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 loue is exercised in penance, and first, that there are diuerse sorts of penance. CHAPTER. XVIII.

1. TO speake generally, penance is a kinde of repentance, wherby a man doth reiect and

detest the sinne he hath cōmitted, with resolution to repaire, as much as in him lyeth, the offence and iniurie done against the offended. I comprehend in penance a purpose to repaire the offence, be∣cause that repentance doth not sufficiently detest the fault, which voluntarily permitteth the prin∣cipall effect therof, to wit, the offence and iniurie to subsist; and it doth permit it to subsist, while it can in some sort make reparation, and will not.

2. I will omitt the penance of diuerse pagans, who, as TERTVLLIAN doth witnesse; had some ap∣parences of it amongst them, but so vaine and frutlesse, that they did oftē penāce for hauing done well: and speake onely of a vertuous penance, which according to the different motifes whēce it proceed's, is of a diuerse species. There is one sort purely morall and humane, as was that of ALEX∣ANDER the Great, who hauing slaine his deare CLITVS thought to haue starued himselfe, so great was the force of penance, saieth CICERO: and that of ALCIBIADES, who being by SOCRATES conuin∣ced not to be wise began to weepe bitterly, being sorrowfull and afflicted, not to be that which he ought to haue bene, as SAINT AVGVSTINE saieth. ARISTOTLE also acknowledging this sort of pe∣nance, assures vs, that the intemperate man, who on set purpose giues himself ouer to pleasures, is wholy incorrigible, for that he cannot repent, and he that is impenitent is incurable.

3. Certes SENECA, PLVTARKE, and the PY∣THAGORIANS, who so highly commended the exa∣men of conscience, but especially the first, who

speaketh so feelingly of the torment, which inte∣riour remorce doth excite in the soule, without doubt vnderstood, that there was a repentance; and as for the wise E••ICTETES, he doth so well describe the reprehention, which a man is to vse towards himself, that scarcely is any thing to be added.

4. There is yet an other penance, which is in∣deede morall yet religious too, yea in some sort di∣uine, proceeding from the naturall knowledge which we haue of our offending GOD by sinne: For certainly many Philosophers vnderstood, that to liue vertuously was a thing agreeable to the di∣uine goodnesse, and consequently, to liue vitiously was offensiue vnto him. The good EPICTETES, wished that he might dye a Christian (as it is very probable he did,) and amongst other things, he saied he should be cōtent, if dying he could lift vp his hands to God and saie vnto him; For my part, I haue not dishonored thee. Furthermore, he will haue his Philosopher to make an admirable Oth to God, neuer to be disobedient to his diuine Ma∣iestie, nor to accuse or blame any thing coming from him, nor yet in any sort to complaine therof: And in another place he teacheth that GOD and our good Angell, are present to all our actions. You see then THEO: that this Philosopher, as yet Pagan, knew that sinne offended GOD, as vertue honored him, and consequently, he thought re∣pentance necessarie, sith that euen he ordained an examen of conscience at night, in respect wherof with Pithagoras he gaue this aduertise∣ment.

Let conscience of the fact be vertues meede, Let bitter reprehension vice succeede.

Now this kind of repentance tyed to the know∣ledge and loue of GOD which nature can giue, was a dependance of morall religion: but as naturall reason bestowed more knowledge then loue vpon the Philosophers, who glorified him not with proportion to the notice, they had therof; so did nature furnish them with more light to vnder∣stand how much God was offended by sinne, then heate to stire vp repentance, necessarie for the re∣paration of the offence.

5. And abbeit religious penance hath in some sort bene acknowledged by some of the Philolo∣phers, yet so rarely and weakly, that those which were reputed the most vertuous amongst them, to wit the STOIKES, gaue assurance, that the wise∣man was neuer attristated, wherevpon they framed a MAXIME, so contrarie to reason, as the proposi∣tion on which it was grounded, was contrarie to experience, THAT THE WISE-MAN SINNED NOT.

6. We may therefore well saie THEO: that pe∣nance is a vertue wholy Christian, sith on the one side it was so little knowen to the Pagans, and on the other side, it is so well knowen amongst true Christians, that in it consisteth a great part of the Euangelicall Philosophie, according to which, who soeuer affirmeth that he sinneth not, is mad and who soeuer thinketh without penance to re∣dresse his sinne is frantike for it is our Sauiours exhortation of exortations, DOE PENANCE Be∣hold

a briefe description of the progresse of this vertue.

7. We enter into a deepe apprehension, why we offend GOD so farre as we are able, in despising, dishonoring, disobeying and rebelling against him; who againe, of his part, holdeth himselfe of∣fended theraat, irritated, ād contemned, distasting, reprouing and abhorring iniquitie. Out of this true apprehension, diuers motiues spring, which either all, or many together, or each one a part, may carrie vs to this repentance: For it enters into our thoughts some times, that GOD the offended hath established a rigourous punishment in Hell for sinners, and that he will depriue them of Para∣dice prepared for the good. And as the desire of Paradice is extreamly honorable; so the feare to loose it, is greatly cōsiderable, and not that onely, but the desire of Paradice, being of high esteeme, the feare of its contrarie, hell, is good and lauda∣ble. O who would not dread so great a losse, so great a torment? And this double feare, the one seruile the other mercenarie, doth greatly beare vs forwards, towards a repentance for our sinnes, by which we haue incurred them. And to this effect in the holy word, this feare is a thousand and a thousand times intimated. Againe we consider the deformitie and malice of sinne according as faith doth teach vs, as for example, that by yet, the lik∣nesse and Image of GOD is defiled and disuigo∣red, the dignitie of our soule dishonoured; that we are become like brute beasts, that we haue violated our dutie towards the CREATOR of the world, forfetted the happinesse of the Angelicall

societie, to associate, and subiect our selues to the Diuell, ād to the slauerie of our owne passiōs, ouer∣turning the order of reason, offending our GOOD-ANGELS, to whom we haue so great obligation.

8. At other times we are prouoked to repen∣tance, by the beautie of vertue, which brings as much good with it, as sinne doth euill. Further we are often moued to it, by the example of Saints: for who did euer cast his eies vpon the exercises of the incomparable penance of a MAGDELAINE, of a MARIE EGIPTIACA; or of the PENITENTS of the Monasterie surnamed PRISON, described by S. IOHN CLIMACVS without being moued to repen∣tance for his sinns: sithence the very reading of the Historie doth incite therto such, as are not altogether insensible.