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 vnion of our will to the will of God, is pri••c••pally caused by tribulations. CHAPTER. II.

1. PAines considered in themselues, cannot in∣deede be beloued; yet beheld in their source that is, in Gods will and prouidence which or∣daines them, they are infinitly amiable. Behold Moyses his rod vpon the ground, it is a hideous serpent; looke vpon it in Moyses his hand, it is a rod of wonders. Looke tribulations in the face, they are dreadfull; behold them in the will of God, they are loues and delights. How often doth it fall out, that the potion or plaster presented by the Phisition or Apoticarie is loathsome vnto vs, which being offered by some friends hand, (Loue surmounting our loathing) we receiue with de∣light? Certes Loue doth either free labour from all difficultie, or makes its difficultie delightfull. It is reported that there is a riuer in Boetia, where∣in, the fishes shine like gold, but taken out of those waters, the place of their origine, they haue the naturalll colour of other fishes. Euen so affli∣ctions if they be looked vpon out of God's will, they beare with them their naturall bitternesse;

but being contemplated in this eternall will, they are all gold, louely and precious beyond con∣ceite.

2. If Abraham had beheld a necessitie to slaughter his Sonne out of Gods will, thinke THEO: what panges and conuulsions his poore heart had felt: but seeing it in Gods GOOD PLEA∣SVRE, it appeares all gold, and he doth tenderly embrace it. If the Martyrs had looked vpon their torments out of this GOOD PLEASVRE, how could they haue sunge in chaines and flames? The truely louing heart, loues Gods GOOD PLEASVRE, not in consolations onely, but in afflictions also; yea it loues it better vpon the crosse, in paines and diffi∣culties, because it i•• the prime effect of Loue, to make the Louer suffer for the thing belo∣ued.

3. The Stoicks, especially the good Epictetes, placed all Philosophie in abstaining and sustaining bearing and forbearing: in forbearing and abstai∣ning frō terreane delightes, pleasures ād honours; in sustaining and bearing wrongs, toyles and discō∣modities. But Christian doctrine which is the onely true Philosophie, hath three principles vpō which it doth ground all its exercises. Abnegation of ones selfe, which is farre more then to abstaine from pleasures: Bearing of the crosse, which is farre more then to tolerate it: following of our Sa∣uiour not onely in the point of renunciation of a mans selfe, and bearing of his crosse, but euen in the practise of all sorts of good works. Yet is there not so much loue testified, neither in the abnega∣tion, nor in the very deede doing, as in suffering.

Certes the holy-Ghost in the holy Scripture puts downe the death and passion which our Sauiour suffered for vs, as the highest straine of our Sa∣uiours Loue towards vs.

4. First to loue Gods will in consolations, is a good loue, when the loue of God is indeede loued, not the consolation in which it is found: howbeit it is a loue voide of contradiction, repugnance and difficultie; for who would not loue a will so wor∣thy in a subiect so wellcome? Secōdly, to Loue the will of God in his Cōmandemēts, Coūsells, ād in∣spiratiōs, is a secōd degree of loue and much more perfect: for it leades vs to the renouncing and quitting of our owne will, and makes vs abstaine and forbeare many pleasures, yet not all. Thirdly to loue sufferances and afflictions for the loue of God, is the highest point of holy Charitie: for there is nothing therein to gaine our affection, saue the onely will of God; Our nature feeles a great contradiction in it, and we doe not thereby forsake pleasures onely, but we euen ēbrace paines and torments.

5. Our mortall enemye knew well, what was Loue's furthest tryall, when he had heard from the mouth of God, that IOB was iust, rightuous, fea∣ring God, hatting sinne, and stable in innocencie: he made no account of all this, in comparison of bearing afflictions, by which he made the last and surest essaye of the loue of this great seruant of God, ād to haue thē in an extreamitie, he compo∣sed them of the losse of all his goods, and all his children, of the entire reuolt of all his friends, and of an arrogant opposition of his greatest Confede∣rates,

and his owne wife: and of an opposition, full of despight, mockerie, and reproch; to which he added the whole collection of almost all hu∣mane diseases namely a cruell, stinking, horrible vlcer ouer all his bodie.

6. And yet behold the great IOB, as king of all the miserable creaturs vpon the face of the earth seated vpon a dunge-hill, as vpon the Throne of miserie; adorned with soares, vlcers, and matter, as with royall robes, suteing them in the qualitie of his royaltie, with so great an abiection and an∣nihilation, that if he had not spooken, one should not haue descerned, whether IOB was a man redu∣ced into a dounghill, or the dounghill a corrup∣tion in forme of a man. Behold there, I saie, the great Iob, crying out, If we haue receiued good things from the hand of God, why shall we not also receiue that which is bad? ô God how this word is great with Loue! He ponders, THEO: that it was from the hand of God, that he had receiued the good, testifying that he had not so much loued good because it was good, as that it came from our Sauiours hand: which being so, he concluds, that he is louingly to support aduersities, since they proceede from our Sauiours hand, equally to be loued when he distributs afflictions, and when he bestowes consolations. Each one doth easily re∣ceiue good things, but to receiue euill, is a worke of perfect Loue, which loues them so much the more, for that they are not amiable, but in respect of his hand that giues them.

7. The Trauailler that is in feare whether he hath hit vpon the right way, walks in doubt, loo∣king

about him in the countrie where he is, and stands in a muse at the end of almost euery feild, to thinke whether he goes not a straie. But he that is sure of his way, walks on iocundly, boldly and swiftly. Euen so the Loue that de••ires to walke to Gods will through consolations, walkes still in feare to take the wrong path, and in steede of lo∣uing Gods good liking, to fall in loue with the pleasure which is in the consolation; but the Loue that strikes straight through afflictions towards the will of God, walkes in assurance: For affli∣ction being in no wise amiable in it selfe; it is an easie thing to Loue it onely for his sake that send's it. The hounds in spring time, are euery foote at default finding hardly any sent at all; because the hearbes and flowres doe then smell so freshly, that the freshnesse put downe the rowt or sent of the Hart or hare; In the spring time of consolations, Loue is scarcely acquainted with Gods pleasure, because the sensible pleasure of the consolation doth so allure the heart, that it trou∣bles the attention which it ought to haue to the will of God. S. CATHARINE hauing from our Sa∣uiour her choice of a Crowne of gold, or a crowne of thornes, choosed this, as better suteting with Loue. A desire of sufferance, saieth the B. ANGELA FOLIGNY, is an infallible marke of Loue: and the great Apostle cries out, that he glories onely in the Crosse, in in∣firmitie, in per∣secution.