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 we doe contemplate without paine, which is a third difference betwixt it and meditation. CHAPTER. VI.

1. NOw the simple view of contemplation is performed in one of these three fashiōs,

we doe sometimes onely eye some one of Gods perfections, as for example, his infinite Bountie, not thinking of the other ATTRIBVTS, or ver∣tues thereof: As a Bridegroome, simply staying his eye vpon the faire complection of his Bride, yet by this meanes should truely see all her coun∣tenance, for as much as the complection is spred in a sort, through all the partes thereof, ād should not be attentiue, to the feature, grace, or other respectes of beautie: for in like manner, the mind often times considering the soueraigne goodnesse of the DIVINITIE; although withall, it sees the IVSTICE, WISDOME, and POWER, yet is it onely attentiue to the GOODNESSE, to which the simple view of it's contemplation is addressed. Some∣times also we doe attentiuely behold in God di∣uers of his infinite perfections, yet with a simple view, and without distinction, as he, who with one glance of his eye passing his view from the top to the toe of his spouse, richly deckt, should attentiuely in generall haue seene all, and nothing in particular; not well discerning what carkanet, or gowne she wore, nor what countenance she had, or how she lookt, but onely, that all was faire and comely: For so in contemplation, we often passe ouer sundrie Diuine Greatnesses and perfections in generall, with one onely touch of consideration, with out being able to render a reason of any thing in particular, saue onely, that all is perfectly good and faire: and finally, we doe at other times consider, neither many nor onely one of the diuine perfections, but onely some Di∣uine action or worke, to which we are attentiue;

as for example, to the act of MERCY, by which God pardons sinnes; or the act of Creation, or the Resurrection of Lazarus, or Conuersion of S. PAVLE; as a Bridegroome who should not eye his Spouses eyes, but onely the sweetenesse of the lookes she castes vpon him; nor take notice of her mouth, but onely of the delight of the words vt∣tered by it. And in this point, THEO: the soule makes a certaine sallie of loue, not onely vpon the actions she considereth, but vpon him whence they proceede. Thou art Good ô Lord; and in thy goodnesse, teach me thy iustifications: Thy throte, that is the word which cometh from it, is most delicious, and thou art wholy desirable. Ah! how sweete are thy words to my bowells, sweeter then honie to my mouth: or else with S. THOMAS, My Lord my God; and with S. MAGDELEN RAB∣BONI, ah Maister!

2. But take which of these three wayes you will, Contemplation hath still this excellencie, that it is done with delight, for that it supposeth, that God and his holy loue is found, that he is en∣ioyed, delighted in, saying, I haue found him, whom my heart loueth, I haue found him, nor will I let him goe. In which it differs from Medita∣tion, which almost alwayes is performed in paine, labour, and discourse: our mind passing in it from consideration to consideration, searching in many places, either the well-beloued of her Loue, or the loue of her well-beloued. IACOB labours in meditation to obtaine Rachel: but in contempla∣tion he reioyceth with her, forgetting his labours. The diuine Spouse, as a shephearde, which he also

is, prepared a sumptious banquet, according to the countrie fashion, for his sacred Spouse; which he so described, that mystically it represented all the mysteries of mans Redēption; I came into my gardē, quoth he, I haue gathered my myrrhe, with all my perfumes, I haue eaten my honie-cōbe with my honie, I haue mingled my wine with my milke: eate my friēds, ād drinke, and inebriate your selues my dearest. THE: ha! when was it I pray you, that our Sauiour came into his garden, if not when he came into his mothers purest, hūblest and sweetest wombe, replenished with all the flourishing plātes of holy vertues? And what is ment by our Sa∣uiours gathering of his myrrhe, with his perfumes, but to ioyne sufferāce to sufferēce vntill death, ād death of the crosse: heaping by that meanes merit vpon merit and treasurs vpō treasurs, to enrich his spirituall children? And how did he eate his honie-combe with his honie, but when he liued a new life, reuniting his soule more sweete then honie, to his pearced and wounded bodie, with more holes then a honie-combe? And when ascending into heauen he tooke possessiō of all the circumstances, and dependance of his diuine glorie, what other thing did he, if not mixe the reioycing wine of the essentiall glorie of his soule, with the delightfull milke of the perfect felicitie of his bodie, in a more excellent manner then hitherto he had done.

3. Now in all these diuine mysteries which containe all the others, there is sufficient to eate and drinke for all the deare friends, and to ine∣briate the dearest; some of them doe eate and

drinke, but they eate more then they drinke, and so are not drunke: others eate and drinke but drinke more thē they eate, and those are they that are inebriated. Now to eate is to meditate; for in meditating a mā doth chewe, turning his spirituall meate hither and thither betwixt the teeth of con∣sideration to bruise, breake, and digest it, which is not done without some trouble: To drinke is to contemplate, which we doe without paine or difficultie, yea with pleasure, and facilitie but to be inebriated, is to contemplate so frequēt∣ly and ardently, that one is quite out of himselfe to be wholy in God. O holy and sacred drunken∣nesse, which contrarie to corporall drunkennesse, doth not alienate vs from spirituall, but from cor∣porall sense, not dulling or besotting vs, but An∣gelizing, and in a sort, Deifying vs; putting vs out of our selues, not to abase vs, and ranke vs with beastes, as doth terreane drūkennesse, but to raise vs aboue our selues, and range vs with An∣gels; so that we might liue more in God then in our selues, being attentiue and busied by loue to see his beautie and be vnited to his Bountie.

4. Now whereas to attaine vnto contempla∣tion, we stand ordinarily in neede to heare the word of God, to haue spirituall discourse and con∣ference with others, as had the auncient Anco∣rets, to reade deuote bookes, to praie, meditate, sing canticles, conceiue good thoughtes: for this reason holy contemplation being the end and aime of all these exercises, they are all reduced vnto it, and such as practise them are called CON∣TEMPLATIVES,

as allso the practise it selfe a CON∣TEMPLATIVE life, by reason of the action of our vnderstanding, by which we behold the veritie of the diuine Beautie, and Bountie with an atten∣tion of loue, that is with a loue that makes vs attentiue, or with an attention which proceedes from loue, and augments the loue which we haue to loue infinite sweetenesse.