Sermons on the Song of Songs

What shall I say, my brethren, of the fact that man, a free creature, instead of ruling as a lord the inferior appetite which was made subject to him, prefers to obey it and to follow it like a slave? Does he not herein also make himself the equal and the associate of the irrational animals which have not been endowed with liberty, but fashioned for servitude without the power of resisting their appetites and passions? Is it not with reason that God is ashamed to be represented or reputed like a creature so degraded? Therefore He says, “Thou thoughtest, O wicked one, that I shall be like to thee,” and He adds, “But I will reprove thee and set (thee) before thy face.” It is not possible for a soul that sees herself to regard herself as like to God, at least this is not possible for a wicked and sinful soul such as mine. And it is to souls of this kind that the above reproof is addressed. For God does not say, “Thou thoughtest, O soul,” or, “Thou thoughtest O man,” but “Thou thoughtest, O wicked one, that I shall be like to thee.” But if the wicked one be set before his own face, and be shown the dead and corrupted countenance of his interior man, so that he cannot shut his eyes or refuse attention to the impurities of his conscience, but has to gaze upon the soil of his sins even in spite of himself, and to contemplate the foulness of his evil habits, then, I believe, he will no longer be able to think God like himself, but, humbled by the great dissimilarity which he beholds, he will cry out with the Psalmist, “Lord, who is like to Thee?” I have spoken this with reference to the voluntary and superadded dissimilitude of the soul to her Creator. For the natural and original likeness still remains, and by its presence only renders the unlikeness more displeasing. Oh, how great a good is the former! How great an evil the latter! And they are greatly good and greatly evil even when separately considered. But when viewed together, their conjunction has the effect of rendering more apparent both the goodness of the one and the badness of the other.

When, therefore, the soul perceives within her single self qualities so widely differing from each other, placed, as she finds herself, between hope and despair, has she not reason to cry out, “Lord, who is like to Thee?” She is drawn towards despair by the consciousness of so much evil, but encouraged to hope by the possession of so great a good. Hence it is, my brethren, that the more she is disgusted with herself on account of the evil which she discovers within her, by so much the more ardently does she endeavour to conform herself to the good, viz., to the likeness to God, which she also beholds within her, and the more eagerly does she desire to become again such as she was originally made, “simple and upright, and fearing God, and avoiding evil.” Why should she not be able to abandon the evil which she has been able to embrace? And why should she not be able to embrace the good which she has been able to abandon? Nevertheless it has to be admitted that it is on the grace of God she must depend for the power both to avoid evil and to do good, not on nature or on human industry. For, as we read, it is by wisdom alone, and not by natural force or by our own efforts, that malice can be resisted. However there is not wanting to her a reason for presuming that this grace or wisdom shall be given her, because “her turning is towards” the Word. That noble affinity which connects her with the Divine Word (which I have now been three days discussing) and that likeness which endures as a witness to the relationship between them are not without influence to conciliate His favour. He graciously admits to the society of His Spirit one who so closely resembles Him in nature. Indeed, it is the law of nature that like should seek its like. And hear how He even calls after her, “Return, return, O Sulamitess: return that We may behold thee.” He will look with complacency upon her now when she is made like to Him, whereas when she was unlike He took no notice of her at all. And not only will He look upon her, but He will also allow her to look upon Him. “We know,” says the Evangelist, “that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; because we shall see Him as He is.” In my opinion, therefore, it is a difficulty rather than an impossibility that is implied in the Prophet’s question, “Who is like to God”? Or perhaps you would prefer to hear it ealled a cry of admiration. For admirable and astounding that likeness assuredly is which brings with it the vision of God, yea, which is itself the vision of God. But I am speaking of the likeness and the vision which are one and the same with charity. For that likeness is charity and charity too is that vision. Who does not stand amazed at beholding the charity of God despised and yet recalling the soul that has spurned it? Well, therefore, did that “wicked one,” whom I referred to a while ago, deserve the reproach addressed to him for claiming a likeness to God, although he could not love either himself or God. For so we read: “He that loveth iniquity hateth his own soul.” But let him remove from his soul the iniquity which forms in her a partial unlikeness to the Word, and then there shall be unity of spirit, there shall be mutual vision, there shall be mutual love. For as the Apostle says, “When that which is perfect shall come, that which is in part shall be done away.” The Word and the soul shall love each other with a pure and perfect love, they shall know each other fully, they shall behold each other clearly, they shall be united to each other firmly, they shall live together inseparably, they shall be like each other absolutely. Then the soul shall know even as she is known; then she shall love even as she is loved; and over His Bride shall rejoice the Bridegroom, knowing and known, loving and beloved, Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who is over all things, God blessed for ever. Amen.