Commentary on the Song of Songs

Commentary on the Song of Songs

continued

Book III

Song of Songs 2:10

"Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away," etc. If, according to the Apostle's exposition, the Rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10), what are the clefts of the rock except the wounds which Christ received for our salvation? In these very clefts the dove resides and nests, whether each meek soul or the entire Church, places its sole hope of salvation in the Lord's passion, relying on the sacrament of his death to protect themselves, as if from the snatching of a hawk by an ancient enemy, and strives to bring forth spiritual offspring—either children or virtues—in the same. Hence well Jeremiah, under the guise of Moab, urging heretics to the unity of ecclesiastical faith, says, "Leave the cities and dwell in the rock, inhabitants of Moab. Be like a dove nesting in the highest mouth of the cleft" (Jeremiah 48). Moreover, the wall which is usually constructed of stones to fortify vineyards (whence it is said in the song of Isaiah, "My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill, and he built a wall around it" [Isaiah 5]) signifies the guardianship of heavenly virtues by which the Lord surrounds the Church, his vineyard, lest it be ravaged by the incursions of unclean spirits like those of wicked creatures. Hence, therefore, the Psalmist says, "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them" (Psalm 34).

And the Apostle, speaking of angels, says, "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1). Thus, in this secure wall, the bride and friend of Christ, like a dove, finds a hole for herself, while the Holy Church has learned to defend itself from the deceptions of the devil through angelic help. Therefore, the Lord exhorts the same Church, He exhorts every soul devoted to Him, to the exercise of holy and fruitful labor; and He says, "Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away. For behold, the winter is past," and so on, until He says, "Arise, my love, my bride, and come away; my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff. As if He openly says, "After the tempest of the Gentile life has been removed by divine mercy, after the flowers of saving conversation have already emerged on earth, after the vines have begun to be pruned by the celestial husbandmen with the sickle of discernment so that the wicked are separated from the just and the vices from the virtues, after the herald of salvation has already widely resounded in the world, after the world itself has been converted to the acknowledgment of the truth, and the most delightful fame of new life has spread among the Gentiles, I beseech you, O greatly beloved company of faithful souls, to whom I have bestowed the gifts of my friendship, whom I have deigned to unite to myself as a bride, to whom I have given the simplicity of the dove-like mind by the infusion of my Spirit, for whose health and life I have taken upon myself wounds and death, to whom I have granted the help of heavenly protection against invisible enemies; I beseech you, I say, who have been made the recipient of such gifts, not to become sluggish in idle ease, but to rather hasten to gird yourself with zealous effort and diligence in the esteemed struggle for eternal rest."

Song of Songs 2:14

Show me your face, etc. You who in the hidden recesses of quiet, like a dove in the clefts of the rock, or in the hole of the wall, desire to be concealed, I pray that you come forth into the public sphere of action, and show your faith from your works, and declare to others also outwardly as an example what beauty you have within. For indeed to me, who perceive the inner part of the heart, I consider your face shown when I see your action demonstrating unblemished, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, for the benefit of others. For as long as one does something to the least of these, they do it to Me. Let your voice sound in my ears, namely the voice of praise or preaching, that is, either which praises me in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, or which by proclaiming stirs the mouths and minds of others to my praise. Therefore, the bride shows her face to the Lord in what she does in His sight; she also shows the sound of her voice in what she rightly says before Him. It is also to be considered more attentively what He says, Show me your face. He says, yours, not another's, that is, holy and unblemished: for such I have made it, cleansing it by the washing of water with the word; such I have perfected by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, signing upon you the light of my face.

Let your voice sound in my ears, not another's, that is, the one which I taught you to have on your wedding day, by which you promised to keep your chastity for me. Again show me your face, let your voice sound in my ears, that is, to me, not to others, show your face. To my ears, not others, remember to give your voice; that is, for the sake of my love, not any other reason, and take care to do good works and speak holy words; for whoever expends their good works or words for human approval shows the beauty of their face or the sweetness of their voice to externals rather than to the Creator. But also according to the letter, women who strive to beautify the face of their body for the deception of fools and to soften their words over oil are transgressors of this Lord's precept, and therefore remain unworthy of that eminent praise by which the Lord glorifies His bride, adding,

Song of Songs 2:14

Because your voice is sweet, etc. Indeed, the voice of that soul is sweet to the Lord, which knows how either to announce the words of the Lord to neighbors or to resound praises to the Lord Himself sweetly with the prophet, How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth (Psalm 119)! That face seems beautiful to the Lord, which strives to present itself as worthy to behold His face, which is accustomed to say to Him from the innermost heart, I have sought Your face, O Lord; Your face will I seek; do not turn Your face away from me (Psalm 27). However, our diligence in cleanliness will not be sufficient for us, if we do not also correct those who err, as much as we can, if we do not care to defend the weaker ones from their snares. Hence it is added:

Song of Songs 2:15

Catch for us the little foxes, etc. Indeed, the foxes that destroy the vineyards are heretics and schismatics, who with the teeth of perverse doctrine are accustomed to tear apart the flourishing vineyards of Christ, that is, the unripe minds of the faithful. If only we did not know how much they tend to damage them! Therefore Christ commanded His bride, with her maidens, whom He usually calls the daughters of Jerusalem, that is, with preachers exalted in holy humility, busily in pious labor to catch the little foxes, that is, as soon as they begin to discern and challenge the tricks of the fraudulent; lest, having grown larger over time, they are driven away from harming His spiritual vineyards with that much more difficulty, as they have already accustomed to graze longer; and beautifully, He who had first spoken of the vineyards in the plural, again used the singular number. For "our vineyard has blossomed"; thus indeed, He calls many vineyards one vineyard, just as He wished to call many churches throughout the world one Church for Himself. For He said the vineyards have blossomed, to show widely germinating populations of the chosen; and rightly, where He admonished to catch the foxes, there soon marked the singular appellation vineyard, to teach that for this reason above all, heretics should be pursued and crushed, lest the infestation tear apart and scatter into parts the faith of the Church, which ought to be one.

Moreover, the nature of foxes aptly aligns with the manners and words of heretics, because they are indeed very deceitful animals, which hide in holes or caves, and when they appear, they never run in straight paths, but in winding turns. How these fit with the deceit and fraud of heretics, anyone can easily understand. It should not be overlooked that He did not say, "Catch for yourselves," when speaking to the children of the Church, or "Your vineyard has blossomed"; but, "Catch for us the little foxes, for our vineyard has blossomed"; so that He might more strongly incite all, who could, to conquer or correct the wickedness of heretics or bad Catholics, showing that they serve Him in this endeavor, and to demonstrate Himself as the defender of the vineyard, which is the rewarder of pious labors. Rightly, therefore, His beloved friend and bride responds immediately with the simplicity of a dove's heart:

Song of Songs 2:16

My beloved is mine, and I am his, etc. The meaning of this response is as broad as it seems to be briefly concluded. For it may rightly be understood in this way: My beloved is mine, and I am his, we are united by true and sincere love. It may also be understood in this way: My beloved has promised me such words of His divine exhortation, consolation, and promise, and I will always offer Him a clear face of my conduct and a pure voice of my speech and grace. But it can also be very decently accepted that, since pronouns usually have great force, the Church, that is, the multitude of all the elect, says, My beloved is mine, and no other; and again, My beloved is mine, not to anyone else, implying that He grants eternal favor of His love and repays fruitfully; and I am His, not to anyone else; I am His, not any other crowd of people, implying that I am always united with Him in full devotion of humility and obedience. To all these meanings aptly fits what follows:

Song of Songs 2:16

Who feeds among the lilies. That is, who is accustomed to rejoice in the most radiant and sweetest fragrance of my virtues, who delights in the most pleasing fruit of the glittering churches throughout the world. Thus indeed the holy universal Church is sometimes described in the plural as lilies, sometimes in the singular as a lily. For as it says, As a lily among thorns, so is my beloved among the daughters. Similarly, it refers to vineyards in the plural, where it says: Blooming vineyards; and again in the singular as a vineyard, where it adds, For our vineyard has blossomed, it represents the one Church. It is named in the singular because there is one heart and one soul of the multitude of believers (Acts IV); and it is also very aptly named in the plural because that unity of faithful heart and soul is no longer contained in a few, but in a multitude of believers. Noteworthy is also that lilies, even in that they are accustomed to heal limbs burned by fire, correspond to the acts of the saints. If they chance to detect hearts being burned by the flames of vices, they immediately extend the help of brotherly love to heal them, and lest the heat of desire or luxury, arrogance or anger, or other crimes overwhelm them, they provide them with the refreshment of their consolation and exhortation with diligent care.

Some interpret the Lord feeding among the lilies as among the purest choirs of virgins, and rightly so, because both their chastity of the flesh shines outwardly and the brilliance of their inviolate hearts shines inwardly. Again, the Lord feeds among the lilies, that is, among the most pleasing virtues or bands of saints, in the very reason that He is born among them; for since He Himself, the Mediator of God and men, willed to be of one nature with His Church, hence the same Church is often called His body and He the head of the body of the Church. He feeds among the lilies when the number of the faithful within the Church is increased through the fountain of regeneration. He feeds among the lilies when the faithful, who are certainly members of Him, advance in the love of the highest by the illustrious examples of previous faithful. And it is noteworthy that here the beloved is said to feed, while above he is said to lead the pastures: the bride saying, Tell me, whom my soul loves, where you feed, where you rest at midday; for he is fed in us, because we are His body, and members from His member; He feeds us because He is our head, in whom we all rightly glory, each saying, But now has He exalted my head above my enemies, implying that He will also later exalt us, and gather us to the head;

and since this pasturing of the Lord, which takes place in the progress of His saints, extends to the end of this age (for when they reach His vision, they will have nothing further to advance in), it is rightly added:

Song of Songs 2:17

Until the day breaks, etc. That is, until the eternal light of the future age arises, and the shadows of this present life, that is, of ignorance or error, under which even we faithful now walk, who use the lamp of the word of God, until they pass away. For when that day desired by all nations begins to break forth, the Lord will no longer feed among the lilies, that is, among the assemblies of the saints, whom He will rather refresh with the eternal vision of His glory. "I will be satisfied," he says, "when your glory is revealed" (Psalm 16); and, "Blessed are those who hunger now, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5). Nor is this, which compares present life to the shadows of night, and future life to the day, contrary to the apostolic saying; which testifies of this life we now live, saying, "The night is far gone; the day is at hand" (Romans 15); for, to speak briefly, the present life of the faithful, who, casting off the works of darkness, put on the armor of light, is indeed day in comparison to the unbelievers, who know or love nothing of true light; but in comparison to the future blessedness, where true light is seen eternally, it is still a very dark night. However, because the holy Church in this world recognizes two spiritual lives, one active and the other contemplative, Divine Scripture customarily speaks now of this, now of that, and now of both together.

Above, making mention of the contemplative life, it says of the Lord, "Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. And then beginning with the active life, it says, "Behold, he stands behind our wall," and so on, until it says, "Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. All these things, well considered, urge us to the duty of good action. Then he adds of both together, "My beloved is mine, and I am his; he feeds among the lilies until the day breaks and the shadows flee away": for in both lives the beloved feeds among the lilies, because the Lord delights in the pure outward works and the sweet inner contemplation of the eternal ones of his chosen ones, and he is refreshed in his members. And this until the true light of day breaks, for then neither are we troubled by any labor of good work, nor do even the most perfect behold heavenly things through a glass darkly and momentarily, but the whole Church will see the King of Heaven in His beauty forever: of which vision, since any taste, however slight, greatly delights the spouse of Christ, it is aptly added:

Song of Songs 2:17

Return, be like, my beloved, a roe or a young deer, etc. Because, he says, you have stirred and provoked me to cultivate the vineyards, that is, to instruct and multiply the faithful people, who have been ordered to drive away the cunning plots of attackers, like little foxes, from these same vineyards, because you wanted me to show my face to you, although you have not yet promised to reveal your face clearly to me, but making your acquaintance partly known to me, as if you speak to me through windows and lattice work. I beseech you to return more often from general instruction, to illuminate more sublimely the hearts of the more advanced, and just as the gaze, though rare, is with delight seen on the mountains from the roe or the young deer, so may your presence be any kind of traces of your greatness in the exalted minds. I pray that you reveal the sweetness of immortal life, which you promise to all my members in recompense, to be speculated upon even by some along the way, albeit from a distance. Furthermore, the name of the mountains suits the minds of those who have learned to open the eyes of the heart to the contemplation of heavenly things; when it is said, Over the mountains of Bether. For Bether is interpreted as a rising house, or a house of watches;

and those who ascend more diligently in mind to the desires of the higher things, who more zealously watch to receive these, deservedly see the heavenly mysteries more excellently than others. But if it is read, as some manuscripts have, Over the mountains of Bethel, that is, the house of God, it has no question at all; for it is clear that the hearts of the righteous are rightly called mountains of the house of God, as opposed to the mountains of Samaria and Esau, and the like, that is, of heretics and all the proud. In another edition, we have seen written instead of this name, Over the mountains of spices and perfumes, which equally fits the minds of the saints, who are not dried up by vain thoughts, but, as with the healthful juices of the aromatic tree, are always refreshed with the internal sweetness and charity: about which juices and perfumes it has been signified often in this volume under the name of incense, myrrh, and aloes, and the like. But because lovers of truth come not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles, and from both peoples one Church of the faithful is gathered, it remains in the song of love, after the vocation of Judea and the most sweet dialogue with its Redeemer, also to relate specifically how the Gentiles, in what order, have come to the recognition of salvation, and with what love they have held this found. Thus follows the voice of the beloved Church from the Gentiles.

Chapter 3

[Song of Solomon 3:1] -- On my bed I sought him by night, etc. For a long time, he says, I have sought the Lord with great enthusiasm, whom my soul now wholly loves; whom I also loved even then, though not yet known, insofar as I loved the reasoning of wisdom, truth, and divine worship. But because I sought him in my bed, that is, still subjected to the allurements of my flesh, and because I sought him by night, that is, in the darkness of profound ignorance (for no angel, no prophet, no unquestionable teacher showed me the light of divine knowledge), I did not prevail to find him whom I sought. When I truly realized this, I proposed in my mind to rise from the bed of carnal pleasures, to gird myself for the labor of salvific inquiry, to wander lands and seas, to approach the teachings of all whom I heard to be wiser, and to diligently seek if I might find any true wisdom, or any certain thing that would lead to eternal blessedness. But although I traversed the world with great labor, distinguishing the words of the wise, I could learn nothing certain and indubitable about the way of truth.

These were the aspirations of a pagan desiring to know God yet not knowing Him, as attested by the studies of philosophers who explored so many lands and composed so many volumes in search of truth and wisdom, as attested by Scripture, which says, "Now all the Athenians and the strangers staying there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing. This is also attested by the sermon of the Apostle, who, speaking in the council of the Athenians, said, "As I passed by and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you: the God who made the world and all things therein, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands" (Acts XVII). This is attested by the devotion of the centurion Cornelius, who learned to seek knowledge of divine worship from God through prayers and alms. This is also attested by the work of the Ethiopian, who, coming from the ends of the earth to the temple of the Lord, approached to worship Him whom he did not know, and burned with such love of the truth that he did not know, that sitting in his chariot he diligently studied the readings, which were frequently proclaimed to be divine.

But seeing his persistence in the search for truth, the Lord at length deemed to manifest Himself to him who had long sought Him, and to whom He had inspired to seek, He also granted to find. As He Himself had long ago promised through the prophet, saying: "The afflicted and the needy seek water, and there is none, their tongue is parched with thirst; I the Lord will answer them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys" (Isaiah XLI). Clearly, those are the fountains of which the Psalmist, thirsting, said, "As the deer desires the water brooks, so my soul desires You, O God" (Psalm XLI); those are the rivers He promises to His faithful, saying, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water" (John VII). Hence it is rightly added:

Song of Songs 3:3

"The watchmen who go about the city found me," etc. The watchmen who go about the city are the heralds of truth, who always keep watch with devout care for the protection of the holy Church, which is spread throughout the entire world, and who strive to ensure that it is not corrupted by the faithless through the word of preaching. These watchmen found the pagan world in its anxious search for truth and showed it what it sought, when Philip revealed the light of the Gospel to the eunuch and instructed him in the knowledge of the prophetic words he was reading; when Peter infused Cornelius and his household with heavenly grace, which he so greatly desired; when Paul made known to the Athenians the God whom they worshipped in ignorance; and when others revealed to many others the long-sought and long-desired presence of their Creator. It is as if the pagan world, which by God's grace was to be transformed into the bride of Christ, said to the city's watchmen, "Have you seen him whom my soul loves?" as they eagerly accommodated their ears to the teachers coming to them and intently sought to discern if the way they preached was indeed the way of truth.

Song of Songs 3:4

After I had slightly passed by them, etc. The one who wishes to enjoy the teaching of truth should not approach it hastily and negligently: for the one who desires to meet the beloved must necessarily pass very diligently by those who proclaim his name, and familiarly insert himself among their assemblies, so that he may thus more closely deserve to attain the knowledge of him whom they preach. For we also say that we have passed through a book when we have read it to the end. Therefore, the angel said to Daniel about the mysteries he was seeing, "Many shall pass through and knowledge shall be multiplied" (Dan. XII). Therefore, after I had slightly passed by them, he says, I found him whom my soul loved. For a seeker of truth ought to pass through the watchmen, that is, to mingle and unite himself with the assemblies of the faithful teachers, as has been said, and to run through their sayings or writings with frequent meditation. When he does this even slightly, he soon finds the beloved whom he sought, because according to the voice of Paul and Isaiah, "The Lord will accomplish his word upon the earth briefly" (Rom. IX), specifically what he said, "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark XVI). And of which the Apostle says, "But what does the Scripture say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth'" (Rom. X). This is the word of faith which we preach; "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom. X).

Song of Songs 3:4

I held him and will not let him go, etc. All the more fervently, she says, I held the one found, because it took longer to find the one I was seeking. I proclaim that I will never let him go, but instead strive to persevere and progress continually in his love, so that I may also endeavor to call the Synagogue, through which I received the hearing of the word and the ministry of regeneration, back to faith in his name. For it is established that at the end of the age, Judea shall receive the faith which it now opposes in unfaithfulness, which can only happen through the teaching and ministry of those who will then be found faithful among the Gentiles. For the Apostle plainly says, "Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and so all Israel shall be saved" (Rom. XI). Indeed, what the Church says, "I held him and will not let him go until I bring him into my mother's house, and into my mother's chamber," should not be understood as though she will let Christ go after she has instructed the Synagogue's people in faith in his name, but rather that she loves him with such affection, seeks what is his with such zeal, that she endeavors to subject even her kindred people to him, according to the Psalmist’s words, "Our eyes are upon the Lord our God, until he has mercy on us" (Ps. XXIV).

For certainly, no one who raises their eyes to God to ask for mercy lowers them again after finally receiving that mercy, since it is the greatest sign of received mercy for someone to always have their eyes intently on God and to contemplate his glory without end. It should be noted, however, that the sequence of this chapter was also fulfilled literally in Mary Magdalene, who held the type of the Church: for when the Lord, whom she loved with all her heart while alive, was taken from her sight by death and burial, she sought him in her bed, held captive by such love for him that the memory of him did not leave her heart even when her limbs were given to rest. She sought him through nights, namely those two in which he rested in the tomb; yet she did not find him, as the time for his resurrection had not yet come. She arose in the morning with spices, and anxiously searching, she came to the tomb; and even then, she did not immediately find the one she was seeking, but first the angels, certainly guardians of the Church, found her. Inquiring about the Lord from them, and hearing that he had risen, she finally came to see him. She held him, and no longer let him go, having truly recognized that he had triumphed over death.

And she hastened to bring him into her mother's house, for she proclaimed his resurrection to the assembly of the disciples, who had preceded her in Christ and had encouraged her to piety by their examples.

Song of Songs 3:5

I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles, etc. If we look at the preceding verses, we will not find in them that the bride reached rest or sleep, but rather that, leaping from the bed, with the greatest effort of searching, she reached the discovery of her beloved. And how now does the same beloved adjure the daughters of Jerusalem not to awaken her, nor to cause her to wake, unless perhaps because the soul, as though tranquil in the most blessed sleep, knows how to rest in divine love? Just as someone sleeping has closed the bodily eyes to external things and has often opened the eyes of the heart in the vision of hidden things; so indeed, the mind given to the love of heavenly matters withdraws from the concerns of the visible, so that it may keep watch more perfectly and freely in the contemplation of the invisible. And it is no wonder that love is compared to sleep, for it averts the sense of the mind from the desire for the visible and turns it to the desire for the invisible, just as it is compared even to death, with the same song saying, “Love is as strong as death”: because just as death destroys the body, so too does the brilliance of internal life extinguish external delights.

Hence, it is rightly that the daughters of Jerusalem are adjured, that is, the souls of the faithful, sighing with an anxious mind for the companionship of the heavenly citizens, not to awaken the beloved, that is, not to hinder a mind devoted to God from the intention of heavenly desire with an untimely interruption. This too can rightly be understood concerning the general state of the Church, whose peace to disturb is to oppose the will of Christ: concerning whom, as enough has already been said above, now it may suffice to speak more sparingly. Let the reader remember only this, that for this reason the verse is repeated in the song of love so that the Lord may signify that He has no less care for the Church gathered from the gentiles than for that gathered from the Jews, but He bears equal concern for the peace of both, as both are united in His singular most beloved house and family. Once upon a time, Judaea believed that it was alone loved by God, that the word of salvation was entrusted only to itself, not also to the uncircumcised gentiles, as evidenced by Luke, who says: “And the apostles and brethren who were in Judaea heard that the gentiles also had received the word of God.

When Peter had come to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’ ” Also, in another place, “On the next Sabbath, almost the whole city came together to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy; and contradicted the things spoken by Paul” (Acts XI). Hence, the adjuration of the daughters of Jerusalem not to awaken the beloved can also rightly be taken to mean that He commands those who had gone ahead in faith from the Jews not to trouble those or contradict the salvation of those who had come to faith from the gentiles. Where also, what He says, “Until she pleases”, can be understood in this way, that the Church from the gentiles would of its own accord submit itself to watchings and labors for the Lord. Therefore, it is next added that the same daughters of Jerusalem are astonished because the grace of the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the nations.

Song of Songs 3:6

Who is this that ascends through the desert? etc. Who is this, they ask, worthy of such praise, of such wonder, who has not been cleansed by the mystery of circumcision, nor yet washed in the font of regeneration, and already is imbued with the new grace of the Holy Spirit, already speaks in tongues, and magnifies God? such as we have never remembered happening in our nation, since either the testament of circumcision was given to the fathers, or the washing of baptism was given to us. Who ascends through the desert: rises from the depths of pleasures to the heights of virtues, lifting eyes to the eternal mountains; indeed, lifting, and longing to reach Him who dwells in heaven. Yet ascends through the desert, that is, through the midst of those nations which were not fruitful in any virtues, which no prophet of God, no patriarch, no angel coming, had instructed in the worship of a healthier life, whose faith is of greater miracle, because she most recently recognized and accepted this invincibly, according to what the Lord Himself attests in her praise, saying: I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is, and you hold fast to my name, and did not deny my faith (Rev. 2). But this is said as an example of the Israelite people, who, freed from the darkness of Egyptian servitude, ascended through the desert's journey to the promised land.

Hence, the desert can also rightly be taken in a good sense, that is, denoting that way of life which is separated from the enticements of the world, devoted solely to the scrutiny of God's law and the observance of heavenly precepts, which, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, is fed only by the manna of the heavenly word, and drinks from the fountain of life that emanates from the spiritual rock. Hence, ardently and fervently singing: My soul thirsted for you, my flesh how many times to you in a dry and barren land without water (Psalm 62). Therefore, the Church ascends through the desert, to reach the promised kingdom; and also, how she ascends is shown when it is added, Like a pillar of smoke from spices. Smoke is usually born from fire, born seeking the heights, to be consumed, and gradually withdraw from human sight. In this way, the Church ascends, which, kindled by the fire of the Holy Spirit in the love of its Creator, strives with all effort of virtues towards the heavenly; nor does it desist from its beginnings, until, abstracted from human things, it is seized into the invisible joys of heavenly life; and just as smoke, at one and the same time, can be seen to arise and disappear in the higher parts where it was first seen, so the Church is always newly born through the grace of the Holy Spirit in some of its members until the end of the world;

in some, which were first born to God, it is always gathered to the heavenly. Which rightly is not simply compared to smoke, which can be dispersed anywhere, but to a pillar of smoke, so that both the unity of her faith and the simple ascent to the heights may be signified. Moreover, concerning the enemies of God, who are elevated not by any heavenly desire, but solely by the pride of arrogance, it is said that once they have been honored and exalted, they will fail like smoke; and just as in the mind of the depraved, worldly greed burns, conversely fervor burns in the heart of the good, and the virtue smokes, so it was right to say, "Like a column of smoke," adding:

Song of Songs 3:6

"From the aromatics of myrrh," etc. Indeed, myrrh, which is suitable for embalming bodies, as the arrangement of the sacred burial of the Lord also proves, signifies the chastity of the flesh. Frankincense, which is accustomed to be offered to God in prayers, expresses the virtue of prayer; as the Psalmist also attests in prayer, "Let my prayer be set before You as incense" (Psalm 140). The entire powder of the perfumer signifies all the works of virtues, which are therefore not compared with complete spices, but reduced to powder, so that we may be reminded to distinguish the good works we do with diligent intention and to examine them with the sieve of careful discernment to ensure that nothing unseemly remains in them. The perfumer, who prepares and sifts this powder, is understood to be either the person himself who strives for virtues or the Lord, the giver of virtues. Moreover, it should be noted that when mentioning aromatics, he rightly first calls myrrh, then frankincense and the entire powder of the perfumer, according to that order which the Lord also sets in the Gospel, saying, "Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning" (Luke 12). Which is to say in other words, "Depart from evil and do good" (Psalm 34). Mortify the desires of the flesh and offer to God the pleasing vows of the heart.

Thus the beloved of the heavenly bridegroom ascends through the desert like a column of smoke from the aromatics of myrrh and frankincense and the entire powder of the perfumer, because whether the holy Church or any perfect soul grows in the higher virtues through daily progress, which by the flame of charity renders to its author the most delightful fragrance of chastity and prayer, indeed of all spiritual fruits; although it can also be rightly understood that the beloved of Christ ascends, like a column of smoke from the aromatics of myrrh, frankincense, and the entire powder of the perfumer, because his one and the same Church is built from many faithful persons, each flourishing in diverse virtues, some insist more greatly on mortifying the pleasures of the flesh after the example of him who said, "I discipline my body and keep it under control" (1 Corinthians 9); some are peculiarly dedicated to frequent prayers like the symbol of frankincense; others labor to offer God the fruits of good works. Yet all are inflamed by the one same fire of the Spirit, like one single column of smoke, with undivided zeal and common devotion seeking the heights of heavenly life. Nor should it seem contradictory to the diligent reader but rather sufficiently consistent to understand, that the same beloved both is said to be asleep and to ascend through the desert: for she is shown to sleep when the daughters of Jerusalem are adjured not to awaken her.

And the same daughters of Jerusalem testify that she ascends, when they immediately respond, "Who is this coming up from the wilderness? At one and the same time, she both sleeps and ascends, when the soul, as much as it can, distances itself from external cares and carnal desires, and approaches the vision of its Creator by the progress of good operation or thought; which when it is said to ascend through the desert, it is indicated to where it ascends and what is the cause of its ascent, with the voice of the Church that ascends being added.

Song of Songs 3:7

Behold, the little bed of Solomon, etc. Thus, to the little bed and chariot of Solomon, that is, of the peaceful king, evidently our Lord and Savior, is his ascent: namely, to the little bed in which he rests eternally in peace; and to the chariot, from which he is refreshed by the feasts of life without end. The cause of ascending, however, is that the middle of his chariot, to which he ascended, is spread with love; to which, even if the ascent is purple, that is, bloodied by intense struggle, nevertheless the sweetness of love, which is known to reside in it, greatly invites the daughters of Jerusalem, that is, the souls of a religious mind, to ascend to it. Therefore, the little bed of Solomon is the glory of supreme blessedness, in which the king of peace himself perpetually rests with his saints; toward which little bed the beloved of the king himself, that is, the Church through the desert of this world, strives daily, and partly has already reached, as much as she has sent her faithful toward future rewards. But she will reach it entirely, when at the consummation of the world, the Creator himself and the king of that same heavenly city will have gathered his chosen from the four winds, and as he says elsewhere, He will have girded himself and made them recline, and passing by will have ministered to them.

But even in this life, the little bed of Solomon is the quiet behavior of the saints, secluded from worldly tumults, which, with the conflicts of vices now suppressed or put to sleep, imitates the happiness of perpetual peace. Hence also the prophet, And his place was made in peace, and his habitation in Zion (Psalm LXXI), that is, in the sublime contemplation of future goods. And the apostle Peter, If you are reproached in the name of Christ, you are blessed; for the Spirit of the glory of God rests upon you (I Peter XLIX). To each of these couches, what is suitably said applies: "Because Solomon's bed is surrounded by sixty mighty ones of Israel's mightiest," because both the present peace and rest of the Church are defended by holy preachers against the attacks of heretics, and the internal rest of the heavenly homeland is contemplated with firm intent by the more perfect ones. Therefore, it is well said of that bed of the king of peace that it is surrounded by mighty ones. It is also fittingly added, "From the mightiest of Israel. For indeed, Israel is interpreted as "man seeing God"; because those who wish to either protect the present peace of the Church by preaching or contemplate that peace which is in heaven, must be vigilant, stand in faith, act manfully, be strengthened, and strive to render themselves worthy of the divine vision. "From the mightiest," he says, "of Israel";

because all who strive towards the joys of the divine vision are rightly called by the name Israel. But "the mightiest," he says, "among them" are undoubtedly those who are either exalted by the heavenly gift of contemplation or undertake the ministry of preaching properly. They are aptly designated by the number sixty, for such ones surely expect the denarius of eternal reward for the perfection of good deeds: for God perfected the adornment of the world in six days and rested from His works on the seventh, rightly implying by the number six the light of perfect action, for which eternal rest is hoped. Furthermore, that the rewards of good works are symbolized by the number ten, everyone knows who understands why those laboring in the vineyard of Christ received a denarius in payment. "All holding swords," etc. Those holding swords of which the Apostle says: "And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6), skilled in those battles of which he admonishes, saying, "Put on the armor of God, that you may stand against the wiles of the devil; for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers," etc. (Ibid.).

And rightly skilled, for great skill in war is needed by those who, enclosed in flesh and placed on earth, fight against spiritual wickedness in the heavens with great skill, rather they need great grace from God, since the frailty of the flesh fights when stirred up against the archangel with battles of so many thousands of years.

Song of Songs 3:8

Each man has his sword on his thigh, etc. By the thigh, carnal propagation is usually designated; hence it is written: All the souls that came out of the thigh of Jacob were seventy (Exod. I). Soldiers of Christ have a sword over their thigh when they suppress the movement of carnal desires with the severity of the spiritual word. And this is because of the night terrors, that is, lest they be struck down by the traps of the ancient tempter if they are found secure and unarmed, lest, having been overwhelmed, the bed of the true Solomon, which they ought to have guarded, be defiled; this applies to both beds of the eternal King that we mentioned, that is, both the present peace of the Church and the future one can equally be understood. For holy teachers fear lest the status of the present Church be violated by the darkness of heretics; they fear, those who have accustomated to open the eye of the mind to the contemplation of future joys, lest the light of divine revelation be obscured in them by the nocturnal disturbance of demonic perturbation. But if the strongest from Israel, in whom there is no deceit, who are the most skillful in wars, have a sword over their thigh because of the night terrors, what should I and those like me do? With how much fear should we serve the Lord, who are less skilled in spiritual combat and less strong in performing the things we speak of?

One refuge alone remains for us, to adhere to Him, to place our hope in Him whom we know cannot be overcome, to seek His protection with the prophet, often saying: The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? (Psalm XXXVI). My light, indeed, to train me for battle; my salvation, to make me strong and invincible in battle. For if we persist in preaching, perhaps we too will deserve to hear with the same prophet. His truth will surround you with a shield; you will not fear the terror of the night (Psalm XC). Some strong ones who surround the bed of Solomon interpret this over the angels, who fight against the aerial powers for the peace of the holy Church, whose understanding seems to contradict what is said: Each man has his sword on his thigh; for how can they suppress the enticement of the flesh with the sword of continence, or assess it, who have no nature of flesh from which they subsist? So the Church, coming from the Gentiles, says, Behold the bed of Solomon, seventy strong ones surround it from the strongest of Israel, and so forth; as if to clearly say: Why are you surprised, O daughters of Jerusalem, that is, believing people from Judea, that I ascend through the desert in the manner of sweet-smelling spices of virtues?

See that the king, to whose company I hasten, is peaceful, that bed of his inner peace is safe from the snares of the wicked and accessible only to the good, towards which I strive to arrive. But if it delights to hear, I will recount even more of his riches.

Song of Songs 3:9

King Solomon made himself a palanquin, etc. It is called a palanquin because it carries the bodies of those seated or reclining at a banquet, or because it is usually carried from place to place according to the opportunity of the times. The holy Church is rightly compared to this, as it lifts believers to the feast of eternal happiness and is carried throughout the entire world by the ministry of its preachers. But the Lord made this palanquin for Himself from the woods of Lebanon, because He built the Church from souls strong in spirit and steadfast in constancy. Indeed, the woods of Lebanon excel greatly in height, appearance, and their incorruptible nature. [Song of Solomon 3:10] -- He made its columns of silver. James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be columns. He made these columns of silver, in truth, because He established holy teachers in the splendor of the heavenly word to confirm the faith and to uplift the state of the Church.

Song of Songs 3:10

Its recliner of gold. He made a recliner in the palanquin when He promised the faithful the hope of perpetual rest. "Take my yoke upon you," He says, "and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew XI). And He made this recliner of gold because He prepared for us the resplendent glory of the eternal divine vision. Hence it is said, "Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father; and I will love him and manifest myself to him" (John XIV). [Song of Solomon 3:10] -- Its ascent of purple. True purple is dyed with the blood of shellfish. Therefore, the ascent of Solomon's palanquin is purple because our King and Lord loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood (Revelation I). And no ascent to this palanquin is found but purple, because no one enters the Church unless imbued with the sacraments of the Lord’s passion. Hence He Himself said, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day" (John VI).

Song of Songs 3:10

In the midst of love He established it, etc. With that very love with which He suffered for us: for no one has greater love than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends (John 15). And as the Apostle says, But God commends His love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly (Rom. 5), for through this middle part He prepared His Church's stratum place, where faithful souls might rest softly, because He filled it entirely within with the love of heavenly things. And this is what He added, For the daughters of Jerusalem, that is, for the souls burning with the desire of heavenly things. For as much as God commended His love toward us by suffering for us, He kindled more souls to love Him in return and to suffer for Him. The purple ascent can also be specially understood in those who shed their blood for Christ. They are rightly said to have ascended to the golden headrest by the purple ascent, because they reached the love of perpetual rest through the labor, the art of tribulation. To whom it aptly applies what follows, because He established it in the midst of love. For this reason, they are ready to shed their blood for the heavenly King, because He inflamed their hearts, which are the middle part of His couch, with His love. Whence the Apostle, while describing the purple ascent of the couch, said:

But we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation works patience, patience works proof; immediately he took care to add about the golden headrest, saying: Proof however works hope, and hope does not disappoint. And then he concluded about the love, with which the middle is established, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts (Rom. 5). Therefore, to the daughters of Jerusalem who are amazed and praising the Church from the nations, which ascends to heaven like a colonnade of smoke from aromatic spices, He Himself returns the reasons for His ascent, explaining that the bed of the peaceful king to which He hastened, is safe from the incursions of evil; and that His couch, where He hopes to be refreshed, although the ascent is arduous, nevertheless has a headrest shining like gold; and established in the midst of His love, for which reason He hastens to ascend, knowing that God is love, and he who abides in love, abides in God, and God in him (1 John 4). With these words having been said, in a wonderful and proper order, after narrating the gifts of His King, He also begins to extol His own appearance and adornment, inviting everyone to see this, and after He has been called Himself, He also takes care to call others, having taken up the task of evangelizing, while it is subsequently added:

Song of Songs 3:11

Go forth, and see, daughters of Zion, King Solomon. The daughters of Zion are also the daughters of Jerusalem, that is, souls longing for the joys of the heavenly homeland. For Zion means watchtower, or the watchman, Jerusalem means vision of peace: both names fittingly apply to the inhabitants of the same heavenly city, where they enjoy eternal peace and always behold the face of their Creator. Therefore, go forth, he says, daughters of Zion, and see King Solomon. Go forth from the tumultuous life of the world so you may be able to see the King of Peace; go forth in mind and action from the midst of Babylon, you who desire to have a part in the heavenly Jerusalem, according to the command of that true Solomon, who says: Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins; thus he himself, wishing to separate us from the company of the world and to provoke us to heavenly joys, willed to suffer outside the city walls for our sake, as the Apostle beautifully and fully explains, saying: Jesus, to sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered outside the gate, let us then go to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one to come (Hebrews 13). And because our Lord Jesus Christ must be confessed to be not only the true Son of God but also the true Son of Man: the Son of God indeed eternally born before the ages; the Son of Man, in time made at the end of the ages, rightly, after it was said: See, daughters of Zion, King Solomon, it was immediately added.

Song of Songs 3:11

In the diadem with which his mother crowned him. For this is clearly to say, "Behold the Lord in the humanity which, taken from the Virgin mother, he placed at the right hand of the paternal majesty." Indeed, his mother crowned him with a diadem when the blessed and undefiled virgin, conceiving by the Holy Spirit, provided to him from her flesh the material of that most holy flesh, in which appearing to the world and dwelling among us, he would destroy the reign of death by dying and restore life to us by rising again, and by ascending to the heavens, would exalt it with the glory of the everlasting kingdom. Therefore, the daughters of Zion, seeing King Solomon in his natural beauty, also marvel at the diadem with which his mother crowned him, because the elect, believing and confessing the glory of the Son of God equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit, also recognize the assumption of the human nature in which he overcame the dominion of death to be clarified forever, not by the power of his own substance, but by the work of the Word who assumed it, that is, the only Son of God; whose vision of the diadem, one of the daughters of Zion, herself most noble and already departing from the bounds of earthly desire, admiringly said, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death" (Hebrews 2).

Song of Songs 3:11

On the day of her betrothal, etc. At the time of his incarnation, when he proceeded from the virginal womb to marry the Church, as a bridegroom from his chamber, it was a day of the joy of his heart, for he rejoiced that through the dispensation of his incarnation the world would be brought to the knowledge and vision of eternal divinity. Hence, when many flocked to his faith, it is written: "At that hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, 'I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them to little ones' (Luke 10). Hence the Redeemer himself, having led humanity through his blood to the heights, speaks to the citizens of heaven, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost' (Luke 15). Because therefore the daughters of Jerusalem, marveling at the coming of the bride, said, 'Who is she who comes up through the desert,' and so on; she aptly praises the bed, praises the litter of the bridegroom, and finally praises the bridegroom himself, to whose embrace she hastens. She remembers the humanity assumed for her in God, which at the time of her response created the mystery of the incorrupt mother; so that it shows she rightfully aspires to the glory of his divine vision, for which he himself would have taken on the habit of human nature. Hence rightfully, she, who so subjugated herself to the praises of her Redeemer, who invites her own cohorts, namely the daughters of Zion, to praise with maternal affection, also received a worthy recompense of praise from that same bridegroom and Redeemer; to whose voice it is joined.

Chapter 4

[Song of Solomon 4:1] -- How beautiful you are, my friend! etc. He said that the Church is beautiful, repeating it because he saw it to be commendable both in action and in preaching. Clearly in action, by which it ascends to him through the desert, like a column of smoke from aromatics; in preaching, however, by which it strives to bring even its neighbors into its fellowship, saying: Go forth and see, daughters of Zion, King Solomon. And rightly, first by action, then by preaching, according to the example, namely, of him, of whom it is written, "All that Jesus began to do and to teach" (Acts I). [Song of Solomon 4:1] -- Your eyes are those of doves, etc. Your senses are lofty and venerable in the contemplation of spiritual matters, by which you also deserved to see and recognize my gifts, which you recently expounded; my diadem, which you preached. For, as we mentioned above, the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove, and thus the name of that spiritual grace is fittingly signified.

Song of Songs 4:1

Without that which lies hidden within. Without the invisible reward in the heavens, which in your pilgrimage on earth you are not yet able to see. For this is the greater beauty of glory, which cannot be worthily evaluated at present. And beautifully, where he praises the simplicity of her eyes, that is, the knowledge of what is hidden in her, he also calls her a friend, according to the Lord's words: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" (John XV).

Song of Songs 4:1

Your hair is like a flock of goats, etc. If the sharpness of the spiritual senses is rightly understood in the eyes of the bride, the purity of countless general thoughts can not inappropriately be recognized in the hair, which in the saints, even though sometimes undertaken for the administration of temporal things, are never separated from the intention of heavenly matters. For it is written that Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in Asia. He was hurrying, if possible, to be in Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost (Acts 20). Here, he was indeed occupied with such thoughts regarding the earthly journey; but he was undertaking the earthly journey with the intention of a heavenly reward. This must also be understood about the trade of tent-making, which he practiced with Aquila and Priscilla, for the thoughts with which they fulfilled it were indeed temporal, but the gaze was fixed on the eternal, so that by this earthly work they might support the ministry of the Gospel, which was heavenly. Thus, the hair of the bride is aptly compared to the flocks of goats that ascended from Mount Gilead.

These are clean animals and are accustomed to climbing the heights of cliffs or trees for the sake of seeking food, because evidently, the thoughts of the elect, as we said, even though they engage in earthly matters, nonetheless aim at heavenly things, and even when they care for the needs of the flesh, they direct the sharpness of the mind rather towards the well-being of the soul and the heavenly nourishment. Moreover, in the eyes of the bride, the preachers of the Holy Church can also be understood, through whom the hidden secrets of heavenly mysteries, which the general multitude of believers does not see, are revealed. In the hair, the faithful people can also be understood, who, although they are less skilled in overseeing and governing the steps of the Church, nonetheless provide it with great honor through their numerous acts of obedience. Of these things, the Lord Himself, when preaching to the disciples sent to preach, said, "You will be hated by all because of my name; he immediately added by consolation, "Not a hair from your head will perish" (Luke 12). This is to say plainly: although the hate of persecutors rages, they cannot even seize your slightest, namely your head, from among those who belong to me. Hair, in this context, is aptly compared to herds of goats; for sinners are customarily designated by goats;

and since the entire Church truly acknowledges that it cannot be free from sin, how much more must those who are in a common life do this, because we all offend in many ways (James 3)! Therefore, the faithful have sin, but they nonetheless strive through daily advances of good works toward that life where they may be free from all sin. For this reason, it is aptly added about those same goats: "Which ascended from Mount Gilead: for they dwell indeed on the mystical mount, all who are united to the body of their Redeemer. But the goats ascended the same mount, seeking the upper parts of the mount to graze, as they who are humble and conscious of their sins and frailty, fired by the very fear of their weakness, always strive to lift themselves up to the pastures of heavenly life in Christ. Indeed, we read in the Book of Numbers and Chronicles that Mount Gilead had very good and abundant pastures. This aptly fits that very high and very fruitful mountain from which the city itself, which is built on it, that is, the holy Church, is wont to say: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want; in a place of pasture, there he has placed me" (Psalm 22). The name of the mountain itself is also pertinent, being called "a heap of testimony.

For the Lord is the heap of testimony, because in Him is gathered and united all the multitude of the saints, namely the living stones, who have been proved by the testimony of faith, as the Apostle says. Thus, the hair of the bride is compared to flocks of goats, which, grazing on this mount, always strive to ascend to higher places, because whether the temporal thoughts of the elect or the more fragile people of the Church, the less they find themselves to be free from fault, the higher they seek the help of Him from whom they understand themselves to be liberated.

Song of Songs 4:2

Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep, etc. Just as in the hair of the Church, the people who are still dedicated to more fragile deeds are designated, in the teeth, the more perfect ones and those suited for governing the Church are denoted, because the former excel in number, the latter in firmness; the former inwardly refresh with the word, the latter, even if they grasp less of the internal mysteries, adorn the Church externally with good works. Is not he rightly called the shepherd of the Church, of whom it was said: "Rise, Peter, kill and eat" (Acts 10)? Kill, by teaching to anathematize what they worshipped in their evil ways, and graft them, having returned to the profession of true faith, into the unity of your body, which is the Church of Christ? Indeed, above, these same teachers were designated under the name of eyes; but they are eyes, because they sharply perceive the secrets of spiritual mysteries; they are teeth, because they rebuke the wicked with the word of truth and transfer those rebuked and purified into the holy members of the Church. They are the teeth of the Church, because they prepare the bread of the word of God for its little ones, to whom they themselves are not sufficient to be eaten.

Pious nurses are accustomed to chew pieces of bread with their teeth and insert the small morsels into the mouths of infants while nursing, until they gradually lead them away from milk to the use of bread; thus the holy mother Church has teachers who, like breasts, minister the milk of milder doctrine to beginners; these same teachers also provide the bread of stronger word to those who are well progressing. But in order to rightly advance, it is necessary for them to gradually and by parts provoke to learn higher things, and first entrust more open things concerning spiritual secrets to them, and these discussed with careful and diligent exposition, as if already chewed beforehand by teeth, so that by doing this repeatedly, they gradually render them capable of the more interior secrets. These teeth are rightly compared to a flock of shorn sheep that have come up from the washing, because they are cleansed by the font of baptism and stripped of their possessions. And indeed, it is for all to be purified by the washing of Christ's life, because unless one is born of water and the Spirit, and the rest (John 3), it is for the perfect, and especially those to whom the care of feeding his sheep is entrusted, to renounce all that they possess. Which, both those first and foremost teeth of the Church, that is, the apostles, and a great crowd of the primitive Church, are recorded to have done.

Song of Songs 4:2

All bear twin offspring, etc. The sheep of Christ bear twin offspring, because all whom the holy teachers bring to God through preaching, they instruct in the twin love of the same God and neighbor. They bear twins, because they imbue the disciples whom they instruct with the knowledge of faith and good works. And there is none barren among them: there is no sheep of the supreme shepherd which does not produce offspring of good work; among whom there are many who rejoice in the offspring of both work and doctrine. But neither will those be counted among the barren who, washed by the fountain of salvation, are immediately taken from this life. For they have had the offspring of faith, which either they professed for themselves, or others professed for them; they have had the desire for good works, which they would have exercised among the sheep of Christ, if they had been granted more time. Concerning such it is written: "Being made perfect in a short time, he fulfilled long times" (Wis. 4:13). For his soul was pleasing to God; therefore He hastened to take him away from iniquity (Ibid.).

Song of Songs 4:3

Like a scarlet ribbon, your lips, etc. The lips of the bride are compared to scarlet because the Church ceaselessly proclaims the price of the Lord's blood by which it was redeemed; but it continually sings: But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians XIV). And it should be noted that her lips are compared not simply to scarlet, but to a scarlet ribbon: for a ribbon is typically used to bind the hair. If by the hair of the bride the faithful people are understood, the ribbon that binds them and fits them more properly to the head, what else is it understood to be but the doctrine of truth? With which it is necessary to confirm the immature minds of believers and diligently apply them to the love and worship of their Creator, lest the wicked roam freely through idle acts and flee from the embrace or adornment of the true head, lest they impede even the eyes, that is, those who ought to show them the light of justice, by undue relaxation. Just as the good deeds of disciples sometimes become an example of virtue for teachers, so more often their neglect causes harm to the teachers' good actions. Therefore, he says, like a scarlet ribbon, your lips, and your speech is sweet, because the Church customarily fortifies and as it were dyes its doctrine, which restrains the minds of the weak from licentiousness, with the memory of the Lord's passion.

For nothing more effectively restrains the voluptuous from carnal desires than when they hear or recall that the Lord of glory was pleased to be incarnate and suffer for them. Hence rightly the Lord considers such speech sweet because he very gladly accepts it when he sees us recount and meditate on this to one another, for the sake of which he himself came down to us from heaven. If we say that thoughts are represented by hair and spiritual senses of the faithful by eyes, the end of the exposition is the same: because we restrain the unrestrained wandering of superfluous thoughts by no other order more easily than by the memory and frequent recollection of the Lord’s blood. But also, often when we entertain harmful thoughts with an incautious mind, and are suddenly checked by God, we imprint the sign of the holy cross on our breast and discard what we were contemplating wickedly, as if binding our hair with a scarlet ribbon, because we suppress the loose thoughts with the trophy of sacred blood. If this salutary binding is lacking, they sully the whole beauty of the head by drifting, because they disturb the tranquillity of the mind and cover the sharpness of the eyes, because they obscure the grace of spiritual senses with the improper meditation of carnal things.

Song of Songs 4:3

Like a fragment of a pomegranate, etc. We have also previously taught that shame is designated by the cheeks, because surely a sudden blush usually spreads over these when we are embarrassed. However, the pomegranate, because it is of a rosy color, quite fittingly hints at the mystery of the Lord's Passion, just as does the scarlet. For it was fitting that the manner of our redemption is indicated frequently in sacred song by the repetition of figures, as also intimated in other prophetic Scriptures. Therefore, because the holy Church is not ashamed of the cross of Christ, but even rejoices in the reproaches and sufferings for Christ, and usually carries the banner of his cross on her face, it is fittingly remembered that her cheeks are like a pomegranate fragment. Nor is it inconsequential that they are compared not to an entire pomegranate but to a fragment; for in a broken pomegranate, both the part of the redness that was exposed is seen, and the part that lay hidden inside, whiteness, is revealed. Thus, the bride has the redness of a pomegranate on her cheeks when the Church confesses the sacrament of the Lord's cross in words. She also shows the whiteness of the broken pomegranate when she proves the chastity of a pure heart through being struck by pressures and deeds, just as the cross itself of her Redeemer reveals what it holds within of saving grace.

Again, she shows the red color on her cheeks when the foremost and most eminent of her members, that is, the holy martyrs, shed their blood for Christ. She also adds the white when these same martyrs, during their suffering or after completing their passion, shine forth even with miracles. Nor should we overlook that the pomegranate encloses a great abundance of seeds within one outer peel, whence it is also called the apple of seeds, which indeed cannot be seen when the pomegranate is whole, but become clear how numerous they are when it is broken. So indeed the holy Church, the more she is broken by adversities, the more clearly she reveals how many grains of virtues she embraces under the covering of one faith. And rightly it is added: Besides that which lies hidden within, because indeed the confession of the life-giving cross in the Church can be heard by all, the pressures on the Church can be seen by all; also the brilliance of charisms, which heals the sick, raises the dead, cleanses lepers, drives out demons, and other such things can be viewed by both infidels and the faithful, they can also be marveled at. But she alone knows with what love of invisible life she is held, with what flame she burns in the vision of her Creator, with what love she ignites in the progress of her members.

Song of Songs 4:4

As the tower of David, your neck, etc. And we have said above about the neck, which signifies the holy teachers who continuously enrich the Church by nourishing it with spiritual sustenance and strengthen it in faith through the words of holy exhortation. But also, the fact that the neck, positioned in the middle, connects the head to the body, aptly suits those through whose ministry the Church is united to Christ, who handed down the nourishment of life received from the Lord Himself. The Apostle, commending the grace of the Gospel, says about them: "Which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him" (Hebrews 2). Hence, it is written about Him: "And He gave to the disciples the loaves, and the disciples gave them to the crowds; and they all ate and were satisfied" (Matthew 14). This was done in such a corporal manner to signify also the spiritual acts of the Lord, because evidently, He entrusted the bread of heavenly doctrine to the first members of His Church, namely the apostles, who then served it to the body of the Church subjected to them, and thus succeeded by ministers of the word in order, the full nourishing of salvation was spread throughout the world. That neck is rightly said to be like the tower of David.

If the city of David is the Church of Christ, the tower in that city is the unassailable constancy of the preachers who, to defend the edifices of faith and repel the weapons of enemies, were built with higher strength than other believers from the strong hand and beloved king, which the name David signifies. The bulwarks with which this tower is constructed are understood to be either the sacred Scriptures or the defenses of divine gifts. For He compared the neck of the bride to a tower, when the Lord made the first teachers of the Church, with the grace of the Holy Spirit given, invincible to their enemies. He added bulwarks to the tower when He opened their understanding to comprehend the Scriptures (Luke 24), and proved true the words of their preaching against the sayings of the preceding fathers. He added bulwarks to the tower when He also bestowed upon them the gifts of performing signs, so that by new works of miracles they might assert the divine nature of the new things they preached, and through the healing of bodily diseases, they might more easily attract those they taught to the salvation of the soul.

Song of Songs 4:4

A thousand shields hang from it, etc. The thousand shields hanging from the tower of David are innumerable defenses of divine protection, by which the holy preachers are assisted by the Lord so that they cannot be overcome by enemies, and they also teach their listeners to be helped against the attacks of enemies, whether visible or invisible. All the armor of the mighty is every instruction or operation or heavenly doctrine, through which these same teachers not only evade but also overcome the ranks of evil spirits, when by preaching they rescue many of those whom they had held deceived from their dominion, and transfer them from vessels of wrath into vessels of mercy; and fittingly, where there is mention of spiritual war, there the tower of David, not the tower of Solomon, is set as an example, since the name and person of both kings often represents the figure of the eternal king: for David means strong in hand, or desirable to see, and rightly by this name is designated the Lord, where it is taught to fight against the enemies of the Church, so that it proceeds to the combat unafraid, reminded that it is aided by Him who cannot be overcome, and strives more urgently to conquer the more it knows His face to be desirable to see, to which it will come when the enemy is defeated.