The soul ought not to be pent in unduly. 143 I would just advert, in must in this troublesome explanation, to one other world, with disappointpoint: the Right Hand, is ments, infirmities, perplexiin Holy Scripture very often ties, bereavement, memory a symbol of God's favour, of sin, and all our varied prosperity, blessing, eternal anguish or agony, none life; the left hand, (as need grudge that such a "sinister" has this receiv- prayer as the following ed meaning in our own lan- should be a source of rest guage) stands for evil. I to any one bowed down need mention only the Day with the burden of his of Judgment, the sheep and griefs? "O most Gracious the goats. This will explain Jesu, into that Wounded to some, what may probably Heart of Thine, full of love, at first seem arbitrary in I resign my heart with all some of these devotions. its attachments and affec 66 Some have objected to tions: so steep it in Thy some of these prayers on Divine love, and draw it account of what they call unto Thee, that it depart the mystical character, or not henceforth one tittle because they seem to them from Thy commandments. to have too much of sensible Amen." devotion. But I must again There are some of a more and again say, my Lord, fervent character yet. But Why is my liberty judg- it is not right in persons, ed of another man's con- nor true to characterise a science?" A false mys- whole book of devotion by ticism is contrary to the a few prayers in it, nor to Faith. But these prayers judge of prayers offhand, are not such. There will without using them, nor to be more danger of a false measure every one by their mysticism, if a vent is not own temperament. If I provided for every true may again repeat what I feeling. And surely, with wrote hearts aching, as they often "Thou hast here a Pa 7 Advertisement, p. xii. 144 Use what suits thee, but judge not others. dise, wherein many Chris- force thyself to take what is tian souls have walked with not fitted for thee, or rather, great delight, and found for which thou art not yet rest, communing with their fitted; but use thankfully God. There are many voices and devoutly what He Who in it, as doubtless in Para- Alone can teach to pray, dise there was a sweet harmo- teacheth thee. Use not ny of birds, soaring towards what is too high for thee, Heaven, and chanting their such as thou now art, nor Maker's praise; divers flow- what, because new, may ers also, as well as fruit- seem strange to thee. Take trees, each having its own that whereto He draws savour and fragrance and thee; use it not as somebeauty, adapted to different thing beautiful, pleasant to tastes, or to the same at the eyes, and a tree to be different times, each sup- desired to make thee wise;' plying somewhat of its own, but as fruit from the tree of and all by their variety an- life for thy refreshment and swering the manifold wants growth, and its leaves for and capacities of man. Do thy healing: and as thou not then despise what thou usest it devotionally to Him, findest good for thee, be- He will instruct thee how cause thou mayest find near thou mayest best become, it what thou hast not yet and do, what He would have learnt to value. Nor, again, thee." "Inebriate" a word of Holy Scripture and the Fathers. 145 VII. "By adopting language most powerfully expressive of our incorporation into Christ, as e. g., 'our being inebriated by the Blood of our Lord,' In this statement, the by not only their souls live words "our incorporation to eternal life, but they sureinto Christ" are those of ly trust to win their bodies our homily 8. "Thus much in resurrection to immortawe must be sure to hold, lity." that in the Supper of the The other word "inebriLord there is no vain cere- ated," is one which I learned mony, no bare sign, no un- (I may again say) before I true figure of a thing absent; was acquainted with any but, as the Scripture saith, Roman writer, in the works the Table of the Lord, the to whose study I was diBread and Cup of the Lord, rected by the Church of the Memory of Christ, the England, the fathers of the annunciation of His Death, Church. It is currently yea, the Communion of the used in this way, not by St. Body and Blood of the Cyprian and St. Augustine Lord, in a marvellous incor- only, St. Jerome, St. Amporation, which by the ope- brose, or St. Athanasius, but ration of the Holy Ghost by those who least employed (the very bond of our con- imagery or dwelt upon the junction with Christ) is mystical meaning of Holy through faith wrought in the Scripture, Eusebius and souls of the faithful, where- Theodoret1. As this word 8 On the Sacrament. 9 This language occurs, as being employed in Holy Scripture, in St. Cyprian, Ep. 63 bis. St. Ambrose de Interp. David, &c. St. Jerome Ep. ad Sun. et Fretell.; in Hos. xiv. c. Jovin. 1. i. St. Augustin, c. lit. Petil ii. 47, &c. S. Zeno Serm. de Juda xii. Tract 4 (genuine). Vincentius, A.D. 480 (commonly Ruffinus), in Ps. xxiii. S. Paullinus, Ep. 9. Eusebius, Dem. Ev. i. 10. Origen, Hom. vii. in Levit. p. 222, ed. de la Rue, Tr. 35 in Matt. § 85. St. Cyril, Jerus. Cat. Myst. iv. Procopius in Is. lvii. p. 640 (quoting Jerem. xxv.). St. Greg. Nyss. in Cant. Hom. 10. St. Athanas. and Theodoret in Ps. xxiii. S. Cyril, Al. in Is. 1. 1. Or. 5. p. 140. in Os. § 168, p. 195. 1 Theodoret, interpreting Ps. xxiii. of the Holy Eucharist, says L 146 Deep analogy of things of nature and grace. might perhaps, more than verily, I say unto you, Exany other, while brought out cept a corn of wheat fall inthus nakedly, cause offence, to the ground and die, it or even be a subject of ri- abideth alone; but if it die, baldry, it may be best to ex- it bringeth forth much fruit.' plain its meaning more fully. And what light this in itself In this view, it may not be throws on many passages of too long a digression to the Old Testament! Thus bring forward some part of Isaiah says, (iv. 2), ‘In that what I wrote eight years ago day shall the branch of the on the figurative language of Lord be beautiful and glorithe Old Testament, to which ous, and the fruit of the I was led by the duties of land excellent and comely my office. for them that are escaped of "Thus then not only have Israel.' The language, the things earthly a real corres- general character of the propondence to things spiritual; phecy, and the use of the morning, night; sleeping, word, 'Branch,' lead awakening; life, death; us to apply the passage to home, exile; but they all the Christ,' yet a difficulty harmonize and bear upon has been raised how the each other, and so the more fruit of the land,' which illustrate and establish the evidently is equivalent to reality of their several meanings, and the mutual relation", the Branch of the of each to each. Lord,' should apply to Him "To take another set of also or to a personal agent. analogies. How strange, as Yet, if we consider that the bearing on the depths of the branch' or 'off-shoot' is mystery of man's Redemp- not a mere metaphor, passtion, that law of vegetable ing almost, as among us it nature, inculcated by our does, into a proper noun, Lord Himself, that life is but is a living symbol, there through death! Verily, is nothing at all strange, fearlessly, "This is plain to the initiated [Communicants,] and needs no interpretation. For they know that inebriation which strengtheneth and relaxeth not, and that mysterious Food which He setteth before us, Who is not only the Shepherd but the Bridegroom also;" and St. Athanasius briefly, "This is the joy of the Mysteries." 2 St. Joh. xii. 24. Why our Lord called seed-corn. that, as Son of God, our as a plant, 147 out of Lord should be designated the earth, and Righteousas the offspring of Jeho- ness shall look down from vah,' but the Fruit of the Heaven.' Here we have earth,' as to His earthly de- again the same combination scent, that Nature which He of Heaven and Earth to prowas to take of us, in order to duce man's salvation, as in give life by death. So, in a Isaiah (xlv. 8), 'Drop down Psalm 3 which speaks of His ye heavens from above and Everlasting Kingdom of let the clouds pour down Peace, of the Judgment com- Righteousness, let the earth mitted to the King's Son, open, and let them bring His saving of the poor, His forth [as fruit, 5"] SalHeavenly descent like the vation, and let Righteousdew upon the mown and ness spring up together.' A parched grass, His lowliness Heavenly descent of Righis spoken of in the like terms. teousness; the earth opens 'Be there a handful of corn to receive It, and through in the earth on the top of the both there issues from the mountains, His fruit shall earth, Salvation;-who other shake like Libanus, and out than He Who is the Branch of the city shall they flou- of the Lord, the Root of Darish, like the green herb of vid (Rev. v. 5), the Offshoot the earth,' i. e. on the most from the stem of Jesse barren spot, the least seed (Isa. xi.), the Sucker out of shall become mighty as the a dry ground (Isa. liii.)? A cedars of Libanus, manifold Heavenly original,an earthly as the green herb of the birth, that He might die for field, yet flourishing and ex- us. What is Truth? The panding out of the City of Son of God. What is earth? God. It is our Lord's own The flesh. Ask where Christ parable, the grain of mus- is born, and thou seest that tard-seed, which is again Truth sprang out of the Himself. Again, in a Psalm earth, This Truth which which the Church selects for sprang of the earth, was bethe Festival of our Lord's fore the earth, and by It Nativity, 'Truth,' it is said, were made Heaven and 'shall spring,' [shoot forth earth. But in order that 3 Ps. lxxii. 6 5 S. Aug. ad loc. 4 Ps. lxxxv. 11. |