Sermons on the Song of Songs

Now, it seems to me, my brethren, that the Word also manifests Himself as a great Father of a family, or rather under the form of Royal Majesty, to those who, as the Psalmist says, have “come to a deep heart,” viz., have their hearts filled with noble courage, and are rendered more magnanimous by great liberty of spirit and purity of conscience. I mean such as are wont to dare the difficult things, to penetrate the deep things with a kind of restless yet commendable curiosity, to lay hold of the high things and to undertake the perfect things, and that, not so much in the physical, as in the spiritual order. For these are found worthy, by reason of the greatness of their faith, to be admitted to the fulness of every grace. And amongst all the storerooms of wisdom, I do not think there is a single one from which “the Lord, the God of all knowledge” judges that they should be excluded who show themselves as desirous of truth as they are strangers to vanity. Such a one was Moses, who dared to say to God, “If I have found favour in Thy sight, show me Thy Face.” Such was St. Philip, who asked that the Father should be shown to himself and to his fellow-apostles. Such, too, was St. Thomas, who refused to believe unless with his own fingers he touched the Saviour’s Wounds, and put his hand into His pierced Side. His faith, indeed, was weak, but was founded, in a sense, in his greatness of soul, as is clear from his boldness in demanding such a proof. Another such was King David, for he also desired to see the Lord, and said to Him, “My heart hath said to Thee: my face hath sought Thee, Thy Face, O Lord, will I still seek.” These men, accordingly, had the courage to ask for great things, because they were themselves great men. And they obtained that which they had the daring to solicit, according to the promise made to them, namely, “Every place that your foot shall tread upon shall be yours.” For great faith merits a great reward. And as far as you extend the foot of your confidence in the goods of the Lord, so far shall be yours.

Thus we find that Moses spoke to God face to face. The holy Legislator deserved to see the Lord openly and not “in a dark manner” and under symbols and figures, whilst the Lord Himself declared that He revealed Himself to other prophets only in visions and spoke to them only in dreams. St. Philip, likewise, according to the petition of his heart, was shown the Father in the Son, no doubt, in the words immediately addressed to him, “Philip, he that seeth Me, seeth the Father also,” and, “I am in the Father and the Father in Me.” To St. Thomas, also, his request was granted, for the Word gave Himself to him to be handled according to his heart’s desire, and did not “defraud him of the will of his lips.” What shall I say of David? Does not he, too, give us to understand that he was not defrauded of the object of his desire, when he declares that he will not “give sleep to his eyes, nor slumber to his eyelids, nor rest to his temples, until he found a place for the Lord”? Thus the Bridegroom will appear in His greatness to such great souls, and will “do great things for them.” He will “send forth His light and His truth, and conduct them and bring them unto His holy hill and into His tabernacles,” so that each of them shall be able to say with Mary, “He that is mighty hath done great things for me.” Their eyes shall behold the “King in his beauty” guiding their steps towards the “beautiful places of the desert,” to the home of the roses and the lilies of the valleys, and to the pleasant gardens, and to the refreshing fountains, and to the storehouses replenished with delights, and to the fragrant spices, and lastly, even to the privacy of the royal bedchamber.

Such, my brethren, are the “treasures of wisdom and knowledge” concealed in the abode of the Bridegroom. Such are the pastures of life, prepared for the nourishment of holy souls. “Blessed is the man that hath fulfilled his desire with them.” Only let me exhort him not to wish to keep to himself alone that which would suffice for many. It is, perhaps, for this reason that after the mention of all these treasures the Bridegroom is described as appealing in the form of a Shepherd, viz., to remind him who has received so much grace, of his obligation to feed the flock of the simple. By the simple I mean those who have neither the power to attain to such things of themselves, nor yet the courage to go out into the pastures without their shepherd. The prudent Spouse, conscious of this, begs to be shown where He feeds and reposes in the mid-day heat, yearning, as her words indicate, to be fed and to feed with Him, and under His protection. For she does not think it safe to drive her flock far from the Supreme Pastor, on account of the hostile incursions of the wolves, particularly of the wolves that come to us in sheep’s clothing. Hence, she is anxious to feed in the same pastures with Him and to repose in the same shade. And she explains the reason of her request when she adds, “Lest I begin to wander after the flocks of Thy companions.” These are they who wish to appear the friends of the Bridegroom, but are not. And although they are more concerned to feed their own flocks than His, yet they keep crying out deceitfully from time to time, “Lo, here is Christ, lo, there is Christ,” in order to seduce the many, to lead them away from the flock of the Lord, and unite them to their own. Thus far I have been occupied with the obvious sense of my text. The underlying spiritual signification shall engage me in my next discourse, in which I hope to communicate to you whatever lights may, meantime, be vouchsafed me in answer to your prayers, through the gracious mercy of the Bridegroom of the Church, Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Who is over all things, God blessed for ever. Amen.