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 Gods will signified in the cōmandemēts, doth moue vs forwards to the loue of Counsells. CHAPTER. VII.

1. O THEO: how amiable is this Diuine will! ô how amiable and desirable it is! ô Law wholy of Loue, and for Loue! The Hebrewes by

the word peace vnderstand the collection and per∣fection of all good things, that is, Felicitie: and the Psalmist cries out, that a plentifull PEACE doth abound in those that loue the law of God, and that they stumble not; as though he would saie, o Lord what delightes are in the Loue of thy Commandements! the heart that is possessed with the Loue of thy law is possessed of all de∣licious sweetenesse. Certes the great king, whose heart was made according to the heart of God, did so inly tast the perfect excellencie of the Di∣uine Decrees, that he seemes to be a Louer caught with the beautie of this Law, as with the chast Spouse and Queene of his heart, as appears by his continuall praises thereof.

6. When the heauenly Spouse would expresse the infinite sweetenesse of her diuine Spouses per∣fums: thy name, saieth she vnto him, is an oynt∣ment poured forth, as though she saied, thou art so excellently well perfumed, that thou seemest to be all perfume, and that thou art more fitly termed oyle and perfume, then anoynted and perfumed. So the Soule that loueth God, is so transformed into the Diuine will, that it merits rather to be called Gods will, then obedient and subiect to his will: whence God saieth by Isaie, that he will call the Christian Church by a new name, which the mouth of our Lord will pronounce, imprint, and engraue in the hearts of his faithfull; and then, ex∣plicating this name, he saieth, it shall be, MY WILL SHALL BE IN IT; as though he had saied, that such as are not Christians euery one hath his owne will, in the midst of his heart, but euery one of our Sa∣uiours

true children, shall forsake his owne will, and shall haue onely one Mistresse, regent and vniuersall will, which shall quicken, gouerne and direct all soules, hearts and wills: and the name of honour amongst christians, shall be no other; but THE WILL OF GOD IN THEM, a will which will rule ouer all wills, and transforme them all into herselfe: so that the will of Christians, and the will of Christ, are but one onely will; which was perfectly verified in the primitiue Church, when, as saieth the glorious S. Luke, in the multitude of the faithfull, there was but one heart, and one soule: for he meanes not there to speake of the heart that animats our bodie, nor of the soule which doth animate the heart with a humane life: but he speakes of the heart which giues our soules a heauenly life, and of the soule that animats our hearts with a supernaturall life; the singular hearts and soules of true Christians, which are no other thing then the will of God. Life, saieth the Psal∣mist, is in the will of God, not onely for that our temporall life depends of the diuine pleasure, but because our spirituall life, is placed in the obser∣uance thereof, wherby God liues and raignes in vs, making vs liue and subsist in him. Contrariwise the wicked, from ages, that is, alwayes, haue broken the yoake of the Law of God, and haue saied I will not obay, wherevpon God saieth, that from their mothers wombe, he named thē Trans∣gressours ād Rebells: and speaking to the king of Tyria, he doth reproch him, that he had placed his heart as the heart of God: for a reuoulting spirit, will haue his heart to be its owne Maister, and his

owne will to be Soueraigne, as the will of God. He will not haue the Diuine will to raig••e ouer his, but will be absolute and without controwle. O eternall God doe neuer permit that! But effect that not my will, but thine be done. Alas we are in this world not to worke our o••ne, but the will of the Bountie which put vs there. It was written of thee ô Sauiour of my soule, that thou didst the will of thy eternall Father, and by thy soule her first humane act of willing at the instant of thy conception, thou didst louingly embrace this law of the diuine will, and placedst it in the midst of thy heart, there to raigne and haue dominion for euer. Ah who will blesse my soule with the hap∣pinesse to haue no will but the will of God!

7. Now when our Loue is exceeding great to∣wards Gods will, we are not content to do the Diuine will onely which is signified vnto vs by the Commandements, but also we put our selues vnder obedience to follow counsells, which are onely giuen vs, to the more perfect obseruing of the Commandements, to which they haue a cer∣taine reference, as S. THOMAS saieth excellently well. O how excellent is his obseruance of the prohibition of vniust pleasurs, who at once, doth renounce the most iust and legitimate delights! How farre is he frō coueting another mans Goods who doth reiect all riches, yea euen such, as holily he might haue conserued? How farre is he frō pre∣ferring his will before Gods, who to performe the will of God, doth submit himselfe to the will of a man.

8. Dauid vpon a day was in his Campe; and the

Philistian Garrison in Bethleem: now he made a wish, saying, ô that some would present me with a draught of water out of the Cisterne which stads at Bethleēs Port! And behold he had no sooner saied the word, but three braue Caualeers did set out, prepared thēselues for the exploit, passed through the enemies troupes, wēt to the Cisterne of Beth∣leem, drew water, and brought it to Dauid; who seeing the hazard to which these gentlemen had exposed themselues to content his appetite, he would not drinke that water purchased at the pe∣rill of their blood and life, but poured it out in sacrifice to the eternall God. Ah marke I beseech you THEO: the feruour of these Caualeers to their Maisters seruice and liking! They fled, and broake the rankes of their enemies with a thousand dan∣gers of loosing themselues, to complie with one onely simple desire, which their king intimated vnto them. Our Sauiour whē he was in this world, declared his will in diuers occurrences by way of Commandement; in others, he onely signified it, by way of desire: for he did highly commend chastitie, Pouertie, Obedience and perfect resig∣nation, the abnegation of ones owne will, wid∣dowhoode, fasting, ordinarie Praier; and what he saieth of Chastitie, that, he that could winne the prise, should beare it away, he saied sufficiently of all the other Counsells; At this desire of his, the most generous Christians, put themselues vpon the Course▪ and maugre all opposition, restlesse lust and difficulties, they haue arriued at holy per∣fection, submitting themselues vnder the strict obseruance of the kings desires, and by this

meanes beareing away the crowne of Glo∣rie.

9. Verily, as witenesseth the Diuine Psalmist, God doth not onely heare the Praiers of his faithfull, but euen their very desire and the meere preparation of their hearts to praie; so fauorable and forward he is to doe the will of those that Loue him. And why shall not we then by recipro∣cation be so iealous in the point of performing Gods holy will, that we should not onely effect his Commands, but euen that also which we know he liketh, and wisheth? Noble soules neede no other spurre to the vndertaking of a designe, then to know it is the desire of their Beloued. My soule, saied one of them, dissolued when I heard my be∣loued speake.