Chapter
5
The Rhetoric of Ravishment: The Language of Delight and EnjoymentThis day the Lord cast one into a spiritual, heavenly, ravishing love trance; he
tasted the goodnesse of God, the very sweetness of Christ, and was filled with
the joyes of the Spirit above measure. O it was a good day, a blessed fore-
taste of Heaven, a lovelove is better then wine-.token of Christ to the Soul, 1 a kisse of his mouth whoseThe last chapter examined Isaac Ambrose’s understanding of contemplation. It
established that his awareness was consistent with those writers who had gone before
him. Additionally, Ambrose was greatly indebted to the importance of Jesus’
Ascension and recognized that heavenly meditation was synonymous with
contemplation. Contemplation occupied a dominant place within his theology and
experience and during his annual retreats in May he intentionally sought to cultivate a
deepening awareness and sensitivity to the Trinity. These practices paralleled his
development of spiritual duties that he presented to his readers in Media. Ambrose
used the metaphor of “soul recreation” to describe contemplation in Looking Unto
Jesus. He asserted that this looking at or beholding of Jesus had the ability to
transform a person into Christ’s likeness. Therefore, he encouraged his listeners to
move contemplatively through a journey of nine movements of looking at Jesus that
would guide them in experiencing the transforming presence of Jesus more fully and
experientially. The importance of imagination in Ambrose as well as the benefits and
effects of contemplation were also examined. Further, the contemplative life was
situated within the framework of spiritual marriage. Contemplation or being
heavenly-minded was a result of living in a vital union with Christ and its intentional
(^1) Ambrose, Media (^) (1657), 183. (^)