Sidenote: Ps. xlv. 3.
Sidenote: Rom. x. 15.
Is. lii. 7.
1. WHILE engaged in reading, after resting my mind for a while and
desisting from study, I began to meditate on that versicle which in the
evening we had sung at Vigils, _Thou art fairer than the children of
men_, and, _How beautiful are the feet of them that bring good tidings_
of Him. And truly nothing is more beautiful than that chief good, the
very preaching of which is beyond measure lovely, and specially the
progress of continuous discourse, and the foot-steps, so to speak, of
Apostolic preaching. But who is equal to these things? They to whom God
gave not only to preach Christ, but also to suffer for Him.
Sidenote: Ps. lxiii. 6.
Sidenote: Ib. xxii. 29.
2. Let us, as far as we can, direct our minds to that which is
beautiful seemly and good, let us be occupied therein, let us keep it
in mind, that by its illumination and brightness our souls may become
beautiful and our minds transparent. For if our eyes, when obscured by
dimness, are refreshed by the verdure of the fields and are able by the
beauty of a grove or grassy hill to remedy every defect of the failing
vision, while the very pupils and balls of the eye seem to be coloured
with the hue of health: how much more does this eye of the mind,
beholding that chief good, and dwelling and feeding thereupon, brighten
and shine forth, so as to fulfil that which is written, _My soul shall
be satisfied even as it were with marrow and fatness_. Moreover, he
who has a skilful knowledge of the souls of his flock, pays attention
to wild grasses, that he may obtain much pasturage: for by the sweeter
kind of herbage lambs are made fatter, and the milky juice more
healthful. On these pastures those _fat ones_ have fed, who _have eaten
and worshipped_, for good indeed are those pastures wherein is placed
the saint of God.
Sidenote: Prov. xxvii. 25.
Sidenote: Deut. xxxii. 2.
Sidenote: 2 S. Pet. i. 4.
3. There is grass also, whereby the flocks of sheep are nourished, for
whence come the fleeces of wisdom, and the clothing of prudence. And
perchance this is the _grass of the mountain_, upon which the words
of the prophet distil _as the showers upon the grass_, and which the
wise man carefully gathers, that he may have a fleece for a covering,
that is, for a spiritual garment. And thus proper food and clothing are
provided for that soul which cleaves to the chief Good, that Good Which
is Divine, and which the Apostle Peter exhorts us to seek for, that
by the acquisition of such knowledge we may become _partakers of the
Divine nature_.
Sidenote: Deut. xxviii. 11, 12.
Sidenote: Ib. xxxii. 2.
4. The knowledge hereof the good God opens to His saints, and grants
it out of His good treasury, even as the sacred Law testifies, saying,
_The Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee and open unto thee His
good treasure_. From this heavenly treasure He gives rain to His lands,
to bless all the works of thy hands. By this rain is signified the
utterance of the Law, which moistens the soul fruitful and fertile in
good works, that it may receive the dew of Grace.
Sidenote: Ps. xxvii. 4.
Sidenote: v. 13.
Sidenote: Ps. lxv. 4.
Sidenote: Ps. cxxviii. 5.
5. The knowledge of this good David sought; as he himself declares,
saying, _One thing have I desired of the Lord, which I will require,
even that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life
to behold the fair beauty of the Lord, and to visit His temple_. And
that this is the chief Good he straightway added in the same Psalm,
_I believe verily to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the
living_. He must be sought after, there He will be clearly seen face to
face. This good is in the house of God, in His secret and hidden place.
Wherefore he says again, _He shall be satisfied with the pleasures of
thy house_. In another place too he has shown this to be the highest
blessing, saying, _The Lord shall bless thee out of Sion, and thou
shalt see the good of Jerusalem_. Wherefore blessed is he who dwells
then in the vestibule of faith and in the spiritual abode, the dwelling
place of devotion and the life of virtue.
Sidenote: Isa. lii. 7.
Sidenote: 1 Cor. i. 1.
Sidenote: S. Matt. vii. 17.
Sidenote: Ps. cxliii. 10.
Sidenote: S. Matt. xx. 15.
Sidenote: Ps. iv. 6.
Sidenote: Heb. i. 3.
6. In Him therefore let us be and in Him abide, of Whom Isaiah says,
_How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him that bringeth
good tidings, that publisheth peace_. Who are they that preach but
Peter, Paul, and all the Apostles? What do they preach to us but the
Lord Jesus? He is our Peace, He is our chief Good, for He is Good from
Good, and from a good tree is gathered good fruit. And good also is
His Spirit, Who takes of Him and _leads_ His servants _forth into the
land of righteousness_. For who that hath the Spirit of God within him
will deny that He is good, since He says Himself, _Is thine eye evil
because I am good?_ May this Good which the merciful God gives to them
that seek Him come into our soul, and into our inmost heart. He is our
Treasure, He is our Way, He is our Wisdom, He is our Righteousness, our
Shepherd, the good Shepherd, He is our Life. Thou seest how many goods
are in this one Good! These goods the Evangelists preach to us. David
seeking for these goods saith, _Who will shew us any good?_ And he
shews that the Lord Himself is our Good by adding, _Lord, lift Thou
up the light of Thy Countenance upon us_. But Who is the Light of the
Father’s Countenance, but _the Brightness of His Glory_, and the Image
of the invisible God, in Whom the Father is both seen and glorified, as
He also glorifies His Son?
Sidenote: 1 Tim. iii. 16.
Sidenote: Heb. i. 3.
Sidenote: S. John xi. 35.
Sidenote: Ib. i. 29.
♦8. Wherefore the Lord Jesus Himself is that chief Good which was
announced to us by Prophets, declared by Angels, promised by the
Father, preached by Apostles. He hath come to us as ripeness; nor as
ripeness only, but as ripeness in the mountains; to the intent that in
our counsels there should be nothing sour, or unripe, nothing harsh or
bitter in our actions or manners, the first Preacher of good tidings
hath come among us. Wherefore also He saith, I, Who spoke, am present
with[163] you, that is, I Who spoke in the Prophets, am present in that
Body which I took of the Virgin; I am present as the inward Likeness
of God, and the _express Image of His person_, I am present too as Man.
But who knows Me? For they saw the Man, but His Works made them believe
He was above man. Was He not as man when weeping over Lazarus? again,
was He not above man, when He raised him to life? Was He not as man
when scourged? and again, above man when _He took away the sin of the
world_?
Sidenote: S. Matt. iv. 17.
Sidenote: Amos v. 14.
Sidenote: Col. ii. 9.
Sidenote: S. John i. 16.
9. To Him therefore let us hasten in Whom is the chief Good: for He
is the bounty and patience of Israel, Who calls thee to repentance,
that thou come not into condemnation but mayest receive the remission
of thy sins. He saith, Repent. This is He of Whom the Prophet Amos
cries, _Seek good_. He is the chief Good, Who is in need of nothing,
but abounds in all things. And well may He abound, _in Whom dwelleth
all the fulness of the Godhead bodily_; of _Whose fulness we have all
received_, and _in Whom we are filled_, as saith the Evangelist.
Sidenote: Ps. cxix. 68.
Sidenote: Cant. i. 3.
10. If then the mind with its capacities of desire and pleasure hath
tasted the chief Good, and by means of these two affections hath drank
It in, unalloyed by sorrow and fear, it is wonderfully inflamed. For
having embraced the Word of God, she knows no measure and yet feels no
satiety, as it is written, _Thou art good and gracious, O teach me Thy
statutes_: having embraced the Word of God, she desires Him above all
beauty, she loves Him above all joy, she is delighted with Him above
all perfumes, she desires often to see, often to look upon Him, often
to be drawn to Him that she may follow. _Thy Name_, it is said, _is
as ointment poured forth; therefore we maidens love Thee_, therefore
we strive but cannot attain to Thee. _Draw us_ that we may _run after
Thee_, that by the _fragrance of Thy ointments_ we may gain power to
follow Thee.
Sidenote: Ps. cxix. 103.
Sidenote: Exod. xxxiv. 28.
Sidenote: 1 Kings xix. 4.
Sidenote: S. Matt. xvii. 4.
Sidenote: 1 Pet. i. 12.
11. And the mind presses forward to the sight of internal mysteries, to
the place of rest of the Word, to the very dwelling of that chief Good,
His light and brightness. In that haven and home-retreat she hastens
to hear His words, and having heard, finds them sweeter than all other
things. Learn of the Prophet who had tasted and saith, _O how sweet are
Thy words unto my throat, yea sweeter than honey unto my mouth_. For
what can that soul desire which hath once tasted the sweetness of the
Word, and seen His brightness? When Moses received the Law he remained
forty days on the mount and required no bodily food; Elijah, hastening
to this rest, prayed that his life might be taken away; Peter, himself
also beholding on the Mount the glory of the Lord’s Resurrection, would
fain not have come down, saying, _It is good for us to be here_. How
great then is the glory of the Divine Essence and the graces of the
Word, _which things the Angels desire to look into_.
Sidenote: Acts vii. 55.
Sidenote: 2 Cor. xii. 2.
12. The soul then which beholds this chief Good, requires not the body,
and understands that it ought to have as little connexion with it as
possible; it renounces the world, withdraws itself from the chains
of the flesh, and extricates itself from all the bonds of earthly
pleasures. Thus Stephen beheld Jesus, and feared not being stoned,
nay, while he was being stoned, prayed not for himself but for his
murderers. Paul also, when _caught up to the third heaven_, knew not
_whether he was in the body or out of the body: caught up_, I say,
_into Paradise_, he became invisible to the presence of his own body,
and having heard the words of God he blushed to descend again to the
infirmities of the body.
Sidenote: Col. ii. 20–22.
Sidenote: 2 Cor. v. 8.
13. Thus, knowing what he had seen and heard in Paradise, he cried
saying, _Why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to
ordinances? Touch not, taste not, handle not, which all are to perish
with the using._ For he would have us of this world in figure and
semblance, not in use or possession, _using as though we used it
not_, as our place of sojourn, not of rest, walking through it as in
a vision, not with desire, so as to pass as lightly as possible over
the mere shadow of this world. In this way S. Paul, who walked by faith
not by sight, was _absent from the body and present with the Lord_, and
although upon earth conversed not with earthly but with heavenly things.
Sidenote: S. John i. 1.
Sidenote: Acts xvii. 28.
Sidenote: 2 Cor. i. 19.
Sidenote: Exod. iii. 14.
14. Wherefore let our soul, wishing to draw near to God, raise herself
from the body, and ever adhere to that chief End which is divine, Which
is everlasting, _Which was from the beginning_, and _Which was with
God_, that is, the Word of God. This is that Divine Being, _in Whom
we live and move and have our being_. This is _That which was in the
beginning_, the true _I AM_. _For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was not
yea nor nay but in Him was yea._ He bid Moses say, _I AM hath sent me_.
Sidenote: Ps. cxix. 109.
15. With this Good therefore let our soul be, and if possible, be
continually, that each of us may say, _My soul is continually in my
hand_. And such will be the case, if it be not in the flesh, but in
the spirit, and does not entangle itself in earthly things. For when
it turns back to carnal things, then the allurements of the body creep
over it, then it swells with rage and anger, then it is pierced with
sorrow, then it is lifted up with arrogance, then it is bowed down with
grief.
Sidenote: S. Matt. v. 44, 45.
Sidenote: Ib. 48.
Sidenote: Rom. xiii. 10.
16. These are the heavy griefs of the soul by which it is often
brought down to death, while its eyes are blinded so that they see
not the light of true glory, and the riches of its eternal heritage.
But by keeping them always fixed on God, it will receive from Christ
the brightness of wisdom, so as to have its vision enlightened by the
knowledge of God, and to behold that hope of our calling, and see that
which is good and well-pleasing and perfect. For that which is good is
well-pleasing to the Father, and that which is well-pleasing is perfect,
as it is written in the Gospel, _Love your enemies, that ye may be
the children of your Father Which is in heaven, for, He sendeth rain
on the just and on the unjust_, which is surely a proof of goodness.
Afterwards He concludes by saying, _Be ye therefore perfect, even as
your Father Which is in heaven is perfect_. For charity is perfect;
in short it is _the fulfilling of the Law_; for what can be so good as
_charity_ which _thinketh no evil_?
Sidenote: Isa. xl. 31.
Sidenote: Wisd. ix. 15.
Sidenote: Rom. xi. 36.
17. Fly then those regions where dwell envy, ambition, and contention.
Therefore let thy mind open itself to receive this Good, that it may
mount above the clouds, that it may be _renewed as the eagle_, and like
the eagle spread abroad its wings, that with new vigour in its pinions
it may fearlessly soar aloft and leave its earthly dwelling-place
behind it, _for the earthly habitation weigheth down the mind_. Let
it put off old things, let it cast off wandering desires, let it purge
its eyes that it may see that Fountain of true wisdom, that Source of
eternal life Which flows and abounds with all things and is in want of
nothing. For who hath given to Him, seeing that _of Him and through Him
and to Him are all things_?
Sidenote: Ps. xvi. 2.
18. The Fountain of life then is that chief Good from Which the
means of life are dispensed to all, but It hath life abiding in Itself.
It receiveth from none as though It were in need, It confers good on
others rather than borrows from others for Itself, for It hath no need
of us. Thus in the person of man it is said, _my goods are nothing
unto Thee_. What then can be more lovely than to approach to Him, to
cleave to Him; what pleasure can be greater? He who has seen and tasted
freely of the Fountain of living water, what else can he desire? what
kingdoms? what powers? what riches? perceiving how miserable even in
this world is the condition of kings, how mutable the state of empires,
how short the space of this life, in what bondage sovereigns themselves
must live, seeing that their life is according to the will of others,
not their own.
Sidenote: S. Matt. xix. 26.
19. But what rich man passes to eternal life unless he be supported
by the riches of virtue, that gift which is the portion of all, and
declared to be impossible for the rich alone? Happiness then does not
consist in using these things but in perceiving that whereby you may
despise them, may regard them as void of truth[164], may judge them
to be empty and fruitless, and may love the true beauty of naked truth
which confesses the cheating vanities of this world.
Sidenote: Cant. iv. 9.
Sidenote: Ib. vii. 8.
Sidenote: Rev. xxi. 23.
Sidenote: S. John viii. 12.
Sidenote: S. Luke xxiv. 32.
20. Lift up therefore your eyes, O my soul; those eyes of which the
Word of God saith, _Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse,
thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes. Go up then to the
palm tree_, overcome the world, that thou mayest reach the height of
the Word. Leave out of doors the vain shows of this world, leave its
malice, but bring in with you that goodness of mind which has grace
in the tree of life, that is, if she wash her robes and enter into the
city which is the true grace of the saints, wherein is the Tabernacle
of God, around which the scribes of the Lord encamp, where neither
day nor sun nor moon afford light, but _the Lord Himself is the light
thereof_, and enlightens all that city. For He is the _Light of the
world_, not indeed the visible light, but the intellectual brightness
of the souls which are in this world, upon which He pours the bright
beams of reason and of prudence, and in the Gospel is said to inspire
with the breath of His spiritual influences the inmost soul, and the
recesses of the mind.
Sidenote: Gen. xix. 30.
Sidenote: Ib. 17.
21. If then any man hath begun to be an inhabitant of that heavenly
city, an inhabitant, that is, by his life and manners, let him not
depart from it, let him not go out again, or retrace his steps, the
steps, that is, not of his body but of his mind; let him not turn
back. Behind is luxury, behind is impurity. When Lot went up into the
mountain he left behind him the crimes of Sodom, but she who looked
back, could not reach the higher ground. It is not your feet but your
manners which are never to turn back. Let not your hands hang down,
or the knees of your faith and devotion become feeble. Let not the
weakness of your will be backsliding, let there be no recurrence of
crime. Thou hast entered in, remain therefore; thou hast arrived, stay
still; _escape for thy life_.
Sidenote: Joel iii. 13.
Sidenote: S. Luke xvii. 31.
Sidenote: Ps. civ. 2.
22. In your ascent your steps must tend directly upwards, no man can
safely turn back. Here is the way, there, downfall; here ascent, there
a precipice. In ascending there is labour, in descending danger; but
the Lord is mighty, Who, when thou art founded there will guard and
hedge thee round with prophetic walls and apostolic bulwarks. Therefore
the Lord says to thee, _Come, get you down, for the press is full_. Let
us be found within, not out of doors. In the Gospel too the Son of God
saith, _He which shall be upon the house-top let him not come down to
take away his vessels_. And this He says not of this house-top, but of
that of which it is said, _He spreadeth out the heavens like a vault_.
Sidenote: Joel iii. 9.
Sidenote: Phil. iv. 13.
23. Remain within therefore, within Jerusalem, within thine own soul,
peaceful, meek, and tranquil. Leave her not, nor descend in order to
raise up this vessel of thine, either with honour, or wealth, or pride.
Remain within, that aliens may not pass through thee, that sins may not
pass through thy mind, vain acts, and idle thoughts: and they will not
pass, if thou wilt wage a holy war in the cause of faith and devotion,
for the love of truth against the snares of passion, and wilt take up
the arms of God against spiritual wickedness and the craft of the devil,
who tempts our senses by fraud and stratagem, but who is easily crushed
by the gentle warrior, who sees no strife, but, as becomes the servant
of God, teaches the faith with modesty, and convinces those who oppose
themselves. Of him the Scripture says, _Let the warrior who is gentle
arise_[165], and let him that is weak say, _I can do all things through
Christ which strengtheneth me_.
Sidenote: Joel iii. 18.
Sidenote: 1 Cor. iii. 2.
Sidenote: S. John iv. 14.
24. Supported by this faith, even he who is weak shall prevail, and his
soul will be holy, and the prophetic or apostolic mountains shall _drop
down new wine_ for him, and _the hills shall flow with milk_, like that
hill which gave milk to the Corinthians to drink, and water shall flow
for him from their vessels, and from their well-heads. _From his belly
shall flow living water_, that spiritual water which the Holy Spirit
supplies to His faithful; may He vouchsafe to water thy soul also, that
in thee may be _a fountain springing up into life eternal_. Farewell:
love me as a son, for I love you as a father.
LETTER XXX.
A.D. 389.
S. AMBROSE here continues the subject of the last Letter,
dwelling especially on the duty of rising above the level of
earthly things, and bringing together various passages of the
Old Testament which he interprets spiritually as setting forth
this Lesson. The true follower of Christ will build Him a Temple
in his heart, which his Lord will fill with the adornment of
spiritual graces.