Pars 6, Cap. 1
Breviloquium · Pars VI: De medicina sacramentali
PARS SEXTA. De medicina sacramentali.
Capitulum I. De Sacramentorum origine.
Postquam actum est de Trinitate Dei, de creatura mundi, de corruptela peccati, de incarnatione Verbi et gratia Spiritus sancti; iam nunc sexto agendum est de medicina sacramentali. Circa quam consideranda sunt septem. Agendum est enim de Sacramentorum origine, variatione, distinctione, institutione, dispensatione, iteratione et uniuscuiusque integritate.
De origine igitur Sacramentorum hoc tenendum est, quod Sacramenta sunt signa sensibilia, divinitus instituta tanquam medicamenta, in quibus « sub tegumento rerum sensibilium divina virtus secretius operatur1 »; ita quod ipsa « ex similitudine repraesentant, ex institutione significant, ex sanctificatione conferunt aliquam spiritualem gratiam », per quam anima curatur ab infirmitatibus vitiorum, et ad hoc principaliter ordinantur tanquam ad finem ultimum; valent tamen ad humiliationem, eruditionem et exercitationem sicut ad finem, qui est sub fine.
Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praedictorum haec est: quia principium reparativum, quod est Christus crucifixus, Verbum scilicet incarnatum, quod sapientissime dispensat omnia, quia divinum2, et clementissime curat, quia divinitus incarnatum; sic debet reparare et sanare genus humanum aegrotum, secundum quod competit ipsi aegrotanti, aegritudini et occasioni aegrotandi et ipsius aegritudinis curationi. Ipse autem medicus est Verbum incarnatum, Deus scilicet invisibilis in natura visibili. Homo aegrotans est non tantum spiritus nec tantum caro, sed spiritus in carne mortali. Morbus autem est originalis culpa, quae per ignorantiam inficit mentem et per concupiscentiam inficit carnem. Origo autem huius culpae, licet principaliter fuerit ex consensu rationis, occasionem tamen sumsit a sensibus carnis3. — Ad hoc ergo, quod medicina correspondens esset omnibus supradictis, oportuit, quod non tantum esset spiritualis, verum etiam aliquid haberet de sensibilibus signis, ut, sicut haec sensibilia fuerunt animae occasio labendi, ita essent ei occasio resurgendi. Quoniam ergo signa sensibilia, quantum est de se, non habent efficacem ordinationem ad gratiam, licet habeant longinquam repraesentationem de sui natura; hinc est, quod oportuit, quod ab auctore gratiae instituerentur ad significandum et benedicerentur ad sanctificandum; ut sic essent ex naturali similitudine repraesentantia, ex adiuncta institutione significantia, ex superaddita benedictione sanctificantia et ad gratiam praeparantia, per quam sanetur et curetur4 anima nostra.
Rursus, quoniam gratia curativa non datur elatis, incredulis et fastidiosis; ideo oportuit, haec signa sensibilia divinitus dari, quae non solum sanctificarent et gratiam conferrent ac per hoc sanarent, verum etiam significatione erudirent et susceptione humiliarent et diversificatione exercitarent; ut sic, per exercitationem exclusa accidia a concupiscibili, per eruditionem exclusa ignorantia a rationali, per humiliationem exclusa superbia ab irascibili, tota anima curabilis fieret a gratia Spiritus sancti, quae reformat nos secundum has tres potentias ad imaginem Trinitatis et Christi.
Postremo, quoniam per huiusmodi signa sensibilia, divinitus instituta gratia Spiritus sancti suscipitur et in eis ab accedentibus invenitur; hinc est, quod huiusmodi Sacramenta dicuntur gratiae vasa5 et causa, non quia gratia in eis substantialiter contineatur nec causaliter efficiatur, cum in sola anima habeat collocari et a solo Deo habeat infundi; sed quia in illis et per illa gratiam curationis a summo medico Christo ex divino decreto oporteat hauriri, « licet Deus non alligaverit suam potentiam Sacramentis6 ».
Ex praemissis igitur apparet non solum, quis sit Sacramentorum ortus, verum etiam, quis usus, et quis fructus. Nam ortus eorum est Christus Dominus; usus autem est actus exercitativus, eruditivus et humiliativus; fructus vero est hominum cura
p. 266 et salus. — Patet etiam, quae sit causa efficiens, quia divina institutio; quae materialis, quia signi sensibilis repraesentatio; quae formalis, quia gratuita sanctificatio; quae finalis, quia hominum medicinalis curatio. Et quia « denominatio fit a forma et a fine1 »; hinc est, quod dicuntur Sacramenta, quasi medicamenta sanctificantia. Per haec enim anima a foeditate vitiorum reducitur ad sanctificationem perfectam. — Et ideo, licet sint corporalia et sensibilia, sunt tamen veneranda tanquam sancta, quia sacra significant mysteria, ad sacra praeparant charismata, a sacratissimo Deo data, sacra institutione et benedictione divinitus consecrata, ad cultum sacratissimum Dei in sacra Ecclesia constituta, ita ut merito dici debeant Sacramenta.
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PART SIX. On the sacramental medicine.
Chapter I. On the origin of the Sacraments.
After the Trinity of God has been treated, and the creature of the world, and the corruption of sin, and the Incarnation of the Word and the grace of the Holy Spirit; now in the sixth place the sacramental medicine must be treated. Concerning which seven things are to be considered. For there must be treated the Sacraments' origin, variation, distinction, institution, dispensation, iteration, and the integrity of each one.
Concerning the origin of the Sacraments, therefore, this must be held: that the Sacraments are sensible signs, divinely instituted as medicines, in which « under the covering of sensible things the divine power works the more secretly1 »; so that they « by likeness represent, by institution signify, by sanctification confer some spiritual grace », through which the soul is cured of the infirmities of the vices — and to this they are principally ordained as to their ultimate end; yet they avail also for humiliation, instruction and exercise as for an end that stands beneath the end.
Now the reason for the understanding of the foresaid is this: since the reparative principle, which is Christ crucified, the Word namely incarnate, which most wisely dispenses all things, because it is divine2, and most clemently cures, because it was divinely incarnate; so it must repair and heal the sick human race according to what befits the sick man himself, the sickness, the occasion of falling sick, and the curing of the sickness itself. Now the physician himself is the Word incarnate, God namely invisible in a visible nature. The sick man is not spirit alone nor flesh alone, but spirit in mortal flesh. The disease is original guilt, which through ignorance infects the mind and through concupiscence infects the flesh. And the origin of this guilt, although it was principally from the consent of reason, nevertheless took its occasion from the senses of the flesh3. — To this end, therefore, that the medicine should correspond to all the foresaid, it was fitting that it should not only be spiritual, but should also have something of sensible signs, so that, just as these sensible things were to the soul an occasion of falling, so they might be to it an occasion of rising again. Since therefore sensible signs, so far as in them lies, have no efficacious ordination to grace, although from their own nature they have a remote representation of it; hence it is that it was fitting that by the author of grace they should be instituted for signifying and blessed for sanctifying; so that thus they should be, by natural likeness, representative, by adjoined institution significative, by superadded blessing sanctifying and preparative to grace, through which our soul may be healed and cured4.
Again, since curative grace is not given to the proud, the unbelieving and the fastidious; therefore it was fitting that these sensible signs be divinely given, which should not only sanctify and confer grace and thereby heal, but should also by their signification instruct and by their reception humble and by their diversification exercise; so that thus, sloth being excluded from the concupiscible power by exercise, ignorance from the rational by instruction, pride from the irascible by humiliation, the whole soul might be made curable by the grace of the Holy Spirit, which reforms us according to these three powers unto the image of the Trinity and of Christ.
Lastly, since through sensible signs of this kind, divinely instituted, the grace of the Holy Spirit is received and is found in them by those who approach; hence it is that Sacraments of this kind are called the vessels5 and the cause of grace — not because grace is substantially contained in them nor causally effected by them, since it has to be placed in the soul alone and to be infused by God alone; but because in them and through them the grace of curing must, by divine decree, be drawn from Christ the highest physician, « although God has not bound his power to the Sacraments6 ».
From the premises, therefore, it appears not only what the rise of the Sacraments is, but also what their use is, and what their fruit. For their rise is Christ the Lord; their use is an act that exercises, instructs and humbles; their fruit is truly men's cure
p. 266 and salvation. — It appears also what their efficient cause is, namely the divine institution; what their material, namely the representation of a sensible sign; what their formal, namely gratuitous sanctification; what their final, namely the medicinal curing of men. And because « denomination is made from the form and from the end1 »; hence it is that they are called Sacramenta, as it were sanctifying medicines. For through these the soul is led back from the foulness of the vices to perfect sanctification. — And therefore, although they are bodily and sensible, they are nevertheless to be venerated as holy: because they signify sacred mysteries, prepare for sacred charisms, are given by the most sacred God, are divinely consecrated by sacred institution and blessing, and are established for the most sacred worship of God in holy Church — so that they deservedly ought to be called Sacraments.
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- 1Isidor., VI. Etymolog. c. 19. n. 40. Vide tom. III. pag. 895, nota 5. — Seq. sententia est Hug. a S. Vict., I. de Sacram. p. IX. c. 2, qui etiam, ibid. c. 3, docet, Sacramenta esse instituta « propter humiliationem, propter eruditionem, propter exercitationem ». — De hoc cap. cfr. IV. Sent. d. 1. p. I. per totam. — Mox post ex similitudine Vat., 1 et 3 addunt naturali.Isidore, Etymologies VI, c. 19, n. 40. See tom. III, p. 895, note 5. — The following sentence is from Hugh of St. Victor, On the Sacraments I, p. IX, c. 2, who also, ibid. c. 3, teaches that the Sacraments were instituted « for humiliation, for instruction, for exercise ». — On this chapter cf. IV Sent. d. 1, p. I, throughout. — Shortly after, following ex similitudine, the Vatican codex and editions 1 and 3 add naturali.
- 2A B C H quia Verbum divinum. Pro dispensat I K L O U disponit.A B C H read quia Verbum divinum. For dispensat I K L O U have disponit.
- 3Cfr. supra p. III. c. 3.Cf. above, Part III, c. 3.
- 4Vat., 1 et 3 sanaretur et curaretur.The Vatican codex and editions 1 and 3 read sanaretur et curaretur.
- 5Hug. a S. Vict., I. de Sacram. p. IX. c. 4. — Pro accedentibus E accipientibus.Hugh of St. Victor, On the Sacraments I, p. IX, c. 4. — For accedentibus E has accipientibus.
- 6Ut docet Magister Sententiarum, IV. Sent. d. 1. c. 5. (cfr. Hug. a S. Vict., I. de Sacram. p. IX. c. 5.). — Fide D E I K M N et 2 substituimus potentiam pro gratiam.As the Master of the Sentences teaches, IV Sent. d. 1, c. 5 (cf. Hugh of St. Victor, On the Sacraments I, p. IX, c. 5). — On the authority of D E I K M N and 2 we have substituted potentiam for gratiam.
- 1Secundum Aristot., II. de Anima, text. 49. (c. 4.): A fine appellare omnia iustum est. — Superius pro cura D G H curatio, et post efficiens Vat., 1 et 3 supplent Sacramentorum, quae etiam inferius vocibus tamen veneranda interserunt medicinalia, et ob hoc.According to Aristotle, On the Soul II, text 49 (c. 4): "It is right to name all things from their end." — Above, for cura D G H have curatio, and after efficiens the Vatican codex and editions 1 and 3 supply Sacramentorum; the same witnesses also, further below, insert medicinalia, et ob hoc between the words tamen veneranda. ---