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 the contempt of Euangelicall Coun∣sells, is a great sinne. CHAPTER. VIII.

1. THe words in which our Sauiour exhots to pretend and tend to perfection, are so for∣cible and pressing, that we cannot dissemble the obligation we haue to engage our selues in that designe. Be holy, saieth he, because I am holy. He that is holy let him be yet more sanctified; and he that is iust, let him be yet more iustified. Be per∣fect, as your heauenly Father is perfect. For this cause, the great S. BERNARD writing to the glorious S. GVARINE Abbot of Aux, whose

life, and miracles haue left so sweete an odour in this Diocese; the iust man, quoth he, doth neuer saie, enough; he doth still hunger and thrist after Iustice.

2. Truly THEO: as for temporall goods, no∣thing doth suffice him who is not sufficed with that which is sufficient: for what can suffice a heart that holds not a sufficiencie sufficient? but touching spirituall goods, he that is sufficed with that which doth suffice, hath not that which doth su••fice, since a true sufficiencie in diuine things, consisteth partly in desire of abundance. God in the beginning commāded the earth to bring forth greene herbs such as seedeth, and that euery tree should beare fruite, hauing seede each one accor∣ding to his kind.

3. And doe not we see by experience, that plāts and fruits are not come to their full groth and maturitie till they begin to seede and haue Pipins, whence other trees and plants of the same kind doe sprīg? Neuer doe vertues come to their perfect stature ād abilitie in vs, till such time as they beget in vs a desire of progresse, which, as spirituall seede, serues to the production of new degrees of vertue. And me thinks the earth of our heart is cō∣manded to bring forth the plants of vertue, which beare the fruits of good works euery one in his kind, and which haue the seedes of a desire and re∣solution to encrease and aduāce in the way of per∣fection. And the vertue, that beares not the seede or Pipin of this desire, is not yet come to her groth and maturitie. Thou wilt not then, saieth S. BER∣NARD to the sluggard, a better thy selfe in perfe∣ction?

No nor yet grow worse? nor yet that ve∣rily. Why then, dost thou desire neither to amend nor paire. Alas poore man thou wouldst be that, which thou canst not be. Euen in the wide world there is nothing stable and constant, yet of man it is saied more particularly, that he neuer re∣maines in one estate. He must either goe forward, or else he goes backward.

4. Nor doe I, more then S. BERNARD, affirme, that it is a sinne not to practise the Counsells, no verily THEO: for it is the proper difference betwixt Commandements and Counsells, that Comman∣dements doe oblige vs vnder paine of sinne, Coun∣sell doth onely inuite vs without paine of sinne. Yet doe I bouldly auerre that to contemne the pretention of Christian perfection is a great sinne, and yet greater to contemne the inuitation by which our Sauiour cals vs to it, but it is an insup∣portable impietie to contemne the Counsells and meanes, which our Sauiour markes vs out to the attaining of it. It were an Heresie to saie, that our Sauiour had not giuen vs good Counsell; and a blasphemie to saie to God, withdraw thy selfe from vs, we will not know thy wayes. But it is a horrible irreuerence done to him, that with so much loue and delight did inuite vs to perfection, to saie, I will not be holy, or perfect; nor will I any larger portion of thy Beneuolence, nor will I follow the Counsells which thou giuest me to fru∣ctifie therein.

5. We may indeede without offence, not follow the Counsells, for the affection we beare another way, as for example, it is lawfull for a man, not to

sell what he possesseth, nor giue it to the poore, because he hath not the courage to make so entire a renunciation: It is also lawfull to marrie, be∣cause one loues a wife, or otherwise hath not strength of mind necessarie to vndertake the warre which must be waged against the flesh. But to make profession that one will not follow the Coū∣sells, nor any one of them, cannot be done without contempt of him that giues them. Not to follow the Counsell for that one hath an intention to marrie, is not euill done, but so to marrie as to pre∣ferre marriage before chastitie, with heritikes, is a great contempt either of the Counsellour, or of his Counsell. To drinke wine, against the Doctors aduise when one is ouercome with thrist, or with a desire to drinke, is not properly to contemne the Doctor nor his aduise: but to saie I will not follow the Doctors aduise, must necessarily proceede frō some bad opinion one harbours of him. Now as concerning men, one may often contemne their Counsell without contemning them, because to esteeme that a man doth erre, is not to contemne him. But to reiect and contemne Gods Counsell, cannot spring but from a conceite we haue, that he hath not Counselled vs well, which cannot be thought but by a Spirit of Blasphemie, as though God were not wise enough, to know, or good enough to will to giue good aduise. We may saie the same of the Counsells of the Church, which by reason of the continuall assistance of the holy ghost, which doth instruct and conduct her in all truth, can neuer giue euill aduise.