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 loue vnits the soule to God in Praier. CHAPTER. I.

I. WE speake not here of the generall vnion betwixt God and the soule, but of certaine particular actes, and motions, which the soule re∣collected in God, makes by way of Praier, to be more and more vnited and ioyned to his diuine Goodnesse: for in good-south there is difference betwixt ioyning and vniting

one thing to another, and thrusting or pressing one thing against, or vpon another; because to ioyne or vnite, it is onely required that the one be applied to th'other, so that they touch, and be together, as we ioyne vines to Elmes, and Iasmins to the crosse-barrs of Arbors which are made in gardens. But to thrust and presse together, a strong application must be made, which doth encrease and augment the vnion, so that to thrust together, is to ioyne strongly and closely, as we see Iuie ioyned to trees, which is not vnited one∣ly, but pressed so hard vnto them, that it euen pe∣netrats, and enters into their barke.

2. The comparison of little childrens loue to∣wards their mother, must not be left out, by rea∣son of its innocencie and puritie. Behold then this fine little child, to whom the mother, being set downe, presents her Pape, it casts it selfe so∣denly into her armes, gathering and foulding all its little bodie into her bosome, and louely breast; and see the mother as mutually receiuing it, close, and as it were, glewe it to her bosome, and ioy∣ning her mouth to it's, kisse it. But see againe this little babie allured with it's mothers huggings, how for it's part, it doth concurre to this vnion betwixt his mother and it: For it doth also as much as possibly it can, shut and presse it selfe to it's mothers breast and cheeke, as though it would wholy diue into, and hide it selfe in this delightfull wombe whence it was extracted. Now, THEO: in this case, the vnion is perfect, which being but one, proceedes notwithstanding from the mother and the child, yet so, that it hath it's

whole dep••ndance of the mother: for she drewe the child to her, she did first locke him in her tresses, pressed him to her breast, nor had the babe such force, as to betake and locke himselfe so hard to his mother: yet the poore little on doth for his part what he can, and ioynes himselfe with all his force to his mothers bosome, not consen∣ting onely to the delightfull vnion which his mo∣ther makes, but contributing with all his heart his feeble endeauours, which are so weake that they seeme rather to be essaies of an vnion, then an v∣nion it selfe.

3. Thus thē, THEO: our Sauiour shewing the most delightfull bosome of diuine loue to the deuote soule, he drawes her wholy to himselfe, gathers her vp, and doth, as it were, fould all her powers, in the bosome of his more thē motherly sweete∣nesse, and then burning with loue, he thrusteth, ioyneth, presseth, and glueth her to the lips of his delightes, and to his delicious breastes, kis∣sing her in the holy kisse of his mouth, and ma∣king her taste his dugges more sweete thē wine. The soule allured with the delightes of these fa∣uours doth not onely consent, and prepare her selfe to the vnion which God maketh, but in the strife of her heart doth cooperate, endeauouring more and more to ioyne and locke her selfe to the Diuine Goodnesse; yet in such sort that she doth ingeniously acknowledge, that her vnion, and tye to this soueraigne sweetenesse, is wholy dependant of Gods operation, without which she could not so much as make the least essaie imaginable to be vnited vnto him.

4. When wee see an exquisite beautie beholden with great ardour, or an excellent melodie heard with great attention; we are wount to saie, such a beautie holds the Spectators eyes glued vnto it; such a melodie holds their eares fastened, and that such discourse doth rauish the Auditours hearts; what is it to hold the eyes glued? the eares fastened, to rauish the heart, but to vnite, and closely to ioyne the senses and powers, whereof one speakes to their obiectes? And the soule is pressed and ioyned to her obiect, when she doth intensely af∣fect it, that pressing being no other thing, then the progresse and aduancement of the vnion and coniunction. We make vse of this word in our tongue, in morrall matters: He presseth me to doe this, or he presseth me to staie, that is, he doth not meerely vse persuation, and intreatie, but doth it euen with earnestnesse, and strife, as did the Pil∣grimes 1. Emaus, who did not onely petition to our Sauiour, but euen pressed and vrged him by force, and compelled him by a gentle violence to remaine in their lodging with them.

5. Now in Praier, this vnion is often made, by manner of little, yet frequēt ierts and aduancings of the soule towards God: and if you take notice of little children vnited and ioyned to their mo∣thers breastes, you shall see them euer and anone pressing and ioyning themselues, by little iertes which the pleasurs they take in sucking makes them giue: so the heart vnited to God in Praier, makes often times certaine surcharges of vnion by motions which doe more closely presse and ioyne it to the diuine sweetenesse. As for example, The

soule hauing made a long demoure in the fee∣ling of the vnion, wherby she sweetely tastes, how happie she is to be Gods; in fine augmenting this vnion by a cordiall pressing and ierting forwards; I Lord, will she saie, I am thine, all, all, all, with∣out reserue; or else; ah Lord, I am so verily, and will be daily more and more; or else by way of Praier. O sweete IESVS, ah! drawe me still more deeply into thy heart, to the end thy loue may de∣uoure me, and that I may be swallowed vp in thy sweetenesse.

6. But at other times the vnion is made, not by iterated ierts, but by way of a continued in∣sensible pressing and aduauncing of the heart to∣wards the diuine Bountie: for as we see a great and heauie masse of leade, brasse, or stone, though not thrust, doth so presse, cleeue to, and sinke into the earth where it lies, that at length it is found buried, by reason of the inclination of its waightie poise, which makes it incessantly tend to the cen∣ter; so our heart being once ioyned to God, if without being distracted it remaine in this vnion, it sinkes still deeper by an insensible progresse of vnion, till it be wholy in God, by reason of the holy inclination giuen it by loue, to be conti∣nually more and more vnited to the soueraigne Goodnesse. For as the great Apostle of France saieth, Loue is a vnitiue vertue, that is, it bringes vs to a perfect vnion with the soueraigne Good. And sith it is a doubtlesse truth, that Diuine loue while we are in this life, is a motion or at least, an actiue habit tending to motiō, euen after it hath attained simple vniō, it ceaseth not to act, though impercep∣tibly

still more and more to encrease, ad perfect it.

7. So trees that require to be transplanted as soone as that is done, they sprede their roots, and lodge them deeper in the bosome of the earth which is their element, and nourishment, nor doth any perceiue this, while it is a doing, but onely after it is done. And mans heart, transplan∣ted out of the world into God, by celestiall loue, if it doe earnestly practise Praier, certes it will continually extend and ioyne it selfe to the Diui∣nitie, vniting it selfe more and more to Gods Goodnesse, but by imperceptible grouths, whose progresse one can hardly discouer while it is doing, but onely when it is done. If you drinke any exquisite water, to wit, imperiall water, the simple vnion thereof with you is instantly made vpon your receiuing of it; for the receiuing and vnion is all one in this behalfe; but afterwards by little and little this vniō is encreased by an insē∣sibly sensible progresse: for the vertue of this wa∣ter penetrating the parts, will comfort the braine, sttengthen the heart, and will disperse its force through the spirits;

8. In like manner, a taste of loue, for example that God is good, hauing got entrie into the heart it doth presently make an vnion, with this Good∣nesse, but being held a while, as a precious per∣fume, it penetrats euery parte of the soule, poures out and dilats it selfe in our will, and doth, as it were, incorporate it selfe with our spirit ioyning and locking it selfe more nerely to ech part of vs, and vniting vs to it. And to it this which the great Dauid doth teach vs, when he compares his sacred

words to honie: for who knowes not that the sweetenesse of honie is vnited more and more to our senses, by a continuall encrease of sauorinesse, while holding it a pritie space in our mouth, or softly swallowing it, the relish thereof doth more deeply penetrate our Taste? And in this wise, the taste of the diuine Goodnesse, ex∣pressed in this word of S. BRVNOS: O BOVNTIE! or by these of S. THOMAS: MY LORD MY GOD! or these of MAGDALEN: AH MAISTER! or these of S. FRANCIS: MY GOD AND MY ALL! this taste, I saie, hauing bene kept a while in a louing heart, it is dilated, dispersed, and sinkes into the Spi∣rit by an inward penetration, and doth more and more perfume it with it's sent, which is no other thing, then to encrease the v∣nion, in the nature of a precious oyntment, or Baulme, which falling vpon cotten, doth so sinke into, and vnite it selfe to it, by little and little, that in the end one will not easily saie, whether the cotten is perfumed, or it is perfume, or else whether the perfume is cotton, or the cotten perfume. O how happie is the soule who in the peace of her heart, doth louingly con∣serue the sacred feeling of Gods presence: for her vnion with the diuine Goodnesse shall haue continuall, though insensible, encrease: and shall throughly water the spirit with infinite sweete∣nesse. Now when I speake of the sacred taste of Gods presēce, I doe not meane it, of a sensible taste but of that which doth inhabit the top, and Su∣preame point of the Spirit, where heauenly Loue doth raigne, and keepe his principall exercises.