CHAPTER VII. (Cap. VII.--Verse 1.) What will you see in the Shulammite, except the dances of the camps?
1. For camps indeed belong to those who wage war. Camps, therefore, will be seen in the Shunammite, because for the faith which she now attacks, she will then fight valiantly against the faithless. But because it will come about through the holy Church that the Synagogue is converted, because she will be converted to the faith by the words and examples of preachers, therefore the Bridegroom rightly turns to the praise of the bride, saying: (Verse 1.) How beautiful are your steps in your sandals, O daughter of the prince!
2. The daughter of the prince is called the holy Church, because she is regenerated into new life by the preaching of Christ, who through the power of his divinity rules over every creature that he made. What are the shoes of the Church, if not the examples of the preceding fathers, by which she is fortified on the road of this world, so that through all the tribulations that arise, she may walk confidently shod? Hence elsewhere Paul says to the preachers: "Your feet shod in preparation for the Gospel of peace" (Eph. 6:15). For shoes are made from dead animals. And we spiritually shoe our feet when we take examples from the holy fathers who are dead in the flesh, so that after their likeness we may overcome the temptations of this world. It can nevertheless be understood that the Church is shod when in her preaching she is fortified by the death of Christ to endure the evils that arise against her. Beautiful therefore are the steps of the shod bride, who is the daughter of the prince; because before the divine eyes the service of any elect person preaching according to the examples of the fathers is pleasing. There follows: (Verse 1.) The joints of your thighs are like jewels that have been fashioned by the hand of a craftsman.
3. By the two thighs of the bride, the two peoples of the Church are signified: by the joining of the thighs, the concord of the preachers is designated, by whom the peoples are united, while circumcision and uncircumcision are instructed by them in the Catholic Faith. These are like necklaces; because while in the wisdom by which they shine they do holy works, they bear, as it were, gems set in gold. Of whom it follows: "Which were fashioned by the hand of a craftsman." Necklaces are fashioned by the hand of a craftsman, because by the work of Christ the preachers are made beautiful and useful. There follows: (Verse 2.) "Your navel is a rounded goblet, never lacking mixed wine."
4. The navel is also the order of holy preachers, which is fittingly called a goblet, because while the people are instructed through them, they are intoxicated with spiritual wine by their ministry. It is fittingly called "turned on a lathe," because it is necessary that the tongue of the preacher be turned according to the customs of all people. It "lacks not cups," because what he serves to others, he must drink more abundantly than the rest, and more fully contain what he gives. There follows: (Verse 2.) Your belly is like a heap of wheat, hedged about with lilies.
5. By the belly, the breadth of the people is designated: which is fittingly surrounded by lilies like a heap of wheat; because while intent upon holy works, being prepared for the heavenly granary, it is fortified on every side by the examples of the saints, that it may persevere; of whom it is again said: (Verse 3.) "Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle."
6. The two breasts are two peoples: because while they always live in fraternal love, they nourish one another with the milk of piety in charity. They are fittingly called two fawns, twins of a gazelle: because while begotten in faith through the preaching of the Synagogue, they are nourished in its Scriptures, directing themselves toward the hope of eternity, they feed in harmony as if upon the mountains. Concerning these preachers it follows: (Verse 4.) Your neck is like a tower of ivory.
7. The neck of the bride is said to be like a tower of ivory; because the preachers of the Church are considered both lofty through contemplation, and strong through the exercise of holy works, and precious through divine wisdom. Of whom it is again said: (Verse 4.) Your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon, which are in the gate of the daughter of the multitude.
8. Heshbon is interpreted as the girdle of sorrow. The eyes of the bride are therefore said to be like the pools in Heshbon, because while they are saddened by their pilgrimage, and strengthened by sorrow, they gird themselves against spiritual enemies; they wash themselves with tears, so that through them the peoples may be fittingly cleansed before God. Moreover, they are at the gate of the daughter of the multitude, because they stand in faith, through which they lead the multitude of the Church to heavenly things. There follows: (Verse 4.) Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon, which looks toward Damascus.
9. In the nose the discernment of smell is found. By the nose, therefore, the order of preachers is designated: because through them the fragrances of virtues and the stenches of vices are made known to us. But the nose stands like a tower of Lebanon: because once preachers are washed in the water of Baptism, and are made white by daily tears from the sins they committed against God, they become worthy to be raised higher and higher through fortitude. But the tower looks toward Damascus: because any holy preacher always opposes sinners. Damascus indeed is interpreted as "bloody," and it is said to the sinful nation: Your hands are full of blood (Isaiah 1:16). But because he spoke of the members, it is fitting that he speak of the head. Therefore it is added: (Verse 5.) Your head is like Carmel, and the hair of your head like the purple of a King bound in channels.
10. The head of the Church is Christ, who is fittingly called Carmel, because through the passion He endured, He was exalted to the glory of the Father. Of Him it is written: "And in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of the mountains" (Isa. 2:2). On Carmel, Elijah praying obtained rain (1 Kings 18), and we praying on Carmel obtain rain, when believing in Christ we desire Christ and receive from the Father the watering of grace for which we ask. In the moral sense, however, the head of the bride is called the mind, because just as the members are governed by the head, so all our thoughts are directed by the mind. Now Carmel is interpreted as "knowledge of circumcision." Therefore the head of the bride is said to be like Carmel, because every holy mind knows how to be worthily circumcised: it knows that whatever is done in the body is nothing if the mind has been unclean; and if it is made into a temple of Christ, it is inhabited by Him. Because the Pharisees did not do this, blessed Stephen said to those who were killing him: "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit" (Acts 7:51). Now the hair of his head is said to be like the purple of a king bound to channels. For purple is tied by bundles in channels, over which when water is poured, it runs through the channels to the garment placed beneath, so that the garment may be dyed; and from this it receives its name, so that what is dyed with purple color is called purple. All of these things correspond to the holy mind, if they are understood. For the hairs of the head are the thoughts of the mind, which are bound in channels, because they are restrained in the divine Scriptures lest they flow uselessly. Water is poured over them, which dyes the royal garment, because in the thoughts of the holy mind, heavenly grace is received and composes the whole soul into a heavenly ornament, so that the whole soul may burn with desire for eternal life and long to go to the eternal Bridegroom even through the blood of martyrdom. For Paul says of the whole Church: "Who presented to Himself the Church, a garment without spot or wrinkle" (Eph. 5:27). And of each of the Church's faithful it is said: "You shall clothe yourself with all these as with an ornament" (Isa. 49:18). Thus rejoicing over the bride made dyed, thus beautiful, thus made purple, the Bridegroom speaks, saying: (Verse 6) "How beautiful you are and how graceful, dearest one, in your delights."
11. It should be noted that she is called "most dear" in delights, because no one arrives at the love and intimacy of Christ who does not strive to abound in the delights of Holy Scripture. For thus it is said: 'For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath' (Matt. 13:12). For whoever abounds in these delights is refreshed; and being refreshed by them, is continually prepared to receive greater things. Whence also it is said to this most dear bride: (Verse 7) 'This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.'
12. For the palm, as it grows, is narrow at the bottom and spreads wide at the top. So the holy soul begins from the lowest and smallest things, and gradually growing to greater things, arrives at the breadth of perfect charity. For no one, as it is written, suddenly reaches the highest. In the Psalm it is said of the just man: "The just shall flourish like the palm tree" (Psalm 91:13). The breasts of the bride are the two precepts of charity, which possess the soul, inebriate it with heavenly wine, and nourish it. Yet the palm can also be understood as the cross of Christ. For the palm, growing to a very great height, produces the sweetest fruits; and the cross of Christ has prepared heavenly food for us. The bride's stature is compared to it, because whoever, greatly loving Christ, worthily imitates Him does not hesitate to die for Christ. Concerning the palm, the Bridegroom continues, saying: (Verse 8.) "I said, I will go up into the palm tree, and I will take hold of its fruits; and your breasts shall be like clusters of the vine; and the fragrance of your mouth like apples."
13. He spoke truly, and ascended: because just as before the ages he determined to die for our death, so at the end of the world, merciful and faithful, he fulfilled it. Therefore he ascended the palm tree and took hold of its fruits: because, suspended on the cross, he found fruit, took hold of it, and bestowed it upon us. Whence what follows was fulfilled: 'And your breasts shall be like clusters of the vine.' Truly through the cross the breasts of the bride become like clusters of the vine; because in the death of Christ the senses of the soul received the two precepts of charity, by which the soul, being fed, may become intoxicated, and being intoxicated, may forget the things behind and stretch forward to the things ahead. With these breasts she also nourishes all her neighbors, and leads those who have been strengthened along with her to those things which she desires. Whence it is written: 'Let him who hears say: Come.' There follows: 'And the fragrance of your mouth is like apples' (Apoc. XXVIII, 17). Pomegranates, about which so much has been said above, are recalled here, to whose fragrance the fragrance of the bride's mouth is quite fittingly compared. We said above (Chapter 4) that by pomegranates the martyrs are signified. But by the mouth of the bride here we think her preaching should be understood. For while she preaches the virtues of the martyrs, while she stirs the hearts of her hearers to their likeness, while in the preaching of the one faith she reveals that there are many virtues, what else does she carry in her mouth but the fragrance of pomegranates? Because what she preaches both displays the redness of the rind in martyrdom, and demonstrates in the virtues a multitude of seeds under the same faith as if under the same rind. Concerning which it is also added: (Verse 9.) 'Your throat is like the best wine, worthy for my beloved to drink, and for his lips and teeth to ruminate upon.'
14. For the voice is in the throat. Through the throat, therefore, preaching itself is again signified, which is said to be like the finest wine, because it intoxicates the minds of men so that they forget the things behind, as has been said, and running forward to what lies ahead, they do not grow weary. Of this wine the bride, receiving the word from the mouth of the Bridegroom, adds: 'Worthy for my beloved to drink, and for his lips and teeth to chew upon.' Such is the bride's wine that it is worthy for the beloved to drink, because when holy Church preaches the true faith, when she stirs her hearers to holy works, when she demonstrates by words and deeds that to love Christ alone, to imitate Him, to embrace Him, is good — what else does she do but make her wine worthy to be savored in the mouth of the Bridegroom? And rightly is Christ said to drink it, because it is lovingly drunk by His body, that is, by the faithful peoples. Concerning this it should be noted that all drink, but the lips alone and the teeth alone chew, because when the Church preaches through her saints, all indeed hear, but not all discern how great is the power of the sayings that are spoken. But the lips and teeth chew, because when the more perfect recall the words to memory after hearing them, when they ponder whatever they have heard through constant practice — as if bringing back to the mouth what they have taken in — they perceive how great is the power of the food they eat. For this reason it is written in the Law that an animal which does not chew the cud is held to be unclean (Lev. 11), because whoever does not meditate again on the good things he hears or reads, being empty of holy thoughts, necessarily thinks impure ones. The bride continues and says: (Verse 10.) 'I am my beloved's, and his turning is toward me.'
15. As if she were saying: since by faith and love I cling to Christ alone, follow Him alone, desire to see Him alone as one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, I joyfully experience the sweetness of His regard, the kindness of His visitation, the delight of His turning toward me, and experiencing this I proclaim: (Verses 11, 12.) "Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field, let us lodge in the villages; let us rise early to the vineyards, let us see if the vine has flourished, if the blossoms are bearing fruit, if the pomegranates have bloomed: there I will give you my breasts."
16. While the bride, having experienced the sweetness of the Bridegroom, refreshes herself, she also thinks of her neighbor, whom she loves as herself by the Bridegroom's own command; and because she understands the Bridegroom's precepts, she desires that others may understand them as well, saying: 'Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field.' For the field, as Truth itself attests, is this world (Matt. 13). The Bridegroom goes forth into the field with the bride when the Word of God, having taken on flesh, is shown to the world in the bridal chamber of the Virgin. He dwells in the villages when He visits the nations through faith, which He generously bestows upon those who receive it. He rises early to the vineyards, because after His resurrection, sitting in the glory of the Father, He also defends the churches He has built. He looks to see whether the vineyard has blossomed, because He weighs every advance of the Church with strict examination. He sees whether the blossoms are bringing forth fruit, because He discerns to what degree of progress the tender and imperfect ones are growing. He also sees whether the pomegranates have bloomed, because He regards each of the perfect and recognizes what usefulness they have among their neighbors, as if perceiving fruit in blossoms — about which there rightly follows: 'There I will give you my breasts.' In the pomegranates the bride gives her breasts to the Bridegroom, because in the perfect there lives a twofold love, by which, while they nourish the weak members in the Church, they nurse Christ, as it were, whom they recognize to be present in the least of His own. About which it is rightly added: (Verse 13) 'The mandrakes have given forth their fragrance at our gates.'
17. What is understood by the mandrake, namely a medicinal and fragrant herb, if not the virtue of the perfect? By this virtue, whenever the perfect heal the infirmities of the imperfect, they are proven to be true physicians in the faith which they preach, that is, at the gates of the Church. When they bestow examples of good works all around through holy fame, they sprinkle, as it were, a fragrance by which the sick may be healed. There follows: (Verse 13.) "All fruits, new and old, my beloved, I have kept for you."
18. Here by "fruits," the meanings of the Holy Scriptures are understood; which, as they come down to us from the holy Fathers and are believed, rise up like fruits from trees, by which souls are delighted. Therefore the Bride keeps all fruits, new and old, for her Beloved; because the catholic Church so receives the New Testament that she does not reject the Old: she so venerates the Old that she always understands the New spiritually within those carnal sacrifices themselves; rejoicing, that is, that Christ has come in the New, while in the Old always expecting him who was to come, and saying: