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 sole cause of the decay and slackening of Charitie, is in the creaturs will. CHAPTER. V.

1. AS it were a most wicked impudencie, to attribute the works of holy loue done by the holy ghost, in, and with vs to the strength of our will; so were it a shamelesse impietie, to lay the defect of loue in vngratfull men, on the want of heauenly assistance and grace. For the holy Ghost cries in euery place to the contrarie, that our ruine is from our selues: that our Sauiour brought the fire of loue and desires nothing but that it should burne our hearts: That saluation is prepared before the face of all nations, light to lighten the gentiles, and for the glorie of Israel. That the diuine goodnesse would haue none to perish but that all come to the knowledge of truth, that all be saued, their Sauiour being come into the world, that euery one might receiue the adoption of children: And the wiseman doth clea∣rely aduertise vs. Saie not, it stikes of God: And the sacred Concell of Trēt, doth inculcate diuine∣ly to all the children of the holy Church, that the Grace of God is neuer awāting, to such as doe what they can, inuoking the diuine assistance. That God doth neuer abandon such as he hath once iustified, vnlesse they abandon him first. So

that if they be not a wanting to grace, they shall obtaine glorie.

2. In fine THEO: our Sauiour, is a light which doth illuminate euery one that comes into the world. Diuers trauellers in a summers day about noone-tyde lay downe to repose in the shade of a tree, but while their wearinesse ād the coolenesse of the shadowe keepes them a sleepe, the Sunne aduancing himselfe towards them, gaue iust vpon their eies his strongest light, which by the glitter of his brightnesse, made transparences, as with smale raies, about the Aple of those sleepers eyes, and by the heate which pearced their eyelids, forced them by a gentle violence to awake, but some of them being awaked got vp, and aduancing, came happily to their lodging, the rest, did not onely not rise, but turning their backes to the sunne, and pulling their hats ouer their eyes, there spent the day in sleeping, till surprised by night, being yet willing to make towards their lodging, they straied hither and thither in the Forest, at the mercy of mercilesse wolues, and other sauage bea∣stes. Now tell me I praie, THEO: those that arriued, ought they not to asscribe all their contentment to the sunne, or to speak like a Christian, to the sunns Creatour? yes surely: for it was high time, and yet they dream't not of rising: the sunne did them this good office; and by a gentle warning, of his light and heate, came louingly to call them vp. T'is true they resisted not his call, but he also helped them much euen in that; for he spred his light fairely vpon them, giuing them a glimps of himselfe through their eyelids, and by his heate as

by his loue, opened their eyes, and vrged them to see his day.

3. Contrariwise these poore strayers, were they not, to blame to crie in the woode Alas, what haue we done to the sunne that he made vs not see his light, as he did our Companions, that we might haue arriued at our lodgings, and not haue wan∣dred in these hideous obscurities? for who would not vndertake the sunns, or rather Gods cause, my deare THEO: to answere these vnfortunate wretches. What is it, ô you wretches, in a manner, that the sunne could doe for you, and did not? his fauours were equall to all yee that slept. He es∣saied you all with the same light, touched you with the same raie, scattered vpon you a like heate and accursed that you are, though you saw your companions rise, take their pilgrims stafe to gaine way, you turned your backes to the sunne, and would not make vse of his light, nor be ouercome by his heate.

4. See, see now THEO: what I would saie, we are all pilgrims in this mortall life, almost all of vs haue willingly slept in sinne; God the sunne of Iustice darts vpon vs most sufficiently, yea abun∣dantly the beames of his inspirations, warmes our hearts with his benedictions, touching euery one with the allurements of his loue; ah how chance it then that these allurements allure so few, and yet draw fewer; ah, certainly, such as first allured, afterwards drawen, doe follow the inspiration, haue great occasion to ioye, but not to glorie in it: Let them ioye because they enioy a great good; yet let them not glorie in it, because it is by Gods

pure goodnesse, who leauing them the profit of their good worke reserues to himselfe the glorie thereof.

5. But touching them that remaine in the sleepe of sinne: ô what good reason they haue to la∣ment, sorrow, weepe, repent: for they are in a most lamentable case; yet haue they no reason to sor∣row, or complaine, saue of themselues, who des∣pised, yea rebelled against light: were vntractable by inuitations, and obstinate against inspirations, so that malediction and confusion, ought to fol∣low their malice for euer; they onely being au∣thours of their ruine, onely workers of their dam∣nation. So the Iaponians, complaining to S. ZA∣V••RIVS their Apostle, that God, who had had so much care of other nations, seemed to haue for∣gotten their predecessours, not hauing giuen them the knowledge of himselfe, by the want whereof, they were lost: The good man answered them, that the diuine naturall law was engrauen in the hearts of all mortalls, which if their forerunners had obserued, the light of heauen had without doubt illuminated them, as contrariwise, hauing violated it, they merited damnation. An apostoli∣call answere of an Apostolicall man, and resem∣bling the reason giuen by the great Apostle of the losse of the auncient gentils, whom he calles inexcusable, for that hauing knowen good they followed euill: for it is in a worde, that which he doth inculcate in the first of his Epistles to the Romans: miserie vpon miserie be vnto such, as doe not acknowledge that their owne miserie pro∣ceeds from their malice.