■«■«£*• v^ LIBEAEY OF THE Theological Seminary, PRINCETON, N. J. Case, Divis,on Shelf, Section.! Book, .." A DONATION FROM Tt-ScSZ-^L deceived /d7?S T H E ARCHBISHOP O F C A MB RAY's PASTORAL LETTER CONCERNING The hove of G D. TOGETHER | With the Opinions of the Fathers, on the fame Subject. Now done into Endifh. To which is added, A Circular Letter, by George Bull, D. D. Jate Lord Bilhop of S. David's ; his Vifi- tation Sermon, and his Charge to his Diocefe. Publifhed by ROBERT NELSON,E{q ; . L N D N: Printed for Charles I{ivin^ton, at the Bible and Crorvn in S. Paul's Church-yard. 1715. W$&W$WW}^F® W®ffi&®8$M THE PREFACE. H E great Chara* Eter of the late ex- cellent Prelate, the Author of the fol- lowing 'Trait, is fo 'very well known to all the learned World, that it would be fuperfluous to fay any thing on that Head. It might, perhaps, feem requifite to fay fomething concerning the Occajion and Dejign of his" writing This A 2 Tratf. The Preface.' Trait, but that too is unnecejjary ? for the excellent Author, in his Let- ter to the Pope, which follows this Trait, hath given an Account of it, "The Quietifts are a Sett of Romanifts, not very different from our Quakers ; and^ in order to ob- viate their Errors, and thofe of fome other Enthufiafts, he wrote his Ma- xims of the Saints, and this Pafto- ral Letter : The Reader will find the whole explained in his Letter to the Pope. THE * ■& i& ^ "wf w ^C "jjg" 'Sjj' "^ -3** v » J& & $ #. 4& J& £v £t ^ Jfc m THE ARCHBISHOP O F CA M B RAY's Paftoral Letter. W^C^^WK F f| ibsi RANCIS, by the Grace of GOD, and of the HoJy Apoftolical See, Archbifhop of Cambray 9 8cc. To the Cler- gy Secular and Regular of our Diocefe, Health and Grace in our Lord. The Zeal GOD infpires us with, for the Salvation of the Souls which He hath been pleafed to commit to our Direction, will not fufFer Us any longer todeferr communicating our whole Defign and Intent in Our late B Treatife., 2 The Archbijhop of Cambrays Treatife, entituled, An Explication of the Maxim of Saints. We conceive, we have not omitted any where to exprefs an Abhor- rence of all fuch Principles, as might give any Countenance to the Errors of Quietifm. But forafmuch as there have been made great Complaints againft this Book, for thefe fix Months part, we thought ourfelves obliged in Duty, to give you a Ihort Explanation of fuch Parlages in it, as have been understood by Perfons of great Learning, in a Senfe quite contrary to our own, till fuch time as we lhall be able to put out a new Edition of it, together with fuch farther Additions, as may fully illuftrate and clear all fuch Paffages, as have given any Offence. Every Chriftian is fo far from being ob- liged to enter into any Difputes and Con- troversies, that it is his indifpenfable Duty, to explain himfelf ftill more fully, and ufe all Methods in order to content fuch as are not fatisfied with his' former Explications. And a Bifliop is fo far from being exempted by his Character from this Obligation, that it is, in a more efpecial manner, his Duty to clear up a Truth, as being the Perfon to ivhom it is entrufted, and alfo in point of Charity, as being bound to fuffer all things for the Edification of the Church. It is in this Spirit, dearly beloved Brethren, that I endeavour fo lead you into the true Senfe and Meaning of thofe principal Parts of my Eook which feem to have given Offence to igmc 7 Pafloral Letter. 3 fome, that fo you may be able to confirm and eflablilh all Maxims of the pureft Spiri- tuality, and detect and root out all fuch as may appear to countenance Illusion. The whole Pian of my Book may be con- sidered under thefe two effential Points : The firft proves, that Charity, the great Ver- tue fo frequently inculcated in the Holy Scriptures, is the Love of GOD, independent of the Motive of Recompense ; though that be defired even in the mod perfect Degree of Charity : The fecond endeavours to give an Idea of a perfect Charity, where that Ver- tue being exalted into the highert Degree, animates all the reft, and commands, and perfects all Anions, without taking away ei- ther their peculiar Motives or Diftinction, yet in fuch a manner, that the Soul in fuch an Eilate hath not any mercenary Affection or Intereft, no deliberate meer felfiih Love. This is in general the Defign of the Book. Let us now confider the Particulars. Whatever is not contained in the facred Repofitory of Doctrine, trufled to the whole Body of Pallors, cannot be any Perfection, nay, muft certainly be a prophane Novelty, and Myftery of Iniquity. Therefore, my dear- ly beloved Brethren, you ought not to ad- mit any fecret and unknown Tradition to be the higheft Perfection of ChriiUanity. This would be, as I have formerly faid, to deflroy all Tradition by multiplying it : This would be, to nourilh a Seel of Hypocrites in the B 2 Bo- 4 The Archbijhop ofCambrays Bofom of the Church : This would be, to revive the Impiety of the Gnoftich and Ma~ nichees : This, laftly, would be, to fap all the Foundations of Faith and Morality. Yet, in all our Labours, to raife pious Souls to the higheft pitch of Divine Love, unto which all are called, we ought not to propofe the Pra- ctice of the higheft Perfe&ion, but to fuch Souls as truly thirft after it : Which is alfo the Opinion of Caffian. € The Idea of this 4 State, as it was only communicated to a few * by the moft ancient Fathers, fo we intimate c it only to a few, and thofe fuch as thirft after c it indeed/ S. Clement of Alexandria, before Caffian, fpoke of this prudential Reafbn, for not propofing the moft perfect fort of Prayer, and Pra&ice of the moft fublime Love,to any, but fuch Souls as begin to be enlightned and raifed. But he mentions not this as any fe- cret Noftrum, or any Pra£tice not conform- able to the publiek Tenets of the whole Church. And we endeavour only to diftin- guilh between the Way of the Perfecl and that of Beginners, and mew more elevated Maxims of Perfe£Hon to fuch as are capable of receiving them, as the Archbifhop of Pa- rM) and Bilhop of Meattx, Mr. Tronfon, and myfelf, have faid upon another Occafion. We ought, nevertheless, to fay to the Begin- ners, as our Saviour hath done, You cannot bear it now ; and y to ufe S. Pauls Exprefiion, feed them with Milk , and not mth firong Meat. Our Pa/ioral Letter. 5 Our holy Faith informs us, that Hope is a fupernatural Vertue. It may be in Sinners; and the Love of G OD, as our fovereign and chief Good, which is calJed Hope, is in them a truly fupernatural Love, and infufed by the Holy Spirit. When I fay, that Hope is in- fufed into the Soul by the Holy Spirit, I would not be underftood to fpeak of A&s, for they are not infufed, as the Schoolmen term it ; I mean only, that a Difpofition is infufed, and that the Acts are fupernatu- ral. If we confound this Love with the -natu- ral Love of meer Concupifcence, we ihall de- rogate much from the Dignity of this fecond Theological Vertue. And it was by way of Caution againft this Error, that I divided it into two Degrees, and added different De- finitions of the natural Love of meer Con- cupifcence, and of the Chriftian Hope which is fupernatural. I have affirmed, that this Love is a Beginning of a Converfion to GOD. I have mentioned S. Francis de Sales's Opi- nion, who fays alfo, there is a great Diffe- rence between thefe Words, J love GOD for the Good I expect jrom Him, and thefe, / 1 love GOD only for the Good which I ex- petl from Him. I have faid farther, that the Soul which hopes, begins to love GOD for Himfelfonly. And it is plain, fuch a Love as this cannot be natural, but proceeds from Grace. This fupernatural Love, or Hope, is different, not only from all irregular Love of B 3 Con- % The Archbifiop ofCambrays cupifcence, but alfo from all regular Love, which is only natural. We muft farther be very accurate, in diftinguifhing the Act of Hope from the State of the Peifon who makes it, and who is yet a Sinner. 1 he A& of Hope includes a Love of GOD as our chief Good, and preferable to any other Object : But the State of the Sinner who hopes, is not a State wherein he prefers GOD even to him- fdf. Where. I fpeak of five Loves, I would be underftood to mean only five States of Love. And I think my Eook need only be open- ed, in order to fee that this is my Meaning. All I have faid in the following Part of my Eook, concerning the fourth and fifth Love, cannot be underftood of States, becaufe I include, in each of thefe Loves, all the di- toi£i Acts of all the Vertnes requisite for one %vhole fort of Life. It is plain, therefore, that my five Loves are only five States ; and, confequently, that whatfoever I have faid concerning the reigning Motive of the Love of Hope, doth not relate to the Act of that Vertue, but only to the State of the Soul %vhich hopes.. It is true, indeed, that the Soul which hopes, before it be arrived to a State of Chriftian Juliification, is as yet go- verned by the Motive of his own proper !n- terefl ; that is, is not eflablifhed in a firm Preference of GOD, to his own felf, al- though the Act of Hope includes in it- felf Pafloral Letter. 7 felf a Love of G O D as of the fupreme Good. Thirdly, The moft perfeft Souls, far from cealing to hope for their eternal Salvation, hope for it more ardently than the lefs per- fect Souls. For, as S. Thomas fpeaks, Love increafcs Hope : For which Reafon, it is per- fectly unlawful to confent to our own Re- probation, under any pretext of Conformity to the fecret and unknown Decrees of GOD. For it is revealed, That it is GO Us Will that •pee fhould befaved ; and we ought always to conform ourfelves to this unalterable Rule. Be pleafed to obferve, that fpeaking of Souls, I have faid, They have only the Pre- cepts and Rules of the written Law for their Dire&ion, and a£tual Grace, which is al- ways agreeable to that. I have faid farther, That the poiitive and written Will of GOD is the only fixed and unalterable Rule of our "Wills, and all our voluntary Anions : Not but that we ought alfo to conform to what- ever GOD in His good Pleafure fhall com- mand, although that be not delivered or writ- ten j but the former was laid down as a Rule, becaufe there may be Illufion in the manner of difcovering foch a Will of G OD. To pre- vent all Danger from Illimon, I would have no one, under any pretext, forfake the unal- terable Rule of His revealed Will : Becaufe, as I have remarked, that Will of good Plea- fure, which GOD informs us of by His a&ual Grace, is always agreeable and confo- B 4 nant 8 The Archbijhop of Cam bray s rant with the written Law. I have faid alfo^ That His Will of Permifilon is never our Rule ; and, confequently, that our Reproba- tion, which can never be founded, except on the permiffive Will of GOD, becaufe of our final Impenitence, according to me, can ne- ver be the Rule of any of our Wills. I have faid farther, That the Sou), far from confent- ing to hate GOD positively, can never con- fent even indireftly to ceafe to love Him one UngJe Moment. I add alfo, That the Dire- ctor ought never to counfel or permit any one to believe pofitively, even through a free and voluntary Perfualion, that he is in a State of Reprobation, and that he ought no longer to delire the future Promifes out of a $ure and difinterefted Love. Here is the great Article of the Queftion decided : Here is the Jaft Proof of my whole Notion deli- vered clearly. After this, I leave the can- did Reader to 'judge, whether this Author can be conceived to affirm, that Souls ought to confent to their eternal Reprobation, only becaufe he fays, * Holy Indifference admits * not only of diftinft Defires, and exprefs * Requefrs, for all the Wills of GOD which c are known to us, but alfo general Defires * for all the Wills of G O D, which are as ' yet unknown to us. ' Thefe Wills of GOD, which are not known to us, cannot be con- trary to his revealed Will concerning our Salvation, which, according to me, is our alone and unalterable Rule $ and, therefore, can Paftord Letter. 9 can only concern the uncertain Events of this humane Life. How can any one confent to his eternal Reprobation, that earneftly de- foes his Salvation, becaufe it is the good Pleafure of GOD ? as I faid a little above in the fame Page. How can any one confent to hate GOD eternally, when fo far from con- fenting to that, no one can confent even to ceafe from loving for one iingle Moment ? Or, how can any one conform himfelf to any unknown Will of GOD, for the Repro- bation of his own Soul, when he hath no o- ther unalterable Rule for his Conduct, but the reveal'd Will concerning our Salvation ? How can any one confent to his own Repro- bation, when his fpiritual Director ought not to fuffer him even to believe he is in a Stare of Reprobation, and that he ought no longer to defire the Promifes of a future Life ? How can any one confent to his own Reprobation, when it is alferted, the permiflive Will of G O D is never the Rule of our Conduct ? and our Reprobation cannot be founded on any thing belides the permillive Will of GOD, upon our final Impenitence ? How can any one be an eternal Enemy to GOD, when he maintains Principles which will not permit him ever to believe himfelf abandon- ed by GOD, or to imagine he hath no more any Mercy towards him ? Laltly, How can any one wifh himfelf to be eternally damned, when he loves himfelf in GOD, when he defires and hopes for all thofe gracious Pro- mifes 10 The Archbifoep ofCawlrays mifes he bath made, even for His Sake, and when he ceafes not to endeavour after, and wifh his own Salvation , inafrruch as He is the Good, the Happinefs , and Recom- pence. Not only the molt perfect Souls defire and wait for their Salvation, together with all thofe Graces which are the Means for attain- ing unto it, but do farther alfo delire it even upon this very Account, becaufe He is their Good : For we cannot delire our own Sal- vation, as being a Thing which GOD de- foes, and commands that we alfo ihould de- fire, for the Sake of His own Glory, with- out deliring it upon this very Account, be- caufe He is our Good ; for it is for this Reafon, that GOD defires it Himfelf, and for which He commands us alfo to delire it. Therefore the proper Goodnefs of the Ob- ject, or the very Reafon, becaufe He is our Good, doth really move and excite the Will of the Man. And the Conformity of it to the Will of G O D is fo far from excluding the proper Motive of Hope, that it moll evi- dently includes it. For it is elfential to a Conformity to the Will of G O D, not only to will any Object, but alfo to will it, upon Account of the Portion of Good which GOD hath bellowed on it, and becaufe it is condu- cive to our own chief End. And therefore we cannot but be firmly perfuaded, that its being our chief Good is the proper and ef- fential Motive of Hope. * It Pajioral Letter. II It remains only to be enquired, whether our Good maybe called our Intcreft. The Word Intereft admits of two Acceptations : It may be taken either for any Object which is de- lightful or advantageous to us, or for that Inclination which we have to any fuch Ob- ject, by reafon of a Self-love, natural to our- felves. According to the firft Acceptation of the Word, any one may fay as I have done, that Bleffednefs is our greateft Intereft. But if we conlider it in the fecond Senfe, which is the more general and common in our Lan- guage, the Term Intereft imports an Imper- fection, inafmuch as the Soul, inftead of a- cting by a fupernatural Love jor it/elf, acts only out of a natural Love of its onn felf ; Which is extremely different from the fuper- natural Love of Hope : And it is for this Reafon, that after having faid the Object is my Intereft, I immediately fubjoin,but there is no felfifh Intereft in the Motive. And indeed all perfect Souls delire earneftly their Sove- reign Good, meerly becaufe he is fuch, and not upon any ordinary mercenary Affection. Befides,the T eims, Selfijb Intereft, or Intereft be- ing the Motive, clear up the Notion abun- dantly more than the fimple Term Intcreft ; and very plainly point out an imperfect Af- fection ; there being a great Difference be- tween faying, he follows his chief Intereft, and faying, he follows any Object out of this Motive, that it is his chief Inteieft. There- fore, though in two or three Places of my Book, 12 The Archbijhop ofCambrays Book, I have affirmed the chief Good is our Intereft, yet I no where ufe the Term Intcreft, and fubjoin to it Sclfijh, but to fignify a na- tural Self-love , and mercenary AfFe&ion , fuch as the Saints call Selnlhnefs. This mutt be carefully attended throughout all my Book, for the whole Senfe of the Rook turns upon the right Apprehending of the Import of this Term, and which { have ufed in the fame Manner as the moft approved Authors have done before me. But not to be tedious on fuch an equivocal Term, let it be underftood that Inure ft is tf- fential to 'Hope, if we will undeiitand by In- tereft the greateft Good : But if we only un- derhand by Intereft a natural and mercenary Inclination, we muft obferve, that fuch an IntereiVor Selfiihnefs is not confident with the Perfection of Saints. The Holy Virgin hoped all her Life-time, without ever being felfilh or mercenary ; from whence I con- clude, that it is poltible to exercife our Hope with its proper Motive, namely our chief Good, without its being excited by any felfifh Motive. The natural Love, which I men- tion'd before, is bad when is is irregular, and is confined to our own Per Jons ; and is good when regulated by right Reafon, and conformable to publick Order : Yet is it ftill an Imperfe&ion in Chriftians, when it is e- ven governable and obedient to Order ; or to ufe a fofter ExprevHon, it is a lefs Perfection, as Pajioral Letter. 13 as continuing fiill in the natural Order, and is inferiour to the other fupernauKal Impulfe. This natural and deliberate Love of ourielves is acknowledg'd and taken notice of by almoft all the Divines, and you will find it explain- ed in the Words of St * Thomas, and f Eftius y at the Bottom of the Page. We muft farther remark, my dearly beloved Brethren, that I have attributed all that Ver- tue to the fpecifick Motive of Hope, that the Schoolmen before me have done. But I have not ufed the Word Motive, but chofe rather to call it only the Formal ObjcEl 3 which is a Term of the fame Import amongft the * — Amor a ut em fui-—a caritate quidem difiinguitur % fed ■ caritati no n contrarixtur. Futx cum aliquis diligit feipfum fecnndum rationem proprii boni : ita tamen quod in bocpro- prio bono non conjlituat finem ; Jicut etiam & ad pro xi mum potej} ejfe aliqua fpecialis dileftio prater dileEtionem carita- tis, qua fundatur in Deo, dum proximus diligitur rations Cowmoditatis, confanguinitatis, yel alicujus alterius condi- tions bumanA, oux tamen referribilis fit ad caritatem. D. Tho. 2 2. cj. a. 6. in Corp. t Licet timor ills ex amore juflitU nonprocedat,fed tantum tx amore viu temporalis. Ita nee p;ccave fidelem dum metuit Gehennam, &> hoc metu facit cpuslegis nulla alio- qui drcumjtaniia fuum aBum Jive internum five externum depravunte^ licet non ex amore jujlitU timor ilh, Qp opus inde fuhfecHtum proficifcatur. Frocedit enim ex amore quo natura- liter quifquefibi vult bene. &> in genere felicitatem app?tit. Eftius in Lib. 5, Sent. Dift. 3* Parag. 8 . x School- 14 The ArchbifljQp ofCambrays Schoolmen. Therefore upon my firft laying down my Opinion, 1 have declared that the Formal Object of Hope is my Good, inafmuch as it is my Good, according to this Reftri&i- rn, and according to this formal Conception, Thefe are the principal Terms which I ufe in exprefling that it is my Good, inafmuch as it is my Good which doth really move my Will. The Term Motive is the only one which I have ufed in a Senfe different from what the Schoolmen have done. But I believe, after having eftabhfh'd my Notion by fuch abun- dance of equivalent Terms, I may be allowed to ufe the Word Motive to fignify a Princi- ple of Love, by which we ad : And in this Senfe, it is very frequently ufed in our Lan- guage. We fay of a covetous Man, that he fpares out of a Motive of Avarice ; and of an ambitious Man, that he engages himfelf in publick Affairs, out of a Motive of Ambiti- on : Where by Motive is meant a Paffion which moves the Heart. And after the fame Manner we may fpeak of feveral other Loves or Paffions which excite and move the Will. When we are excited by a natural Love of ©urfelves, we a& upon a Motive of Self-Inte- reft : But when we are excited by a fuperna- tural Love, we act difmtereftedly. This ap- peared to me~tb be the cleareft Manner of exprefling myfelf, and the beft adapted to the Underftandings of fuch, as have not been ac- cuftomed to the School Divinity : And it was to Pajloral Letter. 15 to thofe that I more immediately directed my Difcourfe, in order to caution them againit Uluiion, or Enthullafm. What hath been faid concerning Hope, may be applied to all the other Vertues : They ought always to preferve their diftinct Offi- ces, and confequently their proper Motives. That is very true, which I have faid after St. Attftin, that perfect Love, which is Charity, is itfeif all Vertues. Nihil cmnino ejfe virtu- urn affirmaverim, nifl jummnm amortm Dei. And it is in this Senfe only, that Charily is faid to be the Mother of all Vertues,according to St. Thomas. St. Ah 'ft in, ,to what quoted above, adds alfo in the fame Place, that the Vertues are fpecify'd by the Variety of their Affecti- ons and Motives. Ex ipjius amoris vario qm- dam aff&u. Thefe Motives of the Vertues, by being exalted by a fuperiour Motive of the Glory of G O D and a diiinterefted Charity, are in no fort lefs real or of lefs Force and Power to actuate the Will in this perfect Sub- ordination. This Doctrine is conformable to that con- tained in thofe 34 Articles, which I former- ly ihewed the Archbifhop of Paris, the Bi- fhop of AAeattx, and Mr. Tronfon. I have faid in the 13th Article, that in the moft per- fect Life and Prayer, all the Acts of the in- ward Life are united in Charity alone, inaf- much as that animates all the other Vertues, and commands their Offices. I have alfo de- tlared, that this Union doth in no wife de- firoy 1 6 The Archbtjhop of Camlray* s ftroy the diflincT: Exercife of every Vertue. I have added alfo, that then we fhall no lon- ger defire Vertue,/or our oven Sales, that is, out of a Self- Inter eft, and a natural and mercena- ry Inclination, and that we ihall pracHfe all Vertues, without making any Reflexions up- on their being fo very conducive to our Self- Advantage and Profit. I have remarked, that the dimiterefted Soul doth not love out of a View of the Self- Inter eft of its Perfe&ion, that is upon a Principle (as 1 borrowed the Expreffion from John de la Croix) of fpiritual Avarice and Ambition. I have faid farther, that I endeavour only to retrench or cut off all Selfiflinefs or fpiritual Inter eft in the Vertues, I have farther ex- plained myfelf in a very full and explicite Manner. We rejeti not Wifdem, but only the Selfifbnefs, and dive ft ourf elves only of all Sclf- lntereft in Wifdom, as alfo in all other Vi rtues. I exclude not Wifdom from the Perfect, but that felfifh Reflexion by which we af- fure ourfeives of being wife, and propofe to life it only to felfifh Ends. The Difference, which I have made be- tween the perfect and difinterefted Souls, and the Jefs perfect, which the Fathers have thought mercenary, and the Saints of the lat- ter Ages called felfifh •, confifts in this, that the lefs perfect Souls, betides that fupernatu- ral Love with which they love GOD, have alfo a natural and deliberate Love of them- felves, which creates a mercenary Affection and Pajioral Letter. 17 and Difpoiition of the Will. This mercena- ly Affe&ion, without pofitively influencing in any of the fupernatural Acts, diminifhes that Perfection of the Will, iuafmuch as the Will defires the Good more purely and with greater Ardency, when the Soul loves only with a Love of Charity, than when fhe loves with a Love of Charity and natural Love. On the contrary, the perfect Souls love only with a fupernatural Love, which makes them de- fire the Gifts of GO D for their own Sake. In the moft perfecl Life, all the A Wrath of GOD, whom it loves, and for whom the Soul turns even againft itfelf. This Condemnation is no more than GOD's Oppofltion to Sin, and GOD's Anger thereupon, which every Sin- ner ought to have a juft Impreffion of. But ought he, according to me, to give himfelf up entirely to his Wrath ? Nay, 1 infift upon the quite contrary exactly, that he ought always to defire the Promifes with difintereft- ed Affection. Is not this to deilrc, that GOD would not fnatch us away in his Anger, and to fly to the Promifes, that is, the very Mer- cies of our heavenly Father. Nay, farther, I have declared in that very Article, which ir noted for falfe, that no one ought ever to believe that he is abandoned by GOD, or that He hath no longer any Mercy for go The Archbtflwp of Cdmbraf s us, but on the contrary, that we ought al- ways to defire it fmcerely. Laftly, I have faid, that this Sacrificing our Self-love and entire Acquiefcing, generally conduces to keep the Soul in Peace, and calm the Temptation, which is intended only to purify our Love of G O D. It is alfo my O- pinion, that fuch A&s as thefe ought never to be inftilled into the Mind, or permitted, excepting in Matters of great Moment, and upon the laft Neceflity. Where-ever the Affli&ion of the Soul can be removed by or- dinary Means and Methods, we ought not to ufe this great one. And therefore I have precaution 'd that this A£l is not to be ufed but when the Soul is oppreffed with fome in- vincible Trouble, and which cannot be ex- pelled by any other Means, which may have been tried to calm it. I have faid in my 33d Article of Ijfy, that we inftill into troubled Souls and fuch as are truly humbled,an entire Submiflion and Con- fent to the Will of GOD, though by a moft falfe Supposition they mould imagine, that in- ftead of thofe Goods which He hath promifed them, He Ihould for His good Pleafure keep them in eternal Torments, yet without their being utterly deprived of His Grace and Love. This is an Inftance of the moft perfect Abai -' doning of Selfifhnefs, and of the moft pure Love the Saints have pra&ifed , and which by the peculiar Grace of G O D may conduce very much to the Benefit of Souls truly perfefr. Here P aft oral Letter. 3 1 Here then is an A& of perfeft Abandoning of Selfilhnefs, and of the pureft Love, and which may be advantageoufly pra£Hfed by troub- led Souls, and confequently may be of great Ufe to heal their Pains, and calm the Tempta- tion. Thus alfo we fee that St. Francis de Sales, having for a long time fufTer'd an Impreflion of Reprobation, and as it were an AiTurance of certain Death ; he would be at laft necefli- tated by the rude Shocks of his Torture to come to this fearful Refolution, that fince in another Life he mult be deprived of loving and of feeing GOD, fo worthy to be loved and feen, he will notwithstanding as long as he lives upon Earth do his beft to love Him with all his Strength and with all his Soul. This impoflible SuppoiTtion would occafionally produce an A£t which would deliver the Saint ; ilnce the Author of his Life fays, the Devil, vanquilh'd by fuch a perfe£l and difinterelted A61 of Love, would quit his Ground, and leave him. Thus is it that fuch a difintere- fted A£t, wherein we facrifice all mercenary Affe&ion, which fpiritual Writers call Selfifh- nefs or Self-Intereft, conduces much to ap- peafe the Soul, and calm a Temptation, which is permitted by G O D only to purify our Love. I have explained that by Indifference, I mean only Dilintereftednefs of Love : And be- ware, my Brethren, of concluding from the mecr Term IndilFerence, that I fhould affirm, we 5 2 Tie Archbifhop ofCambrays we ought to be indifferent in our Defires of our eternal Salvation. A Difintereftednefs of our Love excludes only,interefted or mercena- iy Affe£cion. As for our Acts of Hope, and Defires of the Gifts of G O D, which are commanded to be fought for out of Love, and which proceed from the pureft Love ; thefe, are fo far from being excluded, that they ought to encreafe in Proportion as our Love encreafes. Can any one love with a moft perfect Love, that with which he loves GOD himfelf, and not defire the chief Good, the only neceflary Thing ? Such an Indifference as would exclude either interefted or difintereited Defigns for our Salvation, would quite de- ftroy the very Nature of Love, which ought always to make us dear to ourielves, for the Sake of GOD ; would quite extinguifh all in- ward Life ; would be a moft brutal and mon- ftrous Defpair. We may eafily fufpend our Defires for future Events, which, as the Schoolmen fpeak, depend upon the good Pleafure ef GOD, but we can never ceafe to defire thofe good Things which the Will of GOD hath revealed to us by His divine Law. Befides it is certain, even from our Faith, that GOD defires the Salvation of us all, and would have us alfo believe fo. And no more is afferted, than that we may defire with the fame Difinterefiednefs the Things which are mani- felted to us by GOD's Providence and thofe revealed in the Scriptures. If it is laudable to defire with perfect Pifinterefiednefs the infe- riout Pajloral Letter. 33 t)Ur Goods of this Life, by how much Wron- ger a Reafon ought we to defire with perfeft Difintereftednefs the Sovereign Good. But, in Order to be perfe&ly informed by the moll decifive Strokes in my Book, with how much Horror I have rejected an Indifference or Su- fpenfion of our Defires for our eternal Salva- tion, there need only to be read that which I have faid, concerning the indifpenfable Ne- ceflity under which we are, of loving our- felves ; and for the Want of which we (hall fall into what the Mankhees call an impious Hate of our own Souls, by fuppofing an evil Principle 01 Nature in Things contrary to Order. Again, can any one love himfelf, and not defire the chief Good, the One ne- ceilary Thing ? Let us therefore, my Bre- thren, love ourfelves, but not with that na- tural Love which is meer Self-intereltj but with that by which we love ourfelves in GOD, and for GOD, and which makes us, with- out ceafing, defire for ourfelves all the Gifts of our heavenly Father. Ipfutrt Amemns (lays S. Aufiin) propter ipftim, & nos in ipfo tamen propter ipjhm. I have concluded, that an In- difference or abfolute Sufpenfion of Defire of the eternal Goods doth en v rely de- ftroy Chriftianity, nay, indeed, Humanity it- felf ; and that no Words could fufficiently ex- pofe fuch a monftrous Extravagance. Beware, my Brethren, of permitting any one to inftill into the faithful Souls, any No- tion of a Dereliction, or of their being aban- D doned g4 Tte Archbifljop ofCambrafs doned by GOD ; or that thefe fhould ceafe to defire, or ask earneftly of GOD, together with the -whole Church, all thofe Goods, fpiritual and temporal, which are included in that general Petition for our daily Bread, and which are, in particular, expreffed in the Publick Offices of the Church. The Gnoftich, or perfect Contemplative of S. Clement of A- lexandria, according to that Father, forms all fuch Defires and Prayers as intreat for tem- poral as well as fpiritual Goods, though he be advanced to the very ideal Point of Perfe- ction, and joins in the fame Prayers and Pe- titions with other lefs perfeft Souls in the Congregation of the Faithful. Thefe are the Words of that Father ; * The Gnoftick therefore, together with thofe who have but newly embraced the Faith, frays for thofe Things which are requifite for them. He that loves himfelf only by that exalted Charity, or fame Love with which he loves his Neighbour for GOD, and in GOD, doth not love"" himfelf lefs than he who loves himfelf with a natural and mercenary Love only, and without the per- fect Love of Charity. By how much a more perfect Love you love yourfelf, the more you defire all true Goods : You defire even all the temporal Goods, according to the Method of GOD's Providence, and without any Im- patience and Inquietude in this State ; by how much a greater Reafon fhould you defire all the fpiritual Goods conducive to Salvation, * Strom. L, j, Pag. 7x8, which Pafteral Letter. g 5 which is the Confummation of the moft per- fect Love ? The moft perfect Soul deftres and prays for, together with the whole Church, all thofe Goods which lefs perfeft Souls peti- tion for ; all the Difference between them is in the Affection with which the Will defires, and not in the Object itfelf. The perfect Soul is fo far advanced, as to defire all Goods with the pure Love of Charity ; but the im- perfect defires them only with a natural, or mercenary, and interefted Love. 1 have faid, That all Perfection may be reduced to this habitual State of pure Love. Thus have I cut off all natural Love of ourfelves, to bring the Soul to love itfelf with the Love of Charity only. And I have added farther, That this Love produces in the Soul, with a peaceful Difintereft, all that the other mixed Love doth, together with fomething of Impotence and Selfilhnefs. In one word, Selfifhnefs is and ought only to be excluded in the Exer- cife of perfect Love • but as for any thing elk, the^ poffefs it in a greater Meafure than the generality of the Faithful. Conclude therefore, my dear Brethren, that all the tru- ly Perfect make, more frequently than the Community of the Juft, all Acts of Defire and Petitions for the Gifts of GOD, though it is without any interefted or mercenary Af- fection : Conclude alfo, that any fuch In- difference or Abandoning as would hinder fuch from making with a dilinterefted Peace, all thofe Petitions of the Church in which D 2 wt %6 The Archbijloop of Cambrays we ought always to unite ourfelves, would be, as I faid, fpeaking of Blafphemy, contrary to the Words of Scripture, and the Prayers of the Church, which are rilled with Petitions and Defires : This would be to excommu- nicate one's own felf, and put one's felf out of a Condition for ever, of being able to pray either with Heart or Mouth in the Con- gregation of the Faithful. We would only have excluded from the State of perfect Souls all inquiet and urgent Activity, which was alfo cut off by the 1 3th of our Articles at lffi ; wherein I have decla- red, That we ought always to fuppofe Grace to be prefent, although we (hall not be able to perceive its diftincl Energy upon us In- afmuch as it doth not at once, and in every Moment, produce in us all different Difpo- litions, but only at Times, and fucceffively. I have faid, We ought not to be impatient to have, in a moft fenfible and comforting manner, thofe Difpofitions which Grace doth not produce juft at that Moment. Laftly, I have declared by an urgent Activity, to be iinderftood, a full and entire Cooperation of .all the Forces of the Soul, to ufe all its Grace at every Moment, and in fo doing, to prepare itfelf for a future Grace hereafter ; it is part of our Faith to believe, that every one ought always to urge and excite himfelf al- ways, and at every Moment to ufe all the Grace which is given him, Pajloral Letter. 37 Reflexions have nothing imperfetl in them- f elves ; nor are they troublefome, but when Souls confider themfelves with Impatience, and affiitl themfelves. Thefe are my Words : And o- therwife, all A&s of Reflexion are equally perfect with direcl: A£ts, becaufe their moral Perfection proceeds from the Fidelity of the Soul, to fulfill the Working of Grace. We muft make direcl: or reflex Acls, according as our own Neceffities require, or our Duty, or the Working of Grace, fhall incline us to the one or the other. And you may obferve that I have faid in my Book, That the moft exaU ted Souls, by cutting off all inquiet and urgent Reflexions, which proceed from Self-inter eft and mercenary AffeHion, refleU always with Tran- quillity. Thefe are my own Words. GOD often, by His Grace, infpires into the moil perfect Souls, very ufeful Reflexions upon His Defign in them, and upon paft Mercies, which He makes them praife, or upon their Inclinations, which they are to give an Ac- count of to their Directors. And this Infpi- ration, which I fpeak of, is no more than the common Working of Grace in all the Faith- ful. Many Saints have fpoken of the Separation of the fuperiour Part of the Soul from the in- feriour, and in that I have only followed them : I have not fuppofed this to be an entire Separation 5 this would be fupernatu- ral, miraculous, and contrary to the State of pure Faith, which I always fuppofe. Upon D 3 thi? 38 The Archbifiop ofCamlrays this Account I have condemned them who fay, that this Separation is entire, inafmuch as the Union of the fuperiour Part with GOD doth not fenfibly affe£t the inferiour. And, therefore, all the Irregularities of the in- feriour ought not to be imputed to the fupe- riour. It would be mighty weak to engage the inferiour Part in Reflexions, and the fu- perior in dire£r Aels, as fome Perfons have foeen pleafed to conceive of me. The infe- riour Part confifts of the Imagination, and the Senfes ; but the Imagination is incapable of refle£ting. The fuperiour Part therefore only reflects, which confifts of the Under-" Handing and Will. According to my Book, the Separation of the two Parts confifts only in this, That the inferiour Part is fubjecl to he troubled and difturbed, while the fupe- liour Part is peaceful and calm. But, inaf- much as this Separation is never entire du- ring Life, there always remains Communica- tion enough to make the fuperiour Part re- fponfible for all that is tranfa£led in the in- feriour Part, with refpefl to all fuch things as are efteemed voluntary in the ordinary Courfe of Life. By this abfolute and vigo- rous Rule, I thought I had prevented all that might be apprehended from Illufion, contra- ry to Purity of Manners. By this I have made the Soul equally accountable for all A&ions, both in Experiences, and without Experiences. It is certain, that the Gme 9 or gne Point of the Soul, which S. Francis de Stiles Paftoral Letter. gc/ Sales mentions, confifts in direct Acts. But, according to the fame Saint, the fuperiour Part of the Sou! doth not only import this Point ,but comprehends alfo all A6rs of Refle- xion, without being capable of having a fen- fible Teftimony of his Hope. This S. Franm de Sales exprefles after this manner : * c Al- 1 though ihe (Speaking of the Soul under Pu- f nifhment) have, indeed, the Power of be- * lieving in, hoping in, and loving GOD, e and doth truly fo, yet hath lhe not the ' Power of difcerning throughly, if ihe doth * believe, hope, and love GOD, becaufe her 1 Affliction doth fo wholly feize her, as not * to permit her to make any Reflexions on * herfelf, to difcover what ihe doth : For c which Reafon it is, that ihe imagines, that * ihe hath neither Faith, Hope, nor Charity, 4 but only Phantafms and unprofitable Im- ' preffions of Vertue. ' The fame Saint fpeaks in another place, f ' That facred and ' holy Reft is in the Body of the Soul, in the ' moft fine and delicate Point of the Spirit : € And this. Reft is not foft, and tender, or * fcarce at all feniible, although it be true, ' unconquerable, and exceeding loving, and * feem to have retired to the fine Part of the * Spirit, as to the moft fortified Part of a * Caftle, where it continues valiantly, not- * withftanding all the reft be oppreffed with ' Sadnefs ; and the more Love in this Eftate *Am. deDuu, 1, 9. c. i*. i Ibid. 1. 9< c. t. d 4 I « 40 The Archhifiop ofCambrays f is deprived of all Support, and abandoned ' of all the Succour and Aififtance of all the * Faculties and Vertues, the more valuable * is it for preferving its Fidelity inviolable 6 under fuch Difficulties. ' And here give me leave to ask the Reader, whether thefe Words, Love referred to the fine Part of the Spirit, as into the moft fortified Place of a Caftle, notmthftanding all the reft be opprejfed with Sadnefs, and abandoned by all the Ker- tues 9 8cc. infomuch that it imagines it hath nei- ther Faith, Hope, nor Charity, doth not ex- prefs this Notion after a much more ftrong manner than I, when I fuppofe a Separation, but not entire, between the fuperiour and in- feriour Parts of the Soul, that is, between the Imagination and Senfes on one fide, and the Understanding and Will on the other £de, in which the Will doth not confent to the Affli&ion of the Imagination ; and the Imagination is not at all comforted by the Peace which the Underftanding en- joys. Contemplation is an Exercife of pure Love, but not the only Exercife ; pure Love exerts itfelf alfo in Ads of diftin£t Vertues. I have farther added, That a Soul filled with fure Love, in Obedience to its Dire&or who would try it, ought to be as ready to meditate as Beginners, and to contemplate as Cherubims. Meditation itfelf may fometimes be a true Exercife of the moft dilTnterefted tpve. All the Faithful are called to Perfe- ction 5 Pajloral Letter. 41 ction : but they are not all called to the fame Exercifes and Pra£Kce in Particulars «f the moit perfect Love. Wich refpe& to thofe whom GOD draws in a more particular Manner to the Exercife ef Contemplation, they muft be permitted to go on according to the Working of the Grace which is in them, after it hath been well experienced, and after fuch a Man- ner as not to inftill into them any Prefumption cr vain Compliance ; but as a Bifhop advan- ces a Deacon to the Order of Priefts , with- out permitting him to believe himfelf per- fect. The paifive Eftate, according to my Book, is no more than a State of difinterefted Love, wherein Charity commands and animates all the Vertues, directing them all to her own End. And all the Vertues are exercifed by the raoft fimple and uniform A&s, without Inquietude, without Urgency, but with all the holy Mildnefs which the blefTed Spirit of GOD infpires. As I have alfo taken notice in the 1 2th of my Articles of JJJjt, this State was called paflive by the Saints,not to exclude the moft real and moft efficacious Co-opera- tion with Grace every Moment, nor in order to exempt the Souls from that continual Vi- gilance with which they ought to watch over themfelves, or to txcufe that painful Refinance which muft in every State be made againfi all Temptations ; For I here faid that this Refi- nance, not with ftanding it is paflive , is not at all lefs painful with iefpeS to Concupif- 42 The Archbijhop ofCdmbrayt cence, and that every Soul ought to refift even mto Blood againft Sin. I therefore exclude on- ly that which the Authors, which treat of a fpiritual Life, have called Activity, that is, that Inquietude and Urgency which are link- ed to a mercenary Affection, or natural Love of ourfelves. 1 have farther faid, we ought to have Recourfe to the molt felfiih Motives, and that with Impatience, rather than to fuf- fer ourfelves to be overcome. Therefore the Term Pafllvity is oppofed only to Activity, and no one can take it in a Contradiftin£tion to Action or A£ts, without plunging the Soul into an inward Idlenefs, which would be en- tirely to deftroy the ChrifUan Life. This Paffivity is no Eftate of miraculous Infpira- tion. The Souls have only the ordinary In- fluence of Grace, which is common to all the Faithful, even in the molt obfcure Faith. When therefore Mention is made of any Acts which GOD infpires in this Eftate, we muft beware of believing that GOD determines the Soul by any extraordinary Infpiration : There is no more meant,than a fimple Impulfe of Grace, which thofe Souls too do no plain- er difcern, than the more common,and which only guides them to fuch Adls as the Rules and Precepts of the Gofpel do. I do not at all place this Paflivity in all the Powers of the Soul being chained up, or in an abfolute Incapacity of its making any difcurfive Acls • becaufe 1 believe, that thofe Souls, which are gently inclined by an Impulfe of Grace to the Pajioral Letter. 43 "the Ample and uniform A&s of Contempla- tion , do notvvithftanding never lofe a per- fect Liberty and Power of refitting this Jm- pulfe of Grace, and of making any other dif- curfive A£ls. Otherwife this Inability, being contrary to the natural Liberty of the Sou], would be plainly miraculous, and confequent- ]y contrary to the State of pure Faith, in which the moft experienced Authors in thofe Matters allure us the molt paflive Souls full continue to be. The State of pure Faith, ac- cording to them, gives the Soul no other per- ceptible Light, but that of Faith common to all Chriftians. And on the contrary, the Way of a fupernatural Inability, to make any difcurllve Aft in any certain time, would be a Way of miraculous Light. I therefore con- fine this paflive State to a llmple Uniting of all the Venues in Charity , which pervades, commands , and animates them, and makes them exercife all Manner of diitinct Acts, both in Prayer and out of Prayer, with an u- niform Peace. Paflivity, thus explained, is the Perfe&ion of the Love of GOD, unto the which, all Chriftians are in general called, yet unto which a very fmall Number doth come, and the Praftice of which we ought not to exa£l, but of fuch Souk only as find themfelves thereunto difpofed. As for paflive Contemplation, it is an Exercife not abfo- lutely accellory to Perfection , and unto which many pure Souls may never be once called; There 44 The Archbijhop ofCambrays There never can be any real Perfe&ion without an intimate Union with "Jefus Chrift. In the moft exalted Contemplation the Soul may be employed concerning Jefus Chrift, made prefent to him by Faith, and in all In- tervals, when that Contemplation ceafes, may ftill be exercifed though after a lower Man- ner. No Soul is ever deprived of a Sight of him by a real Privation, but lofes only the diitincr, fenlible, and reflex View at times j and thefe Loffes are only for a Time and in Appearance, in two Cafes ; namely, in the Beginning of an imperfect Contemplation, and in Experiences. I have faid, that in rhe firft Cafe, the Beginning of an imperfect Con- templation,this Privation of the fenlible View of Jefus Chrift proceeds not from the Perfe- ction but Imperfe&ion of that Exercife ; as being yet rather carnal and fenlible than pure and abftradr. And thefe apparent Privations have alfo their Intervals. Befides too, they are not long, the View of Jefus Chrift pre- sently returns, and is the frequent Employ of perfect Souls. Thus I have exprelTed myfelf concerning this Matter. Thefe Intervals of Privation are only for a fhort Time, and the more the Souls purify themfelves from all Selfiihnefs by a jealous Love, thefe Experien- ces are the fhorter. It is only the fecret Op- position of the Soul to Grace, under fome fair rretexts, an interefted and felfifh Delire of ftill keeping all carnal Supports that GOD deprives the Soul of, and which therefore make Paftoral Letter. 45 make their Experiences the more psynful and long ; for G O D never makes His Creature fuffer, only to make him fuffer, and without any Advantage. Thefe Experiences therefore are indeed ihort, and are only prolonged by wicked Souls, who oppofe GOD. They therefore ought to impute the frequent De- privation of the View of Jefus Chrift, not to the Nature of an Experience, but to their own Infidelity. Its Experiences in general are ihort, the lad Point of an Experience, in which only the Soul is deprived of an intimate View of Jefus Chrift, muft neceflarily be much ihorter. As for that negative Contem- plation, which, according to St. Dennis, ad- mits of no diftinft Image or Idea, fuch as can be named, it is that of the Divinity on- ly, which hath no Bounds. Eut after having explained this Sort of Contemplation, which is celebrated by St. Dennis, and lignifies only a loving View of GOD, infinitely perfect, I have faid expreily : ' The Simplicity of this * View doth not at all exclude the diftinct View i of the Humanity of Jefus Chrift and all his ' Myfteries, becaufe pure Contemplation ad- * mits of other Images, befides thofe of the 'Divinity: It admits all theObje&s which ' pure Faith prefents to us. ' You fee then, my Brethren, that the Do&rine, contained in my Book, admits of in every State, except- ing that of a negative Contemplation, that is the abftracled view of the Divinity, another Exercife of Contemplation, wherein all the Myite- 46 The Archbifhop of Cawbray's Myfteries may employ the Soul. Befides, there is rfl) Contemplation which is not fome- times interrupted, and by Intervals the moft perfeft Souls have very diftinft Views of all the Obje£ts of Faith, and above all of the Word made Flelh. I conjure you therefore, my Brethren, to join with me, after the A- poftle, to anathematize whofoever lhall en- deavour to feparate you from the frequent and familiar View of Jefus Chrifr. Several Perfons have taken Offence at a Paffage in my Book, where I ufe the Term Involuntary Trouble or slfflitlion, lpeaking of the inward Pain of Jefus thrift. They who inferted that Term into my Book, intended only that the Affli&ion of Jefus Chrift, which was voluntary, inafmuch as it was commanded by his Will, was, notwithstanding, involun- tary, inafmuch as his Will was not troubled : But I am not concerned to defend that parti- cular Exprefiion, which was not indeed mine own, and this they who have feen the origi- nal Manufcript can teftify. This Exprefiion hath no Connexion with the whole Scheme, and if it be left out, the Text will remain ftill perfeft and entire. Complaint is made againft me for making wrong Citations of St Francis de Sales ; they who were intruded with Printing my Book in my Abfence have miftaken, for Paffages of that Saint, certain Maxims which I had formed only as agreeable in the main to his Do&rine and Spirit, and have diiUnguiihed thefe Pajioral Letter. 47 thefe very unhappily with Printing them in the Italick Chara&er. But I fhall hereafter give an exact Account of a]J the Citations which are made ; therein will appear both my Sincerity and the Conformity of my Do- ctrine with that of the holy Saint. 1 fhall al- io produce feveral Paflages out of his Books, which are more itrange than my Terms,which were taken for his. Laftly, if I may have ci- ted fome Palfages of his Writings, which have appeared harfh to the Publick, we ought to foften any Severity in our Reflexions, up- on thefe two Coniiderations. The firft, that no particular Perfon ought to indulge himfelf in the Liberty of condemning either the Sen- timents or Expreffions of fo great a Saint, concerning whom the whole Church every Year fpeaks thus : He hath enlightned the Church by his Writings, which are filled with Ce- leflial Dotlrwe, and hath pointed out a Jure Way to arrive at Chrifiian Perfection. Scriptis itaque Coslefii Doftrin* refertis , Ecclefiam illnftravit , qttibus iter ad Chrifiianam per- feffioncm tutnm & planum demonftrat. And this fo high a Commendation of the Doctrine of this Saint is approved by a Bull of Alexan- der VII. The fecond Thing to be taken notice of, is that after having collected all thefe Paffages, which I have profeffed that I did only with Intent to (hew the Myfticks that the moft re- fined Notions of this Saint and moft others terminated always in a difinterefted Love of GOD, 48 The Archbifoop ofCdmbrays GOD, by which we defire of GOD, with- out a Mixture of Selfifhnefs, all thoie Gifts which the molt intereited and felfiih Souls do. Thefe are my Words, fpeaking of fome Ex- preffions in that Saint : They all amount to* this, ' That we ought to have no felfifh or c interefted Defire, neither concerning Me- c rit, nor Perfe£tion, nor eternal Happinefs. * By which it is plain, that I would only take away from fome indifcreet My/ticks, all Pre- tence of abufing the Authority of S. Francis de Sales, by ihewing, that this Saint did cut off only all natural and ■ mercenary Affe&ion^ which is Selfiih-intereit. Thefe, my beloved Brethren, are the principal Things which I propofed to explain to you in this Letter. The more you read my Book, the plainer you will fee, that the Strefs of the whole Matter lies in the right Under/landing of the Word Self- interefi : And if this Term be not enough explained in my Book, it is becaufe I ventu- red to fuppofe, that every one, like myfelf, understood by it a mercenary Inclination^ to the Gifts of GOD, out of a natural Love x of ourfelves. 1 fuppofed,this Senfe of the Word was eftabliihed from the bell Authors of our Nation, which have wrote of a fpiritual Life, and alfo Foreigners, whofe Books have been tranftated into our Language. I fuppofed, that Mercenary and Intereited Were fynoni- mous Terms ; and, becaufe the ancient Fa- thers have allured us, That the Juft, who are arrived v.nto Pcrfeflion ? are no more mercenary, I have Paftoral Letter. 49 I have been bold to fay, they were not in- terefted ; and, without lofing the Exercife of the Vertues diftin&ly, they united all their principal Anions in Charity, which pervaded them all, which animated them, which com- manded them, and which perfected them af- ter fuch a manner, that natural and delibe- rate Self-love, or mercenary Affection, which is Self- interefr, mould not be any more found in perfect Souls. As for that natural and deliberate Love of ourfelves, in which we have placed Self- interefr, I have obferved, that it is plainly eftabliihed b$ S. Thomas and EftiH* ; it is acknowledged by the greateft part of Divines. And even fuch as do not admit this Love, muft, notwithstanding, be fo equitable as to allow it to be a thing very much countenanced by the Catholick Schools. If you take the Text in fuch a Senfe as I have been explaining it to you, you will find all the following Part of the Book plain and eafy ; but if you will take it in a lefs limited and reftrained Senfe, you will continually ftrain what follows, and neceflarily impute to me, in every Page, the moft extravagant Contradictions. There remains, my beloved Brethren, no farther Difficulty or Trouble, than for you to confult, and fee with your own Eyes, whether the Fathers, the canonized Saints, and other Authors, highly efteemed by the Church, have indeed taken the Terms Mer- cenary^ Interefttd, or Self-inure/^ in that Senfe E of 5. p. 106. deChevaloh. f L. =i e de Civ. Dei, c, if, p. 63 jr. Tom. 7. ** Horn. 13. in i.p, t GOD Paftoral Letter. 69 * GOD hath commanded us to pracrife Ver- c tue for the fake of the Reward, only in ' condefcenfion to our Infirmity. ' And in another place, * c We are very curious in 1 eftimating the Recompence of our Works, c as they who traffick do the Value of their * Wares ; when yet we fhould gain the great- * eft, if we acted without Hope of any Re- c compence. ' Let us hear this holy Teacher in another place ; * The good and generous ' Souls confider only the divine Beauty and 6 Perfection, without any View to their be- * ing recompenfed : But if any one be too c weak to a£t, he cafts its Eye, and hath re- c fpect to the Recompence alfo.' Andean we, my Brethren, after this, dare to con- found Self-intereft and mercenary Inclina- tion, with that Deilre which the Holy Spi- rit inspires into us, in the Act of fupcrna- tural Hope ? Or, can any fay, this great Author admits only of fupernatural Hope, in condefcenfion to humane Infirmity f Can this Vertue be looked on as a Mercantile Reckoning^ and dare any affert we fhall be more re- warded for not hoping for the eternal Re- compence ? Can any maintain, that the moft generous Souls do cut off the proper Motive of Hope, namely, their Sovereign Good, and only provisionally allow fuch as are too vseak and. infirm to hope for the Recompence ? To introduce S. Chryfofiome fpeaking thus, would I be. 70 The Archbijhop ofCawbrafs be, to put Btafphemies in his Mouth. He would retrench fomething in the Perfons which hope, and not deftroy fupernatural Hope itfelf. He would take away fuch an In- clination as is an Imperfe£tion, and a Refpe& to the Gifts only, which make us happy ; and fuch an Inclination as this, proceeds not from Grace but Nature. Therefore that Self-Inte- reft of the Mercenary Jufi will be found to ipring from Nature only. When this Father fpeaks of the Wifh which St. Paul made, to be accurfed for his Brethren's Sake, he prepares the Faithful for a Do£trine, as Gregory Naz,ianz,ene does, which would aftonifh them. * c He is going to fpeak (fays he) concerning a fecret and new Love, a Thing which would feem incredible, namely that this great Apoftle would, for the Salvation of his Brethren, be alienated not from the Love (for that were impoffible, iince it was out of a Love of G O D that he made the Wjm) but from the Enjoy- ment of his Glory — He would lofe the Kingdom of Heaven and the hidden Cilory. - — Becaufe we are very far from fuch a Love as this,we are not able to comprehend it, for there are fome fo unworthy to under- hand the high and myfterious Language of the Apoftle here, and the Greatnefs of his Love, as to think he means only a tem- poral Death. 1 dare affert, they know no * Horn 1 6. in Ep. ad Row r. 2 24. 'Ids Pafloral Letter. 71 c lefs of the Senfe and Meaning of St. Paul? c than a blind Man doth of the Sun and c Colours. This is by no means the true In- 1 terpretation ; this is the Opinion of meer * Worms immerfed in Matter. ; ' Whence comes it to pafs, that this Father admires fo much the Difintereftednefs of this Love? Whence comes it to pafs, that the Idea of this Difintereftednefs doth fo fenfibly ravifh him ? Is it becaufe it deftroys all fupernatural Hope in deftroying Self-Intereft ? Exa&ly the con- trary, it is becaufe he perceives there is no Selfifhnefs mixt with it,notwithftanding the fu- pernatural Hope ftill continues firm. Becaufe he finds there are no Remains of a natural Self- Love in it, nor any mercenary Inclination to the Recompence, as the Satisfa£tion of this Love. Cafflan, fpeaking of the perfeft Juft, fays, * * The two firft Orders or Ranks of Men c advance towards making a Progrefs ; but * they of the third Degree do Good * without Fear of Punilhment,or Hope of be- i ing recompenfed, but out of the Love of c its Beauty only. W e cannot (fays he, in an- c other Placed arrive to true Perfection, but c by loving without any other Motives than * that of Love itfelf. ' Solus ea qua bona font nulfo metu, nulla, remunerations gratia provo- cate, Jedfolo bonitatis affttlu operator. * Coll. uadcc. C 7, 8, 9, 1 1 , & i a. F 4. A cer* 72 The Archbijhop ofCambrays A certain Friend of Caffian obje&ed to Ab^ bot Cheremon, who alfo faid fomething to th;s Purpofe, that fuch a Doctrine as this fuppo- fed Imperfection in Hope. And this is the ve- ry Objection which is now made to us. The Abbot anfwered thus to it : ' All Crowns are not equal, there are many Manlions in our heavenly Father's Houfe, and that he, who is perfect in Fear, goes on from Ver- tue to Vertue, till he arrive to another Per- fection, which is that of Hope, (de perfe- Elione ad aliam perfettionem) and then raifes himfelf up to another more happy State, which is Charity. ' Ad beatiorem demo fta- tum 9 quod eft caritas, invitetur. Upon firft View of thefe Words, it may be thought, that Cheremon excludes all other Motives from his third State, except Charity ; and confe- quently baniflies Hope ; and fome may be apt to fuppofe he leaves Hope to meer mercenary Souls, and makes Charity the Portion of per- fect Sons. But upon a thorow Examination of thefe Words, it will appear, that he flill leaves the Perfect a Hope, which is animated and commanded by an entirely difinterefted Charity, and excludes only, from this State, fervile Fear, and natural and mercenary Hope, which is fo far from being that fupernaturaj Hope, and a Theological Vertue, that it is *in Imperfection. Ajfumens eos de timore fervi- li, & mercenariafpe, ad diletlionem Dei, & ad- fptionem tramferat filiorttw, & quodam modo per* fetliores faciat eos de perfect is. It is plain then, that Pafloral Letter. 73 that he excludes from the State of the higheft Perfection only thofe two natural and imper- fect Affections, which he fuppofes there are fome Remains of in the two firrt Degrees, ■which are notwithstanding perfect, but lefs fo than the great Third, becaufe they have fome Remains of Servile Fear and Mercenary Hope. Thefe Remains of Imperfection are alfo in the two firft Orders of Juft, together with fu- pernatural Fear and Hope, which if they have Grace for their Principle, have not any Im- perfection. This is the Doctrine of my Book, and extracted in the main from Cafflan. I do not exclude any more than he doth from the State of the Perfect, any Thing but natu- ral and mercenary Hope, without any ways injuring the fupernatural. This Doctrine, tho* erroneous and defective in his Doctrine of Grace, is notwithftanding of great Autho- rity in Matters of an Afcetick Life ; even a- bove thofe great Defenders of Grace, S. Prof- fer and S. Fulgentius. He compiled the pre- cious Maxims of the Retired, the Difciplines of S. Antony ; and S. Bennet places him in the fame Rank with S. Ba/il, for Precepts of the molt perfect Life. Tbeodoret fays, that S. /W, after having defied Heaven and Hell to feparate him from Jefus Chrift, allures us, ' That the heavenly ' Glory ought to weigh nothing with the * truly Faithful, in Comparifon of Love. For *■ we ought not to love GOD for the Pro- f mifes, but the Prornifes for GOD. ' He fpeaks F 74 T&e Archbifljop ofCamlrays fpeaks here of the Formal Beatitude, and would have us delire it in Conformity to the Com- mand of G O D, and in order to love him with a perfect and eternal Love. Such a Love as this is the true Love, and is for the moll part alone, is not like other Eftates, preceded or accompanied with awy mercenary Defires. Such too is the Hope which is governed and commanded by Charity, as the Catechifm of the Council of Trent obferves. TheopbylaU alfo,who divides Chriftians into three Ranks, agrees with S. Chryfofiome 9 Theo- doret, John of Antiochia in a Letter to Theo- doret, with Caffian, with S. Jfodore of Pelufi, and with Phot ins, in interpreting that Defire of the Apoftle to be accttrfcd for his Brethren, and concludes that eternal Punilhment ought to be no Obftacle to our loving GOD. St. Jehn Climachm fuppofes three Orders of Men, * Servants, Mercenaries, and Friends ; and declares, he means by Servants, fuch as are fincere and true, as S. Bafil before him does, Sinceri & Germani fervi, which he di- fHnguiihes from the unprofitable Slaves, in- utilia mancipia. All the fincere Servants being formed and ufed to their Mafters Willjvithout a- ny Hifttation obey what he commands. Omnes mitum ad ipfius voluntatis falli, qmcquid impe- rat fine cunblatione exequuntur. But on the contrary, the unprofitable Slaves, after receiv- ing Baptifm, violate the Law. This Author De Gradibu?, Grad. Prim. de- PaJIoral Letter. 75 defcribes three Sorts of Men ; the firft Volunta- rily ^fponte, difingage themfelves from the prejent Life , becaufe of the great Weight of their Sins, The fecond,out of a Hope of the Kingdom nhich is to come. And the laft, out of a Love of GOD fovereignly good. He characterizes the firft by Fear, which ftill retrains them ; the fecond by Hope, which they fall want to comfort and fupport them; and the laft by Love, which unites them to G O D. They all partake of Love and Hope, and are all rewarded like Ra- cers* Pius agonijlanm munerarius Deus, quo- cunque fine metam attigerint , cttrfum rcligiofa vita ratum habebunt. But the mercenary Juft want Support and Confolation from fome Reliques of humane Hope, and of a natural mercenary Love of themfelves ; but the laft unite themfelves to GOD, and want no mer- cenary or imperfect Affection. S. Maximus lays down three Ranks of Men Faithful and Vertuous : He names them, Be- ginners, Proficients , and Perfetl • Si rvants, Mer- cenaries, and Sons. Thefe he calls the three Degrees of Mtn nhich mil befaved, ?&$ rpu; Taf s/£ Tiov f'a^oiJLivm. 'The Sons Are neither affecled Kith Fear or Threatnings, nor yet n ith the Hope of the Promifes. Here is an abfolute Exclufion of mercenary Hope from the State of the Life of Sons. But he muft not be thought to exclude every Kind of Hope, even the fupernatural, nay not all Fear. He in- tends only to expell from the State of a per- fect j6 The Archbijhop ofCambra/s fe& Soul all humane Hope or mercenary Af- fe£ion. The venerable Bede* fays,the Difference be- tween the Sonpnd the Mercenary's very great. He is the Servant who abfiainsfrom Vices, out of a Fear of Punifhment ; the Mercenary, who does it out of Hope, and a Depre of the Kingdom of Heaven ; The Son, who atts every Thing out of the Love of Good itfclf. S. Anfelm, that pious and fublime Docior, lays down the fame Degrees in his Maxims, which are collected into a Volume by Edmcr his faithful Scholar, who wrote his Life. He declares thefe three Orders of Men will be faved ; but introduces GOD fpeaking, and declaring that he will not beftow the Fulnefs of Happinefs on the two firft Degrees. Plenam rctribHiioncm--~quU me non pure diligebatis, fed quoniam a me lucfa- ri volebatis. Becaufe yon have not loved me with a pure Love, and have been mercenary. He reproaches them with acting not only to a View to Intereft in this Life, but alfo in a future. Self- Intereft: therefore, or mercenary Inclination, which takes from the Purity of Love, and which deprives a Soul of the full Meafure of Glory , is an Imperfection , even though this AffecTion have refpeft to a future Life : And this Imperfection is fo far from being neceffary in every Eftate, that it ought to be cut off or facrificed, that we may efcape the Shame of not having loved with Purity y . . " ■ ' ■ ■ ■■ • * IaPawb.Fil.Prod.C. ly P. 372, P off oral Letter. 77 Non pure me diligebatis. But is it the Theo- logical Vertue, Hope, which will be Matter of Shame to the imperfect ]uft ? Will GOD reproach them with what the Holy Spirit in- fpired them with ? Such an AiTertion would be the higheft Impiety. This therefore, which is fhameful, muft be a natural Imper- fection. The pure Love, and without any Mixture, is referved by S. Anjelm for the third Eftate. There are others who love God^ truly, and keep His Commandments, out of Love only. What is meant by loving truly., is lo- ving perfectly, that is, to obferve the whole Law, out of the Love of G O D only. When he fays Love only y He means the fame as if He had laid pure Love. And the pure Love is fupernatural, and infpired into the Soul by the holy Spirit, fuch as bath no Taint or Mixture of a natural and deliberate Self-love. This great Saint in another Place breaks out into thefe Words. i O ! my GOD, he ' that entirely renounces himfelf, to have 1 Thee, who dies to himfelf, to live in Thee, ' who doth as it were annihilate himfelf, * that he may be fomething in Thee ; he 1 who a£ts thus , never fears to lofe any c Thing relating to himfelf.- for he is 4 allured, Thou wilt preferve what is Thine- * If the Pains of Hell menace and threaten 1 him, he is not disturbed ; the poor Travel- 4 ler, he knows, may ling before the Rob- * Dc meDfur«tioae Cruti*. ber. j8 The ArchbiJhopofCambray's ber. He who hath renounced himfelf, doth not fear loiing himfelf ; and if Thou ihouldeft condemn what is Thine to eternal Pains, he mall entertain no Thoughts un- becoming Thy Goodnefs. He will be ready to fuller any Thing Thou canft infliex. He will never ask why doft thou this ? And as for fuch as fhall be fcandaliz'd at this Ex- prefiion, give him, Lord, the Power to re- nounce himfelf, that he may comprehend c the Meaning of thefe Words. This is a Pi&ure of a State entirely pure from all mercenary Affeftion or Self-Intereft. Yet ftill he hopes, and S. Anjclm would ne- ver have us ceafe hoping. From whence it is plain, that mercenary Affevtion or Self-In- tereft is not at all effential to Hope ,* and con- fequently, that according to this great Saint, we may renounce all Self -Intereft, even in sl future Life, without abandoning or deftroying the fupernaturai Hope of our fovereign Good, which is always propofed to us as the Object of our Deiires in every State of Perfe&ion. S. Bernard hath made four Loves, or States of Love, in. the Soul. He thinks the fourth cannot be perfe&ly acquired in this Life, Nefcio fi a quoquam hominum quartus in has vir taperfcFte apprehenditur, utfefcilicet diligat ho- mo tmtttm' propter Deum. * This Love is called a Forgetting ourfelves, of Rapture and Extafy, from which Transport we are now - Ep. ad Guig. Cart, de Dilig. Dei. awakened Pajhral Letter. yg awakened, by the Body of Death, by the Ne- icfity of the Flejh, and the Infirmities of Corrup- tibility, no not even by the Duties of Bro- therly Charity. And S. Bernard is f f ar from admitting this extatick Contemplation to be perfetf and Ming in this Life, as not to admit the departed Saints to be capable of it till after the Refurre&ion of their Bodies But of what Nature is his third Love > f fhall prefcntly ihew you, my Brethren that it is the fame as the fifth in my Book ' This Love is difintmfted, inajmuch as we love tvtn as we are loved, and return ourf elves the Love'xe receive : Became we feel not his Goods but ftfa thrift; and praije the Lord, not faatfeBe is good to us, but becaufe he is good in him fc If Amor ifte merhogratm qui* gratuitus, Mi fnfnpitur, talis Vredditur. Quienim ficlmat haudfecus trofdlo quam tmatus eft amat, */,*. rtns & tpfe vkMm non qutfutfunt, fJ qH * ftju Chrtfti. Quemadmodxm UU noftra v4 Vo - tius nos & nonjua qntfivit. Domino confyLr non quomam fibi bonus eft, fed quoniam bonus eft Hicvere dilipt Deum propter Deum, non propter feipfum. And God forbid I- fhould admit c- "hTn '"his m °* Peifea S ° UJS ' 2 L ° Ve ^ I have followed this Father, and declared it to be my Opinion that during this Life we are never delivered entirely from a regulated and orderly Concupifcence. Nunquam L cupi- ditatejed ordin*ta,md that we never arrive at an unvanable State, wherein we never Jove but 8o The Archbifloop ofCdmhrays * but out of the folc Love of G OD. And up- on this Account I have faid that the molt perfect Souls do not only commit fome venial Sins, but continue always in a changeable State with refpedt to their difinterefted Love. But laftly, that Love, which S. Bernard im- putes in this Life to the moft perfect Sons, is fuch as hath been obferved, and which we may yet obferve. We are recompensed (fays he) but we aft not out of a Motive of Reward. The Soul fecks n&t the Recommence, but dejirves it. Non enim abfque pr