Sermons on the Song of Songs86 Sermon LXXXVI. Of the caution and modesty becoming to the soul in seeking the Word, and of the praise of modesty

Ibelieve that nothing more will be expected of me upon the subject of the soul's reasons for seeking the Word, for I have already sufficiently stated them. Come, then, let us continue to expound what remains of the verse before us, as far only as relates to morals. Notice, then, in the first place, the modesty of the Bride. I know not whether there is any virtue which man can attain more beautiful than this. This before all I would desire to take, so to speak, in my hands, and to gather it as a fair flower to present to those who are young among us. Not that those who are more advanced in it ought not to preserve it with every care, but because the grace of a tender modesty shines out more fairly and becomingly in those who are of a more tender age. What is there more amiable than a young man who is modest? How fair, and even splendid, does this jewel of virtues show on the countenance and in the life of the youngI What a certain and unmistakable mark it is of goodness of character, and of that which may be one day hoped for from them! It is, as it were, a rod of correction to such an one, which is constantly present before his mind, which chastens the affections and the thoughtless actions of an age which is wont to be artful and deceptive, and which SERMONS ON THE SONG OF SONOS restrains its light or insolent actions. What is there more contrary than it to coarse speech, or to any kind of impurity? It is the sister of continence. There is no mark so plain and unmistakable as this, of dove-like simplicity: and therefore it is the proof of innocence. It is a lamp which burns without ceasing in a modest soul, so that nothing impure or unbecoming can attempt to enter there without being instantly discovered. Thus it acts as the destroyer of vices and promoter of inward purity, the special glory of conscience, the guardian-of good fame, the ornament of life, the seat and the first-fruits of virtue, the glory of nature, and the token or ensign of everything honourable. What grace and beauty the very colour in the cheeks called up by modesty imparts to the countenance!

2. Modesty is an excellence so natural to the soul, that even those who do not fear to act wrongly are ashamed to let it be perceived, as the Lord Himself declares: Every one that doeth evil hateth the light (John iii. 20). And again, St. Paul says: They that sleepy sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night {1 Thess. v. 7); that is to say, the works of darkness, which are deserving of darkness everlasting, shroud themselves in darkness of their own accord. It is, however, important to distinguish here between the modesty of men who are not ashamed to do such actions, but blush to have them discovered, and therefore conceal them, and that of the Bride, who does not merely conceal them, but rejects them absolutely, and drives them away. Thus the Wise Man declares: There is-a shame which bringeth sin: and there is.a shame which is glory and grace (Ecclus. iv. 21). The Bride seeks the Word; seeks Him at night, and on her couch, but modestly and timidly; and this modesty is glorious, not sinful. She seeks to find Him for the purifying of her conscience, for the obtaining of the testimony, that she may say: Our glory is this the testimony of our conscience (2 Cor. i. 12, Douay). By night on my bed I sought Him whom my soul loveth (Cant. iii. 1). Her modesty, if you notice, is indicated to you both by the place and the time. What is there so congenial to a modest mind as secrecy? Now, the night and the couch ensure that her prayer is secret. And, in fact, we are bidden, when we-desire to pray, to enter into our bedchamber (Matt. vi. 6), no doubt for the sake of secrecy. That is, indeed, to be done as a measure of precaution, lest if we pray in the sight of men human praise may hinder the effect of our prayer and deprive us of its fruit. But we learn from it also a lesson of modesty for what course is so appropriate to modesty as to avoid even the praises that are due to it, and to fly from vainglory? It is, then, clear that the Son, who is the teacher and pattern of modesty, has expressly bidden us to seek for secrecy in our prayers, so as to promote modesty. What can be so unbecoming, especially in a young man, as an ostentation of sanctity? It is to be borne in mind also that at that age it is particularly needful to make a beginning of religious obedience, according to the saying of Jeremiah: // 1 Maqister; another reading is minister.

The PRAISE OF MODESTY is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth (Lam. iii. 27). The prayer which you are about to offer will be well recommended if you cause it to be preceded by modesty, saying: am very yauttg and despised: but I forgot not Thy justifications (Ps. cxix. 141, Douay).

3. It is needful that he who desires to offer acceptable prayer should observe not only the right place, but also the right time to do so. A time of leisure is the fittest and most convenient, and especially during the deep silence which night brings; for then prayer arises most freely, and is most pure. Arise, says a prophet, cry out in the night; in the beginning of the watcJies pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord (Lam. ii. 19). How securely during the night does prayer arise to heaven, unwitnessed, save by God alone, and by the holy Angel, who receives that prayer to present it before the Altar of Heaven! How acceptable and clear it is, being rendered translucent by humility and modesty! How serene and peaceful, since it is troubled by no sound nor interruption! And lastly, how pure and sincere, as being free from the soiling dust of earthly care, nor deflected by the praise and flattery of human witnesses! For these reasons it was that the Bride, who is as modest as she is prudent, sought the silence of the night, and the retirement of her chamber, to pray, that is, to occupy herself in seeking the Word. For these two objects are one. Otherwise you do not pray aright, if in prayer you seek some other object than the Word, or seek it otherwise than on account of the Word, since in Him are all things [that you ought to seek]. In Him are the remedies for the wounds of your soul, in Him the help for necessities, supplies for all defects, abundance for the soul's progress in holiness, and, in a word, all things that man ought to have or to cfesire, all things that he needs, all things that are good for him. It is, then, wholly without cause that anything but the Word is asked of Him in prayer, for He Himself is all things. For although we sometimes seem to ask those temporal good things of which we have need, if it is for the sake of the Word that we ask them (as indeed it is fit and right we should do), it is not properly those good things themselves for which we are making petition, but for Him on whose account and for whose service we are asking them. Those whose rule of conduct it is to make use of all things so as to endeavour to deserve well of the Word, know the truth of what I say.

4. We shall not regret examining still farther the mysteries indicated by this mention of the bed and of the night, to see if there be some spiritual truth concealed in it, which it will be for our benefit to discover. If, for example, by the bed we understand the weakness of our human nature, and by the night its ignorance, then we shall be thus taught that it is not without good cause that the Bride seeks with such touching and painful earnestness the Word, who is the Power of God and the Wisdom of God, that she may be fortified by His presence against each of these evils, which are to be attributed to the fault of origin. What can be more fitting than that Power Thus far had the holy Bernard written when death arrested his proceeding farther with the work. This very Sermon was evidently left unfinished and on that account is so much shorter than the resty and wanting in the usual Ascription and Doxologv.

[The Sermons on the Canticles were continued jby a disciple of St. Bernard, Gilbert, first Abbot of St. Mary of Hoiland (Swineshead Abbey, in the County of Lincoln), and apparently a countryman of our own. He carried the Exposition on as far as v. 10, in forty-eight Sermons, and then 'similiterprceventus morte' died, about a.d. 1200, at least his name cannot be traced in the records any farther than that date.]

S. J. E.

Google INDEX.

Active life, the, more necessary than the contemplative, 48. Air, said to be the abode of demons, 327. Ambition, a temptation, 229. Ambrose, St., xiii.

Angels, why they need bodies, 25; nature of their bodies, 27; cannot by themselves reach unto human minds, ib.; assist men in prayer and praise, 35; nature and manner of their love to God, 104; Archangels, the, 105; Powers, id.; Dominations, 106; Thrones, ib.; Serapnin, 107; Cherubin, ib.; in what sense they are redeemed, 125; mystically called stars, 169; guardian Angel, his offices to a holy soul, 204; they watch over the faithful, 249; impart Divine truths, 257; are acquainted with the invisible verities of God, 321; called mountains and hills, 322; how the fallen Angels were punished, 422; their places are to be filled by human souls, 476.

Animals, in what sense they have spirit, 25; it does not survive their body, ib.

Anselm, St., his idea of creatura mundi, 25- Apostles, the supposed inebriation of, 298. Apples, mystically interpreted, 308. Aauinas, St. Thomas, xiii.; as to Angelic bodies, 27 Athanasius, St., xii.

Augustine, St., xii.; as to Angelic bodies, 27; his love for the name of Jesus, 83; on Baptism, 423.

Avarice, mystically interpreted, 249.

Avaricious, the servant rather than the master of his wealth, 12a B.

Baptism, the deliverance at the Red Sea a type of, 247; heretical errors respecting, 404.

Beams, mystical meaning of, 286.

Berengar, disciple of Abaelard, his Af>o~ hgeticum, 170.

Bernard, St., his preaching, 1, 2, 3, 4; preparation, 3; his experience of spiritual coldness, 77; his lament for his brother Gerard, 164; protests his unworthiness, 196; laments his many occupations, 197; his favourite text, 269; his relics, 270; his desire to preach Jesus only, 269; his assiduity in celebrating, 305; his satisfaction at good results from his sermons, 309; humility of, 334; his modesty, 457; his personal experience of Divine visitations, ib.; of Divine suggestions, 501; Bible of, xix.

Bernard des Portes, suggests sermons, 2.

Bethel, or Bether, house of, 452.

Bishops, how highly to be revered, 65; not rashly to be criticised, ib.; their office not to be sought by ambition, ib.

Blackness, mystical sense of, 150; outward, frequently a sign of inward comeliness, 151; as applied to St. Paul, 152; to the Saviour, iu; to the Bride. 153.

Blessed dead, whether they can feel sympathy for the living, 159; the felicity of, 216; their care for the faithful on earth, 476.

Blessedness, the future, to be derived from God Himself, 57.

Body, the, its complaint against the soul, 147; why created upright, ib.; compared to a tent, 155.

Bonaventura, St., xii.

Bossuet, Bishop, xiv.

Brentius, J., xii.

Bridegroom, the, is the Divine Son, 43; breasts of the, are Patience and Clemency, 46; the four perfumes of the, 123, 129; has many chambers, 137; mercy and judgment the attributes of, 333; how He is said to have stood, 336; is present everywhere in His Divinity, 337; His coining mystically stated, 341; calls to duty, 347; His great love to mankind, 3817; gives attention to the Church, 415; the signs of His Presence in the soul, 424, 454; why called Beloved, 426; feeds among C.

Camphike, mystically interpreted, 271.

Canticles, Book of, to be entrusted to wise and devout minds only, 8; is without preface, 9; in Scripture, how they differ, 10.

Carnal delights compared to wine, 48.:

Cassiodorus, xii. Castellio, S., xiv. Cedar, mystical meaning of the, 282.

Centurion, the, depended upon hearing, that is, faith, rather than sight, 179. Chamber of the Bridegroom, mystical sense of, 132, 136; chambers of God, of Providence, of judgment, and of mercy, 138.

Chancellors, said to be so-called from sitting behind cancelli, 339.

Chariots of Pharaoh, the, 247, 250; their! horses and drivers, ib.

Charity, need of, 104; necessary with faith to uprightness, 149; is the measure of souls, 174; is the best gift, 188; want of, a great fault, 189; what it is to set in order in the soul, 300; of feeling and of action compared, 302.

Chastity, commendation of, 354.

Cherubin, the, 107.

Christ, His self-emptying a ground of hope, 57, 58; why He suffered so greatly to redeem mankind, 50; the Church His Body, 66; His Name compared to sweet ointment, 79; how we should love Him, m; love to Him according to the flesh, 113; comparison between two ways of loving Him, 115; most men desire His Glory rather than His Cross, 117; in what sense He is a Redeemer to the Angels, 126; how unworthy it is not to follow Him, 127; various motives for doing so, 128; all perfections united in the Life of, 130; in what sense said to be black, 153; likeness to Him the glory of the Christian, 154; called the true Solomon, 168; said to have incurred blackness for the sake of man, 177; His glory and beauty, 183; not discerned in His humiliation by the Jews, 184; the faithful soul lives in the shadow of, 207; communicated to some souls as Bridegroom, to others as Physician, 207,208; His Life on earth compared to an aurora, 217; His perfect humility, 266; meditation upon His sufferings and Passion, how helpful, 267; compared to a bundle of myrrh, ib.; the Vision of Him, 278; His manifold Perfections, 280; called Rose of Sharon and Lily of the Valley, 287, 289; is our pattern and also our recompense, 289; what is meant by the Shadow of, 295; compared to an apple-tree, 293; is by Nature superior to the children of grace, 295; death terrible without Him, 338; the Passion of, the strength of martyrdom, 370; virtues of, called lilies, 426; manifested that He might be loved, 427; comes in human form to judge, that He may be delightful to the elect, 448; less than the Angels, yet loftier, 448,453; why He ascended into Heaven, 468.

Church, the prayer of the, for the diffusion of the grace of the Gospel, 75; is black, yet comely, 149; is composed both of Angels and men, 171; said to have heavens, 175; is both humble and sublime, 176; complaint of against persecutors, 186; called a vineyard, 193; was increased through persecution, 194; its privilege is to be universal, 195; the four temptations of, 223; injured by the evil lives of Christians, 224; of the state and composition of, 281; the end of all things depends on its consummation, 418; how gathered, 478; of the elect, predestinated before all ages, 479; not at first recognised, 480; how formed, 481; how continually protected, 485; charity towards the Synagogue, 486.

Cistercian Churches, plainness of, xvii.

Clairvaux, the community at, some insubordinate members of, 284; request to the brethren of, not to disturb their Abbot for trifling causes, 3x.

Confession, a sincere, of sin, a proof of spiritual life, 85; the three kinds of, 86; what is a wrong kind of, 91; must be made with simplicity, 92; with faith, 93.

Consolation and exhortation yielded by the Spouse, 49.

Contemplative life, the, not so necessary as the active, 48; the use of contemplation, 103; three ways of, called storerooms, 130; how to be attained, 283; leads to ecstasy, 314.

Contrition, in what it consists, 86.

Conversion, a sign of, 343.

Countenance of the soul, the intention so-called, 253.

Cure of souls, the, how great a hindrance is avarice to, 5a INDEX Curtains of Solomon, mystical sense of, 155. 156. 167. Cypress, mystical meaning of the, 383. Cyril, St., of Jerusalem, xii.

David, example of, 70, 2x; his patience, 225, 411; his marriage hymn, 412.

Day of inspiration, 446; of respiration, 448.

Daybreak, mystically explained, 444. Death of the soul, 315; of the body, 316; is terrible without Christ, 338. Despair, comes from ignorance of God, Detraction, the vice of, 142; destroys charity, 145; different kinds of. 146;

detractors called foxes, 380. Deutz, Rupert of, xiii. Devotion, a spiritual perfume, 49; of what composed, 52; glorifies God, 53. Dionysius Carthusianus, xiii. Discretion, the importance of, 299; the regulator of all the virtues, 300. Divine Service, how it should be shared in, 291.

Dominations, an order of Angels, 106. Dublin, St. Mary's Abbey at, 5. Durand, John, 5.

Ebershkrg, William, Abbot of, xii.

Eberwin, Provost of Steinfeld, 4; his letter to St. Bernard, 388.

Ecstasy, two kinds of, 299; is reached by the way of contemplation, 314; is an approach to the Angelic life, 316.

Elijah and Elisha, the Diviue instruments in working miracles, 71.

Elisha, the staff of, 85.

Enemy, an, with what feeling to be regarded, 306.

Engedi, explanation of, 271, 272.

Envy, in anywise to be avoided, 301; the inward consent to, constitutes sin, 302.

Epiphanius, Bishop, xii.

Ernald, Life of St Bernard, 2.

Estius, as to Angelic bodies; 27.

Eucharist, the Holy, sometimes intermitted among the Cistercians, 305.

Eusebius of Czesarea, xii.

Ewald, G. H. A. von, xiv.

Example, a good, to be given by pastors, 473- Exhortation and consolation yielded by the Spouse, 49.

Faith, separation from charity fatal to, 148; has a surer cognition than experience, 182; compared to a shadow, 206; without works is dead, 296; denoted by flowers, 309; prepares the soul for the Vision of God, 320.

Faithful, the, signified by vineyards, 192.

I Fasting, heretical errors respecting, 403. Father, the, His Unity with the Son, 432. 435» 436. Fear, the threefold, of the loss of grace received, 324, 330; typified by water, 33i.

Figs, green, mystically interpreted of imperfect actions, 359; of knowledge and prophecy, 365.

Fire of God, consumes and yet blesses, 344* Flatterers, called foxes, 380.

Flesh, the prudence of the, is death. 192; concupiscence of the, extinguishes coin-passion for others, 274.

Fleury, Church History, xxii.

Flower of holiness, threefold: virginity, martyrdom, and good works, 287; flowers of the field, the garden, and in the chamber, contrasted, 288; called types of Christ, 289; mystically interpreted, 308.

Force, a Hand of God, 33.! Foxes, flatterers and detractors called by I that name, 378, 380, 386.

Free will of the soul discussed, 504.

I G' I Garden of the Bridegroom, mystical; sense of, 132. ' Genebrand, Bishop, xii., Gentleness, the virtue of, called a lily, 426.

Geoffrey, ' Life of S. B.,' 2.

Gerard, brother of St. Bernard, the saint's lament for his death. 157; his thoughtfulness for his brother, 159; prudence and ability in management of affairs, 160; his joy in the hour of death, 164; scene at the death of, ib.

Gerhard, John, xiii.

Gerlach, O. von, xiii.

Gerson, J., xii.

Ghislerius, Michael, xiii.

Gifts, there are diversities of, 299; a cheerful giver, 434 Gilbert de la Porree, Bishop, 4, 487.

Gilbert of Hoiland, continues the sermons, 5. 5*8.

Gilboa, Mountains of, mystically interpreted, 327.

Ginsburg, Dr. C. D., xiv.

God is a pure Spirit, 22; spoken of in Scripture as having Hands, and Feet, and Mouth, 23; is the Principle of Being to all things, 23; has no need of bodily organs as instruments, 23; makes use of the agency of His creatures, 28; acts by the fiat of His Will, 29; Mercy and Judgment called His Feet, 31; Force and Liberality called His Hands, 33; is perfectly known only when perfectly loved, 42; anticipates the prayers of pious souls, 46; I His benefits to be remembered as a Gold, denotes the Divine splendour, 257.

Good works, denoted by fruits, 309; called lilies, 432; vitiated by a bad intention, 433.

Grace, necessity of, 118, 211; not to be counted on unthinkingly, 119; we must co-operate with, 212; preventing and following grace, 414; grace and truth both needful, 459.

Great souls obtain great blessings, 212.

Green, Dr. W. H., xiv.

Gregory of Nyssa, xii.

Gregory, St.,'the Great, xiii.

Grotius, Hugh, xiv.

Guerric, Abbot of Igny, 6.

Guignard, M., his account of the relics of St. Bernard, 269.

Gulielmus Parvus, xiii.

Guyon, Madame, xii.

Haur6au, M., Des Primes Latins attribute a St. Bernard, 290 Havernick, xiii.

Hearing, rather than sight, the way to religious truth, 179. Heaven, in what sense a holy soul is called this, 167. Hengstenberg, xiii. Herder, xiv.

Heresies, temptation from, 223; [Heretics should be met by reasoning, not by force, 386; the arguments of St. Bernard against, 393, 401, 407, 477. Herod, not worthy to behold the Messiah, 16.

Hills, interpreted of heavenly spirits, 319;

otherwise of demons, 324. Hinds, mystically interpreted, 317. Hitzig, xiv.

Holy Ghost, gifts of the, arc the Kiss bestowed upon the Church, 38; the Holy Ghost is the Kiss from the Father to the Son, 39; is the Goodness of Each, 50; is not accorded to the angels, 38; His approach to the soul to be sedulously observed, 95; His operations upon souls called infusion and effusion, 100.

Holy women, the, 465.

Honorius of Autun, xii.

Hope of life, Itself a harvest, 240; the soul reposes in, 313.

Humility, combined with spiritual greatness, a rare and high virtue, 69, 224; a preparation for great graces, 225; is both laudable and safe, 242; two kinds of, 259; signified by spikenard, 262; contrast between enforced and voluntary, 265; a qualification for the crown of martyrdom, 290; the consummation of righteousness, 291.

Hug, L., commentator, xii.

Ibn Ezra, xi.

Ignorance, the parent of falsehood and doubt, 96; two kinds of, to be avoided, 227; a cause of degradation, 231, 232; what kind is not hurtful, 234; ignorance of God the cause of despair, 243.

Incarnation, the, expected by the Prophets, 10, 11; mystically called the * Kiss of God," 11; to win the love of men a principal object of the, 113; called a descending upon the hills, 323; the means by which Christ gained an experimental knowledge of human necessities, 335.

Inebriation of the Apostles, the supposed, 298.

Infants are regenerated in baptism, 404, 419; the merits of Christ are attributed to, id.

Inspiration, 481.

Isaac, how deceived, 181.

Isaiah, the prophet, 411, Isidorus Hispalensis, xii.

Israel holds to the Literal meaning of the text of Scripture, 449.

Jeremiah, his book of Lamentations. 88, 411.

erome, St, xii.

esus, the Name of, St. Bernard's hymn on, 84, 290; manifold excellences of the Saviour's character, 84; a saving Jews, the incredulity of, 360; their intelligence called bovine, 362.

Job, his saying on the nature of wisdom, 181.

John, St., of the Cross, xii.

Joseph, example of, 69.

Judgment, and mercy, called the Feet of God, 31, 32; Day of, a cause of fear to the sinner, 90, 450; how to escape it by penitence, 332.

Justus Argelitanus, xii.

Kaiser, xii.

Kedar, tents of, mystical sense, 155, 156. Keil, xiii.

Keys of the kingdom of heaven, what is meant by, 423. Kimchi, David, xi.

Kiss, meaning of, in the Canticles, 9; explained as the Incarnation, 13; of the Lord's Feet, explained as penitence, 18; of His Hand, as strength to make progress in holiness, 19; of His Lips, as spiritual communion with Him, 22; only to be comprehended by those who have experienced it, 18; for the perfect only, 20.

Kistemacher, xiv.

Knowledge, what kind of. is for our good, 233; the right motive for, 235; unused and unfruitful is hurtful, 236; of self, is necessary, id.; a motive to humility, 237; of God, needful to salvation, id.; two kinds of, 238; the right kind of, will not minister to pride, 241.

Lapide, Corn, a, xiii. Laquearia, what is meant by, 282. Lazarus, a type, 34s, 346. Lessing, xiv.

Liberality, a Hand of God, 33.

Life, the present, full of dangers, 292.

Lily of the valleys, 200; the Hdleh lily, 292; the virtues called lilies, 426.

Love, a uniting force, 355; shown by the Bridegroom to mankind, 387; of God for the soul, 425; is not mercenary, 510; is small compared with the love of God, 511.

Lowth, Bishop, xiv.

Lucifer, envied the human race, 97; desired to rule over it, 98.

Ma billon, Dom John, his Introduction, ix, 1-0.

?x 533 Macarius, xii. Maimonides, Moses, xi. Malice, mystically interpreted, 249. Man, his degeneration from his first state, 230.

Marriages, plurality of, condemned, 358;

heretical errors respecting, 399, 401. Martha, a type, 345; the Lord in her house, 435. Martyrdom, called the flower in the field, 289; the fruit of the vine, 363; the strength of, derived from the Passion of Christ, 370. Mary, a type, 346. Mary Magdalene, 51 (note). Mary, the Blessed Virgin, her great love for Jesus, 191; her overshadowing a support to her, 207, 444; her purity, 230; how found, 482. Maximus, Confessor, xii. Mercy and Judgment, called the Feet of God, 31, 32. Messiah, His Coming longed for, 14; His Human Nature a ground of confidence, Micnael, Pselras, xiii.

Michaclis, J. D., xiv.

Modesty, frequently found with knowledge, 342; praise, especially in the young, 524.

Monks, singularity in, blamed, 108; their too great regard for their bodily condition blamed, 199; temptations of, 220; the younger, called nascent fruits, 381; of their fate, 382; the elder, of their temptations, 383.

Monialembert, Comte de, his purpose of writing the life of St. Bernard, 269.

Moses, Divine manifestation to, 213.

Mountains, interpreted of heavenly spirits, 319; of angels and men, 324.

Myrrh, the sufferings of Christ compared to a bundle of, 267.

Name of Christ, the, compared to sweet ointment, 79; is a salutary medicine, 80; expresses His Power and His Beneficence, id.; the means of salvation, 81; why compared to oil, 82; is light and nourishment, id.; St. Bernard's hymn on, 84.

Nations, the, their appeal to God, 82. Necessity, the maxim of law' respecting, Night, a type of the weakness of human nature, 527.

Origen, the error of, as to a crucifixion of the Lord in the air, 326; Homilies, xii.

Osorius, Hierono., xii.

Pastor, a good, qualities of, 103; must use patience and gentleness towards souls, 150; how he should feed his flock, 229; is not consoled by being merely clear of personal blame, 262; qualities needful for, 472; must give a good example, 473; of those who are bad, 474.

Patience, of, 224.

Patriarchs, how God was manifested to the, 203.

Paul, St., his distinction between his life and himself, 198; his allowance of the use of wine, 200; his struggle against the law of the flesh, 338, 353.

Penitence, a spiritual perfume, 49; acceptable to God, 51; enables the soul to escape judgment, 332.

Perfumes, the three spiritual, are Penitence, Devotion, and Piety, 49; of the holy women, 64; the four, of the Bridegroom, 125, 129.

Persecutions, the many, endured by the Church, 187; yet they increase it, 193, 223.

Peter Lombard, Bishop of Paris (Master of the Sentences), as to Angelic bodies, 27.

Peter, St., why blamed by the Lord, 112;

zeal in defending Jesus, 349; the keys given to, 424. Pharaoh, mystically interpreted of the devil, 247; the chariots of, 249. Philip, St., the Lord's reply to, 213. Piety, a spiritual perfume, 49; the most excellent of all, 60; of St. Paul, 61; of Job, ib.; of Joseph, ib.; of David, 62;

of the holy women, 63, 64. Piscator, John, xiii.

Poverty, Evangelical, possesses all things, 120.

Powers, an order of Angels, 105.

Prayer, earnest, does not remain unanswered, 298; what kind of, is acceptable, 526.

Preachers, the threefold cord entrusted to, 87; should resemble a reservoir rather than a canal, 101; signs of those who are faulty, 102; duty of preaching imposed, 258; require a pure intention, 371* 377 I tne desire to preach sometimes a temptation, 384.

Predestined to salvation, happy state of those in that condition, 141; how they are without sin, ib.

Pride, not permissible in an Angel, much less in a man, 328; secret, the evil consequences of, 329.

Principalities, an order of Angels, 106.

Psalms, how to find pleasure and sweetness in the; 36.

PurTendorf, Von, xiii.

Pure intention, necessary for those who pray. 37- R.

Rains, mystical sense of, 351, 353.

Rashi, R. Solomon ben Isaac, xi.

Rectitude, in what it consists. 146.

Redemption, the manner in which accomplished, the benefits of, 57.

Renan, £., xiv.

Repentance, the need of, 103.

Richard of St Victor, xii.

Riches, the master rather than the servant of the avaricious, 12a Righteousness called a lily, 426.

Roes, mystically interpreted, 317.

Roos, M. F., xiii.

Rosenmtlller, xii.

Saadias, R., xi.

Sacrament of the Altar, St. Bernard upon the, 215; is food and consolation to the soul, 219.

Saints, the glory of the, due to God, 71.

Salisbury, John of, his Polycraticus, 235.

Salmeron, xiii.

Samaritan, the good, 272.

Scripture, Holy, threefold sense of, 132; declares Divine truths in a figurative manner, 455.

Self-denial needs to be continually renewed, 353.

Self, the love of, 8. i Sensuality mystically interpreted, 249.! Separation worse than death, 158.

Seraphin, the, 107. I Seven, the number, mystical signification of, 86, 88.

Shadows, mystically explained, 441, 444.

Shepherds, the, their vision, 16; evil pastors are hurtful to their flocks, 219.

Simeon, his gladness at Christ's coming, 16.

Sins, called walls between God and man. 335; enfeeble the qualities of the soul, S.

Sixtus of Sienna, 5, 35.

Sleep of the body, 315.

Sleep, those blamed who indulge in during service, 35.

Solitude, the real nature of, 255; the solitary life unwisely chosen, 384.

Solomon, curtains of, mystical sense, 156.

Son, the, His unity with the Father, 432-436.

Song of Songs, the title, 7, 10.

Sorrow, gives a zest to joy which follows. 418.

Soul, the ardent love of for God, 33; called the Bride of the Lord, 34; its I three great faculties (reason, will, and memory), 57, 58; a depraved soul not able to love God, 147; a holy soul called heaven, 167; whether it has its origin in heaven, 170; how said to be heaven, 172; is measured by the charity INDEX.

it possesses, 174; its union with the Word not imaginary, but not corporeal, 204; what the devout soul ought to seek, 214; aspirations of, 218; how lamentable for it to leave God for created things, 228; souls that are carnal and worldly called women. 245; what constitutes its beauty, 252; its solitude, 255; its twofold beauty, 275; how it speaks to God the Word, 279; sleep of the, 315 its aspirations towards heaven. 354; said to abide in the clefts of the Rock, 371, 373; how it belongs to the Lord, 417; how the Father and the Word enter into, 420; the love of God for it causes it to love Him, 425; unity with God of the holy soul, 432; its love to the Lord, 483; is in the image of the Word, 488; its greatness and righteousness, 490; its immortality and freewill, 494, 497; this partly lost, 501; is enfeebled by sin, 506; how able to recover its likeness to Christ, 507; conformed to Him by love, 508; is sought first by God, 511; the seven needs of, wherefore it seeks the Word, 515; devotion and understanding, the two feet of, 517; cannot be overthrown against its will, 518.

Speech, said to be sometimes unmeasured and involuntary, 410.

Spirits, the four orders of. 24; compared to mountains and hills, 319.

Starke, 'Synopsis,' xiii.

Stars, virtues called by this name. 172 Storehouse of the Bridegroom.mystical sense of, 132.

Storrs, Dr. R. S., xxii.

Synagogue, the, desirous to monopolize the knowledge of God, 75; said to be as a repudiated bride, 414.

Talmud of Jerusalem and of Babylon, xi.

Temptations, four kinds of, 221.

Teresa. St. of Jesus, xii.

Thankfulness, duty of, 311.

Theodoret, Bishop, xii.

Thomas, St., his request to the Lord, 213, Thoughts, good, are from God, but evil from ourselves, 210. Thrones, the. an order of Angels, 106. Thrupp, J. F., xiv. Truth, called a lily, 426.

Unbelief, called a night, 466. Unity, the, of the Divine Persons, 432, 435, 436.

Upright, why man was created in that state, 146.

Vainglory, a temptation, 222 Vineyards, the souls of the faithful spoken of as, 192; souls and Churches spoken of as (and as vines,), 348, 363; to be carefully cultivated, 378.

Virgins, the foolish, 460 Virtues, the, an order of Angels, 105; compared to stars, 172; called lilies, 426; called the drink of the Word, 443.

Vision of God, the. 201; the Beatific, ib.; not to be attained in this life. 202; cannot be described, 205; faith a preparation for, 320.

Visitations of the Lord to be reverently observed, 340; by what signs known 341, 457, 458.

Walls between God and man, sins com- Wpared to, 335. atchmen, the Apostles called thus, 471, 475; the qualities needful for, 472. Water, the ordeal by, 406. Widowhood, commendation cf. 354. Windows, Christ's experiences of the weaknesses of men called thus, 336. Wine, comparison of, with carnal delights, 48: St. Paul's allowance of the use of, 200.

Winter, mystical sense of, 349, 354.

Wisdom, true, 8; of the world, ib.; contrasted with that of Christ, 199; gives all things their right value. 306; description of a man who is truly wise, 307; called the beauty of a soul. 460 Word, the, His Flesh not subject to perishableness, 230; how He speaks to the soul. 279; in what sense said to have hands, 311; typified by gold. 369; signs of His coming to the soul, 457; of His departure, 458; is the Image of God, 487; what it is to enjoy communion with, 524.

Wordsworth. Bishop Christopher; xiv.

Works, relation of faith to, 149.

World, love of the, 8.

Wounds of Jesus a place of refuge, 367.

Zeal, the, needed by spiritual guides, 136;

danger of, without discretion. 299. Zockler, Dr. Otto, xiv.

I the END.

The Complete Works of St. Bernard, ABBOT OF CLAIRVAUX.

Translated into English from the Edition of Dom. Joannes Mabillon, of the Benedictine Congregation of St. Maur (Paris, 1690), and Edited by Samuel J. Eales, D.C.L., some time Principal of St. Boniface College, Warminster. Vols. I. and IL, containing the Letters of St. Bernard. Vol. III. and IV. just ready. Vol. V. in the press.

"In his writings great natural powers shine forth resplendently, an intellect more than that of the subtle Abelard, an eloquence that was irresistible, an imagination like a poet, and a simplicity that wins the admiration of all. Priests will find it a most valuable book for spiritual reading and sermons. The printing and binding of the work are superb.,,—Catholic World [New York].

"We wish Dr. Eales and his publisher all success in what may be called a noble undertaking.''—Church Quarterly Review.

"No writer of the Middle Ages is so fruitful of moral inspiration as St. Bernard, no character is more beautiful, and no man in any age whatever so faithfully represented all that was best in the impulses of his time, or exercised so powerful an influence upon it.... There is no man whose letters cover so many subjects of abiding interest, or whose influence was so widely spread."—Athenaum.

"It is not a little strange that a man of intellect so powerful and character so noble and self-denying should have had to wait seven centuries for his works to be rendered into English... The letters are of great historic interest, and many of them most touching. The simple earnestness of the man, and his utter freedom from ambition, strike us on almost every page."—Notes and Queries.

"We congratulate both the publisher and the editor upon the issue of these volumes, which we predict will be warmly appreciated by English readers, and which we can thoroughly recommend."—Literary Churchman.

"The task which Dr. Eales has undertaken of bringing out an English edition of Bernard works is one that is deserving of every praise, and we hope that it may be carried to completion by the appearance of the remaining volumes without undue delay."—Literary World.

"English readers of every class and creed owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Eales for the great and useful work which he has undertaken. It is strange that now for the first time has such a task been even, as far as we are aware, approached... In this the earliest complete English edition of Bernard's works, a reparation, tardy indeed, but ample, is about to be made for the neglect or indifference of so many bygone generations of the English-speaking race.... We have indeed much to be grateful for to the first English translator of S.Bernard's works."—The Month.