, it is signified that he rose by strength and power. For the presence of the Word derived strength for the soul, just as the presence of Mary, when she was burdened with her womb, instructed John, who was situated in the womb, so much so that he leapt in the womb and rejoiced, recognizing the presence of the Lord. He rose to reveal both his works and his accomplishments, which brought death to the world. For the soul that is going to receive the Word should be such that it dies to the world and is united with Christ. For in this way Christ is found and seeks a dwelling for Himself. Then the very ministries of operations, that is, the hands and fingers with which Christ is apprehended, are mortified, which fingers, as it were, the prominence of our deeds we can estimate as works. Therefore, just as from His embrace when He extended His intelligible hands and fingers to apprehend the Word passing through Himself, the pious soul says that it had not yet passed through. And this process takes place when the Word of God passes through and penetrates the soul; for it is written: 'And a sword will pierce your own soul too, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.' (Luke 2:35) Here it is still being passed through, not yet fully penetrated: as Mary is perhaps penetrated in her later years, when the Lord Jesus is placed as a seal in her midst.

54. Finally, another departure of the Word happened immediately; because the soul left in his word, that is, his word followed and left the body, raising itself from its dwelling, and making itself a stranger to it, so that it might be present with God and be a citizen of the saints. For we cannot be both of the flesh and of God. Therefore, in this place, the departure of the soul is signified, as I have said, when it withdraws from the pleasures of the body. Finally, it is written: 'Come out of Babylon, fleeing from the Chaldeans' (Isaiah 48:20). The Hebrew does not flee from the region of Babylon, but is admonished by prophetic discourse to flee from its customs; for there are Hebrews who are in Babylon, and they teach that they have left Babylonian customs. For those of whom the Prophet says that they sat beside the rivers of Babylon, they did indeed sit in the region of Babylon, but they were not partakers of its vices and confusion. For how could they be in that confusion of vices, who wept and repented for having fallen away from the ark of devotion, faith, and the merits of their paternal virtue? But what the soul goes out upon in its search, the Word requires.

55. And when she sought for it, she encountered the guards who were going around the city. They struck me, she said, and wounded me; the guards of the walls took my cloak from me (Song of Solomon 5:7). Indeed, she came like a bride with a cloak to cover her head when the bridegroom would come. Like Rebecca, who, upon learning that Isaac was coming towards her, descended from the camel and covered herself with a cloak (Genesis 24:65): so too this bridal soul anticipated the marriage insignia, lest she be rejected as not having the bridal garment; or lest she veil her head because of the angels. But they struck her so that she might be tested even more. For souls are exercised by temptations. They took away her cloak, seeking to see if she brought true beauty of naked virtue: either because no one should enter that heavenly city without a covering, carrying no deceitful coverings with them. There are also those who ask that no soul carry with them the remains of carnal allurements and bodily desires. The cloak is stripped away when her conscience is revealed. But there is also that which is stripped bare, to whom it is allowed to imitate the one saying: 'The prince of this world is coming, and in me he will find nothing' (John 14:30); for surely in him alone is found nothing, who has not committed sin. Blessed is she in whom he does not find heavy or numerous things, but finds in her the garment of faith and the discipline of wisdom.

56. Therefore, without any loss of himself (because even if someone wants to, they cannot take away true wisdom: even if an adversary objects, there the integrity of a true and harmless conversation shines forth), without any loss therefore, he passed by the guardians, and the Word mixed with the daughters of that heavenly city seeks, and by seeking it arouses love in himself, and where it seeks the Word, it recognizes. It knows what waits among the prayers of the saints, and what clings to them, and understands how it feeds his Church, or the souls of his righteous ones among the lilies. The Lord demonstrated this mystery to you in the Gospel (Luke 6:1) when he led his disciples through the fields on the Sabbath. Moses led the people of Judea through the desert (Deuteronomy 29:5): Christ leads through the fields, Christ leads through the lilies; for through his passion the desert blooms like a lily. Let us therefore follow, so that on the Sabbath day, that great Sabbath, in which there is great rest, we may gather the fruits. Do not fear that the Pharisees will accuse those who gather in the fields. Even if they accuse him, but Christ excuses, and he makes similar those souls who follow him, David his, who above the law ate the bread of offering, already foreseeing the sacraments of the new grace prophetically (1 Samuel 21:6).

Chapter VII.

The soul is praised by the groom because he has sought her so well and steadfastly: because she is faithful, because she is powerful in word, because she is gentle as a dove; finally, because she is fruitful in virtues and free from vices.


Therefore, she is praised by the bridegroom because she has sought him so well and steadfastly (Cant. VI, 3); and therefore, she is not only called sister, but also named well-pleasing, as if she is pleasing to the one who pleased the Father; and beautiful like Jerusalem, like an ordered admiration, because she has all the mysteries of the city, and she is an admiration to all who see her; because she is full of equity and perfection, and she borrows radiance from the light of the Word, always fixing her gaze on it; and she also becomes terrible in a certain order, elevated to the highest level of virtues. And therefore, as if perfect, he says: Turn your eyes away from me, do not look at me with hostility (Ibid., 4), with excessive devotion and faith surpassing the possibility of nature and its own condition, because it is difficult to behold an inaccessible light from the region. Turn your eyes away, he says, from me; because it cannot endure the fullness of his divinity and the splendor of true light. However, we can also understand it in this way: Turn your eyes away from me. You are indeed perfect, but there are still other souls that need to be redeemed and supported. You lift me up by seeing me: however, I have descended so that I may lift everyone up. And even though I have risen and have a seat with the Father, I will not leave you, like orphans abandoned without paternal support, but with my presence I will strengthen you. In the Gospel it is written: Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world (Matthew 23:20). Therefore, turn your eyes away from me, because you lift me up. For as much as someone directs their intention towards the Lord, they elevate the Lord even more, and they themselves are elevated. Hence, he says: I will exalt you, O Lord, for you have lifted me up (Psalm 29:1). For the holy person exalts the Lord, while the sinner humbles Him. Therefore, He wishes to avert her gaze, so that by not contemplating what she can now follow towards higher things, she may be elevated and not abandon other souls. Hence, in the Gospel, He showed His glory not to all the disciples, but to the more perfect ones (Matthew 17:1). Now, appoint a certain teacher who is willing to explain a difficult matter to the listeners: how, even though he may be powerful in speech and knowledge, he will condescend to the ignorance of those who do not understand and use a simple, clearer, and more familiar speech so that it can be understood. Therefore, whoever among the listeners is more lively in understanding, who can easily follow, he elevates and excites him. Seeing this, the teacher calls him back so that he may allow the teacher to dwell more with the humble and simpler, so that others may also be able to follow.


58. As the Eagle says: When sounding, it refers to the one who has been revealed, attributing his sounding to something worthy of admiration, as if it has great and sonorous works. Revealed, referring to the clarity of his works; or because his works shine before the Father who is in heaven. Hence, you understand that his cloak was not taken away in vain, so that it may shine openly, stripped of merits and naked.

Furthermore, it is praised because it is faithful, powerful in word, fruitful in various fruits, and like a dove with a unity of spirit in which there is peace, which made both one. And it is not composed of diverse elements of conflicting and opposing nature. For what is more different than fire and water, air and earth, from which the creature of our body is composed? But every blessed soul that imitates the one who said: 'That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.' For this is the consummation and perfection. Hence he added: That they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me; that they may be made perfect in one (John, 17:23). Therefore, this soul is one and perfect like a dove, which is simple and spiritual, and is not troubled by the passions of this body, where external battles rage and fears abound within. Finally, Scripture teaches us that this word of unity signifies harmony and peace, saying: And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither did any one say that aught of the things which he possessed was his own (Acts, 4:32).


60. The soul is praised for its fruitful nature, not only because it is fruitful in virtues, but also because it has no evil within itself. For that is honorable and beautiful in which there is no evil. For what is honorable is good, and what is dishonorable is evil. Fruitfulness is the beauty of good works, so sterility is contrary to beauty, since one who is deprived of beauty or attractiveness has evil within them. And what is evil is barren and unfruitful. What evidence could be more clear than nature? For the Earth, which is good, is fertile and abundant, while what is bad is barren and sterile. And what is fertile, that is also beautiful. For what is more beautiful than a full field, with crops swaying, fruit ripening, and vines laden with grapes, or olive trees bending under the weight of their fruit, or the lowly hills and valleys adorned with green grass? And let us use the testimony of Scripture (Gen. XXVII, 27): Jacob was handsome, and therefore the fragrance of a full field was upon him; while Esau was hairy and unattractive (Ibid., 11), and therefore he was rural, unable to bear any fruits. And of the Lord Himself, after He made the Church fruitful, it is beautifully said: The Lord has reigned, He has put on beauty (Ps. 92:1). And elsewhere: You have put on confession and beauty (Ps. 103:2). Therefore, it is clear that beauty is what is fruitful; ugliness, what is unfruitful. The same is the case with the soul alone; because that soul is beautiful which is fruitful in merits, fruitful in counsels: that soul is ugly which is sterile. For the weaknesses of the soul are sterility and matter; for sterility deprives it of its fruits, brings about poverty, instills fear, feeds desires, and empty opinions: thus the soul falls. What then is wickedness, if not a lack of goodness? It is deprived of its own, and relies on others, it is emptied and filled without any measure or limit. However, material vices overshadow the grace of the soul. Ignorance and desire of the soul are diseases: but they pertain more to appearance than to matter. Matter is the flesh, appearance is ignorance and desire. Why then is the flesh accused, when there are such great blemishes in appearance? Because appearance cannot exist without matter. Finally, appearance alone does not make a hatchet. For what would desire be, if the flesh did not inflame it? It is cold in the old, in children as well, because their body is weak: it burns in the youth in whom the force of the body is boiling. Therefore, evil arises from good things; for evil is not actually evil unless it lacks good things (see St. Augustine, Ibid.). However, it is through evil that good things become prominent. Therefore, the absence of good is the source of evil, and the definition of good includes evil, since evil is found through the discipline of good. Good, however, lacks nothing, abounds in itself, provides measure and perfection, and also gives a purpose to everything, upon which everything depends. This is the nature of good, which fills the mind.

61. The pure soul revolves around this, contemplates it, and sees God, and abounds in all good things. Therefore, it says: The throat sweetens, and the whole desire (Songs of Solomon 5, 16). For God is the author of all good things, and whatever exists, all of it indeed belongs to Him. There is no evil there; and if our mind remains in Him, it knows no evil. Therefore, the soul that does not remain in God is the author of evil for itself; thus, it sins: but the soul that sins, it itself will die. For when virtuous bonds are released, one is carried headlong and falls to lower things. But the blessed soul, which no adversities of the body can conquer, is free. This soul, like a sparrow with a broken snare, flies away. For the pleasures of the body are the bait of evils. Whoever seeks these, ensnares his own soul.

But whoever restrains himself from her vices and comes out of her darkness, his soul shines like the dawn, of which it is said: 'Who is she that looks as the dawn, fair as the moon?' (Song of Solomon 6:9) For she looks forth as from a free house. She does not say: 'Darkness covers me, and walls surround me, and who knows if the Most High sees me?' (Ecclesiasticus 23:26) But she rather seeks the light as if from the higher parts of her house, that is, her own body, and, being placed above the world, she contemplates the divine and elevates herself to eternal things, so that she may be present with God, already carrying the light of her works like the moon, carrying her orbit throughout the whole world.


But what the Eagle says: Resounding like the sun, it seems to express the rotation of the celestial axis, the courses of the sun, moon, and stars, and the harmony of the spheres: it seems so to some of our own people as well; since they do not find faith, at least they do not seem to be estranged on account of the sweetness of it.

Chapter VIII.

The same soul, fleeing from being praised, says that it descended into the garden of the nut, etc., by which bitternesses and temptations are designated. In these, it does not know itself, but is known and governed by Christ, until it reaches the palm. The leaning of this soul towards the palm signifies three things: instruction, progress, perfection. The following exhortation is to charity.


While being praised by the bridegroom, blushing modestly when praised, and then called back by the love of the bridegroom, she said: 'I went down to the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley' (Cant. VI, 10). For where is the Church, if not where the rod and the grace of the priesthood flourish? There it is often tested, as in bitterness and temptations. By the nut, we understand bitterness; by the torrent, temptations, but nevertheless tolerable, for it is written: 'Our soul has crossed the torrent' (Ps. CXXIII, 5). And so he descended into a place of bitterness, where the vine flourishes, and the various and manifold fruits of evil abound, which are guarded by the unity of the entire body with faith and charity. In that bitterness, the soul did not recognize itself; for the corruptible body weighs down the soul, and the earthly dwelling is quickly inclined. However, it must always recognize itself. But Peter was tempted and did not know himself, and Peter; for if he had known himself, he would not have denied the Author. But Christ recognized him: finally he recognized, who also looked at him (for the Lord knows those who are his) and like a good ruler, he called him back from his fall as if with the reins of his mercy. Therefore, our ruler is Christ.

Therefore, the soul says: Aminadab has placed me in the chariot (Song of Solomon VI, 11). Therefore, the soul is the chariot that sustains a good charioteer. If the chariot is the soul, it has horses, either good or bad. Good horses are the virtues of the soul, while bad horses are the passions of the body (see St. Augustine, Against Julian, Book II, Chapter 5, and Book III, Chapter 14). Therefore, a good charioteer restrains and recalls the bad horses, while inciting the good ones. The good horses are four: prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice. Bad horses have anger, desire, fear, and injustice. Sometimes the horses themselves disagree with each other, and either anger prevails or fear, and they hinder each other and slow down their pace. But good horses fly, and they rise from the ground to higher things, and uplift their soul: especially if they have a pleasant yoke and a light burden, as the one saying: Take my yoke upon you; for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew, XI, 29). He himself is the charioteer who knows how to govern his own horses, so that the race is equal for all. If prudence is faster, justice slower, he urges with his own whip the slower one; if temperance is more mild, fortitude harder, he knows how to yoke the discordant ones, lest they may scatter their own chariot. Therefore, it is allowed to see with an intelligible spectacle each soul being lifted up to heaven with the greatest struggle, the hastening horses that they may be the first to reach the reward of Christ, to which the palm may be placed on their necks first. These are horses subjected to the yoke of faith, bound by the bond of charity, restrained by the reins of justice, and held back by the restraints of sobriety. Beautifully, therefore, it says: Aminadab has set me in his chariot, that is, the father of the people: but he himself who is the father of the people, is also the father of Naasson, that is, of serpents. Now recall who, like a serpent, suffered on the cross for the salvation of all, and you will understand that soul to be peaceful, to whom God the Father is a guardian, and Christ is the guide; for it is written, and this name is ours: Father, father, the guide of Israel (2 Kings 2:12).


66. So the charioteer says: Turn, Shulamite, turn (Song of Solomon 6:12). Well, he speaks both as a charioteer and as if to a chariot: Turn, Shulamite, that is, make peace. For a soul that is at peace quickly turns and corrects itself, even if it has sinned before, and Christ ascends to it more fully and deigns to rule it, to which it is said: Mount your horses, your chariot of health (Habakkuk 3:8). And elsewhere: I have sent forth your horses to Tharsis (Ibid., 15). Behold the horses of Christ. Thus, Christ ascends his horses, the Word of God ascends to holy souls.

67. So how do you know that she ascended and brought her to the palm grove, when he says to her, 'How beautiful and sweet you have become, my love, in your delights?' Your stature has become like the palm tree (Song of Solomon 7:6 and following). And she herself says, 'I said, I will climb up the palm tree.' But love itself is also a palm tree; for love is the fullness of victory. Love is indeed the fulfillment of the law. Therefore, let us run in order to grasp it; and let us run in order to conquer. He who prevails, ascends to the palm tree and eats its fruits. He who prevails no longer runs, but sits as it is written: He who prevails, I will give him to sit with me on my throne, as I also prevailed and sit with my Father on his throne (Apoc. III, 21). Hence the philosophers expressed in their books those contests of souls for the curule chair, yet they were unable to reach the palm tree; because they did not know the height of the Word and the greatness of those souls, which this soul knew, in which there was a turning of the Word.


For thus he says: I to my brother, and his desire is towards me (Song of Songs 7:10). He repeats this meaning in a different way three times in the Song of Songs. In the beginning, he says: My brother to me, and I to him, who grazes among the lilies, until the day breathes and the shadows flee away (Song of Songs 2:16-17). Then he says: I to my brother, and my brother to me, who grazes among the lilies (Song of Songs 6:2). In the end, he says: I to my brother, and his desire is towards me. First, as a foundational instruction for the soul, he said: My brother to me. For with him as my teacher, my soul also took on an attachment to God: which follows, according to progress: thirdly, according to perfection. In the first, the soul still sees shadows as in an instruction, not yet moved by the revelation of the approaching Word, but for this reason the days of the Gospel did not yet shine on it: in the second, it gathers the sweet scents without the confusion of shadows: in the third, it now provides perfect rest in itself with the Word; that it may turn over on it, bend its head, and rest, holding the merit which it could not previously find in its search, it invites to its own field, saying:

69. Come, my brother, let us go out into the field, let us rest in the castles (Song of Songs VII, 11). Above to the garden he invited, here to the field having not only the grace of flowers, but also wheat and barley, that is, the firm foundations of virtues, so that one may behold its fruits. Let us rest, he said, in the castles to which Adam, when he was expelled from paradise, had been banished: in them he rested, but he worked the land. By what reason he wants him to go out into the field, the understanding is clear; so that he may feed his flock like a good shepherd, revive the weary, and recall the wanderers. For although this new and old soul has preserved these things for herself, yet they are still like lambs who are in need of the juice of milk for nourishment. Therefore, as if perfect, she intervenes not for herself, but for others, so that she may leave the Father's bosom and go out, as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and run the way to heal the weak, not remaining in that secret throne of the Father, and dwelling in that light where the weak are unable to follow; but rather, so that she may be taken up and led into the house of the bride and into the secret. Let him sit outside for himself, while we sit inside. Let him be in the middle of us, even if he is not visible to us.

70. Therefore he says: Who will give you, brother, to suck the breasts of my mother? Finding you outside, I will kiss you (Cant. VIII, 1). A good soul is outside, so that the Word may be inside: that is, the soul is outside the body, so that the Word may dwell within us.

Assume yourself, he says, and I will lead you in (Ibid., 2). The Word of God is rightly assumed and led in; for it knocks on the soul, that the door may be opened to it. And unless it finds the door open to itself, it does not enter. But if anyone opens the door, it enters and dines. Thus, the bride assumes the Word, so that by assuming it, she may be taught; hence, not undeservedly, she ascends even to higher dwellings, and always receives progress.

72. What virtues do they signify, those that are called or of the soul: What is this that ascends, white and leaning upon her brother? (Ibid., 5) ? Above, they have said: Who is she that looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, elect as the sun? (Song of Solomon 6:9) ? Here, more is added, because she ascends relying on the Word of God. For the more perfect ones recline above Christ, just as John also reclined on Christ's breast. So either she would lean on Christ or recline above him, or certainly, since we are speaking of a wedding, she was already being led into the bridal chamber by the bridegroom, as it were, given over to Christ's right hand.

73. And because now there is a bond of love, the bridegroom caresses her and says: 'Under the apple tree I raised you up; there was your mother in labor; there she gave birth to you.' (Song of Songs 8:5). A good soul rests under a fruitful tree, and especially one of good fragrance. For if Nathanael, who was good and in whom there was no deceit, was seen under the fig tree, surely the good soul that is raised up under the apple tree by her bridegroom. For it is greater to be raised up than to be seen, and even greater to be raised up by one's bridegroom. For although Nathanael seemed to be under a tree, his soul was not the bride who secretly came to Christ, because he feared the Jews. She was not beautiful like the moon, chosen like the sun, which was in shadow, because the bride sleeps during the day, publicly confesses. Therefore, this one under the apple tree, that one under the fig tree; because this one spread the scent of her confession further: that one had the sweetness of purity and innocence, but did not have the passion of the spirit.


74. There, he says, your mother gave birth to you; there, she who gave birth to you gave birth to you; for it is there we are born, where we are reborn. For they give birth in whom the image of Christ is formed. Hence he also says: My little children, for whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you (Galatians 4:19). For he gives birth who receives the spirit of salvation in the womb and pours it out on others.

75. Therefore, since Christ was already formed in this [Church], He says, 'Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm' (Song of Songs 8:6). Christ is a seal on the forehead, a seal on the heart. On the forehead, so that we may always confess [our faith]; on the heart, so that we may always love; a seal on the arm, so that we may always work. Therefore, let His image shine forth in our confession, shine forth in our love, shine forth in our deeds and actions; so that, if possible, His whole appearance may be expressed in us. He himself is our head, because the head of man is Christ: he himself is our eye, so that through him we may see the Father: he himself is our voice, through whom we speak to the Father: he himself is our right hand, through whom we offer our sacrifice to God the Father: he himself is also our seal, which is a sign of perfection and charity, because the loving Father has sealed the Son, as we read: Whom the Father has sealed, God (John VI, 27). Therefore, Christ is our charity. Good love, when it offered itself for our sins: good love, which forgave sins.

And therefore let our soul put on charity, and such charity as may be strong as death; for as death is the end of sins, so is charity the end also. For he that loveth the Lord, ceaseth from sin; for charity thinketh no evil, nor rejoiceth in iniquity, but beareth all things. For he that seeketh not the things that are his own, how shall he seek the things that are another's? And there is a mortal sin, which is washed away by baptism, by which all sin is buried, and the guilt is taken away. Such was the charity which that Gospel woman displayed, of whom the Lord said: Her many sins are forgiven her, because she loved much (Luke 7:47). And such is that powerful death of the holy martyrs, which wipes away previous guilt; and therefore powerful, since it is matched by a charity which equals the martyr's sufferings, so as to remove the guilt of transgressions.

77. Zelus quoque ut inferi (Cant. VIII, 6) ; quoniam qui zelum Dei habet, pro Christo nec suis parcit. Itaque et mortem habet charitas, et zelum habet charitas, et alas ignis habet charitas. Denique Christus diligens Moysen, insigne ei apparuit. Et Hieremias habens in se donum divinae charitatis, dicebat: Et erat ignis inflammans in ossibus meis: et dissolutus sum undique, et ferre non possum (Jer. XX, 9). Therefore, good charity having the wings of a burning fire, which flies through the chests and hearts of the saints, and consumes whatever is material and earthly: it tests whatever is sincere, and improves whatever it touches with its fire. This fire the Lord Jesus sent upon the earth, and faith shone forth, devotion was kindled, charity was illuminated, justice shone brightly. With this fire, he inflamed the hearts of his apostles, as Cleophas testifies, saying: Was not our heart burning within us, while he opened the Scriptures (Luke 24:32)? Therefore, the flames of the scriptures are divine. Indeed, the Scriptures were opening up, and the fire was coming forth, and it was penetrating the hearts of the listeners. And truly, they were the wings of fire; for the words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined by fire. When Paul was also assumed by Christ, he saw a light shining around him and around those who were with him, he fell from fear, and he rose again as a more righteous man. Finally, he became an apostle, though he had come as a persecutor. The Holy Spirit also descended and filled the whole house where they were sitting, and tongues as of fire appeared to them, distributed and resting on each one. Good wings of charity, true wings that flew through the mouths of the apostles, and wings of fire that spoke in a purified speech. With these wings, Enoch flew up to heaven when he was taken up. With these wings, Elijah flew up in a chariot of fire, drawn by fiery horses, to the heights above. With these wings, the Lord God led the people of the Fathers through a pillar of fire. Seraphim had wings, when he took a coal from the altar and touched the prophet's mouth, and took away his iniquities, and cleansed his sins. By the fire of these wings the sons of Levi were cleansed, and the peoples of the nations are baptized, as John testifies, saying of the Lord Jesus: He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matt. III, 11). Therefore David wanted to burn his reins and his heart, because he knew that the fiery wings of charity are not to be feared. The Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace did not feel the burning flames; because the flame of charity cooled them. And so that we may know more fully that perfect charity had wings, you heard the Lord say: How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings (Matthew 23:37)!

78. Let us therefore take these wings, which, like flames, direct us towards higher things. Let each one divest their soul from filthy coverings, and as if by fire, test it, cleansed from the mire. For thus the soul is purified, like the finest gold. But the true beauty of the soul is pure virtue, and the honor is a truer knowledge of heavenly things; so that it may see that good from which all things depend, and which depends on nothing. Therefore, it lives and receives understanding. For the fountain of life is that highest good, whose love and desire are enkindled in us, to which it is a pleasure to draw near and be mingled: what one does not see, is desired by him, and what one sees, is present in him; and therefore he despises all other things, he is soothed and delighted with this one alone. This is what supplies substance to all things: but remaining in itself, it gives to others, and receives nothing from others. Concerning which the Prophet says: I have said to the Lord: Thou art my God, because thou dost not need my good things (Ps. XV, 2). This is the only thing he desired, as he himself says elsewhere: One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, and behold the delight of the Lord, and contemplate his temple (Psalm 26:4). Therefore, if anyone deserves to see that pure and incorporeal highest thing, what else does he have to desire? Indeed, Peter saw the glory of the resurrection of Christ on the mountain, and did not want to come down, saying: Lord, it is good for us to be here (Matthew 17:4). And how incomparable is that glory of divinity, and that inaccessible light, which if anyone sees, what else would they desire? Not kingdoms, not riches, honors, glory, powers. For there is no happiness in using them, but in using this there is happiness; so that despising those things, the person remains turned toward this. Therefore, seeing this beautiful image, let the person enter inside, leaving behind the appearance of the body. For the one who contemplates bodies should not contemplate inwardly; lest they be drawn and swallowed up by the manner of someone being pulled into a whirlpool and nowhere appear as if submerged in the depth. Therefore, let us flee to our true homeland. There our homeland is, and there is the Father from whom we are created, where Jerusalem is, the city which is the mother of all.

But what is flight? Not of course of the feet, which are part of the body. For those who run, they run on the ground, and they move from one place to another. Let us not flee by ships, chariots, or horses that are bound and fall, but let us flee with our mind, our eyes, or our inner feet. Let us accustom our eyes to see what is clear and bright, let us look upon the face of self-control and temperance, and all the virtues in which there is nothing rough, nothing obscure and twisted. And let each person look at himself and his conscience: let him cleanse that eye, so that it does not have any filth. For what seems to be, should not be discordant with the one who sees, since God wanted us to be in conformity with the image of His Son. Therefore, that good is known to us, and it is not far from each one of us: For in Him we live and move and have our being. For we are also His offspring, as the Apostle has taught the Gentiles to understand. It is the good that we seek, and the only good. For no one is good, except God alone. This is the eye that beholds that great and true beauty. An unhealthy or weak eye cannot see the sun; nor can it see that which is good unless the soul is good. Therefore, let the one who desires to see the Lord and what is good become good. Let us be like this goodness, and let us perform deeds that are good according to it. This is the good that surpasses all action, surpasses all thought and understanding: it is what always remains, everything turns toward it, in which the fullness of divinity dwells, and through it, all things are reconciled to it. And to define more fully what good is: Life is good, because it always remains, giving life and existence to all; because Christ is the source of all life, about whom the prophet says: In his shadow we shall live (Lamentations 4:20). Now our life is hidden in Christ; but when Christ, our life, appears, then we too will appear with him in glory. Therefore, let us not fear death; for it is the rest of the body, and either freedom or release for the soul. Let us not fear him who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul, for we do not fear him who can take away our clothing, nor do we fear him who can steal our possessions, but we are not able to. Therefore, we are souls, if we want to be Hebrews, the companions of Jacob, that is, his imitators. We are souls, but our bodies are clothing: clothing must certainly be preserved, so that they are not torn or worn out, but he who uses them should be more concerned to preserve and guard himself.