My beloved has gone down into his garden, etc. It is already known what the garden of the beloved is. For he himself said: A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse. Certainly, his garden is the Church; his garden is each chosen soul. And well has he said, My beloved has gone down into his garden, adding his, that is, the garden he himself made, he himself cultivated, he himself planted with the spices of virtues, he himself irrigated with the fountain of his grace so it would not wither; he himself enclosed it with the wall of his protection so it would not be defiled by outsiders. This is the garden of which he himself said: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden, and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air lodged in its branches (Luke XIII). The mustard seed, indeed, is the word of the Gospel, humble in appearance, fervent in power; which, being received by the Father, God and man himself sowed in his Church, and gave it such increase that, like a noble tree, it spread its branches of faith and virtues far and wide over the world, in which even angelic spirits rejoice for human salvation, and the citizens of heaven believe that they have gained increased rest when earthly beings are recalled to the heavenly realms. For it was not in vain that the same beloved, about to be captured in the garden, crucified in the garden, buried in the garden, rose victorious from the dead in the garden. He wanted to be believed by Mary, who first deserved to see the glory of his resurrection, as a gardener, for in his own garden, namely the Church, among the various plantings of divine gifts, he also took care to plant the virtue of patience in this life through the contempt of death, the desire for blessed immortality in the reception of the body after the dissolution of the body, with the hope of blessed peace to end this life. And indeed, he is said to have descended into his garden, but not to have entered it: for the place of the beloved is on high, since he dwells in high places, and regards the lowly (Ps. 112). The place of the garden is in the low, in the valley of tears; but he who descended unto it from above, disposed the ascent in his heart, by which he might reach the place of supreme happiness. Hence appropriately it is said above in regard to the same garden, that is, the Church: Who is this that comes up from the wilderness, like a column of smoke perfumed with myrrh? Thus a marvelous dispensation of divine mercy, that the Lord is said to descend into the Church, and the Church to ascend to the Lord. For divine grace descends to us from above, which, by assisting us, makes us ascend upwards. This was mystically signified in Exodus, when the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai, and Moses ascended: for the latter ascended to gain the progress of virtues; the former descended to impart gifts. Therefore, after having said: My beloved has descended into his garden, he also adds how the same garden is constituted, with what produce it is fruitful, when he immediately subjoins: To the beds of spices. For the bed of spices is the mind of the faithful, taught by the discipline of right faith, as if composed of equal sides on both sides, and frequently turned over by careful digging, and purged of useless weeds; for indeed with careful consideration it examines itself, and with diligent thought endeavors that nothing profane, nothing unclean, nothing contrary to salutary matters, may be found by the heavenly Farmer; and strives to render itself worthy, in which the beloved, the sower of righteousness, may propitiously plant the spices of virtues with his grace, and by his frequent assistance, may water them lest they wither. This most beautifully declares its heavenly desire, at the beginning of the forty-first psalm, in accordance with the Hebrew truth, saying: As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, God (Ps. 41). But descending into his garden or to the bed of spices, it is shown what the Lord does there, when it is added:
To be fed in the gardens, etc. He is fed in the gardens, because He delights in the pious labors of the saints; He is fed in the gardens, because they are indeed His members to whom the fruits of righteousness come; and it should be understood not only of carnal but even of spiritual alms, which He predicted He would declare in judgment: “As long as you did it to one of these least of my brethren, you did it to me” (Matthew 25). He gathers lilies when He leads the righteous, having attained to the perfect whiteness of merits, out of this life and brings them to the heavenly kingdom. This He fully emphasizes with the spur of immense charity, adding the following two verses:
[AD 735] Bede on Song of Solomon 6:2