Sermon XLI. On what is Meant by the Neck of the Spouse and by the Chains of Gold Promised her

"Thy neck (is) as jewels; we will make thee chains of gold inlaid with silver."

"Thy neck (is) as jewels." It is more usual, my brethren, for the neck to be adorned with jewels than to be compared to them. But the reason why people wear necklaces of jewels is because, having no beauty of their own, they are obliged to borrow from outer objects wherewith to simulate what nature denied them. Such is not the case with the Spouse of Christ. Her neck is in itself so beautiful and so perfectly formed by nature that it has no need of artificial embellishments. For why should that be decorated with the mendacious splendour of foreign hues, which possesses in itself a sufficiency of native and intrinsic loveliness, so much, in fact, as to rival the beauty of whatever jewels might be used to adorn it? This is what the Bridegroom gives us to understand when He says, not "Thy neck is encircled with jewels," but "Thy neck is as jewels" Here we must implore the light of the Holy Spirit, that, as He enabled us to discover the spiritual cheeks of the Spouse, He would also deign to show us what is to be understood by her spiritual neck. As for me, who am under obligation to tell you what I think, the most probable and satisfactory explanation I have been so far able to find is to suppose that by the name of neck is here designated the intellect of the soul. And I venture to think you will agree with me in this view, when you examine the reason of the comparison. For do you not perceive that the intellect discharges for the soul functions analogous to those which the neck performs for the body, since it is through the intellect that all spiritual food passes into the soul, and is conveyed to the digestive organs of the will and the affections? The neck of the Spouse, therefore, understood in this sense, that is, the pure intellect, has no need of any borrowed embellishments, being sufficiently adorned with its simple and naked truth. Rather it is itself the beauty of the soul, as a most precious ornament, and for this reason it is likened to jewels. For truth is a priceless jewel; and so are purity and simplicity; and so is the wisdom that is "unto sobriety." But the intellect of philosophers and heretics possesses in itself none of the splendours of purity and truth, and hence they are at such pains to deck it out and to set it off with the trumpery of grand words and syllogistic sophistry, lest, by showing itself as it really is, the turpitude of its falsity should be also made manifest.!

It is added, "We will make thee chains of gold, inlaid with silver." If it were said in the singular, "I will make," and not in the plural, "we will make," I should pronounce absolutely and unhesitatingly that the Bridegroom is the speaker here also. But consider now whether these words would not be better and more fittingly attributed to His companions, who are, as it were, trying to console the Spouse with a promise that, as she cannot yet attain to the vision of Him for Whose presence she pines, they will make for her beautiful and costly chains, as ornaments for her ears. The reason why she is especially promised ear-pendants is, as I think, because "faith cometh by hearing." It also reminds us that as long as we walk by faith and not by sight, it is more important and necessary to exercise the ear in listening to instruction than the eye in contemplation. For it is useless to strain the sight if the heart be not purified by faith, since it is only to the clean of heart that the vision of God is promised. Hence it is written "purifying their hearts by faith." Therefore, inasmuch as "faith cometh by hearing," and by faith the purification of the sight, rightly do the companions of the Bridegroom apply themselves particularly to the task of adorning the ears of the Spouse. For reason itself teaches us that hearing is a preparation for vision. "Thou, O Spouse of Christ," we may fancy them saying, "art longing impatiently to contemplate thy Beloved in His glory. But this happiness is reserved for the other life. Meantime we will present thee with ornaments for thine ears, which shall be a consolation to thee whilst thou art waiting, and a preparation for the favour thou hast solicited." Or they may be supposed to address her in the words of the Psalmist, "' Hearken, O daughter, and see.' Thou dost desire to see, but first it is necessary to hearken. Hearing is the way to sight. Hearken, then, ' and incline thine ear,' for the ornaments which we make for thee, that through the obedience of faith thou may attain to the glory of vision. To thy hearing we will ' give joy and gladness.' But to grant thee the satisfaction of sight, wherein consist the perfection of happiness and the fulfilment of thy desires, belongs not to us, but to Him Whom thy soul loveth. He will show Himself to thee that thy joy may be full. He ' will fill thee with joy with His Countenance.' But in the mean-time, until thou attain to these ' delights at His Right Hand even to the end,' receive for thy consolation these ornaments from our hands."

We must now consider, my brethren, what kind are the chains they offer her. "Chains of gold," we read, "inlaid with silver." By gold we are to understand the brightness of the Divinity and also the "wisdom which is from above." It is therefore of such immaterial gold that the heavenly artificers, who are charged with this ministry, promise to make for the Spouse resplendent seals, as it were, of truth, and to fit them on the internal ears of her soul. This, as I take it, means nothing else than that they purpose to devise certain spiritual representations, by means of which they will present to the view of the soul, whilst she is engaged in contemplation, the purest images of the Divine Wisdom; in order that she may be able to see, at least "through a glass in a dark manner," Him Whom it is not yet given her to behold face to face. These things, which I speak of, are altogether divine, and absolutely unintelligible except to those who have experienced them. For without the experience it is impossible to understand how it is that, whilst we are still in this body of corruption and walking by faith, with the glory of the Divinity still veiled from our view, the contemplation of pure truth nevertheless presumes to exercise its functions, at least in part and occasionally; so that each of us, on whom God has bestowed this extraordinary favour, may boldly say with the Apostle, "Now I know in part," and "We know in part and we prophesy in part." But whenever the soul, transported out of herself, is thus granted a clearer vision¹ of the Divine Majesty, yet only for a moment and with the velocity, so to speak, of the lightning flash, there are suddenly presented to her imagination, from what source I know not, certain images of inferior objects, which admirably help and harmonise with the higher impression of the Divinity. These imaginative representations are intended, no doubt, both to temper the excessive splendour of the Light Uncreated and to facilitate its communication; for they intercept that most pure and dazzling ray of Divine Truth, like clouds before the face of the sun, render it more tolerable to the soul, and more capable of being transmitted to whomsoever we please. In my opinion, they are formed in our minds by the inspirations of holy angels, just as evil imaginations are unquestionably suggested by the wicked spirits.

And perhaps we have here that darksome mirror through which, as you have read, the Apostle gazed, and which is fashioned, so it seems, by angelic hands out of such pure and beautiful images. Thus we may ascribe to God that representation of spiritual truth which in itself is quite distinct from any phantasy of corporeal properties, whilst we attribute to the ministry of angels all the splendid imagery with which it appears surrounded and clothed. In a different reading of the same text this seems to be more clearly indicated. According to that version the companions of the Bridegroom say, "We, the artificers, will make for thee images of gold, with distinctions or ornaments of silver."² The phrases, "inlaid with silver" and "with ornaments of silver" do not differ in meaning. To my mind this appears to signify that not only do the holy angels form within us, by suggestion, the imaginative representations referred to, but they even supply us with suitable words to express what they have enabled us to conceive; so that our ideas, dressed out in apt and becoming language, May be comprehended by our hearers with greater ease and pleasure. But you may object and say to me, "What is there sn common between silver and language ? " Well, the Psalmist shall give you the answer: " The words of the Lord," he says, " are pure words, as silver tried by the fire." It is in this sense, then, that the ministering spirits of heaven make for the Spouse, whilst she sojourns upon earth, "' chains of gold, 'nlaid with silver."

But observe, my brethren, how the Spouse asks one thing and obtains another. She longs for the repose of contemplation, only to have enjoined on her the laborious office of preaching. She thirsts for her Bridegroom's presence, and is charged with the anxious duty of bringing forth and nourishing children for Him. Nor is this the only occagion she has been so treated. Once before, as I recollect, she met with a similar rebuff. She was sighing for the embraces and the kisses of her Beloved, but received the answer, 'Bor thy breasts are better than wine," by which she was reminded of her motherhood, and of the duty of suckling her little ones and fostering her children. Perhaps you will discover for yourselves further instances in other verses of this Canticle, if you are willing to seek them out. Do we not find the same thing prefigured of old in the history of the holy patriarch Jac ob, when he was defrauded of the long expected and eagerly desired embraces of her whom he loved, the fruitful and blear-eyed Lia being substituted, without his knowledge or consent, for the beautiful but barren Rachel? In the same way here, the Spouse, desiring to know and asking where her Beloved pastures and reposes in the noonday, instead of the information solicited, receives "chains of gold, inlaid with silver,'' that is, wisdom and eloquence, doubtless for the office of preaching.

We learn from this, my brethren, that the kisses of divine contemplation must be often interrupted for the purpose of giving suck to the little ones, and that no one ought to live for himself alone, but all for all. Woe to those who have received the capacity for conceiving worthy sentiments of God and fittingly expressing them, it they look upon religion as a source of gain, if they make subservient to vainglory the talents entrusted to them to be employed in the service of their Master, if they are high-minded and unwilling to condescend to the humble! Let them fear lest what the Lord says by the mouth of the Prophet Osee should apply to themselves, "I gave them My gold and My silver; but they have used My gold and My silver in the service of Baal."³ Listen now to the answer which the Spouse makes on receiving thus a reproof from her bridegroom and a promise from His companions. She is neither angered by the one nor elated by the other, but behaves in accordance with what is written, "Rebuke a wise man and he will love thee," and, with reference to gifts and promises, "The greater thou art, the more humble thyself in all things." That she regulated her conduct by these counsels will appear from her reply. But, with your leave, I shall make that the text of another sermon. Meantime, let what has been said excite us to glorify the Bridegroom of the Church Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who is over all things, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Footnotes

1. Of the same experience, apparently, St. Theresa writes: "Whilst the soul is in this ecstasy, our Lord favours her by discovering to her secrets, such as heavenly mysteries and imaginary visions. . . . Though the recipient is incapable of describing them, they are deeply imprinted in the centre of the soul and are never forgotten. . . . I think God ravishes the soul completely into Himself as His very own and His Bride, and shows her some small part of the kingdom she has won." St. John of the Cross: "It is as if God drew back some of the many veils and coverings that are before her (the soul) so that she might see what He is. Then indeed, but still obscurely, because all the veils are not drawn back — that of faith remaining — the Divine Face, full of grace, bursts through and shines." St. Alphonsus Rodriguez: "It seems as if the Almighty desired to make Himself known as He does to the blessed in heaven. The soul forgets all earthly things and her own self, because she is solely occupied in loving God, Who is intimately present to her, and as though face to face." Blessed Angela of Foligno: "When the Most High God cometh into the soul, it is at times given her to see Him, and she seeth Him within her, without any bodily shape." Alvarez de Paz: "In this degree, which is the highest, eyes are given to the soul that she may see God. God manifests Himself to the soul by an image that represents Him very perfectly." As to the duration of this vision, St. Theresa says: "As it seems to me, the period of time, however long it may have been, during which the faculties of the soul are entranced, is very short. If half an hour, that would be a long time." St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, like St. Bernard, uses the image of the lightning flash: "A heavenly light shone for an instant, as a flash of lightning, and with a majesty that compelled my admiration, I saw thereby the immensity of the Divine Essence." Similarly, St. Gregory and other mystical writers. — See Poulain, Graces of Prayer, pp. 266-282 — (Translator.) ↩

2. "Ομοιώματα χρυσίου ποιήσομέν σοι μετὰ στιγμάτων τοῦ αργυρίου." α¹ 11 in the Septuagint Version. — (Translator.) ↩

3. " Dedi eis aurum meum et argentum meum, ipsi autem de argento meo et de auro meo operati sunt Baal." This is either taken from some unknown version, or quoted incorrectly. The text most like it in the Vulgate is Osee ii. 8: " Argentum multiplicavi ei et aurum, quae fecerunt Baal."—(Translator.) ↩