Sermons on the Song of Songs

My brethren, knowing this, none of you should desire to be praised in this life, for you steal from God whatever of glory you appropriate to yourselves, without referring it to Him. What title, O filthy dust, what title canst thou pretend to glory? Is it sanctity of life? “But it is the Spirit That sanctifieth,” not surely thine, but the Spirit of God. And even wert thou renowned for signs and wonders, still it is by the divine power these are wrought, although by thy agency. Or, perhaps, thou groundest thy claim on thy possession of popular favour, because, perhaps, thou utterest the “good word,” and, perhaps, to some advantage? But it is Christ Who has given thee “a mouth and wisdom.” For thy tongue—what is it but “the pen of a scrivener”? And such as it is, thou but holdest it on loan. It is a talent entrusted to thee and shall be demanded back with interest. If thou be found zealous in the discharge of duty, and faithful in handing over the profits, thou shalt receive the reward of thy labours. Otherwise, thy talent shall be taken from thee, and, nevertheless, the interest still exacted, and thou shalt be accounted “a wicked and slothful servant.” Consequently, my brethren, let all the glory arising from the gifts of the manifold grace appearing in you, be referred to Him Who is the Author and Giver of all things praiseworthy. But let this be done not merely with the lips, as by hypocrites, nor solely from custom, as by worldlings, nor yet out of necessity, as beasts are compelled to carry their burdens, but as becomes saints, with trustful simplicity, with fervent devotion, with a happy, yet modest and reserved cheerfulness. Accordingly, whilst offering up “the sacrifice of praise,” and “paying our vows” from day to day, let us be careful with all vigilance to unite attention with usage, affection with attention, joy with affection, reverence with joy, humility with reverence, and with humility liberty of spirit. So shall we sometimes find ourselves moving forward towards the goal with the easy steps of a purified mind, making excursions out of ourselves through the extraordinary intensity of our affections and spiritual raptures, experienced in transports of joy, in the light of God, in sweetness, in the Holy Ghost; and thus shall we prove ourselves to be included in the number of those whom the Prophet David addressed when he said, “They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy Countenance, and in Thy name they shall rejoice all the day, and in Thy justice they shall be exalted.”

Perchance it may here be said to me, “Thou dost well to admonish us, yet thy words should not be irrelevant to thy theme.” But have patience a little. I have not lost sight of my subject. Have I not taken upon myself to expound the text, “Thy name is as oil poured out”? This is the task I have set myself, this the work I have undertaken. And it is for you to judge whether my remarks have been altogether beside the purpose or not. For my part, I will try to show you in a few words that I have not wandered far from my way. Do you not recollect that the last thing commended in connexion with the breasts of the Spouse was the delicious odour of their ointments? What, then, more seasonable than to remind the Spouse that she owes this fragrance to the bounty of her Beloved, lest she should be tempted to ascribe it to herself? And this, as you can see, has been the drift of all my apparently wandering remarks. “The sweet odour and the delights of my breasts,” we may fancy the Spouse saying, “I attribute neither to my own efforts nor merits, but to Thy munificence, O my Beloved; all is due to the perfume of Thy name which is as oil poured out upon me.” Thus is apparent the connexion of my present text with that of my last discourse, as also the relevancy of what I have been saying.

But the full exposition of this text, whence I took occasion to speak at such great length on the most detestable vice of ingratitude, must be reserved for another time and another sermon. For the present let it suffice to have reminded you that, if even the Spouse dares not appropriate to herself anything whatever of her virtues and graces, how much less should we presume to do so, who are but the “handmaidens”? Let us, therefore, my brethren, let us also exclaim, following the example of the Spouse, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory.” And let us say this, not merely in words and with our tongues, “but in deed and in truth.” Otherwise, of us, too, it shall be said, what I fear exceedingly, “And they loved Him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied unto Him. But their heart was not right with Him, nor were they counted faithful in His covenant.” Let us, then, cry aloud, but as well in the depths of our hearts as with the lips of our mouths, let us cry, I repeat, “Save us, O Lord, our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to Thy holy name—not to our own names—and may glory—not in our but—in Thy praise,” for evermore. Amen.