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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	militant_a	saint_n	triumphant_a	2,884	5	10.8885	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01209	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; Traité de l'amour de Dieu. English	Francis, de Sales, Saint, 1567-1622.; Carre, Thomas, 1599-1674.; Baes, Martin, engraver.	1630 (1630)	STC 11323; ESTC S102617	431,662	850

to the end I may praise thy holy name the iuste expects me till thou restorest vnto me my desired repose Behold THEO I beseech you this soule who as a heauenly Nightingale shut vp in the cage of his bodie in which it cannot at wish sing the benedictions of his eternall loue knowes that he could better recorde and practise his melodious ditties if he could gaine the aire enioye the freedome and societie of other Philomels amongst the gaie and flowrie hillockes of the Land of the Blessed and thence he cries alas o Lord of my life ah by thy wholy sweete bountie deliuer my pouertie out of the cage of my bodie free me from this little prison to th' end that released from this bondage I may flie to my deare companions who expect me aboue in heauen to make me one of their Quiers and enuirone me with their ioye the Almightie according my voice to theirs I with them will make vp a sweete harmonie of delicious aires and accēts singing praising and blessing thy mercy This admirable Saint as an Orator who would end and cōclude all he had saied in some short sentence made this the happie periode of all his wishes and desires whereof these last words were a Breefe Words to which his soule was so fixed that in breathing them he breathed his last My God THEO what a sweete and deare death was this a happily louing death a holily mortall loue How we practise the LOVE OF BENEVOLENCE in the praises which our Sauiour and his mother giue to God CHAPTER XI 1. VVE ascend then stepe by stepe in this holy exercise by the creaturs which we inuite to praise God passing from the sensible to the reasonable and intellectuall and from the Church militant to the triumphant in which we raise our selues vp to the Angels and Saints till aboue them all we haue met with the most sacred virgin who in a matchlesse manner doth praise and magnifie the Diuinitie more highly holily and deliciously then all the other creaturs together are able 2. Being two yeares agoe at Milan whither the veneration of the fresh memorie of the great Archbishope S. CHARLES had drawen me with certaine of our Church-men we heard in diuers Churches diuers sorts of musike but in a Monasterie of Nunnes we heard a Religious woman whose voice was so admirably delicious that she alone filled our minds with more delight incomparably then all the rest together which though otherwise excellent yet seemed they to serue onely to giue luster and raise the perfection and grace of this singular voice So THEO amongst all the Quires of men and Angels the most sacred Virgine's loftie voice is heard which raised aboue all renders more praise to God then doe all the other creaturs And indeede the Heauenly king inuites her to sing in a particular manner shew me thy face saieth he my well-beloued let thy voice sound in my eares for thy voice is entirely sweete and thy face wholy faire 3. But the praises which this Mother of honour and faire dilection together with all the creaturs giues to the Diuinitie though excellent and admirable come yet so short of the infinite merite of Gods goodnesse that they carrie no proportion with it and therefore albeit they meruellously please the louing heart 's holy beneuolence to the well-beloued yet doe they not saciate it Wherefore it goes forward and inuites our Sauiour to praise and glorifie his eternall Father with all the Benedictions which a Sonnes loue can fournish him withall And then THEO the soule is put to silence being able onely to admire O what a Canticle is this of the Sonne to his Father ô how faire this deare well-beloued is amongst all the children of men ô how sweete is his voice as issuing from the lipps vpon which the fulnesse of grace was poured All the others are perfumed but he is the perfume it selfe the others are embaumed but he is Baulme poured out the eternall receiues others praises as smells of peculiar flowres but vpon the odour of the praises which our Sauiour giues him doubtlesse he cries out ô these are the odours of my sonns praises as the odour of a field full of flowres which I haue blessed I my deare THEO all the Benedictions which the Church militant and triumphant offers to God are Angelicall and humane benedictions for beit they are addressed to the Creatour yet proceede they from a Creature but the Sonns are diuine for they doe not onely tend to God as the others but they flow from God the Redeemour being true God they are not onely diuine in respect of their end but of their beginning diuine because they tend to God diuine because they issue from God God prouokes the soule endewing her with sufficient grace for the production of other praises But the Redeemour being God produceth his owne himselfe and thence they are infinite 4. He that in a morning for a good space hauing heard in the neighbour woods the sweete chaunting of a great companie of Canarie birdes Linnets Goldfinches and such like little birdes should in the end heare a Maister Nightingale who in perfect melodie would fill the aire and eare with her admirable voice doubtlesse he would preferre this one grouie Chaunter before the whole Quires of the others So hauing heard all the praises which so many different sorts of of creaturs in emulation of one another renders vnanimously to their Creatour when at length one markes that of our Sauiour they find in it a certaine infinitie of merite valour sweetenesse which passe all hope and expectation of heart and the soule as awaked out of a deepe sleepe is then sodenly rauished with extreamitie of the sweetenesse of that melodie ah I heare it ô the voice the voice of my well-beloued The Queene-voice of all voices a voice in comparison wherof all the other voices are but a dume and sad silence See how this deare friend doth spring out see how he comes tripping ouer the mountaines transcending the hills his voice is heard aboue the Seraphins and all other creaturs he hath the sight of a Goate to penetrate deeper then any other the beautie of the Sacred obiect which he desires to praise He loues the melodie of the glorie and praise of his Father more then all the rest and therefore he takes his Fathers praises and benedictions in a straine aboue them all Behold this diuine loue of the Beloued as he is clothed in his humanitie making hīselfe to be seene through the holes of his wounds and his open side as by windowes and as by lattises by which he lookes vpon vs. 5. Yes The Diuine Loue being seated vpon our Sauiours heart as vpon his royall Throne beholds through the passage of his pearced side all the hearts of the sonnes of mē for this heart being the king of hearts keepes his eye still fixed vpon hearts But as those that looke through a lattise doe plainely discouer others and yet are not

this kind of fauour one could desire no more and as the sunne-beames remaine Sunnne-beames notwithstanding that they are reiected and repulsed by some obstacle so God's signified will remaines the true will of God though it be resisted true it is it hath not the effects which it would haue being seconded 4. The conformitie then of our heart to the signified will of God consisteth in this that we should will that which the diuine goodnesse doth signifie vnto vs to be his intention beleeuing according to his doctrine hoping according to his promises fearing according to his threats louing and liuing according to his ordinances and aduertissements to which all the protestations which we make thereof in the holy Ceremonies of the Church doe tend Hence we stand while the Gospell is red as being readie to obay the holy signification of Gods will contained therein Hence we kisse the booke at the Gospell side in adoration of the sacred word which doth declare his heauenly will Hence many Saints mē and women carried in the old time in their bosoms the Gospell written as an Ephitheme of Loue as it is reported of S. CICILE And indeede S. MATHEWES Gospell was found vpon S. BARNABIES breast written with his owne hand Wherevpon in the auncient Councells in the midst of the assemblie of Bishops they erected a Throne and put vpon it the Booke of the holy Gospells which represented the person of our Sauiour king Doctour Directour Spirit of all the Councells and of the whole Church so much did they reuerence the signification of Gods will expressed in this holy booke Certes that great Myrrour of Pastours S. CHARLES Archbishop of Milau neuer studied the holy Scripture but bare head and vpon his knees to testifie with what respect we are to reade and heare the signified will of God Of the Conformitie of our will to the will which God hath to saue vs. CHAPTER IV. 1. GOd hath signified vnto vs so diuersly and by so diuerse meanes that his will was that we should all be saued that none can be ignorant of it to this purpose he made vs to his owne Image by Creation and himselfe to our Image and likenesse by his Incarnation after which he suffered death to ransome and saue all mankind which he performed with so much loue that as the great S. DENIS Apostle of France racounteth he saied vpon a day to the holy man Carpus that he was ready to suffer an other passion to saue mākind and that this would be pleasant vnto him if it could be done without any mans offence 2. And although all are not saued yet is this will the tru● will of God who doth worke in vs according to the condition of our and his nature For his Bountie moues him liberally to communicate ●nto ●● the succours of his grace to bring vs to the felicitie of his glorie but our nature req●●● that his liberalitie should leaue vs in libertie to make vse of it to our saluation or to neglect it to o●r damnation 3. I haue demanded one thing saied the Prophet and it is that which I will demand for euer that I may see the delightes of our Lord and visite his temple But what are the delightes of the soueraigne Goodnesse but to poure out and communicate its perfections Verily his delightes are to be with the children of men to showre his grace vpon them Nothing is so agreeable and delightfull to free Agents as to doe their owne will Our Sanctification is the will of God and our Saluation his good pleasure nor is there any difference at all betwixt good pleasure and Good liking or consequently betwixt good-liking and goodwill yea the will which God hath to aduantage man is called good because it is amiable propitious fauorable agreeable delicious and as the Grecians after S. PAVLE saied it is a true PHILANTROPIE that is a beneuolence or a will entirely affectionate to men 4. All the celestiall Temple of the Triumphāt and Militant Church doth resound on euery side the delicious Canticles of God's loue towards vs. And the Sacred bodie of our Sauiour as the most holy Temple of his Diuinitie is wholy adorned with markes and tokens of this Beneuolence so that in visiting the Diuine Temple we behold the louely delightes which he takes to doe vs fauours 5. Let vs then a thousand times a day behold this louing will of God ād grounding ours therein let 's deuotely crie-out O Bountie infinitly sweete how amiable is thy will How desirable thy fauours Thou created vs for an eternall life and thy motherly breast swolen in the sacred dugges of an incomparable loue abounds in the milke of mercy whether it be to pardon sinners or perfect the Iust Ah why doe not we then glew our wills to thyne as a child is locked to the nible of his mothers dugge to lucke the milke of thy eternall benedictions 6. TH●O we are to will our Saluation in such sort as God will's it and he wills it by way of desire must not we then following his desire incessantly desire it Nor doth he will it onely but in effect enables vs with all necessarie meanes to attaine it we then in sequele of the desire we haue to be saued must not onely desire but in effect accept all the graces which he hath prouided for vs and presents vnto vs. It is sufficient to saie I desire to be saued yet it is not sufficient to saie I desire to embrace the meanes conuenient to the attaining of saluation but we must with an absolute resolution desire and embrace the grace which God bestowes vpon vs for our will must necessarily correspōde to God's And whereas Gods will giues vs the meanes to saue our selues we ought to receiue them as we ought to desire saluation in such sort as God desires it and vs. 7. But it fals often out that the meanes to come to Saluation considered in grosse and in generall are according to our hearts liking but considered by peecemeale and in particular they are dreadfull to vs for haue we not seene the poore S. Peter prepared to vndergoe all kind of torments in generall yea death it selfe to follow his Maister and yet when it came to the deede doing and performance waxe pale tremble and at the word of a simple maide denie his Maister Euery one deemes himselfe able to drinke our Sauiours CHALICE with him but when indeede it is presented vnto vs we flie and forsake all Things proposed in particular make a more strong impressiō and more sensibly wound in the Imagination And for this reason we gaue aduice in the INTRODVCTION that after generall affections one should descend to particular ones in holy Meditation Dauid accepted particular afflictions as an aduancement to his perfection when he sunge in this wise O Lord how good it is for me that thou hast humbled me that I might learne thy iustifications So also did the Apostles reioyce in their tribulations in that they

truth or a most true humilitie that indeede we are most vnprofitable and vnfruitfull seruants to our Maister who by reason of his essentiall superabundancie of riches can haue no profit by vs but conuerting all our works to our owne aduantage and commoditie he makes vs serue him with as little profit to him as much profit to our selues who by so small labours gaine so great rewards 3. He was not then bound to paie vs for our seruice if he had not passed his promis for it yet doe not thinke THEO that he would so manifest his goodnesse in this promise as to forget to glorifie his wisdome yea contrariwise he did most exactly obserue the rules of equitie mixing comelinesse with liberalitie in an admirable manner for though our works are indeede very small and in no wise for their quantitie cōparable to Glorie yet in regard of their qualitie they are very proportionable therevnto by reason of the Holy Ghost who by Charitie dwelling in our hearts workes them in vs by vs and for vs in so exquisite a manner that the same workes that are wholy ours are more wholy his sith as he doth produce them in vs so we againe produce them in him as he doth them for vs so we doe them for him as he operats them with vs so we cooperate them with him 4. Now the holy Ghost doth dwell in vs if we be liuely members of IESVS CHRIST who herevpon saied vnto his Disciples He that abids in me and I in him he brings forth much fruit and it is THEO because he that abids in him is made partaker of his diuine Spirit who is in the midst of mans heart as a liuing fountaine of water springing vp vnto life euerlasting so the holy oyle which was poured vpon our Sauiour as vpon the head of the Church militant and triumphant doth spread it selfe ouer the societie of the Blessed who as the sacred beard of this heauenly Maister is continually fastened to his glorious face and doth drope vpon the companie of the faithfull who as clothes are ioyned and vnited by loue to the Diuine Maiestie the one and the other troope being composed of naturall brethren hauing hereby occasion to crie out Behold how good and how pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell in one as oyntment on the head which ranne downe vpon the beard the beard of Aaron which ranne downe vpon the hemme of his garment 5. Our works therefore as a little corne of mustard are in no sort comparable in greatnesse to the tree of glorie which they produce yet haue they the vigour and vertue to worke it for that they proceede from the holy ghost who by an admirable infusiō of his grace into our hearts makes our works his and yet withall leaues them our owne since we are members of one head whereof he is the Spirit and ingraffed in a tree whereof he is the sape and whereas he doth in this sort act in our actions and we after a certaine manner doe operate or cooperate to his operation he leaues vs to our part all the merite ad profite of our seruices and good workes and we againe leaue him all the honour and praise thereof acknowledging that the beginning the progresse and the end of all the good we doe depends of his mercy by which he hath come vnto vs and hath preuented vs he came into vs and assisted vs he came with vs and conducted vs finishing what he had begun But ô God THEO how mercifull is this Bountie vnto vs in this diuision we render him the glorie of our praises alas and he giues vs the glorie of his possession In somme by these light and passing labours we obtaine goods permanent for all eternitie Amen That perfect vertues are neuer one without the other CHAPTER VII 1. The heart is saied to be the first part of a mā which receiues life by the vnion of the soule and the eye the last as contrariwise in a naturall death the eye begins first to die the heart the last Now when the heart begins to liue before the other parts be animated life is feeble tender and imperfect but still as it gets further possession in the other parts of the bodie life is more vigorous in each part but particularly in the heart and we see that life being interressed in any one of the members it is weakened in all the rest If a mans foote or arme be agreeued all the bodie is disseased stirred troubled and changed If our stomake paine vs the eyes voice and countenance are sensible of it Such is the agreement amongst all the parts of man for the enioying of this naturall life 2. All the vertues are not gotten in an instant but one after another as reason which is as the soule of our heart rids it selfe now of one passion now of another to moderate and gouerne them and ordinarily this life of our soule takes it's beginning in the heart of our passion which is Loue and branching it selfe ouer all the rest it doth euen quicken the very vnderstanding by contemplation as contrariwise morall or spirituall death makes its entrie into the soule by the consideration Death enters by the windowes saieth the sacred Text and its last effect is to distroy the good Loue which once perishing all our morall life is dead in vs so that though me may indeede haue some vertues seperated from others yet are they but at most languishing imperfect and weake vertues since that reason which is the life of our soule is neuer satisfied or at ease in a soule vnlesse it occupie and possesse all the faculties and passions of the same and being once agreeued or hurt in any one of our passions or affections all the rest loose their force and vigour and strangly doe pine away 3. Marke THEO all the vertues are vertues by the proportion or conformitie they haue to reason and an action cannot be named vertuous if it proceede not from the affection which the heart beares to the decencie and beautie of reason Now if the loue of reason doe possesse and animate the mynd it will be obedient to reason in all occurrences and consequently will practise all the vertues If IACOB loued RACHEL in respect that she was Laban's daughter why did he despise LIA who was not onely the daughter but euen the eldest daughter of the saied LABAN But because he affected RACHEL by reason of her beautie he could neuer equally loue the poore LIA though a fruitfull and wise maide not being so faire in his eye He that loues a vertue for the loue of the reason and decorum that shines in it he will loue them all since he will find the same motiue in thē all and he will loue each of them more or lesse as reason shall appeare in them more or lesse resplendēt He that loues Liberalitie and not Chastitie shewes sufficiently that he loues not liberalitie for the beautie of reason for that is