Chapter 29.—We are to Desire and Endeavor that All Men May Love God.

30. Now of all who can with us enjoy God, we love partly those to whom we render services, partly those who render services to us, partly those who both help us in our need and in turn are helped by us, partly those upon whom we confer no advantage and from whom we look for none.  We ought to desire, however, that they should all join with us in loving God, and all the assistance that we either give them or accept from them should tend to that one end.  For in the theatres, dens of iniquity though they be, if a man is fond of a particular actor, and enjoys his art as a great or even as the very greatest good, he is fond of all who join with him in admiration of his favorite, not for their own sakes, but for the sake of him whom they admire in common; and the more fervent he is in his admiration, the more he works in every way he can to secure new admirers for him, and the more anxious he becomes to show him to others; and if he find any one comparatively indifferent, he does all he can to excite his interest by urging his favorite’s merits:  if, however, he meet with any one who opposes him, he is exceedingly displeased by such a man’s contempt of his favorite, and strives in every way he can to remove it.  Now, if this be so, what does it become us to do who live in the fellowship of the love of God, the enjoyment of whom is true happiness of life, to whom all who love Him owe both their own existence and the love they bear Him, concerning whom we have no fear that any one who comes to know Him will be disappointed in Him, and who desires our love, not for any gain to Himself, but that those who love Him may obtain an eternal reward, even Himself whom they love?  And hence it is that we love even our enemies.  For we do not fear them, seeing they cannot take away from us what we love; but we pity them rather, because the more they hate us the more are they separated from Him whom we love.  For if they would turn to Him, they must of necessity love Him as the supreme good, and love us too as partakers with them in so great a blessing.

CAPUT XXIX. Optandum et agendum ut omnes Deum diligant.

30. Omnium autem qui nobiscum frui possunt Deo, partim eos diligimus quos ipsi adjuvamus, partim eos a quibus adjuvamur, partim quorum et indigemus adjutorio, et indigentiae subvenimus; partim quibus nec ipsi conferimus aliquid commodi, nec ab eis ut nobis conferatur attendimus. Velle tamen debemus ut omnes nobiscum diligant Deum, et totum quod vel eos adjuvamus vel adjuvamur ab eis, ad unum illum finem referendum est. Si enim in theatris nequitiae qui aliquem diligit histrionem, et tanquam magno vel etiam summo bono ejus arte perfruitur, omnes diligit qui eum diligunt secum, non propter illos, sed propter eum quem pariter diligunt; et quanto est in ejus amore ferventior, tanto agit quibus potest modis, ut a pluribus diligatur, et tanto pluribus eum cupit ostendere; et quem frigidiorem videt, excitat eum quantum potest laudibus illius; si autem contravenientem invenerit, odit in illo vehementer odium dilecti sui, et quibus modis valet, instat ut auferat: quid nos in societate dilectionis Dei agere convenit, quo perfrui, beate vivere est; et a quo habent omnes qui eum diligunt, et quod sunt, et quod eum diligunt; de quo nihil metuimus, ne cuiquam possit cognitus displicere; et qui se vult diligi, non ut sibi aliquid, sed ut eis qui diligunt, aeternum praemium conferatur, hoc est ipse quem diligunt? Hinc efficitur ut inimicos etiam nostros diligamus: non enim eos timemus, quia nobis quod diligimus auferre non possunt; sed miseramur potius, quia tanto magis nos oderunt, quanto ab illo quem diligimus separati sunt. Ad quem si conversi fuerint, et illum tanquam beatificum bonum, et nos tanquam socios tanti boni necesse est ut diligant.