A Christian duty composed by B. Bernard Francis.

DISCOURS XVIII. Of the Love of God. (Book 18)

CHarity is amongst Christian Vertues, that which gold is amongst metalls: 'that which the Palme is among trees: that which the Lyon is amongst beasts: that which a man is among all Creatures of this world: that which the Seraphins are amongst Celestial creatures. S. Ire∣neus calls it properly Eminentissimum Charismatum, the most emi∣nent and precious gift of the holy Ghost; he agrees in this with the Apostle, who having sayd that God hath chosen some * 1.1 in his Church to be Apostles, others to be Doctors, others to work miracles: He adds I will shew you yet a grace more excellent: a gift of the holy Ghost more to be desir'd than to be an Apostle, or a Prophet, and this grace is charity, of which he speaks immediatly. One may be an Apostle and an ill man, witness Judas; a Prophet, witness Balaam; a Doctor, witness Tertullian; a Virgin, witness the five foolish: a worker of miracles, witness they who will say have we not worked many miracles in your name? But one cannot love God perfectly and * 1.2 have Charity, without being good, holy, and pleasing to God.

2. Here we ought to admire the Goodness and Providence

of God, who placed all our felicity and happiness in a thing so sweet, and conformable to our nature: And which poor as well as rich, ignorant, as well as learn'd, weak and sick, as well as strong and healthy, and in a word, all the world may have by his Grace. And because He desires that we bee perfect, and wills that we be happy, He commands us to love him.

3. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God. Vpon which S. Austin▪ Quid mihi es? miserere, ut loquar: Quid tibi sum ego? ut amari te jubeas a me, & nisi faciam minaris ingentes miserias, parva ne est ipsa miseria si non amem te? O my God! have pity on me, pardon me if I am bold to speak, being but dust and ashes; what is this to say that you command me to love you? ought one to command a Vassal to love his Prince? an Infant to love his Father? a Spouse to love her Espou∣se? a Creature to love the Creator. are not you my So∣veraign, my Father, my Espouse, my All, and my Creator? Nevertheless you threaten me with great miseries if I love you not; is there in the world a greater misery then not to love you? is it not the misery of miseries to be depriv'd of your love? You command me to love you: what mercy! 'Tis too much honor to have the permission of it, a Vassall would not dare say to his Prince, Sr. I love you; he may say, I honor your Majesty, I have much affection for your service: but not I love you: and I may say it to my God, not only without temerity, but with much merit: He permits it, He desires it, He commands it.

4. Nevertheless we have this misfortune among many others, and which is not of the lesser; that we often make more ac∣count of things which we ought to consider less. You find many who say this day is the feast of S. Matthew, to morrow Ember day, or Easter is at hand: we must hear Mass, fast, prepare our selves for communion: You find very few that ever sayd in their lives we must make an Act of the love of God: and ne∣vertheless it is a commandement of God, which obliges more stric∣ly than those of the Church: it is the first and greatest com∣mandement: it is an affirmative commadement: Note affirmative;

the affirmative Precepts are those which command some action: the negative are those which forbid to act; to obey negative com∣mandements, we need not but abstain from acting: to observe these commands, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not swear, Thou shalt not Steal, there is no need to do any thing, 'tis enough to abstain from killing, swearing, robbing. It is not so in the affirmative. We fulfill them not by doing nothing, but by practising Acts which they command; Now the Commande∣ment of loving God is affirmative, which obliges to expresse and formal acts, and without doubt obliges sometimes: and men think not of it. They employ every week half an hour at least in hearing Mass, to obey the command of the Church: 'tis well don: and if they did not, they would offend God; But how coms it to pass, that they employ not half a quarter of an hour, nither every week, nor every month, nor every year to make an act of the love of God, to obey this commandement of God, which our Saviour published with is own mouth, thou shalt love thy God.

5. Belive me, and you will believe one that desires your sal∣vation with all his heart; resolve from this present to employ some little space of time in the exercise of the love of God: and give it the qualities and conditions of true love: els it is not Charity, and loses its value and its merit. The love of God must have at least three qualities; It must be a love that is Soveraign, Pure, and Active.

6. The love of God is a love of preference: it will be a king, or nothing: it cannot live without reigning, and it cannot reign but Soveraignly. The Son of God says in the Gospell. He that loves father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me: * 1.3 and he that loves son or daughter above me, is not worthy of me; And to shew, that we ought not only not prefer them before God: but that we ought to postpose them much, and to neglect them for him; He says in S. Luke, if any one com to me and hates not * 1.4 his father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and his own life, he cannot be my Disciple. And in S. Iohn, he that loves his life, shal lose it, and he that hates his life in this world does keep it to everlasting life.

S. Austin explicating these words sais they are to be understood

of the love of preference, which we ought to testify to our Sa¦vior * 1.5 in occasion, when his commandement is in opposition with the love of any Creature whatsoever: that is, Your heart ought to be in this disposition, that in case you must lose your suit, goods, husband, wife, children, honor, life, or commit a mor∣tal sin, you will chuse rather to lose all, than commit it; if you have not this sincere and cordial Will, you have not the true love of God, you are in the state of damnation: if you die in it, your process is wholy ended, you are condemn'd and damn'd eternally.

8. He that loves not God more than himself, inverts the order of charity says S. Prosper; he had reason to say inverts; Is not this a horrible inversion, perversion, and a prodigious disorder to love a particular good more than the universall, the stream more then the source, the ray more then the sun, the image more than the prototype, the nothing more than the All, the creature which is but dust and putrefaction more then the most high, most excellent, and infinite Majesty of the Creator?

9. It is this disorder that makes that a mortal sin, also in a thing which seems not to be of great importance, does merit hell; It seems very rigorous to damne one for stealing a crown; but you must not only regard the value of a crown, but that you make more account of a piece of a silver, then of God himself, since you will lose his amitie and Him for it.

10. In the second place, the love of God must be a pure and disinteressed love; S. Paul says nor only that charity seeks the * 1.6 the glory of God, and his divine interests, but that it seeks not its own interests: Non quaerit quae sua sunt.

S. Thomas treating of this Verity concludes with all Divines, that charity is not a mercenary love, a love of profit and of interest: but a free and disinteressed love, a love of amity and benevolence, a love by which we will good to God, not for the love of our selves, but for the love of him: we love him not in regard of our profit, but in regard of his goodness: not becaus He does good to us, or that He may do us good, but becaus He is good, and deserves to be loved; for God, is so good, great, holy, powerfull, and worthy to be loved, that if He did desire

it, we should sacrifice our selves for his service, though there were neither heaven for those that love him, nor hell for those that love him not.

11. We should do as the blessed Spirits do: it is IESUS that gives the Counsel, putting these words into our mouths, Your will be don in earth as it is in heaven: that is as the Angells do it; they do the will of God and obey his Orders, with a free, pure, and disinteressed love: all that they pretend is to obey God, to do his will, all the recompence that they passionately desire, is to receive new Orders, to be employd again in his service, purely for the love of him.

12 This is not sayd, that a faithfull soul may not hope, and keep the commandements for reward or retribution as the Prophet says he did: But that it be not the principal, yet less the only aime of our love? for as S. Bernard says, perfect love of God intends no recompence, but merits much. The loving soul receives from the hands of God ineffable and incomprehensible goods: but though she should not, though there should be no Paradise, nor reward, she would not omit to love God, serve him, and to be pleasing to him: and if she practises vertue for reward: the reward which she desires is the increase of her love; if she is glad to merit to be higher in heaven, this is not to have there more of honor and glory, but it is to have more of love: if I merit much says she, I shal see God more clearly and perfectly in heaven, I shal glorify him more excellently, I shal praise him more advanta∣giously, I shal be united to him more strictly and intimatly, I shal love him more ardently; and so love is the true salary▪ of love.

13. In fine your love must not be idle and paralitick, but active to render service to God, and to do good works for his glory: Charity works great things where it is, and where it works not, there it is not, says S. Gregory. * 1.7

He that loves me will keep my word, says IESUS. My little children, says his beloved Disciple, let us not love in word and tongue only, but in work and veritie; and the Royal Prophet, You that love our Lord hate ye evill; he says not only commit not evill: but hate it: He says not hate it in your self, but absolutely hate it; If you love God, you will hate sin, wheresoever it is found:

you will destroy it in your self, and in your neighbor also, if if you can; if one should say, I abuse not my friend, but is not sorry that another does, nor hinders him when he can, may one truly say, he loves him?

Let us conclude with a reflexion upon these words of JESUS, I Came to cast fire upon the earth, and what desire I but that it be in∣flam'd? * 1.8 And does He not move, solicit, and stir up our hearts to this fire and flame of love by all possible wayes?

14. He prevents us with great love; He lou'd us more than ri∣ches: He was made poor for us; more than honours: He suffe∣red a thousand infamies; more than his ease and pleasure: He led a life in pain and labor; more than his body: He depriu'd it of glory, and of life; more than the Angells: He redeem'd them not; And though we are so ungratful and unworthy as not to re∣turn love for love: He tryes yet other means.

15. He heaps Benefits upon us, and makes us presents to engage our mercenary hearts. He practises the counsel He gives us by the Wiseman, and by his Apostle, Give meat and drink to your ene∣my, * 1.9 when he hath need, and you shal heap upon him burning coales, to heat his love to you; so many prosperities that are sent you: so many morcells of bread you eate: so many creatures that serve you: are so many burning coales, He heaps upon you to heat your love, so many presents He makes you, to gain your affection: so many baits he laies, to catch your heart; Et si parva sunt ista, adii∣ciet majora.

And if it seems to you that all this is too little, and that your he∣art is yet worth more: He assures you, that all the favours whi∣ich he hath don you, and which he does you yet every day, are not but gages and pledges of the great Goods He hath prepar'd and promis'd you, if you love him; Neither eye hath seen, nor eare hath heard, * 1.10 nor the heart of man can comprehend the things which God hath prepar'd for them that love him says S. Paul.

16. But since we esteem not these promises enough, and are like those Israelites who contemn'd she desirable land: He lifts up his hand: He commands us ro love him, and threatens punishments, if we do not; Is not this to be extremly desirous of our love, to put as it were a dagger to our throats, and say to us, love me,

J will kill you if you will not. He does not only say it, but he does it, he damnes us eternaly, if we love him not.

17. And when He sees that fear of future punishments doe not sufficiently move our hearts, He sends us sometimes afflictions to force our love: He takes away all you love in this world; becaus you love not well that which ought to be loved above all things; He removes from you all that may amuse and employ your heart: that it may be in a manner forced, for want of other object, to unite it self to Him; ô great God? what can you do more to have this heart which you so passionately desire; you besige it on all sides, and it renders not; neither the preventions of your love: nor the at∣tractives of your benefits: nor your promises of paradise: nor your strict commands: nor threats of hell: nor constrains of afflictions can open this lockt heart; Extremis morbis extrema remedia.

18. When a passionate lover hath tryed all wayes, and finds them unsuccesfull, he coms to the last, makes use of a charm, composes a love potion: JESUS, makes use of this artifice to gain our affection: He puts himself upon our Altars, and into our Tabernacles: there he is the charm of love, They say that in a charm of love, to render it more powerfull, the Lover ought to mix with it some of his own substance, some drops of his blood: and JESUS puts all his blood into this potion: not a part of his substance only, but all his substance, Body, Soul, and Divinity.

19. What think you; Judg you not that God ought to have your heart after so many pursuances: do they not inflame you to beg that of God which is so necessary, and which you cannot have of your own selves? Aske it of God fervently, humbly, frequently, aske it of God if you be wise: I say again once more, and I would say a thousand times to all Christians in particular, ask of∣ten of God his Love, if you will work your salvation: pray the B. Virgin and other saints, to intercede for you: give great alms or many little ones that God may give you his love: fast some∣times, pray vertuous persons to beg it for you, and renonce all that displeases him: for if God be the object of our love in this life, He will be the object of our vision, fruition and felicity in the other, Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1. Cor. 12. 31.
• * 1.2

  Matth. 7. 22.
• * 1.3

  Matthew. 10. 37.
• * 1.4

  Luke 14. 26. S. Iohn. 12. 25.
• * 1.5

  Aug. tr••ct 51. in Io.
• * 1.6

  1. Cor. 13. 5.
• * 1.7

  S. Iohn. 14. 23. 1. Ep. 3. 18. Psai. 96. 10.
• * 1.8

  Luke 12. 49.
• * 1.9

  Prov. 25. 21. Rom. 12. 20.
• * 1.10

  1. Cor 2. 9