Bonaventure

On the apparatus numbering. Quaracchi restarts its footer numbering on every printed page, so this chunk carries two per-page series, given here as page-qualified labels. This chunk claims notes 3–6 of page 949 (notes 1–2 of that page anchor in the preceding question, a. 3 q. 1) and notes 1–5 of page 950 (notes 6–9 of that page anchor in the following question, a. 3 q. 3).

Quaestio II. Utrum Sancti nobis aliqua impetrent suis orationibus.

Secundo quaeritur, utrum Sancti impetrent nobis aliqua suis orationibus. Et quod non, videtur:

1. Quia nullus impetrat aliquid apud Deum, nisi qui est in statu merendi; sed Sancti non sunt in statu merendi: ergo etc. Si dicas, quod non merito, quod tunc fit, sed quod praecessit³; contra: hoc non solvit, quia secundum hoc, etiam si non rogent, nihilominus obtinebimus: ergo nihil nobis facit oratio eorum. Praeterea, ipsi sufficienter remunerati sunt de toto eo, quod meruerunt: ergo non meruerunt aliquid aliud: ergo ratione meriti praecedentis non impetrant.

2. Item, Sancti per omnia conformant voluntatem suam voluntati divinae: ergo non orant nec petunt, nisi quod Deus vult dare; sed quod Deus vult dare dabit, etiam si Sancti non petant: ergo etc.

3. Item, Sancti vident, utrum orationes nostrae sint exaudiendae, et si non sunt exaudiendae, non petunt: ergo petunt, cum sunt exaudiendae; sed si non peterent, nihilominus petitiones exaudiendae exaudirentur: ergo eorum oratio nihil facit.

Contra: 1. Sancti in via impetrant aliis gratiam et multa bona; sed plus possunt apud Deum in patria quam in via: ergo magis impetrant.

3. Item, Sancti impetrant⁴ pro vivis, quia sunt amici Dei; sed magis sunt amici Dei in patria quam in via: ergo efficacius impetrant.

3. Item, ostenditur per impossibile: quia, si non impetrant et orant, sicut supra⁵ monstratum est, ergo frustra orant et sunt miseri, quia non impletur eorum voluntas.

4. Item, Sancti ita faciunt miracula post mortem, ut ante: ergo ita impetrant post mortem, ut ante.

Conclusio.

Sanctorum orationes multa nobis bona impetrant.

Respondeo: Dicendum, quod Sanctorum orationes multa nobis bona impetrant, sicut dicit Magister⁶, «merito et affectu»; merito quidem praecedenti, quo Deo fidelissime servierunt et tantum locum suis meritis sunt adepti, ut non solum sibi beatitudinem et gloriam meruerint, sed etiam aliis suffragari. — Multa etiam supererogaverunt affectu: quia amici Dei sunt facti, et «amicitia est idem

velle et nolle¹»; et cum aliquem ament Sancti, compellunt, ut sic dicam, Deum diligere. Unde beata Virgo multos peccatores Deo reconciliare dicitur.

1. Ad illud ergo quod obiicitur, quod non sunt in statu merendi; dicendum, quod verum est sibi. Et praeterea, non redditur exauditio merito, quod tunc fit, sed merito, quod praecessit. — Quod obiicitur, quod tunc sine oratione fieret; dicendum, quod meruerunt non simpliciter, quod isti obtinerent², sed sub conditione, videlicet si ipsi intercederent, vel alii eorum subsidia implorarent; sicut aliqui Sancti in morte petierunt, quod Dominus exaudiret invocantes eorum patrocinium. — Et quod dicit, quod meritum eorum est plene remuneratum; verum est de merito absoluto, sed de merito conditionato adhuc³ stat conditio et merendi ratio.

2. 3. Ad illud quod obiicitur, quod conformant voluntatem suam divinae per omnia; dicendum, quod, sicut dicit Augustinus, de Praedestinatione Sanctorum⁴, quod «orare debemus pro praedestinatis, quia fortasse praedestinati sunt, ut nostris orationibus concedantur»; et si constaret nobis hoc totum, quod essent praevisi salvari ad nostras preces; deberemus utique pro eis rogare, et fructuose rogaremus, quia ad preces nostras salvantur. Sic intelligendum est in Sanctis, qui vident, quod Deus decrevit nos salvare ad ipsorum preces; ideo instantissime rogant et impetrant⁵.

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Question II. Whether the Saints obtain anything for us by their prayers.

In the second place it is asked whether the Saints obtain anything for us by their prayers. And that they do not, seems [to be the case]:

1. Because no one obtains anything from God except one who is in the state of meriting; but the Saints are not in the state of meriting: therefore etc. If you say that [it is] not by the merit which is performed then, but by that which preceded³; on the contrary: this does not resolve it, because according to this, even if they do not ask, we shall nonetheless obtain: therefore their prayer does nothing for us. Moreover, they themselves have been sufficiently rewarded for the whole of that which they merited: therefore they did not merit anything else: therefore by reason of preceding merit they do not obtain.

2. Likewise, the Saints in all things conform their will to the divine will: therefore they neither pray nor ask, except what God wills to give; but what God wills to give he will give, even if the Saints do not ask: therefore etc.

3. Likewise, the Saints see whether our prayers are to be heard, and if they are not to be heard, they do not ask: therefore they ask when they are to be heard; but if they were not to ask, the petitions that are to be heard would nonetheless be heard: therefore their prayer does nothing.

On the contrary: 1. The Saints on the way obtain grace and many goods for others; but they can do more with God in the fatherland than on the way: therefore they obtain the more.

3. Likewise, the Saints obtain⁴ for the living, because they are friends of God; but they are more the friends of God in the fatherland than on the way: therefore they obtain the more efficaciously.

3. Likewise, it is shown by way of the impossible: because if they do not obtain and yet pray, as was shown above⁵, then they pray in vain and are wretched, because their will is not fulfilled.

4. Likewise, the Saints work miracles after death just as before: therefore they likewise obtain after death, just as before.

Conclusion.

The prayers of the Saints obtain many good things for us.

I respond: It must be said that the prayers of the Saints obtain many good things for us, as the Master says⁶, "by merit and by affection"; by merit indeed that preceded, whereby they served God most faithfully and attained by their merits so great a station that they merited not only beatitude and glory for themselves, but also to give suffrage to others. — They also supererogated many things by affection: because they were made the friends of God, and "friendship is the same willing

and not-willing¹"; and when the Saints love someone, they compel God, so to speak, to love [him]. Hence the Blessed Virgin is said to reconcile many sinners to God.

1. To that, then, which is objected, that they are not in the state of meriting; it must be said that this is true for themselves. And moreover, the hearing is not rendered to a merit which is performed then, but to a merit which preceded. — As to what is objected, that then it would come about without prayer; it must be said that they merited not simply that these persons should obtain², but under a condition, namely if they themselves should intercede, or others should implore their aid; just as some Saints at their death asked that the Lord would hear those invoking their patronage. — And as to what is said, that their merit is fully rewarded; that is true of absolute merit, but as regards conditioned merit the condition and the ground of meriting still³ stands.

2. 3. To that which is objected, that they conform their will to the divine in all things; it must be said that, as Augustine says in On the Predestination of the Saints⁴, "we ought to pray for the predestined, because perhaps they are predestined in such a way that they may be granted to our prayers"; and if this whole matter were established for us, that they were foreseen to be saved at our prayers; we ought assuredly to pray for them, and we would pray fruitfully, because they are saved at our prayers. So it is to be understood in the Saints, who see that God has decreed to save us at their prayers; therefore they pray most insistently and obtain⁵.

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