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

Of the great feeling of loue which we re∣ceiue by holy hope. CHAPTER. XV.

1. AS being exposed to the Sunne beames at mid-day, we hardly see the brightnesse, till presently we feele the heate; so the light of faith hath no sooner spred the splendour of its verities in our vnderstanding, but incontinently our will perceiues the holy heate of heauenly loue. Faith makes vs know by an infallible certaintie that God is; that he is infinite in bountie; that he can communicate himselfe vnto vs; and not onely that he can, but that he will; so that by an ineffable sweetenesse he hath prouided vs of all things re∣quisite to obtaine the happinesse of eternall glorie. Now we haue a naturall inclination to the soue∣raigne good, by reason of which our heart is tou∣ched with a certaine inward griping and a conti∣nuall disquiet, not being able to repose or cease to testifie, that it enioyes not its perfect satisfactiō and solide contentment, but when holy faith hath represented vnto our vnderstanding this faire obiect of our naturall inclination, ô good God THEO: what repose, what pleasure, how ge∣nerall an exultation possesseth our soule, where∣vpon, as being surprised at the aspect of so excel∣lent a beautie, in loue she cries out, ô how faire thou art my well-beloued, ô how faire thou art!

2. Eliezer sought for a wife to his master A∣BRAHAMS

sonne: how knew he that she would ap∣peare faire and gracious in his eies, as his desire was? but when he had espied her at the fountaine, and saw her so excellent in beautie and so perfe∣ctly sweete, and especially when he had obtained her, he adored GOD and blessed him with thankes-giuing full of incomparable ioye. Mans heart tends to God by his naturall inclination, without discerning well who he is, but when he finds him at the fountaine of faith, and seeth him so good, faire, sweete, and gentle towards all, and so prone, as soueraigne good, to bestow himselfe vpon all which desire him, ô God what content∣ments, and what sacred motions hath the soule to vnite her selfe for euer to this bountie so soue∣raignly amiable? I haue foūd, saieth the soule thus inspired, I haue found that which my heart desi∣red and now I am at repose: And as Iacob hauing seene the faire Rachel after he had holily kissed her, melted into treares of ioye, for the good he apprehended in meeting with so desired an obiect; so our poore heart hauing found out God, and re∣ceiued of him the first kisse of holy faith, it dis∣solues fourthwith into the delightes of loue, by reason of the infinite good which it presently es∣pies in that soueraigne Beautie.

3. We somtimes experience in our selues cer∣taine vnexpected delights, without any appa∣rent cause, and these are diuers times presages of some greater ioyes, whence many are of opinion that our good Angell fore-seeing the good which shall arriue vnto vs, giues vs by this meanes a fore∣tast therof, as contrariwise he strikes into vs with

a certaine feare and dread amongst vnknowen dangers, to the end we may be moued to inuoke GODS assistance, and stand vpon our garde: Now when the presaged good arriues we receiue it with open breast, and reflecting vpon the content we formely tasted without knowing the cause, we onely then begin to perceiue, that it was a fore∣runner of the Hape we now enioye. Euen so my deare THEO: our heart hauing had for so long a time an inclination to it's soueraigne good, knew not to what end this motion tended: But so soone as faith hath set it at view, then the heart doth clearly discerne, that it was that which his soule coueted, his vnderstanding serched, and his incli∣nation aymed at. Certainly whether we wake, or sleepe, our soule tends toward the soueraigne good: but what is this soueraigne good? we are like to these good ATHENIANS, who sacrificed vnto the true God albeit vnknowen vnto them, till the great S. PAVLE taught thē the knowledge therof. For so our heart by a deepe and secrete instinct, in all his actions doth tend to, and pretend felicitie, pursuing it here and there as it were by groping, without knowing either where it resides, or in what it consisteth, till faith showes and describs the infinite mysteries therof; but then hauing found the treasure he sought for, ah! what con∣tentment finds this poore humane heart! What ioye, what complacence of loue! ô I haue met with him, whom my heart sought for without knowing him; ô how I was ignorant to what my pretentions did tend, while nothing of that which I pretended, could content me, because I knew

not indeede what I pretēded. I pretended to loue, yet knew not vpon what to place my affection, and therefore my pretention not finding its true loue, my loue remained alwayes in a true, yet vn∣knowen pretention; I had indeede sufficient tou∣ches of loue to make me pretend, but not sense enough of the Bountie which I was to loue, to exercise loue.