Dist. 21, Part 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/4/d/21/q/bon-sent-IV-d21-p1-littera
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### Part I.

### Chap. I. *On the sins that are remitted after this life.*

It is also wont to be asked whether after this life any sins are remitted. That some are remitted after this life, Christ shows in the Gospel, where He says: *Whoever shall sin against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world nor in [the world] to come.* From which it is given to be understood, as the holy doctors hand down, that certain sins will be remitted in the [world] to come. «For certain faults are released in this world, but certain small ones even in the [world] to come; which indeed weigh [upon a man] after death, but are remitted, if [men] are worthy, if by good acts in this life they have merited that they be remitted to them».

### Chap. II. *On those who build gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble.*

Concerning those also who build wood, hay, stubble, Augustine says that they will find a fire of transitory tribulation, burning the combustible buildings which they carried with them. For he says thus: «After the death of this body indeed, until one come, by the purgatorial fire, to the day of damnation and remuneration, if in this interval of time the spirits of the dead, who built wood, hay, stubble, are said to suffer a fire of this kind, which others do not feel, who did not carry buildings of this kind, so that they find a fire of transitory tribulation, burning up the venial [sins]; I do

not gainsay [it], because perhaps it is true». «But because it is said: *He shall be saved, yet so as by fire*, that fire is despised. Yet that fire will be heavier than anything man can suffer in this life». — Here it is plainly intimated that those who build wood, hay, stubble, certain combustible buildings, that is, venial sins, carry [them] with [them], which are burned in the amending fire. Whence it is established that certain venial sins are blotted out after this life.

### Chap. III. *On the purgatorial fire, by which some are purged sooner, others later.*

But in that purgatorial fire some are purged later, some sooner, according as they loved these perishing things more or less. Whence Augustine: «After this life it is not incredible that some of the faithful are saved through a certain purgatorial fire, the more or less slowly and quickly the more or less they loved the perishing goods».

### Chap. IV. *What it is to build wood, hay, stubble.*

«Whence not in vain did the Apostle distinguish those three, wood, hay, stubble, which those build who, although they do not seize what belongs to another, yet cleave with some love to things conceded to [their] weakness; who according to their modes of loving will endure the fire longer, as wood, or less, as hay, or least, as stubble. But those who build upon [the foundation] gold, silver, and precious stone, are secure from both fires, not only from that eternal [fire], which will torment the impious for eternity, but also from that amending [fire], by which certain [who are] to be saved will be purged». Here it can be objected: if by wood, hay, stubble venial sins are understood; and no one is so perfect that he does not sin venially: therefore those who build gold, silver, precious stone, build also wood, hay, stubble; therefore they will pass through the fire. — To which we say that not everyone who sins venially builds wood, hay, stubble; just as conversely not everyone who contemplates God and loves [his] neighbor and does good works builds gold, silver, precious stone. And yet in gold is understood the contemplation of God, in silver the love of [one's] neighbor, in precious stone good works. But those who build wood, hay, stubble, contemplate God and love [their] neighbor and do good works, yet do not build gold, silver, precious stone.

### Chap. V. *What it is to build gold, silver, precious stones.*

For he builds these who so does those three that he thinks the things that are of God, and how he may please God, not the world. «But wood and hay and stubble can be taken to be such desires of worldly things, although lawfully conceded, as cannot be lost without grief of soul». This therefore he builds who thinks the things that are of the world, how he may please the world, «who is held about his riches by a certain carnal affection, and yet out of them gives many alms nor contrives any fraud or rapine for their sake». — From these things therefore it is plain that the same man does not build these and those at once. For that building is of the perfect only, who do not think to please the world, but God alone; who, although they sometimes sin venially, by the fervor of charity the sin is so consumed in them as a drop of water in a furnace of fire; and therefore they never carry combustible things with them. But this lower building is of the lesser, who think to please not only God, but also the world, yet set God before [it]. But if they were to set the world before [Him], they would not build upon [the foundation], but would destroy the foundation. Carnal affections therefore, by which they are given over to houses, spouses, possessions, so that they set nothing before Christ, are signified by those three; which fall not into the minds of the perfect, even if they admit other venial [sins]; but in the hearts of the lesser they sometimes last right up to the end, [men] who pass over with such buildings, but they will be dissolved in the fire; yet they themselves will be saved by the merit of the foundation, though they will feel a most grievous penalty. From which it appears how great a mercy God shows here, and how great a truth He exercises there, since for the same sin He punishes there much more grievously than here.

### Chap. VI. *That one truly repents, even if not of every venial [sin].*

But perhaps you will say that this is to be understood of the penalty of the sin, not of the sin itself, which Gregory says, that certain light [sins] are to be remitted in the [world] to come. For if anyone has had true penance, all [his sins] have been remitted to him, but the penalty perhaps remained; and therefore, if he died truly penitent, he passes without sin; but if he is not truly penitent at [his] death, he carries a stain which will never be blotted out. But he who builds wood, hay, stubble truly repents, because he is good and has charity and in charity passes from this life: therefore he passes without sin. — It does not follow: it is indeed true, because he is good and

has charity and truly repents; and yet he passes with a venial sin, which penance did not blot out. For penance does not blot out except that sin which a man forsakes. But such a sin is often not relinquished by the man in this life, and yet he is truly penitent, even if he does not repent of all venial [sins]. For one can repent of every mortal and of every venial [sin], excepting one or several venial ones indeed; just as one has charity and one or several venial [sins]; which can in no way be the case with criminal [sins]. For there is some good man having charity, but still loving these worldly things with a certain affection of cupidity; such a one, existing [thus], is overwhelmed by sudden death, [and] has died in that earthly affection, and yet will be saved, [though] from it he did not absolve himself here: therefore after this life he will be purged of it. It is established therefore that certain sins, but light ones, are remitted after this life. But if the authors had wished that to be understood of the penalty of sin, why would they rather have mentioned light [sins] than grave ones, since even of grave [sins] the penalty, here unfinished, remains after this life?

### Part II. *On general confession.*

### Chap. VII. *What general confession is.*

After these things it must be considered whether that confession profits in which the individual sins which each one has committed are not expressed. — Indeed it can be said that all criminal [sins] must at least once be expressed in confession, unless any have slipped from the mind. But because no one is aware of all his offenses, confess at least in general those of which you have no memory; and thus you have concealed nothing of your crimes. But the venial [sins], because they are innumerable, it suffices to confess in general, unless any be frequently repeated; yet it is more perfect to express even those, if you are able. And therefore daily confession is made in general in the Church, namely for the venial sins which we daily commit, and for those deadly [sins] of which we have no knowledge. Whence Augustine: «The penitent tells the truth to God when he conceals nothing from Him of the crimes committed; not that, even if he should conceal [it] by his will, God would be ignorant, but He wills the truth to be told to Him by him, that he may obtain pardon. But if any [sins] have slipped from the mind, he confesses the truth to God when he has said in general: God who knowest the hidden things of the heart, both my works and my offenses are not hidden from Thee, for which mayest Thou bestow pardon. And this is the truth of the one confessing, which God loves». Whence: *For behold Thou hast loved truth.* — Here it is intimated that general confession blots out even mortal [sins] of which the understanding is not had.

### Chap. VIII. *That no one ought to confess sins which he has not done.*

But just as the penitent ought not to conceal a sin, because it is pride; so neither for the sake of humility [ought he] to confess himself guilty of that which he knows he has not committed, because such humility is incautious and constitutes [him] a sinner. Whence Augustine: «When for the sake of humility you lie, if you were not a sinner before you lied, by lying you become what you had avoided. Truth is not in you, unless you so call yourself a sinner that you also know yourself to be [one]. But the truth itself is that you say what you are. For how is there truth where falsity reigns»?

### Chap. IX. *On the penalty of the priest who publishes the sins of the one confessing.*

«But let the priest beware lest he disclose to others the sins of those confessing, otherwise let him be deposed. Whence Gregory: Let the priest before all things beware lest he recount to anyone [aught] of those who confess [their] sins, not to kinsmen, not to strangers, nor, which God forbid, for any scandal. For if he shall have done this, let him be deposed and go ignominiously on pilgrimage all the days of his life». «But as for what was said, that the penitent should choose a priest knowing [how] to bind and to loose, it seems contrary to that which is found in the canons, namely that no one should presume to judge another's parishioner. But it is one thing to despise one's own priest out of favor or hatred, which the canons forbid, [and] another to avoid a blind [guide], which Urban admonishes to do, lest, if a blind man lead a blind man, both fall into the pit». For Urban II says: «It has pleased [us] that henceforth it be permitted to none of the priests to receive for penance anyone committed to another priest without the consent of him to whom he first committed himself, except for the ignorance of him to whom he first confessed. But whoever shall attempt to do contrary to this shall lie under the peril of his rank».

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