Treatise On The Love Of God

--by Saint Francis de Sales
1567-1622
Bishop, Founder of the Visitation
and Doctor of the Church

Translated by
Rev. Henry Benedict Mackey, O.S.B.
Under the Direction and
Patronage of His Lordship the
Right Rev. John Cuthbert Hedley, O.S.B.
Bishop of Newport

"A truly admirable book, which has as many admirers of the sweetness of its author as it has readers. I have carefully arranged that it shall be read throughout our Society, as the universal remedy for all feeble ones, the good of slothful ones, the stimulus of love, and the ladder of those who are tending to perfection. Oh! that all would study it as it deserves! There should be no one to escape its heat."
(St. Vincent de Paul)

Tan Books and Publishers, Inc.
Rockford, Illinois 61105

Originally published in approximately 1884 by Burns & Oates, Limited, Londonand Benziger Brothers, New York as Volume II of the series "Library of St. Francis de Sales." This edition photographically reproduced from the Third Edition by arrangement with Burns & Oates.

Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 95-60646
ISBN 0-89555-526-3
Cover illustration: Portrait of St. Francis de Sales by J. J. Owens (early 20th century), based on the Turin portrait. Courtesy of De Sales Resource Center, Niagara Falls, New York.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Translator's Introduction

Dedicatory Prayer

Preface

Book I. Containing a Preparation for the Whole Treatise.

Chapter

• I. That for the beauty of human nature God has given the government of all the faculties of the soul to the will
• II. How the will variously governs the powers of the soul
• III. How the will governs the sensual appetite
• IV. That love rules over all the affections and passions, and even governs the will, although the will has also a dominion over it
• V. Of the affections of the will
• VI. How the love of God has dominion over other loves
• VII. Description of love in general
• VIII. What kind of affinity (convenance) it is which excites love
• IX. That love tends to union
• X. That the union to which love aspires is spiritual
• XI. That there are two portions in the soul, and how
• XII. That in these two portions of the soul there are four different degrees of reason
• XIII. On the difference of loves
• XIV. That charity may be named love
• XV. Of the affinity there is between God and man
• XVI. That we have a natural inclination to love God above all things
• XVII. That we have not naturally the power to love God above all things
• XVIII. That the natural inclination which we have to love God is not useless

Book II. The History of the Generation and Heavenly Birth of Divine Love.

Chapter

• I. That the divine perfections are only a single but infinite perfection
• II. That in God there is but one only act, which is his own divinity
• III. Of the divine providence in general
• IV. Of the supernatural providence which God uses towards reasonable creatures
• V. That heavenly providence has provided men with a most abundant redemption
• VI. Of certain special favours exercised by the divine providence in the redemption of man
• VII. How admirable the divine providence is in the diversity of graces given to men
• VIII. How much God desires we should love him
• IX. How the eternal love of God prevents our hearts with his inspirations in order that we may love him
• X. How we oftentimes repulse the inspiration, and refuse to love God
• XI. That it is no fault of the divine goodness if we have not a most excellent love
• XII. That divine inspirations leave us in full liberty to follow or repulse them
• XIII. Of the first sentiments of love which divine inspirations cause in the soul before she has faith
• XIV. Of the sentiment of the divine love which is had by faith
• XV. Of the great sentiment of love which we receive by holy hope
• XVI. How love is practised in hope
• XVII. That the love which is in hope is very good, though imperfect
• XVIII. That love is exercised in penitence, and first, that there are divers sorts of penitence
• XIX. That penitence without love is imperfect
• XX. How the mingling of love and sorrow takes place in contrition
• XXI. How our Saviour's loving attractions assist and accompany us to faith and charity
• XXII. A short description of charity

Book III. Of the Progress and Perfection of Love.

Chapter

• I. That holy love may be augmented still more and more in everyone of us
• II. How easy our Saviour has made the increase of love
• III. How a soul in charity makes progress in it
• IV. Of holy perseverance in sacred love
• V. That the happiness of dying in heavenly charity is a special gift of God
• VI. That we cannot attain to perfect union with God in this mortal life
• VII. That the charity of saints in this mortal life equals, yea sometimes surpasses, that of the blessed
• VIII. Of the incomparable love which the Mother of God, our Blessed Lady, had
• IX. A preparation for the discourse on the union of the blessed with God
• X. That the preceding desire will much increase the union of the blessed with God
• XI. Of the union of the blessed spirits with God, in the vision of the Divinity
• XII. Of the eternal union of the blessed spirits with God, in the vision of the eternal birth of the Son of God
• XIII. Of the union of the blessed with God in the vision of the production of the Holy Ghost
• XIV. That the holy light of glory will serve for the union of the blessed spirits with God
• XV. That there shall be different degrees of the union of the blessed with God

Book IV. Of the Decay and Ruin of Charity.

Chapter

• I. That as long as we are in this mortal life we may lose the love of God
• II. How the soul grows cold in holy love
• III. How we forsake divine love for that of creatures
• IV. That heavenly love is lost in a moment
• V. That the sole cause of the decay and cooling of charity is in the creature's will
• VI. That we ought to acknowledge all the love we bear to God to be from God
• VII. That we must avoid all curiosity, and humbly acquiesce in God's most wise providence
• VIII. An exhortation to the amorous submission which we owe to the decrees of divine providence
• IX. Of a certain remainder of love that oftentimes rests in the soul that has lost holy charity
• X. How dangerous this imperfect love is
• XI. A means to discern this imperfect love

Book V. Of the Two Principal Exercises of Holy Love Which Consist in Complacency and Benevolence.

Chapter

• I. Of the sacred complacency of love; and first of what it consists
• II. How by holy complacency we are made as little infants at our Saviour's breasts
• III. That holy complacency gives our heart to God, and makes us feel a perpetual desire in fruition
• IV. Of the loving condolence by which the complacency of love is still better declared
• V. Of the condolence and complacency of love in the Passion of our Lord
• VI. Of the love of benevolence which we exercise towards our Saviour by way of desire
• VII. How the desire to exalt and magnify God separates us from inferior pleasures, and makes us attentive to the divine perfections
• VIII. How holy benevolence produces the praise of the divine well-beloved
• IX. How benevolence makes us call all creatures to the praise of God
• X. How the desire to praise God makes us aspire to heaven
• XI. How we practise the love of benevolence in the praises which our Saviour and his Mother give to God
• XII. Of the sovereign praise which God gives unto himself, and how we exercise benevolence in it

Book VI. Of the Exercises of Holy Love in Prayer.

Chapter

• I. A description of mystical theology, which is no other thing than prayer
• II. Of meditation the first degree of prayer or mystical theology
• III. A description of contemplation, and of the first difference that there is between it and meditation
• IV. That love in this life takes its origin but not its excellence from the knowledge of God
• V. The second difference between meditation and contemplation
• VI. That contemplation is made without labour, which is the third difference between it and meditation
• VII. Of the loving recollection of the soul in contemplation
• VIII. Of the repose of a soul recollected in her well-beloved
• IX. How this sacred repose is practised
• X. Of various degrees of this repose, and how it is to be preserved
• XI. A continuation of the discourse touching the various degrees of holy quiet, and of an excellent abnegation of self which is sometimes practised therein
• XII. Of the outflowing (escoulement) or liquefaction of the soul in God
• XIII. Of the wound of love
• XIV. Of some other means by which holy love wounds the heart
• XV. Of the affectionate languishing of the heart wounded with love

Book VII. Of the Union of the Soul with Her God, Which Is Perfected in Prayer.

Chapter

• I. How love effects the union of the soul with God in prayer
• II. Of the various degrees of the holy union which is made in prayer
• III. Of the sovereign degree of union by suspension and ravishment
• IV. Of rapture, and of the first species of it
• V. Of the second species of rapture
• VI. Of the signs of good rapture, and of the third species of the same
• VII. How love is the life of the soul, and continuation of the discourse on the ecstatic life
• VIII. An admirable exhortation of S. Paul to the ecstatic and superhuman life
• IX. Of the supreme effect of affective love, which is the death of the lovers; and first, of such as died in ove
• X. Of those who died by and for divine love
• XI. How some of the heavenly lovers died also of love
• XII. Marvellous history of the death of a gentleman who died of love on Mount Olivet
• XIII. That the most sacred Virgin Mother of God died of love for her son
• XIV. That the glorious Virgin died by an extremely sweet and tranquil death

Book VIII. Of the Love of Conformity, by Which We Unite Our Will to the Will of God, Signified Unto Us by His Commandments, Counsels and Inspirations.

Chapter

• I. Of the love of conformity proceeding from sacred complacency
• II. Of the conformity of submission which proceeds from the love of benevolence
• III. How we are to conform ourselves to that divine will, which is called the signified will
• IV. Of the conformity of our will to the will which God has to save us
• V. Of the conformity of our will to that will of God's which is signified to us by his commandments
• VI. Of the conformity of our will to that will of God which is signified unto us by his counsels
• VII. That the love of God's will signified in the commandments moves us to the love of the counsels
• VIII. That the contempt of the evangelical counsels is a great sin
• IX. A continuation of the preceding discourse. How every one, while bound to love, is not bound to practise, all the evangelical counsels, and yet how every one should practise what he is able
• X. How we are to conform ourselves to God's will signified unto us by inspirations, and first, of the variety of the means by which God inspires us
• XI. Of the union of our will with God's in the inspirations which are given for the extraordinary practice of virtues; and of perseverance in one's vocation, the first mark of inspiration
• XII. Of the union of man's will with God's in those inspirations which are contrary to ordinary laws; and of peace and tranquillity of heart, second mark of inspiration
• XIII. Third mark of inspiration, which is holy obedience to the Church and superiors
• XIV. A short method to know God's will

Book IX. Of the Love of Submission, Wereby Our Will Is United to God's Good-Pleasure.

Chapter

• I. Of the union of our will to that divine will which is called the will of good-pleasure
• II. That the union of our will with the good-pleasure of God takes place principally in tribulations
• III. Of the Union of our will to the divine good-pleasure in spiritual afflictions, by resignation
• IV. Of the union of our will to the good-pleasure of God by indifference
• V. That holy indifference extends to all things
• VI. Of the practice of loving indifference, in things belonging to the service of God
• VII. Of the indifference we are to have as to our advancement in virtues
• VIII. How we are to unite our will with God's in the permission of sins
• IX. How the purity of indifference is to be practised in the actions of sacred love
• X. Means to discover when we change in the matter of this holy love
• XI. Of the perplexity of a heart which loves without knowing whether it pleases the beloved
• XII. How the soul amidst these interior anguishes knows not the love she bears to God: and of the most lovefull death of the will
• XIII. How the will being dead to itself lives entirely in God's will
• XIV. An explanation of what has been said touching the decease of our will
• XV. Of the most excellent exercise we can make in the interior and exterior troubles of this life, after attaining the indifference and death of the will
• XVI. Of the perfect stripping of the soul which is united to God's will

Book X. Of the Commandment of Loving God Above All Things.

Chapter

• I. Of the sweetness of the commandment which God has given us of loving him above all things
• II. That this divine commandment of love tends to heaven, yet is given to the faithful in this world
• III. How, while the whole heart is employed in sacred love, yet one may love God in various ways, and also many other things together with him
• IV. Of two degrees of perfection with which this commandment may be kept in this mortal life
• V. Of two other degrees of greater perfection, by which we may love God above all things
• VI. That the love of God above all things is common to all lovers
• VII. Explanation of the preceding chapter
• VIII. A memorable history to make clearly understood in what the force and excellence of holy love consist
• IX. A confirmation of what has been said by a noteworthy comparison
• X. That we are to love the divine goodness sovereignly above ourselves
• XI. How holy charity produces the love of our neighbour
• XII. How love produces zeal
• XIII. How God is jealous of us
• XIV. Of the zeal or jealousy which we have for our Lord
• XV. Advice for the direction of holy zeal
• XVI. That the example of certain saints who seem to have exercised their zeal with anger, makes nothing against the doctrine of the preceding chapter
• XVII. How our Lord practised all the most excellent acts of love

Book XI. Of the Sovereign Authority Which Sacred Love Holds Over All the Virtues, Actions and Perfections of the Soul.

Chapter

• I. How agreeable all virtues are to God
• II. That divine love makes the virtues immeasurably more agreeable to God than they are of their own nature
• III. That there are some virtues which divine love raises to a higher degree of excellence than others
• IV. That divine love more excellently sanctifies the virtues when they are practised by its order and commandment
• V. How love spreads its excellence over the other virtues, perfecting their particular excellence
• VI. Of the excellent value which sacred love gives to the actions which issue from itself, and to those which proceed from the other virtues
• VII. That perfect virtues are never one without the other
• VIII. How charity comprehends all the virtues
• IX. That the virtues have their perfection from divine love
• X. A digression upon the imperfection of the virtues of the pagans
• XI. How human actions are without worth when they are done without divine love
• XII. How holy love returning into the soul, brings back to life all the works which sin had destroyed
• XIII. How we are to reduce all the exercise of the virtues, and all our actions to holy love
• XIV. The practice of what has been said in the preceding chapter
• XV. How charity contains in it the gifts of the Holy Ghost
• XVI. Of the loving fear of spouses; a continuation of the same subject
• XVII. How servile fear remains together with holy love
• XVIII. How love makes use of natural, servile and mercenary fear
• XIX. How sacred love contains the twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost, together with the eight beatitudes of the Gospel
• XX. How divine love makes use of all the passions and affections of the soul, and reduces them to its obedience
• XXI. That sadness is almost always useless, yea contrary to the service of holy love

Book XII. Containing Certain Counsels for the Progress of the Soul in Holy Love.

Chapter

• I. That our progress in holy love does not depend on our natural temperament
• II. That we are to have a continual desire to love
• III. That to have the desire of sacred love we are to cut off all other desires
• IV. That our lawful occupations do not hinder us from practising divine love
• V. A very sweet example on this subject
• VI. That we are to employ in the practice of divine love all the occasions that present themselves
• VII. That we must take pains to do our actions very perfectly
• VIII. A general means for applying our works to God's service
• IX. Of certain other means by which we may apply our works more particularly to the love of God
• X. An exhortation to the sacrifice which we are to make to God of our free-will
• XI. The motives we have of holy love
• XII. A most useful method of employing these motives
• XIII. That Mount Calvary is the academy of love

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