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 Diuine Loue, makes the vertues more agreeable to God by excellencie then they are in their owne nature. CHAPTER. II.

1. SVch as studie Husbandrie, doe admire the fresh innocencie and puritie of the little strawburie, which though it lye vpon the grownd and is continually crept vpon by serpents, Lea∣zards, and other venimous beastes, yet receiues it no impression of poyson, nor is infected with any venimous qualitie, which is a signe, that it hath no affinitie with poyson. Such are the morall vertues, THEO: which though they be in a heart that is low, earthly, and greatly laboured with sinne, yet are they not infected with the malice thereof,

being of so free and innocent a nature, that they cannot be corrupted by the Societie of iniquitie, as euen ARISTOTLE himselfe saied, that vertue was a habit which none could abuse. And though the vertues, which are so good in themselues, be not rewarded with an eternall Laurell when they are practised by infidells, or by such as are not in the state of grace, it is nothing strange, since that the sinfull heart from whence they proceede, is not capable of an eternall good, and was otherwise auerted from God; and since that none is to haue part in that celestiall inheritance which belongs to the sonns of God, but such as are in him, and his adoptiue brothers; besides that the Couenant by which God promisseth heauen, hath referrence to such onely as are in his grace, and that the vertues of sinners haue no worth nor value, saue that of their owne nature, which by consequence cannot raise them to the merite of supernaturall rewards, so called, for that Nature withall her appurtināces, can neither giue, nor merite them.

2. Howbeit, the vertues which are found in the friends of God, though they be onely morall and naturall in themselues, are yet dignified and raised to the worth of holy workes, by reason of the hearts excellencie which produceth them. It is one of the properties of friendshipe, to make the friend, and all that is good and honest in him, gratefull. Friendshipe doth poure out its grace and fauour vpon all the actions of the beloued, that are any wayes capable of them. A friends tartnesse is sweete, and the sweetes of an enemye are bitter. All the vertuous actions of a heart that loues God,

are dedicated to God: for the heart that hath giuen himselfe, how hath not he giuen all that depends of himselfe? He that giues the tree without re∣serue, giues he not also the leeues, flowres, and fruite? The iust man shall flourish like the palme tree, and shall be multiplied as the Ceder of Ly∣banus, they are planted in the house of our Lord, and shall flourish in the courtes of the house of our God, sithence the iust man is planted in the house of God, his leeues, his flowres and his fruite doe there encrease, and are dedicated to the ser∣uice of his Maiestie. He is as a tree planted nigh to the streames of waters, which shall giue his fruite in his time: his very leaues shall not fall, and all things whatsoeuer he doth shall prosper: not onely the fruits of Charitie, and the flowres of the works which she ordaines, but euen the very leaues of morall vertues doe draw a meruellous felicitie from the loue of the heart which produ∣ceth them. If you graffe in a Rose tree, and put a graine of muske in the clift of the stoke, all the roses that spring from it, will smell of muske. Cleeue your heart then by holy penance, and put the loue of God in the clift, afterwards ingraffe in it what vertue you please, and the workes which spring from it, shall be all perfumed with Sancti∣tie, without taking any further care thereof.

3. Though the Spartans had heard an excel∣lent sentence from the mouth of some wicked man they neuer iudged it fit to receiue it, till it were first pronounced againe by some good man, And therefore to make it worthy of acceptance, they onely made it be vttered againe by a vertuous

man. If you desire to make the humane and mo∣rall vertues of an EPECTETES, a SOCRATES, a DE∣MADES become holy, cause them onely to be gra∣ced by a truely Christian mouth; that is by one that is in charitie. So God did first respect ABEL, and then his offerings; so that his offerings had their worth and dignitie in the sight of God, from the goodnesse and pietie of him, that offered them. O the soueraigne Goodnesse of this great God? who doth so loue his Louers, who doth cherish their weakest endeauours, and doth excellently enrich them, be they neuer so weake; Honouring them with the Title and qualitie of HOLY! Ah, it is in consideration of his beloued Sonne, whose adop∣tiue children, he will honour, sanctifiing all that is good in them, their bones, their haires, their garments, their graues, yea the shadowe of their bodies: Faith, Hope, Charitie, Loue, Religion, yea euen sobrietie, courtisie, affabilitie of heart.

4. Wherefore my deare bretheren, saied the Apost: be constant and stable, abounding in eue∣ry good worke, knowing that your Labour is not without reward in our Lord. And marke THEO: that euery vertuous worke, is to be esteemed the worke of our Lord, yea though it were euē practi∣sed by an infidell: for his Diuine Maiestie saied vnto EZECHIEL, that NABVCODONOZOR and his armie had laboured for him, because he had waged a lawfull and iust warre against the Tyrians, suffiently shewing therein, that the iustice of the vniust is his, tends and belōgs vnto him, though the vniust who worke that Iustice, are neither his nor doe tend and belong vnto him: for as the

great prince and Prophet IOB, though of Pagan extraction and an inhabitant of the land of Hus, did for all that belong to God; so morall vertues, though they proceede from a sinfull heart, doe notwithstanding belong to God. But when the same vertues are found in a truly christian heart, that is, in a heart endowed with holy loue, then they doe not onely belong to God, and are not vnfruitfull in him, but become fruitfull and pre∣cious before the eyes of his goodnesse. Giue a man Charitie, saieth S. AVGVSTINE, and all things are profitable vnto him; depriue him of Charitie and all the rest profits him not. And to them that loue God all things cooperate vnto Good, saieth the Apostle.