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 loue in this life takes his origine, but not his excellencie, from the knowledge of God. CHAPTER. IV.

1. BVt whether hath more force, I pray you, loue to make vs looke vpon the well-be∣loued,

or the sight to cause the loue therof? know∣ledge, THEO: is required to the production of loue; for we neuer sawe; and according as the at∣tentiue knowledge, is augmented, loue is also augmented, so there be nothing to hinder it's a∣ctiuitie. Yet it happens often, that knowledge ha∣uing produced holy loue, Loue doth not staie within the compasse of the knowledge which is in the vnderstanding, but goes forward, and passeth farre beyond it; so that in this life we may haue more loue, then knowledge of God, whence great S. THOMAS, assures vs that often tymes the most simple and women abound in deuotion being more ordinarily capable of heauēly loue then able and vnd••rstanding people.

2. The famous Abbot S. ANDRIEW of verceill S. ANTHONIES of Padua his Maister, in his com∣mentaries vpon S. DENIS, doth often repeate that loue penetrates, where exteriour knowledge can∣not reach; and saieth that many Bishops though not very learned, had penetrated the mysterie of the Trinitie, admiring vpon this passage his schol∣ler S. ANTONIE of Padua, who without wordly knowledge was endowed with a profound mysti∣call Diuinitie, who as another S. IOHN Baptiste, one might haue called, a light and burning lampe. The Blessed Brother Gilles, one of the first com∣panions of S. FRANCIS, saied one day to S. BONA∣VENTVRE, ô how happie you learned men are, for you vnderstand many things, wherby you praise God: but what can we Idiotes doe? S. BONAVEN∣TVRE replied, the grace to loue God is sufficient. No, but Father replied Brother Gilles, can an ig∣norant

man loue God, as well as a learned? yes, saieth S. Bonauenture, yea more, a poore fillie woman may loue God as well as a Doctour of Di∣uinitie: with this Brother Gilles cried out, falling into a feruour, ô poore simple womā, loue thy Sa∣uiour, and thou shall be as great, as Brother Bo∣nauenture; and vpon it, he remained for the space of three houres in a RAPTVRE.

3. The will perceiues not Good, but by meanes of the vnderstanding, but hauing once perceiued it, She hath no more neede of the vn∣derstanding, to practise loue; for the force of plea∣sure which she feeleth or pretends to feele by being vnited to her obiect, drawes her powerfully to loue, and to a desire to enioye it: so that the knowledge of good, breedes loue, but bounds it not: as we see the knowledge of an in∣iurie, moues coler, which if it be not suppressed doth in a manner alwayes exceede the wronge. Passions not following the knowledge which mo∣ued them, but eftsonns leauing it behind them, they make towards the obiect without mea∣sure, or limite.

4. Now this happens more effectually in ho∣ly Loue, for so much as our will is not applied to it by a naturall knowledge, but by the light of faith, which assuring vs of the infinite goodnesse that is in God, giues vs sufficient to loue him with all our force. We digge the earth to find gold, and siluer, employing a present labour, for a good, as yet in hope onely, so that an vncertain know∣ledge, sets vs vpon a present and certaine labour: ••nd as we doe more discouer the vaine in the

Mine, we doe more earnestly search more. Euen a cold sent serues to moue the Hound to the game, so deare THEO: an obscure knowledge, shut vp in cloudes, as is that of faith, doth infinitly stirre our affectiō to loue the Goodnesse which it makes vs apprehend: ô how true it is, according to S. AVGVSTIN'S complaint. That the vnlearned teare uen out of our hands, while the learned fall into hell!

5. In your opinion, THEO: whether of the two would loue the light more, the borne blind, who should know all the discourses that the Phi∣losophers make of it, and the praises they giue it, or the plough-man who by a cleare sight should feele, and resent, the delightfull splendour of the faire rising sunne? the first hath more knowledge of it, but the second more fruition; and that frui∣tion produceth a loue, more quicke and liuely, then the simple knowledge by discourse: for the experiēce of Good makes it infinitly more louely, then all the knowledge which can be had of it. We begin our loue by the knowledge which faith giues vs of God's Goodnesse, which afterwards we relish and taste by loue, and loue eggeth our gust, and our gust refines our loue, so that as we see the water role and swell by the windes blastes, as by emulation vpon the en∣counter, so the taste of good doth warme loue, and loue againe the taste, according to that Oracle of the diuine wisdome. Those that shall ta∣ste me shall yet haue appetite, and those that shall drinke me, shall yet haue thrist. Which of the two I praie you loued God more, OCHAM, held of

some to be the most subtile man that liued, or S. CATHERINE of Genua an vnlearned woman? He knew him better by science, she by experience, and her experience did much aduance her in Sera∣phicall loue, while he with his knowledge remai∣ned farre remote, from this so excellente a perfe∣ction.

6. We doe extreamely loue Sciences before we yet know them, saieth S. Thomas, by the onely cōfused and superficiall knowledge we haue of them: Euen so we must confesse, that the know∣ledge of Gods goodnesse applies our will to loue, but as soone as she is set on going, her loue en∣creaseth of it selfe, by the pleasure which she takes to be vnited to this soueraigne good. While chil∣dren haue not yet tasted honie and suggar, it is heard to make them receiue them into their mouthes: but after they haue ōce felt their sweete∣nesse, they doe more affect them then one would wishe: still crying for them without measure.

7. We must confesse notwitstanding that the will drawen by the delight which she takes in her obiect, is more forcibly carried to be vnited to it, when the vnderstanding of his side, doth in an ex∣cellent manner propose vnto her the goodnesse thereof; for she is then at once both drawen and thrust forward; thrust by knowledge, drawen by delight, so that knowledge is not of it selfe con∣trarie, but profitable to deuotion, and meeting together, they doe meruellously assist one ano∣ther, though it often happens through our mise∣rie, that knowledge doth impeach the birth of deuotion, for so much as knowledge doth make

vs swell and waxe proud, and pride which is con∣trarie to all vertue is the totall ruine of deuotion. Certes the eminent knowledge of those Cyprians, Augustins, Hilaries, Chrisostomes, Basiles, Gre∣gories, Bonauentures, Thomases, did not onely much commend, but euen greatly improue deuo∣tion; as againe their deuotion did not onely raise, but also extreamely perfect their knowledge.