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 the Conformitie of our will to the will which God hath to saue vs. CHAPTER. IV.

1. GOd hath signified vnto vs so diuersly, and by so diuerse meanes, that his will was that we should all be saued, that none can be ignorant of it; to this purpose he made vs to his owne Image by Creation, and himselfe to our Image and likenesse by his Incarnation; after which he suffered death to ransome and saue all mankind, which he performed with so much loue, that as the great S. DENIS Apostle of France racounteth, he saied vpon a day to the holy man Carpus, that he was ready to suffer an other passion to saue mā∣kind, and that this would be pleasant vnto him, if it could be done without any mans offence.

2. And although all are not saued, yet is this will the tru•• will of God, who doth worke in vs according to the condition of our and his nature. For his Bountie moues him liberally to commu∣nicate ••nto •••• the succours of his grace, to bring vs to the felicitie of his glorie: but our nature re∣q•••••• that his liberalitie should leaue vs in libertie to make vse of it to our saluation, or to neglect it to o••r damnation.

3. I haue demanded one thing saied the Pro∣phet, and it is that which I will demand for euer,

that I may see the delightes of our Lord, and vi∣site his temple. But what are the delightes of the soueraigne Goodnesse, but to poure out and com∣municate its perfections? Verily his delightes are to be with the children of men to showre his grace vpon them. Nothing is so agreeable and delight∣full to free Agents, as to doe their owne will. Our Sanctification is the will of God, and our Saluation his good pleasure; nor is there any dif∣ference at all betwixt good pleasure and Good li∣king, or consequently betwixt good-liking and goodwill: yea the will which God hath to aduan∣tage man, is called good, because it is amiable, propitious, fauorable, agreeable, delicious; and as the Grecians after S. PAVLE saied, it is a true PHI∣LANTROPIE, that is, a beneuolence, or a will en∣tirely affectionate to men.

4. All the celestiall Temple of the Triumphāt and Militant Church doth resound on euery side the delicious Canticles of God's loue towards vs. And the Sacred bodie of our Sauiour, as the most holy Temple of his Diuinitie, is wholy adorned with markes and tokens of this Beneuolence; so that in visiting the Diuine Temple, we behold the louely delightes which he takes to doe vs fauours.

5. Let vs then a thousand times a day behold this louing will of God, ād grounding ours there∣in, let's deuotely crie-out. O Bountie infinitly sweete, how amiable is thy will! How de∣sirable thy fauours! Thou created vs for an eternall life, and thy motherly breast swolen in the sacred dugges of an incomparable loue, abounds in the milke of mercy, whether it

be to pardon sinners, or perfect the Iust. Ah why doe not we then glew our wills to thyne, as a child is locked to the nible of his mothers dugge, to lucke the milke of thy eternall benedictions.

6. TH••O: we are to will our Saluation, in such sort as God will's it, and he wills it by way of de∣sire; must not we then following his desire inces∣santly desire it? Nor doth he will it onely, but in effect enables vs with all necessarie meanes to at∣taine it: we then, in sequele of the desire we haue to be saued, must not onely desire, but in effect accept all the graces, which he hath prouided for vs, and presents vnto vs. It is sufficient to saie I de∣sire to be saued, yet it is not sufficient to saie, I de∣sire to embrace the meanes conuenient to the at∣taining of saluation, but we must with an absolute resolution desire and embrace the grace which God bestowes vpon vs: for our will must necessa∣rily correspōde to God's. And whereas Gods will giues vs the meanes to saue our selues, we ought to receiue them; as we ought to desire saluation, in such sort, as God desires it, and vs.

7. But it fals often out that the meanes to come to Saluation considered in grosse, and in ge∣nerall, are according to our hearts liking, but considered by peecemeale, and in particular, they are dreadfull to vs: for haue we not seene the poore S. Peter, prepared to vndergoe all kind of torments in generall, yea death it selfe to follow his Maister, and yet when it came to the deede doing, and performance, waxe pale, tremble, and at the word of a simple maide, denie his Maister? Euery one deemes himselfe able to drinke our Sa∣uiours

CHALICE with him, but when indeede it is presented vnto vs, we flie, and forsake all. Things proposed in particular, make a more strong im∣pressiō, and more sensibly wound in the Imagina∣tion. And for this reason we gaue aduice in the INTRODVCTION, that after generall affections, one should descend to particular ones, in holy Medi∣tation. Dauid accepted particular afflictions as an aduancement to his perfection, when he sunge in this wise. O Lord how good it is for me that thou hast humbled me, that I might learne thy iu∣stifications. So also did the Apostles reioyce in their tribulations, in that they were held worthy to endure ignominie for their Sauiours name.