Sermon LXXVIII. On the Eternal Predestination of the Spouse, and on the Manner in which she has been Prepared and Prevented by Grace and Found by the Preachers of the Gospel

"The Watchmen who kept the city found me."

This word of finding, my brethren, if I remember aright, has given us pause; for hearing the Spouse declare that she has been found by the preachers of the Gospel, we have hesitated in doubt as to her meaning. The reason of this hesitation and uncertainty I have already indicated to you in the preceding discourse, when we judged that there was something hidden here which required to be examined into. But we were then approaching the end of the sermon, and the discussion of the matter in question could not be completed in the little time that remained. So it was held over. And what now remains but that I should discharge my debt to you? Well, then. In the working out of the "great mystery," — I refer to that which the Doctor of nations interpreted to mean the chaste and holy marriage of Christ with His Church, which is indeed the work of our salvation — in this, I say, there are three factors co-operating with each other, namely, God, the angels, and men. As regards God, why should He not busy and concern Himself with the nuptials of His own beloved Son? So indeed He does, and with His whole mind and heart. And He alone would be sufficient for the work, without the assistance of angels or men, whereas they without Him could accomplish nothing at all. Consequently if He has made them His associates in carrying out His design to redeem the human race, it was not because He wanted any support for Himself, but only because He wished to afford us an opportunity of meriting. For He has decreed that man must find his merit in labour, as it is written, "The labourer is worthy of his hire"; and again, "Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour," whether he be one who plants in faith, or one who waters what another has already planted. And further, by employing the ministry of the angels in the work of saving men, He has caused the former to be loved by the latter. But men are in turn objects of love to the angels. This may be inferred from one fact especially, because, namely, it is from the human race, as these celestial spirits well know, that the losses which their city sustained in the primeval rebellion have to be made good. It is surely only becoming that the kingdom of charity should be governed by no other laws than the holy and mutual loves of those who are destined to reign everlastingly together, by their pure affections for each other and for God.

But although the three agents co-operate with each other, each works in a manner consonant with his nature and dignity, and so there is a wide difference in their respective modes of operation. Thus God accomplishes all His designs with no greater effort than it costs Him to will them, without any agitation, without any motion, without any dependence on place or on time, on instruments or on persons. For He is the Lord of the Sabbath who "judgeth all things with tranquillity"; and He is also wisdom that "disposeth all things sweetly." The angels, likewise, work without agitation, yet not without motion both in space and in time. But human activity is always attended with agitation of mind and with bodily and spiritual movements. For man has received a command to work out his salvation "with fear and trembling," and to "eat his bread in the sweat of his brow."

Having discussed these preliminary questions, let us now, my brethren, consider together that in this most magnificent work of our salvation there are three things which have to be attributed exclusively to the divine authorship, and with regard to which God has anticipated all His auxiliaries and co-operators. The three things I speak of are predestination, creation, and inspiration. Of these, predestination did not begin, I do not say^ with the beginning of the Church, or even with the beginning of the world, but at no point of time at all, because it was before all time. Creation began with time. Inspiration takes place in time, when and where it pleases God. It admits of no doubt that, according to predestination, there never has been a time when the Church of the elect was not with God. Should the unbeliever marvel at this, let him hear something which is still more wonderful, namely, that the same Church of the elect has never been otherwise than pleasing and beloved. What is to prevent me from boldly proclaiming the great secret which has been revealed to me out of the Heart of God by that faithful publisher of heavenly counsels, I mean the Apostle St. Paul? For it is he who, amongst many other mysteries, has not hesitated to manifest this also of the riches of the divine goodness, where he says, "He hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. As He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in His sight in charity." And he adds, "Who hath predestined us unto the adoption of children through Jesus Christ, unto Himself; according to the purpose of His will, unto the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He hath graced us in His beloved Son." Nor can there be any doubt that these words are spoken in the name of all the elect, by whom the Church is constituted.¹ But which even of the blessed angels could have found this Church in the fathomless depths of eternity and before she was brought forth into the light as a part of this creation, except he to whom God, Who is the only true Eternity, condescended to reveal her?

But even after she has appeared at the Creator's bidding amongst the other visible forms and figures of the created universe, she was not immediately discovered by any human person or by any of the angels, because as yet she could not be recognised, being overshadowed by the image of the earthly man and covered with the mist of death. For it is certain that none of the children of Adam has ever entered this life without this shroud of universal confusion. He alone being excepted

Who alone "walked without blemish." I speak of

Emmanuel,² Who nevertheless for us and from us assumed to Himself the likeness, though not the reality, of our malediction and our sin. For so we read of Him that He appeared "in the likeness of sinful flesh, and of sin hath condemned sin in the flesh." Of the rest, all have come into the world under the same cloud, the elect as well as the reprobate. There is no distinction in this matter. All have sinned, and all carry about with them the evidence of their shame. For this reason, then, the Church, even after she had been brought into existence and took her place amongst other created things, could not yet be found or recognised by any creature, because she still lay concealed in a wonderful manner both within the bosom of a blessed predestination and amidst the mass of miserable damnation,³

But she, who had been concealed from everlasting by predestinating Wisdom, who at the beginning of time had been likewise kept hidden by creating Power, was at last, in due season, made manifest by the visitation of grace, according to the operation to which a while ago I gave the name of inspiration. I have entitled it so, because it is really something infused into the human spirit from the Spirit of the Bridegroom, as a preparation for the Gospel of peace, that is to say, to prepare a way for the Lord and for the Gospel of His glory into the hearts of all those who have been predestined to eternal life. In vain would the watchmen have laboured in preaching if this grace of inspiration had not gone before. But when they beheld how the "word runneth swiftly," when they saw the gentile nations being converted to the Lord with the utmost facility, and all tribes and tongues coalescing in the unity of faith, and the ends of the earth brought together by the influence of the same Catholic mother, then, I say, they understood concerning the riches of divine grace which were concealed from the beginning of the world, treasured up in the bosom of eternal predestination; and they rejoiced at having found her whom God before all ages had chosen for His Spouse.

From these observations it appears evident, as I think, that the Spouse had a special reason for saying that she was found by the preachers, because, namely, she desired to acknowledge that by them she has been collected, but not elected; discovered, but not converted. For the conversion of every soul must be attributed to Him alone to Whom alone all men without exception are under the necessity of addressing that petition of the psalm, *' Convert us, O God our Saviour." But it may be

] doubted whether there would be the same propriety in speaking of souls as having been found by God as in attributing to Him their conversion. Indeed I am certain that there would not. Souls are not found by God but prevented (non invenire.... sed praevenire) and anticipation excludes discovery. For how could anything be discovered by Him to whom nothing is ever unknown? "The Lord knoweth who are His," as the Apostle tells us. But what are His own words? "I know," He says, "whom I have chosen from the beginning."⁴ Manifestly, then, there would have been no reason in the Spouse's proclaiming that she was found by the same Bridegroom Who from eternity had foreknown her, and loved her, and Who had created her at the beginning. But I would say with confidence that she had been prepared by Him in order to be found by others. For "he that saw it hath given testimony" and we know that "his testimony is true." And this is his testimony, "And I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." These are the words of one of the watchmen who keep the city. But attend now to the Bridegroom Himself by whom the Bride was prepared. He says to the watchmen, using another image, and as it were pointing her out to them with His finger, "Lift up your eyes and see the countries, for they are white already to harvest," that is to say, prepared for the harvest. It is from this time that the Father of the family begins to invite labourers into His fields, when He beholds how everything has now been so well prepared that without very much effort on their part they may be able to rejoice over their success and to boast with St. Paul, "For we are God's coadjutors." For what is it that they shall have to do? Only to seek out the Spouse and, when she has been found, to tell her about her Beloved. For being the friends of the Bridegroom, they will seek not their own glory but His. And they will not need to labour much to obtain for Him the glory of finding her, because she is already at hand, is already seeking Him with all the eagerness of love. So well has her will been prepared by the Lord.

Indeed, before the watchmen have spoken a word to her, she of her own accord questions them concerning her Beloved. Having been herself prevented by divine grace, she now in turn prevents her preachers, interrogating them and asking, "Have you seen Him Whom my soul loveth?" Rightly, therefore, does she proclaim that she has been found by the watchmen who keep the city,"because she is well aware that she has been foreknown and anticipated by the Lord of the city, and that it was their part, not to form her, but to find her after she had been already formed by Him. Thus Cornelius was found by St. Peter and St. Paul by Ananias, because both had been prevented and prepared by the Lord. How could anyone have been better prepared than was Saul, who had even already cried out with suppliant heart and voice," Lord, what wouldst Thou have me to do? '* Nor less prepared was Cornelius, who by his almsgivings and prayers — to which, however, he was moved by the preventing grace of God — merited to receive the gift of faith. St. Nathanael also was found by St. Philip. But the Lord had already seen him when he was under the

■ I fig-tree. And what else was this vision of the Lord but a preparation of the heart? Again, St. Andrew is credited with having found his own brother, Simon; nevertheless he also was anticipated by the foresight and the foreknowledge of the Lord, Who immediately changed Simon's name to Cephas, as if to signify the firmness of his faith.

Moreover, we read of the Virgin Mary that "she was found with Child of the Holy Ghost." It seems to me, my brethren, that in this respect there is some resemblance between the Mother of the Lord and His Bride. For unless the latter had been found likewise with the fruit of the Holy Ghost, she would by no means have so familiarly questioned the watchmen who found her concerning Him Whose Spirit He is. As it was, however, she did not wait for them to make known the object of their coming. She was the first to speak, and indeed out of the abundance of her heart, saying to them, "Have you seen Him Whom my soul loveth?" For she knew how blessed were the eyes that had gazed upon Him, and therefore, looking with wondering eyes on those who had seen Him, she seems to ask, "Are you they to whom it has been given to see Him Whom so many kings and prophets have desired to see and have not seen? Are you they who have been found worthy to behold Wisdom in the flesh. Truth in the body, God in man? Many say to me, ' lo! He is here ' and ' lo! He is there '; but I judge it to be safer to put my trust in you who ' did eat and drink with Him after He arose again from the dead-'" These, my brethren, are the remarks which have occurred to me in connection with the Spouse's questioning of the watchmen. If anything has been omitted which ought to be said, it shall be supplied in another sermon. But that the Spouse has been prevented by the Holy Ghost, although recognised and found by those who keep the city, is now, I hope, sufficiently clear, especially from this fact, because, namely, it is she who has been chosen by God before the beginning of the world and prepared for His own beloved Son to be His everlasting delight during unending ages, "that she may be holy and unspotted in His sight," "springing as the lily" and "flourishing for ever before the Lord," the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church, Who is over all things, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Footnotes

1. "Nee dubium quin voce omnium electorum ista dicantur: ipsi Ecclesia sunt." The Saint, it is hardly necessary to observe, is not here giving expression to the doctrine proposed later on by John Huss and condemned by the Council of Constance (14 1 4-1 8), namely, that the Church of Christ consists exclusively of the just and predestinate. In many places of his writings, especially in Sermons LXV and LXVI on the Canticle, he plainly teaches that the Church embraces good and bad, the reprobate as well as the predestinate. Consequently he is speaking here, not of only election or predestination to glory, but also of election to the grace of faith. — (Translator.) ↩

2. "Sine quo profecto generalis velamine confusion is nemo filiorum hominum intravit hanc vitam, Illo sane excepto, ' Qui ingreditur sine macula.' Emmanuel Hie est." This language no more denies Our Lady's Immaculate Conception than the words "I am Who am" deny the existence of creatures, "None is good but God," the goodness of creatures, "Thou only art holy," the holiness of creatures. It merely affirms that Christ was sinless in an unparalleled way, of necessity and de jure, not, like His Mother, by privilege. She needed to be dispensed from the law of inherited sin, to which otherwise she would have been subject; but He Who was by nature immaculate, required no such dispensation. Cf. Suarez, disp. 3, s. 2. It is worth observing that in a sermon included with St. Bernard's but now recognised to be the work of Ogerius, a Cistercian Abbot, contemporary or nearly so with the Saint, the following passage occurs: "Amongst the children of men, there is found none, great or small, so eminently holy and so highly privileged as to be conceived without sin, except the Mother of the Immaculate ' Who did no sin '; but took away the sins of the world. When there is question of her, I will have no mention of sin." Now it may be fairly supposed that Ogerius would not depart from the doctrine of him who was the hght and glory of his Order. See also note, p. 253, vol. i. — (Translator.) ↩

3. "Massam miserae damnationis," a phrase borrowed from St. Augustine. — (Translator.) ↩

4. The words "from the beginning" are found neither in the Greek nor in the Latin Vulgate. — (Translator.) ↩