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 the happinesse to die in heauenly Cha∣ritie, is a speciall gift of God. CHAPTER. V.

1. VVHen the heauenly king hath brought the soule which he loueth, to the

end of this life, he doth not cease to assist her also in her blessed departure, by which he drawes her to the mariage bed of eternall glorie, which is the delicious fruite of holy Perseuerance. And then, deare THEO. this soule wholy rauished with the loue of her well-beloued, putting before her eyes the multitude of fauours, and succours wherwith she was preuented and helped, while she is yet in her pilgrimage, she doth incessantly kisse this sweete helping hand, which cōducted, drew, and supported her in the way; and confesseth, that it is of this diuine Sauiour that she holds her felicitie, seeing he had done for her all that the Patriarch IACOB wished for his iorney at such time as he saw the Ladder to heauen. O Lord, saieth she then, thou wast with me, and guided me in the way by which I came. Thou fedst me with the bread of thy Sacraments; thou clothed'st me with the wedding garment of Charitie, thou hast happily conducted me to this MANSION OF GLORIE, which is thy HOVSE, ô my eternall Father. What remaines ô Lord, saue that I should protest that thou art my God for euer and euer. Amen.

O God my Lord, my God for euer deare, Thy hand hath bene my stay; thy sacred grace, My surest Guide; and did me vpwards reare To the honour of thy heauenly MANSION PLACE.

Thus then we walke to eternall life, for the ac∣complishment of which the Diuine Prouidence ordained the number, distinction and succession of graces necessarie to it, with their dependance of one another.

2. He willed first with a true will, that euen after the sinne of ADAM all men should be saued: but vpon termes, and by meanes agreeable to the condition of their nature endewed with free-will, that is to saie he willed the saluation, of all those that would contribute their consent, to the graces and fauours, which he prepared, offered, and distri∣buted to this end.

3. Now amongst these fauours, his will was, that VOCATION should be the first, and that it should be so accommodated to our LIBERTIE, that we might at our pleasure accept or reiect it: and such as he saw would receiue it, he would furnish with the sacred motions of PENANCE; and deter∣mined to giue Charitie to such as should second these motions: to those againe that were in Cha∣ritie, he purposed to supplie with helpes necessa∣rie to PERSEVERANCE: and to such, as should make vse of these diuine helpes, he resolued to im∣part finall Perseuerance, and the glorious FELICI∣TIE of his eternall Loue.

4. And thus we may giue a reason of the order which is found in the effects of PROVIDENCE ten∣ding to saluation, descending from the first to the last, that is from the fruite, which is GLORIE, to the roote of this faire tree, which is our Sauiours REDEMPTION. For the Diuine Bountie doth fol∣low MERITS with GLORIE, CHARITIE with me∣rits, PENNANCE with CHARITIE, OBEDIENCE to the first Vocation, with Penance. The VOCA∣TION with obediēce to the vocation, and our Sa∣uiours REDEMPTION with a vocation, vpon which Iacobs mysticall ladder doth rest, as well towards

heauē, it ending in the louing bosome of the eter∣nall Father, in which he doth receiue and glorifie the Elect, as also towards the earth, being planted vpon the besome, and pearsed side of our Sauiour, who for this cause died vpon the Mont-Calua∣rie.

5. And that this continuance of the effects of Prouidence was thus ordained, with the same de∣pendance, which they haue of one another in the eternall will of God, the Holy Church, in the pre∣face of one of her solemne Praiers, doth witnesse in these words: O ETERNALL and Almightie God who art Lord of the liuing and dead, and art mercifull to all those, whom thou foreseest are to be thine, by faith and works: as though she had acknowledged, that Glorie which is the encrease and fruite of Gods Mercy towards men, was o∣nely ordained for those, whom the Diuine wis∣dome had foreseene, that in tract of time, secon∣ding their vocation, they should attaine a liuely Faith, which work's by Charitie.

6. Finally all these effects haue their abso∣lute dependance of our Sauiours Redemption, who did merit them for vs IN RIGOVR OF IVS∣TICE, by the louing obedience which he exerci∣sed euē till death and death of the crosse, which is the source of all the graces which we receiue; we who are the Spirituall graffes ingraffed in his stoke and if being ingraffed we remaine in him, we shall beare without doubt, by the life of grace which he will impart vnto vs, the fruite of Glorie prepa∣red for vs. But if we prooue broken sprigges and graffes vpon this tree, that is, if by resistance we

breake the progresse, and successe of the effects of his Clemencie it will not be strang, if in the end we be wholy cut of, and be throwen into e∣ternall fires, as fruitlesse branches.

7. God, doubtlesse, prepared heauen for those onely, whō he foresaw would be his. Let vs be his then THEO. by faith and works, and he will be ours by Glorie. Now it is in our power to be his: for though it be a gift of God to be Gods, yet is it a gift which God denies no bodie, but offers it to all, to giue it to such as freely doe consent to re∣ceiue it.

8. Nay marke I pray you THEO: how ardent∣ly God desires we should be his, sith to this end, he hath made himselfe entirely ours; bestowing vpon vs his death, and his life; his life, to exempt vs from eternall death; his death, to possesse vs of eternall life. Let vs remaine therefore in peace, and serue God, to become his in this mortall life; more his, in that immortall.