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 eternall vnion of the blessed spirits with God, in the vision of the eternall birth of the Sonne of God. CHAPTER. XII.

1. O Holy and diuine Spirit, eternall Loue of the Father and the Sonne; be propitious to myne infancie. Our vnderstanding shall then see God, THEO: yes, it shall see God face to face, contemplating by a view of true and reall pre∣sence, the Diuine essence it selfe, and in it, the in∣finite beauties thereof, all-power, all-goodnesse, all-wisdome, all-iustice, and the rest of this Abisse of perfections.

2. The vnderstanding then shall clearely see, the infinite knowledge which God the Father had from all eternitie of his owne beautie for the ex∣pression of which in himselfe, he pronounced, and saied eternally, the MOT, the WORD, or the most singular and most infinite speech or diction, which comprising and representing all the perfection of the Father, can be but one same God, most one with him, without diuision or separation. We shall then also see, that eternall and admirable genera∣tion of the diuine WORD and Sonne, by which he was eternally borne to the image and likenesse of the Father; a liuelie and naturall Image and like∣nesse, not representing any accidents nor extrin∣sicall thing, sith in God all is Substance, nor can

there be any accident; all is interiour, nor can ther be there any exteriour thing: but an image repre∣senting the proper substance so liuely, so naturally as well essentially as substantially, that therfore it can be no other thing then the same God with him, without distinction or differēce at all, either in essence or substance, saue onely the distinction of persons: for how could it be that this diuine sonne was the true, liuelily liuely, truely natu∣rall, image, resemblance, and figure of the infinite beautie, and substance of the Father, if it did not represent infinitly to the life and nature, the infi∣nite perfections of the Father; and how could it infinitly represent infinite perfections, if it were not infinitly perfect; and how could it be infinitly perfect, if it were not God; and how could it be God, if it were not the same God with the Fa∣ther?

3. The sonne then, the infinite image and fi∣gure of his infinite Father, is one onely God, most singular, and infinite with his Father, there being no difference of substance betwixt them; but one∣ly the distinction of persons; which distinction of persons, as it is wholy necessarie, so it is most suf∣ficient to this, that the Father pronounce, and that the sonne should be the word pronounced; that the Father speake, and the Sonne be the word, or the diction; that the Father expresse, and the Sonne be the image, liknesse, or figure expres∣sed; and in somme that the Father be Father, and the Sonne Sonne, two distinct persons, but one onely Essence or Diuinitie; so that God who is sole, is not solitarie, for he is sole in his most sin∣gular

and simple Deitie, yet is not solitarie, be∣cause he is Father and Sonne in two persons. O THEO: what ioye, what iubelie in the celebritie of this eternall birth, keept in the Splēdour of Saints, keept in seeing it, and seene in keeping it.

4. Milde S. BERNARD as yet a young child at Chatillon vpon Seine, on Christmasse Eue, expe∣cted in the Church while they begun the diuine Office, and in this expectation, the poore child fell into a light slumber; meanewhile (ô God what sweetenesse!) he saw in SPIRIT, yet in a vision very distinct, and cleare, how the Sonne of God, hauing espoused humane nature, and becoming a little child in his mothers most pure entrals, sprung virginally from her sacred wombe, with a heauan∣ly Maiestie masked in an humble mildenesse.

As Spouse who in a royall guise, From mariage bed doth ioyfull rise.

A Vision THEO; which did so replenish the little BERNARDS louely heart with content, iubilation, and spirituall dainties, that he had all his life an extreame sense of it, and therefore, though after as a sacred Bee he daily culled out of all the diuine mysteries, the honie of a thousand sweete ād hea∣uenly consolations; yet had he a more particular sweetenesse in the solemnitie of the Natiuitie, and spoake with a singular gust of this birth of his Mai∣ster. But alas I beseech thee THE: if a mysticall and imaginarie vision of the temporall and humane birth of the Sonne of God, by which he procee∣ded man from a woman, virgin from a virgin, doth rauish and so highly content the heart of a child:

what shall it be when our minds lightned with the ••ight of glorie, shall see this eternall birth, by which the Sonne doth proceede GOD from GOD, LIGHT from LIGHT, a TRVE GOD from a TRVE GOD diuinely and eternally; then shall our minds be ioyned by an incomprehensible complacence to this obiect of delight, and by an vnchangeable at∣tention shall remaine vnited to it for euer.