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

How holy Loue returning into the soule, doth reuiue all the works which sinne had slayne. CHAPTER. XII.

1. THe works then of a sinner, while he is de∣priued of Charitie, are not profitable to e∣ternall life; and therevpon they are called dead works: whereas contrariwise the good works of the iust man, are saied to be liuing: for that the Diuine Loue doth animate and quicken them with its dignitie. And if afterwards they loose their life and worth by sinne, they are held to be workes that are deaded, extinguished or mortified onely, but not quite deade, especially in the Elect: for as our Sauiour, speaking of the little Tabitha Iarus his daughter, said she was not dead, but slept onely, because she continued dead so small a time till she was resuscitated, that it seemed rather to be a sleepe then a true death. So the works of the iust man, but especially of the elect, who by the commission of sinne dyeth, are not called dead works, but onely deaded, mortified, stounded or put into a trance, because, vpon the next returne of holy Loue, they either ought, or at least may reuiue and returne to life againe. Sinn's returne, depriues the soule and all her workes of life; the returne of Grace doth restore life to the soule and all her actions. A sharpe winter doth dead all the

plants of the fields, so that if it continued still, they would still continew in the state of death. Sinne, the sad and daunting winter of the soule, doth quayle all the holy workes that it finds there in, and if it did alwayes continew, neuer would any thing recouer either life or vigour. But as in the returne of the pleasant spring, not onely the seedes which are sowē, by the helpe of this delight∣full and fruitfull season, doe gratefully bud and blossome, euery one in his kind, but euen the old plants, which the rigour of the winter past had bitten, withered and deaded, waxe greene, and doe resume new force, vertue and life. So sinne being blotted out, and the grace of Diuine Loue returning into the soule, the new affections, which this spring of grace doth bring, doe blossome, and bring forth ample merites and blessings; but the works that are dried vp, and withered by the ri∣gour of the winter of sinns ouer passed, as being deliuered from their mortall enemye, resume their force, waxe strong, and as risen from the dead, they florish a new, and store vp merits for the e∣ternall life. Such is the omnipotencie of Diuine Loue, or the Loue of the Diuine omnipotencie. If the impious turne away himselfe from his im∣pietie and shall doe iudgement and iustice, he shall viuificate his soule; conuert and doe penance for all your iniquities, and iniquitie shall not be a ruine vnto you, saieth our Lord. And what is that, iniquitie shall not be a ruine vnto you, but that the ruine which it made shall be repaired? So besides a thousand courtisies that the prodigall sonne receiued at his Fathers hands, he was reesta∣blished,

euen with aduantage in all his ornaments, graces, fauours, and dignities which he had lost. And IOB that innocent picture of a penitent sinner did in the end receiue the double of that which he had. Verily it is the Councell of Trēts desire, that we should encourage the penitents that are retur∣ned into fauour with God allmightie, in these words of the Apostle. Abound in euery good worke, knowing that your labour is not vnpro∣fitable in our Lord; for God is not vniust to forget your worke, and the Loue which you haue show∣en in his name. God then doth not forget the works of those, who by sinne hauing lost loue, recouers it againe by penance. Now God is saied to forget our workes, whē they loose their merite and sanctitie by sinne committed, and he remem∣bers them, when they returne to life and vigour by the presence of holy Loue. So that amongst the faithfull, it is not necessarie to the reward of their good works, (as well by the encrease of grace and future glorie, as by the enioying of life euer∣lasting in effect) that one fall not into sinne; but it is sufficient according to the Councell of Trent, that one depart this life in God's grace and cha∣ritie.

2. God hath promised an eternall reward to the works of a iust man, but if the iust man turne from his iustice by sinne, God will no longer re∣member the iustice and good works which he hath done. But yet if this poore fallen man, doe afterwards rise and returne into Gods grace by penance, God will thinke no more of his sinne, and not remembring his sinne, he will turne mind∣full

of his former good works, and of the reward which he promised them, since sinne, which alone had blotted them out of the diuine memorie is wholy raysed out, abolished, annihilated: so that in that case God's Iustice doth oblige his Mercy, or rather his Mercy, doth enforce his Iustice, to looke a new vpon their precedent good works, euē as though he had neuer forgottē thē, otherwise the sacred penitent had not dared to saie to his Maister; render vnto me the ioye of thy saluation, and confirme me with thy principall spirit; for as you see he doth not onely require a newnesse of heart and spirit, but he pretends, to haue the ioye rendred vnto him, which sinne had bereft him off. Now this ioye is no other thing then the wine of heauenly Loue which doth reioyce mans heart.

3. It fares not alike with sinne in this behalfe, as with the workes of charitie: for the iust mans workes are not blotted out, abolished, or anni∣hilated by the commission of sinne, but are onely forgotten: marry the sinnes of the wicked are not onely forgotten but are euen raysed out, clenged abolished, and annihilated by holy penāce: where∣vpon the sinne that is committed by the iust man, doth not cause the sinne that was once pardoned, to liue againe, because it was entirely annihilated: But when loue returnes into the penitent soule, it makes her former good works returne to life a∣gaine, because they were not abolished but onely forgotten. And this obliuion of the works of the iust man who hath forsaken his iustice and chari∣tie, consisteth in this, that it made them vnprofi∣table,

while sinne made him vncapable of eternal life, which is their fruit; and therefore as soone as by the returne of Charitie, he is rancked againe with the childen of God, and thereby made ca∣pable of immortall glorie, God recals to mind his auncient good works, and they become a∣gaine fruitfull. It were not reasonable that sinne should haue as much power ouer Charitie, as Cha∣ritie hath against sinne: For sinne is an issue of our infirmitie, Charitie proceedes from God's power. If sinne abound in malice to ruinate vs, Grace doth superabound to worke the reparation: and God's Mercy, by which he blots out sinne, doth rayse it selfe continually, and becomes gloriously triumphant ouer the rigour of Iudgement where∣by God had forgotten the good workes which went before sinne. In this sort, in the corporall cures which our Sauiour did by miracle, he did not onely restore health, but withall added new benedictions, making the cure farre passe the de∣sease, so bountifull is he to man.

4. I neuer saw, red, nor heard that waspes, oxe∣bees, flies, and such other little hurtfull creatures, being once dead, did reuiue and returne to life, againe; but that the vertuous and harmelesse honie Bee can rise againe, it is a common report, and I haue often red it. It is saied, (these are Plinies words) that if one keepe the dead bodies of the drowned bees all the winter with in the house, and expose thē to the sunne beames the spring fol∣lowing, couered ouer with ashes of the figue tree they will rise againe, and be as good as euer. That iniquities and sinfull workes cā returne to life, after

they haue once bene drowned and abolished by penance, truly my THEO: neuer, for as muche as I know, did the Scripture, or any Diuine saie it; yea the contrarie is authorised by holy writ, and by the common consent of Doctours. But that good works, which, like vnto the sweete Bee, doe compound the honie of merite, being drowned in sinne, can afterwards regaine life, when couered with the ashes of penance, they are expo∣sed to the sunne of grace and Charitie, is held and cleartly taught by all the Diuines: nor are we to doubt but that they become profitable and fruit∣full, as before. When Nabuzardan destroyed Hie∣rusalem, and Israel was led in captiuitie, the holy fire of the Altar was hid in a well, where it was turned into mud, but this mud, being drawen out of the well and exposed to the sunne, after their returne from Captiuitie, the dead fire kindled a∣gaine, and the mud was turned into flames. When the iust man is made slaue to sinne, all the works of his life, are miserably forgotten, and turnd into durt, but being deliuered out of Captiuitie, to wit, when by penance, he returnes into grace with heauenly Charitie, his former good works are drawen out of the well of obliuion, and tou∣ched with the raves of heauenly mercy, they re∣turne to life, and are conuerted into as cleare flames as euer, to be sacrificed on the sacred Altar of the diuine approbation, and to be restored a∣gaine to their wonted dignitie, price, and value.