Dist. 38, Art. 1, Q. 2
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/2/d/38/q/bon-sent-II-d38-a1-q2
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### Question II. *What is that end from whose goodness the will is good, and to which our wills ought to be referred so that they may be right.*

Secondly it is asked, what is that end from whose goodness the will is good, and to which our wills ought to be referred so that they may be right. And that such an end is charity is shown.

1. First to Timothy, chapter one: *The end of the precept is charity*; but those wills are to be referred to that end to which the precepts are referred; if therefore charity is the end of the precept, charity is the end of the good will.

2. Likewise, to the Romans, chapter thirteen: *He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law*; and again: *The fullness of the law is love*; but wills are to be referred to that in which consists the fullness and consummation of the law; if therefore charity and love are of this kind, it is evident, etc.

3. Likewise, this is seen by reason. Every good will is ordered to this, that man may enjoy God, and to this, that he may have God; but we do not enjoy God nor have him except through charity; therefore to have charity is nothing other than to have God; if therefore every good will is ordered to this, that it may have God; it is seen that the end of every good will is charity itself.

4. Likewise, nature in acting intends finally the form perfecting in the being of nature: therefore the will in acting principally intends the form perfective in the being of morals; but the form or perfective habit of the will in the being of morals is charity itself: therefore charity is the principal end of every good will.

**On the contrary:**
1. To the Romans, chapter ten: *Christ is the end of the law*; but the end of the law and of the good will is the same: therefore it seems that Christ is the principal end of the good will: therefore not charity.

2. Likewise, Bernard in the book *On Loving God*: «From love one comes into charity, and from charity one comes to wisdom»: therefore wisdom is more excellent than charity; but that ought to be set as the end of the good will which is most excellent: therefore the end of the good will is not charity, but wisdom.

3. Likewise, the end is that which is to be enjoyed; but charity is not to be enjoyed, because only the uncreated good is to be enjoyed: therefore it seems that charity is not the principal end of the good will. If you say that the end of the good will is not created charity, but uncreated; on the contrary, the Apostle: *The end of the precept is charity proceeding from a pure heart*, etc.; but charity proceeding from a pure heart and unfeigned faith is nothing but created charity: therefore etc.

4. Likewise, the end of the good will is that which, once had, the will seeks nothing beyond; but once charity is had, the will still seeks something beyond, namely God himself; nay, the greater the charity it has, the more it seeks: therefore it seems that charity does not have the character of an end.

5. Likewise, «what weight is in bodies, this is love in spirits»; but weight in bodies is in no way said to be the end of local motion: therefore love in spirits will in no way be said to be the end of the rational appetite, therefore neither of the will.

6. Likewise, end and principle are distinct; but charity is the root of all good affections: if therefore the end follows upon that which is toward the end, and charity is the root; it seems that it ought in no way to be called the end of the good will.

### Conclusion

> Charity is the end of every good will.

**I respond:** It must be said that the Master rightly says, in that he assigns charity as the end of every good will; for in this he followed the doctrine of the Apostle and of blessed Augustine. For the Apostle expressly says that charity is the consummation of the precept and the fullness of the law. Augustine also says in the *Enchiridion* that «all the divine precepts are referred to charity». And in the book *On Christian Doctrine* he shows that the whole of Scripture is ordered to commending the commandment of charity; and thus charity is not only the end of the good will, but also of all sacred Scripture and of the knowledge that is according to piety. — But although God, or beatitude, or Christ can be called the end of the good will; the Master nevertheless preferred to say that charity is the end, because the complete character of ending belongs to charity itself. For since "end" is said in three ways, namely the end in which one rests, and the end by which one rests; and the end by which one rests is said in two ways: either simply, or as for now; in each of these ways charity is the end of the good will. For uncreated charity, which is God, of which it is said in the first Canonical [Epistle] of John: *God is charity*, is the end in which one rests. But created and consummated charity, such as the charity of the homeland, is the end by which one rests simply in God. But inchoate charity, such as the charity of the way, is the end by which one rests in God as for now. For just as the thing located does not rest in its place except through the mediation of weight, so the soul cannot be brought to rest in God, who is its place and ultimate end, except through the mediation of love, which has to consider the good under the character of good. But the good under the character of good holds at once the character of end and of the lovable; and therefore the intention of the end is most chiefly attributed to charity. — The reasons therefore which show this are to be conceded.

**To the arguments to the contrary:**

1. To that which is objected, that Christ is the end of the precept; it must be said that by this it is not excluded that charity is the end. For although Christ is the end in which one rests, nonetheless charity can be the end by which we rest in Christ. Again, charity, insofar as it is the end in which we rest, belongs to the whole Trinity; and therefore these two can stand together, that Christ is the end of the law and charity likewise.

2. To that which is objected, that from charity one arrives at wisdom, therefore wisdom is more excellent; it must be said that according as Bernard speaks there of wisdom, wisdom does not name a different gift than charity, but a new state of the same gift, so that charity taken commonly is distinguished from charity called [such] by appropriation. Yet according as charity is described commonly, so it contains both love and wisdom; and in this way it is set as the end of the precept.

3. To that which is objected, that the end is that which is to be enjoyed; it must be said that according as "end" is said in two ways, namely that by which one rests, and that in which one rests, so to enjoy something is said in two ways: either as an object, or as a disposition; and in both ways we enjoy charity. For by charity, which is God, we enjoy as an object; by charity, which is a habit, we enjoy as a disposition; and thus it is evident that this does not oppose the proposition.

4. To that which is objected, that the will rests once its end is had; it must be said that this is true when it has its end completely; charity, however, although it is had in the way, is nevertheless not had completely; *for the fire is in Sion, and the furnace in Jerusalem*. But when it shall be had in the homeland, nothing further will be sought, because through it the uncreated good will be had, in which consists the end and quieting of all our desires.

5. To that which is objected, that weight in bodies is not the end of motion; it must be said that it is not alike, because weight is found in bodies both in the absence of their due place and in its presence; but charity is never in the soul except when God is present. Hence everyone who has charity has God; and therefore, while all our action is ordered to having God, it is ordered to having charity. But it is not so with weight, because not every body having weight has its due place.

6. To that which is objected, that end and principle are diverse; some answer that charity is principle and end in a different way; for it is the principle of the good work according to inchoate being, and the end according to consummated and perfected being. For to this each one acts well, that in him the love and charity of God may be increased. — Otherwise it can be said, and more probably, that just as mode, species, and order are founded upon the same thing, and yet mode names a comparison to the efficient [cause], and species to the exemplar, and order names a comparison to the end; so charity in respect of the good work can have both the character of efficient [cause] and of end according to diverse comparisons. For charity continues our will to God himself as to the moving principle, and conforms it as to the directing rule, and joins it as to the quieting end; and therefore, just as God himself has the character of efficient [cause], insofar as he moves, and of formal, insofar as he directs, and of final, insofar as he quiets: so charity too in respect of the work has the character of this threefold cause; nor is it unfitting, because according to the Philosopher three genera of causes can coincide in one. And thus it is evident that although charity is the principle of the good work, nonetheless it can be the end according to diverse comparisons. — And by this is evident the response to that which was lastly asked, why charity is called the root and form of the virtues and the end. For this is said according to the diverse comparisons of our will to the divine will; it is also called upon this the *bond of perfection* in comparison to our neighbors, who are joined to us by the bond of charity.

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