Chapter II
THE MYSTICAL ARK
cannot be seen by eyes of the flesh; and while sitting and listening in this manner, she was free from preoccupations for contemplation of highest truth. This is the part that the elect and the perfect will never have taken from them. This is surely an activity without limits. For contemplation of truth begins in this life but is celebrated forever in the next. Surely by contemplation of truth a person is educated for justice and perfected for glory. Thus you correctly see that by this sacred structure, preferred above everything else because of its dignity, is meant the grace of contemplation. O how singular a grace! O so singularly preferred, for we are sanctified by it in this life and made happy by it in the next.
Therefore, if the ark of sanctification means the grace of contemplation, then this grace is justly coveted, for whoever receives it is not only purified by it but sanctified too. Doubtless nothing else either so purifies the heart of all its worldly love, or so kindles the soul for the love of heavenly things. Certainly constant contemplation of truth purifies and sanctifies, contempt of the world cleanses and love of God makes us holy.
Chapter II How beneficial and pleasing this grace is for those making progress in it But the same thing, which is called by David the ark of sanctification, is called by Moses the ark of the covenant. But why ark? Why ark of the covenant? And not of any person whatsoever, but of the Lord? We know that every precious thing—gold, silver and precious stones— is usually placed in an ark. Therefore, if we consider the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, we shall quickly discover what the storehouse of such treasures is. What ark will be suitable for this activity, except the human understanding? However, this ark is built and gilded according to divine teaching, when human understanding is moved forward toward the grace of contemplation by divine inspiration and showing. But when we make progress toward this grace in this life, what do we receive other than some pledges of that future fullness when we shall engage forever in eternal contemplation? And so we receive this grace, as if
RICHARD OF ST. VICTOR
it were a pledge of divine promise and a token of divine love, even as a kind of bond of covenant and memorial of mutual charity. Do you not see how rightly the ark of the covenant, in and by which such grace is symbolically expressed, is said to be "of the Lord"?
Because he who desires or believes that he receives such a token of so much love ought willingly to gird himself for every labor, I doubt not that each one among you would willingly serve like a Hebrew slave six years for such grace so that in the seventh year he might go forth a free man, gratuitously, and thereafter be pleased to be free of preoccupation for the contemplation of truth. Truly if anyone is found among you who is Jacob—or who may be thought worthy of such a name because he is a strong and powerful man in combat, a nimble wrestler and such an overthrower of vices that he rises above some by fortitude and overthrows others by discretion; surely whoever is such a person would gladly serve seven years, and seven more, for such grace, to such an extent that the days seem few to him because of the greatness of love, provided that he can come, even late in time, to the embrace of Rachel. For it is necessary that a person wishing to attain Rachel's embrace serve seven years, and seven more for her, in order that he may learn to rest not only from evil works but also from useless thoughts. Many, even if they know how to be free of activity in the body, are nevertheless completely unable to be free from preoccupations in the heart. They do not know how to make a Sabbath on the Sabbath and for that reason are not capable of fulfilling what is written in the Psalm: "Be free from preoccupations and see that I am God"
(Ps. 45:11). Indeed, being free from activity in body but wandering everywhere in heart, they are by no means entitled to see how sweet the Lord is, how good the God of Israel is to those who are right in heart (Ps. 72:1). And this is the reason that enemies laugh at their Sabbaths (Lam.
1:7). But the true Jacob does not cease to labor until he comes to the goal of longing— serving in the household of the true Laban, who is truly dazzling white because glorified. The Father glorified the true Laban with the brightness that He had with the Father before the creation of the world (John 17:5).
It was necessary for Him to suffer and so enter into His glory (Luke 24:26) that He might add the dazzling whiteness of glory to the form of a servant and be truly dazzling white (Phil.
2:7-9). Having been