Sacramental meditations upon divers select places of scripture

THIS Book is a sacred Allegory, the sense thereof is deep and spiritual. Our unacquaintedness with such Schemes and figures of speech, together with the want of spiritual light and experience, makes it difficult to be understood; ⟨p. 193⟩but the Allegory being once unfolded by reason of its affinity with the fancy truth is more easily and affectingly transmitted both to the mind and heart.

St. Augustine assigns this reason why we are so much delighted with Metaphors and Allegories, because they are so much proportioned to our senses, with which our reason hath contracted an intimacy and familiarity. And therefore God to accommodate his truth to our capacity, doth as it were embody it in earthly expressions, according to that of the ancient Gaballists, lumen supremum nunquam descendit sine in dument•. Heavenly truth never descendeth to us without its veil and covering.

St. Augustine assignes this reason why we are so much delighted with Metaphors and Allegories, because they are so much proportioned to our sences, with which our reason hath contracted an intimacy and familiarity. And therefore God to accommodate his truth to our capacity, doth as it were embody it in earthly expressions, according to that of the ancient Gaballists, lumen supremum nunquam descendit sine in dument•. Heavenly truth never discendeth to us without its vail and covering.

The words before us are the request of the Spouse to Jesus Christ, and consist of two parts, viz.