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 we practise the LOVE OF BE∣NEVOLENCE in the praises which our Sauiour and his mother giue to God. CHAPTER. XI.

1. VVE ascend then stepe by stepe in this holy exercise, by the creaturs which we inuite to praise God, passing from the sensible to the reasonable and intellectuall, and from the Church militant to the triumphant, in which we raise our selues vp to the Angels and Saints, till aboue them all we haue met with the most sacred virgin, who in a matchlesse manner doth praise and magnifie the Diuinitie, more highly, holily, and deliciously, then all the other creaturs together are able.

2. Being two yeares agoe at Milan, whither the veneration of the fresh memorie of the great Archbishope S. CHARLES had drawen me, with certaine of our Church-men, we heard in diuers Churches, diuers sorts of musike: but in a Mona∣sterie of Nunnes, we heard a Religious woman whose voice was so admirably delicious, that she alone, filled our minds with more delight incom∣parably then all the rest together, which though otherwise excellent, yet seemed they to serue one∣ly to giue luster, and raise the perfection and grace

of this singular voice. So, THEO: amongst all the Quires of men and Angels, the most sacred Vir∣gine's loftie voice is heard, which raised aboue all, renders more praise to God, then doe all the o∣ther creaturs. And indeede the Heauenly king inuites her to sing, in a particular manner: shew me thy face, saieth he, my well-beloued, let thy voice sound in my eares, for thy voice is entirely sweete and thy face wholy faire.

3. But the praises which this Mother of ho∣nour and faire dilection together with all the crea∣turs giues to the Diuinitie, though excellent and admirable, come yet so short of the infinite merite of Gods goodnesse, that they carrie no propor∣tion with it: and therefore, albeit they meruel∣lously please the louing heart's holy beneuolence to the well-beloued, yet doe they not saciate it. Wherefore it goes forward and inuites our Sa∣uiour to praise and glorifie his eternall Father, with all the Benedictions which a Sonnes loue can fournish him withall. And then, THEO: the soule is put to silence, being able onely to admire. O what a Canticle is this of the Sonne to his Father! ô how faire this deare well-beloued is amongst all the children of men! ô how sweete is his voice, as issuing from the lipps vpon which the fulnesse of grace was poured! All the others are perfu∣med, but he is the perfume it selfe; the others are embaumed, but he is Baulme poured out: the eternall receiues others praises, as smells of pecu∣liar flowres, but vpon the odour of the praises which our Sauiour giues him, doubtlesse he cries out: ô these are the odours of my sonns praises,

as the odour of a field full of flowres which I haue blessed! I, my deare THEO: all the Benedictions which the Church militant and triumphant offers to God, are Angelicall and humane benedictions; for beit, they are addressed to the Creatour, yet proceede they from a Creature: but the Sonns, are diuine, for they doe not onely tend to God, as the others, but they flow from God; the Redeemour being true God, they are not onely diuine in res∣pect of their end, but of their beginning: diuine, because they tend to God; diuine, because they issue from God. God prouokes the soule, endew∣ing her with sufficient grace for the production of other praises; But the Redeemour, being God, produceth his owne, himselfe, and thence they are infinite.

4. He that in a morning for a good space ha∣uing heard in the neighbour woods the sweete chaunting of a great companie of Canarie birdes, Linnets, Goldfinches, and such like little birdes, should in the end heare a Maister Nightingale, who in perfect melodie, would fill the aire, and eare with her admirable voice, doubtlesse he would preferre this one grouie Chaunter, before the whole Quires of the others. So hauing heard all the praises which so many different sorts of of creaturs, in emulation of one another, renders vnanimously to their Creatour, when at length one markes that of our Sauiour, they find in it a certaine infinitie of merite, valour, sweetenesse, which passe all hope, and expectation of heart: and the soule, as awaked out of a deepe sleepe, is then sodenly rauished with extreamitie of the sweete∣nesse

of that melodie. ah! I heare it; ô the voice, the voice of my well-beloued! The Queene-voice of all voices, a voice, in comparison wherof all the other voices are but a dume and sad silence. See how this deare friend doth spring out, see how he comes tripping ouer the mountaines, transcending the hills: his voice is heard aboue the Seraphins and all other creaturs; he hath the sight of a Goate, to penetrate deeper then any other, the beautie of the Sacred obiect which he desires to praise. He loues the melodie of the glorie, and praise of his Father, more then all the rest, and therefore he takes his Fathers praises, and bene∣dictions in a straine aboue them all. Behold this diuine loue of the Beloued, as he is clothed in his humanitie, making hīselfe to be seene through the holes of his wounds, and his open side, as by win∣dowes, and as by lattises, by which he lookes vpon vs.

5. Yes The: Diuine Loue being seated vpon our Sauiours heart as vpon his royall Throne, be∣holds through the passage of his pearced side, all the hearts of the sonnes of mē: for this heart being the king of hearts, keepes his eye still fixed vpon hearts. But as those that looke through a lattise, doe plainely discouer others and yet are not plain∣ly discouered; So the diuine loue of this heart, or rather this heart of diuine Loue, doth continual∣ly discouer our hearts clearely and lookes vpon them with the eye of affection, yet doe not we dis∣couer him clearely, but onely by halfes. For Good God, if we could see him, as he is, we should die of Loue for him, being we are mortalls, as he him∣selfe

died for vs, while he was mortall; and as he would yet die, if he were not immortall. O that we could heare this diuine heart, how it sings with an infinitly delicious voice, songs of praise to the Diuinitie! what ioye, THEO: what force would our hearts make, to flie vp to heauen, to heare these songs eternally: and verily this deare friend of our hearts, inuits vs vnto it. Vp, rise, saieth he, goe out of thy selfe, take thy flight to∣wards me, my doue, my most faire, to this hea∣uenly Mannour, where there is nothing but ioye, and nothing is heard but praise and benedictions. All there is florishing, all is sweete and odorife∣rous: The Turtle which is the most dolefull of all birds, is heard to sing in that Land. Come my entirely deare beloued, and that thou maiest see me more clearely, come in at the same windowes by which I behold thee. Come and consider my heart in the hole of my open side, which was made when my bodie, as a ruinous building, was so ruthfully dight vpon the tree of the Crosse; come and shew me thy face. I see it now, nor dost thou shew it me; then, I shall see it, and thou shal't shew it me: for thou shal'st see, that I see thee. Let me heare thy voice; for I will tune it to myne, and so thy face shall be faire, and thy voice well tuned. O what a delight shall it be vnto our hearts, when our voices being tuned and accor∣ded to our Sauiours, we shall beare a part in the infinitly delicious praises which the beloued Sōne sings to his eternall Father.