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 by holy complacence we are made as little children, at our Sa∣uiours breasts. CHAPTER. II.

1. O God how happie the soule is who takes pleasure in learning to know that God is God, and that his bountie is an infinite bountie: For this heauenly spouse, by this Gate of Com∣placence, enters into her, and suppes with vs, as we with him. We feede our selues with his sweete∣nesse, by the pleasure which we take therein, and recollect our heart, in the diuine perfections, by the repose we take therein: and this repast is a supper by reason of the repose which doth follow it, complacence making vs sweetely repose, in the deliciousnesse of the good which delightes vs, and wherwith we feede our heart: For as you know THEO: the heart feedes of that which delightes her, whēce in our French tongue we saie, that some are fed with honours, others with riches, as the wise-man saied, that the mouthers of fooles are fed with ignorance, and the soueraigne wisdome pro∣testeth, that he is fed, that is, he is pleased, with no other thing then to doe the will of his Father: In conclusion, the Phisitions Aphorisme is true; what is sauorie, nourisheth; and the Philosophers what pleaseth, feedeth.

2. Let my well-beloued come into his garden

saied the sacred spouse, and let him eate therein the fruite of his Aple-trees. Now the heauenly spouse comes into his garden, when he comes into the deuote soule. For seeing his delight is to be with the children of men, where can he better lodge then in the countrie of the minde, which he made to his likenesse ād similitude. He himselfe doth set in this garden, the louing Complacence which we haue in his bountie, ād whereof we feede as likewise his Goodnesse doth take his repast and repose in our complacence, so that againe our complacence is augmented, to perceiue that God is pleased to see vs take pleasure in him; in such sort that from these reciprocall pleasures the loue of incomparable Complacence doth spring, by which our soule being made a gardē of her spouse, and hauing from his bountie the Aple-trees of his delightes, she rēders him the fruite thereof, being that he is pleased in the complacence, she takes in in him. Thus doe we draw Gods heart into ours, ād he disperseth in it his precious Baulme. And thus is that practised which the holy Bride spoke with such ioye. The king of my heart, hath led me into his closet, we will exult, and reioyce in the, minde full of thy breasts, more amiable then wine, the good doe loue thee: for I praie you, THEO: what are the closets of this king of loue, but his papes, which aboūde in the varietie of sweetenesse ād de∣lightes: The breasts and duggs of the mother are the closet of the little infants treasures, he hath no other riches then those which are more precious vnto him then gold, or the Topase, more beloued then the rest of the world.

3. The soule then which doth contemplate the infinite treasures of diuine perfections in her well-beloued holds her selfe too happie and rich, in that loue doth make her Mistrisse, by complacence, of all the perfections and content∣ments of her deare spouse. And euen as the babie doth giue little ierts towards his mothers Pape, and hops with ioye to see thē discouered, ād as the mother againe on her part doth ••resent them vnto him, with a loue alwayes a little forwards: euen so the deuoute soule doth feele t•••• dauncings and motions of an incomparable ioye, through the content which she hath, in beholding the trea∣sures of the perfections, of the king of her holy loue; but especially when she sees that he himselfe doth discouer them by loue, and that amongst them that perfection of his infinite loue doth ex∣cellently shine. Hath not this faire soule reason to crie? O my king, how amiable thy riches are, and how rich thy loues? ah! which of vs haue more ioye, thou that enioyest it, or I who reenioye it? we daunce with mirth in memorie of thy breasts, and thy duggs, so plentifull in all excellencie of deliciousnesse. I, because my well-beloued doth enioye it; thou because thy well-beloued doth re∣reēioy it; for so we doe both ēioye it, sith thy good¦nesse makes thee ēioye my reenioying, ād my loue makes me reenioye thy enioying. Ah! the iust and the good doe loue thee, and how can one be good and not loue so great a goodnesse? Wordly Princes keepe their treasures in the closets of their Pa∣laces; their armour in their Castles; But the heauē¦ly Prince, keepes his treasures in his bosome, his

armes within his breaste; and because his treasure is his goodnesse, as his weapons are his loues, his breaste and bosome resembles those of a tēder mo∣ther, who hath two faire duggs, as two closets, rich with the sweetenesse of good milke, armed with as many darts, to subdue her little deare ba∣bie, as it makes shoots in sucking.

4. Nature su••ely lodged the duggs in the bo∣some, to th'end that, the heat of the heart conco∣cting the milke, as the mother is the childs nourse, so her heart should be his foster-father, and that milke might be a foode of loue, better a thousand times then wine. Note the while, THEOT: that the comparison of milke and wine, seemes so proper to the holy spouse, that she is not content to haue saied once, that her spouse his breasts surpasseth wine, but she re∣peats it thrice. Wine, THEOT: is the milke of grapes, and milke is the wine of the duggs: for so the sacred spouse saieth, that her well-beloued, is to her a grape, but a Cyprine grape, that is, of an excellēt odour. The Israelites saieth Moyses, could drinke the purest and best blood of the grape: And IACOB describing vnto his sonne Iudas, the share which they should haue in the land of Promise, prophetised vnder this figure, the ••r••e felicitie of Christians, saying that our Sauiour would wash his robe, that is, his holy Church, in the blood of the grape, that is, in his owne blood: Now blood and milke are no more differrent, then grapes and wine: For as grapes ripening by the sunnes heate, chang their colour, become a grate∣full and nourishing wine: so blood tempered by

the heate of the heart, turns faire white, and be∣comes a fit foode for children.

5. Milke which is a cordiall foode wholy con∣sisting of loue, represents the mysticall knowledge and diuinitie, that is, the sweete relish which pro∣ceeds from the complacence of loue, which the minde receiues in meditating the perfections of the diuine Goodnesse; But wine signifies ordinarie and acquired knowledge, which is squeezed by force of speculation from the presse of diuers ar∣guments and disputes. Now the milke which our soules draw from the breastes of our Sauiours Charitie: is incomparably better then the wine which we squeeze from humane discourse: For this milke floweth from heauenly loue, which prepares it for his children, yea euen before they yet thought of it: it hath a sweete and amiable gust and the odour thereof puts downe all perfumes, it makes the breath pure and sweete, as of a sucking child: it giues ioye, without insolencie; it inebria∣teth, without dulling: it doth not onely reare vp, but euen reuiue the senses.

6. When the holy man Isaac embraced and kis∣sed his deare child IACOB, he smelt the good odour of his garments, and straight perfumed with an extreame pleasure: ô quoth he, behold how the odour of my sonne is like to the odour of a flou∣rishing field, which God hath blessed: the gar∣ment and perfumes were vpon IACOB, but ISAAC had the complacence and reenioying of them. Alas, the soule which by loue holds her Sauiour in the armes of her affection, how deliciously doth she smell the perfumes of the infinite perfections

which are found in him? with what complacence doth she saie in herselfe, behold how the sent of my God is like the smell of a flourishing garden? how precious are his breastes, sending out soue∣raigne parfumes? So the Spirit of a great S. Augu∣gustine, staied in suspence betwixt the sacred con∣tentments which he had to consider; on the one side the mysterie of his Maisters birth; on th'other that of the passion, he cried out rauished in this complacence.

Betwixt two sacred fires I burne, Nor know to which my heart to turne. From hence, a Mother doth present A fluent breast, a deare content: From thence, as from a TRVEST VINE Doth issue blood, in lieu of wine.