Pars 6, Cap. 6
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-c6
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### Chapter VI. *On the iteration of the Sacraments.*

Concerning the *iteration* of the Sacraments, moreover, this must be held: that although it is common to all the Sacraments not to be iterated upon the same person and matter and from the same cause, lest an affront be done to the Sacrament, nevertheless there are three Sacraments in particular which are in no wise to be iterated, namely *baptism, confirmation* and *order*. For in these three a threefold interior character is imprinted, which is not blotted out; and among these the baptismal character retains the foundation, nor can the others be imprinted unless that one be imprinted first. — Whence if anyone is ordained unbaptized, absolutely nothing is effected, but the whole is to be done anew, because « that is not accounted iterated which is established not to have been done ».

Now the reason for the understanding of the premises is this: since our reparative principle, the Word namely incarnate, although by reason of his supreme power and wisdom and goodness he does nothing *inefficaciously*, nothing *ineptly*, nothing *unfruitfully*, must nevertheless observe this most of all in his noblest works, of which kind are those by which the human race is repaired. Since therefore the Sacraments are of the kind of these divine works, hence it is that an affront is in a certain manner done to them when they are iterated upon the same matter and person and from the same cause; because from this it is shown that they were before dispensed *inefficacious, inept* and *unfruitful*, against that which the power, wisdom and supreme goodness of the reparative principle itself demanded, which always assists to work in them and through them, the Sacraments.

Again, since among these reparative Sacraments — in which there is generally the efficacy of the divine power unto the reparation of the human race — some are which have been introduced only for the sake of *remedies of diseases*, and some also not only for this, but for establishing, discerning and ordering in the Church the *hierarchic grades*; and *diseases* can be varied, expelled and introduced again, whereas the *grades* of the Church ought to be firm, solid and unshaken: hence it is that the Sacraments which regard iterable *diseases* have transient effects, and through this iterable ones by reason of a new cause. But those Sacraments which regard the *hierarchic grades* and determinate states of faith must needs, beyond their remedying effects, bestow certain permanent effects unto the fixed and stable distinction of the grades and states of the Church. And since this cannot be done through natural endowments, or through gratuitous gifts making one pleasing to God, it must needs be done through certain signs imprinted indelibly and gratuitously upon an incorruptible substance, namely upon the incorruptible soul, from an incorruptible principle, according to a conformity to the incorruptible — which signs are called *characters*; and these, since they are never blotted out, therefore neither can they be iterated, nor those Sacraments in which characters of this kind are imprinted.

Lastly, since the state of faith is threefold, according to which the distinction in the christian people has to be made, namely in the battle-line of the ecclesiastical hierarchy — that is, the state of faith *begotten, strengthened* and *multiplied*; and according to the first is made the distinction of the faithful from the unbelieving, through the second is made the distinction of the strong from the infirm and weak, according to the third is made the distinction of clerics from laics: hence it is that those Sacraments which regard the aforesaid threefold state of faith imprint characters, through which, indelibly impressed, they always distinguish, and through this can never be iterated. Since therefore *baptism* regards the state of faith *begotten*, in which the people of God is distinguished from the unbelieving, as the Israelites from the Egyptians; and *confirmation* regards the state of faith *strengthened*, in which the strong people is distinguished from the infirm, as boxers from those who are not fit for fighting; and *order* regards the state of faith *multiplied*, in which the clergy is distinguished from the laics, as the levites from the other tribes: hence it is that in these three Sacraments alone characters are imprinted.

But because the distinction of the people from the non-people is the first and radical one, hence it is that the baptismal character is the foundation of all the other characters; and therefore, that one not being laid underneath, nothing will be able to be built upon it, and through this it behoves that it be done anew. If, however, that one be laid underneath, the others can be imprinted and are never further to be iterated; nor are the three aforesaid Sacraments which imprint them iterated from any cause, and a grave penalty ought to be imposed on those who in fact iterate them, on account of the affront to the divine Sacrament; although the other four can, from diverse causes, be iterated without affront to themselves.

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