Dist. 47
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/1/d/47/q/bon-sent-I-d47-littera
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### DISTINCTION XLVII.

### Chapter I.

#### *That the will of God is fulfilled concerning man, whithersoever he turn himself.*

The will of God indeed is always efficacious, so that whatsoever he wills comes to pass, and nothing comes to pass which he does not will; which [will] is always fulfilled concerning man, whithersoever he turn himself. For nothing, as Augustine says, constituted in free choice surpasses the will of God; and although [a man] may act against his will, yet against his will, which is himself, nothing must be thought to come to pass in such a way as though he willed [it] to come to pass and it does not come to pass; or as though he willed [it] not to come to pass and it comes to pass. For that will, as Augustine says in the *Enchiridion*, is always fulfilled either concerning us or by us. It is fulfilled concerning us, yet we do not fulfill it when we sin. It is fulfilled by us when we do good; for therefore we do it, because we know it pleases God. So also concerning man God always fulfills his own will, because man does nothing of which God does not work that which he wills. For God does not will that any man whatsoever should sin. But if [a man] sins, he wills to spare the penitent, that he may live; and to punish him who perseveres in his sins, that the contumacious may not escape the power of justice. As he prepared some from eternity unto punishment, so he prepared others unto glory. « And these are the great works of the Lord, sought out unto all his wills, and so wisely sought out, that when the angelic and human creature had sinned — that is, when it had done not what he, but what it itself willed — yet through that same will of the creature, by which has been done what the Creator did not will, he himself fulfilled what he willed: using even evils well, as supremely good, unto the damnation of those whom he justly predestined to punishment, and unto the salvation of those whom he kindly predestined to grace. For as far as they themselves are concerned, what God willed not, they did; but as far as the omnipotence of God is concerned, in no way could they do this. For by this very fact, that they acted against his will, his will was done concerning them. For this reason indeed [are] the great works of the Lord, sought out unto all his wills, that in a wondrous and ineffable manner there does not come to pass apart from his will that which even comes to pass against his will: because it would not come to pass, if he did not allow it; nor does he indeed allow it unwillingly, but willingly; nor would [he] the good [one] allow [it] to come to pass evilly, unless [he were] omnipotent and able to make good out of evil ». — By these words it is evidently shown that the eternal will of God is always fulfilled concerning man, even if man acts against God's will. But it must be diligently attended to, in what way it is said in the things above that something comes to pass against God's will, which nevertheless does not come to pass apart from it; and how that [saying] is to be understood: as far as they themselves are concerned, they did what God willed not; but as far as the omnipotence of God is concerned, in no way could they do this. For these things seem to stand in the way of what has gone before, where it has been said: that nothing resists his will.

But, as we have said above, the will of God is taken in diverse modes; which diversity, if it be diligently noted in the foregoing words, no contradiction is found therein. For where he says that there does not come to pass apart from his will even that which comes to pass against his will, he took "will" in a different sense, and he willed not the will itself, which is God and is eternal, but his signs to be understood in the foregoing words — that is, prohibition or precept and permission.

### Chapter II.

#### *In what sense certain things are said to come to pass against the will of God.*

For many things come to pass against the precept or prohibition of God, which nevertheless do not come to pass apart from his permission. For by his permission all evils come to pass, which nevertheless come to pass apart from his eternal will. As Augustine says upon that place of the Psalm: *That my mouth may not speak the works of men*. For by "works of men" he calls those things which are evil, « which come to pass apart from God's will » — [the will] which is himself, but not apart from his permission, which is not himself. Yet that permission is itself called God's will, because God willingly permits evils to come to pass. They come to pass also against his precept or prohibition, but not against his will, which is himself, unless they be said to come to pass against it because they come to pass apart from it. For against it nothing so comes to pass that he wills it to come to pass and it does not come to pass, or that he wills it not to come to pass and it comes to pass. Which Augustine evidently noted there, where he says: As far as they themselves are concerned, they did what God willed not; but as far as the omnipotence of God is concerned,  in no way could they do this; as if I were to say, they acted against God's precept, which is called [his] will, but they did not act against God's omnipotent will, because this they could not, that they could; and so by that which they did against God's will, that is, [his] precept, of them was made his will — that is, his eternal will, by which he willed them to be damned, was fulfilled. Whence Gregory on Job: « Many fulfill the will of God while they strive to change [it], and resisting his counsel they obey [it]; because this serves his disposition, that which rebounds through human effort ». — Here it is plainly shown, that while the wicked resist God's counsel and precept, which is called the will of God, they do those things whereby his will, which is himself, is fulfilled — which [will] is called *disposition* or *good pleasure*. « For, as Augustine says in the *Enchiridion*, however great be the wills of angels or men, of the good or of the evil, [whether they will] that which God [wills], or [will] something other than [what] God [wills], the will of the Omnipotent is always unconquered, which can never be evil, which even, when it inflicts evils, is just; and surely that which is just is not evil. Therefore God almighty, whether through mercy *upon whom he wills he shows mercy*, or through judgment *whom he wills he hardens*, does nothing unjustly, nor does he do anything except willingly, and all things whatsoever he wills, he does ».

### Chapter III.

#### *Why God commanded all to do good things and to avoid evil things, but does not will this to be fulfilled by all.*

From the foregoing it is clear, that the will of God, which is himself, is always fulfilled, and is in no respect frustrated, but through all things is fulfilled. But his counsel and his precepts or prohibition are not fulfilled by all to whom they have been set forth and given. Nor did he therefore command all good things, or forbid evils, or counsel the best things, because he willed by all the good things which he commanded to come to pass, or the evils which he forbade to be avoided — for if he willed [it], surely they would come to pass, because his will can in no respect be overcome or hindered by man — but [he did so] that he might show his justice to men, and that the wicked might be inexcusable; and finally, that the good might obtain glory by obedience, and the evil punishment by disobedience, just as he prepared for both from eternity. Those things therefore which he commanded or forbade for all, he willed to be done or to be avoided by some, but not by all; and certain things he commanded personally both in the Old and in the New Law, which he willed not to be done by those to whom he commanded — as to Abraham concerning the immolation of his son, and in the Gospel concerning certain healed persons, whom he commanded that they should tell no one.

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