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

How the eternall loue of God doth preuent our hearts with his inspirations to th'end we might loue him. CHAPTER. IX.

1. I Haue loued thee with a perpetuall charitie, ād therfore haue drawen thee vnto me hauing pitie and mercy vpon thee, and againe I will ree∣difie thee, and thou shalt be built againe virgin of ISRAEL: These are God's wordes by which he pro∣miseth that the Sauiour coming into the world shall establish a new raigne in his Church, which shall be his Virgin-spouse, and true spirituall Israëlite.

2. Now as you see THEOT: it was not by any merit of the workes which we had done that he saued vs, but according to his mercy, his auncient, yea eternall charitie which moued his diuine Pro∣uidence to draw vs vnto him. For if the father had not drawne vs, we had neuer come to the Sonne our Sauiour, nor consequently to saluation.

3. There are certaine birds THEOT: which A∣ristotle calls Apodes for that their legges being ex∣treamly short, and their feete feable they haue no more vse of them then though they had none at all, so that if at any time they light vpon the groūd they are caught, neuer after being able to take flight, because hauing no seruice of their legges or feete, they haue no further power to rayse and re∣gaine themselues into the ayre, but remaine there peuling and dying, vnlesse some winde fauorable to their impotencie, sending out his blastes vpon the face of the earth, sease vpon them, and beare them vp, as it doth many other things. For then making vse of their winges, they correspond to this first touch and motion which the winde gaue them, it also continewing it's assistance towards them bringing them by little and little to flight.

4. THEO: Angels are like to the birds, which for their beautie and raritie are called birds of Pa∣radice, neuer seene in earth, but dead. For those heauenlie spirits had no sooner forsaken Diuine loue to be fixed vpon Selfe loue till sodainely they fell as dead, buried in Hell, seeing that the same ef∣fect which death hath in men, seperating them euerlastingly from this mortall life, the same had the Angels fall in them, excluding them for euer

from eternall life. But we mortalls doe rather re∣semble Apodes: For if it chance that we, quitting the ayre of holy and diuine loue, fall vpon the earth and adheare to creaturs, which we doe as often as we offend God, we die indeede, yet not so absolute a death that there resteth in vs no motiō, together with legges and feete to wit, some weake affectiōs, which enableth vs to make some essaies of loue, yet so weakly, that in trueth, we are impo∣tēt of our selues to reclaime our hearts from sinne, or restore our selues to the flight of sacred loue, which, catifs that we are, we haue perfideously and voluntarily forsaken.

5. And truely we should well deserue to re∣maine abandoned of God, sith we haue disloyally abandoned him but his eternall charitie doth of∣ten not permit his iustice to vse this chastisement, but exciting his compassion, prouokes him to reclaime vs from our miserie, which he doth by sending vnto vs the fauorable wind of his most holy inspiration, which blowing vpon our hearts with a sweete violence, doth sease and stirre them, aduancing our thoughtes, and eleuating our af∣fections into the ayre of heauenly loue.

6. Now this first stirring or motion, which God, causeth in our hearts, to incite them to their owne good, is effected indeede in vs, but not by vs; for it cometh vnexpectedly before we either haue, or could haue thought of it, seeing we haue not any sufficiencie of our selues, as of our selues, to thinke any thing necessarie to our saluatiō, but all our abilitie is frō God, who did not onely loue vs before we were, but euen to th'end we might be,

and become Saincts; For which cause, he doth preuēt vs with the blessings of his fatherly sweete∣nesse and doth excitate our hearts, to bring them to a holy repentance and conuersion. See, I pray you THEOT: the poore Apostle, stupid with sinne in the heauie night of his Maisters passion; he did no more thinke to sorrow for his sinne, then though he had neuer knowen his heauenly Sa∣uiour: and as a miserable Apode fallen vpon the ground had neuer risen, had not the Cocke, as an instrument of the diuine prouidence, struke his eares with his voice, at the same instante in which his sweete Redeemour casting vpō him a gracious looke as a dart of loue, transpearced his heart of loue, whence afterwards did issue water in such abundance, as did frō the auncient Rocke smot by Moyses in the Desert. But looke againe and see this holy Apostle sleeping in Herods Prison, chained in two chaines; he is there in qualitie of a Martyr, and neuerthelesse he representeth poore man, sleeping, enuironed with sinne, prisoner and slaue to Satan. Alas who will deliuer him? The Angell descends from heauen, and striking vpon the great emprisoned Peters side, awakes him, saying, vp, arise; and the inspiration comes from heauen as an Angell, and hitting right vpon the poore sinners heart, stirs him vp, that he might rise from his iniquitie. Is it not true then ô my deare THEOT: that this first motion and touch which the soule perceiueth, when God preuen∣ting it with loue, doth awake and excite it to for∣sake sinne returning vnto him; and not onely the first touch but euen the whole awaking is done in

vs and for vs, but not by vs? We are awaked, but not of our selues; it was the inspiration which wakened vs, and to make vs rise, did moue and shake vs, I slept saieth the deuote Spouse, and my SPOVSE who is my Heart, watched. Ah! see him heare how he awakes me calling me by the title of our loues, I know well by his voice, t'is he. It is at vnawares ād vnexpectedly that God doth call and stirs vs vp by his holy inspiration. And in this beginning of grace, we doe nothing, but feele the touch which God giues in vs indeede as S. BER∣RARD saieth, but without our concourse.