Bed And House

Ecce tu pulcher es, dilecte mi, et decorus. Lectulus noster floridus. Tigna domorum nostrarum cedrina, laquearia nostra cypressina. Tropologice. Fidelis anima est lectulus, in qua Christus per dilectionem habitat. Qui lectulus floret, dum anima se orando et legendo exercet. Lectulus etiam animae est bona conscientia, in qua, ut in lecto, secura quiescet anima. Qui lectus floret, dum aliis bonae vitae exemplum praebet. Ipsa est etiam domus Dei, in qua Christus habitat ut sponsus in thalamo. Cujus tigna sunt principales virtutes, scilicet prudentia, fortitudo, justitia, temperantia. Laquearia sunt obedientiae exempla, quae cedro vel cypresso comparantur, quia sicut hae arbores in ramis, sic in bones operibus multiplicantur. Vel domus animae est corpus, tigna ejus sunt quinque sensus, laquearia ejus corporis membra, quae, sunt cedrina et cypressina, dum militant ad nutum spiritus. Honorius Augustodunensis, Expositio in Cantica Canticorum, Caput I Source: Migne PL 172.381c

Behold you are beautiful, my beloved, and fair. Our bed is flourishing. The beams of our houses are of cedar, our rafters of cypress. 1 Tropologically the faithful soul is a bed in which Christ dwells through love. The bed flourishes when a soul exerts itself in prayer and reading. And the bed of the soul is a good conscience, in which, as in a bed, the soul rests securely. That bed flourishes when it gives an example of the good life to others. This is indeed the house of God, in which Christ dwells as the bridegroom in the chamber. The beams are the principle virtues, that is, prudence, fortitude, justice and temperance. The rafters are examples of obedience, which are compared to cedar and cypress because as those trees have their branches so good works are multiplied. Or the house of the soul is the body, and its beams are the five senses, and the rafters are the members of the body which are as cedar and cypress when they strive at the command of the spirit. Honorius of Autun, Commentary on The Song of Songs, Chapter 1 1 Song 1.15-16