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 doth yet more excellently sanctifie the vertues, which are pra∣ctised by his ordinance and Commandment. CHAPTER IV.

1. THe faire RACHEL after an earnest desire of issue, with her deare IACOB, was by two meanes made fertill, whence also she had children of two sundrie kinds: for in the beginning of her marriage, seeing she could haue no children of her owne bodie, she made vse of her seruant BALA, as it were by loue, which she drew into her socie∣tie by the exercise of the functions of marriage, saying vnto her husband, I haue here my hand∣maide BALA, take her in wedlocke, and companie with her, that she may beare vpon my knees, and I may haue children of her, and it fell out accor∣ding to her desire: For she conceiued and brought forth many children vpon RACHELS knees, who receiued them as though they had bene truely her owne, since they were begotten by two bodies whereof IACOBS belonged to her by the right of marriage, BALA'S by the dutie of seruice, and a∣gaine

because the generation was effected by her order and will. But she had afterwards two other children without her command or order, which were conceiued, begot, and sprung from her owne bodie, at her owne bent to wit, Ioseph, and the beloued Beniamin.

2. I must tell you now, THEOT: that Chari∣tie and holy loue, a thousand times more faire then Rachel, married to mans heart, doth inces∣santly wish to produce holy operations. And if in the begining she her selfe cannot bring forth of her owne extraction, by the sacred vnion which is singularly proper vnto her, she cals the other ver∣tues, as her faithfull handmaids, makes them cōpa∣nions with her in marriage, commanding the heart to make vse of them, and beget holy operations of them, yet operations which she doth adopt and repute her owne, as being produced by her order and commandment, and of a heart which belongs vnto her, sith, as we haue formerly declared, Loue is the Maister of the heart, and consequently, of all the acts of other vertues, made by his consent. But further heauenly Charitie, hath two acts which are her owne issue properly, and are of her owne extraction, the one is EFFECTIVE LOVE, who as another IOSEPH vsing the fulnesse of regall au∣thoritie, doth subiect, and range the troopes of our faculties, powers, passions and affections, to Gods will, that it might be loued, obeyed and ser∣ued aboue all things, by this meanes putting the great celestiall commandment in execution. Thou shalt loue thy LORD thy GOD with all thy heart, with all thy soule, with all thy Spirit, with all thy

strength: The other is AFFECTIVE OR AFFECTIO∣NATE LOVE, who as a little Beniamin, is excee∣dingly delicate, tender, pleasing, and amiable; but in this, more happie then Beniamin, that Charitie his mother dies not in his birth, but, as it were gaines a new life, by the delight she takes in it.

3. Thus then THEOT: the vertuous actions of the children of God, doe all belong to Chari∣tie; some of them because they sprung from her owne wombe; others, because she sanctifies them by her quickning presence; and finally others, by the authoritie and commāde which she exerciseth ouer the other vertues, whence she made them spring. And these, as indeede they are not so emi∣nent in dignitie, as the actions which doe proper∣ly and immediatly issue from Charitie, so doe they incomparably passe those, which take their whole sanctitie from the presence, and Societie of Cha∣ritie.

4. A great Generall of an Armie hauing gay∣ned some renowned bataile, will without doubt haue all the glorie of the victorie, and not with∣out reason; for he himselfe will haue fought in the forefront of the armie essaying many braue feates of armes, he will haue rancked his troopes, ordai∣ned and commanded all that was done, so that he is esteemed to haue done all; either for that he himselfe fought in his owne person; or by his con∣duct and command of others. And albeit some friendly Succours cume at vnawares, and fall in with them, yet is not the Generall depriued of the whole honour, for though thy receiued not his

commands, yet did they obserue them, and fol∣low his intentions. But yet, after one haue attri∣buted all the honour in grosse vnto him, a distri∣butiō thereof is made to euery part of the armie in particular, in relatīg what the VANT GARD, the BO∣DIE, and the REARE-GARD had done, as the Frēch, the Italians, the Germans, the Spaniards behaued thēselues, yea, we praise this ād that particular mā, that honoured himselfe in the battaile. So my deare THEOT. amongst all the vertues, the glorie of our Saluation, and victorie ouer Hell, is ascri∣bed to Diuine Loue, who, as Prince and Com∣mander of the whole armie of vertues, contriues all the plotes, by which we gaine the triumphe: For Sacred Loue hath his proper actions, which issue and proceede from himselfe, by which he workes wonders of armes vpon our enemie; and with all, he rangeth, commands, and orders the actions of other vertues, which thence are termed, ACTS COMMANDED OR ORDAINED BY LOVE. And in case, some vertues produce their operations without his order, so they obserue his intention, which is God's honour, he will still aduowe them to be his owne▪ yet notwithstanding, though we saie in grosse with the holy Apostle, that Charitie suffers all, beleeues all, hopes for all, supports all, and finally that she doth all, yet doe we distribute in particular the praises of the saluation of the Blessed to other vertues, according as they did ex∣cell in each one: for we saie, some were saued by Faith, others by Almes-deedes, by Temperance, by Praier, Humilitie, Hope, Chastitie: others for that the acts of these vertues, did more notably

shine in them. Yet still after we haue extolled these particular vertues, we must ascribe all their ho∣nour to sacred Loue, whece they deriue all their sanctitie. For what other thing would the glo∣rious Apostle saie, inculcating that Charitie is be∣nigne, patient, that she beleeues all, hopes for all, supports all, but that Charitie ordaines and Com∣mands Patience to be patient, Hope to hope, Faith to beleeue. True it is, THEOT: that toge∣ther with this, he intimats also, that Loue is the soule and life of all the vertues; as though he would haue saied Patience is not patient enough, nor Faith faithfull; that Hope was not hopefull enough, nor mildnesse sufficiently milde, vnlesse Loue doe animate and quicken them. The same thinge, this same Vessell of Election giues vs to vnderstand when he saieth, that without Charitie nothing doth profit him; and that he is nothing: for it is as though he had saied, that without Loue a man is neither patient, milde, constant, faithfull nor confident, in such sort as is required to be Gods seruant, which is the true and wishfull beeing of man.