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

A description of contemplation, and tou∣ching the first difference that there is betwixt it and meditation. CHAPTER. III.

1. THEO: Contemplation is no other thing; then a louing, simple, and permanent at∣tention of the mynd to holy things, which you may easily perceiue by comparing it with medita∣tion.

2. The little younge Bees, are called nymphes vntill they make honie, and then they become Bees: so praier is named meditation, till such time as it haue produced the honie of deuotion, and then it is conuerted into contemplation: for as the Bee flies through the countrie meades, to prey here and there, and gather honie, which hauing heaped together, she takes in its sweetnesse: so we meditate, to gather the loue of God; but ha∣uing gathered it, we contemplate God, and are at∣tentife to his Goodnesse, by reason of the sweet∣nesse which loue makes vs find in it: The desire we haue to obtaine diuine loue, makes vs medi∣tate, but loue obtained, makes vs contemplate:

for by loue we find out a sweetenesse so agreeable in the thing beloued, that we cannot satisfie our mindes in seeing and considering it.

3. Behould the Queene of Saba THEO: consi∣dering by parcells the wisdome of Salomon in his answers, in the beautie of his house, in the magni∣ficencie of his table, in his seruants lodgings, in the order that his Courtiours held in executing their charges, in their apparrell, and behauiour, in the multitude of Holocausts which were offe∣red in the Temple, she was taken with an ardent loue, which changed her meditation into a con∣templation, by which being rapt out of her selfe, she vttered diuers words of extreame contētment. The sight of so many wonders begot in her heart an exceeding loue, and that loue enkindled a new desire to see still more, and enioye his presence with whom she saw them, whence she cried. O how happie are the seruants, who are still about thee, and heare thy wisedome! In like manner, we sometimes begin to eate to get an appetite; but our appetite being egged, we continue eating to content it. And in the beginning we consider the Goodnesse of God to excite our wills to loue him; but loue being formed in our hearts, we con∣sider the same Goodnesse to content our loue, which cannot be satiated in seeing continually what it loues. In conclusion, meditation is the mother of loue, but contemplation is her daugh∣ter, and for this reason I called contemplation a louing attention; for childrē are named after their Father, and not the Father after the child.

3. It is true, THEO: that as the auncient IOSEPH,

who was the crowne and Glorie of his Father, did greatly encrease his honours and contentment and made him waxe young in his old age, so con∣templation doth crowne its Father, which is loue, perfectes him, and giues him the tope of excel∣lencie: for loue hauing moued in vs a contempla∣tiue attention, that attention breedes reciprocally a more great and feruent loue, which in the end is crowned with perfections, when it enioyes the thing beloued. Loue makes vs take pleasure in in the sight of our well-beloued, and the sight of our well-beloued makes vs take pleasure in his di∣uine loue: so that by this mutuall motion of loue to the sight, and sight to loue, as loue renders the beautie of the thing beloued more beautifull, so the sight of it makes loue more louely and delight∣full. Loue by an imperceptible power, makes the beautie which we loue appeare more faire, and sight likewise doth refine loue to make it finde beautie more amiable. Loue moues the eyes con∣tinually to behold the beloued beautie more at∣tentiuely, and the sight doth force the heart con∣tinually to loue it more forcibly.