Book 6
[Song of Solomon 7:5] -- Your head is like Carmel, etc. In the head of the bride, the soul of the faithful is rightly understood, because just as the members are ruled by the head, so are thoughts arranged by the mind. Hence, even the thoughts themselves, which emerge countless times every hour and moment from the human mind, are aptly depicted as hair. What is said about one chosen soul is to be understood by the prudent reader as applying to the whole Church, because even though the multitude of believers differs in merits, they nevertheless have one heart and soul, insofar as they all aspire to the heavenly courts with one and the same faith, hope, and love. Scripture recounts that Elijah prayed on Mount Carmel kneeling, and after a long drought, he obtained rains from the Lord. Thus, the head of the bride is like Carmel, because the hearts of the chosen are elevated through their way of life and provide an ascent to the Lord through their daily progress in virtues. For Elijah is called the Lord God, who prays to the Father in them and, like dry fields, calls rains from heaven because he invisibly ignites them to pray to God, and through their prayers and merits, he often grants his gifts to a world in peril. The name of Carmel, which is interpreted as the knowledge of circumcision, fits the head of the bride, that is, the ecclesiastical mind, which well knows it should not boast in carnal but in spiritual circumcision, about which the Apostle also debates much to the Galatians, and the prophet teaches, saying, "Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart" (Jer. IV). The Jews refused to have this knowledge when they only glorified in the outward circumcision. Therefore, they did not know to have their head like Carmel because their mind was set on things below and on the glory of the flesh. Hence, they rightly deserve to be reproached by the voice of the blessed proto-martyr Stephen, saying, "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit" (Acts VII). And he says, "The hair of your head is like a purple rope bound in channels." The hair of the bride's head, as we said, represents the thoughts of the faithful soul. But the purple signifies the imitation of the Lord's passion, to which the hair of the bride's head is rightly compared, because every thought of the chosen ones is fortified by the holy faith of the cross, and every intention of their heart is ready to suffer for the Lord, so they may deserve to be resurrected with him. But that the same purple is said to be bound in channels can either be understood to mean that the dyed wool, before it is woven, is stored separated in channels, or that, since the wool is dyed in the channels with the blood of the murex, it is there distinguished and tied separately to be dyed. For the purple dye is extracted by cutting with iron the shellfish, that is, the sea snails, which are also called "conchylia," releasing tears of purple color. When collected, they produce the purple dye. This mystically conveys one and the same meaning. For the channels that receive the king’s purple denote the faithful hearts of Christ; thus, the wool that is sent to be dyed in the channels, so that it may become an ornament for the king after dyeing, represents the humility, the mildest and kindest of a faithful conscience, which through sufferings and works of justice attains the appearance of the eternal king. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3). Now, this wool bound in the channels is dyed with the purple color, because the virtue of humility, fastened and as if bound in the hearts of the elect, is continuously animated by the memory of the Lord’s blood to endure temporal tribulations, by which it may attain to the fellowship of the Lord’s kingdom. And what we have said about the purple bound in the channels can be understood in such a way that fleeces already dyed by the shellfish, before being spun into threads, are kept stored in compartments, symbolizing the higher virtue, since it represents the humility of those who are already exercised in frequent tribulations for the Lord, showing that they can be overcome by no adversities. They say that the perfect dye of purple never fades from sunlight or water sprinkling, and that the tint once received endures. Thus, the bride’s hair on her head is bound in the purple channels of the king, when thoughts prepared in the devoted hearts for God are also ready to die for Christ, so that they may reign with him, making the purple, drawn from the channels, the highest ornament of the king. When the occasion for suffering is given, they show what they have rendered in that heart, bravely prepared to undergo all sorts of adversities and even death, if it happens, for the glory of their Redeemer. This was well represented in the Acts of the Apostles by Lydia, the purple-seller, who, being a fearer of God, was the first to believe and be baptized with her household when Paul preached in Macedonia, and who received him into her house, both when he first preached the word of faith and later when he suffered beatings, imprisonments, and bonds from the infidels. For she foreshadowed in her profession, faith, and obedience the Church made up of the Gentiles, who, imbued with the confession of the Lord’s passion, were themselves to shed their blood for it and to receive deeply in their hearts the apostolic doctrine expelled by the infidels.
[Song of Solomon 7:6] -- How beautiful you are, etc.! Previously, in the praise of the bride, it was said, You are beautiful, my friend, sweet and lovely like Jerusalem, terrible like an army set in array. There, therefore, along with beauty and loveliness, she is said to be terrible as an army set in array; here, she is stated to be beautiful and lovely in delights. However, according to human custom, it is difficult for one and the same person both to lead a life in delights and to be terrible as an army set in array, because indeed delights soften the mind and do not allow it to focus on warlike matters. But where the delights are spiritual, that is, where the desire for eternal sweetness fills the mind’s throat, there the soul becomes terrible to spiritual enemies, and as if an ordered army, it crushes all their weapons; rather, the more it comprehends the taste of internal satisfaction, the more terrifying it becomes to those who have completely lost the glory of the sweetness of heaven, for which they were created, to the bitterness of proud tyranny. And well did the lover of the holy soul say, How beautiful you are, how lovely! that is, how perfect in faith and work, and immediately he added, Most dear in delights. For it is fitting that the soul, which is seen to be devoted to heavenly delights, should be most dear to the Lord, because indeed the more the pure mind tastes the food of life, the more it is inflamed with that love, and the more fervently it loves the heavenly, the more perfectly it is loved by the author and giver of celestial goods themselves. Therefore, the holy soul is most dear to the Lord in delights, because while it ardently hungers for the joys of internal refreshment, the love for its Creator increases in it; and since such a soul also fore-tastes no small portion of the delights of the future reward in the struggle of the present life, it is rightly added:
[Song of Solomon 7:7] -- Your stature is compared to a palm tree, etc. For the stature of the Church is indeed the uprightness of its good work, because, despising to bend down to earthly desires, it raises itself entirely to attain heavenly rewards. The Apostle admonishes concerning this, saying, "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave" (1 Cor. 16). And the Lord Himself, "I am the Lord, who brought you out of servitude, by which the Egyptians oppressed you, so that you would walk upright" (1 Kings 10). The palm tree, moreover, is adorned with the hand of the victor. And also among the ancients, whoever had won in a contest was crowned with a palm. Therefore, the stature of the bride is compared to a palm, when the entire intention of the faithful, upright in love for heavenly things, meditating meanwhile while standing in the battle line, reflects on that prize, which is to be given as a reward when the contest is over. Likewise, because the palm tree appears rough in its lower parts but shows beauty and the sweetness of its fruit at the top, it is fittingly compared to the stature of the Church, or of any faithful soul, which bears rough labors on earth for the Lord, but hopes to receive a most pleasant reward from the Lord in heaven. The palm is rough near the ground, because the elect suffer persecution for righteousness. It is beautiful and sweet at the top, because they rejoice in tribulations and exult, knowing that their reward is abundant in heaven. Similarly, just as the palm is covered with enduring leaves and preserves its foliage without replacement, who does not see that it holds the symbol of the stature of faith, which, while the state of the passing world changes, retains the same words of true confession, like leaves that neve fall and are kept, and maintains the same perfection of works that began from the outset, as if the beauty of the palms is held inviolate in His chosen ones until the end of the world? And he says, "Your breasts are like clusters." The breasts, as often said, are the teachers of the Church when they minister the milk of initial instruction to the little ones of Christ. But these same breasts are likened to clusters when those teachers, to whom the initial sacraments of His incarnation were entrusted, also reveal the secrets of the divinity, by which He is equal to the Father; and those who previously said, "We resolve to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2), afterwards say to those capable of receiving more profound teachings, "Whose are the fathers, and from whom according to the flesh, is Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever" (Romans 9). The breasts of the Church are also likened to clusters when the masters of truth at the same time, reveal to mature listeners the great mysteries or teachings of the Scriptures, and offer to those weak in understanding the sustenance of life that they can grasp. To these they say, "If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments; you shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and your mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself"; but to those they say, "If you wish to be perfect, go and sell all that you have and give to the poor" (Matt. 19), and the like. But these breasts are also likened to clusters, because the Apostle says, "For whether we are beside ourselves, it is for God; whether we be sober, it is for you" (2 Cor. 5). For they fulfill the function of breasts when they temper their words according to what the weak can hear; they are compared to clusters when, being elevated in mind, they are inebriated by the abundance of the house of God and of that house of God which is not made by hands but is eternal in the heavens. But since all the saints, whatever good they possess, have received it by the liberality of divine grace, it is rightly added:
[Song of Solomon 7:8] -- I said, I will ascend into the palm tree, etc. For the sole reason is that the breasts of the Church may be equaled to clusters of grapes, because the Lord has deigned to ascend into her and to gift her with His grace. For indeed, so that the teachers may preach both humble things to the little ones and lofty things to the perfect, so that they may both condescend and be temperate with the unskilled, and they themselves may drink deeply in the contemplation of heavenly things, this is not due to their own merit, but it is a gift from heaven. It was said above concerning the Lord, My beloved descended into His garden (Psalm 86); and now He himself says, I will ascend into the palm tree. However, the same Church, or perfect soul, is the Lord's garden, which is also the palm tree. But there is a difference between the Lord ascending into her and descending into her: for He descends into her when He sends her heavenly grace from above, by which she may become heavenly herself and be transferred to the things above; however, He ascends into the same when He more and more reveals the knowledge of His majesty to the faithful, when He inspires in those who are advancing the love of the heavenly homeland, as it were through certain steps striving towards the heights; when to those to whom He previously said, When you have done all that you were commanded, say: We are unworthy servants (Luke XVII), He adds greater gifts, saying, I will no more call you servants, for the servant does not know what his lord does. But I called you friends (John XV). And again: Go, tell my brothers (John XV). Thus, the Lord descends into His garden when He imparts heavenly gifts to the faithful; He ascends into the palm tree when He graciously bestows the increase of virtues on His advancing chosen ones, until He leads them to perfection: concerning which virtues it is aptly added:
[Song of Solomon 7:8] -- I will seize its fruits. For he indeed seizes the virtues of a faithful soul, so that with the most healthful touch of his compunction, he may always make them fruitful with greater blessing. The fruits of the palm can also be taken as each of the chosen ones, whom the Church brings forth to the Lord, as her own palm; these fruits it indeed seizes when it strengthens its own in faith and love, and to protect them from ever failing, it guards them with its protection to the perfect maturity of life, in accordance with that of the Psalmist: "You have given me the protection of your salvation, your right hand upholds me" (Psalm 17). Moreover, in what follows, "And your breasts will be like clusters of the vine," it can also be understood that those who do not neglect to announce even the small things they know kindly and simply to their neighbors, may sometimes be inebriated with a greater gift of wisdom; and this when the Lord ascends to the palm and seizes its fruits, because unless His grace brings us growth, unless our hearts are fortified by His grace, we can neither have great nor small goods. Aptly, the victorious tree of the cross can also be signified by the name of the palm, to which the stature of the bride is rightly compared, because the holy Church is raised up through the passion of its Redeemer so that it can remain upright, stable, and immovable. It is rightly compared to this because even those who preceded the times of the Lord's incarnation symbolized the mysteries of His passion either by prophesying or even suffering, and the saints of our time also glorify the same sacred triumph of the passion, all indeed by believing and confessing, many however also by dying. But what the bridegroom says, "I said, I will go up to the palm, I will seize its fruits," fits that age when Solomon sang these things, when the Lord often promised through the voices of the prophets that He would come in the flesh for the redemption of the human race; when He proclaimed that He would ascend the tree, dying for His bride, destroying the dominion of death, and as a victor return to life. The fruits of the palm, which He said He would seize, are later signs of glory which followed the ascent of the cross, that is the brightness of His resurrection and ascension to heaven, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the salvation of the believing world. Which sense is aptly followed by:
[Song of Solomon 7:8] -- And thy breasts, etc. For truly, the first teachers of the Church, that is, the apostles, having completed His passion and resurrection, received a much greater knowledge of salvific doctrine than they had previously had, when appearing after the resurrection He opened their minds so that they might understand the Scriptures; when, having sent the Spirit from above, He granted them the knowledge of all languages; when it was falsely said by those mocking them that ‘these men are full of new wine’ (Acts 2). But they truly were like clusters of grapes because they were refreshed by the grace of spiritual gifts, the prophecy being verily fulfilled which said that new wine must be put into new bottles, and both are preserved (Matthew 9). And what follows aptly fits both senses:
[Song of Solomon 7:8] -- And the smell of your breath is like apples, etc. Indeed, in the smell of the mouth is the fame of good speech, and in the throat, however, is the very duty of voice dedicated to God. Both are worthy of praise in the Catholic Church, and both in every elected soul, because the voice itself, which teaches those present, and the fame of speech, which reaches the absent, whether through letters or through those who have heard, is proven to be full of virtue and grace. But because he compares the smell of the bride's mouth and throat to apples and the best wine, it can be distinguished that apples retain all their strength in freshness itself, but wine achieves its value from age. Therefore, it is rightly compared to both these types—the voice of the Church speaking and its fame, whose beginning and perfection are known to be wonderful. Moreover, because the strength and fragrance of the best wine are greater than that of apples, it is rightly said: And the smell of your breath is like apples. Your throat is like the best wine, it surpasses the grace of apples. So much does the present speech of the holy Church of God excel the fame that the words of those who hear can spread about it. However, thus far the bride has been praised, and when it came to saying that her throat is like the best wine, she seized the word from the bridegroom's mouth, and she, led by great love, strives to complete it rather. For she understood that by the term "best wine" the word of the Gospel was designated, in which alone is eternal salvation for believers, and she said:
[Song of Solomon 7:9] -- Worthy of my beloved to drink, etc. Wine, he says, the best, which my throat has compared, is worthy of my beloved to drink, because the word of the Gospel, which He has deigned to place in my mouth, is of such sublimity that it ought to be preached to the world only through Him, my beloved spouse and Redeemer. For He, first appearing in the flesh, through the mystery of regeneration, opened the heavenly path to the human race; He first preached the sacrament of His passion, resurrection, and ascension, by which the world would be saved, and then left it to be preached by His faithful ones; He drank the cup of salvation and thus offered it to be drunk by the Church. It should not seem absurdly placed, what is said, That it should be chewed by his lips and teeth, when it is said of wine. It is clear, however, that chewing is more suitable for food than for drink. Figuratively speaking, he calls the lips and teeth of the beloved the holy teachers, as has been proven above, because they chew the best wine which He has drunk, when they are delighted to scrutinize by frequent meditation and to confer the word of grace which they teach with one another. Some understand this response of the Church to the speech of the Lord as subtly interwoven, so that when He, praising her, had said, Your throat, that is, the sweetness of your confession, is like the best wine, she immediately, agreeing with His words, would add, Worthy of my beloved to drink, and to be chewed by his lips and teeth. As if she were openly saying: I already desire greatly that my beloved may judge the affection and sincerity of the mind which I have towards Him by careful examination. For I trust that even if He examines this with as much care as He is accustomed to examine drink or food, because He has diligently endeavored to taste or chew it, He will already prove it worthy of His praises. Hence, the first pastor of the Church responded to the Lord asking him, You know that I love you; and again: You know all things, you know that I love you (John XV). To whom, indeed, the beloved, still adding from the great ardor of the same charity, says:
[Song of Solomon 7:10] -- I am for my beloved, etc. I am for my beloved and not for another. To whom I offer the whole gift of my service and devotion. And his conversion to me, so that even in this mortal life, lest I become weary by labor, lest I bear lamps without oil, that is, lest I carry out good works without charity, his presence and constant regard may always help me, and finally he may lead me to immortal joys of the heavenly chamber. This which he says, And his conversion to me, can be understood as specially uttered from the figure of the Synagogue, that is, of those people who preceded the times of His incarnation: who, when they had heard Him promising above, I said, I will ascend into the palm tree, I will take hold of its fruits, that is, I will ascend the wood of the cross, on which I will die, and taking the fruits of the resurrection, I will offer them to believers who are nourished for eternal life, justly rejoicing, she declares, I am for my beloved, and his conversion to me, namely, that He who was accustomed to be always present to me in invisible presence, might deign to appear to me also in my nature and form. To the lovers of both times, what follows aptly applies.
[Song of Solomon 7:11] -- Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field, etc. For even the holy ones of old greatly desired the Lord to come for the salvation of the human race. Thus, praying, they say, "Stir up your might and come to save us" (Psalm 79). They desired him to go forth into the field, that is, for him who was invisible with the Father to appear visible to the world, according to Habakkuk, who prophesied future events as if they were already happening, "You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed" (Habakkuk 3). They too wished to go forth with him into the field, to announce the grace of the Gospel which, being seen and greeted from afar, they proclaimed would come, announcing it present in their age. They desired to dwell with him in the villages, that is, to commit the word of faith even to the pagans. For who does not know that the pagans derive their name in Greek from the villages, because they dwell far from the habitation or even the knowledge of the heavenly city? And what do you think Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, and the other prophets endured for his proclamations, who prophesied before the dispensation of Christ to come in the flesh, would have done if they could have lived with him in the flesh? Those things that follow, which fit the desires of the faithful saints of old with much propriety, are also added. But the Church of our time, burning with equal fervor, rightly proclaims, "Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; you who have lifted up the man assumed for my salvation, placing him at the right hand of the Father in heaven, I pray that by the presence of divine grace, you may deign to come to me more frequently. You command me to cultivate my field, in which you have sown good seed—that is, you command to preach the Gospel you gave throughout the whole world; but because I can do nothing without you, I beg you, come forth with me into the field, that is, wherever you wish me to preach the word, be my helper and cooperator." We read that he himself said, at the coming of the day of judgment, "Two will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left" (Luke 17). He who cultivated the field of his own or his brother's heart with the Lord's cooperation will be taken up; but he who trusted he had the fruits of good doctrines or actions from himself, will rightly be left by him whose help he neglected to seek. Let us dwell in the villages too, by teaching the hearts of foreigners; and let us not visit these in passing, but let us dwell in them as long as necessary until we make them from pagans to urbane, from foreigners and strangers to domestic, indeed our own.
[Song of Solomon 7:12] -- Let us rise early and go to the vineyards, etc. Thus let us dwell in the villages so that we may rise to cultivate the vineyards; thus let us make our residence among those who have already converted to the faith, and let us also strive to acquire others whom we may dwell among through evangelizing. And rightly she who is to say, Let us rise to the vineyards, has prefaced it with, Early; for Early speaks of the very rising of the true light, through which the world has been rescued from the power of darkness. Early then, he says, let us rise to the vineyards; as if he plainly says: Because the harm of ancient disbelief has departed, because the light of the shining Gospel now begins to appear, let us rise, I beseech you, to the vineyards, that is, let us give our effort to the churches to be established for God throughout the world.
[Song of Solomon 7:12] -- Let us see if the vineyard has bloomed, etc. The vineyard blooms when the Church receives the first elements of faith and confession. However, blossoms bring forth fruits when the faith and confession of the saints become prompt, even to the exercise of works of justice, lest their faith be found to be idle or dead without works. The pomegranates bloom when those who have advanced in faith and right action perceive the desire of suffering for righteousness: for the pomegranates, because they appear to be of a sanguine color, fittingly symbolize the passion either of the Lord Savior or of His faithful ones. Rightly in each of these instances the bride seeks the presence of her beloved, saying: Let us go forth into the field, let us dwell in the villages, let us rise to the vineyards, let us see if the vineyard has bloomed, and so forth; for in no way does the Church suffice either to proceed forth to good work by going out, or to persevere in the exercise of good works by dwelling, or to rise to salvation and the purpose of doing good, or to discern how much the souls of its hearers have advanced, without the grace of Him who, about to ascend to heaven, promised, And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28). But if we are willing to accept these words as said by the person of the ancient righteous ones, the term "morning," where it says "Let us rise early to the vineyards," can not incongruously be understood to designate the very time of the Lord's incarnation; for many prophets and righteous men desired to see the times which the apostles saw; they longed to persist in the flesh until the new light of His coming, if it could be done, so that they might hear His words teaching in the flesh, and adhere to His promises, making conversation about Him in the flesh with those who would later believe in Him. The rest can be understood in the same sense as above, where it says "There I will give you my breasts," namely in that place where we come to see the vineyards and the pomegranates, whether they bloom or bear fruit. The breasts of the Church are known to be its teachers, those little ones of hers, who certainly offer these breasts to the Lord when they present their deeds and words in service of His preachers, so that, as nurses are accustomed to nourish little ones with diligent attention, so they strive to act in such a way that those who are still unlearned may, both by sight and by hearing, be able to progress in Christ, and reach the strength of spiritual youth, and become worthy to whom the voice of the blessed John may be said, "I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one" (1 John 2). "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world" (John 2). Rightly, indeed, the Church, having prayed to the Lord, saying, "Come, my beloved, let us go into the field," and the other things that follow, concluded thus, "There I will give you my breasts"; as if she openly said: Therefore I beseech you greatly, that you may undertake the spiritual labor with me, so that I may always acquire new peoples for you, and may know how those who have already been acquired are doing, how much they have progressed in faith; because I strive to subordinate very diligently to you the tutors of my little ones, in such a way that I may forecast for them nothing to follow except what You Yourself have commanded, whether by example or by word. He who said, "We have become little ones in the midst of you, as a nurse cherishes her own children" (1 Thess. 2), thus desiring you, knew that he belonged to these breasts. The bride gave such breasts to her beloved, and to no one else, when, hearing from him, "Separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them" (Acts 13), she immediately took care to obey His commands.
[Song of Solomon 7:13] -- Mandrakes have given their fragrance at our gates. The gates of Christ and the Church are the same teachers, who have also been expressed by the name of breasts: who, as often said, are breasts because they nurture his little ones and infants, frequently exerting effort so that even from their mouths perfect praise may be produced for the Lord. They are, however, gates, because those whom they teach, through the ministry of the word and regeneration, they introduce into the dwelling of the holy city; about whom the Psalmist says, The Lord loves the gates of Zion above all the dwellings of Jacob (Ps. LXXXVI). Hence also in Revelation, John says about the same city, And it had a great and high wall, having twelve gates (Rev. XII), because surely the first teachers of the Church, that is, the twelve apostles, are chosen. Therefore, in such gates, mandrakes gave their fragrance, when the apostles and their successors spread the fame of their spiritual virtues far and wide. Rightly, therefore, does the Church beseech the Lord to come there to bring heavenly aid to their preaching, where she knows that the preachers themselves are fragrant with exceptional virtues. But anyone who diligently investigates other natures of mandrakes, and how many medicines they suit, will indeed find that they are aptly suited to signifying the virtues of the faithful. For it is an aromatic herb, having a root resembling the shape of the human body; the fruit, however, is sweet-smelling, in the size of an apple. Hence, the Latins also call it the apple of the earth. It also has such a virtue that through it sleep is often induced where the sick are troubled by the inconvenience of wakefulness. Indeed, one is troubled by the worst wakes who seeks to free his mind from the cares and desires of this world but, delayed by the use of wrong habits, is not yet able to obtain the rest he seeks. But he who strives to cure his weakness with diligent exercise of spiritual studies, comes, as the battles of vices gradually recede, to that mental quiet which the bride speaks of in the higher parts of this song, I sleep, but my heart wakes; that is, I rest from the cares of temporal things, and my heart watches in the contemplation of eternal goods. Likewise, if bodies must be cut for care, the bark of this plant, when put into wine, is given to drink so that, being asleep, they do not feel the pain. What the rationale of this nature signifies to be done in spiritual medicines is easily evident: for the soul languishes gravely that is subdued by great weights of vices; and it is offered as if to be treated by doctors when holy teachers urge it to resist carnal pleasures. But because it cannot be abandoned without great pain, that which was accustomed to be held with great love, it seems to be cut off from that which withdraws it from the long-established habit of allurements. But lest this kind of separation should seem intolerable to the languishing soul, a healthful potion must be given, through which it, usefully lulled, does not feel the pain of the cut. The eternal punishment of the Gehenna flame must be brought back to mind, which will perpetually torture souls neglectful of their salvation; the glory of the heavenly homeland must be brought back to memory, where the taken-up souls of the righteous will reign without end with Christ: for this indeed is the health-giving potion of doctrine, which redeems the soul, long languid from God, either lulled by this world or rather dead, so that it may very easily endure the removal of all the delights it previously adhered to, and even rejoice in their removal. Again, it is said that the mandrake heals those who suffer from nausea, so that they are neither able to contain themselves, nor are delighted to receive food. But the food of the soul is the word of truth, which those who are neither able to receive by hearing, nor keep accepted in the stomach of memory through hearing, suffer from a very dreadful and dangerous ailment, because surely it must be that their life is to be despaired of who spurn either to preserve or at least to receive the bread of life: for such languor, frequent examples of saints, and the present form of virtues are accustomed to provide healing, while anyone indifferent and neglectful at the sight or hearing of good works, upon remembering the glory of the heavenly reward, seeks to imitate the acts and temporary labors of good men so that he may merit to be held as a co-heir of their perpetual happiness. Therefore, anyone who is thus brought to the hope of salvation and life, as if through the fruit of the mandrake, whoever of the learned holds so great a grace of the Spirit, such study of piety, that anyone who sees or hears them, immediately changed in mind, begins to follow their life, they deservedly hold the form of the mandrake, because they fix the food of life in the hearts of the nauseous. And beautifully the bride, rich in living delights, not only promises the fruits of the vineyards and apples to be seen by the bridegroom, but also the odors of mandrakes and their health-giving juices: she boasts not only of having those things which can be eaten and drunk, but also those things which can make food or drink grateful and pleasant to those who are disgusted, because the Church also offers before the presence of its author the gifts of the heavenly word, namely the foods and drinks of life, offers fit ministers, who bring these by preaching to those who hunger and thirst; and moreover, by tasting them first themselves, that is, by first working, make them sweet to those who are disgusted. She brings forth, as if vineyards, innumerable troops of the elect; she brings forth pomegranate apples, the precious ranks of martyrs by the splendor of invincible confession; she brings forth spiritual charisms, which incite the hearts of the sluggish to contemplate and imitate the examples of the good.
[Song of Solomon 7:13] -- All the fruits, new and old, etc. The new and old fruits are the precepts or promises of the New and Old Testament, which the Church has kept for its beloved, knowing that He alone is the one who gave the precepts and who will render worthy rewards to those who keep them; knowing Him alone to be the one who delivered lesser commands through the angels to His ancient servants, and greater ones through Himself to us, or made promises of rewards. By this argument, the Church effectively counters the sects of the Photinians, who deny that the Lord Savior existed before Mary; and refutes the madness of the Manichaeans, who teach that the God of the law is different from the God of the Gospel. Likewise, the new and old fruits are the just of the New and Old Testament, none of whom, though distinguished by outstanding sanctity, could enter the gateways to the heavenly kingdom before the incarnate passion, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Savior. The Church of that time, which is now called the Synagogue by the grace of discernment, said, "All the fruits, new and old, I have kept for you, my beloved." As if she openly says: I know very certainly that no one can be saved except by your grace, no mortal can become perfectly blessed before you, having become mortal, open the way of true happiness to the heavenly realms. For all the just ones I have seen, I have kept for your most holy coming with certain faith, by which I learned that they would reach perfect happiness. Likewise, the Church of the New Testament expresses a similar sentiment through the voice of its first pastor, denouncing those who thought otherwise with this: Why do you test God, putting a yoke on the necks of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? but we believe to be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they do (Acts XV). The following sentence proves this exposition to be true, as it is added: