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 this Diuine Commandement of Loue tends to Heauen, yet is giuen to the faithfu••l in this world. CHAPTER. II.

1. If the law be not īposed on the iust mā because he preuenting the lawes, and without the la••es sollicitation, doth performe Gods will by the instinct of Charitie, which raignes in his soule; how free are we to esteeme the Blessed in Heauen from all commandements, since that from the possession of the Bountie and Beautie of the Beloued, in which they are, a sweete yet ineui∣table necessitie to Loue for euer the most holy Di∣uinitie, doth streame out and runne vpon their hearts? We shall Loue God aboue, THEO: not as being tyed and obliged by the law, but as being allured, and rauished with delight, which this so perfectly an amiable obiect shall yeeld vnto our hearts. Then the force of the Commandement will cease, to the end it may giue place to the force of contentment••, which shall be the fruite and crowne of the obseruance of the Commandement We are therefore ordained to the contentment which is promissed vs in the immortall life, by meanes of the Commandement giuen vnto vs in this our mortall life, in which truely we are strictly bound to obserue it, because it is the fundamen¦tall law, which the KING IESVS deliuered to

the Citizens of this militant HIERVSALEM, where∣by they may merite the BVRGVERSHIP, and ioye of the triumphant HI••RVSALEM.

2. Certes aboue in heauen, we shall haue a heart free from all passions, a soule puri∣fied from all distractions, a Spirit infranchised from contradictions, and forces exempt from op∣position, and therefore we shall Loue God, with a perpetuall and neuer interrupted affection, as it is saied of the foure sacred beasts, which repre∣senting the Euangelists, doe incessantly praise the Diuinitie. O God what a ioye, when we being established in those eternall Tabernacles our Spi∣rits shall be in this perpetuall motion, in which they shall enioye the so much desired repose of their eternall dilection.

Happie, who in thy Mansion liue, And in all Seasons praises giue!

But we are not to aime at this Loue so exceedingly perfect in this life of death, for as yet we haue nei∣ther the heart, nor the soule, nor the Spirit, nor the forces of the Blessed. It is sufficient for vs to Loue with all the heart and force which we haue. While we are little children, we are wise like little children, we speake like children, we Loue like children, but when we shall come to our perfect groth aboue, we shall be quit of our infan∣cie, and Loue God perfectly. Yet are we not for all this, THEO: during the infancie of our mortall life, to leaue to doe our best, according as it is commanded, since it is not onely in our power, but is also most facile, the whole Commandement

being of Loue, and of the Loue of God, who as he is soueraignely good, so is he soueraignely amiable.