Coll. 3
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/12/d/3/q/bon-don-c3
----------------------------------------
### COLLATION III.
#### *On the gift of piety.*

### Summarium

*Introduction; the twofold exercise,* 1. — *Three things to be considered,* 2. — Part I. On the exercise of piety. *It consists in three things,* 3. — *First, in the reverence of divine veneration,* 4. 5. — *Secondly, in the guarding of inward sanctification,* 6. 7. — *Thirdly, in the overflow of inward compassion,* 8. 9. Part II. On the original principle of piety. *This is threefold,* 10. — *It arises first from the uncreated Trinity,* 11. — *Secondly, from the incarnate Wisdom,* 12. — *Thirdly, from holy mother Church,* 13-15. — Part III. On the benefit or usefulness of piety. *It avails for three things,* 16. — *First, for knowing the things that are true,* 17. — *Secondly, for turning aside from evils,* 18. — *Thirdly, for obtaining goods,* 19.

1. *Exercise thyself unto piety. For bodily exercise is profitable to little, but piety avails for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.* These words are in the first Epistle to Timothy, in which the Apostle shows that there is a twofold exercise belonging to man: one *bodily,* and another *spiritual;* and he shows that the *spiritual* exercise is to be preferred to the *bodily* as an exercise both *nobler* and *more useful.* For bodily exercise has little usefulness; whence he says: *Bodily exercise is profitable to little;* but spiritual exercise has the greatest usefulness. Hence spiritual exercise is to be preferred to bodily: by as much as spiritual things are to be preferred to bodily, eternal things to temporal, and invisible to visible; by so much is that spiritual exercise to be preferred to the bodily. Therefore, if anyone is wise, he ought rather to seek spiritual exercise than bodily, because *bodily exercise is profitable to little,* since it is useful for the convenience of the body; but sometimes it is the cause and occasion of the opposite. A man thinks he is going to sport, and he goes to war; he seeks pleasantness, and he finds sorrow. Whence Seneca says: "I have found many exercising the body, but few the mind." He would be a fool who could dig gold and chose to dig mud. Spiritual exercise surpasses bodily more than gold surpasses mud. Of this spiritual exercise, in so far as it is ordered to piety, we ought to speak; for after *fear* we ought to speak of *piety.* — But this most sacred exercise we cannot explain by word nor put into practice except by the help of the Holy Spirit. Therefore at the outset we shall call upon the grace of the Holy Spirit and shall ask the Lord that he grant me to say something that may be to his honour and to the profit of our souls.

2. *Exercise thyself unto piety* etc. The Apostle Paul, like a good master, rouses the concern of our minds and understandings to the good use of the divine gift. And presupposing the *inflowing* of piety, he invites us to the *exercise* of piety and sets before us the *benefit* of piety. If you have received the gift of God, *exercise thyself unto piety,* lest you fall away from the gift; if you have not the gift of God, *exercise thyself unto piety* in order to obtain it. He assigns the reason for this when he adds: *Piety avails for all things* etc. Therefore he shows that concerning this gift of piety three things are to be considered by us, namely the *exercise* of piety, the *benefit* of piety and the *original principle* of piety. If it is a *gift,* then one must know *how it is given;* if it is a *noble gift,* one must know how we may *make progress* in it and exercise ourselves; if it is a *useful gift,* let us see what *fruit* we may obtain from it. — See, my whole intention is that you conceive the gift of piety in your soul and learn what it is *to be pious.*

3. Let us begin from the *exercise.* Now the exercise of piety consists in a threefold act, namely in the *reverence of divine veneration,* in the *guarding of inward sanctification* and in the *overflowing abundance of inward compassion.* The first two modes of piety are more radical than the third.

4. First, I say, the exercise of piety consists in the *reverence of divine veneration.* Whence it is said in Ecclesiasticus of Josiah that *he took away the abominations of impiety and directed his heart towards the Lord, and in the days of sinners he strengthened piety.* It is certain that before the coming of Christ the worship of God did not flourish except in the people of Israel, and it did not flourish in the whole people, because the ten tribes in the time of Jeroboam worshipped idols, namely the golden calf; nor even for the whole time did the worship of God flourish in the two tribes; because David was the best worshipper of God, and afterwards

came Manasses, the worst, who made the people commit idolatry; but after him came Josiah, who began to reign in his eighth year and took away all idolatry and *in the days of sinners strengthened piety,* that is, the divine worship.

5. That piety is the worship of God, Job says: *Behold,* he says, *piety itself is wisdom.* Another translation has: *Behold the fear, that itself is wisdom;* but in the Septuagint translation it stands: *Behold, piety itself is wisdom.* And Augustine says that *pietas* in Greek is the same as *theosebia,* which is the same as the worship of God. Now the worship of God consists chiefly in reverence for God, which is not had without fear. For the worshipper of God must think of God *most highly, most piously,* with *reverence and fear*. — If you think diminishingly of the *power* of God, namely that he cannot create all things out of nothing, you do not think most highly. Likewise, if you think diminishingly of the *wisdom* of God, namely that by his wisdom he cannot penetrate the innermost things, you do not think most highly. Just as we have the witness of light, that it not only shines in itself but can illuminate many other bodies, so God sees and illumines all things, because he himself is light. If you think of God's *power* and of God's *wisdom* that he cannot restore bodies either for ill or for good, then you think ill of God and do not think most highly. Again, if you do not believe the divine *condescensions and compassions,* by which God fills the creature that serves him with grace, forgiveness and beatitude, you are no worshipper of God. — I say therefore that *piety* is nothing other than the pious *perception,* pious *affection* and pious *service* of the pious, first and highest origin. The highest good cannot be had nor worshipped without piety. Naturally every thing tends to its own origin: the stone downwards, and fire upwards, and the rivers run to the sea; the tree is continuous with its root, and other things have continuity with their root. Godlike is the rational creature, which can return upon its own origin through memory, understanding and will; and it is not *pious* unless it pours itself back upon its own origin. Therefore I said that piety is nothing other than the pious perception, pious affection and pious service of the pious, first and highest origin. — The first exercise, then, of the gift of piety consists in the reverence of divine veneration.

6. The second exercise of the gift of piety consists in the *guarding of inward sanctification;* of which the Apostle says: *I beseech, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all men* etc.; and it follows: *that we may lead a quiet life in all piety and chastity.* You ought to understand that the sum of the Christian religion consists in piety and purity. For a man can never be piously affected towards himself unless he have *peace*. This is the Christian religion, which consists in these two. The tranquillity of peace is nowhere but in the tranquillity of conscience. And a conscience is not holy unless it be good and pious, namely that it prefer the life of virtue and grace to the life of nature. — Consider well: if a man were more attached to his shoe than to his foot, he would not love his foot much. He who would expose his foot to breaking for the sake of a shoe — would he love his foot much and be much attached to his foot? Certainly not. He who for a trifling thing would expose himself to hanging would not love his own life much. Ought a man then to guard his soul in holiness? Certainly so. But he exposes his soul to confusion who does not beware of sin.

7. O, how few there are who guard the piety of religion! But *the Lord questions the impious*. It is said in Ecclesiasticus: *Have pity on thy own soul, pleasing God; and gather and contain thy heart in holiness.* — *Have pity on thy own soul,* that is, have piety towards your soul; *pleasing God,* namely, that you be zealous to please God. And how? *Gather and contain thy heart in holiness.* — Some are content to have an outward holiness, namely in word and gesture and outward conversation; but this is to adorn holiness outwardly, like the man who whitens himself outwardly and makes a sepulchre of the dead, which *is whitened outwardly*. But just as "feigned fairness is not fairness, but a double unfairness," so feigned holiness is not holiness, but rather iniquity. Against such men the Apostle says: *In the last times there shall be men lovers of pleasures, having an appearance of piety, but denying the power thereof.* — *Having an appearance of piety,* "that is, of religion," says the Gloss. Those who have an appearance of piety are hypocrites.

For such a man *is a son of perdition*. Of such a one it is said: *With the spirit of his lips he shall slay the impious,* namely him who will have the greatest appearance of piety. — Therefore the second exercise of the gift of piety is through the guarding of inward holiness. — But some have no mercy on their own soul; nay, they do to their soul the worst they can. They hate their own soul utterly; they could not do it worse than they do, because they do everything that the devil suggests to them. *Have pity on thy own soul!* And some, under the appearance of piety, take up what is against their own soul. They say: I shall go to filthiness under the appearance of piety. What piety is that? Certainly none.

8. The third exercise of the gift of piety is in the *abundance of inward compassion.* Of this it is said in Ecclesiasticus: *These are men of mercy, whose pious deeds have not failed; with their seed good things remain.* — Dearly beloved! you ought to run through the lives of the holy Fathers, and you will see that these are men of mercy, namely Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph and Samuel. What piety was Noah's! For a hundred years he did nothing but build the ark, that he might save the human race. How great was the piety in most holy Abraham! God came down to strike the cities in which were the abominations of sin; and Abraham interceded with the Lord for them and wrung from the Lord that if he found ten just men in the cities, the Lord would spare them. How great was Joseph's piety! Who, sold by his brothers — nay, his brothers wanted to kill him — yet guarded, governed and enriched his brothers and their sons; and he had piety towards preserving the whole world by gathering and preserving grain. How great was Moses' piety! Who loved the people that provoked the Lord and prayed for them to the Lord, saying: *Hear me, Lord, this people has sinned; either forgive this people this offence, or, if thou dost not, blot me out of thy book which thou hast written.* Bernard offers the example of a woman who has her little child and is outside the house. If it be said to her: leave your little child outside the house, and you come inside; she would not want to go into the house, so that the boy should remain outside. So Moses willed that the Lord should forgive the people their sin, or else blot him out of the book of life. So it was with Samuel, when the people asked for a king; afterwards the people recognized that Samuel had governed the people well, and when the people had sinned, it feared that Samuel would not be willing to pray to the Lord for it. And the people begged him to pray for them, and Samuel said: *Far be it from me that I should cease to pray for you.* Of how great piety was David king of Israel! Saul sought him to kill him, and David had Saul in his hand; he could have killed him, with God not forbidding, since God had said to him: *I will deliver him into thy hands*. He could have killed him, with no man forbidding and no law forbidding; and yet he spared him and his house. These, then, are men of mercy, whose pious deeds have not failed.

9. To this piety blessed Peter invites us, who was the other Apostle, in his second Canonical Epistle, saying: *Minister in your faith virtue, in virtue knowledge, in knowledge abstinence, in abstinence patience, in patience piety, in piety love of brotherhood, and in the love of brotherhood charity.* What does he mean to say? He sets piety in the middle of two, namely between *patience* and *charity.* He says that *piety* is the purple garment, and that patience and charity are the royal garment. He who wishes to be pious towards his neighbour must bear with him patiently and love him charitably. David bore himself patiently and charitably towards his enemy; so ought a man bear himself towards his neighbour. — Where is piety today? There is no middle, because God has taken away the extremes; so great is cruelty today that a man cannot be satisfied with vengeance; today impatience and anger reign; a man judges ill; even if a man does not offend me, yet I shall judge ill of him. Whence comes this? Certainly, because I have not charity. Blessed Peter well knows how to say how I shall be able to have charity, since, if I have patience on the one side and charity on the other — behold, the exercise of piety.

10. You will say perhaps, brother: I have not this gift. It is necessary, then, that I explain to you the *original principle* of piety. And you will say: you ought to have begun from the *principle;* and you began from the *exercise.* No, brother; I could not lead you to the original principle of piety except through the act and exercise of piety. Now the gift of piety takes its origin first from the *uncreated Trinity,* secondly from the *incarnate Wisdom,* and thirdly from *holy mother Church,* sanctified through the Spirit.

11. See, I say, that the gift of piety arises first from the *uncreated Trinity,* namely from God the Father. Although God has all the noblest

properties, yet he is most excellent in this property, namely of piety; whence it is said in the collect: "O God, whose property is ever to have mercy and to spare" etc. And in Ecclesiasticus: *God is pious and merciful, and in the time of tribulation he forgives sins and is a protector to all that seek him in truth.* — *He is pious and merciful,* because he spares and protects. The Lord says: *As a father has compassion on his children, so have I had compassion on thee.* — Search out all the works of God from the beginning to the end; you will always find works of compassion, great, greater and greatest. The great works of divine compassion are the works of *nature;* the greater works of divine compassion are the works of *grace;* but the greatest works are the works of *glory.* Hear! you are the image of God; and *imago* is so called as it were *imitago*: therefore if you are truly the image of God, you ought to conform yourself to God in piety. Whence in Ecclesiasticus: *In judging be merciful to orphans as a father, and to their mother in the place of a husband; and thou shalt be as the obedient son of the Most High, and he will have mercy on thee.* — *In judging,* that is, in fostering right, *be merciful to orphans,* namely that you may be truly *the son of the Most High.* Since the glorious God has compassion on the wretched, why do you not imitate him? If there were some fountain that made withered plants grow green again, it would be highly prized. The soul without piety has withered plants. The river of divine compassion pours itself out most abundantly and makes dead plants grow green. Ought you not to bring that river into your soul? But you cannot bring it in except through piety. The first original inflowing of piety, then, is from the uncreated Trinity.

12. The second original inflowing of piety itself is from the *incarnate Wisdom.* Whence the Apostle to Timothy: *Manifestly great is the sacrament of piety, which was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, appeared to Angels, was preached to the Gentiles, was believed in the world, was taken up in glory.* The mystery of human redemption, wrought through the Word incarnate and crucified, is *the great sacrament of piety.* — He says that it *was manifested in the flesh,* through the incarnation; *was justified in the spirit,* on the gibbet of the cross; *appeared to Angels,* in the glorification; *was preached to the Gentiles,* in the mission of the Holy Spirit; *was believed in the world,* through the spreading of the faith; *was taken up in glory,* through the examination of the final

<!-- page 471 (right column) -->
judgment. I say that the Son of God incarnate took up our poverty. What did this? Certainly piety. *Wherefore it behoved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest before God, that he might expiate the sins of the people*. Through *piety* he took flesh, ascended the cross, was raised from the dead, sent the Holy Spirit onto the earth, called the Church to himself and freed all who were fit from misery through *piety.* The Apostle says to the Romans: *Dost thou despise the riches of his goodness and patience and long-suffering? Dost thou not know that the benignity of God leads thee to penance? But according to thy hardness and impenitent heart thou treasurest up to thyself wrath in the day of wrath and of the revelation of the just judgment of God.* The Son of God offered a holocaust, namely himself for us; this is *the great sacrament of piety.* — This sacrament is repeated daily at the altar. For these reasons he gave us the Sacrament of the altar, that, mindful of the sacrament of piety, we may put on the bowels of piety. Cruel is the heart which is not softened by these things.

13. The third original inflowing of the gift of piety is from *holy mother Church,* sanctified through the Holy Spirit, who has the pledge of the Holy Spirit. Holy mother Church has enjoined piety upon all. Those who are born of one father and one mother love one another more than those who are born of one father only, or of one mother only. The Holy Spirit makes us sons of one father and of one mother and members of one body. The Apostle: *The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, has appeared to all men, instructing us that, denying impiety and worldly desires, we should live soberly and justly and piously in this world.* — Dearly beloved! see whether your piety is that of brother to brother, and of a brother of the same womb to a brother of the same womb! Who is our father? Certainly God. Who is our mother? It is the Church, who from her own womb bore us through the Holy Spirit and will bring us to birth when we shall be presented in the eternal light. Do you not see that as one member suffers with another member, so we too ought to suffer with one another? We are all members of one body, we are fed with one food, we are brought forth from the same womb, we tend to the same inheritance; and our inheritance will be magnified the more of us there are; it will not be straitened. We are one body; we ought to be piously affected towards one another. Come to the father: the father

receives you, or the mother; if holy mother Church stands by, even scandalous sinners will be compelled to return. We ought therefore to suffer with one another.

14. In token of this it is written in the Psalm: *Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity. Like the ointment on the head, which ran down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron.* We have one Father, one sacrifice, one Sacrament and one reward. He says: *Like the ointment on the head* etc. First the ointment of piety is on the *head;* afterwards it runs down upon all the others who draw near to the head. — First there must be piety in prelates and in the greater, and afterwards in the people; whence he says: *which ran down to the hem of his garment*. Of this oil of piety it is said in the fourth book of Kings that a certain woman came to Elisha and said that her creditors wished to take her boys; and she said: *My husband was a man who feared God.* And Elisha said that she should bring all her neighbours' vessels and pour into each of them some of that oil, until all were filled. Why did he command her to bring her neighbours' vessels? Could he not have multiplied the oil and filled a cask, and the woman would not have laboured so much? I say that the woman holds the type of the Church, Elisha holds the type of Christ. When the Church is poor in merits, and it is needful that she pay the interest — with what will she pay? She must fill her neighbours' vessels. Do you wish that the piety of mother Church come down to you? Fill your neighbours' vessels. This oil of piety must be had among all. Whence in the Canticle: *Thy name is oil poured out.*

15. Especially must it be in the hearts of bishops. Whence bishops are anointed on the head, and they, once anointed, must afterwards purify all of the people. It is said in the book of Maccabees: *When the holy city was inhabited in peace, and the laws were very well kept, because of the piety of Onias and the souls that hated evil; it came to pass that kings and princes held the place in reverence and honoured it with many gifts.* Afterwards Menelaus and his men entered the temple, and Antiochus defiled the temple. I believe that the hindrance was that the Holy Spirit was not in the people, because the hindrance was in the shepherd. — Blessed Gregory was noble and rich; he founded and endowed seven monasteries, and in the seventh, in the city of Rome,

<!-- page 472 (right column) -->
he became a monk, afterwards a cardinal and at last Pope. Blessed Gregory was accustomed, when he was Pope, to keep twelve poor men who ate before him. On a certain day there was with those twelve one who sometimes appeared as a youth, sometimes of venerable grey hairs. After the meal blessed Gregory rose and led him into his chamber and asked who he was. He answered: I am that shipwrecked man to whom you showed mercy near the harbour of the sea. I said that my ship had been wrecked, and I begged an alms of you whereby I might support myself. You had fifty gold pieces given me, and afterwards all the silver dishes that were in your house; and then I knew that the eternal God had appointed you to this honour, and that you came to this dignity by dispensation, so that you might be able to give much for God. And blessed Gregory said: who are you? He answered: I am his Angel. And blessed Gregory was terrified, because he saw an Angel; and so he was consoled, because works of piety please God so much. Martin and Nicholas, because they were men of mercy, therefore oil flows from their tomb. — Now the *exercise* of piety and its *original inflowing* are plain.

16. But what is the *usefulness* of the gift of piety? He says: *Piety avails for all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.* I do not know what more to add. Have you temporal goods? Piety avails for them; and likewise for spiritual goods. Those who have suffered the slipperiness of the flesh have sometimes been set free through the gift of piety, and afterwards have obtained mercy. For *piety avails for all things:* it avails *for knowing the things that are true,* for *turning aside* from all *evils* and for *obtaining* all *goods.*

17. First, I say, piety avails for *knowing the things that are true,* namely those that are *salutary;* whence in Ecclesiasticus: *The Lord made all things, and to them that act piously he gave wisdom.* God gives his gifts upon every creature; but the knowledge of truth he gives only to those who act piously. How could he attain the things *originated* who does not attain the *origin* of truth? How would he know the origin of truth who sets himself against the origin of truth? The Apostle says to Timothy: *If any man teach otherwise and does not consent to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to that doctrine which is according to piety, he is proud, knowing nothing, but languishing about questions and strifes of words.* A man must

assent to the doctrine which is according to piety. It is said in Daniel: *Moreover the impious shall act impiously; the revelation shall be closed to the impious.* If you wish to be true scholars, you must have piety.

18. Secondly, piety avails for *turning aside from* all *evils.* Whence blessed Peter: *The Lord knows how to deliver the pious from temptation, but to reserve the impious unto the day of judgment to be tormented.* The *impious* are those who do not acknowledge the divine piety. But the *impious man, when he has come into the depth of sins, contemns.* He is impious who defends his own impiety, namely sin. Of such the Psalm says: *Their throat is an open sepulchre; they dealt deceitfully with their tongues; judge them, O God. Let them fall from their devices; according to the multitude of their impieties cast them out, for they have provoked thee, O Lord.* Do you wish to be delivered from evil? Hear David, who says: *I said: I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord, and thou hast forgiven the impiety of my sin.* Praise God and be angry against sin, and do not defend sin, because to defend a sin is a double sin. It is worth noting what the Psalm says: *Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the impious,* by consenting to sin; *and has not stood in the way of sinners,* by remaining in sin; *and has not sat in the chair of pestilence,* by defending his own sin.

19. The third usefulness of the gift of piety is that it makes a man *obtain every good.* Whence it is said in the book of Maccabees that Judas considered *that those who had taken their rest with piety were carrying back the best grace* — which may he deign to grant us who with the Father etc.

---