Sermons on the Song of Songs57 Sermon LVII. That the Visitations of the Lord are to be carefully and reverently observed, and by what signs and tokens they may be known
Sermon LVII. That the Visitations of the Lord are to be carefully and reverently observed, and by what signs and tokens they may be known
Ee the onward steps of grace, and mark the degrees of the Divine condescension. Notice the devotion and promptness of the Bride, with what a vigilant eye she observes the coming of her Spouse, and then notes very diligently even His smallest actions. He comes, He hastens, He draws near, He is present, He looks at, and then addresses, her; and none of all these actions escapes the notice, or wearies the attention, of the Bride. He comes in the Angels, He hastens in the Patriarchs, He draws near in the Prophets, He is present in the Flesh, He has regard to the Church in miracles, and addresses her in the Apostles. Or we may explain it thus: He comes by the pity which He feels and the desire that He has to show mercy, He hastens by His zeal to bring help, He draws near to us by humbling Himself, He is present to each generation as it is present upon the earth, He has regard to those which are to come, He speaks of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God (Acts i. 3), teaching and persuading. Of such a nature, then, is the Coming of the Bridegroom. The blessings and the riches of salvation accompany Him; all things which are from Him are full of delights, and abound assuredly in joyful and salutary mysteries (sacramentis). She who loves Him watches and observes all these things. And blessed is that servant whom the Lord shall find watching. He shall not pass her by, He shall not pass away from her, He shall stay by her, and shall speak to her loving words, since He is, in truth, Her Beloved. And thus it is that you read here: My Beloved spake, and said to me. Well is He called her Beloved, who comes to speak to her, not words of blame, but of comfort and love.
2. For here the question is not of those who are deservedly blamed by the Lord; who know not how to discern the face of the sky, nor know at all the time of His Coming (Matt. xvi. 3). For [the Bride is so prudent and so full of foresight that she sees Him coming from afar, leaping, as it were, in His haste, and, passing over the proud to draw near to her in her humility, humbling Himself so to do. This she has observed with vigilant care; and when at length He was at hand, yet concealed Himself, as it were, behind the wall, she, nevertheless, did not fail to recognise His Presence, and to discern that He looked in through the windows and lattices. Now, as a reward for her great devotion and religious care, she hears Him speaking; for if He had looked upon her and not spoken, she would have ' My beloved spake, and said to me.1—Cant ii. 10.
Google suspected that the look was one of indignation rather than of love. It was thus that He looked upon Peter without speaking a word to him, and that was perhaps the reason why Peter went out and wept bitterly (Luke xxii. 61, 62), because the Lord had looked upon him in silence. But the Bride, who has deserved not only to behold Him but to hear His voice, is so far from weeping that she rejoices, and cries out in her joy: My Beloved spake, and said to me. You see that the look of the Lord, though in itself it remains always the same, is not always of the same effect, but varies according to the deservings of those upon whom He looks, so that, while it strikes some with fear, it imparts unto others consolation and security. On the one hand, He looks upon the earth, and it shaketh (Ps. lxxvii. 16-18); on the other, He looks upon Mary, and it is to pour grace upon her. He hath regarded, she says, the low estate of His handmaiden: for behold, from henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed (Luke i. 48). These are not the words of one who weeps or trembles, but of one who rejoices. Similarly He is described here as looking upon the Bride, and she trembles not nor weeps like Peter, because she was not attached to things earthly, as at that time he was; but He filled her heart with joy, testifying by His words the affection with which He regarded her.
3. Listen to the words which He addresses to her—words, not of anger, but of affection: Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. Happy is the soul that may deserve to hear such words as these! Is there anyone among us, do you think, who is so wakeful and observant of the time of his visitation, who watches so diligently for the coming of the Bridegroom, as, when He shall come and shall knock, to open the door of the heart unto Him at once? For those words do not so apply unto the whole Church, as that we, who together make up the Church, should not have our individual share in these blessings. All of us are, in fact, called, whether severally or together, to this very end, that we should possess blessings as an heritage. Wherefore also the Psalmist dared to say unto the Lord: Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart (Ps. cxix. n 1). He speaks, I think, of that heritage on account of which he claimed to be the son of his Father which is in Heaven. And if a son, then an heir—heir of God, and joint-heir with Christ. And in that heritage he glories that he has acquired a thing of great price—the testimonies of the Lord. Would to God that I might be found worthy to possess for myself one testimony only of the Lord! Though he exults not in one only, but in many, and says again: have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies as much as in all riches (Ps. cxix. 14). And, in truth, what is it that forms the riches of salvation, the delight of the heart, the true and safe security of the soul, except the testimonies which it has from the Lord? For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth (2 Cor. x. 18).
4. Why, then, do we hitherto defraud ourselves of these Divine 5. Who is wise and will understand these things, so as to be able to distinguish them, to define them each in its turn, and to explain them worthily to make others understand them also? If you hope for that from me, I, for my part, would rather listen to someone who has experience, who is fully conversant with, and accustomed to, such subjects. But since such men as this frequently prefer to hide in a modest silence what they have in silence learned, and judge it the safer course to keep to themselves their secret lore, I, the duty of whose charge obliges me to speak, and to whom it is not permitted to be silent, will declare what I know of these matters, either from my own experience or that of others, keeping to truths which most people may easily verify for themselves, and leaving higher and deeper ones for such as are able to apprehend them. If, then, I have been warned, either from without by a man, or inwardly by the Spirit, to have regard to righteousness, and to observe equity, 1 must consider 6. But if a righteous man shall reprove me in loving-kindness, and correct me, I shall draw the same inference, knowing that the zeal of the righteous, and his goodwill, make a way for Him who ascendeth upon the west (Ps. Ixvii. 5, Douay). Happy is that fall, since a man rises again, and stands by the correction of one who is righteous; since it is his sin that falls, and the Lord ascends upon it, treading it under His feet, and crushing it so that it rises not again. The reproof of the righteous is therefore not to be scorned; it is the destruction of sin, health to the heart, and, as it were, the path of God towards the soul. Speaking generally, it is not safe to listen negligently to any discourse which tends to edification in piety, in virtues, in a good and holy character, since it is the way by which is shown the salvation of God (Ps. 1. 23). If a discourse which we hear be sweet and agreeable to us, if we listen to it without distaste and even with ardour, then we ought to believe, not only that the Bridegroom is coming to us, but that He is hastening—that is, is coming with eager wish [to be received in our soul]. For His wish produces yours, and that you hasten to receive His discourse comes from His eager haste to enter into your soul; for we did not first love Him, but, as St. John declares: He first loved us (t John iv. 10). If, then, you feel that His word is, as it were, a burning flame, and that your conscience is so touched by it as to burn within you at the remembrance of your sin, remember what the Scripture saith—that a fire goeth before Him (Ps. xcvii. 3); and do not doubt that He is near you. And, indeed, we know from another Psalm that the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart (Ps. xxxiv. 18).
7. But if you are not only touched with penitence by His Word, but also wholly converted to the Lord, so that you resolve and vow to keep the statutes of His righteousness, know, then, that He is Himself present, and especially if you feel yourself glowing with the love of Him. You meet in Scripture with each of these statements con- 1 Occasus; a play upon the double meaning of the word, i.e., the sunset, and a fall, or error.—Ed.
8. When, then, by this fire has been consumed every taint of sin and all the stains of past vices, when the conscience is purified and calmed, there follows a sudden and unusual extension of the mind, an infusion of light which illuminates the intellect either to the knowledge of the Scriptures, or to the comprehension of mysteries; whereof the one is bestowed, I think, for our own satisfaction, the other for the edification of our neighbour; that is, doubtless, the effect of the Divine Eye looking upon us, bringing forth thy righteousness as the lights and thy judgment as the noonday (Ps. xxxvii. 6), according to that prophecy of Isaiah: Then shall thy light break forth as the morning (Is. lviii. 8). But, in truth, that ray of brightness so great shall penetrate not as through open doors, but through small and narrow apertures, at least, as long as that ruinous and tottering wall, that is, thy body, shall endure. You mistake if you think that it shall be otherwise, to whatever degree of purity of heart you may attain, since he who had meditated so deeply upon heavenly things says: Now we see through a glass, darkly: but then face to face (1 Cor. xi. 12).
9. After this Divine look, so full of condescension and goodness, comes a Voice, gently and sweetly presenting to the mind the Will of God; and this is no other than Love itself, nor can it be without effect in soliciting and persuading to the fulfilment of those things which God requires. Thus the Bride hears that she is to arise and hasten, no doubt to work for the good of souls. This is indeed a property of true and pure contemplation that it sometimes fills the mind, which is warmed with Divine fire, with a fervent zeal and desire to gain for God those who are of a like mind in loving Him, and to that end it very willingly lays aside the calm and rest of 1 Seneraia; a somewhat unusual sense of the word.—Ed.
10. Let us see, however, if these three words describing that threefold blessing, which may be attained by one and the same soul, can be set in relation with those three persons spoken of in the Gospel, who dwelt in the same house, who were friends, and indeed very intimate friends of the Saviour. I refer to Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. For Martha served, Mary remained quiescent in contemplation, and Lazarus groaned, as it were, under the weight of death and of the stone that shut close his grave, and earnestly begged for the grace of the Resurrection (Luke x. 38-42, and John xi.). These things have been said on this account, because the Bride is described as being so watchful and so skilful in observing the paths of the Bridegroom that it cannot be concealed from her at what time, and with what degree of haste He will come to her. Whether He be ii. I have added, somewhat boldly perhaps, to this that every soul (as, for example, among ourselves) which shall watch with the Bride, shall with her be saluted as well beloved, consoled as dove, embraced as fair. Every man shall be counted as perfect in whose soul these three things shall be united with all fitness and propriety, so that he shall know how to repent for his own faults and failings, to rejoice in God, and at the same time to assist his neighbours with all his power; and thus to show himself pleasing to God, circumspect with regard to himself, and useful to others. But who is capable of uniting these three? Would that even after long years they might be found united among us; I do not say all together in each of us, but at least each of them in some of us! We have indeed among us a Martha, the friend, so to speak, of the Saviour, in those who faithfully administer our external affairs. We have a Lazarus (as it were), a mourning and plaining dove, in our novices, who, lately dead in trespasses and sins, labour and mourn under wounds yet recent, and from fear of the Divine judgment, and as those who, wounded unto the death, sleep in the tomb, and are out of the remembrance of all, as they themselves no longer believe that they are borne in mind, until at the bidding of Christ the fear which pressed them down as a heavy stone upon the mouth of a tomb is rolled away, and they are able to breathe in the hope of pardon. We have also a contemplative Mary in those who, in the course of a longer time, and by the co-operation of grace, have been able to attain unto a better and happier state, to presume already that the Divine pardon will be extended to them, and instead of anxiously reflecting upon their offences, to meditate day and night with delight upon the law of God, and never to grow weary of it. Sometimes, even, as they contemplate with ineffable joy the glory of the Lord the Bridegroom, they are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. iii. 18). Now, to what purpose He bids the Bride to rise and come away, while but a little before He had forbidden that she should be aroused from her sleep, we must examine in another sermon. May He be present with us in the inquiry, and deign to reveal to us the reason of that mystery; He, I mean, who is the Bridegroom of the Church, Jesus Christ our Lord, who is above all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
The RULE AND TRAINING OF SOULS
1. En dilectus meus loquitur mihi. Videte processus gratiae, et dignationis divinae advertite gradus. Attendite sponsae devotionem atque solertiam, quam vigili utique oculo sponsi observat adventum, ct deinceps ipsius omnia diligentius intuetur. Venit ille, accelerat, appropiat, adest, respicit, alloquitur; et nihil horum momentorum sponsae industriam effugit, anticipative notitiam. Venit in angelis, accelerat in patriarchis, appropiat in prophetis, adest in carne, respicit in miraculis, alloquitur in apostolis. Vel sic: Venit affectu et studio miserendi, accelerat subveniendi zelo, appropiat humiliando semetipsum, adest praesentibus, prospicit in futuros, loquitur docens et suadens de regno Dei. Sic ergo est adventus sponsi. Benedictiones et divitiae salutis cum eo, et universa quae de ipso sunt affluunt deliciis, redundantia certe jucundis ac salutaribus sacramentis. Porro quae amat, vigilat et observat. Et beata, quam Dominus invenerit vigilantem. Non transibit illam, nec praeteribit ab ea, sed stabit et loquetur ei, loqueturque amatoria: loquetur siquidem ut dilectus. Sic quippe habes: En dilectus meus loquitur mihi. Bene dilectus, qui venit amatoria locuturus, non autem increpatoria.
2. Neque enim de illis est, qui a Domino merito arguuntur, quod faciem coeli dijudicare nossent, tempus vero adventus ejus minime cognovissent. Haec namque tam solers, et prudens, ac bene vigilans, et venientem a longe prospexit, et salientem pro festinatione advertit, et transilientem superbos, ut humili sibi per humilitatem propinquaret, vigilantissime observavit; et demum cum jam staret, et occultaret se post parietem, nihilominus praesentem agnovit, sed et respicientem per fenestras cancellosque persensit; et nunc pro remuneratione tantae devotionis et religiosae sollicitudinis loquentem audit. Sane enim si respexisset, et minime locutus fuisset, suspectus poterat esse ille respectus, ne forte magis indignationis foret, quam dilectionis. Denique respexit Petrum, et non fecit ei verbum: et ideo fortassis flevit ille, quod respiciens se, tacuerit. Haec autem, quoniam post aspectum meruit et affatum, non modo non flet, sed et gloriatur prae laetitia clamans, En dilectus meus loquitur mihi. Vides intuitum Domini, cum in se semper maneat idem, non tamen ejusdem semper efficaciae esse; sed conformari meritis singulorum quos respicit, et aliis quidem incutere metum, aliis vero magis consolationem et securitatem afferre. Denique respicit terram, et facit eam tremere, cum e regione respexerit Mariam, et infuderit gratiam. Respexit, ait, humilitatem ancillae suae; ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes. Non sunt haec verba plorantis aut trepidantis, sed gaudentis. Respexit similiter hoc loco sponsam, et nec tremuit illa, nec flevit ad instar Petri, quia non sapiebat terram, sicut ille; dedit vero laetitiam in corde ejus, affatu testificans, quo eam respexerit affectu.
3. Denique verba quae loquitur, audi quam non indignantis sint, sed amantis. Sequitur: Surge, propera, amica mea, columba mea, formosa mea. Felix conscientia, quae de se ista meretur audire! Quis, putas, in nobis est adeo vigilans et observans tempus visitationis suae, sponsumque adventantem ita per singula ejus momenta diligenter explorans, ut cum venerit et pulsaverit, confestim aperiat ei? Non enim sic ista de Ecclesia referuntur, ut non singuli nos, qui simul Ecclesia sumus, participare his ejus benedictionibus debeamus. Etenim in hoc generaliter omnes atque indifferenter vocati sumus, ut benedictiones haereditate possideamus. Unde et audebat dicere ad Dominum quidem: Haereditate acquisivi testimonia tua in aeternum, quia exsultatio cordis mei sunt; illa, puto, haereditate, qua se esse praesumebat filium patris sui, qui est in coelis. Porro si filium, et haeredem; haeredem Dei, cohaeredem autem Christi. Magnam vero rem gloriatur se acquisivisse haereditate ista, testimonia Domini. Utinam ego de me vel unum meruerim tenere testimonium Domini! quia is non in uno, sed in multis exsultat testimoniis. Denique ait iterum: In via testimoniorum tuorum delectatus sum, sicut in omnibus divitiis. Et revera quid divitiae salutis, quid deliciae cordis, quid animae vera et cauta securitas, nisi Domini attestationes? Non enim, inquit, qui se ipsum commendat, ille probatus est, sed quem Deus commendat.
4. Utquid nos hactenus adhuc fraudamur commendationibus seu attestationibus his divinis, et paterna haereditate privamur? Quasi minime et nos voluntarie genuerit verbo veritatis, sic in nullo nos meminimus ab illo taliter commendatos, nec ulla de nobis assecutos testimonia ejus. Ubi est quod Apostolus dicit, quia ipse Spiritus Dei testimonium perhibet spiritui nostro, quod filii Dei sumus. Quomodo filii, si expertes haereditatis? Arguit nos pro certo negligentiae et incuriae ipsa inopia nostra. Nam si quis nostrum integre et perfecte, juxta verbum Sapientis, cor suum tradat ad vigilandum diluculo ad Dominum qui fecit illum, et in conspectu Altissimi deprecetur, simulque votis omnibus studeat secundum Isaiam prophetam parare vias Domini, rectas facere semitas Dei sui, cui cum Propheta sit dicere: Oculi mei semper ad Dominum; et quia providebam Dominum in conspectu meo semper: nonne hic accipiet benedictionem a Domino, et misericordiam a Deo salutari suo? Visitabitur profecto frequenter, nec unquam ignorabit tempus visitationis suae, quantumlibet is qui in spiritu visitat, clandestinus veniat et furtivus, utpote verecundus amator. Adhuc ergo longe agentem bene vigilans anima sobria mente prospiciet, et deinceps universa comperiet, quae in dilecti adventu sponsam tam solerter, quam signanter advertisse monstravimus quia ipse ait: Qui mane vigilaverint ad me, invenient me. Nam et desiderium festinantis agnoscet: et quando prope, et quando praesto jam erit, continuo sentiet; sed et respicientis se oculum, quasi solis radium per fenestras et rimas parietis subeuntem, beato oculo cernet: et demum audiet voces exsultationis et amoris, appellata amica, columba, formosa.
5. Quis sapiens et intelliget haec, ita ut ea etiam digne ab invicem distinguere, et designare singula queat, ac definire ad intelligentiam aliorum? Si a me illud speratur, ego ea mallem ab experto audire, et qui assuetus sit et exercitatus in talibus. At quoniam quisque qui hujusmodi est, verecunde magis silentio abscondere eligit quod silentio percipit, et servare secretum suum sibi, id sibi tutius arbitratur: dico ego, cui ex officio loqui est, nec tacere licet, quidquid illud est quod de hujusmodi vel proprio, vel alieno teneo experimento, et quod facile experiri plures queunt, sane altiora relinquens apprehendere illa valentibus. Si igitur admonitus fuero, vel foris ab homine vel intus a Spiritu, de tuenda justitia et servanda aequitate; istiusmodi salutaris suasio erit mihi profecto praenuntia imminentis adventus sponsi, et praeparatio quaedam ad digne suscipiendum supernum visitatorem, Propheta id mihi indicante, dicendo quia justitia ante eum ambulabit; et item loquitur Deo sic: Justitia et judicium, inquit, praeparatio sedis tuae Nihilominus vero spes eadem arridebit, si sermo insonuerit de humilitate vel patientia, seu etiam de fraterna charitate et obedientia deferenda praelatis; maxime autem de sectanda sanctimonia et pace, et cordis puritate quaerenda, quoniam quidem Scriptura ait: Domum Domini decet sanctitudo; et: Factus est in pace locus ejus; et: Mundi corde Deum videbunt. Quidquid itaque sive de his, sive de aliis quibuslibet virtutibus suggestum animo fuerit, significatio, ut dixi, erit mihi, visitationem Domini virtutum imminere animae meae.
6. Sed et si corripuerit me justus in misericordia, et increpaverit me, idipsum sentiam, sciens quia aemulatio justi et benevolentia iter faciunt ei qui ascendit super occasum. Bonus occasus, cum ad correptionem justi stat homo, et corruit vitium, et Dominus ascendit super illud, conculcans hoc pedibus, et conterens ne resurgat. Non ergo contemnenda increpatio justi, quae ruina peccati, cordis sanitas est, nec non et Dei via ad animam. Sed nec ullus omnino sermo, qui aedificet ad pietatem, ad virtutes, ad mores optimos, negligenter est audiendus; quoniam et illic iter quo ostenditur salutare Dei. Quod si sermo gratus venit et placitus [ alias, placidus], quatenus pulso fastidio cum desiderio audiatur, jam non modo venire Sponsus, sed et accelerare, id est cum desiderio venire, credendus est. Illius namque desiderium tuum creat; et quod tu ejus properas sermonem admittere, inde est quod ipse festinat intrare; non enim nos eum, sed ipse, inquit, prior dilexit nos. Jam si etiam ignitum eloquium sentis, atque ex eo conscientiam uri in recordatione peccati; recordare tunc de quo Scriptura dicit, quia ignis ante ipsum praecedet (Psal. XCV, 3), et ipsum prope esse non dubites. Denique juxta est Dominus his qui tribulato sunt corde.
7. Si vero non solum compungeris in sermone illo, sed et converteris totus ad Dominum, jurans et statuens custodire judicia justitiae ejus, etiam adesse ipsum jam noveris, praesertim si te inardescere sentias amore ejus. Etenim utrumque de illo legis, et ignem videlicet ante ipsum praecedere, et ipsum nihilominus ignem esse. Moyses siquidem de illo dicit quia ignis consumens est. Differunt autem, quod is qui praemittitur ignis ardorem habet, sed non amorem: coquens, sed non excoquens, movens, nec promovens. Tantum ad excitandum praemittitur et praeparandum, simulque ad commonendum quid ex te sis, quo dulcius sapiat postmodum quod ex Deo mox eris. At vero ignis qui Deus est, consumit quidem, sed non affligit, ardet suaviter, desolatur feliciter. Est enim vere carbo desolatorius, sed qui sic in vitia exerceat vim ignis, ut in anima vicem exhibeat unctionis. Ergo in virtute qua immutaris, et in amore quo inflammaris, Dominum praesentem intellige. Nam dextera Domini facit virtutem. Non autem fit haec mutatio dexterae Excelsi, nisi in fervore spiritus, et in charitate non ficta, ita ut dicat qui hujusmodi est: Concaluit cor meum intra me, et in meditatione mea exardescit ignis.
8. Porro hoc igne consumpta omni labe peccati, et rubigine vitiorum, si jam emundata ac senerata conscientia sequatur subita quaedam atque insolita latitudo mentis, et infusio luminis illumiuantis intellectum vel ad scientiam Scripturarum, vel ad mysteriorum notitiam, quorum alterum propter nos oblectandos, alterum propter aedificandos proximos reor dari; oculus respicientis procul dubio est iste, educens quasi lumen justitiam tuam, et judicium tuum tanquam meridiem, juxta illud prophetae Isaiae: Orietur, inquit, tanquam sol lux tua, etc. Sed sane non per ostia aperta, sed per angusta foramina is tantae claritatis radius se infundet, stante adhuc duntaxat hoc ruinoso pariete corporis. Erras si aliter speras, ad quantamcunque cordis proficias puritatem, cum ille praecipuus contemplator dicat: Videmus nunc per speculum et in aenigmate, tunc autem facie ad faciem.
9. Post hunc tantae dignationis ac miserationis respectum, sequitur vox blande et leniter divinam insinuans voluntatem, quae non est aliud quam ipse amor, qui otiosus esse non potest, de his quae Dei sunt sollicitans et suadens. Denique audit sponsa, ut surgat et properet, haud dubium quin ad animarum lucra. Hoc siquidem vera et casta contemplatio habet, ut mentem quam divino igne vehementer succenderit, tanto interdum repleat zelo et desiderio acquirendi Deo qui eum similiter diligant, ut otium contemplationis pro studio praedicationis libentissime intermittat: et rursum potita votis, aliquatenus in hac parte tanto ardentius redeat in idipsum, quanto se fructuosius intermisisse meminerit; et item sumpto contemplationis gustu, valentius ad conquirenda lucra solita alacritate recurrat. Caeterum inter has vicissitudines plerumque mens fluctuat, metuens, et vehementer exaestuans, ne forte alteri horum, dum suis affectionibus hinc inde distrahitur, plus justo inhaereat; et sic in utrolibet vel ad modicum a divina deviet voluntate. Et fortasse tale aliquid sanctus Job patiebatur, cum diceret: Si dormiero, dico, quando consurgam? et rursum exspectabo vesperam: hoc est: Et quietus, neglecti operis; et occupatus, perturbatae nihilominus quietis me arguo. Vides virum sanctum inter fructum operis, et somnum contemplationis graviter aestuare: et in bonis licet semper versantem, semper tamen quasi de malis poenitentiam agere, et Dei cum gemitu momentis singulis inquirere voluntatem. Unicum quippe in hujusmodi remedium seu refugium oratio est, et frequens gemitus ad Deum; ut quid, quando, et quatenus nos facere velit, assidue nobis demonstrare dignetur. Habes, ut ego opinor, tria haec, id est praedicationem, orationem, contemplationem, in tribus commendata et designata vocabulis. Etenim merito amica dicitur, quae sponsi lucra studiose ac fideliter praedicando, consulendo, ministrando conquirit. Merito columba, quae nihilominus pro suis delictis in oratione gemens et supplicans, divinam sibi non cessat conciliare misericordiam. Merito quoque formosa, quae coelesti desiderio fulgens, supernae contemplationis decorem se induit, horis duntaxat, quibus commode et opportune id potest.
10. Sed et illud vide, si valeat coaptari huic triplici unius animae bono; de tribus videlicet personis illis in domo una commanentibus, amicis utique Salvatoris, et admodum familiaribus ei. Martham loquor ministrantem, et Mariam vacantem, et Lazarum quasi gementem sub lapide, et resurrectionis gratiam flagitantem. Haec dicta sunt pro eo quod sponsa describitur adeo solers et pervigil in observando semitas sponsi, ut minime eam latere possit, quando, et in quanta festinatione ad se veniat sed et quando longe, et quando prope, et quando praesens sit, nulla subitatione praeoccupari valeat ut ignoret: et quia proinde meruerit, non solum respici misericorditer, sed et dignanter laetificari amoris vocibus, et gaudere gaudio propter vocem sponsi.
11, Nos quoque ad haec, quamvis audacter, adjecimus, quod quaevis etiam de nobis anima, si similiter vigilet, simliter et salutabitur ut amica, consolabitur ut columba, amplexabitur ut formosa. Perfectus omnis reputabitur, in cujus anima tria haec congruenter atque opportune concurrere videbuntur, ut et gemere pro se, et exsultare in Deo noverit, simul et proximorum utilitatibus potens sit subvenire; placens Deo, cautus sibi, utilis suis. Sed ad haec quis idoneus? Utinam ipsa in universis nobis, etsi non tota in singulis, saltem singula in diversis, sicut hodie haberi videntur, longis reserventur temporibus! Habemus siquidem Martham, tanquam Salvatoris amicam, in his qui exteriora fideliter administrant. Habemus et Lazarum, tanquam columbam gementem, novitios utique, qui nuper peccatis mortui, pro recentibus adhuc plagis laborant in gemitu suo sub timore judicii; et sicut vulnerati dormientes in sepulchris, quorum nemo est memor amplius, sic se non putant reputari, donec ad Christi jussionem sublato pondere timoris, tanquam prementis lapidis mole, respirare in spem veniae possint. Habemus quoque Mariam contemplantem in illis, qui processu longioris temporis, cooperante gratia Dei, in aliquid melius et laetius proficere potuerunt; quando jam de indulgentia praesumentes, non tam versare intra se solliciti sunt tristem imaginem peccatorum, quam certe in lege Dei meditari die ac nocte insatiabiliter delectantur; interdum etiam revelata facie gloriam sponsi cum ineffabili gaudio speculantes, in eamdem imaginem transformantur de claritate in claritatem, tanquam a Domini Spiritu. Jam ad quid sponsam surgere et properare hortetur is, qui paulo ante defensare visus est eam, ne dormiens suscitaretur, alio sermone videbimus. Adsit ipse, ut et hujus nobis sacramenti rationem aperire dignetur, sponsus Ecclesiae Jesus Christus Dominus noster, qui est super omnia Deus benedictus in saecula. Amen.