Sermons on the Song of Songs

“In my bed by night I sought Him Whom my soul loveth: I sought Him and found Him not.

“I will rise and will go about the city.”

“In my bed by night I sought Him Whom my soul loveth.” The Bridegroom evidently has not returned at the desire and solicitation of her who recalled Him. Wherefore? In order that her desire may increase, that she may give proof of her love, that she may be the longer occupied in the exercise of charity. The delay consequently is no evidence of anger on the part of the Beloved, is in fact nothing more than pious dissimulation. It only remains, therefore, to seek Him, if perchance He may be found when sought, Who when called has deferred to come. For He assures us Himself that “everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth.” Now the words employed by the Spouse to recall Him were as follows, “Return; be like, my Beloved, to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of Bethel.” On account of the reasons just given, He has not come back at her invitation. This only makes her, who loves Him so ardently, the more desirous of His presence, and with all eagerness she begins at once to seek Him out, She seeks for Him first in her bed, but fails to find Him there. Then she “rises,” she “goes about the city,” she passes along “the streets and the broad ways.” But nowhere does He show Himself, nowhere can she find Him. She inquires concerning Him of everyone she happens to meet, without obtaining any certain information. Nor is it only once she has made this search, and suffered this disappointment, nor during a single night, because she says, “During the nights (per noctes) I sought Him.” How great must be the longing, how ardent the love under the influence of which she thus rises in the night, goes out fearlessly into the public thoroughfares, runs around the city, openly interrogates all whom she meets concerning her Beloved, and from her purpose of following His footsteps can be dissuaded by no argument, impeded by no obstacle, held back by no desire for seasonable repose, prevented by no feelings of womanly modesty, restrained by no fear of the “terror of the night”! And nevertheless, in spite of all this she is still defrauded of her hope. Wherefore? What is the meaning of so cruel and so oft-repeated a disappointment, which is the nurse of weariness, the inspirer of suspicion, the torch of impatience, the mother of despair, the step-mother of love (noverca amoris)? If the Bridegroom is still dissembling, His dissimulation has become exceedingly trying.

I allow that up to this, whilst there was only question of calling or recalling Him, dissimulation could be practised with piety and profit. But now, when He is sought and sought with so much trouble, what object can be gained by dissembling longer? If this Canticle were concerned with an earthly bride and bridegroom and with the earthly love which unites them, as indeed seems to be suggested by the mimicry of the literal sense, and if such things as are here described were to happen between them, that would be their own affair, and I should not feel called upon to cast about for an explanation or apology. But if I have the duty to make answer and satisfaction, according to the best of my poor ability, to the minds and affections of those who are seeking the Lord, in that case it will be necessary to extract from the Holy Scripture, in which they “think to have life everlasting,” something spiritual and therefore vivifying, in order that “the poor may eat and be filled, and that their hearts may rejoice.” And what is so much the life of our hearts as my Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom one said who lived by Him, “When Christ shall appear, Who is your Life, then you also shall appear with Him in glory”? Let Him therefore come amongst us, so that to us as to the Jews it may be truly said, “There hath stood One in the midst of you Whom you know not.” And yet I do not understand how the Bridegroom, Who is a Spirit, can fail to be recognised by spiritual persons, provided they have made such progress in the spirit as to be able to say with the Prophet, “A Spirit before our face (is) Christ the Lord”; and with the Apostle, “And if we have known Christ according to the flesh: but now we know Him so no longer.” Is not He the Beloved Whom the Spouse has been seeking? He is indeed the Bridegroom, a loving and amiable Bridegroom. He, I say, is the Bridegroom indeed, just as His “Flesh is meat indeed” and His “Blood is drink indeed.” Everything that appertains to Him is in deed and in truth, since He is Himself the Living Truth.

But what means it, my brethren, that this Bridegroom cannot be found when sought, even when sought with so much zeal and assiduity, now in the bed, now about the city, now “in the streets and the broad ways”? For He Himself has said, “Seek and you shall find,” and, “He that seeketh findeth.” The Prophet Jeremias also says, “The Lord is good to them that hope in Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.” And holy Isaias, “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found.” “How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled?” Nor can it be said that she who is here represented as seeking Him, is one of those to whom He addressed the words, “You shall seek Me and shall not find Me.” But listen. Three causes now occur to me which are wont to render our seeking futile. These are: unsuitableness in the time of seeking, unsuitableness in the manner of seeking, and unsuitableness in the place of seeking. For if every time were equally suitable for seeking, why does the Prophet speak the words already quoted, “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found.” Most certainly there shall come a time when He can be found no longer. Therefore we are counselled to call upon Him whilst yet He is near, because the hour is approaching when He shall no more be near. Who is there that will not seek Him then? As He says by His Prophet, “Every knee shall be bowed to Me.” Nevertheless, He shall not be found by the impious, because the avenging angels will assuredly drive them away and prevent them from beholding the glory of God. The foolish virgins likewise shall call upon Him in vain; for the door shall then have been shut and He will not go out to them. Let these consequently take as applying to themselves the words, “You shall seek Me and shall not find Me.”

But “behold now is the acceptable time, behold now is the day of salvation.” Now, my brethren, is the time for seeking and for invoking, when, as ordinarily happens, He Whom we seek is felt to be present even before we call upon Him. For this is what He has promised by His Prophet, “Before they call, I will hear; as they are yet speaking, I will say: Lo, here I am.” This kindness and graciousness, which belongs to the present time, was not unknown to him who sings in the psalm, “The Lord hath heard the desire of the poor: Thy ear hath heard the preparation of their heart.” But if it is by good works the Lord is to be sought, “therefore, whilst we have time, let us work good to all men,” the more especially, because the Bridegroom plainly announces that “the night cometh when no man can work.” Or dost thou hope to be given in the life to come another time for seeking God and for doing what is good, besides that which He has appointed for thee wherein to show thee mercy? The present life, therefore, is “the day of salvation,” because in this “God is our King before ages, He hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth.”