SALESIAN LITERATURE

The Beauties of SFS

PREFACE: This work is a selection from the larger volumes of that brilliant and prolific writer – the Bishop of Bellay: he professed to lay open to the world the Beauties of the heart and understanding of his pious and highly gifted friend, the Bishop of Geneva; but excellent as his Writings are, he does not always confine himself to treat of the proposed subject only; on account of this, the following Selection has been made, which we hope will present our Readers with a full view of the many Virtues and great abilities of the mild St. Francis. Some lively anecdotes have been allowed to hold their station to amuse the gay, while the more serious Chapters afford useful instruction to the grave.

Table of Contents

  1. Reason and Reasoning

  2. Justice and Jurisprudence

  3. Obedience

  4. Learning. — Conscience

  5. Patience in Suffering

  6. Fidelity in Trifles

  7. Be Satisfied

  8. Justice

  9. Innkeepers

  10. Poverty of Spirit with Riches.

  11. Spirit of Magnificence with Poverty

  12. Our Saviour’s Death

  13. The Light of Piety

  14. Dependance on God

  15. Equanimity

  16. Hurry

  17. Prudence and Simplicity

  18. Love your Neighbour for God’s sake,

  19. Tokens of Goodwill

  20. Love to be Hated,—Hate to be Loved

  21. On over-thoughtful Minds

  22. On Superiors

  23. Equivocation,

  24. Judge no one

  25. True Devotion consists in performing the Duties of Life

  26. How to receive Insult

  27. Humility

  28. Impatience

  29. On Benignity & Patience towards ourselves

  30. Scale of .Virtues

  31. We may be very regular in Devotion and very Wicked

  32. Slander

  33. Do not contradict unnecessarily

  34. The Presence of God

  35. Humility

  36. He who utters Complaint sins

  37. On Falsehood

  38. On good Dispositions

  39. Taciturnity

  40. Wishing for Death

  41. St. Francis reproves, the Cardinal de Bellay’s 2nd Murmur

  42. Monsieur de Bellay’s 3rd. Lamentation

  43. St. Francis hears that he has been calumniated

  44. Walk by Faith

  45. Aversion

  46. On Ridicule

  47. Be content with your Condition in Life

  48. Rash Judgments

  49. Despondency

  50. Company and Conversation

  51. The Essential Point of Charity

  52. The Distractions of Business

  53. Fear of Ghosts

  54. Calm amidst Storms

  55. Delight in the Scriptures

  56. Anecdote of a good Master

  57. Vanity

  58. Discontent

  59. Hope and Fear

  60. The Difficulty of Praying daring Sickness

  61. On Invalids

  62. Long Illness

  63. The Use of Illness

  64. We cannot know whether we are in a State of Grace

  65. Self Love, and Love of Ourselves

  66. The Motives of our Actions constitute their Value

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