19. That Christ is the Bridegroom, having the Church as His bride, from which spiritual children were to be born.

In Joel: “Blow with the trumpet in Sion; sanctify a fast, and call a healing; assemble the people, sanctify the Church, gather the elders, collect the little ones that suck the breast; let the Bridegroom go forth of His chamber, and the bride out of her closet.”240    Joel ii. 15, 16. Also in Jeremiah: “And I will take away from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of the joyous, and the voice of the glad; the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.”241    Jer. xvi. 9. Also in the eighteenth Psalm: “And he is as a bridegroom going forth from his chamber; he exulted as a giant to run his course.  From the height of heaven is his going forth, and his circuit even to the end of it; and there is nothing which is hid from his heat.”242    Ps. xix. 5, 6. Also in the Apocalypse: “Come, I will show thee the new bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he took me in the Spirit to a great mountain, and he showed me the holy city Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God.”243    Rev. xxi. 9–11. Also in the Gospel according to John: “Ye are my witnesses, that I said to them who were sent from Jerusalem to me, that I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before Him. For he who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom is he who standeth and heareth him with joy, and rejoiceth because of the voice of the bridegroom.”244    John iii. 28, 29. The mystery of this matter was shown in Jesus the son of Nave, when he was bidden to put his shoes from off him, doubtless because he himself was not the bridegroom. For it was in the law, that whoever should refuse marriage should put off his shoe, but that he should be shod who was to be the bridegroom: “And it happened, when Jesus was in Jericho, he looked around with his eyes, and saw a man standing before his face, and holding a javelin245    Frameam. in his hand, and said, Art thou for us or for our enemies? And he said, I am the leader of the host of the Lord; now draw near. And Jesus fell on his face to the earth, and said to him, Lord, what dost Thou command unto Thy servant. And the leader of the Lord’s host said, Loose thy shoe from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”246    Josh. v. 13–15. Also, in Exodus, Moses is bidden to put off his shoe, because he, too, was not the bridegroom: “And there appeared unto him the angel of the Lord in a flame of fire out of a bush; and he saw that the bush burned with fire, but the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will pass over and see this great sight, why the bush is not consumed.  But when He saw that he drew near to see, the Lord God called him from the bush, saying, Moses, Moses. And he said, What is it?  And He said, Draw not nigh hither, unless thou hast loosed thy shoe from off thy feet; for the place on which thou standest is holy ground. And He said unto him, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”247    Ex. iii. 2–6. This was also made plain in the Gospel according to John: “And John answered them, I indeed baptize with water, but there standeth One in the midst of you whom ye know not: He it is of whom I said, The man that cometh after me is made before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose.”248    John i. 26, 27. Also according to Luke:  “Let your loins be girt, and your lamps burning, and ye like to men that wait for their master when he shall come from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him. Blessed are those servants whom their Lord, when He cometh, shall find watching.”249    Luke xii. 35–37. Also in the Apocalypse: “The Lord God omnipotent reigneth:  let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give to Him the honour of glory; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.”250    Rev. xix. 6, 7.

CAP. XIX.---QUOD IPSE SIT SPONSUS, ECCLESIAM HABENS SPONSAM, DE QUA FILII SPIRITALES NASCERENTUR.

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Apud Johel: Canite tuba in Sion, sanctificate jejunium, et indicite curationem, aggregate populum , sanctificate ecclesiam, excipite majores natu, colligite parvulos lactentes; procedat sponsus de cubili suo , et sponsa de thalamo suo (Johel II, 15, 16). Item apud Hieremiam: Et auferam de civitatibus Juda et de quadriviis Hierusalem vocem laetantium et vocem gaudentium, vocem sponsi et vocem sponsae (Hier. XVI, 9). Item in Psalmo XVIII: Et ipse velut sponsus egrediens de thalamo suo. Exsultavit ut gigas viam currere. A summo coeli egressio ejus , et decursio ejus usque ad summum ejus, et non est qui lateat a calore ejus (Ps. 0713B XVIII, 6, 7). Item in Apocalypsi: Veni, ostendam tibi novam nuptam uxorem Agni; et duxit me in Spiritu in montem magnum, et ostendit mihi civitatem sanctam Hierusalem descendentem de coelo, a Deo habentem claritatem Dei (Apoc., XXI, 9, 11). Item in Evangelio cata Joannem: Vos mihi testes estis quoniam dixi eis qui missi sunt ab Hierosolymis ad me, quia non sum Christus, sed quoniam missus sum ante illum. Qui enim habet sponsam sponsus est. Amicus autem sponsi est qui stat et gaudio audit eum et gaudet propter vocem sponsi (Joan. III, 28, 29). Hujus rei mysterium ostensum est apud Jesum Nave, quando jussus est excalciare se , quod scilicet sponsus non ipse esset. Erat enim in Lege ut quisquis nuptias recusaret , calciamentum deponeret , calciaretur vero ille qui sponsus futurus 0713C esset. Et factum est cum esset Jesus in Jerico, circumspexit oculis, et vidit hominem stantem ante faciem suam et frameam tenentem in manu ejus, et dixit: Noster es, an adversariorum? Ille autem dixit: Ego sum dux virtutis Domini, nunc adveni. Et Jesus cecidit in faciem ad terram, et ait illi: Domine, quid imperas famulo tuo? Et ait dux virtutis Domini: Solve calciamentum de pedibus tuis. Locus enim in quo stas terra sancta est (Josue V, 13-15). Item in Exodo Moyses jubetur calciamentum deponere , quod nec ipse sponsus esset: Et apparuit ei Angelus Domini in flamma 0714A ignis de rubo, et vidit quoniam rubus arderet igni, rubus autem non cremabatur . Et dixit Moyses: Transiens videbo hoc grande visum, cur utique non crematur rubus. Ut vidit autem quoniam accedit videre, vocavit eum Dominus Deus de rubo dicens: Moyses, Moyses. Qui dixit : Quid est? Et dixit: Ne accesseris huc, nisi solveris calciamentum de pedibus tuis. Locus enim in quo stas terra sancta est. Et dixit ei: Ego sum Deus patris tui , Deus Abraham, et Deus Isaac, Deus Jacob (Exod. III, 2-6). Hoc autem manifestatum est in Evangelio cata Joannem: Et respondit illis Joannes: Ego quidem baptizo in aqua: in medio autem vestrum stat quem vos nescitis . Ipse est enim de quo dixi: Post me veniens homo ante me factus est, cujus non sum dignus corrigiam calciamenti solvere (Joan. I, 0714B 26, 27). Item cata Lucam: Sint lumbi vestri praecincti et lucernae ardentes , et vos similes hominibus exspectantibus dominum suum quando veniat a nuptiis, ut cum venerit et pulsaverit aperiant ei. Beati servi illi quos adveniens dominus invenerit vigilantes (Luc. XII, 35-37). Item in Apocalypsi: Regnavit Dominus Deus omnipotens, gaudeamus et exultemus, et demus ei gloriae claritatem, quoniam venerunt nuptiae Agni, et uxor ejus se praeparavit (Apoc. XIX, 6, 7).