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Ss DAVID LEWIS, Esq. M.A.
EDITED BY THE OBLATE FATHERS OF SAINT CHARLES.
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WITH A PREFACE
BY
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HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL WISEMAN.
VOL. IL -_ haa
2 LONDON: GMAN, GREEN, LONGMAN, ROBERTS, & GREEN. Ey 1864. ee:
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JE INSTITUTE OF MEDIAEVAL STUDIES 1O ELMSLEY PLACE \ TORONTO 5, CANADA,
Se QCES 1 WIPES
713
CONTENTS
SECOND VOLUME.
a 2
‘SPIRITUAL CANTICLE BETWEEN THE SOUL i AND CHRIST. a
ay J é
Bw. «STANZA I.
ESSENTIALLY HIDDEN—THE ONLY BRGOTTEN SON—THR : PRACKFUL PAIN OF HOPE . . «. «+
STANZA IT.
aa ~ STANZA III.
> a -
= J
. . . . . . . . . .
vi CONTENTS OF
STANZA VI.
THE CREATURE EXCITES LOVE FOR THE CREATOR . . . . .
STANZA VII.
GOD THE DESIRED MESSAGE AND MESSENGER—TESTIMONY OF RATIONAL CREATURES . * . . * * . * bel . * *
STANZA VIII. MAS IN TER QUIVER OF LIVR se eg tw Tar Oe
STANZA IX. COMPLAINT OF THE WOUNDED SOUL—LOVE THE REWARD OF LOVE. .
STANZA X, THE SOUL SATISFIED BY GOD ALONE—THE UNCREATED LIGHT . ae
STANZA XI.
THE SOUL ASKS TO SEE GOD AND DIE—MAN CANNOT SEE GOD AND LIVE —DEATH THE FRIEND—THE CURE OF IMPERFECT LOVE . . .
STANZA XIL
THE CRYSTAL FOUNT OF FAITH REFLECTS THE FACE OF GOD-—LOVE BEGETS LIKENESS AND UNION . . . . . . .
STANZA XIII. DARK APPROACH TO DIVINE LIGHT—GLANCE OF THE DIVINE EYES—VOICE OF THE BELOVED . Mabe ONS 1 RS cate ee ee STANZA XIV.
SONG OF THE BRIDE-SOUL—GOD THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY—HIS VOICE UPON THE WATERS—THE GENTLE AIR AND THE NIGHT VISION . .
STANZA XV.
CALM MORNING TWILIGHT—UNIVERSAL HYMN OF PRAISE TO GOD—SPI- RITUAL BANQUET OF LOVE . . . . . . . ‘ :
STANZA XVI. FOXES IN THE VINEYARD-—THE NOSEGAY OF ROSES—SOLITUDE OF THE HEART . . . . . . . . . . . . STANZA XVIL.
THE SUFFERING OF LOVE—NORTH AXD SOUTH WINDS-—-BREATH OF THE SWEET-SMELLING FLOWERS . . . . .* e . mt
STANZA XIX.
“SUNLIGHT ON THE MOUNTAINS—THE SOUL ASKS FOR PURELY SPIRITUAL Se a VOOMMOMIOATION WITH GOD. » 2 + (ce. .* se “*. 3
of STANZA XX. ss THE BRIDEGROOM GUARDS HIS BRIDE—THE SOUL RESTORED TO JUSTICE BY ee CHRIT—GOD A JOY FOREVER. 0. 8 1 eH ele oe STANZA XXI. _——si“‘*PHEB REIGN OF EVERLASTING PRACE - aS ge ae = Dei ; STANZA XXIL & REJOICING OF THE GOOD SHRPHERD OVER HIS RECOVERED SHEEP—FROM _-—s PENANCE TO PERFECTION—THE SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE . . 0 ee i: | STANZA XXIII. «ss PHE TREES OF PARADISE AND OF CALVARY—THE CROSS OUR SECOND a MOTHER . a j ; 4 ? - ; - < ae STANZA XXIV.
BLISS OF THE STATE OF PERFECT UNION WITH GOD—-PERFUME SHED BY DIVINE FLOWERS— VIRTURS A CROWN AND DEFENCE. . . .
STANZA XXV.
THE SOUL GIVES THANKS FOR GRACES BESTOWED ON OTHERS—RUNNING IN THE WAY OF LIFE—NEW AND OLD WINE—THE OLD FRIEND OF 60D ~ . * > . * . * > . . . *
STANZA XXVI.
HAPPY STATE OF THE SOUL IN DIVINE LOVE-——PERFECT FRAR, PERFRCT LOVE—WE MAY KNOW LITTLE AND LOVE MUCH—WISDOM AND FOLLY— THE SHEPHERD LOSES HIS FLOCK ; ‘ . . . . .
STANZA XXVII. THR COMMUNION OF GOD AND THE SOUL IN LOVE—MUTUAL AND UNKE-
105
109
116
118
123
126
132
138
147
vill CONTENTS OF
STANZA XXVIII.
THE SOUL CENTRED ON LOVE ITS SOLE OCCUPATION —GOD, AND NOTHING ELSE . . . . . . . . . . . . *
STANZA XXIX.
LOVE HIGHEST IN IMPORTANCE AND PROFIT—LOSS AND GAIN OF THE SOUL -——THE BETTER PART—MARY AND MARTHA . . . . . .
STANZA XXX.
FIRST FLOWERS OF SPRING SWEETEST—THE DELIGHT OF THE BRIDE-SOUL AND CHRIST IN THE POSSESSION OF THE VIRTUES AND GIFTS OF BACH OTHER—CHRIST CROWNED BY HIS SAINTS BEAUTY AND STRENGTH OF THE PERFECT SOUL. : . ‘ . . . . . . .
* STANZA XXXI. GOD CAPTIVE TO PURE STRONG LOVE—THE THREAD OF LOVE BINDING TOGETHER GOD AND THE SOUL—POWER OF TRUST IN GOD . » ce
STANZA XXXII.
GRACE THE CAUSE OF MERIT—THE SOUL REFERS ALL TO GOD, AND GIVES THANKS TO HIM FOR HIS MERCY IN LOOKING LOVINGLY UPON HER .
STANZA XXXIIL
THE SOUL PRAYS FOR THE CONTINUANCE OF THE DIVINE SPIRITUAL UNION— THE SOUL’S BEAUTY GOD’S GIFT—GOD HONOURS HIS OWN WORK .
STANZA XXXIV. THE OLIVE BRANCH OF PEACR—THE TWO DOVES . .«. «. . .
STANZA XXXV. THE DOVE’S NEST , ; : : - f : ; : ‘
STANZA XXXVI.
THE SOUL RIPE FOR HEAVEN--BEAUTY OF GOD IN THE SOUL—INFINITE DEPTHS OF DIVINE TRUTH . . . . . . . . .
STANZA XXXVII.
TO KNOW GOD IS ETRRNAL LIFR—TRUTH AS IT IS IN JESUS-—-NEW WINE OF THE POMEGRANATES . . . . : . . . .
STANZA XXXVIII. LOVE FOR LOVE—DAY OF GOD'S RTERNITY—VICTORY AND CROWN . .
PAGE
151
156
160
167
170
175
179
182
186
191
k STANZA XL. NG UP BY THE DESERT OF DEATH—ENCAMPMENT BY THE WATERS OF UFR . . . . . s . . . - . a - 210
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STANZA I. ee Loe L SONG OF THE SOUL IN GOD—FIRE KINDLES FIRE . 4 2 ‘ RS
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STANZA IL
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: Lise IT. THE SHRAPH’S DART OF FIRE—THE LIVING ceUCIIX . 3 . 3 . =, 239
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SUBSTANTIAL TOUCH OF GOD . . . . . «2 « « Loz IV.
FORETASTE OF EVERLASTING LIFE . . . . «© «© «© -« Lives V.
VIRTUE ACQUIRED BY SUFFERING—-THE CROSS THE WAY TO GOD . .
Los VI. DEATH CHANGED INTO LIFE—SONG OF EVERLASTING JOY AND PRAISE .
STANZA ITI.
Liss L
MANY LAMPS, ONE FLAME—-GOD GIVES HIMSELF TO THE SOUL—-WATER OF WISDOM THE FIRE OF LOVE . . . . . ° : .
.
Line II.
THE SHADOW OF GOD. . . . . . ° . . ’ Linz II.
DEEP CAVERNS OF SPIRITUAL SENSE—-HEAVEN OR HELL—THREE BLIND
GUIDES OF THE SOUL . . . . . . . . . . Lixg IV.
EYES THAT SEE NOT—DESIRES EFFECT BELIEF . . . . .
Lives V. VI.
GOD GIVEN TO HIMSELF—BEAUTY OF THE SOUL IN GOD. . . .
STANZA IV.
Loves I. IL.
GOD AWAKE IN THE SOUL-—~-THE SOUL AWAKE IN GOD-—-ESTHER BEFORE ASSUERUS . . . ° ° . . . . . .
Liz ITI.
THE PERFECT SOUL A HOME FOR GOD . . . . ‘ . .
Loves IV. V. VI. THE BREATHING OF GOD IN THE SOUL . - ; > . . ;
PAGE 241
243 244
251
252
257
261 289
292
296
302
304
INSTRUCTIONS AND CAUTIONS
y. ~
x CONTENTS OF
XII.
TO MOTHER MAGDALEN OF THR HOLY GHOST . : : ; : ‘ XIII.
TO THE LADY JOANNA DE PEDRACA : i : ’ ; F XIV.
TO MOTHER MARY OF JESUS . . ‘ j > : . P } XV.
TO MOTHER ANNE OF JESUS . : : . ; : . : : XVI.
TO MOTHER MARY OF THE INCARNATION ; . fi a . . XVII.
TO DONA ANNA DE PENALOSA : . 4 ; ; ce 4 .
ADVICE GIVEN BY 8, JOHN OF THE CROSS REGARDING THE SPIRIT AND METHOD OF PRAYER OF ONE OF THE NUNS OF HIS ORDER . . .
SPIRITUAL MAXIMS.
PROLOGUE . . . . *. . . . . . * . I,
IMITATION OF CHRIST . ° ° . ° . : . . . Il.
THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES —FAITH . . . . . . . ITI.
HOPE AND THE FEAR OF GOD . . . . . . . . IV.
CHARITY— PEACE —LOVE OF OUR NEIGHBOUR . . . . . . ¥.
DISORDERLY APPETITES , . . » . ‘ . . . .
VI.
PRUDENCE—THE ANGELS—A SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR— DIRECTIONS REGARDING PRAYER * . . . * . . . . . * .
PAGE 333
334
336
337
338
339
341
347
350
352
PRAYER OF THE ENAMOUKED SOUL .
XI. VOLUNTARY POVERTY—AVARICE—POVERTY OF XI.
“THE OBSCURR NIGHT OF THR SOUL A SPIRITUAL CANTICLE BETWEEN THE SOUL AND CHRIST
THE LIVING FLAME OF LOVE
A SOUL LONGING FOR THE VISION OF GOD
SONG OF THE SOUL REJOICING IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD BY FAITH SONG OF CHRIST AND THE SOUL
THE MOST HOLY TRINITY
.
POEMS.
THE SAME SUBJECT . THE INCARNATION . .
THE DESIRES OF THE HOLY FATHERS
*
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A SPIRITUAL CANTICLE
BETWEEN
THE SOUL AND CHRIST.
PROLOGUE.
As this Canticle seems to have been written in a fervour of love for God, Whose love and wisdom are so infinite as, in the words of Scripture, to reach ‘from end to end;’* and as the soul, under its influence, manifests a somewhat similar force and amplitude in speaking of it, I do not intend to explain the grandeur and richness which a mind fruitful in love may find herein. It would be gross ignorance to think that the out- pourings of love and of the mystical intelligence—the subject of these stanzas—could be described by any words of man; for, as saith the Apostle,t the Spirit of God, Who ‘helpeth our infirmities,’ dwelling in us, ‘asketh for us with unspeakable groanings’ what we can neither understand nor compre- hend. Who then can describe that which He reveals to those loving souls in whom He dwells? Who can express in words their feelings and their desires? Assuredly no one, not even they themselves, who have such experiences. This
is the reason why men hide their feelings beneath figures,
* Wisd. viii. 1. + Rom, yiii, 26, VOL. U. B by
The love an wisdom of
God surpass expression.
Fitness of figurative language.
2 A SPIRITUAL CANTICLE.
PROLOGUE. comparisons, and similitudes, and in the abundance of the spirit utter mysteries and secrets rather than explain them- Dispositions selves in intelligible words. And if these similitudes be student not received in the simplicity of a loving mind, and in the sense in which they are uttered, they will seem to be effusions of folly rather than of reason; as any one may see in the Divine Exampleof Canticle of Solomon, and in others of the Sacred Books, ef Solomon. wherein the Holy Ghost, because of the incapacity of ordinary language to convey His meaning, uttered His mysteries in strange terms and similitudes. It follows from this, that after all that the holy Doctors have said on the subject, and indeed after all they may say hereafter, no words can explain it; words can do little here; and so, in general, all that men may write falls far short of the matter of which they treat. The Anthor’ The stanzas that follow having been written under the influence of that. love which proceeds from the overflowing - mystical intelligence, cannot for this reason be fully ex- plained. Indeed I do not purpose any such thing, for my sole object is to throw some general light over them, which in my opinion is the better course. It is better to leave the outpourings of love in their own fulness, that every one may apply them according to the measure of his spirit and power, The reader's than to pare them down to one particular sense which is not
"suited to the taste of every one. And though I do put forth a particular explanation, still others are not to be bound by it. The Mystical Wisdom —that is, the love, of which these stanzas speak—does not require to be distinctly understood in order to produce the effect of love and tenderness in the
= a soul, for it is in this respect like Faith, which enables us to
~ see love God without a clear comprehension of Him.
I shall therefore be very concise, though now and then unable to avoid some prolixity where the subject requires it, and when the opportunity is offered of discussing certain points and effects of prayer: many of which being referred to
= See ee ee ee ee
es
MATTER AND METHOD OF THE WORK. 3
in these stanzas, I must not omit all of them. I shall, however, pass over the more ordinary ones, and treat briefly _ of the more extraordinary ones to which they are subject who, by the mercy of God, have advanced beyond the state of beginners. This I do for two reasons: the first is, that much is already written concerning beginners; and the second is, that I am addressing those who have received _ from our Lord the grace of being led on from the elementary state and carried inwards to the bosom of His Divine love. I therefore trust, though I may discuss some points of the Scholastic Theology relating to the interior commerce of the soul with God, that I am not using such language altogether in vain, and that it will be found profitable for pure spirituality. For though some may be altogether ignorant of Scholastic Theology by which the Divine verities are ex- plained, yet they are not ignorant of Mystical Theology, the science of love, by which those verities are not only learned, but at the same time relished also.
And in order that what Iam going to say may be the better received, submitting myself to higher judgments, and
PROLOGUE.
for treating of the more unusual states of prayer,
unreservedly to that of our holy mother the Church, I intend °°"
to say nothing in reliance on my own personal experience, nor on what I have observed in other spiritual persons, nor on what I have heard them say—though I intend to profit by all this —unless I can confirm it with the sanction of the Divine Writings, at least on those points which are the most difficult of comprehension. The method I propose to follow in the matter is, first of all, to cite the express words of Scrip- ture, and then to give that explanation of them which belongs to the subject before me. I shall now transcribe all the stanzas, and place them at the beginning of this treatise. In the next place I shall take each of them separately, and _ explain them line by line, each line in its proper place,
DIALOGUE, Prayer and
Earnest Longing.
Courage and Resolution.
A SPIRITUAL CANTICLE.
DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE SOUL AND CHRIST. , I f THE BRIDE. Where hast Thou hidden Thyself? Why hast Thou forsaken me in my groaning, O my Beloved ? Thou didst fly like the hart, away, When Thou hadst wounded me. I ran after Thee, crying; but Thou wert gone.
I +
O shepherds, you who go
Through the sheepcots up the hill,
If you shall see Him
Whom I love,
Tell Him I languish, agonize, and die.
111 In search of my Love I will traverse mountains and strands ; I will gather no flowers, I will fear no wild beasts ; And I will overpass the mighty and the frontiers.
IV Ye groves and thickets Planted by the hand of the Beloved ; Ye verdant meads Enamelled with flowers ; Tell me, has He passed by you?
Vv ANSWER OF THE CREATURES.
A thousand graces diffusing He passed through the groves in haste, And beholding them only
As He passed, He clothed them with His beauty.
“
THE BRIDE.
O who can heal me?
Give me perfectly Thyself,
Send me no more
A messenger
Who cannot tell me what I seek.
vil
All they who serve
Relate a thousand graces of Thee ; And all wound me more and more, And they leave me dying,
While they babble I know not what.
vill
But how thou perseverest, O life
Not living where thou livest ;
The arrows bring death
Which thou receivest
From thy conceptions of the Beloved.
1x
Why, after wounding
This heart, hast Thou not healed it ?
And why, after stealing it,
Hast Thou thus abandoned it,
And not carried away what Thou hast stolen?
x
Quench Thou my troubles,
For none else can do so ;
And let mine eyes behold Thee
Who art their light,
And it is for Thee alone I would use them.
A SPIRITUAL CANTICLE.
XI
Reveal Thy presence,
And let the vision of Thy beauty kill me. Behold, the disease 7 Of love is incurable
Except in Thy presence and in the light of Thy
countenance,
_
XII
O Fount of crystal ! O that on Thy silvered surface _ Thou wouldest mirror forth at once
Those eyes desirable Which I have in my heart delineated !
XIII
Turn them away, O my Beloyed ! I fly away.
THE BRIDEGROOM.
Return, My Dove!
The wounded hart
Looms on the hill
In the air of thy flight and is refreshed.
XIV THE BRIDE.
My Beloved is the mountains, The solitary wooded valleys,
The strange islands,
The roaring torrents,
The whisper of the amorous gales;
XV
The tranquil night
At the approaches of the dawn,
The silent music,
The murmuring solitude, =
The supper which revives, and enkindles love,
For our vineyard hath flourished ; While of roses
We make a nosegay,
And let no one appear on the hill.
XVII
Cease, O thou killing north wind !
Come, O south wind, thou that awakenest love ! Blow through my garden,
And let its odours flow,
And my Beloved shall feed among the flowers.
XVII
O nymphs ofJudea !
While amid the flowers and the rose-trees The amber sends forth its perfume,
Tarry in the suburbs,
And touch not my threshold.
XIX
Hide Thyself, O my Beloved!
Let Thy face shine on the mountains. Do not tell it,
But regard the companions
Of her who traverses strange islands.
xx
THE BRIDEGROOM. Light-winged birds, Lions, fawns, bounding deer, Mountains, valleys, strands, Waters, winds, fires, And the terrors that keep watch by night;
DIALOGUE.
Nuptials.
>»?
A SPIRITUAL CANTICLE.
XXI
By the soft lyres
And the siren strains, I adjure you, Let your fury cease,
And touch not the wall,
That the Bride may sleep in peace.
XXII
The Bride has entered
The pleasant and desirable garden,
And there reposes to her heart’s content ; Her neck reclining
On the sweet arms of her Beloved.
XXII
Beneath the apple-tree
I éspoused thee :
There I gave thee My hand,
And thou wert there redeemed Where thy mother was corrupted.
XXIV THE BRIDE,
Our bed is of flowers
By the dens of lions encompassed, Hung with purple,
Made in peace,
And crowned with a thousand shields of gold.
XXV
In Thy footsteps
The young ones run Thy way ; At the touch of the fire,
And by the spiced wine,
The Divine balsam flows.
In the inmost cellar
Of my Beloved have I drunk; and when I went forth Over all the plain
I knew nothing,
And lost the flock I followed before.
XXVII
There He gave me His breasts,
There He taught me the science full of sweetness. And there I gave to Him
Myself without reserve ;
There I promised to be His Bride.
XXVIII
My soul is occupied,
And all my substance in His service ; Now I guard no flock,
Nor have I any other employment : My sole occupation is love.
XXIX
If, then, on the common
I am no longer seen or found, Say that I am lost ;
That, being enamoured,.
I lost myself; and yet I gained.
XXX
Of emeralds, and of flowers
In the early morning culled,
We will make the garlands,
Flowering in Thy love,
And bound together with one hair of my head.
hgehss
DIALOGUE.
10
XXXI
By that one hair
Thou hast observed fluttering on my neck, And hast regarded on my neck,
Thou wert captivated ;
And wounded by one of my eyes.
XXXII
When Thou didst regard me,
Thine eyes imprinted Thy grace in me: For this didst Thou love me again, And thereby mine eyes did merit
To adore what in Thee they saw.
XXXIII
Despise me not,
For if I was swarthy once
Thou canst regard me now ;
Since Thou hast regarded me,
Grace and beauty hast Thou given me.
XXXIV THE BRIDEGROOM.
The little white dove Has returned to the ark with the bough ; And now the turtle-dove
Her desired mate On the green banks has found.
XXXV
In solitude she lived,
And in solitude built her nest ;
And in solitude, alone
Hath the Beloved guided her, —
In solitude also wounded with her love.
ee i ee, ee i iii
THE BRIDE. Let us rejoice, O my Beloved! Let us go forth to see ourselves in Thy beauty, To the mountain and the hill, Where the pure water flows; Let us enter into the heart of the thicket.
i |
XXXVII We shall go at once To the lofty caverns of the rocks Which are all secret, There we shall enter in And taste of the new wine of the pomegranate.
XXXVITI
There Thou wilt show me
What my soul desired ;
And there Thou wilt give at once,
O Thou, my life!
What Thou gavest me the other day,
XXXIX
The breathing of the air,
The song of the sweet nightingale,
The grove and its beauty
In the serene night,
With the fire that consumes, but without pain.
XL None saw it;
Neither did Aminadab appear. The siege was intermitted, And the cavalry dismounted At the vision of the waters.
12 A SPIRITUAL CANTICLE.
ARGUMENT.
These stanzas describe the career of the soul from its first entrance on the service of God till it comes to the final state of perfection—the spiritual marriage. They refer to the three conditions of the spiritual life—the Purgative, Ilu- minative, and Unitive ways; some properties or effects of which they explain.
The first part relates to beginners—to the purgative way. The second to the advanced—to the state of spiritual espousal, that is, the illuminative way. The next part relates to the
unitive way—that of the perfect, where the spiritual marriage
is brought to pass. The unitive way, or that of the perfect, follows the illuminative, which is that of the advanced. The last stanzas treat of the beatific state, which only the already perfect soul aims at.
EXPLANATION OF THE STANZAS. INTRODUCTION.
The soul, considering the obligations of its state, seeing that ‘the days of man are short ;’* that the way of eternal life is strait;t that ‘the just man shall scarcely be saved ;*t that the things of this world are empty and deceitful; that all die and perish like water poured on the ground;§ that time is uncertain, the last account strict, perdition most easy, and salvation most difficult: and recognising also, on the other hand, the great debt that is owing to God, Who has created it solely for Himself, for which the service of its whole life is due, Who has redeemed it for Himself alone, for
* Job xiv. 5. + S. Matth. vii, 14, { 18, Pet. iv. 18. § 2 Kings xiv. 14.
GOD ESSENTIALLY HIDDEN. 13
_ which it owes Him all else, and the correspondence of its will stanza to His love; and remembering other innumerable blessings — for which it acknowledges itself indebted to God even before it was born: and also that a great part of its life has been ndsorrow. wasted, and that it will have to render an account of it all from the beginning unto the end, to the repayment of ‘ the last farthing,’* when God shall ‘search Jerusalem with lamps ;’ ¢ that it is already late, and perhaps the end of the day: in order to remedy so great an evil, especially when it is conscious that God is grievously offended, and that He has hidden His face from it, because it would forget Him for the creature, the soul, now touched with sorroy and inward sink- ing of the heart at the sight of its imminent risks and ruin, renouncing everything and casting them aside without de- laying for a day, or even an hour, with fear and groanings uttered from the heart, and wounded with the love of God, invokes the Beloved and says: STANZA I. THE BRIDE.
Where hast Thou hidden Thyself ?
Why hast Thou forsaken me in my groaning, O my Beloved?
Thou didst fly like the hart, away,
When Thou hadst wounded me.
Iran after Thee, crying ; but Thou wert gone.
EXPLANATION.
Here the soul, enamoured of the Word, the Son of God, the The sout Bridegroom, desiring to be united to Him in the clear and wk Chir substantial vision, sets before Him the anxieties of its love, complaining of His absence. And this the more so because, now pierced and wounded with love, for which it had aban- doned all things, even itself, it has still to endure His absence, unreleased from the burden of the flesh, unable to enjoy Him in the glory of eternity. Hence it cries out, ‘ Where hast Thou hidden Thyself?’ .
* S, Matth. v. 26, t Sophon. i. 12.
14 A SPIRITUAL CANTICLE.
It is as if the soul said, Show me, O thou Word, my Bride-
—— groom, the place where Thou art hidden. It asks for the
revelation of the Divine Essence; for the place where the Son
et of God is hidden is, according to S. John, ‘ the bosom of the
Father,’ * the Divine Essence, transcending all mortal vision, and concealed from all human understanding, as the Prophet saith, * Verily Thou art a hidden God.’ t Remember, then, that the communications and sense of His presence, how- ever great they may be, and the most sublime and profound conceptions of God which the soul may have in this life, are not God essentially, neither have they any affinity with Him, for in very truth He is still hidden from the soul; and it is therefore expedient for it, amid all these grandeurs, always to consider Him as hidden, and to seek Him in His hiding place, saying, ‘ Where hast Thou hidden Thyself?’
Neither sublime communications nor sensible devotion furnish any certain proof of His gracious presence; nor is the absence thereof, and aridity any proof of His absence from the soul. ‘If Hecome to me, I shall not see Him; if He depart, I shall not understand.’ { That is, if the soul have any great communication, or impression, or spiritual knowledge, it must not on that account persuade itself that what it then feels is to enjoy or see God clearly and in His Essence, or that it brings it nearer to Him, or Him to it, however deep such feelings may be. On the other hand, when all these sensible and spiritual communications fail it, when it is itself dried up, obscured, and abandoned, it must not on that account suppose that God is far from it; for in truth the pre- sence of these things is no sign of its being in a state of grace, nor is the absence thereof a sign that it is not; for ‘man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love or hatred.’ §
* §. John i. 18, t Is. xlv. 15. } Job, ix, 11. § Eccles, ix. 1.
— atl -.
ATE OS I Te a SD,
THE ONLY-BEGOTTEN SON. 15
The chief object of the soul here is not only to ask for that affective and sensible devotion, wherein there is no certainty or evidence of the possession of the Bridegroom in this life; but principally for that clear presence and vision of His Essence, of which it longs to be assured and satisfied in the next. This, too, was the object of the Bride who, desiring to be united to the Divinity of the Bridegroom Word, prayed to the Father, saying, ‘Show me where Thou feedest, where Thou liest in the midday.’* To ask to be shown the place where He fed was to ask to be shown the Essence of the Divine Word, the Son; for the Father feedeth nowhere else but in His only begotten Son, Who is the glory of the Father. In asking to be shown the place where He lay in the midday, she asked the same thing, for the Son is the sole delight of the Father, Who lieth in no other place, and is comprehended by no other thing, but in and by His beloved Son, in Whom He reposeth wholly, communicating to Him His whole Essence. The ‘ midday’ is eternity, where the Father is ever begetting and the Son ever begotten.
This pasture, then, is the Bridegroom Word, where the Father feedeth in infinite glory. He is also the bed of flowers whereon He profoundly reposes with infinite delight of love, and hidden from all mortal vision and every created thing. This is the meaning of the Bride-soul when she says, ‘ Where hast Thou hidden Thyself?’
That the thirsty soul may find the Bridegroom, and be united to Him in this life—so far as that is possible—and quench its thirst with that drink which it is possible to drink of at His hands in this life, it will be as well—since that is what the soul asks of Him—that we should answer for Him, and point out the special spot where He is hidden, that He may be found there in that perfection and sweetness, of which this life is capable, and that the soul may not loiter uselessly in
* Cant. i. 6,
_ ZA
God hidden in the soul.
16 A SPIRITUAL CANTICLE.
the footsteps of its companions. Remember, therefore, that the Word, the Son of God, together with the Father and the Holy Ghost, is hidden in essence and in presence, in the inmost being of the soul. That soul, therefore, that will find Him, must go out from all things in will and affection, and enter into the profoundest self-recollection, and all things must be to it as if they existed not. Hence, S. Augustine saith: ‘I found Thee not without, O Lord, I sought Thee
_ without in vain, for Thou art within.’* God is therefore
hidden within the soul, and the true contemplative will seek Him there in love, saying, ‘ Where hast Thou hidden Thy- self?’ j
O thou soul, most beautiful of creatures, who so earnestly longest to know the place where thy Beloved is, that thou
~ sayest seek Him, and be united to Him! Thou art thyself
Joy of being close to God,
that very tabernacle where He dwells, the secret chamber of His retreat where He is hidden. Rejoice, therefore, and exult, because all thy good and all thy hope is so near thee as to be within thee; yea, rather rejoice that thou canst not be without it, ‘ for lo, the kingdom of God is within you.’ f So saith the Bridegroom Himself, and His servant, S. Paul, adds: * You are the temple of the living God.’ } What joy for the soul to learn that God never abandons it even in mortal sin, how much less ina state of grace?§ What more canst thou desire, what more canst thou seek without, seeing that within thou hast thy riches, thy delight, thy satisfaction, thy fulness and thy kingdom, that is, thy Beloved whom thou desirest and seekest. Rejoice then, and be glad with interior recollection, seeing that thou hast Him so near. Then love Him, then desire Him, then adore Him, and go not out of thyself, for that will be but distraction and weariness, and thou shalt not find Him; because there is no fruition of Him more certain, more ready, or more near,
* Soliloq. c. 31. Opp. Ed. Ben. tom. vi. app. p. 98. + 8. Luke xvii. 21. t 2 Cor. vi. 16. § Mt. Carmel, Bk. 2, c. 5.
a i” : oe yall = gla
THE HIDDEN TREASURE. 17
than that which is within. One difficulty alone remains: though He is within, yet He is hidden. But it is a great matter to know the place of His secret rest, that He may then be searched after the more certainly. The knowledge of this is what thou askest for, O soul, when with loving affection thou criest : ‘ Where hast Thou hidden Thyself?’
You will still urge and say, How comes it, then, that I find Him not, if He is within my soul? How comes it that I do not feel His presence? It is because He is hidden, and because thou also hidest not thyself that thou mayest find Him and feel Him; for he that will seek that which is hidden must enter secretly into the secret place where it is hidden, and when he finds it, he is himself hidden like the object of his search. Seeing, then, that the Bridegroom whom thou lovest is ‘ the treasure hidden in the field’ * of thy soul, for which the wise merchant gave all that he had, so thou, if thou will find Him, must forget all that is thine, withdraw from all created things, and hide thy- self in the secret retreat of the