The daughters of kings have made You glad in Your honour. Keep, hold fast this in Your honour. This is meant by having a wedding garment; seeking His honour, His glory. Understand moreover by kings’ daughters the cities, which were founded by kings, and have received the faith: and out of the ivory palaces (palaces rich, the proud, the lifted up). Kings’ daughters have made You glad in Your honour; in that they sought not the honour of their founders, but have sought Your honour. Show me at Rome a temple of Romulus held in so great honour as I can show you the Monument of Peter. In Peter, who is honoured but He who died for us? For we are followers of Christ, not followers of Peter. And even if we were born from the brother of Him that is dead, yet are we named after the name of Him who is dead. We were begotten by the one, but begotten to the other. Behold, Rome, Carthage, and several other cities are the daughters of kings, and yet have they made glad the King in His honour: and all these make up one single Queen.

22. What a nuptial song! Behold in the midst of songs full of rejoicing, comes forth the Bride herself. For the Bridegroom was coming. It was He who was being described: it was on Him all our attention was fixed.

Upon Your right hand stood the Queen. She which stands on the left is no Queen. For there will be one standing on the left also, to whom it will be said, Go into everlasting fire. But she shall stand on the right hand, to whom it will be said, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. On Your right hand stood the Queen, in a vesture of gold, clothed about with various colors. What is the vesture of this Queen? It is one both precious, and also of various colors: it is the mysteries of doctrine in all the various tongues: one African, one Syrian, one Greek, one Hebrew, one this, and one that; it is these languages that produce the various colors of this vesture. But just as all the various colors of the vesture blend together in the one vesture, so do all the languages in one and the same faith. In that vesture, let there be diversity, let there be no rent. See we have understood the various colors of the diversity of tongues; and the vesture to refer to unity: but in that diversity itself, what is meant by the gold? Wisdom itself. Let there be any diversity of tongues you please, but there is but one gold that is preached of: not a different gold, but a different form of that gold. For it is the same Wisdom, the same doctrine and discipline that every language preaches. In the languages there is diversity; gold in the thoughts.

23. The Prophet addresses this Queen (for he delights in singing to her), and moreover each one of us, provided, however, we know where we are, and endeavour to belong to that body, and do belong to it in faith and hope, being united in the membership of Christ. For it is us whom he addresses, saying, Hearken, O daughter, and behold, as being one of the Fathers (for they are daughters of kings), although it be a Prophet, or although it be an Apostle that is addressing her; addressing her, as a daughter, for we are accustomed to speak in this way, Our fathers the Prophets, our fathers the Apostles; if we address them as fathers, they may address us as children: and it is one father’s voice addressing one daughter. Hearken, O daughter, and see. Hear first; afterward see. For they came to us with the Gospel; and that has been preached to us, which as yet we do not see, and which on hearing of it we believed, which by believing it, we shall come to see: even as the Bridegroom Himself speaks in the Prophet, A people whom I have not known served me. In the hearing of me with the ear it obeyed me. What is meant by on hearing of me with the ear? That they did not see. The Jews saw Him, and crucified Him; the Gentiles saw Him not, and believed. Let the Queen who comes from the Gentiles come in the vesture of gold, clothed with various colors; let her come from among the Gentiles clad in all languages, in the unity of Wisdom: let it be said to her, Hearken, O daughter, and see. If you will not hear, you shall not see…

And incline your ear. It is not enough to hearken; hearken with humility: bow down your ear. Forget also your own people, and your father’s house. There was a certain people, and a certain house of your father, in which you were born, the people of Babylon, having the devil for your king. Whencesoever the Gentiles came, they came from their father the devil; but they have renounced their sonship to the devil. Forget also your own people, and your father’s house. He, in making you a sinner, begot you loathsome: the Other, in that He justifies the ungodly, begets you again in beauty.

24. For the King has greatly desired your beauty. What beauty is that, save that which is His own work? Greatly desired the beauty — Of whom? Of her the sinner, the unrighteous, the ungodly, such as she was with her father, the devil, and among her own people? No, but hers of whom it is said, Who is this that comes up made white? She was not white then at the first, but was made white afterwards. For though your sins shall be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow. The king has greatly desired your beauty. What King is this? For He is the Lord your God. Now consider whether you ought not to forego that your father, and your own people, and to come to this King, who is your God? Your God is your King, your King is also your Bridegroom. Thou weddest to your King, who is your God: being endowed by Him, being adorned by Him; redeemed by Him, and healed by Him. Whatever you have, wherewith to be pleasing to Him, you have from Him.

25. And the daughters of Tyre shall worship Him with gifts. It is that selfsame King, who is your God, that the daughters of Tyre shall worship with gifts. The daughters of Tyre are the daughters of the Gentiles; the part standing for the whole. Tyre, a city bordering on this country, where the prophecy was delivered, typified the nations that were to believe in Christ. Thence came that Canaanitish woman, who was at first called a dog; for that you may know that she was from thence, the Gospel speaks thus. He departed into the parts of Tyre and Sidon, and behold a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, with all the rest that is related there. She who at first, at the house of her father, and among her own people, was but a dog, who by coming to, and crying after that King, was made beautiful by believing in Him, what did she obtain to hear? O woman, great is your faith. The King has greatly desired your beauty. And the daughters of Tyre shall worship with gifts. With what gifts? Even so would this King be approached, and would have His treasuries filled: and it is He Himself who has given us that wherewith they may be filled, and may be filled by you. Let them come (He says) and worship Him with gifts. What is meant by with gifts?… Give alms, and all things are clean unto you. Come with gifts to Him that says, I will have mercy rather than sacrifice. To that Temple that existed aforetime as a shadow of that which was to come, they used to come with bulls, and rams, and goats, with every different kind of animal for sacrifice: that with that blood one thing should be done, and another be typified by it. Now that very blood, which all these things used to figure, has come: the King Himself has come, and He Himself would have your gifts. What gifts? Alms. For He Himself will judge hereafter, and will Himself hereafter account gifts to certain persons. Come (He says), ye blessed of My Father. Why? I was an hungred, and you gave Me meat, etc. These are the gifts with which the daughters of Tyre worship the King; for when they said, When saw we You? He who is at once above and below (whence those ascending and descending are spoken of), said, Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of Mine, you have done it unto Me.

26… The rich among the people shall entreat Your face. Both they who shall entreat that face, and He whose face they will entreat, are all collectively but one Bride, but one Queen, mother and children belonging all together unto Christ, belonging unto their Head…

27. All the glory of her, the King’s daughter, is from within. Not only is her robe, outwardly, of gold, and of various colors; but He who loved her beauty, knew her to be also beautiful within. What are those inward charms? Those of conscience. It is there Christ sees; it is there Christ loves her: it is there He addresses her, there punishes, there crowns. Let then your alms be done in secret; for all the glory of her, the King’s daughter, is from within. With fringes of gold, clothed with various colors. Her beauty is from within; yet in the fringes of gold is the diversity of languages: the beauty of doctrine. What do these avail, if them be not that beauty from within? The virgins shall be brought unto the King after her. It has been fulfilled indeed. The Church has believed; the Church has been formed throughout all nations. And to what a degree do virgins now seek to find favour in the eyes of that King! Whence are they moved to do so? Even because the Church preceded them. The virgins shall be brought unto the King after her. Her near kinswomen shall be brought unto You. For they that are brought unto Him are not strangers, but her near kinswomen, that belong to her. And because he had said, unto the King, he says, turning the discourse to Him, her near kinswomen shall be brought unto You.

28. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought and shall be led into the Temple of the King. The Temple of the King is the Church itself: it is the Church itself that enters into the Temple of the King. Whereof is that Temple constructed? Of the men who enter the Temple? Who but God’s faithful ones are its living stones? They shall be led into the Temple of the King. For there are virgins without the Temple of the King, the nuns among the heretics: they are virgins, it is true; but what will that profit them, unless they be led into the Temple of the King? The Temple of the King is in unity: the Temple of the King is not ruinous, is not rent asunder, is not divided. The cement of those living stones is charity.

29. Instead of your fathers, children are born to you. Nothing can be more manifest. Now consider the Temple of the King itself, for it is on its behalf he speaks, on account of the unity of the body that is spread throughout all the world: for those very persons who have chosen to be virgins, cannot find favour with the King unless they be led into the Temple of the King. Instead of your fathers, are your children born to you. It was the Apostles begot you: they were sent: they were the preachers: they are the fathers. But was it possible for them to be with us in the body for ever? Although one of them said, I desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better: to abide in the flesh is necessary for your sakes. It is true he said this, but how long was it possible for him to remain here? Could it be till this present time, could it be to all futurity? Is the Church then left desolate by their departure? God forbid. Instead of your fathers, children have been born to you. What is that? The Apostles were sent to you as fathers, instead of the Apostles sons have been born to you: there have been appointed Bishops. For in the present day, whence do the Bishops, throughout all the world, derive their origin? The Church itself calls them fathers; the Church itself brought them forth, and placed them on the thrones of the fathers. Think not yourself abandoned then, because you see not Peter, nor see Paul: see not those through whom thou were born. Out of your own offspring has a body of fathers been raised up to you. Instead of your fathers, have children been born to you. Observe how widely diffused is the Temple of the King, that the virgins that are not led to the Temple of the King, may know that they have nothing to do with that marriage. You shall make them princes over all the earth. This is the Universal Church: her children have been made princes over all the earth: her children have been appointed instead of the fathers. Let those who are cut off own the truth of this, let them come to the One Body: let them be led into the Temple of the King. God has established His Temple everywhere: has laid everywhere the foundations of the Prophets and Apostles. The Church has brought forth sons; has made them instead of her fathers to be princes over all the earth.

30. They shall be mindful of your name in every generation and generation; therefore shall the peoples confess unto You. What does it profit then to confess indeed and yet to confess out of the Temple? What does it profit to pray, and yet not to pray on the Mount? I cried, says he, unto the Lord with my voice: and He heard me out of His holy hill. Out of what hill? Out of that of which it is said, A city set upon a hill cannot be hid. Of what hill? Out of that hill which Daniel saw grow out of a small stone, and break all the kingdoms of the earth; and cover all the face of the earth. There let him pray, who hopes to receive: there let him ask, who would have his prayer heard: there let him confess, who wishes to be pardoned. Therefore shall the peoples confess unto you for ever, world without end. For in that eternal life it is true indeed there will no longer be the mourning over sins: but yet in the praises of God by that everlasting City which is above, there will not be wanting a perpetual confession of the greatness of that happiness. For to that City itself, to which another Psalm sings, Glorious things are spoken of you, O City of God, to her who is the very Bride of Christ, the very Queen, a King’s daughter, and a King’s consort;…the peoples shall for this very cause confess even to herself; the hearts of all, now enlightened by perfect charity, being laid bare, and made manifest, that she may know the whole of herself most completely, who here is, in many parts of her, unknown to herself…