Chapter IIII

The final cause of this spiritual marriage.

  1. We said that there were three ends of the institution of carnal matrimony: one, that man should not be alone, but might have a help like unto himself and so might lead a happy life; the second, that thereby he might have issue and increase of children; the third, that after sin was entered, all wandering lusts and fornication might be avoided.
  2. All these ends we may behold in the spiritual marriage between Christ and the Church. The first ends was because it was not good, neither for Christ to be alone without the Church, nor for the Church to be alone without Christ as neither is it convenient for the head to be without the body, nor for the body to be without the head.
  3. Christ was before all beginning ordained and appointed to this to be the head of the Church, to rule and govern, to quicken and to preserve her, and to live with her in eternal felicity and happiness. And the Church likewise was predestinate to be the body of Christ, to be governed by him, to be quickened and to have eternal life given her.
  4. Therefore, both for the good of Christ, because it concerned his glory that this man might not live in heaven; and also for the good of the Church, because it was necessary for her to eternal salvation, God the father created the Church out of the side of Christ, sleeping on the cross (that is to say, being dead, in that sense which I have showed before in the beginning of this treatise) and gave her to his Son to be married unto him that they might live together for ever most happy in the glory of heaven.
  5. Hereto belongs that which the Apostle writes to the Corinthians, of the resurrection of Christ and of the whole Church by Christ to eternal happiness. For after that all things shall be brought in subjection under Christ, then shall he also with his whole body, that is, with the Church his spouse, be made subject tot he Father, that God may be all in all.
  6. Therefore, the glory of Christ and the salvation of the Church was the first end of this marriage. And therefore he loves her, and daily purges and washes her that he may at length make her glorious unto himself without spot or wrinkle or any such thing but all holy and without blame; and so both may live happily and blessedly in heaven.
  7. The second end was and is this: that of the seed of Christ the bridegroom, that is, of the word and Spirit, by the ministry and help of the bride might be begotten a most plentiful and most beautiful issue and offspring which might be heir of the kingdom of heaven.
  8. Those are all the faithful in that they are conceived of the spiritual and incorruptible seed in the womb of the Church and by her ministry and are born the sons of God by the washing of the new birth and by the renewing of the holy Ghost.
  9. For this is no absurdity, that the same faithful persons are in diverse respects called the spouse of Christ and the sons of God and therefore the offspring of Christ and the Church.
  10. As every man is regenerate and born the son of God, b the Spirit of Christ in the Church and by the ministry thereof, so he is the child of Christ and of the Church. But as he is joined to Christ by faith, to receive his spiritual seed, the Word and the Spirit, and to bring forth the fruits of good works whereby he may gain others to Christ, so he is the spouse of Christ.
  11. All the Apostles and doctors and pastors were first the children of the Church because by the ministry of the Church they were born of God and made the sons of God, but as others likewise were by their ministry born anew of water and the holy Ghost, so they were the spouses of Christ and as it were the mothers of the faithful; and so the Apostle calls himself, as it were, the mother of the Galatians, saying, "My little children of whom I travailed in birth again…." And to the Corinthians, "I have begotten you in Christ through the Gospel."
  12. So the whole Church, in this respect that all and every one of the faithful are born anew are nourished and governed in her and by her ministry is usually called our mother. Whereupon the Apostle to the Galatians speaking of the high and heavenly Jerusalem (that is, of the Church, which came as it were from heaven) says, "Which is the mother of us all…." For so do many interpret that place of the Church.
  13. It is evident therefore that it is no absurdity for the same faithful ones in diverse respects to be called both the spouse and the offspring or children of Christ.
  14. Wherefore it is also certain that the second end of this spiritual marriage is that by the ministry of the spouse there may be a spiritual offspring daily conceived and brought forth in the Church.
  15. Although there is also another kind of offspring for which this marriage was ordained, that is, the offspring of good works, for therefore is everyone by faith, as the wife joined to Christ and Christ as the husband is joined to every one of us by his Spirit that we receiving his spiritual seed may bring forth a spiritual offspring, that is to say, the fruits of the Spirit and of good works.
  16. For Christ will not have his word and his grace to be idle in us, but to grow and increase and by good works to be published abroad to the glory of God and the building up of the Church.
  17. Whereto belongs that in 2 Corinthians 6: We beseech you that you receive not the grace of God in vein; in nothing give offense."
  18. The third end was and is this: that all fornication may be avoided.
  19. There is a double fornication, one special and another general. The special is all idolatry, to wit, fornication with idols and with devils of which you may read everywhere in the Prophets.
  20. The general is every sin whereby we fall from God and run whoring with his creatures. Of which kind of fornication David speaks in Psalm 73: "You destroy all them that go whoring from you." For they that persist not in obedience to the commandments of God but being in love with the creatures and neglecting God set their heart upon them, they are said to go whoring from God.
  21. They offend in both kinds of fornication all those who are not by a true faith incorporated into Christ.
  22. But both are taken away by a true union and holy conjunction with Christ the bridegroom. For he that abides in Christ still receives spirit and life from him whereby he is kept that he does not serve the devil, sin and the lusts thereof, but studies to worship God alone and to do his will.
  23. Whereto belongs that saying of Christ to his disciples in John 15: "Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bare fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can you except you abide in me. I am the vine and you are the branches; he that abides in me and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit for without me you can do nothing."
  24. By this place it appears manifestly that this union with Christ, this spiritual marriage, was instituted to this end, that we might avoid all kind of fornication and on the other side keep faith and obedience to God.
  25. And it is certain that all who are truly incorporated in Christ by this bond of holy wedlock do so behave themselves. For they are ruled and governed by the spirit of Christ that they walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.
  26. What then may we think of them who continually live in all kind of fornication? Truly, they are not the spouse of Christ and therefore they are neither the Church, nor true members of the Church. And thus much of final causes.

Disclaimer: pages.slu.edu is a service of Saint Louis University, Saint Louis University does not control, monitor or guarantee the information contained in these sites. For more information »