Eph. v. 14. way, by carefully going over every year, nay every action, of past life, with examination of conscience by Philo Carp. the rule of Scripture, looking not merely in the streets, or their own more personal and private sins, but in the broad ways of corporate offences, and of conformity to conventional rules of right and wrong, trying if CHRIST be visible in any part of their old conversation, in order that, learning that He is not there, they may turn utterly away from it, and seek Him in that holiness where only He may be found," in the city of Ps. xlviii. 1. our GOD, even upon His holy hill." And so the Apostle saith: "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and CHRIST shall give thee light." I will arise, then, not from evil works, not from bad habits, but from good to better; from habits to mysteries, from things hidden to things manifest, from calm to sweetness. I will arise, for CHRIST hath risen. Why should I not rise when I know of the resurrection of my Beloved? O happy me, if I had risen together with CHRIST, setting my affections on things above, and seeking Him not below, but above, for I should doubtless have found Him at the right hand of the FATHER. When once we enter into the gates of the Heavenly Jerusalem, there will be no need to seek Him any more, for He, as its Light, will pervade all its streets and ways. And observe that it is S. August. well said, I sought Him through the streets and ways, and found Him not, for there is only one Way to the City where He dwells, and that Way is Himself. And therefore, as we search vainly here, He tells us, "This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow Me, and I will bring you to the Man Whom ye seek." And so, after our journey away from Him, after our vain search in the company, after our retracing every step of our former way, we shall find Him, as His Mother did, in the Temple of GOD. S. Bernard. 2 Kings vi. 19. Rupert. 3 The watchmen that go about the city found me to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? The watchmen that guard (Vulg.) the city, who find the soul thus longing and seeking, are the holy Angels, who guard the Church, or the faithful, and by whose guardianship the mercy of CHRIST protects His own. They are well named watchmen, because they watch Ricard. Vict. and are careful about the elect, that they may be defended from temptation, may advance in good, and may attain salvation. And so the Breviary hymn : Custodes hominum psallimus Angelos, The Angel Guards of men we hail, Hymn. in Fest. Ang. The soul, then, searching for GOD, is found by these, and after going round the city and making her quest, she attains to the appearance of the blessed Angels, she perceives their approach, and is received by them, for they are forerunners of the Bridegroom, and they disclose their presence, revealing themselves. For they are Angels of light, and come with light, whereby she is flooded and illuminated, and reached all at once, so that she is aware of their approach, and feels their presence. Before, she was blind, and felt only herself, now, the grace given her teaches her more. Then her longing breaks out into words, and she complains that her door is open for Him, and yet He does not enter, that she stands knocking at His door, and He does not open. He has promised to come, and promised to open, yet He seems to fail. Where then is He? for ye, who ever behold His face, must surely know. They found me, and set to work to purify me by action, Theodoret. and to enlighten me by contemplation, dead as I was in sin and ignorance, and the pupil of evil spirits. They did this, and more, for me; but they could not answer my question, because my Bridegroom is as incomprehensible to Angels as to men. Again, the watchmen of the city are the teachers raised up by GOD in His Church at various times. Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Doctors, of whom is written, "I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Je- Isa. lxii. 6. rusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night;" and in another place, "Also I set watchmen Jer. vi. 17. over you, saying, Hearken unto the sound of the trumpet. With this view, which is the more usual one, agrees the Chaldee paraphrase, explaining the words of Moses and Aaron watching over the congre- Targum. S. Bernard. gation of Israel. What good watchmen, exclaims S. Bernard, who keep long watch while we are sleeping, as having to give account for our souls! What good guards, who watching in soul and passing the night in prayers, skilfully track out the ambushes of the enemy, forestall the counsels of the malignant, detect the snares, avoid the springes, break the nets, frustrate the schemings. These are lovers of the brethren and of the Christian people, who pray much 2 Macc. xv. for the people, and all the holy city. These are they 14. Ecclus. xxxix. 5. Philo Carp. who, careful for the LORD's sheep committed unto them, give their heart to resort early unto the LORD Who made them, and will pray before the Most High. And though they do all this, and instruct the soul which is seeking CHRIST, yet it is not enough that she should passively drink in their teaching. She must exhibit eagerness, longing, must actively search for herself, not merely let them search in her behalf, and therefore she asks, Have ye seen Him? For when the soul fixes herself on these mere teachers and watchmen, looking to them, and setting them up as her standard, and not searching further for her LORD, she S. Greg. M. does not find Him. She must pass from them to Him. And in saying, The watchmen found me, rather than I found them, the Bride marks the vigilance and zeal of good pastors of the Church, who themselves seek out S.Ans.Laud, souls that are looking for CHRIST, that they may bring them to His feet. They take the whole passage also of the Church of the Gentiles, asking the philosophers and idol priests, who disputed with her, the one unanswerable question, Have ye seen Him? It is the Jewish Church also, looking for Him in the City of Parez. Holy Writ, in its broad prophecies, and narrow dark types, and accosting its watchmen, the Chief Priests, Scribes, and Pharisees, with the same inquiry, Have Angelomus. ye seen Him? And they get no reply in either case, for "unless the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." The world knew Him not, and His own, to whom He came, received Him not. I asked my senses, Have ye seen Him? And my sight said, Nay, unless He be an image. But He is Truth itself, and no mere image or phantasm. I asked my hearing, and it replied, Unless He be a sound or a melody, I know Him not. And yet He is this too, the WORD Who is music to His own. I asked my touch, and it answered, Unless He be smoothness or S. Just. Org. Ps. cxxvii. 2. S. Thom. à roughness, I have not seen Him. Yet this also He is, gentle to others, harsh to Himself in His suffering life. I asked my sense of smell, and it rejoined, If He be not a perfume, I know Him not. Yet He is this too, an offering to GOD for a sweet-smelling savour. I asked my taste, and it replied, If He be not a flavour, I cannot tell. This also is He Who is our Food, sweet to our taste. All, and more than all, yet the senses cannot find Him. I asked all creation, Sun, I said, moon, and stars, sky, earth, and sea, Have ye seen Him? And they answered, We are not the Beloved, we are but His works, and we cannot contain nor comprehend Him. 4 It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. But a little, whether spoken of time or of place. And yet CHRIST's coming was nine hundred years after Thrupp. the utterance of this Song; four hundred years after Malachi, the last of the prophetic watchmen, sealed up the oracles of Gop; but they seemed but as a few days to the Church because of the love she bore to Him. I passed from them. That is, observes one Cassiodor. Father, when I had learnt fully all they had to teach me, when I had gone through this course of instruction, I found Him. But the majority take it more deeply: When I had left them all behind in search of Him Who is above and beyond them all, when I had left Gentile philosophers, as Justin and Cyprian did; when I had quitted Scribes and Rabbis, like S. Paul; when I have found the wisest Doctors, the holiest Apostles, still far beneath Him Who is co-equal with the FATHER: when I have pierced beyond the highest choir of Angels, likest to Him in nature, in beauty, wisdom, and purity; then, and not till then, can I find Him, for love enters in when understanding waits without. Nic. Argent. It is but a little, however, that I have to wait, for He comes Himself to meet me, the very moment I have S. Just. Org. S. Greg. M. Ricard. Vict. forsaken self and sin, and have been washed clean Philo Carp. from my offences. But a little, for the knowledge of GOD is granted with small toil, since the moment He [III. 4. S. Ans.Laud. perceives the affection of the seeker He gives Himself S. Bernard. freely, and throws Himself into our arms. But a little, for the Creed which sums up the mysteries of salvation is soon communicated, and easily learnt. But a 2 Cor. iv. 17. little, for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. But a little, and yet ascending up far above all heavens, from the depth of sin and sorrow to the exalted throne of the SON of GOD, whereon He seats and crowns His Bride. Philipp. Ric. Vict. I held Him, and would not let Him go. GOD is held, observes Richard of S. Victor, by devotion in prayer, by longing, importunity, memory, intreaty, faith, and expectation of being heard, and He is not let go if there be no intermission of intention, if the countenance of the petitioner has not turned any more to other things. She holds her Beloved therefore, though it be morning, and does not let Him go until He bless her. She wrestled with Him all the night wherein she slept; but her heart was waking, because it had ceased from outer cares, and toiled in seeking the Beloved. For though she came through the night unto morning, she ceases not from her wrestling, that is, her steadfastness in prayer, and does not let her Beloved go until He give His blessing that she may go from strength S. Bernard. to strength and behold the GOD of Gods in Sion, and Serm. 79, 83. be no more called Jacob, but Israel. She wants as her one blessing, Himself, as she holds Him by her love. Ps. lxxxiv. Guilelm. Parv. Charles In vain Thou strugglest to get free, Yield to me now, for I am weak, Be conquered by my instant prayer; 'Tis Love, 'tis Love! Thou diedst for me; |