Cap. 6, Vers. 8-11
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/15/d/6/q/bon-eccl-c6-v8-11
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#### Art. 3. *On the remedy against the vanity of imprudence, which is the acquisition of wisdom, which is unfolded in two parts.*

*What hath the wise man more* etc. Above he set down the remedy against the vanity of *malice* and against the vanity of *avarice;* here, thirdly, he sets down the remedy against the vanity of *imprudence*. Now against this the highest remedy is the acquisition of wisdom; and since no one can acquire wisdom unless he has the due manner of learning, therefore this part has two parts. In the first he gives *the manner,* in the second he unfolds *the teachings of wisdom,* at: *A good name is better* etc.

#### First is unfolded the manner of acquiring wisdom, by a threefold account.

Now *the manner* of considering or learning for him who wishes to be wise is handed down in this way. First, that he *learn useful things;* secondly, that he *leave hidden things;* thirdly, that he *not inquire into* *lofty things.*

(Vers. 8.). First, then, he teaches *to seek useful things* and to consider them, and this is, how one may come to the life of glory. Therefore he asks: *What hath the wise man more than the fool, and what the poor man?* Well does he join these two: *the poor man* and *the wise man. The poor man* is so called through contempt of present things; whence Matthew, the fifth chapter: « Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven »; *the wise man,* through the savour of eternal things and right estimation; of whom Proverbs, the third chapter: « The wise shall possess glory; the promotion of fools, disgrace ». *The fool,* on the other hand, is called the worldly man, who on the contrary, eternal things being despised, gapes after earthly things; of whom Job, the fifth chapter: « I have seen a fool with a strong root, and I cursed his beauty immediately ». *What hath the wise and poor man more than the fool* in this life? Supply: little. *But to go thither, where there is life,* namely eternal, to which man ought to aspire, not to temporal things, which cannot be held; on account of which he has little here in the mortal life, because « the learned dieth in like manner as the unlearned », above, in the second chapter; but in eternal life he has much more, because *being* is delightful, abundant, secure, he will obtain all things in open vision and fruition of the highest good; of which life John, the seventeenth chapter: « This is eternal life, that they may know thee, the only true God » etc. To this life the wise go, because they direct their eyes to it, as is said above, in the second chapter: « The wise man's eyes are in his head »; and therefore he follows Christ, the light, who, as is said in John, the fourteenth chapter, is « the way, the truth and the life »; but the fool does not go; whence below, in the tenth chapter: « The labour of fools shall afflict them, because they know not how to go to the city ».

(Vers. 9.). To this life one cannot rightly come without cognition; therefore he adds: *It is better to see*

*what thou mayest desire,* that is, to know the life which thou desirest, *than to desire what thou knowest not,* that is, to wish to come thither ignorantly; and therefore one ought to set one's consideration upon that; Proverbs, the fourth chapter: « Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps ». And this indeed is good to know, but to desire what one knows not is foolish. Therefore he adds: *But this also is vanity and presumption of spirit,* namely to desire what a man knows not, as James and John desired and asked to sit at the right hand, and presumptuously sought it; therefore it is said to them in Matthew, the twentieth chapter: « You know not what you ask ». — It can also be expounded to the commendation of the cognition of useful things, so that the sense is that it is better to know desirable and useful things than to desire *to know hidden things,* which, namely, he forbids us to consider, because this is presumption of spirit, namely to wish to know the things that God has disposed in his providence.

(Vers. 10. 11.). And this indeed he forbids us to search into, saying consequently: *He that shall be* etc. Here he calls us back from *searching into hidden things,* such as the divine disposition is; on account of which he says: *He that shall be, his name is already called,* as to eternal election; to the Romans, the fourth chapter: « Who calleth those things that are not, as those that are ». *And it is known that he is man,* as to the shortness of the duration of life; Genesis, the third chapter: « Dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return ». *And he cannot contend in judgment with him that is stronger than himself,* as to the condition of justice; for no one is so just that he can justify himself in judgment with God; Job, the ninth chapter: « I know that man is not justified compared with God. If he will contend with God, he cannot answer him one for a thousand »; therefore Job said: « How great then am I, that I should answer him »; and therefore it is added: because *stronger;* whence Job, the ninth chapter: « If strength be demanded, he is most strong; if equity of judgment, no man dare bear witness for me ». This hidden disposition, therefore, is said to be not to be searched into by us; because in our words little truth is found, especially when we wish to discourse on the things that lie hidden from us. — Therefore he adds: *Words are very many,* that is, few things are known; below, in the tenth chapter: « A fool multiplieth words ». *And having much vanity in disputing,* and little truth, above, in the third chapter: « He hath delivered the world to their disputation, so that man cannot find out the work which God hath made from the beginning to the end »; and therefore those who wish to search into these things vanish away, according to that word of the Apostle in the first epistle to the Corinthians, the third chapter: « God knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain ».

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