Bede

Your two breasts, etc. The same mysteries of Christ and the Church are repeated in various ways and in many forms, but repeated they always bring something new, which either provides an explanation for the same mysteries or through the novelty itself, delights the minds of the listeners further. Therefore, the same teachers who were previously designated by the names of eyes or teeth or neck, are now expressed by the term breasts: indeed, they may rightly be called eyes, because they perceive the hidden mysteries; rightly called teeth, because by rebuking the wicked, they as it were chew, and pass them into the body of the Church softened and humbled; rightly called neck, because to the whole body of the Church, they minister eternal joys by preaching, as if they were providing vital breath, and prepare the food of doctrines by which it is refashioned for salvation. But they are most aptly called breasts now, because they pour out the milk of the saving word to those who are still infants in Christ. Nor does he say "your two breasts" without reason, with the addition of a number, since no woman usually has more or less than two breasts: he says two breasts, to suggest that the infants of the two peoples, namely the Jewish and the Gentile, are to be nourished in faith. Finally, Paul says: James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship, that we should go unto the Gentiles, and they unto the circumcision; and so forth (Gal. II). But see what Peter, who was sent to the circumcision, says: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby; if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious (I Pet. II). By saying this, he also explains the mystery of the Church’s breasts, saying that it is reasonable to desire the milk of the Lord, because He is sweet. Again, let us see if Paul, who was sent to the uncircumcision, also performs the duty of the breasts; for he says: And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ, I have fed you with milk, and not with meat (I Cor. III). These two breasts are like two twins of a roe, because they are indeed offspring of the one to whom it is so often said in this song: Be thou like to a roe or to a young hart. Like twins of a roe, because with the pure eyes of their hearts, they discern what is to be done, what avoided, by which path of virtues to proceed, because with a sagacious mind they perceive the words' complexities to be avoided, and hasten in the swift course of good works from the valley of weeping to the place which God has appointed; so that walking from virtue to virtue they may deserve to see Him in Zion, that is, in the watchtower of eternal habitation. For roes excel in both the swiftness of their feet and the sharpness of their eyes; hence those who are ordered to show the way of knowledge and virtue to the unlearned are fittingly compared to these. As he says, like two twins of a roe; well twins, because imbued with the same faith, renewed by the same sacraments, the teachers of both peoples gather all whom they educate into the one Church of Christ. Thus, Peter says of those who believed from the uncircumcision: And God, who knows the hearts, bore them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did unto us; and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith (Acts XV).

Those who are fed among the lilies, etc. The holy teachers are nourished by the pure and resplendent flowers of the divine Scriptures, and lest the milk of salvific doctrine, with which they feed the little ones, should lack, they always read in the writings of the Fathers what they ought to achieve, how they should teach, and they satisfy their hearts as though with vital sap, and this until the end of the world. For after that day shall dawn which the Psalmist desiringly spoke of: For one day in your courts is better than a thousand (Psalm 83), there will be neither a time for teaching nor a time for learning. The prophecy will be fulfilled which says: And they shall not teach each other, saying: Know the Lord, for they shall all know me (Jeremiah 31); but with all the shadows of this world entirely inclined and consumed, the saints will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13), each receiving rewards according to what they have learned, done, and taught. Beautiful, indeed, as far as the natural order is concerned, is the vanishing of the night, the inclination of the shadows, because the darkness of the night, as philosophers say, is nothing other than the shadow of the earth. For the sun, circling the earth, brings with it light and day; on the other hand, from the side where it is absent, it leaves the shadow of the earth. And this is the primordial division whereby God divided between the light and the darkness. These shadows, with the sun setting, and now and then rising again, gradually begin to lift, and as much as the sun descends under the earth, these shadows grow and rise, until, at the midpoint of the night, the sun being set under the middle of the earth, the shadows themselves, now raised, occupy the middle of the earth, and then, with the sun gradually proceeding, they also gradually bend towards their setting, until, with the dawn appearing, they entirely inclining vanish away. Therefore, the shadows of the earth do not reach the stars because the sun, created larger than the earth, makes a pointed shadow which, before it reaches the stars, dissipates, and the splendor of the sun spread all around the earth freely illuminates the stars that look upon it. Hence, the present life is night; the sun of justice, Christ. Whose light is often concealed from us by the heavy mass of earthly desires, so that it is not seen. And as strictly as He recedes from us, we are darkened; as graciously as He returns, we are illuminated. Truly, however, we will enjoy His light when, all darkness of present affliction and blindness being now inclined and dispersed, we will see Him as He is (1 John 3). Yet, being mindful of our salvation in all things, He did not leave the night of this life entirely in darkness, but like planting stars in the sky, He proposed to us the examples of the saints, through which we might walk the path of our deeds unfalteringly.

I will go to the mountain of myrrh, etc. In myrrh is represented the mortification of the flesh, or the endurance of sufferings for the sake of piety; in incense, the high devotion of prayer is expressed. But the mountain of myrrh, and the hill of incense, represent the very loftiness of the mind of those who effectively overcome the struggle of the flesh, and fervently lift themselves to the love of heavenly things. Indeed, to this mountain and this hill the Lord goes, because He will often deign to visit and dwell in the hearts of those who strive for virtues. Hence, He says: I will dwell in them, and walk among them (II Cor. VI). Praising the Church, therefore, and enumerating each member of its virtues, He suddenly adds: I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of incense, which is openly saying: I will frequent them and glorify them with benevolent enlightenment, whom I observe to be exalted in the virtue of suffering or prayer. I will come often and make my abode with them; whom I regard as purifying from the pollution of the body and perfecting sanctification in the fear of God. Not that He proposes to desert it, which He praised, and to go to others, but because He intends to daily add new peoples to the same Church and to extend it throughout the entire world. Nor is it incongruous that these things, since the speech is about the Church from the nations, might be understood regarding the calling of the Synagogue, which is to occur at the end. For He returns an answer to her desire, in which, having found Him previously, she said: I held Him and would not let Him go until I brought Him into my mother's house. And in the next verse, He taught that the Church of the Gentiles would never let Him go, as He said: Your two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies, until the day breathes and the shadows flee away; that is, teachers will be in you, who will instruct two peoples, concordant in humble and chaste love until the end of the age, when the day of eternal retribution will appear. Then, because He is also going to call Judea, He more manifestly insinuates, adding: I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of incense; not because on coming, He will find it in the height of virtues, which having given a bill of divorce has long since departed from His faith, but because by coming, He will make it worthy of His fellowship. Hence, He well immediately subjoins about the very ample beauty of the one and the same Church, which is to be gathered either from Judea or from all nations throughout the world.

You are entirely beautiful, my friend, etc. You are beautiful not only in the distinguished members of the elect, which I have specifically enumerated, but also in those who seem small and fragile, and you shine with the beauty of virtues, and you are free from the stain of vices. For He has blessed all those who fear the Lord, small and great alike (Psalm 113). Hence, in his Apocalypse, John speaks of the heavenly homeland of the same Church: "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life" (Revelation 13). These things are said not because in this life any of the saints can be entirely free from all faults or perfect in virtues; since it is written truly, "There is no one on earth who is righteous, who does what is right and never sins" (Ecclesiastes 7); but because the holy Church, as the Church of Christ, is pure in faith and conduct; if any defilement or depravity touches it, it does not belong to it, but must be quickly purged away with all effort, as something foreign. Similarly, Blessed John says, "Everyone born of God does not commit sin" (1 John 3); because His seed remains in him, and he cannot sin, as he is born of God. For in as much as the seed of God's grace, through which they are reborn, remains, they cannot sin; but in as much as they do sin, grace has temporarily left them, so that they may recognize what they are of themselves, who lived righteously through grace. This same grace, having cleansed them from all evil after this life, and shining with perfect beauty, will lead them into that city where, as it is said, nothing impure can enter; and then in the friend of the bridegroom, this will truly be fulfilled, for which she now strives with all the effort of virtue, that she may be entirely beautiful, without any stain.

You will be crowned from the head of Amana, etc. Amana, Sanir, and Hermon are mountains of Cilicia or Judea, providing dens for lions and leopards and likewise other wild beasts; which clearly designate the proud hearts of the unbelievers, in which unclean spirits have their seat. On the contrary, concerning the elect, the Lord says through the prophet, "Upon whom will my Spirit rest, but upon the humble and quiet, and the one who trembles at my words" (Isaiah 7)? For the demons are indeed lions, because of their pride; leopards, because of their cruelty or the variety of their malicious arts. Therefore, when the holy Church has rescued such souls from the power of darkness through its preachers and has converted them to the knowledge of true light, it happens that these preachers receive the crown of life not only for themselves but also for those whom they have acquired for the Lord, according to that saying from Proverbs, "The crown of the aged is their children's children; and the glory of children is their fathers" (Prov. 17). And the Apostle concerning those whom he taught: "What is our glory, our hope, or joy, or crown of glory, if not you before our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?" (1 Thess. 2). And it is to be noted that he does not say, “You will be crowned from Amana, Sanir, and Hermon; but from the head of Amana, and from the power of Sanir and Hermon.” Therefore, when the church converts the humble common people to the Lord, it gains a crown from the sides of the mountains, where the beasts had lurked, because it receives a reward for the salvation of the contradictory people. But when it has led the very princes of malice and the public persecutors to the way of life, it is crowned evidently from the head and the summit of the mountains, because the reward grows with the labor of the struggle. Similar to what is added, "From the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards": for the dens of lions are like the mountains of leopards, for those who, driven by a more fierce fury of the malign spirits, prevail in harming the flock of Christ by force and deceit: whom, when the Church has subdued and recalled to the grace of humility and piety, will itself be crowned from these, because it will rejoice in their eternal salvation. For those who, having nothing of contrary virtue, only pursue the good through deceit, are not named dens of lions, but more aptly dens of foxes: hence the Lord said to the scribe offering service deceitfully to Him but not prevailing against the church, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head" (Matt. 8). In the name of the foxes, He designated lightness and deceit; in the appellation of the birds, the loftiness of that mind. But when the Church has also saved these, it becomes so that the Son of Man rests by merit of humility and sincerity, where previously the wicked spirits had usurped homes for themselves in boasting and lightness.

Come from Lebanon, etc. Lebanon, if we follow the Hebrew etymology, is interpreted as whiteness; if the Greek, incense. Finally, above, where we read, To the hill of frankincense, some codices have, To the hill of Lebanon. However, both names evidently sound out the industry of virtue. The bride of the Lord, that is, the Church or a holy soul, comes to Him, not only when called out of the body and receiving the reward of eternal recompense but also while living in this age, she progresses to better things with each increase of good works as if by so many steps she approaches Him who is singularly good. She reaches there when, freed from bodily bonds, she deserves to see His face. He thus sees the bride placed in Lebanon and advises her to come to Him because when the Lord observes a faithful soul, adorned with good deeds, offering the incense of pure prayer to Him, He delights in her pious endeavors and encourages her to persist in what she has begun. He does this either through the secret admonition of His inspiration, through the meditation of the divine Scriptures, through the exhortations of other faithful, or even through the beneficial provision of her circumstances, whether laborious or pleasant, acting kindly toward her so that, either worn by the troubles of the present exile, she may more ardently desire the homeland of everlasting rest, or elevated by the current achievements of good deeds, she may more sweetly covet the unfailing joys of the heavenly city. Thirdly, He commands the bride to come from Lebanon because He requires progress in His chosen ones of good operation, salutary speech, and pure thought. Or certainly, He says, Come from Lebanon, my bride, come from Lebanon, come: come through the best life you may exercise while living in the body; come freed from the body, to receive the perpetual life of the soul; come thirdly with the body received again, to witness the perfect joys of the resurrection. And because many of the chosen, not only for the purity of their lives but also for the correction of others whom they educated, attain the eternal reward, it aptly follows:

In one of your eyes, etc. We have already said that in the eyes of the Church, either her spiritual senses or those who are able to see and demonstrate her spiritualities, the teachers are understood: furthermore, in the hair, the multitude of people, who, although they cannot reach the height of that discourse in which the Lord says: If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me (Matthew 19), nonetheless they tend towards heavenly things by the way of good actions, of which He previously said: If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself (Ibid.). But there, while the eyes and the hairs are described in the plural number, indicating a multitude either of leaders or listeners; here, in one of the eyes, the unity of the teachers or of the spiritual knowledge, which they teach, is commended, of which it is written: One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all (Ephesians 4). Also, in one strand of the neck, the unity of those who are accustomed to adhere to spiritual teachers with pious devotion is praised, covering them with reverential services, just as hairs cover the neck: for even in the neck of the Church the same teachers were shown above. Luke designates this unity of hair when he says: The multitude of believers were of one heart and one soul (Acts 4); nor did any say that anything of what they possessed was their own, but they had all things in common (Ibid.). What the neck, to which this same hair was attached, might do, he subsequently intimates, saying: With great power, the apostles gave testimony of the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord (Acts 6). He says, therefore: You have wounded my heart, my sister, my bride, you have wounded my heart in one of your eyes and in one strand of your neck. As if to say plainly, Indeed the whole form of your body, which spreads far and wide throughout the world, O Catholic Church, appears beautiful and spotless to me; but this is what remarkably arouses me above others to love you, because you are proven to have the unity of the same faith and love, both in your illustrious faithful and in your subjects. This is what led me to endure the wound of death in your behalf. Because I desired you to strive for unity in all your members, both in the greater and lesser, and the stronger and the more moderate, so that with one and undivided mind you may strive for that life in which the unity of true peace and glory reigns.

And the scent of your ointments, etc. The scent of the Church's spiritual ointments is the fame of the gifts; of which it is written: Their voice has gone out unto all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world (Psalm XVIII). And when Mary Magdalene anointed the Lord with nard as a type of the holy Church, it is written: And the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment (Matthew XXVI); where it is mystically signified that with the devout services of the Church, which are performed in honor of her Redeemer, the whole world would be filled. If, by the name of wine, the legal observance is rightly expressed, as was proven above by evangelical authority, what prevents the sweet rumor of the saints of that time from being indicated by the name of aromatic spices? Therefore, he says, the scent of your ointments is above all spices, because there is no doubt that the fame of the Christian faith, widespread throughout the world, has far surpassed the fame of the righteous who were among the earlier people. Therefore, because it has brought a public conflict to the world, having renounced the worship of the gods, it has endured public persecution from the world until it conquered: for it is not fitting for the Bride of Christ to be compared to base and vile things, either to wine, which taste consumes, or to spices, which the air customarily disperses, since even to the legal observance, it is of very little praise if it is said to surpass the cups or the spices that are suited to the senses of the flesh.

Your breasts are more beautiful than wine. At the beginning of this song, this verse has already been explained, where it was said: "Because your breasts are better than wine," and it was understood that these words also demonstrate the beginnings of the evangelical faith surpassing all the virtue of the Mosaic law, because it led no one to perfection, since it could not bring its worshippers, even the distinguished ones, into the kingdom of heavenly life; but the grace of faith leads those reborn in the font of baptism, even infants and those who die at a very young age, to heavenly joys. For many documents prove that the ceremonies of the law should be compared to wine, but most especially that which happens when the wine runs out at the mystical wedding of the Church, so that, with the Lord miraculously working, water is made into far better wine: where it is indicated typically that the literal observation of the law would come to an end, and what was veiled in the letter would be revealed by the grace of the Gospel, the spiritual love of water would intoxicate the house of heavenly marriage, that is, the holy Church, which Christ deemed worthy to consecrate as His bride. Therefore, the breasts of the bride are more beautiful than wine, because the beginnings of evangelical faith surpass the legal decrees, even those that have proven to be fragrant with no little taste and sweetness of virtues. But it should be noted more carefully in these words that the beloved praises the breasts of his beloved bride above, but here the same beloved praises the breasts of his sister and bride, and testifies that they are to be preferred to wine: for this reciprocal insertion in the sacred song is not to be thought of as in vain, but so that the unity of Christ and the Church may be more deeply recommended. For He is the head of the body of the Church, and she is the body of this head. Hence the Apostle also said: "The two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery. But I speak concerning Christ and the Church" (Eph. 5). Therefore, by a similar example, the breasts of the bridegroom and the bride are praised as if they were the same, because the same teachers of the Church are the teachers of Christ: of the Church, obviously, because they teach it; of Christ, however, because they teach at His command, because they teach His precepts to it, because by teaching they advance it to His companionship. Finally, the Apostle, who said: "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ" (Rom. 1), also said again; "We are your servants for Jesus' sake" (2 Cor. 4). And in another place: "All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas" (1 Cor. 3).

How beautiful are your breasts! etc. Just as in the neck, eyes, and teeth, so too in the breasts are understood the teachers of the Church; but this is different in that they are to be regarded with these names either when they speak wisdom among the perfect or when they refute those who contradict; indeed, when they become weak for the weak in order to gain the weak, they are rightly said to have the office of breasts, because they impart the milk of milder doctrine to those of small understanding, namely to those who cannot yet comprehend the bread of a higher word. For they are teeth when they rebuke the restless; they are breasts when they comfort the faint-hearted and support the weak. And rightly does he praise and marvel at the beauty of the breasts in his sister and bride, for it is a work great before God and of wondrous virtue, when one who is capable of revealing the higher secrets of truth to the more perfect does not disdain to instruct the weak in the rudiments of faith. Rightly does the Lord testify that such a soul is his sister and bride, because he considers her most worthy of his love and union, as he sees her become an imitator of his work. For he himself, to make us strong from the weak, did not refuse to be weak for a time, even to die so that we might live. Though he was the bread of angels in divinity, he willed to hide himself in the assumption of flesh, so as to nourish human faint-heartedness and make them capable of the same heavenly bread. For since an infant is less fit to feed on bread, by thus consuming the bread the mother in a way incarnates herself, and through the humility of the breast and milk’s juice feeds the child on that same bread. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1). This is the eternal food by which the angels are refreshed, for they are satisfied by seeing His glory. But the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (Ibid.), so that thus also the wisdom of God, which consoles us as a mother, might refresh us with that same bread, and through the sacrament of the incarnation lead us to the knowledge and vision of divine love. But the holy teachers also transform the bread by which they are themselves sublimely nourished into milk by which they nourish the little ones, while the higher they contemplate eternal joys in God, the more humbly they sympathize with the weakness of their neighbors.

Honey and milk are under your tongue. In milk is the instruction of the little ones, in honey the doctrine suited for those who are more advanced is signified. The Apostle teaches about milk, when, reproaching some who had fallen from the faith, he says: And you have become such as need milk, not solid food. He teaches about wisdom with honey, when he says: Just as one who eats much honey, it is not good for him, so he who is a seeker of majesty will be overwhelmed by it (Prov. XXV). He does not forbid eating honey, but eating too much, because we are not altogether forbidden from searching the majesty of God, especially since it is sung in the praise of the righteous themselves: They will speak of the glory of your majesty and of your wondrous works (Psalm CXLIV); but we are called back from attempting those things which exceed our measure. Hence, he also says elsewhere about lovers of heavenly wisdom: If you have found honey, eat what is sufficient for you, lest being filled you vomit it up (Prov. XXV). It is fitting, however, that honey and milk are recalled under the tongue: for he has the word of God on his tongue when he speaks it; he has it under his tongue when he meditates diligently in his heart on what ought to be spoken; he has honey and milk under his tongue when he rightly knows to discern what should be spoken to beginners, what to those who are advancing; and also to those who are perfect in knowledge and charity. And these things themselves, when the appropriate time comes, he dispenses through the ministry of his tongue according to the capacity of the listeners.

And the scent of your garments, etc. The garments of the Church are its works, as attested by John, who speaking of her future blessedness, says: "The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready, and it was granted to her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure" (Rev. XIX). For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And blessed Job: "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a diadem" (Job XXIX). Moreover, as often stated, in incense are signified the supernal desires of the just and the soaring fervor of frequent prayers. Hence rightly the scent of the bride's garments is compared to the scent of incense, because all that the holy Church works for the Lord, render the office of prayers for her; nor otherwise could that apostolic dictum, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. V), be fulfilled, unless all that we devoutly do, commends us devoutly like intercession to our Creator. For neither the Apostle himself nor any of the saints could always devote time to prayer to the exclusion of sleep, food, or other necessities of this life; but because the just continually perform what is just, through this the just pray without ceasing, and never cease from prayer unless they fall into sin. Therefore, the scent of their garments smells like the scent of incense, because the fame of the good works they do ascends in the divine judgement like prayers. This verse harmonizes with what was said above: "And the scent of your ointments surpasses all aromatics"; for in that instance, by the name of ointments is shown the infusion of the Holy Spirit, which enlightens the hearts of the faithful and prepares them for spiritual battle; here, by the term garments, are shown the outward deeds of the just. Hence, with a beautiful distinction, the works done through humans are compared to the scent of incense; but the gifts bestowed by divine largesse exceed the mode of comparison, as the scent of the Church's ointments is said to transcend all aromatics. Since mention of incense is often made in this song, and what it typologically signifies is known, it is fitting to instruct the ignorant a little about the nature of this aromatic. It is a tree of Arabia, similar in bark and leaf to the laurel, emitting sap like that of almonds, which is collected twice a year, in autumn and spring. But in the autumnal collection, the trees are prepared by cutting their bark in the intense heat of summer, and the rich foam that springs forth solidifies when collected on the smooth surface of palm bark, and what remains on the tree is scraped off with iron, thus it appears bark-like. This is the purest and whitest incense. The second harvest truly, the same winter, with bark incised. This exits red, nor is it considered comparable to the former, and of the young tree it is whiter, but of the old more fragrant. That which depends on the roundness of the droplet, we call male; but the drop beaten out by a blow, we call manna. The region producing incense is called Sarvia, which the Greeks say signifies mystery, impassable everywhere by rocks, and from the right carried up by inaccessible sea cliffs; a single narrow path extends the length of the forests for one hundred thousand paces, or, as others say, eighty; the width is half. High hills rise, and trees spontaneously grow and descend into the plains. It is agreed that the land is clayey, with rare and nitrous springs. These things, as we have found in ancient books, have been briefly said about the nature and location of incense. Almost all of these, if anyone diligently attends, suitably align with the virtues of the saints, especially because the region in which it is born is called mystery: for the trees spontaneously grow, appropriately fitting those whose supreme virtue is not compelled by laws or edicts, but is usually wonderful due to voluntary offering, as the Lord says: If you wish to be perfect, go, sell all that you have; and the rest (Matt. XIX). When the trees are incised, the tear of the incense flows, what does it indicate but the compunction of the humble heart, from which pure prayer, sweetened with tears, is usually generated? That it has rare but nitrous springs, it suits those from whose belly, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water flow, that is, the gifts of spiritual doctrine emanate (John. VII), also suitable for cleansing the minds of neighbors. For nitre is usually very suitable for healing infirmities and for washing away impurities. That the region is surrounded on all sides by the fortification of cliffs and rocks, agrees with the merits of those about whom the Lord speaks through a parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, and surrounded it with a hedge (Matt. XXI). For the Lord planted the Church, establishing it with the precepts of life, and surrounded it with the hedge of His protection, safeguarding it everywhere so that it cannot be exterminated by evil spirits or men. Moreover, after the Lord individually praised each member of the Church in detail, he likewise lastly commended with worthy praise the ointments with which it was entirely anointed. For none of its members, whether small or great, are not consecrated by the spiritual infusion of this anointment; for whoever lacks this, is not in the body of the Church. He also praised its garments, that is, its works of justice, for with these its entire body is adorned. For no one in it merits eternal life unless clothed in just works, which either he did; or, if he was an infant, others did in him and for him. But because it seemed slow to the supreme lover to praise the members of his spouse individually, it seemed little to liken each precious thing to each of her parts, he praises her entirely, and simultaneously compares her to many great things, subjoining:

A dripping honeycomb, your lips, bride. A honeycomb is honey in the wax; but honey in the wax is the spiritual sense of divine words in the letter, which is rightly called a dripping honeycomb: for a honeycomb drips when it has more honey than those wax cells can hold, because thus indeed is the fertility of the holy Scriptures, that a verse which is usually written in a short line, if carefully examined and expressed, is found to fill many pages with how much inner sweetness of spiritual understanding it contains. To give one example, the Psalmist says: Praise the Lord, Jerusalem (Psalm 147); which according to the letter indeed exhorts the citizens of that city, in which was God's temple, to offer praises to Him. But according to allegory, Jerusalem is the Church of Christ spread throughout the world; again according to tropology, that is, the moral sense, any holy soul is rightly called Jerusalem; also according to anagoge, that is, the understanding leading to higher things, Jerusalem is the habitation of the heavenly homeland, which consists of holy angels and men. It fits all appropriately, though many distinctions, that Jerusalem means vision of peace, which is commanded to praise the Lord: for no single holy soul can offer as many praises to God as the Church throughout the world; nor is the universal Church itself as perfect while wandering on earth away from the Lord, as it reigns blessed in the presence of its Lord in heaven; nor can the peace of the saints, which is meanwhile in the hope of seeing God and being delivered from evil, be equated to the vision of that peace which they have in reality, who, delivered from all evils, enjoy the highest good. Therefore, a honeycomb, not only full of honey but also dripping, are the lips of the bride, when the teachers of the Church, either in legal figures, or in prophetic sayings, or in the very words of the Lord, or in mystical deeds, demonstrate the manifold abundance of interior sweetness that exists, and prepare from them the sweetest and most wholesome mental feasts for His faithful members, that is, good listeners. Nor is it contradictory that the lips of the bride are earlier compared to ribbons and now to a honeycomb, since the latter delights by satisfying the throat, the former constrains by binding the hair; the latter refreshes inside, the former ties outside. For the same teachers are both ribbons in their salutary precepts and honeycomb in their heavenly promises: ribbons, when they restrain us from the flow of carnal pleasures; honeycomb, when they promise us the gifts of heavenly joys. Likewise, they are ribbons in those things which openly teach what must be done or avoided; honeycomb in those things that, having been done or spoken typically, reveal what mystery of salvation they hold within.

A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, etc. The garden is the Church, which produces various sprouts of spiritual works, which are subsequently listed under various names of spices. It is a fountain that overflows with saving doctrine, by which it waters the minds of its faithful, as if they were herb beds of spices, which it had prepared spread out. Hence it is written: A deep water, words from the mouth of a man, and an overflowing torrent, the fountain of wisdom (Prov. XX). Therefore, the Apostle says: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase (I Cor. III). I planted, as if in the Lord's garden, the spices of virtues; Apollos watered, as if from the sealed fountain of heavenly doctrine; but the Lord, as his workers, helped, lest they labor in vain. But this garden is enclosed, because the Church, fortified with the protection of its Lord and Redeemer, persists lest it should ever be violated by the invasion of impious ones, either of unbelieving men or unclean spirits, and delayed in the bearing of heavenly fruits by being trampled upon in all directions. This fountain is sealed, because the word of faith, which is in the Gospel, protected by seals, can never be disturbed by any attack of the erring. For there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all (Ephes. IV). Whoever attempts to break this seal of the living fountain errs, and cannot profane the fountain of life; but rather kills himself in this, while the impious thrust themselves forward; like the example of the Egyptian army, which was drowned in the mystical Red Sea baptism, whereby the people of God were saved, when they presumptuously entered into sacred things not by believing, but by pursuing. And because the same holy Church, which is designated by the name of the sacred irrigated garden, was first indeed located in the small sod of Judea, but was soon greatly amplified throughout the whole world, it is rightly added:

Your branches are a paradise of pomegranates, etc. Because the early Church, which was at Jerusalem, produced many people for God from water and the Spirit, it is rightly said that the sacred garden, assisted by the irrigation of the divine fountain, emitted a paradise, not of any kind of trees, but of pomegranates with the fruits of apples. The pomegranates, which bloom with a blood-red color, signify the triumphs of those in the Church who, after the general washing of the sealing fountain, are also baptized with their own blood. However, the fruits of the apples indicate the works of general virtues, or those who perform the works of virtues: although among the pomegranates, which this garden is first said to emit from itself, the whole assembly of the baptized can rightly be accepted, because undoubtedly the regenerating fountain is dedicated to the mystery of the Lord's passion. For as many of us as were baptized in Christ Jesus, were baptized into His death. For we were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that just as Christ rose from the dead by the glory of God, we also might walk in newness of life (Rom. VI). However, after the many pomegranates, follow the fruits of apples and spices, worthy of such a beginning, because after the ascent of the fountain sprinkled with His precious blood, through which we become the children of God, it necessarily follows that the fragrant fertility of virtues, with which the grace of our regeneration is adorned and always grows, comes.

Pipe and cinnamon, etc. The pipe, which is also called cassia, is counted among aromatic trees. It has a robust and purple bark, which is said to be very beneficial for curing internal ailments. Due to its brevity, some consider it among fragrant herbs; these rightly signify those humble in spirit, for whom is the kingdom of heaven; who, as if clothed in purple, always remember the passion of the Lord, always prepared to suffer for the Lord, like the one who said: "For your sake we are killed all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered” (Psalm 43). For this virtue, which more than any other, has the habit of subduing and removing internal troubles and lusts when we recall what God suffered for us, recognizing that we suffer less than we deserve. Cinnamon holds the same significance: for this tree is short in trunk but strong and fragrant, and very useful in medicine, excelling double the pipe. Hence it may aptly be understood that Scripture intended to express the progress of humility, placing cinnamon after the pipe: for since it is said to be of a dark or ashen color, it suits the minds of the humble, who, conscious of their own frailty, know to say to God in daily prayers: "I speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes” (Gen. 18). And again: "I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42). And well does it place cinnamon, an ash-colored tree, after the purple-colored pipe, because our thoughts of the Lord's wound give rise to contempt for our own virtue. The bark of it is valued, and since it is round like a reed and slender, it takes the name cinnamon. For in Greek, ammomum is said to mean ‘spotless.’ He says, "Pipe and cinnamon with all the trees of Lebanon." Just as the pipe and cinnamon signify the humble thoughts of the just, so do the trees of Lebanon show their lofty actions, because these not only excel in fragrance and healing like the pipe and cinnamon, and boast the glory of their bark, but also rise to great height and strength. Hence, they are suitable for larger buildings, as also attested by this song, in which it is said: "The beams of our houses are cedar.” And again: "King Solomon made himself a carriage of the wood of Lebanon." Therefore, the pipe and cinnamon come forth in the garden of the Lord with all the trees of Lebanon, because those who are admirable in humility and patience in the holy Church, together with those who firmly support the Church by preaching or performing virtues, await the palm of heavenly reward. Myrrh and aloe express the restraint of the flesh, because it is the nature of these aromatics that bodies anointed with them after death do not decay, as evidenced by the burial of the Lord. For just as the corruption of dead flesh indicates the rottenness of luxury, so the preservation of it, where it is typically received in a good sense, aptly demonstrates the virtue of continence and chastity, which restrain our members from vices. Indeed, the first of those ointments are those about which the Apostle says: "But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Cor. 12), and the rest he wonderfully discusses regarding those great virtues in which charity holds the summit, the great master of eloquence. A truly beautiful conjunction, that myrrh and aloes with all the chief ointments may arise in the Lord's garden, for as we restrain the flesh from lasciviousness, it follows that we may receive the greater gifts of the Spirit. It has been contradicted, for wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins (Wisdom 1). For the Holy Spirit of discipline will flee deceit (Ibid.). Now myrrh is a tree of Arabia, reaching a height of five cubits, similar to a thorn, which the Greeks call acanthus, whose gum is green and bitter, whence it also took the name myrrh. All this aptly relates to the mortification of the flesh, which feels bitter for a time but is most willingly accepted in the hope of an ever-blooming homeland, of which Peter says: "He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven" (1 Peter 1). It is rightly compared to thorns because, to save the mind perpetually, it temporarily afflicts the body with the pricks of labors. But that its spontaneously flowing gum is more precious, while that obtained by wounding the bark is cheaper, who would not see that it is a greater virtue before God when someone with a healthy and vigorous body, even with an abundance of external things smiling upon them, strives to discipline and subject it to servitude rather than when, pressed by illness or other adversities of the world, they unwillingly restrain the flesh from lasciviousness and are coerced into the remedy of abstinence? Although this too should rightly be numbered among great virtues, when someone, patiently, humbly, and gladly accepting the lashes of paternal correction, reaches the gifts of the promised inheritance through these means. Aloe too, if considered more closely, is aptly likened to the continent: for it is a tree of very pleasant and superior odor, whose wood the ancients used as a substitute for incense on altars. Yet its juice is extremely bitter, but suitable for many medicines. Thus indeed the restraint of bodily pleasures through continence is bitter in the act itself but glorious by the merit of virtue and most pleasing to the inner judge.

Cyprus with nard, nard and saffron. Cyprus in Egypt is an aromatic tree, with leaves like those of the jujube, and a seed whiter than coriander. This is cooked in oil and then pressed; this called Cyprus, a royal ointment is prepared from it. The best is in Egypt, the second in Ascalon of Judea, the third on the island of Cyprus. Some say this is the tree called privet in Italy. We read about manna, which was like white coriander seed; and since the seed of Cyprus is claimed to be of the same quality, rightly by the same as itself, it designates heavenly blessing. This seed is sent into oil and cooked, which is the gift of heavenly grace received by hearts illuminated with the fat of charity, and when the flames of temptations are brought, its power is shown to all more clearly. Nard, however, which holds the type of the Lord's burial, testifies the work of Mary, who anointed Him with this aroma at the impending passion; as He Himself explained, saying: For in pouring this ointment on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial (Matt. XXVI). And the garden, or the fountain of the Lord, buys cyprus, when the Church teaches its children to seek above all the grace of heavenly refreshment, to hold the light and anointing of love in the heart, to not be overcome by the fire of tribulations, but with these very opportunities, to show how much and what kind of divine grace seed they have received. He joins cyprus and nard, when he instructs them with the faith of the Lord’s passion more eagerly in time or he teaches them to imitate this to be suffered by themselves, with saffron, having almost a gold-colored flower; he shows them those who shine with greater grace of love; which, as gold to other metals, so it surpasses all virtues. Now, he says, faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love (I Cor. XIII). Against this, Jeremiah lamenting the destruction of his people says: Those brought up in scarlet embrace dung (Lam. IV). Indeed, they embrace dung who are brought up in scarlet, when those, who once seemed to shine brightly with the flowers of most pleasing charity, afterwards begin to immerse themselves in the foul wallows of vices. But also the fact that saffron is said to confer the relief of refreshment to the burning limbs of the languid fits the acts of the highest virtue, which are accustomed to temper minds from the heat of carnal pleasures, and to kindle towards the joy of desiring the heavenly fatherland. Indeed, that nard is said to scatter the cold of the faint-hearted and warm the limbs, it is evident that the memory of the Lord's passion drives away the sluggish fear of dying from the hearts of the faithful, and inflames and makes them eager, not only by mortifying their vices, but also by laying down their lives for Him.

Fountain of gardens, well of living waters, etc. The fountain of gardens is born among others in the enclosed garden of the Lord, because the heavenly doctrine has proceeded into the world from the primitive Church, which would generate many churches for the Lord, that is, spiritual gardens. To which fountain it is rightly inferred, the well of living waters which is a fountain, except that a well is always at a height, whereas a fountain, being always submerged in height, can also be at the highest peak of the land. Therefore, one and the same doctrine of the Church is the fountain of gardens, because it produces spiritual fruits in those whom it instructs, and it is the well of living waters: indeed a well, because it is not open to everyone; not placed conspicuously, but stored uniquely in the heart of the saints through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Hence no one from the beginning of this age knew it. For if they had known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. But to us, he says, God has revealed it through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God (1 Cor. 2). However, of living waters, because of the divine and heavenly words, which always proceed unfailingly from the hidden treasures of divine grace and lead to life, whoever they wash and irrigate. For living waters are usually called those that eternally flow from a spring source, in contrast to those which are either collected in cisterns by the abundance of rains, or in ponds or which, by the melting of snow, flow temporarily with great force in torrents, but dry up when clear weather returns. To these, rightly, is compared the brief and swollen boastfulness of worldly doctrine, which often seems to pour out infinite and profound rivers of eloquence and learning in various ways; but all these soon dry up as if they had never been when the Sun of righteousness and the summer of evangelical clarity shine. Of these, the Lord Himself complains through the prophet, saying: They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and hewed out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water (Jer. 2). And Isaiah: Behold, the Lord will ascend on a light cloud and will enter Egypt; and a little later: And the water will dry up from the sea, and the river will be desolate and dry up (Is. 19). He says, a well of living waters, which flow swiftly from Lebanon. He speaks of Lebanon, of the very Church, which is both white and high through life. For Lebanon is interpreted as whiteness; and it pours out to its listeners, as if beneath its fields, the streams of saving wisdom: as the Lord also says in the Gospel: Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow from his belly; and the evangelist adds as an explanation: Now he said this about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive (John 7). For rivers of living water flow from the belly of him who believes, when from the heart of the faithful flow the streams of holy preaching. Which flow, he says, swiftly from Lebanon: he rightly added swiftly, to not only signify the descent to us of living waters but also to show the unassailable power of the things coming. For as no one can restrain the outpouring rivers from a high mountain, so the flow of the apostolic word, because it proceeded from a heavenly source, because it was divinely urged to run, could be overcome by no struggle of opposing powers and could not be deflected from its path; rather souls would first give way than cease from the irrigation of vital doctrine. What is that in the Psalm, "The stream of the river makes glad the city of God" (Psalm 45). Rightly does it gladden the Church, which not only receives from the Lord a stream of living waters, but also the same stream comes with such force of heavenly grace that it cannot be obstructed by any obstacle of contrary power. The well of living waters can also not inappropriately be taken as a sign for those who, whatever earthly thought they find in their heart, customarily draw it out, and strive to bring it forth with devout confession and cast it away: that by the merit of chastity and humility, they may prepare within their hearts a dwelling-place fit for God, and make a path for the living waters, that is, heavenly gifts, through the veins of hidden inspiration by their diligent cleansing: following the example of the blessed patriarch Isaac, who, when hindered by the Philistines, was accustomed to dig wells useful to himself and his own, which they, out of jealousy, tried to obstruct. He diligently purified these wells by his diligent labor and persisted in digging until the living water responded to him from the depths. Such indeed is our contest with evil spirits, as they strive to cloud the water of wisdom in us or, if they can, to completely exclude it, by casting the rubble of vices into our senses. But we, on the other hand, with diligent industry and frequent prayers and watchings, should strive to expel these temptations they have injected into us in order that we may be capable of invisible gifts. But since the Lord called His garden enclosed, watered by a living fountain, planted with fragrant scents and trees, since He declared it to be irrigated with the waters of wisdom, and to have wells for the hidden mysteries, and living waters for the eternity of goods to which they lead for drinking, since He asserted that these waters flow with a persistent and absolutely invincible force, it remained that once everything was firmly and orderly arranged, the adversaries were by no means denied some access for tempting, but rather it was shown that they could in no way be hurt by torrents coming from here and there; indeed, the more it was tested by the blasts of adversities, the more the internal sweetness of its fruits would be revealed. Hence, now, from the voice of the Lord Himself it is added:

"Arise, O north wind, and come, O south wind," etc. For in the north or south, He signifies the tempests of frequent temptations with which the Church was to be buffeted, so that it might become known how much spiritual grace and internal strength it possessed. If we consider any difference between the names of the north and south, one being cold and the other a warm wind, it can not unreasonably be taken as the severity of the intimidating world in the north and the blandishments of deception in the south: for by this twofold assault the garden of the Lord is proved to be tempted, as He Himself shows when explaining the parable of the good seed: "But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that hears the word, and anon with joy receives it; yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while: for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that hears the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful" (Luke 8). Now, when the Lord seems to say in an imperative tone: "Arise, O north wind, and come, O south wind, blow upon my garden," He does not command the wicked to do evil, but allows them to use their free will as they wish. He can also make good things from their evil actions as He wills and render them, with unbiased judgment, the torments they have deserved for their evil deeds. The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart to afflict His people (Exodus X); but shortly after, having freed those who were afflicted, He punished eternally the one who had afflicted them. Concerning the head of all sinful men, He says of the blessed Job: "Behold, he is in your hand" (Job I); and when he went out and struck him with the greatest blow, does it not seem to you that he said to the very turbulent and harsh winds: "Blow upon my garden, and let its spices flow out"? For the spices flowed out from the garden shaken by the winds, when the holy man was struck by adversities and scattered the wonderful fragrance of his virtue far and wide. Hearing that the Church must be tested by the blasts of temptations, it in no way contradicts the providence and arrangement of its Beloved; rather, so that it may not be overcome by adversities and not corrupted by prosperity, it seeks His help in all things, who brings forth the winds from His treasuries; and as the blessed Job says: "Who made weight for the winds" (Job XXVIII): which in other words means: "Who does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear" (I Cor. X). XVII.