A treatise of the loue of God. Written in french by B. Francis de Sales Bishope and Prince of Geneua, translated into English by Miles Car priest of the English Colledge of Doway

That the diuine bountie's will is that we should haue a most ex∣cellent loue. CHAPTER. XI.

1. O God THEOT: if we receiued diuine in∣spiratiōs, in the full extent of their vertue, in how short a time should we make a great pro∣gresse in sanctitie? Be the fountaine neuer so co∣pious, her streames enter not into a garden accor∣ding to their plentie, but in a measure, according to the littlenesse or amplitude of the chanell, by which they are conducted thither. And though the holy ghost, as a source of liue-water doth driue vpon our hearts euery side, to water them with his graces, yet so as he will not haue them enter without the free consent of our will. He will not pouer them out, but according to his good pleasure, and our owne disposition and coopera∣tion, as the Holy Councell saieth, which also as I suppose, by reason of the correspondance betwixt our consent and grace, calls the receit therof a free receit.

2. In this sense, S. PAVLE exhorteth vs not to receiue God's grace in vaine. For as a sicke man, who hauing receiued the potion in his hand, and should not take it into his stomacke, should true∣ly haue receiued the potiō, yet without receiuing

it, that is, he receiued it in an vnprofitable and fruitlesse sort, so we receiue the grace of God in vaine, when we receiue it at the gate of our heart, without permitting it to enter into our hearts consent: for so we receiue it without receiuing it to wit, we receiue it without fruit, sith it auails nothing to feele the inspira∣tion, vnlesse we consent vnto it. And as the sicke man, who had the potion giuen into his hand, if he tooke it not wholy but in part onely, had also the operation therof in part onely, not wholy: so when God sends a great and puissant inspiration to imbrace his loue, if we consent not according to it's whole amplitude, it will but profit vs in the same measure. It happens often, that being inspi∣red to doe much, we consent not to the whole in∣spiration, but onely to some part therof, as did those good people in the Gospell, who vpon the inspiration, which God gaue them to follow him, made reseruations, the one, to goe first and in∣terre his father; the other, to take leaue of his friends.

3. As long as the poore widow had emtie vessells, the oyle, whose multiplication HELISEVS did miraculously impetrate, neuer left running; but when she had no more, to receiue it in, it sea∣sed to flow. In the same measure in which our heart dilats it selfe, or rather, in the measure, in which it permits it selfe to be amplified and di∣lated, not denying the freedome of it's cōsent to Gods mercy, he streames out continually, and without delay poures in his sacred inspirations, which still increase, and make vs increase more and

more in heauenly loue. But when there is no more freedome left; or that we giue no further consent, he staies their course.

4. What is the reason then we are not so much aduanced in the loue of God, as was S. AVGVSTINE S. FRANCIS, S. CATHERINE of GENVA, or SAINT FRANCISCA: THEOT: it is, because God gaue vs not the grace; and why did not God giue vs the grace? for that we did not cōply as we ought with his in∣spirations. And why did we not comply? Because hauing libertie, we did therin abuse it. But why did we abuse our libertie? Ah THEO: we must stop there: For, as S. AVGVSTINE saieth, the depraua∣tion of our will, proceeds from no cause but from the defect of a cause, which causeth the sinne.

5. The deuote brother RVFIN, vpon a cer∣taine vision which he had of the glorie which the great S. FRANCIS should attaine vnto, by his hu∣militie, made him this demande: my deare father, I beseech you tell me in earnest, what opinion you haue of your selfe: The Sainte answered, verily I hould my selfe the greatest sinner in the world, and one which serueth God the least. But brother RVFIN replied, how can you saie that in truth and conscience, seeing that many others, as we mani∣festly see, commit many great sinnes, from which God bethanked you are exempt? To which SAINT FRANCIS answered; if God, saieth he, had fauored those others of whom you speake, with so great mercy as he hath me, certaine I am, be they neuer so bad now, they had bene farre more acknowli∣ging of God's giftes, then I am; and would serue him much better then I doe; and if my God did

abandon me, I should commit more wickednes then they.

6. You see THEOT: the opinion of this man, who indeede was rather no man, but a Seraphin vpon earth, I know it was humilitie that moued him to speake thus of himselfe, yet neuerthelesse he beleeued for a certaine trueth, that an equall grace granted by a like mercy, might be more fruitfully imploied by one sinner then by another. Now I hould for an Oracle the feeling of this great doctour in the sciēce of Saints, who brought vp in the schoole of the Crosse, breathed nothing but diuine inspirations. This Apothegme hath also bene praised, and repeated by the greatest de∣uotest that followed him, amongst which, diuerse are of opinion, that the great Apostle S. PAVLE, saied in the same sense, that he was the greatest of all sinners.

7. The blessed mother TERESA of IESVS a virgin indeede altogether angelicall, speaking of Praier of repose, saieth these words. There are diuerse soules, which come to this perfection, but few passe further, and I know not the cause of it, cer∣tainly the fault is not on Gods side: for sith his di∣uine maiestie doth ayde vs, and giues vs the grace to arriue at this pointe, I assure my selfe, he would not be deficient to assist vs further, if it were not our fault, and the impediment which we of our part put. Let vs therefore THEO: be attentiue to aduancement in the loue which we owe to God, for his to vs can neuer faile.