Pars 6, Cap. 1
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/6/q/bon-brev-p6-c1
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### PART SIX. *On the sacramental medicine.*

### Chapter I. *On the origin of the Sacraments.*

After the Trinity of God has been treated, and the creature of the world, and the corruption of sin, and the Incarnation of the Word and the grace of the Holy Spirit; now in the sixth place the sacramental medicine must be treated. Concerning which seven things are to be considered. For there must be treated the Sacraments' *origin, variation, distinction, institution, dispensation, iteration*, and the *integrity* of each one.

Concerning the *origin* of the Sacraments, therefore, this must be held: that the Sacraments are sensible signs, divinely instituted as medicines, in which « under the covering of sensible things the divine power works the more secretly »; so that they « by *likeness* represent, by *institution* signify, by *sanctification* confer some spiritual grace », through which the soul is cured of the infirmities of the vices — and to this they are principally ordained as to their ultimate end; yet they avail also for *humiliation, instruction* and *exercise* as for an end that stands beneath the end.

Now the reason for the understanding of the foresaid is this: since the reparative principle, which is Christ crucified, the Word namely incarnate, which most wisely dispenses all things, because it is divine, and most clemently cures, because it was divinely incarnate; so it must repair and heal the sick human race according to what befits the *sick man* himself, the *sickness*, the *occasion of falling sick*, and the *curing of the sickness* itself. Now the *physician* himself is the Word incarnate, God namely invisible in a visible nature. The *sick man* is not spirit alone nor flesh alone, but spirit in mortal flesh. The *disease* is original guilt, which through ignorance infects the mind and through concupiscence infects the flesh. And the *origin* of this guilt, although it was principally from the consent of reason, nevertheless took its occasion from the senses of the flesh. — To this end, therefore, that the medicine should correspond to all the foresaid, it was fitting that it should not only be spiritual, but should also have something of sensible signs, so that, just as these sensible things were to the soul an occasion of falling, so they might be to it an occasion of rising again. Since therefore sensible signs, so far as in them lies, have no efficacious ordination to grace, although from their own nature they have a remote *representation* of it; hence it is that it was fitting that by the author of grace they should be *instituted for signifying* and *blessed for sanctifying*; so that thus they should be, by natural likeness, *representative*, by adjoined institution *significative*, by superadded blessing *sanctifying* and preparative to grace, through which our soul may be healed and cured.

Again, since curative grace is not given to the proud, the unbelieving and the fastidious; therefore it was fitting that these sensible signs be divinely given, which should not only *sanctify* and confer grace and thereby heal, but should also by their *signification instruct* and by their *reception humble* and by their *diversification exercise*; so that thus, sloth being excluded from the concupiscible power by *exercise*, ignorance from the rational by *instruction*, pride from the irascible by *humiliation*, the whole soul might be made curable by the grace of the Holy Spirit, which reforms us according to these three powers unto the image of the Trinity and of Christ.

Lastly, since through sensible signs of this kind, divinely instituted, the grace of the Holy Spirit is received and is found in them by those who approach; hence it is that Sacraments of this kind are called the *vessels* and the *cause* of grace — not because grace is substantially contained in them nor causally effected by them, since it has to be placed in the soul alone and to be infused by God alone; but because in them and through them the grace of curing must, by divine decree, be drawn from Christ the highest physician, « although God has not bound his power to the Sacraments ».

From the premises, therefore, it appears not only what the *rise* of the Sacraments is, but also what their *use* is, and what their *fruit*. For their *rise* is Christ the Lord; their *use* is an act that exercises, instructs and humbles; their *fruit* is truly men's cure

and salvation. — It appears also what their *efficient cause* is, namely the divine institution; what their *material*, namely the representation of a sensible sign; what their *formal*, namely gratuitous sanctification; what their *final*, namely the medicinal curing of men. And because « denomination is made from the form and from the end »; hence it is that they are called *Sacramenta*, as it were sanctifying medicines. For through these the soul is led back from the foulness of the vices to perfect sanctification. — And therefore, although they are bodily and sensible, they are nevertheless to be venerated as holy: because they signify sacred mysteries, prepare for sacred charisms, are given by the most sacred God, are divinely consecrated by sacred institution and blessing, and are established for the most sacred worship of God in holy Church — so that they deservedly ought to be called *Sacraments*.

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