Bonaventure

Capitulum IX.

Tertio ostendit, quam devote sapientiam a Deo petierit.

Deus patrum meorum etc. Postquam ostendit, qualiter sapientiam acceperit et quantum acceptam amaverit; hic ostendit, quam devote eam a Deo petierit. Et primo tangit petitionis formam; secundo, exauditionis rationem: Tu autem⁹ elegisti; tertio, petitionis finem: Mitte illam; quarto, finis difficultatem: Quis enim etc.

Primo tangitur petitionis forma.

In prima parte primo decorem laudat; secundo, donum specificat: Da mihi sedium; tertio, se humiliat: Quoniam servus; quarto, indigentiam insinuat: Et¹⁰ si quis etc.

(Vers. 1.). Deus patrum meorum, scilicet per gratiam electionis; patrum, scilicet antiquorum; Exodi tertio¹¹: « Ego sum Deus patris tui, Deus Abraham » etc. Vel: Deus patrum meorum, id est, qui fecisti patres meos et elegisti et sanctificasti eos. Et Domine misericordiae, id est Domine misericors, ita quod sit intransitiva constructio; vel: Domine misericordiae, auctor, ita quod sit transitiva; in Psalmo¹²: « Miserator et misericors Dominus ». Domine, inquam, misericordiae, scilicet per effectum remissionis peccatorum et iustificationis; misericordia enim respicit miseriam; Proverbiorum decimo quarto: « Miseros autem facit populos peccatum ». Qui fecisti p. 167 omnia, scilicet per opus creationis, ut patet Genesis primo¹; in Psalmo: « Dixit, et facta sunt »; Verbo tuo, id est per Filium tuum; Ioannis primo: « In principio erat Verbum » etc., et post: « Omnia per ipsum facta sunt ».

(Vers. 2.). Et sapientia tua, id est eodem Filio tuo, secundum illud Psalmi²: « Omnia in sapientia fecisti »; constituisti, id est, ex partibus valde diversis composuisti, scilicet ex spiritu rationali et luto terrestri; hominem; Ecclesiastici decimo septimo: « Deus de terra creavit hominem ». Et notandum, quod cetera dicit facta solo Verbo, sed hominem sapientia, quasi opus nobilius, quia capax sapientiae tam creatae quam increatae, et ideo quasi opus maiori excogitatione faciendum; propter quod Dominus, quasi deliberans, ait Genesis primo³: « Faciamus hominem ad imaginem » etc. Ut dominaretur creaturae, quae a te facta est, creaturae, scilicet non spirituali vel angelicae, sed corporali, et hoc per potentiam; Genesis primo: « Dominamini piscibus maris » etc.

(Vers. 3.). Ut disponat orbem terrarum; scilicet per sapientiam; est enim homo positus in hoc mundo, sicut rex in regno. In aequitate, id est misericordia, et iustitia; haec enim duo in disponendo iungi debent; Gregorius⁴: « Disciplina et misericordia multum destituitur, si una sine altera teneatur ». Et in directione cordis, scilicet per bonitatem, et hoc per rectam ad Deum intentionem; in Psalmo⁵: « Confitebor tibi in directione cordis »; Iob trigesimo quarto: « Si direxerit ad Deum cor suum, spiritum illius et flatum ad se trahet »; iudicium iudicet, scilicet super subditos. Nomine autem iudicii simpliciter dicti intelligit iudicium « verum⁶ » vel iustum. Sicut enim homo pictus vel mortuus non est homo, sic falsum vel iniustum iudicium non est iudicium.

(Vers. 4.). Da mihi, « a quo omne datum optimum », Iacobi primo⁷; sapientiam, scilicet intellectum, sedium tuarum assistricem, id est sanctarum animarum inhabitatricem; supra septimo: « Per nationes in animas sanctas se transfert ». Sanctae autem animae dicuntur sedes Dei, quia in eis sedet Deus et quiescit praesidens et imperans omnibus earum motibus et affectionibus; Isaiae ultimo⁸: « Caelum mihi sedes est »; Glossa: « Anima iusti sedes est sapientiae ». Et noli me reprobare, dando mihi bonitatem et gratiam in affectu; noli, inquam, reprobare me, sicut illos, de quibus ad Romanos primo⁹: « Tradidit illos in reprobum sensum »; Ieremiae sexto: « Argentum reprobum vocate eos ». A pueris tuis, scilicet a puerorum tuorum numero et consortio excludendo, de quibus Isaiae octavo: « Ecce, ego et pueri mei » etc.

(Vers. 5.). Quoniam etc., quasi dicat: ideo peto, ut des mihi sapientiam, quoniam servus tuus sum ego, id est tibi paratus servire; in Psalmo¹⁰: « Servus tuus sum ego, da mihi intellectum »; tertii Regum decimo: « Beati servi tui, qui audiunt sapientiam tuam ». Et filius ancillae tuae, id est synagogae, de qua ad Galatas quarto: « Scriptum est, quoniam Abraham duos filios habuit ». Secundum Glossam¹¹ verba ista sunt « Filii ad Patrem », secundum quod homo sapientiam pro membris petentis, se servum eius secundum humanitatem, non filium allegantis; Isaiae quadragesimo nono: « Servus meus es tu, Israel, quia in te gloriabor ». Et filius ancillae tuae, id est Virginis Mariae, secundum illud Lucae primo¹²: « Ecce, ancilla Domini ». Homo infirmus, ex parte corporis propter corporis fragilitatem; in Psalmo: « Miserere mei, Domine, quoniam infirmus sum ». Et exigui temporis, propter vitae brevitatem; Iob decimo quarto: « Homo natus de muliere, brevi vivens tempore »; et minor, ex parte animae, id est ex naturali virtute insufficiens, ad intellectum; Glossa¹³: « Ad percipiendum »; iudicii, id est iudiciorum tuorum, quorum exemplo iudicandum est; et legum, tuarum scilicet aeternarum, quarum regulatione iudicandum est; ad Romanos undecimo: « O altitudo divitiarum sapientiae et scientiae Dei, quam incomprehensibilia sunt iudicia eius, et investigabiles viae eius »!

(Vers. 6.). Et¹⁴ si quis etc., in hoc innuitur caritas, erit consummatus, id est perfectus; Glossa: « In iudicio »; inter filios hominum, qui ex viro p. 168 scilicet et muliere nascuntur ad differentiam filii hominis, id est solius Virginis, de quo Matthaei decimo sexto: « Quem dicunt homines esse filium hominis »? Et dicit: consummatus inter filios hominum, quoniam potest esse purus homo per naturam. Si ab illo fugerit vel aufugerit¹, scilicet tanquam ab indigno et peccatore, secundum illud supra primo: « In malevolam animam non introibit sapientia »; sapientia tua; Glossa: « Divina », non mundana. Mundana enim propter peccatum non fugit; Ieremiae quarto: « Sapientes sunt, ut faciant mala ». In nihilum, scilicet moris, non naturae², computabitur, scilicet apud Deum et Sanctos eius; infra decimo tertio: « Vani sunt omnes homines, in quibus non subest scientia Dei »; per gratiam enim est homo id quod est quantum ad esse moris; unde primae ad Corinthios decimo quinto: « Gratia Dei sum id quod sum »; item, sine caritate homo nihil est, ut patet primae ad Corinthios decimo tertio; et secundum Augustinum peccator nihil est, scilicet in eo, quod talis.

Secundo, exauditionis ratio duplex.

Tu autem³ elegisti etc. Hic subdit multiplicem rationem exauditionis, quarum prima est iniunctum officium regni; secunda est mandatum templi aedificandi: Et dixisti etc.

(Vers. 7.). Tu autem etc., quasi dicat ita: sum per me insufficiens sine sapientia. Autem, pro sed; nihilominus tu elegisti me; Glossa⁴: « Salomonem, vel Christum ». Regem populo tuo, id est in te credenti; in Psalmo: « Ego autem constitutus sum rex ab eo super Sion » etc.; et iudicem filiorum tuorum et filiarum, scilicet tuarum, id est fidelium, secundum illud Ioannis primo: « Dedit eis potestatem filios Dei fieri, his qui credunt in nomine eius ». Regis officium est et in negotiis aliis regni suum exercere iudicium; iudicis vero specialiter est in causis populi.

(Vers. 8.). Et dixisti; Glossa⁵: « Iussisti »; David enim, qui vir sanguinum erat, non fuit permissus templum aedificare; sed Salomon pacificus ad hoc fuit electus, ut patet secundi Regum septimo et primi Paralipomenon vigesimo nono. Et dixisti, inquam, aedificare me templum in monte sancto tuo, id est in monte Moria, ubi sancta fieri voluisti; et in civitate habitationis tuae, scilicet Ierusalem, ubi habitare dicebatur, quia ibi excellentius colebatur⁶; altare, scilicet holocaustorum, holocaustorum, dico, ad differentiam altaris aenei, quod erat in atrio ante templum sub divo. Similitudinem tabernaculi tui sancti, id est ad eius exemplar, de quo Exodi vigesimo quinto⁷, quod factum est ad exemplar caelestis tabernaculi; unde ibidem: « Inspice et fac secundum exemplar, quod tibi in monte monstratum est ». Quod praeparasti; Glossa⁸: « Per Moysen »; ab initio, non creationis, sed dationis Legis; unde Glossa: « Cum educeres filios Israel de Aegypto »; tabernaculum in deserto, ut dicit Glossa, signabat Ecclesiam militantem, sed templum in Ierusalem triumphantem. Ratio huius est, quia tabernaculum in deserto erat mobile, sed templum in Ierusalem erat immobile.

(Vers. 9.). Et tecum, scilicet praeparavit, sapientia tua, scilicet increata, « id est Filius tuus⁹ », de quo primae ad Corinthios primo: « Christum Dei virtutem atque sapientiam ». Quae novit opera tua, quasi cooperatrix omnium, secundum illud Psalmi: « Omnia in sapientia fecisti ». Quae affuit, tecum praesens, tunc, scilicet cum orbem terrarum faceres; Proverbiorum octavo: « Quando appendebat fundamenta terrae, eram cum eo cuncta componens »; et in eodem: « Delectabar cum eo per singulos dies, ludens in orbe terrarum ». Et sciebat, quod id¹⁰ placitum esset oculis tuis, scilicet quoad consilia; oculis tuis, scilicet intellectus et affectus tui, id est misericordiae et veritatis tuae, « in omni enim opere Dei misericordia et veritas¹¹ »; Ecclesiastici quadragesimo secundo: « Invenit gratiam coram oculis Domini », p. 169 secundum aliam translationem. Et quod directum; Glossa: « Id est rectum et iustum »; in praeceptis tuis; in Psalmo: « Iustitiae Domini rectae, laetificantes corda ».

Tertio, petitionis finis dupliciter tangitur.

Mitte illam etc. Hic ostendit finem petitionis, id est, ad quid sapientiam quaesierit; et primo petit sapientiam ad sciendum et faciendum Dei voluntatem. Secundo ostendit, quod valet ad talis finis adeptionem: Scit enim.

(Vers. 10.). Dicit ergo: Mitte illam, scilicet sapientiam etc. Notandum, quod duplex est missio Sapientiae, scilicet una visibilis in carnem, de qua Ioannis decimo¹: « Quem Pater sanctificavit et misit in mundum »; alia in mentem, quam petit hic. De caelis sanctis tuis, id est de te ipso, qui caelum es omnia continendo; in Psalmo: « A summo caelo egressio eius »; item Iacobi tertio: « Quae desursum est sapientia primum quidem pudica est » etc. Dicit autem de caelis pluraliter propter multitudinem contentorum et effectuum in contentis, sicut dicuntur dies aeternitatis pluraliter; Michaeae quinto²: « Et egressus eius, sicut a principio dierum aeternitatis ». Et a sede magnitudinis tuae; Glossa: « A te ipso, qui sedens et quietus, omnia gubernans »; Isaiae decimo octavo: « Ego quiescam et considerabo in loco meo, sicut lux meridiana clara est ».

Et notandum, quod Sapientia increata quandoque dicitur esse in sinu Patris, ut Ioannis primo³: « Unigenitus, qui est in sinu Patris, enarravit nobis »; aliquando gigni ex utero, in Psalmo: « Ex utero ante luciferum genui te »; aliquando ex ore Patris procedere, Ecclesiastici vigesimo quarto: « Ego ex ore Altissimi prodii primogenita ante omnem creaturam »; aliquando de caelo mitti, ut hic; aliquando sedere in sanctis animabus, unde supra eodem: « Da mihi sedium tuarum assistricem sapientiam » etc. Primum propter occultationem, secundum propter consubstantialitatem, tertium propter manifestationem, quartum propter illuminationem, quintum propter tranquillitatem.

Ut mecum sit, scilicet intus in animae essentia et per gratiam inhabitando et informando; Ecclesiastici vigesimo quarto⁴: « In Iacob inhabita » etc. Et mecum laboret, motivam animae potentiam ad opus perficiendo; Ecclesiastici ultimo: « Memoratus sum misericordiae tuae, Domine, et operationis tuae, quae a saeculo sunt ». Ut sciam, id est, ut scire me facias meae animae potentiam cognitivam illustrando, quid acceptum sit coram te, vel apud te⁵; in Psalmo: « Doce me facere voluntatem tuam ».

(Vers. 11.). Scit enim omnia illa, omnia scilicet ad scientiam rationis pertinentia, sicut sunt inferiora; et intelligit, omnia scilicet pertinentia ad intelligentiam intellectus, ut sunt superiora, supra septimo⁶: « Omnia prospiciens ». Et deducet me in operibus meis sobrie; Glossa⁷: « Ne offendam », dirigendo in opere bono; supra octavo: « Sobrietatem docet » etc. Et custodiet me in sua potentia; Glossa: « Ab adversariis » protegendo; in Psalmo: « Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem » etc.; item: « Ecce, non dormitabit neque dormiet » etc.

(Vers. 12.). Et erunt accepta opera mea; Glossa⁸: « Coram Deo », tanquam facta pure ex amore suo. Et disponam populum tuum iuste, scilicet recte subditos gubernando; unde supra octavo: « Disponam populos et nationes ». Et dignus ero sedium patris mei, ipsum imitando; sedium dicit pluraliter, quia sedes praesentis regni, secundum illud Proverbiorum octavo: « Per me reges regnant »; et futuri; Glossa: « Remuneratione caelestis regni ».

Quarto, finis huius difficultas dupliciter ostenditur.

Quis enim hominum etc. Hic ostendit finis difficultatem, primo ostendens, quod Dei voluntas sine sapientia sciri non potest; secundo, quod solum per eam sciri potest: Sensum autem tuum. — Quod sine illa sciri non possit, ostendit primo ex divini sensus profunditate; secundo, ex sensus humani imperfectione: Cogitationes enim; tertio, ex rerum sensibilium comparatione, ibi: Et difficile aestimamus etc.

(Vers. 13.). Bene dixi: Mitte illam etc.; quis enim hominum, scilicet purus homo, poterit scire, scilicet sine sapientia tua, consilium Dei? quod est in praevidendo et disponendo fienda; Isaiae quadragesimo⁹: « Quis adiuvit spiritum Domini, aut quis p. 170 consiliarius eius fuit »? Aut quis poterit cogitare, id est cogitando nosse, quid velit Deus? scilicet operando praevisa, quasi dicat: nullus; unde ad Romanos undecimo: « O altitudo divitiarum sapientiae et scientiae Dei » etc.

(Vers. 14.). Cogitationes enim mortalium, scilicet quamdiu sumus in statu mortalitatis, timidae; Glossa¹: « Id est fragiles »; et hoc quantum ad ea quae sunt supra rationem. Et incertae providentiae nostrae; Glossa: « Quia anima mutabilis est, et caro corruptibilis », et hoc quantum ad ea quae sunt sub ratione et veri cogitatione.

(Vers. 15.). Corpus enim, quod corrumpitur, id est, quod continuae corruptioni subiacet, propter quod putredini comparatur; Iob vigesimo quinto²: « Homo putredo, et filius hominis vermis ». Aggravat animam, scilicet affectum eius a caelestibus retrahendo; ad Galatas quinto: « Caro concupiscit adversus spiritum ».

Corpus, quod corrumpitur, aggravat animam. Notandum, quod corpus animam peccato originali maculat; Iob decimo quarto³: « Quis potest facere mundum de immundo conceptum semine »? Item, necessitati peccati venialis obligat; ad Romanos septimo: « Quod odi malum, illud facio ». Item, ad peccatum mortale inclinat; Genesis octavo⁴: « Proni sensus, et cogitatio humani cordis in malum prona sunt ab adolescentia ». Item, intellectum a contemplatione veritatis obnubilat; supra secundo: « Umbrae transitus tempus nostrum », umbrae, scilicet interpositione corporis opaci inter animam et solem iustitiae. Item, affectum ab amore caelestium retardat, ut hic: « Corpus, quod corrumpitur, aggravat animam ». Item, potentias motivas a bono impedit et ligat; in Psalmo⁵: « Educ de custodia », vel de carcere, « animam meam »; item ad Romanos septimo: « Non, quod volo bonum, hoc ago ». Item, spiritui continuum bellum suscitat; ad Galatas quinto: « Caro concupiscit adversus spiritum ». Item, cura sui spiritum sollicitat, contra quod Matthaei sexto⁶: « Nolite solliciti esse » etc. Item, suis molestiis animam perturbat; Danielis decimo tertio: « Angustiae mihi sunt undique ». Item, sui mutabilitate eius quietem turbat et variat; Iob decimo quarto: « Et nunquam in eodem statu permanet ».

Et terrena inhabitatio deprimit, id est, deorsum premit a contemplatione aeternorum retrahendo, id est ad terrena inclinando; sensum, id est intellectum humanum; Genesis octavo⁷: « Sensus et cogitatio humani cordis prona sunt in malum ab adolescentia »; ideo ad Romanos septimo: « Infelix » etc. Sensum, inquam, multa cogitantem, id est temporalia, quae multa sunt, non aeterna, quae unum sunt, secundum illud Lucae decimo: « Turbaris erga plurima, porro unum est necessarium ».

(Vers. 16.). Et difficile etc., quasi dicat: Et hoc patet, quia difficile aestimamus, id est aestimative, non certitudinaliter cognoscimus; Ecclesiastae primo⁸: « Cunctae res difficiles »; quae in terra sunt, id est sensibilia inferiora. Et quae in prospectu sunt, « id est in aperto », sicut naturas rerum sensibilium superiorum; invenimus cum labore; Ecclesiastae octavo: « Est homo, qui diebus ac noctibus somnum non capit oculis; et intellexi, quod omnium operum Dei nullam possit homo invenire rationem ». Philosophus⁹: « Sicut se habet oculus noctuae ad lucem solis, sic intellectus noster ad manifestissima naturae ». Quae autem in caelis sunt quis investigabit? cum sint tam remota a nobis; Ecclesiastici tertio¹⁰: « Altiora te ne quaesieris »; Ecclesiastae quinto: « Deus in caelo, et tu super terram; idcirco pauci sint sermones tui ».

Sensum autem tuum etc. Hic ostendit, quod voluntas divina potest solum sciri per sapientiam. Hoc autem ostendit appropriando ei triplicem effectum, scilicet effectum instruendi intelligentiam; corrigendi culpam: Et sic correctae; sanandi naturam, ibi: Nam per sapientiam etc.

(Vers. 17.). Sensum autem tuum, id est consilium et voluntatem, quis sciet? quasi dicat: nullus. Nisi tu dederis sapientiam, illuminantem intellectum; Ecclesiastici primo¹¹: « Secundum datum suum praebet illam diligentibus se »; Iacobi primo: « Dat omnibus affluenter »; Danielis secundo: « Dat sapientiam sapientibus et scientiam intelligentibus disciplinam ». Et miseris Spiritum sanctum tuum, inflammantem affectum, quasi dicat: nullus. Sicut enim nemo « scit quae sunt hominis, nisi spiritus hominis, qui est in ipso », ut habetur primae ad Corinthios secundo¹²; « sic nec ea quae Dei sunt, nisi Deus, et cui voluerit revelare ». De altissimis, id est de te, qui altissimus es, et de Filio, qui altissimus est, et vos dico altissimi, adiective, non substantive.

(Vers. 18.). Et sic, scilicet per donum sapientiae et Spiritus sancti missionem, correctae sunt¹³ p. 171 semitae, id est operationes, eorum qui in terris sunt, id est hominum, et hoc per revocationem a malo; Ioannis decimo sexto¹: « Ille arguet mundum de peccato »; et bene dicit: Semitae eorum qui in terris sunt, id est peccantium in terra; semitae enim angelorum peccantium corrigi non possunt. Et quae tibi placent didicerunt homines, per informationem in bono; Ioannis decimo quarto: « Spiritus paracletus etc., docebit vos omnia ».

(Vers. 19.). Nam per sapientiam etc. Bene dixi: Et sic correctae sunt etc.; nam per sapientiam sanati sunt, scilicet a caecitate intellectus et corruptione affectus; Ecclesiastici vigesimo quarto²: « Ego quasi fluvius Dorix », quod interpretatur medicamentum generationis. Quicumque placuerunt tibi, Domine, a principio, « scilicet mundi », secundum Glossam³; infra decimo sexto: « Etenim neque herba neque malagma sanavit eos » etc.; in Psalmo: « Misit verbum suum et sanavit eos »; Proverbiorum tertio: « Lignum vitae est his qui apprehenderint eam ». Hinc est, quod canes spirituales, id est sapientiae doctores et praedicatores, habent linguas medicinales; et dicit omnes, quia, secundum Augustinum⁴, eadem fides Mediatoris salvavit antiquos, quae salvat et nos.

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Chapter IX.

Thirdly he shows how devoutly he asked wisdom of God.

God of my fathers etc. After he has shown how he received wisdom and how much he loved her once received; here he shows how devoutly he asked her of God. And first he touches the form of the petition; secondly, the reason for its being heard: But⁹ thou hast chosen; thirdly, the end of the petition: Send her; fourthly, the difficulty of the end: For who etc.

First is touched the form of the petition.

In the first part he first praises the comeliness (decorem); secondly, specifies the gift: Give me … of thy thrones; thirdly, humbles himself: For I am thy servant; fourthly, intimates his need: And¹⁰ if one etc.

(Vers. 1.). God of my fathers, namely by the grace of election; of my fathers, namely of the ancients; Exodus, the third¹¹: « I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham » etc. Or: God of my fathers, that is, who didst make my fathers and didst choose and sanctify them. And Lord of mercy, that is, merciful Lord, so that the construction is intransitive; or: Lord of mercy, the author, so that it is transitive; in the Psalm¹²: « The Lord is compassionate and merciful ». Lord, I say, of mercy, namely through the effect of the remission of sins and of justification; for mercy looks to misery; Proverbs, the fourteenth: « But sin maketh nations miserable ». Who hast made p. 167 all things, namely through the work of creation, as is clear from Genesis, the first¹; in the Psalm: « He spoke, and they were made »; by thy word, that is, by thy Son; John, the first: « In the beginning was the Word » etc., and after: « All things were made by him ».

(Vers. 2.). And by thy wisdom, that is, by the same thy Son, according to that of the Psalm²: « Thou hast made all things in wisdom »; hast appointed (constituisti), that is, hast composed out of very diverse parts, namely out of a rational spirit and earthly clay; man; Ecclesiasticus, the seventeenth: « God created man of the earth ». And it is to be noted that he says the other things were made by the Word alone, but man by wisdom, as a nobler work, because capable of wisdom both created and uncreated, and therefore as a work to be made with greater deliberation; on account of which the Lord, as if deliberating, says in Genesis, the first³: « Let us make man to our image » etc. That he should have dominion over the creature that was made by thee, over the creature, namely not the spiritual or angelic, but the bodily, and this by power; Genesis, the first: « Rule over the fishes of the sea » etc.

(Vers. 3.). That he should order the world; namely by wisdom; for man is placed in this world as a king in his kingdom. In equity, that is, mercy, and justice; for these two ought to be joined in ordering; Gregory⁴: « Discipline and mercy are much impaired, if one be held without the other ». And in uprightness of heart, namely through goodness, and this through a right intention towards God; in the Psalm⁵: « I will praise thee in uprightness of heart »; Job, the thirty-fourth: « If he turn his heart to God, he shall draw his spirit and breath unto himself »; should judge judgement, namely over his subjects. And by the name of judgement said without qualification he understands « true⁶ » or just judgement. For just as a painted or dead man is not a man, so a false or unjust judgement is not a judgement.

(Vers. 4.). Give me, « from whom is every best gift », James, the first⁷; wisdom, namely understanding, the assistant of thy thrones (sedium tuarum assistricem), that is, the indweller of holy souls; above, the seventh: « Through nations she conveyeth herself into holy souls ». And holy souls are called thrones of God, because in them God sits and rests, presiding over and commanding all their motions and affections; Isaias, the last⁸: « Heaven is my throne »; the Gloss: « The soul of the just man is the seat of wisdom ». And do not reject me (noli me reprobare), by giving me goodness and grace in the affection; do not, I say, reject me, as those of whom it is said to the Romans, the first⁹: « He delivered them up to a reprobate sense »; Jeremias, the sixth: « Call them reprobate silver ». From thy children (a pueris tuis), namely by excluding me from the number and fellowship of thy children, of whom Isaias, the eighth: « Behold I and my children » etc.

(Vers. 5.). For etc., as if he were saying: therefore I ask that thou give me wisdom, for I am thy servant, that is, ready to serve thee; in the Psalm¹⁰: « I am thy servant: give me understanding »; III Kings, the tenth: « Happy are thy servants, who hear thy wisdom ». And the son of thy handmaid, that is, of the synagogue, of which it is said to the Galatians, the fourth: « It is written that Abraham had two sons ». According to the Gloss¹¹ these words are « of the Son to the Father », inasmuch as he is man, asking wisdom for his members, alleging himself his servant according to the humanity, not his son; Isaias, the forty-ninth: « Thou art my servant, Israel, for in thee will I glory ». And the son of thy handmaid, that is, of the Virgin Mary, according to that of Luke, the first¹²: « Behold the handmaid of the Lord ». A weak man, on the part of the body, on account of the frailty of the body; in the Psalm: « Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak ». And of short time, on account of the brevity of life; Job, the fourteenth: « Man born of a woman, living for a short time »; and less, on the part of the soul, that is, insufficient by natural power, as to the understanding; the Gloss¹³: « For perceiving »; of judgement, that is, of thy judgements, by whose example one must judge; and of laws, thy eternal ones, namely, by whose regulation one must judge; to the Romans, the eleventh: « O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgements, and how unsearchable his ways »!

(Vers. 6.). And¹⁴ if one etc., in this charity is intimated; shall be consummate, that is, perfect; the Gloss: « In judgement »; among the sons of men, who are born, namely, p. 168 of man and woman, in distinction from the Son of man, that is, of the Virgin alone, of whom Matthew, the sixteenth: « Whom do men say that the Son of man is »? And he says: consummate among the sons of men, since he can be a mere man by nature. If thy wisdom shall flee from him, or shall flee away¹, namely as from one unworthy and a sinner, according to that above, the first: « Into a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter »; thy wisdom; the Gloss: « The divine », not the worldly. For the worldly does not flee on account of sin; Jeremias, the fourth: « They are wise to do evils ». As nothing, namely of conduct, not of nature², he shall be counted, namely before God and his Saints; below, the thirteenth: « All men are vain, in whom there is not the knowledge of God »; for it is by grace that a man is what he is as to the being of conduct; whence I Corinthians, the fifteenth: « By the grace of God I am what I am »; likewise, without charity man is nothing, as is clear from I Corinthians, the thirteenth; and according to Augustine the sinner is nothing, namely in that he is such.

Secondly, the twofold reason for his being heard.

But³ thou hast chosen etc. Here he adds a manifold reason for his being heard, of which the first is the office of the kingdom enjoined; the second is the command to build the temple: And thou hast said etc.

(Vers. 7.). But thou etc., as if he were saying thus: I am of myself insufficient without wisdom. But (autem) stands for sed; nevertheless thou hast chosen me; the Gloss⁴: « Solomon, or Christ ». King to thy people, that is, to the people believing in thee; in the Psalm: « But I am appointed king by him over Sion » etc.; and judge of thy sons and daughters, thine, namely, that is, of the faithful, according to that of John, the first: « He gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name ». It is the office of the king to exercise his judgement in the other affairs of the kingdom as well; but that of the judge is specially in the causes of the people.

(Vers. 8.). And thou hast said; the Gloss⁵: « Thou hast commanded »; for David, who was a man of blood, was not permitted to build the temple; but Solomon the peaceable was chosen for this, as is clear from II Kings, the seventh, and I Paralipomenon, the twenty-ninth. And thou hast said, I say, that I should build a temple on thy holy mount, that is, on mount Moria, where thou didst will that holy things be done; and in the city of thy dwelling place, namely Jerusalem, where he was said to dwell, because there he was worshipped more excellently⁶; an altar, namely of holocausts; of holocausts, I say, in distinction from the brazen altar, which was in the court before the temple, under the open sky. A resemblance of thy holy tabernacle, that is, after its pattern, of which Exodus, the twenty-fifth⁷, which was made after the pattern of the heavenly tabernacle; whence in the same place: « Look, and make it according to the pattern that was shown thee in the mount ». Which thou hast prepared; the Gloss⁸: « Through Moses »; from the beginning, not of creation, but of the giving of the Law; whence the Gloss: « When thou didst lead the children of Israel out of Egypt »; the tabernacle in the desert, as the Gloss says, signified the Church militant, but the temple in Jerusalem the Church triumphant. The reason of this is that the tabernacle in the desert was movable, but the temple in Jerusalem was immovable.

(Vers. 9.). And with thee, namely prepared, thy wisdom, namely the uncreated, « that is, thy Son⁹ », of whom I Corinthians, the first: « Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God ». Which knoweth thy works, as the co-worker of all things, according to that of the Psalm: « Thou hast made all things in wisdom ». Which was present, present with thee, then, namely when thou madest the world; Proverbs, the eighth: « When he balanced the foundations of the earth, I was with him forming all things »; and in the same: « I was delighted with him every day, playing in the world ». And knew that this¹⁰ was agreeable to thy eyes, namely as to counsels; to thy eyes, namely of thy understanding and affection, that is, of thy mercy and truth, « for in every work of God there is mercy and truth¹¹ »; Ecclesiasticus, the forty-second: « He found grace before the eyes of the Lord », p. 169 according to another translation. And what is right (Et quod directum); the Gloss: « That is, right and just »; in thy precepts; in the Psalm: « The justices of the Lord are right, rejoicing hearts ».

Thirdly, the end of the petition is touched in two ways.

Send her etc. Here he shows the end of the petition, that is, for what he sought wisdom; and first he asks for wisdom for knowing and doing the will of God. Secondly he shows that she avails for the attainment of such an end: For she knoweth.

(Vers. 10.). He says therefore: Send her, namely wisdom etc. It is to be noted that the mission of Wisdom is twofold, namely one visible, into the flesh, of which John, the tenth¹: « Whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world »; the other into the mind, which he asks for here. Out of thy holy heavens (De caelis sanctis tuis), that is, out of thyself, who art heaven by containing all things; in the Psalm: « His going out is from the end of heaven »; likewise James, the third: « The wisdom that is from above, first indeed is chaste » etc. And he says out of the heavens in the plural on account of the multitude of the things contained and of the effects in the things contained, just as the days of eternity are spoken of in the plural; Micheas, the fifth²: « And his going forth is as from the beginning of the days of eternity ». And from the throne of thy greatness; the Gloss: « From thyself, who, seated and at rest, governest all things »; Isaias, the eighteenth: « I will take my rest, and consider in my place, as the noonday light is clear ».

And it is to be noted that uncreated Wisdom is sometimes said to be in the bosom of the Father, as John, the first³: « The only begotten, who is in the bosom of the Father, hath declared to us »; sometimes to be begotten from the womb, in the Psalm: « From the womb before the day star I begot thee »; sometimes to proceed from the mouth of the Father, Ecclesiasticus, the twenty-fourth: « I came out of the mouth of the most High, the firstborn before all creatures »; sometimes to be sent from heaven, as here; sometimes to sit in holy souls, whence above, in the same chapter: « Give me wisdom, the assistant of thy thrones » etc. The first on account of hiddenness, the second on account of consubstantiality, the third on account of manifestation, the fourth on account of illumination, the fifth on account of tranquillity.

That she may be with me, namely within, in the essence of the soul, and by indwelling and informing it through grace; Ecclesiasticus, the twenty-fourth⁴: « Let thy dwelling be in Jacob » etc. And may labour with me, by bringing the moving power of the soul to perfection in the work; Ecclesiasticus, the last: « I remembered thy mercy, O Lord, and thy work, which are from the beginning of the world ». That I may know, that is, that thou mayest make me know, by enlightening the cognitive power of my soul, what is acceptable before thee, or with thee⁵; in the Psalm: « Teach me to do thy will ».

(Vers. 11.). For she knoweth all those things, all things, namely, pertaining to the knowledge of reason, such as are the inferior things; and understandeth, all things, namely, pertaining to the intelligence of the understanding, as are the superior things, above, the seventh⁶: « Beholding all things ». And she shall lead me soberly in my works; the Gloss⁷: « Lest I stumble », by directing me in good work; above, the eighth: « She teacheth sobriety » etc. And she shall preserve me by her power; the Gloss: « From adversaries », by protecting me; in the Psalm: « Unless the Lord keep the city » etc.; likewise: « Behold he shall neither slumber nor sleep » etc.

(Vers. 12.). And my works shall be acceptable; the Gloss⁸: « Before God », as done purely out of love of him. And I shall govern (disponam) thy people justly, namely by ruling subjects rightly; whence above, the eighth: « I shall set the people in order, and nations ». And I shall be worthy of the thrones of my father, by imitating him; he says of the thrones in the plural, because the throne of the present kingdom, according to that of Proverbs, the eighth: « By me kings reign »; and of the future; the Gloss: « By the reward of the heavenly kingdom ».

Fourthly, the difficulty of this end is shown in two ways.

For who among men etc. Here he shows the difficulty of the end, first showing that the will of God cannot be known without wisdom; secondly, that it can be known through her alone: But thy mind (Sensum autem tuum). — That it cannot be known without her, he shows first from the depth of the divine mind; secondly, from the imperfection of the human mind: For the thoughts; thirdly, from comparison with sensible things, at: And hardly do we guess etc.

(Vers. 13.). Well did I say: Send her etc.; for who among men, namely a mere man, can know, namely without thy wisdom, the counsel of God? which consists in foreseeing and disposing the things to be done; Isaias, the fortieth⁹: « Who hath helped the spirit of the Lord, or who p. 170 hath been his counsellor »? Or who can think, that is, know by thinking, what God willeth? namely the things foreseen in working, as if he were saying: no one; whence to the Romans, the eleventh: « O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God » etc.

(Vers. 14.). For the thoughts of mortal men, namely as long as we are in the state of mortality, are fearful; the Gloss¹: « That is, frail »; and this as to the things that are above reason. And our foresights (providentiae) uncertain; the Gloss: « Because the soul is mutable, and the flesh corruptible », and this as to the things that are under reason and the thinking of the true.

(Vers. 15.). For the body which is corrupted, that is, which is subject to continual corruption, on account of which it is compared to rottenness; Job, the twenty-fifth²: « Man that is rottenness, and the son of man a worm ». Weigheth down the soul, namely by drawing back its affection from heavenly things; to the Galatians, the fifth: « The flesh lusteth against the spirit ».

The body which is corrupted weigheth down the soul. It is to be noted that the body stains the soul with original sin; Job, the fourteenth³: « Who can make him clean that is conceived of unclean seed »? Likewise, it binds it to the necessity of venial sin; to the Romans, the seventh: « The evil which I hate, that I do ». Likewise, it inclines it to mortal sin; Genesis, the eighth⁴: « The imagination and thought of man's heart are prone to evil from his youth ». Likewise, it clouds over the understanding from the contemplation of truth; above, the second: « Our time is as the passing of a shadow », of a shadow, namely by the interposition of the opaque body between the soul and the sun of justice. Likewise, it slows the affection from the love of heavenly things, as here: « The body which is corrupted weigheth down the soul ». Likewise, it hinders and binds the moving powers from the good; in the Psalm⁵: « Bring out of prison », or out of the gaol, « my soul »; likewise to the Romans, the seventh: « The good which I will, I do not ». Likewise, it stirs up continual war against the spirit; to the Galatians, the fifth: « The flesh lusteth against the spirit ». Likewise, by care of itself it makes the spirit anxious, against which Matthew, the sixth⁶: « Be not solicitous » etc. Likewise, by its troubles it disturbs the soul; Daniel, the thirteenth: « I am straitened on every side ». Likewise, by its own mutability it disturbs and varies the soul's rest; Job, the fourteenth: « And never continueth in the same state ».

And the earthly habitation presseth down, that is, presses downward by drawing back from the contemplation of eternal things, that is, by inclining to earthly things; the mind (sensum), that is, the human understanding; Genesis, the eighth⁷: « The imagination and thought of man's heart are prone to evil from his youth »; therefore to the Romans, the seventh: « Unhappy » etc. The mind, I say, that museth upon many things, that is, temporal things, which are many, not eternal things, which are one, according to that of Luke, the tenth: « Thou art troubled about many things: but one thing is necessary ».

(Vers. 16.). And hardly etc., as if he were saying: And this is clear, because hardly do we guess, that is, we know by guessing, not with certainty; Ecclesiastes, the first⁸: « All things are hard »; the things that are upon earth, that is, the lower sensible things. And the things that are within our view (in prospectu), « that is, in the open », such as the natures of the higher sensible things; with labour do we find; Ecclesiastes, the eighth: « There is a man that day and night taketh no sleep with his eyes; and I understood that man can find no reason of all those works of God ». The Philosopher⁹: « As the eye of the owl is to the light of the sun, so is our understanding to the most manifest things of nature ». But the things that are in heaven, who shall search out? since they are so remote from us; Ecclesiasticus, the third¹⁰: « Seek not the things that are too high for thee »; Ecclesiastes, the fifth: « God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few ».

But thy mind etc. Here he shows that the divine will can be known through wisdom alone. And he shows this by appropriating to her a threefold effect, namely the effect of instructing the intelligence; of correcting fault: And so … corrected; of healing nature, at: For by wisdom etc.

(Vers. 17.). But thy mind (Sensum autem tuum), that is, thy counsel and will, who shall know? as if he were saying: no one. Unless thou give wisdom, enlightening the understanding; Ecclesiasticus, the first¹¹: « According to his gift he giveth her to them that love him »; James, the first: « Who giveth to all abundantly »; Daniel, the second: « He giveth wisdom to the wise, and knowledge and discipline to them that understand ». And send thy Holy Spirit, inflaming the affection, as if he were saying: no one. For just as no one « knoweth the things of a man, but the spirit of a man that is in him », as is had in I Corinthians, the second¹²; « so neither the things that are of God, but God, and he to whom he will reveal them ». From the most high (De altissimis), that is, from thee, who art most high, and from the Son, who is most high, and I call you most high (altissimi) adjectivally, not substantively.

(Vers. 18.). And so, namely through the gift of wisdom and the mission of the Holy Spirit, are corrected¹³ p. 171 the paths (semitae), that is, the operations, of them that are upon earth, that is, of men, and this by calling them back from evil; John, the sixteenth¹: « He will convince the world of sin »; and well does he say: The paths of them that are upon earth, that is, of those sinning on earth; for the paths of the angels who sinned cannot be corrected. And men have learned the things that please thee, through being formed in good; John, the fourteenth: « The Paraclete, the Holy Ghost etc., will teach you all things ».

(Vers. 19.). For by wisdom etc. Well did I say: And so … are corrected etc.; for by wisdom they were healed, namely from blindness of the understanding and corruption of the affection; Ecclesiasticus, the twenty-fourth²: « I, like a river Dorix », which is interpreted medicine of generation. Whosoever have pleased thee, O Lord, from the beginning, « namely of the world », according to the Gloss³; below, the sixteenth: « For it was neither herb nor mollifying plaster that healed them » etc.; in the Psalm: « He sent his word, and healed them »; Proverbs, the third: « She is a tree of life to them that lay hold on her ». Hence it is that the spiritual dogs, that is, the teachers and preachers of wisdom, have medicinal tongues; and he says all, because, according to Augustine⁴, the same faith in the Mediator saved the ancients which saves us also.

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