Chapter XXXVI
THE TWELVE PATRIARCHS
are his delights, which taste so very good for kings, for such kings.
Surely those kings have now entered into the wedding of the Lamb, now they have taken seats at that eternal banquet, now they feed upon that bread of angels and eternal delights, now they are intoxicated by a torrent of pleasure, and still they hunger insatiably for the delights of this Asher. Hungering and thirsting for justice, even until today, they are unable to quiet either their hunger or their thirst in such a great abundance of celestial joys. Asher, his bread is plump and he shall offer delights to kings. How liberal do you think he can be for the necessities of the poor who has an abundance to prepare delights for kings? How greatly do you think those marvel who are crushed by their weakness while they still live in a vale of tears? How much are they grateful for his constancy, if even those whom that eternal happiness has already engulfed delight so much in his works? Asher, his bread is plump and he shall offer delights to kings. And from whence comes so great an abundance of riches to him, such an ample supply of delights, except, as it has been said, from the spoils of the enemies in such frequent victory? For it is certain that the more the enemies of justice are destroyed, the more fully the joys of conscience are increased: "Glory and riches are in his house," says the Psalmist (Ps.
1 11 :3). And as if explaining about this same glory and riches, the Apostle says, "Our glory is this: the witness of our conscience" (2 Cor.
1:12). This is that house or city, viz., our conscience, in which the riches of spiritual goods abound when the sons of the above-mentioned handmaids guard it with alert care: that is, when Dan and Naphtali are extremely busy with establishing the peace of the citizens and when Gad and Asher courageously work in overcoming enemies. For by the prudence of the former the citizens are pacified, while by the constancy of the latter enemies are overcome.
Chapter XXXVI How and in what order true joy is born After the enemies have been put to flight and the citizens have been pacified, I think nothing now stands in the way but that the
RICHARD OF ST. VICTOR
city of ours might expect that which is the "peace" of God "which passes all understanding" (Phil. 4:7). And "how great" is "the multitude of sweetness, which God has hidden for those who love him"
(Ps. 30:20). "He has hidden," it says. Therefore, why marvel if any lover of the world does not know that which God has hidden for those who love Him? For those who fasten hope on false and deceptive goods are not able to find out what are true goods. So it is that they say: "Who shows us goods?" (Ps. 4:6). For it is manna, hidden and completely unknown except to those who taste it. For it is such sweetness of the heart, and not of the flesh, that no carnal person whomever is able to have known it. "You have put joy in my heart"
(Ps. 4:7). Corporeal delights, like the body itself, can be seen by the bodily eye; eyes of the flesh cannot see the delights of the heart and also not even the heart itself. Therefore by what way could he know spiritual delights unless he makes a point of entering into his heart and dwelling within? Therefore it is said to him: "Enter into the joy of your Lord" (Matt. 25:21). This inner joy is for spiritual persons. That sweetness which is felt within is that son of Leah who is born in the fifth place.
For joy is one of the principal affections, as I have said above. However, when it has been set in order, this can rightly be numbered among the sons of Jacob and Leah. For we certainly have ordered and true joy when we rejoice concerning true and inner goods. The Apostle wished to animate us to the desire for such offspring when he said: "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). And the Prophet: "Rejoice in the Lord and exult you just, and glory all you with an upright heart"
(Ps.
31:11).
For such offspring Leah gladly despised the mandrakes so that she would be able to have such a son. In fact, the mind that delights in the praise of men does not deserve to experience what inner joy is. However, after the birth of Gad and Asher,
Leah rightly gave birth to such a son because except by means of abstinence and patience the human mind cannot reach true joy.
Therefore it is necessary that he who wishes to rejoice concerning the truth exclude not only false pleasure but also vain disquiet. For he who until now delights in the lowest things is especially unworthy of inner enjoyment, and he who is disquieted by vain fear is not able fully to enjoy spiritual sweetness. Truth condemned false joy when he said: "Woe to you who now laugh" (Luke 6:25). He