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 diuine inspirations leaue vs in our libertie to follow, or repulse them. CHAPTER. XII.

1. I Will not heare speake my deare THEOT: of those miraculous graces, which haue almost in an instāt, transformed wolfes into shepsheards, Rockes into waters, persecutors into preachers; I'le leaue a part those all-powerfull vocations, and holily violent draughts by which God hath brought some elect soules, from the extreamitie of vice, to the extreamitie of grace, working, as it were in thē, a certaine TRANSSVBTANTIATION morall and spirituall, as it happned to the great Apostle, who of SAVLE vessell of persecution, be∣came Sodainly PAVLE vessell of election. We must giue a particular rancke to those priuileged soules vpon whom it pleased God to exercise not a meere abundance, but an inundation, and if one may so saie, not a liberalitie onely or a meere owerflowing but euen a prodigalitie and lauishing out of his loue. The diuine iustice doth chastise vs in this world with punishments, which as they are ordi∣narie, so they remaine alwaies in a manner vn∣knowen and imperceptible, yet sometimes he sends out Deluges and Abisses of punishments, to make knowen, and dreaded the seueritie of his indignation: In like manner, the diuine Mercy doth ordinarily conuert, and gratifie soules so

sweetely, gently, and delicatly, that his motion is scarcely perceiued, and yet it happens againe, that his soueraigne bountie ouerflowing his ordinarie bankes, (as a flood swollen and ouercharged with the aboundance of waters, which breaketh ouer the plaine) streames out his graces, so impe∣tuously though louingly, that in a moment he doth water and couer a soule with benedictions, that the riches of his loue may appeare; and as his iustice proceedes cōmonly the ordinarie way, and but seldome the extraordinarie; so his mercy ex∣erciseth liberalitie vpon the cōmon sort of men the ordinarie way, and but vpon some few onely the extraordinarie.

2. But which are then the ordinarie lines wherby the diuine prouidence is accustomed to draw our hearts to his loue? Such truly as he him∣selfe doth designe describing the meanes which he vsed to draw the people of Israel out of Egipte, and out of the desert vnto the land of Promisse: I will draw them saieth he by OSEE, with lines of humanitie, charitie, and loue. Doubtlesse THEOT: we are not drawen to God by Iron chaines, as Bulls and Bufflers: but by enticements, delicious touches and holy inspirations, which in some, are the lines of ADAM and humanitie; that is pro∣portioned and squared to humane hearts, where libertie is naturall: the property of mans heart, is delight and pleasure; we show Nuts to children saieth S. AVGVSTINE, ād they are drawen in louing them, they are drawen by the line, not of the bo∣die, but of the heart. Marke then how the eter∣nall father drawes vs, by teaching he delightes vs,

not by imposing vpon vs any necessitie, he ea∣steth into our hearts delectatiōs ād spirituall plea∣sures as sacred baits by which he sweetely drawes vs to take and tast the sweetenesse of his doctrine.

3. In this sort then, dearest THEO: our free∣will is in no wise forced, or necessitated by grace; but notwithstanding the most powerfull vigour of Gods mercifull hand, which toucheth, enuiro∣neth, and ties the soule with such a number of in∣spirations, seades, and draughtes, this humane will remaines franke and free, and exempt from all constrainte and necessitie. Grace is so gracious and so graciously seaseth our hearts to draw them, that she offends nothing in the libertie of our will: she toucheth powerfully, but yet so delicatly the parts of our heart, that our free will receiues no force therby: she hath forces, not to force, but to entice the heart, she is holily violent, not to violate, but to make our libertie beloued. She acteth strongly, yet so sweetely, that our will doth not remaine op∣pressed by so powerfull an action, she presseth, but oppresseth not our libertie, so that amiddest these forces, we haue power to consent, or dissent from her motions, according to our liking. But that which is no lesse admirable then true, is, that when our will followeth the draught, and con∣sents to the diuine motion, she followeth no lesse freely, then freely she doth resist, when she resi∣steth: although the consent to grace, depends much more of grace, then of the will, and that the resistance of grace, depends vpon the will onely, so amiable is Gods hand in the hadling of our hearts; so dexterous it is in communicating vnto vs its

force, without depriuing vs of libertie; and in im∣parting vnto vs the motiō of his power, without im¦peachmēt to the motion of our will; adding power to sweetnesse; in such sort, that as in good things his power doth sweetly giue vs force, so his sweetnesse doth mātaine powerfully the freedome of our will. If thou knew the gift of God, saied our Sauiour to the Samaritane, and who he is who saieth vnto thee giue me to drinke, thou thy selfe peraduēture wouldst haue asked him, and he had giuen thee liue-water. See I praie you, THEO: the touch of our Sauiour when he signifies his drawings: If thou knewst, would he saie, the gift of God, doubt∣lesse thou wouldst be moued and drawen, to de∣mand the water of eternall life, and perchance thou wouldst demand it: as though he had saied, thou shouldst haue power and motion to de∣mand, yet in no wise be forced or constained: but onely, perchance, thou would demand it; for thy libertie would remaine to demand or not de∣mand it. Such are our Sauiours words according to the vulgar edition, and according to S. AV∣GVSTINE vpon S. IOHN.

4. To conclud, if any should saie, that our free-will doth not cooperate in consenting to the grace, with which God doth preuent her: or that she could not reiect, and denie it consent, he should contradict the whole Scripture, all the aun∣cient fathers, experience, and be excommunicated by the Concell of Trent. But when it is saied that we haue power to reiect the diuine inspirarions and motions, there is no such meaning at all, as that one may hinder God to inspire vs, or touch

our hearts; for as I haue already saied, that is done in vs without our helpe. These are fauours which God bestowes vpon vs, before we haue once thought on them: he awakes vs when we sleepe: and consequently we find our selues awake be∣fore we thought on't, but it is in our power to rise or not to rise; and though he haue awaked vs with∣out vs, he will not raise vs without vs. Now not to rise is to resist the call, and sleepe againe, seeing we were called onely to th'end we should rise. We cannot hinder that the inspiration thrust vs not on, and consequently put vs not into mo∣tion, but if as it driues vs forwards, we repulse it by not yeelding our selues to its motion, we then make resistance; so the winde hauing seased vpō, ād mounted our Apodes, will not beare thē vp ve∣ry farre vnlesse they display their winges, and coo∣perate raising themselues, and soaring vp a loft in∣to the aire, toward which the winde began their motion: but if contrariwise taken, as it happens, with some pray they espie vpō the ground, or be∣fium'd with their delay there, in lieu of seconding the winde, they keepe their winges foulded and doe cast themselues againe vpon the earth: they receiued indeede the motion of the winde, but in vaine sith they did not helpe themselues therby. THEO: inspirations doe preuent vs, and euen be∣fore they be thought on make themselues be felt, but after we haue felt them, it is in our hand's either to consent to them, to second and follow their motiō, or else to dissent and repell thē. They cause themselues to be perceiued by vs without vs: but without vs they doe not force consent.