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 we ought to ackowledge the loue we beare to God, to be from God. CHAPTER. VI.

1. THe loue of men towards God takes his beeing, progresse, and perfection from the eternall loue of God towards men. It is the v∣niuersall Sense of the Church our mother, who with an ardent iealousie, will haue vs to acknow∣ledge our saluation, and the meanes to it, to pro∣ceede from our Sauiours meere mercy, to th'end that in earth as in heauen, and to him alone, be ho∣nour and glorie.

2. What hast thou which thou hast not recei∣ued, saieth the diuine Apostle, speaking of the giftes of knowledge, eloquence, and other the like qualities of Church men; and if thou hast re∣ceiued them, why dost thou glorie in them, as though thou hadest not receiued them? It is true we haue receiued all from God, but especially the supernaturall goods of holy loue. And being we haue receiued them, why should we take glorie in them?

5. Certainly if any should extoll himselfe, for hauing made progresse in the loue of God: Alas caitife man, would we saie vnto him, thou layedst in the trāce of iniquitie, hauīg neither force or life left in thee to rise. (As it happened to the

Princelie in our parable) and God by his infinite Goodnesse ranne to thy succour, and crying with a loude voice; open the mouth of thyne attention, and I will fill it: he himselfe put his fingers betwixt thy lipps, and vnlocked thy teeth, casting into thy heart his holy inspiration, and thou receiued it; and then being brought to thy senses, he went on by diuers motions, and different meanes, strengthning thy heart till at length he infused into it charitie, as thy liuely an perfect health.

4. Now tell me miserable creature what dist thou in all this, of which thou canst boast? Thou consented, I know it well; the motion of thy will did freely follow, that of heauenly grace. But what is all this, but to receiue the diuine opera∣tion without resistance? and what is there in this, saue what thou receiuedst? I poore wrech which thou art, thou receiuedst the reception in which thou gloriest, and the consent whereof thou vaun∣test: for tell me, I praie thee, wilt thou not allow me, that if God had not preuented, thou hadst neuer perceiued his Goodnesse, nor in conse∣quence, consented to his loue? No, nor yet hadst thou thought a good thought of him. His motion gaue beeing, and life to thyne, and if his libertie had not animated, excited, and prouoked thy li∣bertie, by the powrefull inuitations of his swete∣nesse, thy libertie had bene for euer vnprofita∣ble to thy saluation. I confesse thou didst coope∣rate with the inspiration by consenting, but if thou be ignorant, I will teach thee, that thy coo∣peration tooke beeing from the operation of grace, and thy free-will together, yet so, that if

grace had not preuented and filled thy heart with her operation, neuer had it had nor power, nor will, to cooperate.

5. But tell me againe I beseech thee, vile and abiect man; art thou not ridiculous, when thou thinkest to haue part in the glorie of thy conuer∣sion, because thou repulsed not the inspiration? is not this the tricke of a robber or Tyrant, to think to haue giuē life to such as they haue not de∣priued of it? And is it not a franticke impietie to thinke that thou gauest the holy efficacie ād liue∣ly actiuitie to the diuine inspiration, because by resistance thou didst not hinder it? We can indeede hinder the effects of the inspiration, but we can giue it none, it takes force and vertue from the Diuine Goodnesse, whence it proceedeth, and not from mans will where it arriueth. Would not a man be moued to wroth, to heare the Princesse of our Parable boast, that it was she that gaue vertue and soueraigntie to the cordiall waters, and other medecins, or that she cured her selfe, because, if she had not receiued the remedies, which the king gaue her, and poured into her mouth, (at such time, as being halfe dead, there remained hardly any sense in her) they had had ••o operation? Yea might one saie to her, vngrate∣full wretch, thou mightst haue bene obstinate and not haue receiued the remedies, thou mightest after thou hadst receiued them into thy mouth, haue cast them out againe, yet is it not true for all that, that thou gaue them force and vertue, for these were their naturall proprieties onely thou consented to receiue them, and that they might

operate; and yet thou hadst neuer consentēd, if the king had not first reenforced thee, and then sollicited thee to take them; neuer hadst thou re∣ceiued them, had not he assisted thee to receiue them, opening thy very mouth with his fingers, and poureing the potion into it: Art thou not then a Monster of ingratitude, to offer to attri∣bute to thy selfe a benefit, which by so many titles thou owest to thy deare Spouse?

6. The admirable little fish, called ECCHINES, REMORA, or STAY-SHIPPE, hath indeede the power to stay or not to stay a shippe sailing in the broad sea vnder full saile: but it hath not the power to hoise saile, to make the shipe saile, or arriue: it can hinder motion but cannot giue it; our free-will can stay or impeach the course of the inspira∣tion, and when the fauorable gale of Gods grace, doth swell the sailes of our soule, it is in our power to refuse consent, and therby to hinder the effect of the winds fauour: but when our soule lancheth out, and happily sailes, it is not we that make the gale of the inspiration blowe vpon vs, nor we that make our sailes swell with it, nor we that giue motion to the shippe of our heart; but onely we receiue the gale sent from heauen, consent to its motion, and let our shippe saile vnder it, not hindring it by the Remora of our resistance. It is the inspiration then which doth imprinte in our free-will the happie and delightfull influence whereby it doth not onely make vs see the beautie of Good, but also doth heate, helpe, strengthen and moue vs so delightfully, that therevpon, we encline, and runne freely towards good.

7. The heauens in spring time do prepare the fresh dew-drops, and shewers them downe vpon the face of the sea, and the mother pearles that open their shells, receiue them, and they are conuerted into pearles: But the Mother-pearles which keepe their shells shut, doe not hinder the dewes falling vpon them, yet doe they hinder their falling into them: Now the heauens, did they not let fall their dewe as well vpon the one, as the other pearle? Why did then the one, and not the other in effect produce the pearle? The heauens were as bountifull to her that remained sterill, as was requisite to impearle, and beget in her a faire vnion, but she hindred the effect of the heauens fauour, by keeping herselfe close, ād couert. And as for her who conceiued the pearle and was left bigge with dewe she hath no part in that worke which she receiued not from heauen, not her verie opening, wherby she receiued the dewe; for with∣out the touches of the mornings rayes, which did gently excitate her, she had not risen vp to the tope of the sea, nor yet opened her shell. THEO: if we loue God, his be the honour, and glorie, who did all in vs, and without whom, nothing was done; ours be the profit, and obligation: for it is a shareing of his diuine goodnesse with him, he leaues vs the fruits of his benefits, reserues to himselfe the honour, and praise thereof; and verily sith we are nothing but by his grace, we ought to be nothing, but to his glorie.