within when thou shalt see thy self in the armes of Christ.”^161 Ambrose employs
another water metaphor as he reinforces that present enjoyments are nothing in
comparison to their eschatological fulfillment in heaven; “even so all the enjoyments
of God in the use of meanes, graces, blessings, ordinances are infinitely inferiour to
than enjoyment of God which shall be without all meanes; all ravishments of our
spirit in prayer, hearing, reading, meditating, is but a sip of those rivers which we
shall have in heaven.”^162 These examples reveal Ambrose’s concern that his listeners
and readers would not miss the promised joy and delight that awaits those who will be
consummating their “spiritual marriage” with Christ in heaven. Clearly the
enjoyment of God that begins in a very real sense already on earth is proleptic and the
experience of ravishment and joy will grow more fully in heaven. Using the language
of covenant that often parallels that of spiritual marriage, Ambrose reiterates that
enjoyment of God grows as a person lives more fully in him. He declares,
He hath made a covenant with thee, of spiritual mercies; even a covenant of
peace, and grace, and blessing, and life for evermore; God is become thy God,
he is all things to thee; he hath forgiven thy Spirit, to lead thee, to sanctifie theee to uphold thee in that state wherein thou sinnes, he hath given thee his
standest; and at last he will bring thee to a full enjoyment of himself in glory,
where thou shalt blesse him, and rejoyce before him with joy unspeakable, and
full of glory.^163
Therefore, deepening intimacy with God in spiritual marriage and the resulting
ravishment creates a growing sense of enjoyment of God. That in turn produces an
expanding awareness or knowledge that brings a person full circle from where he or
she began this section. Later in the same work he enlarges this fullness of God’s
161
162 Ambrose, Looking Unto Jesus, 1108.^
163 Ambrose, Ambrose, Looking Unto JesusLooking Unto Jesus, 1084., 236-7.^