Cap. 9, Vers. 1-3
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/15/d/9/q/bon-eccl-c9-v1-3
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### Chapter IX.

(Vers. 1.). *There are just men and wise men* etc. Here the second is touched upon, namely *the uncertainty of discernment.* For a man does not know of himself whether he is a good man or a bad one, even he who is himself good. Therefore he says: *There are just men and wise men,* and so good; *and their works are in the hand of God,* that is, in the power of knowing, of accepting and of repaying. In his hand are *merits* and *rewards.* There are merits of good *thoughts;* Proverbs, the twenty-first: « As the divisions of waters, so the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord ». There are merits of good *affections;* the Psalm: « In his hand are all the ends of the earth ». There are also merits of good *speech;* Wisdom, the seventh: « In *his* hand are *both* we and our words ». There are also merits of *works,* as in the matter proposed. There are also *rewards* in his hand; Wisdom, the third: « The souls of the just are in the hand of God »; and since they are in the hand of God, they ought to be known. *And yet man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love or hatred,* and so he does not know how to discern; the first to the Corinthians, the fourth: « I am not conscious to myself of anything, but I am not hereby justified » etc.

(Vers. 2.). *But all things are kept for the time to come.* Here the third is noted, namely *the reason of the uncertainty,* which comes from this, that in the present the recompense is not made according to merits, but is reserved for the time to come. And therefore he says thus: *Man knoweth not… But all things are kept uncertain for the time to come,* that is, so that they may be made certain; the first to the Corinthians, the fourth: « Judge not before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts »; which indeed he does not do now, but reserves, according to that of Job, the fourteenth: « Thou hast sealed up offences as it were in a bag »; and so in the present all things are in hiding. And there is added: *Because all things equally happen to the just and to the wicked* etc.; *all things,* good and evil, *equally happen* to the just and to the sinner, whom he describes under six differences. *To the just and to the wicked,* as regards *the believing of faith,* which, namely, justifies the wicked; Habacuc, the second: « The just man liveth in his faith ». *To the good and to the evil,* as regards *the purity of love,* since holy love makes good; Matthew, the seventh: « A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit ». *To the clean and to the unclean,* as regards *the uprightness of conduct;* for that is attended to in outward things, Tobias, the fourth. *To him that immolateth hosts and victims, and to him that despiseth sacrifices,* as regards

*the religiousness of worship;* Exodus, the twelfth: « This is the religion of the Phase; no alien shall eat of it ». *As the good, so also the sinner,* as regards *the observance of the commandments,* whose observance makes the good, and whose transgression makes sinners; Daniel, the ninth: « We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, and have departed, and have gone aside from thy commandments and judgments ». *As the perjured, so also he that sweareth truth* [*deierat*], as regards *the speaking of truth; deierat:* there *de* augments, it does not diminish; *deierat,* that is, swears truly, in which signification is taken that of the first of Kings, the twentieth: « And Jonathan added to swear [*deierare*] to David, because he loved him ». To all these things happen alike, both as regards the condition of *nature,* according to that of Wisdom, the seventh: « There is therefore one entrance of all into life, and a like going out »; and as regards the condition of *fault;* to the Romans, the third: « All have sinned, and do need the glory of God »; and as regards the condition of *punishment;* Ecclesiasticus, the eighth: « Remember that we are all in corruption ».

(Vers. 3.). *This is the worst* etc. Here the fourth is touched upon, namely *the origin of vain security,* since great security arises from this indistinction, which is the occasion of many sins. Therefore he says: *And this is the worst among all things that are done under the sun, that the same things happen to all.* Therefore *the worst,* because it is the occasion of many sins; for God does not seem to care about us. Whence arises that saying of Job, the twenty-second: « The clouds are his covert, and he doth not consider our things ». And that evils arise from this he shows, since security arises, through which a man falls into malice and contempt. Therefore he says: *Whereby also the hearts of the children of men,* that is, of the evil and the carnal, *are filled with malice and with contempt.* In *filling* a multitude of vices is designated, so that *malice* is in the concupiscible, and *contempt* in the irascible, which are the two roots of sins; Genesis, the sixth: « The earth is corrupted before God and filled with iniquity »; and this *in their life,* that is, as long as they have place for meriting; the first to the Thessalonians, the second: « To fill up their sins always ». And since such men are cast headlong into punishment, therefore he adds: *And afterwards they shall be brought down to hell;* the Psalm: « But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction »; and Job, the twenty-first: « They spend their days in good things, and in a moment they go down to hell ».

### Questions.

I. Here a question falls in about what he said: *I understood that man can find no reason of the works of God.*

1. Then if we ought to know the reason of what we understand; and we can find the reason of nothing: then we understand nothing.

2. Likewise, the rational nature is for understanding and seeing the reason: then if we cannot find the reason, we have the rational power in vain.

**I respond:** it must be said that « words are to be taken according to their matter »; but he is not speaking of the works of God in general, but of the divine judgements, which are works of God, according to that of the Psalm: *Great are the works of the Lord* etc. « These judgements, as Gregory says, are not to be discussed, but to be venerated with fearful silence »; because, although they have a reason, they nevertheless have a hidden reason, and one which we cannot track down by ourselves, because it is above us; and if we understand, this is through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, who *searcheth the deep things of God*, not through human finding. Of the other works, as of creatures, many reasons are found, and many sciences are had; but he is not speaking of those works here.

II. Likewise, there is doubt about what he says: *Man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love or hatred.*

That it seems false: 1. Because to the Romans, the eighth: *Who shall separate us from the charity of Christ? I am sure* etc.: then it has a counter-instance there. — *You will say* that he knew by revelation; *it is objected* that a man can know by himself; because the dignity of the divine love places in us the grace that makes pleasing; but Augustine says that the things which are in the soul *essentially* are better known than those which are in it *according to a species:* then if we are certain of the things we know *according to a species,* as if something sweet is placed upon the tongue, much more of grace.

2. Likewise, Augustine says that he who has faith is certain that he has faith. Then he who has love or charity is certain that he has it: then he who has grace is certain: then he is certain whether he pleases God.

3. Likewise, one can be certain of hatred, as he who has sinned and wills to sin is certain that he is worthy of hatred.

**On the contrary:** 1. The first to the Corinthians, the fourth: *I am not conscious to myself of anything, but I am not hereby justified* etc.

2. Likewise, Job, the ninth: *If he come to me, I shall not see him; and if he depart, I shall not understand;* and in the same place: *Although I should be simple, even this my soul shall be ignorant of.*

3. Likewise, Ecclesiasticus, the fifth: *Concerning sin propitiated be not without fear:* then no one is certain.

To this some respond that it is understood of the hatred of predestination and reprobation, of which no one is certain; and so it has no counter-instance, because predestination places in us no effect through which it could be known. — One must respond otherwise, because this response does not satisfy the letter; for the letter says: *He knoweth not whether he be worthy of love;* but no one is worthy of, nor merits, being predestined: therefore it is understood according to present justice.

On account of this others respond that cognition is twofold, namely *necessary* and infallible; and this we cannot have, because no one can know with certitude whether he has grace, except through revelation, as the Apostle did. The other is *probable* and through signs; and this indeed can be had and is had; because many know through probable signs that they are in grace.

1. 2. As to what is objected, then, that it sees *essentially:* I say that habits in the soul are not known except through this, that the soul sees itself apt for some act; and since the acts of *unformed* and *formed* faith and of *gratuitous* and *natural* love are so alike that hardly or never could a man discern them: therefore, although he knows the habit, he nevertheless does not know whether it is gratuitous.

3. As to what is objected about hatred, I say that he is speaking of *the just,* because they do not know whether they are worthy of love or hatred; not of *the openly evil.*

Whatever, nevertheless, may be the case about charity and faith, whether a man knows that he has them or not; yet he does not know whether he is worthy of the love or the hatred of God; because we can believe it, but how do we know that the Lord hates the evil and loves the good, when he does so many and such great good things to the evil as to the good? Whence Ecclesiastes did not say that they do not know that they are *just,* but they do not know that they are *loved* by God.

III. There can also be doubt about what he says: *This is the worst under the sun, that the same things happen to all.*

**On the contrary:** 1. It is worse when good things happen to the evil and evil things to the good than when the same things happen to these and to those, because, as was said above, that is undue and unworthy.

2. Likewise, it was said above: *This I judge most vain,* concerning this, that the evil are secure and evils come to the just; but « what is said by superabundance belongs to one alone »: then etc.

**I respond:** it must be said that intension and remission in vanity or malice can be taken *properly;* and so it is said *intensively,* according as it is said: a pearl is whiter than a horse; and so *intensively* the vanity is greater when the evil are exalted and the good are cast down. More and less can further be taken *extensively,* since it is the cause or occasion in more things or of more things; and in this way the indistinction of the good from the evil is the greater vanity, because it is the origin of more malices. For if evil things happened to the good, and good things to the evil, the good could be discerned from the evil; but while the same things happen, they cannot be discerned.

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