Page:Heavenly Bridegrooms.djvu/99

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have a spiritual sense (though certainly not understood in that sense by the generality of the vulgar): I cannot entertain any doubt as to the design of Solomon's Song."

This religious mysticism finds a modern echo in a little publication recently issued by the Adi Brahma Samaj of Calcutta, as the first step in a new propaganda. It is entitled "The Religion of Love!" In its pages occur these words:

"Though these terms, Father, Mother, Friend, Husband of the soul, all allegorical, they very aptly express our sweet relationship with God, and we have every right to use them. Among these allegorical designations the Husband of the Soul is the best."

Zanchius wrote an "Excellent Traite du Mariage Spiritual Entre Jesus Christ et son E'glise," in which he drew a close parallel between earthly wedlock and the spiritual and divine marriage of Christ with the Church Universal. Among other things he laid stress on that Scriptural saying of earthly husband and wife, that the twain shall become one flesh; and he said that, according to Scripture, it was neither God the Father nor God the Spirit who is Sponsor of his Church, but the Son, who was made of like nature with ourselves like in all things to us, but without sin. He added:

"His soul does not pervade all space, because it went out of his body when he died and consequently was not in all places, since going out of the body, it did not remain therein, afterwards being returned to the body [and] never was and never will be (any more than the body) in all places. * * *

"In this spiritual marriage, all the person of each faithful one that is to say, the body and the soul is conjoined with all the person of Jesus Christ, and is made one flesh and one person with him."

As to the method by which this combined fleshly and spiritual union of the Christian with Christ can take place Zanchius seemed to think that the Eucharist in which one partakes of the body and blood of Christ, is the sole appointed means.