Sermons on the Song of Songs31 Sermon XXXI. The excellency of the vision of God. How at the present time the delight in the divine presence felt by Holy men varies according to the varying desires of their soul
Sermon XXXI. The excellency of the vision of God. How at the present time the delight in the divine presence felt by Holy men varies according to the varying desires of their soul
"'ELL me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where Thou feedest, where Thou makest Thy flock to rest at noon (i. 7). The Word, who is the Bridegroom, frequently appears to zealous souls, and not under one appearance only. Why is that? Doubtless, because we are not yet able to see Him as He is (1 John iii. 2). Also, that vision which we shall have of Him in Heaven is abiding, because the Form in which we shall then behold Him shall always abide. For He is, and He receives no change or alteration from anything which is, or has been, or shall be. Take away the Past and the Future, and where, then, is any place for change or vicissitude? Everything which, passing from the condition of that which has been, does not cease to tend towards the condition of that which shall be, passes through the point of beings but it is not. For how can we say that a thing is which never remains in the same state? Thus, that alone truly is which is neither cut off from its past, nor blotted out from its future, but alone remains without change. Because He [/>., God has not been, therefore He is from all eternity; and because He will not be, therefore He is to all eternity. On this account, therefore, He is the veritable Existence, Uncreated, Illimitable, Unchangeable. When, then, He who is thus, or, rather, is not thus or thus, is beheld as He is, that vision, as I have said, endures, since it is not mingled with, or altered by, any change. He, then, is that one and the same denarius which, as we read in the Gospel, is given to all (Matt. xx. 9) who behold Him thus, because He is presented to them only in this appearance. For as that which He appears is unchangeable in Itself, so It is present without change to those who behold It; and those who behold It neither desire, nor are capable of beholding, anything more delightful or more to be desired When, then, can the eagerness of their gaze be satiated, the sweetness in which they delight be withdrawn, or the truth be exhausted—in one word, when can eternity come to an end? For if both the will to behold, and the full ability of beholding, be equally enlarged to all eternity, what can be wanting to complete felicity? What, I ask, remains to be experienced, or even to be wished for, by those whose desire is always to behold Him, and in whom that desire is being eternally satisfied?
2. But such a Beatific Vision is not for the present life, but is reserved for the final state of existence; to those, at least, who are able to say: We know that when He shall appear we shall be like 1 I.e. (apparently) is not in this or that mode of existence.—Ed.
3. It is therefore necessary not to approach Him rashly and irreverently, but with respect and awe, lest the irreverent observer of His Majesty be crushed and destroyed by His glory. He is not to be approached by a change of places, but by an increase of excellences; and those not bodily, but spiritual, since the Spirit of the Lord is our guide to Him. I say that it is by the Spirit of the Lord that we draw near to Him, and not by [the power of our own spirit, although it is in our own spirit that this takes place. Thus the more pure and virtuous a spirit is, the nearer it is to God, and to have attained absolute purity and virtue is to have come into the very Presence of God. For to be in His Presence is to see Him as He is; and to do this is nothing else than to be as He is, and so not to be dazzled and confounded by being unlike Him. But that, as I have said, will be only in Heaven.
1 On this subject, compare Sermon IX., De Diversis; and, further on, with regard to Moses, Sermon XXXIII., ». 6, and Sermon XXXIV., n, I.
4. It was, without doubt, in another manner that God deigned formerly to manifest Himself to the Patriarchs, granting to them a frequent and familiar communion with His Presence, although even to them He was not visible as He is, but as He deigned to make Himself known. Nor was it in one manner only that He was made known to all; but, as the Apostle declares, at sundry times and in divers manners (Heb. i. 1), though in Himself He is one, as He declared to Israel, The Lord Thy God is one Lord (Deut. vi. 4). Nor was that manifestation common to all; yet it was made from without, by appearances visible to the senses, or words heard by the ears. But there was still another manner in which God was discerned, differing from those, inasmuch as it was inward: when God deigned of His own accord to make Himself known to a soul that sought for Him, and lavished on that seeking the entire love and ardour of its affections. And this is the sign of His coming thus to a soul, as we are taught by one who had experienced it: A fire goeth before Him, and burneth up His enemies round about (Ps. xcvii. 3). For it is needful that in every soul in which He is about to appear such an ardour of sanctified longing should go before His Face, as to consume every impurity of evil thoughts and works, and so to prepare a place for the Lord. And then the soul perceives that the Lord is at hand, when it feels itself consumed in that fiery longing, and it says with the Prophet: From above hath He sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them (Lam. i. 13); and again: My heart was hot within me, and while I was musing the fire burned (Ps. xxxix. 3).
5. After a soul has been thus pressed by frequent aspirations towards God, or rather by continual prayer, and is afflicted by the violence of its longings, it is sometimes the case that He, who is so earnestly desired and longed for, has pity on that soul and makes Himself manifest to it; and I think that, led by its own experience, it will be able to say with the prophet Jeremiah: The Lord is good to them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him (Lam. iii. 25). His Angel, too, who is one of the companions of the Bridegroom, who 6. But be most careful not to allow yourself to think that there is anything imaginary, on the one hand, or corporeal, on the other hand, in this mingling of the Word with the soul of the believer. I am saying only that which the Apostle says, that he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit (1 Cor. vi. 17). I go on to express, in what words I am able, the absorption of a pure soul into God, or the hallowed and blessed descent of God into the soul, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. That union, then, is made in the spirit, because God is a Spirit, and is moved with love for the beauty of that soul which He may have seen to be walking according to the Spirit, and to have no desire to fulfil the lusts of the flesh, especially as He knows that it is filled with ardent love for Himself. A soul in this condition, with such feelings and so beloved, will be far from content that her Bridegroom should manifest Himself to her in the manner which is common to all; that is, by the things which are made, or even in the manner peculiar to a few, namely, by dreams and visions; such a soul desires that by a special privilege He should descend from on high into her, 1 Paranymphus, the friend and attendant of a bridegroom. The word; He does not occur in the N. T., but is expressed by a synonym in John iii. 29: 6 $<\oc tov vvpfiov.—Ed.
7. I am not, however, able to describe the manner in which God manifests Himself as He is, although in this manner of manifestation He declares Himself no other than as He is. For however full of reverence and devotion souls may be, He will not continue His Presence in them permanently and precisely thus, nor with complete uniformity to all individuals. For, according as the desires of a soul vary, so the delight felt in the Divine Presence must needs vary also; and that heavenly sweetness strikes in divers ways upon the palate of the soul, according to the variation of its desires and longings. Also, you have noticed in this Song of love how often He has changed His countenance, and in how great a number of winning forms He has deigned to appear before His beloved; and how, like a modest spouse, at one time he seeks to enjoy in secret communion with a holy soul, and to take pleasure in its devotion; at another He seems to conduct Himself as a physician, with oils and unguents—doubtless on account of weak and tender souls, which have still need of remedies and consolations, and therefore are called by the name of maidens to signify their delicacy. If anyone murmurs, let him recall that they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick (Matt ix. 12). Sometimes, again, He presents Himself as some traveller, joining Himself to the Bride and the young maidens who are walking with her, and solaces all that company during the fatigues of their way by His pleasant discourses, so that they say when He departs, Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us of Jesus, by the way (Luke xxiv. 32)? How delightful a companion is He who by the sweetness of His manners and His discourse, as by the delightful odours which He breathes around Him, draws all to follow after Him; and therefore they say, We will run in the odour of Thy perfumes (i. 4). Again, there are times when He appears as some opulent head of a family, in whose house are abundant provisions for all; or, rather, as a King powerful and splendid, who appears to exalt the poverty of his timid bride, to display to her the treasures of his glory, and excite in her a desire for them; to show to her his richly-stored winepresses and granaries, the produce of his gardens and his fields, and, finally, to bring her into his inner chamber. For the heart of 8. In all these manifestations He is kind and gentle, and of tender mercy. For as in His embrace He shows Himself loving and tender, so the oil and perfumes and other remedies of which He makes use prove Him forgiving, and rich in pity and compassion. Then in the road He is found to be cheerful, affable, full of help and comfort; in the showing forth His riches and possessions bountiful, and one who gives recompenses proportionate to His royal liberality. It is thus that you will find the Word shadowed forth under a great variety of figures all through this Song of Songs. It is that, I think, which is signified by the Prophet where He says: Christ the Lord is a Spirit before our face: under His shadow shall we live among the Gentiles (Lam. iv. 20); which, however, we see now only in a glass, and darkly, and not yet face to face. But that endures only while we live among the nations [of this world; for when we are among the angels it shall be otherwise; then we shall enjoy a felicity similar to theirs; then we shall see Him, no longer in types and shadows, but as He is—that is, in the form of God. For just as there were only types and shadows to make Him known to those of the elder dispensation, as I have said, but to us, through the grace of Christ present among us in the Flesh, the truth shines forth by its own light; so also it cannot be denied that we ourselves, in comparison with the life to come, live now in, as it were, a shadow of the truth. Unless we shall contradict the Apostle when He says: We know in part, and we prophesy in part (1 Cor. xiii. 9); and again: I count not myself to have apprehended (Philip, iii. 13). Is not that the precise difference between him who walks by faith and him who walks by sight of the object aimed at? Therefore the just lives by faith (Hab. ii. 4), but the blessed rejoice in beholding [Him whom they love]; and so, also, while the man who is holy lives here below in the shadow of Christ, the angel, likewise holy, glories in the splendour and light of His countenance.
9. And if faith be a shadow yet it is good, for it tempers the Light to our weak and darkened eyes, and prepares them for its brilliance; for it is written: Purifying their hearts by faith (Acts xv. 9). Faith, then, does not extinguish the light, but preserves it. Whatever that be, and however great, which is open to the vision of an angel, the shadow of faith preserves for me; wraps it, as it were, in an ample and trusty bosom, to be revealed to me in due time. Is it not better for you to possess, though in a shrouded and hidden state, that which if uncovered and bare you would not be capable of grasping? Even the Mother of the Lord lived in the shadow of faith, for of her it was THE EXCELLENCY OF THE VISION OF GOD said: Blessed is she that believed (Luke i. 35 and 45). She lived also in the shadow cast by the Body of Christ, according to the words of the angel: The power of the Highest shall overshadow thee. Nor is this a shadow to be lightly thought of, which is cast by the power of the Highest There was assuredly power in the Flesh of Christ which overshadowed the Virgin, and that which was impossible to a mortal woman, to sustain the Presence and the unapproachable Light of the Divine Majesty, she was enabled to endure by the sheltering shadow or envelope of that vivifying Body. A strength, indeed, by which all opposing power was subdued. As strength it puts demons to flight; as shadow it provides a safe shelter for men; a strength which gives vigour, a shelter providing pleasant coolness.
10. We, then, who walk by faith and are nourished with the Flesh of Christ, that we may live the life Divine, we live in the shadow of Christ. For His Flesh is meat indeed (John vi. 55). And perhaps it is for that very reason that in the passage quoted at first we have Him described under the figure of a shepherd or pastor, where the Bride seems to address Him as if He were some one of the shepherds, saying: Tell me where Thou feedest, where Thou makest Thy flock to rest at noon. He is the Good Shepherd, who giveth His Life for His sheep (John x. 11); His Life He spends for them to redeem them; His Flesh He gives to them to nourish them. A marvellous thing, indeed; He the Pastor, the Pasturage, and the Price of redemption! But this discourse is growing long, inasmuch as the passage is so extensive, and contains truths so great that it cannot be expounded in a few words; and I see that this necessity obliges me to break off rather than to finish. It is needful, then, as the subject is not exhausted, that we should keep it still in mind, so that I may resume it where it has been dropped, and complete it, as far as I may be enabled to do by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church, who is over all, God, blessed for ever. Amen.
1. Indica mihi quem diligit anima mea, ubi pascas, ubi cubes in meridie. Studiosis mentibus Verbum sponsus frequenter apparet, et non sub una specie. Quid ita? Profecto quoniam nondum videtur sicuti est. Nempe illa visio stat, quia forma stat quae tunc videtur; est enim: nec ullam capit ex eo quod est, fuit, vel erit, mutationem. Tolle nempe: Fuit et Erit; unde jam transmutatio aut vicissitudinis obumbratio? At quidquid veniens ex eo quod Fuit non cessat tendere in id quod Erit, transitum sane habet per Est, sed omnino non est. Nam quomodo est, quod nunquam in eodem statu permanet? Solum proinde vere est, quod nec a Fuit praeciditur, nec ab Erit expungitur; sed solum atque inexpugnabile remanet ei Est, et manet quod est. Nec fuit sane tollit illi esse ab aeterno; nec Erit esse in aeternum: ac per hoc sibi vindicat verum esse, id est increabile, interminabile, invariabile. Cum igitur ipse qui sic est, imo qui non sic aut sic est, videtur sicuti est; stat, ut dixi, illa visio, quia nulla eam interpolat vicissitudo. Et tunc ille de Evangelio unus omnibus, qui sic vident, denarius redditur in una specie quae offertur. Nam et quod apparet, ut invariabile in se est, ita invariabiliter intuentibus praesto est; et quibus apparet, nil videre desiderabilius volunt, nil possunt delectabilius. Quando ergo illa vel fastidiet aviditas, vel se subtrahet suavitas, vel fraudabit veritas, vel deficiet aeternitas? Quod si in aeternum extenditur videndi copia pariter et voluntas; quomodo non plena felicitas? Nil quippe aut deest jam semper videntibus, aut superest semper volentibus.
2. At talis visio non est vitae praesentis, sed in novissimis reservatur, his duntaxat qui dicere possunt: Scimus quia cum apparuerit, similes ei erimus, quia videbimus eum sicuti est. Et nunc quidem apparet quibus vult; sed sicuti vult, non sicuti est. Non sapiens, non sanctus, non propheta videre illum, sicuti est, potest, aut potuit in corpore hoc mortali; poterit autem in immortali; qui dignus habebitur. Itaque videtur et hic, sed sicut videtur ipsi, et non sicuti est. Nam neque hoc luminare magnum (solem loquor istum, quem quotidie vides) vidisti tamen aliquando sicuti est, sed tantum sicut illuminat, verbi causa aerem, montem, parietem. Quod nec ipsum quidem aliquatenus posses, si non aliqua ex parte ipsum lumen corporis tui, pro sui ingenita serenitate et perspicuitate, coelesti lumini simile esset. Non denique alterum membrum corporis capax est luminis, ob multam utique dissimilitudinem. Sed nec ipse oculus, cum turbatus fuerit, lumini propinquabit, nimirum ob amissam similitudinem. Qui ergo turbatus, nullatenus serenum solem videt propter dissimilitudinem; serenus aliquatenus videt propter nonnullam similitudinem. Profecto si pari prorsus puritate vigeret, videret omnino inoffensa acie eum sicuti est, propter omnimodam similitudinem. Ita et solem justitiae illum, qui illuminat omnem hominem venientem in hunc mundum, videre in hoc mundo, sicut illuminat, illuminatus potest, tanquam jam in aliquo similis; sicuti est, omnino non potest, tanquam nondum perfecte similis. Propterea dicit: Accedite ad eum et illuminamini, et facies vestrae non confundentur. Ita sane, sed si quantum satis est illuminamur, ut revelata facie speculantes gloriam Dei, in eamdem imaginem transformemur de claritate in claritatem, tanquam a Domini Spiritu.
3. Ergo accedendum ad eum, non irruendum, ne irreverens scrutator majestatis opprimatur a gloria. Nec locis sane accedendum, sed claritatibus; ipsisque non corporeis, sed spiritualibus, tanquam a Domini Spiritu. A Domini plane, et non a nostro, quamvis in nostro. Qui itaque clarior, ille propinquior; esse autem clarissimum, pervenisse est. Porro jam praesentibus non aliud est videre sicuti est, quam esse sicuti est, et aliqua dissimilitudine non confundi. Sed id tunc, ut dixi. Interim vero tanta haec formarum varietas, atque numerositas specierum in rebus conditis, quid nisi quidam sunt radii Deitatis, monstrantes quidem quia vere sit a quo sunt, non tamen quid sit prorsus definientes? Itaque de ipso vides, sed non ipsum. Cum autem de eo, quem non vides, caetera vides, scis indubitanter existere quem oportet inquirere, ut inquirentem non fraudet gratia, negligentem ignorantia non excuset. Verum hoc genus videndi commune. In promptu enim est, juxta Apostolum, omni utenti ratione, invisibilia Dei, per ea quae facta sunt, intellecta conspicere.
4. Alius procul dubio ille modus, quo quondam Patribus crebra illa atque ambitiosa divinae praesentiae familiaritas dignanter indulta est, quanquam nec ipsis sicuti est, sed sicut dignata est. Nec uno omnibus modo, sed, ut ait Apostolus, multifarie multisque modis; cum ipse in se sit unus, dicente ipso ad Israel, Dominus Deus tuus, Deus unus est. Et haec demonstratio, non quidem communis; sed tamen foris facta est, nimirum exhibita per imagines extrinsecus apparentes, seu voces sonantes. Sed est divina inspectio, eo differentior ab his quo interior, cum per se ipsum dignatur invisere Deus animam quaerentem se, quae tamen ad quaerendum toto se desiderio et amore devovit. Et hoc signum istiusmodi adventus ejus, sicut ab eo qui expertus est edocemur: Ignis ante ipsum praecedet, et inflammabit in circuitu inimicos ejus. Oportet namque ut sancti desiderii ardor praeveniat faciem ejus ad omnem animam, ad quam est ipse venturus, qui omnem consumat rubiginem vitiorum, et sic praeparet locum Domino. Et tunc scit anima quoniam juxta est Dominus, cum se senserit illo igne succensam, et dixerit cum propheta, De excelso misit ignem in ossibus meis, et erudivit me: et illud, Concaluit cor meum intra me, et in meditatione mea exardescet ignis.
5. Tali animae suspiranti frequenter, imo sine intermissione oranti, et afflictanti se prae desiderio, cum interdum desideratus ille, qui ita quaeritur, miseratus occurrit; puto illi de propria experientia convenire ut dicat cum sancto Jeremia: Bonus es, Domine, sperantibus in te, animae quaerenti te. Sed et angelus ejus, qui unus est de sodalibus sponsi, in hoc ipsum deputatus, minister profecto et arbiter secretae mutuaeque salutationis; is, inquam, angelus quomodo tripudiat, quomodo collaetatur et condelectatur, et conversus ad Dominum dicit: Gratias ago tibi, Domine majestatis, quia desiderium cordis ejus tribuisti ei, et voluntate labiorum ejus non fraudasti cam! Ipse est qui in omni loco sedulus quidam pedisequus animae non cessat sollicitare eam, et assiduis suggestionibus monere, dicens, Delectare in Domino, et dabit tibi petitiones cordis tui: et rursum, Exspecta Dominum, et custodi viam ejus; item, Si moram fecerit, exspecta eum, quia veniens veniet, et non tardabit. Ad Dominum autem: Sicut cervus, inquit, desiderat ad fontes aquarum, ita desiderat anima ista ad te, Deus. Desideravit te in nocte, sed et spiritus tuus in praecordiis ejus de mane vigilavit ad te. Et iterum: Tota die expandit ad te manus suas, dimitte illam quia clamat post te: convertere aliquantulum, et deprecabilis esto super eam. Respice de coelo, et vide, et visita desolatam. Fidelis paranymphus, qui mutui amoris conscius, sed non invidus, non suam quaerit, sed Domini gratiam: discurrit medius inter dilectum et dilectam, vota offerens, referens dona. Excitat istam, placat illum. Interdum quoque, licet raro, repraesentat eos pariter sibi, sive hanc rapiens, sive illum adducens: siquidem domesticus est et notus in palatio, nec veretur repulsam, et quotidie videt faciem Patris.
6. Vide autem tu ne quid nos in hac Verbi animaeque commistione corporeum seu imaginatorium sentire existimes. Id loquimur quod Apostolus dicit, quoniam qui adhaeret Deo, unus spiritus est. Excessum purae mentis in Deum, sive Dei pium descensum in animam, nostris quibus possumus exprimimus verbis, spiritualibus spiritualia comparantes. Itaque in spiritu fit ista conjunctio, quia spiritus est Deus, et concupiscit decorem animae illius quam forte adverterit in spiritu ambulantem, et curam carnis non perficientem in desiderio, praesertim si sui amore flagrantem conspexerit. Non ergo sic affecta et sic dilecta, contenta erit omnino vel illa quae multis per ea quae facta sunt, vel illa quae paucis per visa et somnia facta est manifestatio sponsi, nisi et speciali praerogativa intimis illum affectibus atque ipsis medullis cordis coelitus illapsum suscipiat, habeatque praesto quem desiderat non figuratum, sed infusum; non apparentem, sed afficientem; nec dubium quin eo jucundiorem quo intus, non foris. Verbum nempe est, non sonans, sed penetrans; non loquax, sed efficax; non obstrepens auribus, sed affectibus blandiens. Facies est non formata, sed formans; non perstringens oculos corporis, sed faciem cordis laetificans: grata quippe amoris munere, non colore.
7. Non tamen adhuc illum dixerim apparere sicuti est, quamvis non omnino aliud hoc modo exhibeat quam quod est. Neque enim vel sic continue praesto erit, quamvis devotissimis mentibus, sed nec uniformiter omnibus. Oportet namque pro variis animae desideriis divinae gustum praesentiae variari, et infusum saporem supernae dulcedinis diversa appetentis animi aliter atque aliter oblectare palatum. Denique advertisti in hoc amatorio carmine quoties mutaverit vultum, et in quanta multitudine dulcedinis suae coram dilecta dignatus sit transformari; et quomodo nunc quidem instar verecundi sponsi sanctae animae secretos petat amplexus, et osculis delectetur; nunc vero in oleo et unguentis medicum exhibere appareat, nimirum propter teneras et infirmas animas istiusmodi adhuc indigentes fomentis et medicamentis: unde et delicato adolescentularum nomine designantur. Si mussitet quis, audiet quia non est opus sanis medicus, sed male habentibus. Nunc rursum quasi viator quispiam itinerantibus sponsae simul atque adolescentulis sese associans, jucundissimis confabulationibus suis a labore viae omnem relevat comitatum, ita ut eo discedente loquantur: Nonne cor nostrum ardens erat in nobis de Jesu, dum loqueretur nobis in via? Facundus comes, qui in sermonum et morum suavitate suorum, tanquam in quadam suaveolentia spirantium unguentorum, post se currere faciat universos: unde et dicunt, In odore unguentorum tuorum curremus. Item aliquando occurrens, quasi praedives aliquis paterfamilias, qui in domo sua abundet panibus; imo tanquam rex magnificus et potens, qui sponsae pauperis videatur pusillanimitatem erigere, provocare cupiditatem, demonstrans illi omnia desiderabilia gloriae suae, divitias torcularium ac promptuariorum, hortorum et agrorum copias, demum etiam introducens eam in ipsa secreta cubiculi. Nimirum confidit in ea cor viri sui, et non est ex omnibus quod ab illa existimet abscondendum, quam redemit inopem, probavit fidelem, amplexatur amabilem. Atque ita non cessat, sive hoc, sive illo modo interno, jugiter apparere conspectui quaerentium se, ut sermo impleatur, quem dixit: Ecce ego vobiscum sum usque ad consummationem saeculi.
8. Et in his omnibus suavis et mitis, et multae misericordiae. Nam in osculis quidem affectuosum et blandum, in oleo autem et in pigmentis atque unguentis clementem et affluentem visceribus pietatis et compassionis: porro in via hilarem, affabilem, plenum gratiae et solatii; in ostensione vero divitiarum ac possessionum munificum se ac largum pro regia liberalitate remuneratorem demonstrat. Ita per omnem hujus carminis textum reperies Verbum istiusmodi similitudinibus adumbrari. Unde ego puto id significatum apud prophetam, ubi ait, Spiritus ante faciem nostram Christus Dominus; in umbra ejus vivemus inter gentes: quod scilicet videamus nunc per speculum et in aenigmate, et necdum facie ad faciem. At istud sane donec vivimus inter gentes: nam inter angelos aliter; quando jam indifferenti omnino felicitate cum ipsis videbimus eum et nos, sicuti est, hoc est in forma Dei, et non in umbra. Quomodo namque apud veteres quidem umbram figuramque dicimus exstitisse, nobis autem per gratiam Christi in carne praesentis ipsam per se illucescere veritatem; ita nos quoque respectu futuri saeculi in quadam interim veritatis umbra vivere non negabit, nisi qui non acquiescit Apostolo dicenti, Ex parte cognoscimus, et ex parte prophetamus; et illud, Non arbitror me comprehendisse. Quomodo enim non est distinctio ejus qui per fidem ambulat, et illius qui per speciem? Ergo justus ex fide vivit, beatus exsultat in specie: et ideo sanctus homo vivit interim in umbra Christi, sanctus angelus in splendore vultus gloriae gloriatur.
9. Et bona fidei umbra, quae lucem temperat oculo caliganti, et oculum praeparat luci; scriptum est enim: Fide mundans corda eorum. Fides itaque lucem non exstinguit, sed custodit. Quidquid sane est illud quod videt angelus, hoc mihi umbra fidei servat, fideli sinu repositum, in tempore revelandum. Annon expedit tenere vel involutum, quod nudum non capis? Denique et Mater Domini vivebat in umbra fidei, cui dictum est: Et beata quae credidisti. Habuit et de Christi corpore umbram, quae audivit: Et virtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi. Nec enim vilis umbra, quae de virtute Altissimi formatur. Et vere virtus in carne Christi, quae virgini obumbravit, ut quod impossibile erat mortali feminae, objectu tamen involucri vivifici corporis ferret praesentiam majestatis, et lucem sustineret inaccessibilem. Virtus plane, in qua omnis contraria fortitudo debellata est; et virtus et umbra fugans daemones, tutans homines; aut certe virtus vegetans, umbra refrigerans.
10. Vivimus proinde in umbra Christi, qui per fidem ambulamus, et carne ipsius pascimur ut vivamus. Caro enim Christi vere est cibus. Et vide ne propterea etiam nunc describatur hoc loco apparens, tanquam in schemate pastorali, ubi illum sponsa, quasi unum quempiam de pastoribus videtur alloqui, dicens: Indica mihi ubi pascas, ubi cubes in meridie. Bonus Pastor, qui animam suam dat pro ovibus suis: animam pro illis, carnem illis; illam in pretium, istam in cibum. Res mira! ipse pastor, ipse pascua est, ipse redemptio. Verum sermo in longum pergit, quoniam locus amplus est, et grandia continens, et non explicabitur paucis; atque hac necessitate videtur mihi jam rumpendus potius quam finiendus. Oportet autem, ut, quoniam materia pendet, memoria vigilet; quatenus ubi pausatum erit, inde mox resumatur et pertractetur, prout Dominus dabit, Jesus Christus sponsus Ecclesiae, qui est super omnia Deus benedictus in saecula. Amen.