Spiritual Marriage and - Durham e-Theses - Durham University

Chapter 3

Contemplative Biography

For the things wherein they excelled (Ambrose and his brother Machin), I

have not known the like. Mr. Ambrose for his habitual course of contemplation and rare improvement of secret opportunities. (^1)
The previous chapter examined the biblical and theological foundations for
spiritual marriage. For the Puritans this consisted of both union and communion with
Christ. The allegorical reading of the Song of Songs provided the Puritans with the
biblical warrant and example for cultivating a relationship of intimacy and enjoyment
with Jesus, their divine Bridegroom. This in turn inspired a similar sensitivity to the
importance of intimacy and enjoyment of sex in their godly marriages. Chapter 2 also
demonstrated that Isaac Ambrose is reflective of the Puritan biblical and theological
understanding of spiritual marriage. Significantly, this chapter marks a key transition.
While chapter 1 provided the general introduction to the possibility of a
contemplative-mystical piety within Puritanism in general, and Isaac Ambrose in
particular, and chapter 2 examined the broad background for the nature and themes of
spiritual marriage, again including the importance of Ambrose, this chapter and the
remainder of this thesis now turns its primary focus to Ambrose.
The importance of the Holy Spirit in Ambrose’s theology of spiritual marriage
made in chapter 2 needs to be revisited. Ambrose declares that the “growing of the
soul with Christ” requires both “an union of the soul with Christ” and “a conveyance
of the sap or sweetnesse (all the treasures of grace and happinesse) that is in Christ to
(^1) Newcome, Autobiography of Newcome (^) , 143.