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

Of a louing condoling, by which the com∣placence of loue is better declared. CHAPTER. IV.

1. COmpassion, condoling commiseration, or mercy, is no other thing, then an affection which makes vs share in the sufferāces and griefes of him whom we loue, drawing the miserie which he endures into our heart, whence it is called MI∣SERICORDIA as one would saie MISERIA CORDIS: as complacence doth draw into the louers heart, the pleasures and contentments of the thing beloued. It is Loue that workes both the effectes, by the vertue it hath, to vnite the louers heart to the be∣loued, by this meanes making the good and euill which they haue, cōmon betwixt them. And that which happens in compassion, doth much illu∣strate that which toucheth complacence.

2. Compassion takes her grouth from the loue whence she proceedes. So we see mothers doe deeply condole the afflictions of their onely chil∣dren, as the Scripture doth often testifie. How great was the sorrow of Agars heart, vpon the griefe of her Ismael, whom she saw well nigh pe∣rish with thirst in the Desert: How much did DA∣VIDS soule commiserate the miserie of his Abso∣lon: Ah doe you not marke the motherly heart of the great Apostle, sicke, with the sicke: burning

with zeale for such as were scandalized, with a continuall dolour for the losse of the Iewes: and dayely dying for his deare spirituall children: But especially cōsider how loue drawes all the paines, all the torments, trauells, sufferances, griefes, wounds, passiō, crosse, and death it selfe of our Re∣deemour, into his most sacred Mothers heart. Alas the same Nailes that crucified the bodie of this di∣uine child, did also crucifie the mothers heart; the same thrones which pearced his head, did strike through the heart of this entirely sweete mother: she endured the same miseries with her sonne by commiseration; the same dolours, by condoling; the same passions by compassion: to be short, the sworde of death which transpearced the bodie of this best beloued sonne did stricke through the heart of this most louing mother; whence she might well haue saied, that he was to her a POSIE OF MIRRHE amidst her breastes, that is, in her bo∣some, and in the midst of her heart. IACOB, hea∣ring the sad, though false, newes of the death of his deare IOSEPH, you see how he is afflicted with it: ah! saied he, in sorrow I will descend to hell, that is to saie, to Lymbo, into ABRAHAMS bosome, after this child.

3. Commiseration is also great according to the greatnesse of their sufferances whom we loue: for how little soeuer the friēdshipe be, if the euells which we see endured be extreame they cause in vs great pitie. This made Cesar weepe ouer Pom∣pey; and the daughters of Hierusalem could not stay themselues from weeping ouer our Sauiour; though the greater part of them, did not much af∣fect

him: as also the friends of IACOB, though wicked friends, made great lamentation, in be∣holding the dreadfull spectacle of his incompa∣rable miserie: and what a stroke of griefe was it in the heart of IACOB, to thinke that his deare child was dead, of a death so cruell, as to be de∣uoured by a sauage beaste? But besids all this, com∣miseration is much strengthened, by the presence of the obiect in miserie: this caused the poore Agar, absent her selfe from her languishing sonne, to disburden her selfe in some sort of the compas∣sionate griefe which she felt, saying: I will not see the child die; as contrariwise our Sauiour weepes, seeing the sepulchre of his well-beloued Lazarus: and beholding his deare Hierusalem; And the good IACOB, was struck with griefe, when he saw the bloodie Robe of his poore little IOSEPH.

4. Now, as many causes also doe augment complacence. As a friend is more deare vnto vs, we take more pleasure in his contentment, and his good doth enter more deeply into our heart: which if it be excellent, our ioye is also greater; but if we see our friend while he enioyes it, our reioy∣cing becomes extreame. When the good IACOB knew that his sonne liued, ô God what ioye! his heart returned home, he reuiued, yea as one would saie returned to life. But what is this, he reuiued, returned to life? THEO: SPIRITS die not their pro∣per death but by sinne, which seperateth them from God, who is their true supernaturall life, yet die they sometimes by anothers death: and this happened to IAGOB, of whom we speake: for loue which drawes into the heart of the louer, the good

and euill of the thing beloued, the one by compla∣cence, the other by commiseration, drew the death of the louely IOSEPH, into the louing IACOBS heart, and by a miracle impossible to any other power but loue, the minde of the good Father was full of the death of him that liued, and raigned, de∣ceiued affection forerunning the effect.

5. But as soone as he had knowen that his sonne was a liue, Loue who had so long detained the presupposed death of the sonne in the good Fathers heart seeing that he was deceiued, speedely reiected this imaginarie death, and made enter in its place the true life of the saied sonne; Thus then he returned to a new life, because the life of his sonne entred into his heart by complacence, and animated him with an incomparable contentment with which finding himselfe satisfied, and not esteeming any other pleasure in comparison of this, it fufficeth me, saieth he, if my child IOSEPH liue. But when with his proper eyes he experien∣ced his deare childs greatenesse in Gessan, hanging vpon him and for a good space weeping about his necke; ah, now, saieth he, I will die ioyfull, my deare Sōne sith I haue seene thy face, and thou dost yet liue. ô God what a ioye, THEO: and how excel∣lently expressed by this old man! For what would he saie by these words, now I will die contented, sith I haue seene thy face, but that his con∣tent was so great that it was able to render death it selfe ioyfull and agreeable, being the most discomfortable, and horrible thing in the world? Tell me, I pray you, THEO: who hath more sense of IOSEPHES good, he that enioyes it,

or IACOB who reenioyes it? Certainly if good be not good but in respect of the content which it af∣fordeth vs: the father hath as much, yea more then the Sonne: for the sonne together with the dignitie of VICE-ROY whereof he is possessed, hath cōsequently many cares, ād affaires: but the Father doth enioye by Complacence, and purely possesse all that good is, in this his sonnes greatenesse, and dignitie, without charge, care, or trouble. I will dye Ioyfull saieth he: Alas! who doth not see his contentment: if euen death cannot trouble his ioye, who can euer chang it? if his content can liue amidst the distresses of death, who can euer bereeue him of it? Loue is strong as death, and the ioyes of loue doe surmount the anoyes of death, for death cānot kill, but doth reuiue them, so that, as there is a fire which miraculously is feed in a fountaine nere Greenoble, as I surely know, and S. AVGVSTINE doth attest, so holy Cha∣ritie is so strong, that she doth nourish her flames and consolations in the saddest anguishes of death, and the waters of tribulations cannot extinguish her fires.