Pars 5, Cap. 9
by St. Bonaventure
Source text: Public Domain Mark 1.0. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://bonaventure.wrootpress.com/browse/5/d/5/q/bon-brev-p5-c9
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### Chapter IX. *On the exercise of grace with respect to the things to be done, the precepts and the counsels.*

Concerning the *precepts* of the divine law this is to be held: that in the *Mosaic* law there are *judicial*, *figural* and *moral* precepts — as, for instance, the ten precepts of the decalogue written on two tables by the *finger of God*. — But the *evangelical* law tempers the *judicial* by taking them away, empties the *figural* by fulfilling them, and consummates the *moral* by adding to them. And it adds instructing teachings, arousing promises and perfecting counsels; of which sort are the counsel of poverty, the counsel of obedience and the counsel of chastity, to the fulfilling of which Christ our Lord invites him who wishes to be perfect.

Now the reason for the understanding of the foresaid is this: since the first principle, just as it is supremely *good* in itself, so is it supremely *just* in its work and in the ordering of the government of the universe. Since, therefore, it belongs to the supremely *just* to be zealous for justice not only in himself but also in another, and since justice consists in conforming oneself to the rules of right: hence it is that it belongs to the divine justice to imprint and to express the rules of justice upon man, not only by *dictating* after the manner of instructing truth, but also by *enjoining* and *obliging* after the manner of a commanding will. And since grace makes our will conformed to the divine will, it belongs to grace to dispose us to obey and to submit to those rules of justice according to the dictate of the law divinely given.

Again, since it happens that the divine commands are obeyed in two ways, namely out of *fear of punishment* or out of *love of justice*, and the first belongs to the imperfect, the second to the perfect: therefore God conferred upon man a twofold law — one of fear, the other of love; one begetting unto servitude and the other transferring unto the adoption of the sons of God. And through this, because it befits those who fear and are imperfect that they be *terrified* by judgments and *led by the hand* by signs and none the less *directed* by precepts, hence it is that the *Mosaic* law, which is the law of fear, contains *judicial* and *figural* and *moral* precepts. — But for the perfect and the loving there befits the *open instruction* of teachings, the *generous promise* of rewards and the *lofty perfection* of counsels; hence it is that the *evangelical* law contains

these three. And therefore the Mosaic law is said to differ from the evangelical, because that one is of *figures*, this of *truth*; that law is of *punishment*, this of *grace*; that is *literal*, this *spiritual*; that *kills*, this *gives life*; that is of *fear*, this of *love*; that of *servitude*, this of *liberty*; that of *burden* and this of *ease*.

Last, since the rules that regard the necessity of justice are contained in the divine precepts, and it belongs to justice « to render to each his own »: it is necessary that there be certain moral precepts which order us toward *God*, and certain ones toward our *neighbour*, according to the twofold precept of charity — which the Holy Spirit willed to intimate through the mystery of the two tables, and for that reason they are said to be *written by the finger of God*. — And because God is three, namely Father and Son and Holy Spirit, to whom belongs the highest majesty to be *adored*, truth to be *professed* and charity to be *accepted*, according to the irascible, the rational and the concupiscible power, through the act of work, of mouth and of heart: therefore the commandment of the first table is threefold, corresponding to the three things premised, namely of *adoration* that submits, of *swearing* that speaks truth and of *sabbath-keeping* that is hallowed.

But because the neighbour is an image of the Trinity, and to him, in so far as he bears the image of the Father, *piety* is owed; in so far as he bears the image of the Son, *truthfulness* is owed; in so far as he bears the image of the Holy Spirit, *kindness* is owed: hence it is that there are seven commandments which regard the second table. For under *piety* there are *two*: one which commands piety, namely concerning the honouring of a father; the other which forbids impiety, namely concerning not killing. Under *truthfulness*, which consists principally in the word, *one* is taken, namely concerning not bearing false witness. Under *kindness*, to which are opposed cupidity and concupiscence, of which each can be in deed or in heart, *four* are taken, namely *thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not covet a wife, thou shalt not steal, and thou shalt not covet another's goods*. And these have to be ordered according to greater or lesser harms, by which justice can be broken. And so the rules that regard the necessity of justice must be contained in ten precepts.

But since justice comes to perfection when it perfectly withdraws itself from evil both as regards *fault* and as regards *cause*, and every evil arises from a threefold root, namely the concupiscence of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes and the pride of life: hence it is that there are three evangelical *counsels*, perfectly withdrawing us from the aforesaid threefold root. And they are counsels for this reason, that, in order to make one perfectly withdraw from evil, they separate not only from things unlawful but also from things lawful and permitted which can be an occasion of evil; and through this they contain justice not only *sufficient* but even *abundant*, according as befits the perfection of the evangelical law and the exercise of perfecting grace.

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