Pars 6, Cap. 2
Breviloquium · Pars VI: De medicina sacramentali
Capitulum II. De Sacramentorum variatione.
De variatione autem Sacramentorum hoc tenendum est, quod Sacramenta ab initio ad curationem hominis instituta sunt et semper cum morbo hominis cucurrerunt et usque in finem saeculi perdurabunt; sed alia fuerunt in lege naturae, alia sub lege scripta, alia sub gratia. Et in his omnibus illa quae posteriora sunt, significatione sunt evidentiora et effectu gratiae digniora. — In lege enim naturae fuerunt oblationes, sacrificia et decimationes. In lege autem scripta introducta est circumcisio, superaddita est expiatio, et superadiecta est oblationum, decimationum et sacrificiorum multiformis distinctio. — In lege autem nova « statuta sunt Sacramenta numero pauciora, utilitate potiora, virtute efficaciora2 » et praeeminentia digniora; in quibus est impletio simul et evacuatio Sacramentorum omnium praedictorum.
Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praedictorum haec est: quia Verbum incarnatum, quod est reparationis nostrae principium et fons et origo Sacramentorum, cum sit clementissimum et sapientissimum; eo quod clementissimum est, non permisit, quod curreret morbus peccati sine remedio Sacramenti; eo vero, quod sapientissimum est, ideo iuxta dictamen suae immutabilis sapientiae cuncta ordinatissime gubernantis diversa adhibuit medicamenta et varia, secundum mutationem variam temporum diversorum. Quoniam ergo « ab initio, procurrente tempore, et adventu Salvatoris magis ac magis appropinquante, semper magis ac magis effectus salutis crevit et cognitio veritatis; congruum fuit, et ipsa signa salutis per successionem temporum alia post alia variari, ut effectus gratiae divinae in salutem cresceret, simulque et ipsa significatio in ipsis signis visibilibus evidentior appareret3 ». Et ideo « primum per oblationem et postea per circumcisionem, ad ultimum per baptismalem ablutionem expiationis et iustificationis Sacramentum formari institutum est; quia eiusdem mundationis forma et similitudo in oblatione quidem occulte invenitur, in circumcisione vero evidentius exprimitur, per baptismum autem manifestius declaratur ». Et hinc est, quod « illa primi temporis Sacramenta, sicut dicit Hugo4, fuerunt sicut veritatis umbra, medii temporis sicut figura seu imago, postremi, scilicet gratiae; sicut corpus », quia intra se veritatem et gratiam curatricem continent, quam praesentant, et praesentialiter conferunt quod promittunt.
Rursus, quoniam praesentia veritatis et gratiae5, quae in lege gratiae exhibetur, ratione suae excellentiae et multiformitatis in opere et virtute per unum signum exprimi non poterat, ut decebat; hinc est, quod in omni tempore et lege plura fuerunt Sacramenta data ad illam veritatem et gratiam exprimendam; sed praecipue in tempore legis figurae, cuius est figurare, multa signa et varia praecesserunt, quae sua varietate Christi gratiam multipliciter exprimerent et excellentius commendarent, et multipliciter commendando nutrirent parvulos, exercerent imperfectos6 et duros onerando frangerent et ad iugum gratiae domarent et quodam modo emollirent.
Postremo, quoniam, veritate superveniente, cessat umbra, et figura praenuntians sortitur finem intentum, quo habito, cessare debet eius usus et p. 267 actus; hinc est, quod gratia superveniente, vetera Sacramenta et signa impleta sunt pariter et sublata, quia signa erant prognostica futurorum et quasi praenuntiantia de longinquo1; et nova nihilominus instituta tanquam demonstrativa praesentis gratiae et rememorativa quodam modo passionis dominicae, quae fons est et origo gratiae curativae sive in nobis, sive in his qui praecesserunt Christi adventum; sed in his qui praecesserunt, tanquam pretium promissum, in his qui sequuntur, tanquam pretium persolutum. Et quoniam non debetur gratia promissioni pretii nisi ratione persolutionis; et abundantior debetur persoluto pretio quam promisso: hinc est, quod passio Christi immediatius sanctificat Sacramenta temporis legis novae et pleniori2 gratia in eis redundat. Propter quod illa praeparaverunt et perduxerunt ad haec, sicut via ad terminum, sicut signum ad signatum, sicut figura ad veritatem, et sicut imperfectum reducit et praeparat ad perfectum.
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Chapter II. On the variation of the Sacraments.
Concerning the variation of the Sacraments, moreover, this must be held: that the Sacraments were from the beginning instituted for the curing of man, and have always run their course together with man's disease, and will endure until the end of the age; but some were under the law of nature, others under the written law, others under grace. And among all these, those which are later are more evident in signification and more worthy in the effect of grace. — For in the law of nature there were oblations, sacrifices and tithings. In the written law, however, circumcision was introduced, expiation was superadded, and there was further added the manifold distinction of oblations, tithings and sacrifices. — But in the new law « the Sacraments have been appointed fewer in number, more powerful in usefulness, more efficacious in strength2 », and more worthy in preeminence; in which there is at once the fulfilment and the voiding of all the foresaid Sacraments.
Now the reason for the understanding of the foresaid is this: since the Word incarnate, which is the principle of our reparation and the fount and origin of the Sacraments, is most clement and most wise; in that it is most clement, it did not permit that the disease of sin should run its course without the remedy of a Sacrament; but in that it is most wise, therefore, according to the dictate of its own unchangeable wisdom that governs all things in the most orderly way, it applied medicines diverse and various, according to the varying change of diverse times. Since therefore « from the beginning, as time ran on and the coming of the Saviour drew nearer and nearer, always more and more the effect of salvation grew and the knowledge of the truth; it was fitting that the very signs of salvation should, through the succession of times, be varied one after another, so that the effect of divine grace unto salvation might increase, and at the same time the signification itself in those visible signs might appear more evident3 ». And therefore « first through oblation and afterwards through circumcision, and at the last through the baptismal washing, the Sacrament of expiation and justification was instituted to be formed; because the form and likeness of the same cleansing is in oblation indeed found hiddenly, in circumcision is expressed more evidently, but through baptism is declared more manifestly ». And hence it is that « those Sacraments of the first time, as Hugh says4, were as the shadow of the truth, those of the middle time as its figure or image, those of the last time, namely of grace, as its body » — because within themselves they contain the truth and the curing grace which they make present, and they confer in present fact what they promise.
Again, since the presence of truth and of grace5, which is exhibited in the law of grace, could not be expressed by one sign as it was fitting, by reason of its excellence and its manifoldness in operation and in power; hence it is that in every time and law there were several Sacraments given for expressing that truth and grace; but chiefly in the time of the law of figure, whose office it is to figure, many and various signs went before, which by their variety might express Christ's grace in manifold ways and commend it more excellently, and by commending it manifoldly might nourish the little ones, exercise the imperfect6, and by burdening might break the hard and tame them to the yoke of grace and in a certain manner soften them.
Lastly, since, when the truth supervenes, the shadow ceases, and the foreannouncing figure obtains the end intended, and this once had, its use and p. 267 act must cease; hence it is that, when grace supervened, the old Sacraments and signs were at once fulfilled and taken away — because they were signs prognostic of things to come and as it were announcing them beforehand from afar1; and new ones were nonetheless instituted as demonstrative of present grace and in a certain way commemorative of the Lord's passion, which is the fount and origin of curing grace both in us and in those who went before Christ's coming; but in those who went before, as a price promised, in those who follow, as a price paid. And since grace is not owed to the promise of a price except by reason of the payment; and more abundantly is it owed to a price paid than to one promised: hence it is that Christ's passion sanctifies more immediately the Sacraments of the time of the new law, and with fuller2 grace overflows in them. On account of which those prepared for these and led on to them, as the way to the terminus, as the sign to the thing signified, as the figure to the truth, and as the imperfect leads back and prepares to the perfect.
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- 2August., IX. contra Faustum, c. 13, ubi pro statuta ponitur instituta, quod exhibent etiam D E. Cfr. Hug. a S. Vict., I. de Sacram. p. VIII. c. 12. et p. XI. c. 6. — De hoc cap. vide IV. Sent. d. 1. p. II. per totam et d. 2. a. 1. q. 1. seq. — Superius, communissimam lectionem codd. et 2 secuti, substituimus sub gratia (ita etiam Hug. a S. Vict., locis citt.) pro sub lege gratiae. Inferius pro omnium praedictorum I K L U V omnium praeteritorum.Augustine, contra Faustum IX, c. 13, where in place of statuta is put instituta, which D E also exhibit. Cf. Hugh of St. Victor, On the Sacraments I, p. VIII, c. 12, and p. XI, c. 6. — On this chapter see IV Sent. d. 1, p. II, throughout, and d. 2, a. 1, q. 1 ff. — Above, following the commonest reading of the codices and of edition 2, we have substituted sub gratia (so too Hugh of St. Victor in the passages cited) for sub lege gratiae. Below, for omnium praedictorum I K L U V have omnium praeteritorum.
- 3Hug. a S. Vict., I. de Sacram. p. XI. c. 6, nonnullis tamen mutatis. Pro ipsa significatio editio originalis ipsa sanctificatio; quae lectio potius videtur esse vitium editionis, quam, relictis codicibus, non satis consulte ipsi secuti sumus, referentes eundem locum tom. IV. pag. 50, col. II; cfr. nota 6. Ibid. et seq. sententia invenitur, in qua pro formari Vat., 1 et 3 perperam formaliter.Hugh of St. Victor, On the Sacraments I, p. XI, c. 6, with some things nevertheless altered. For ipsa significatio the original edition has ipsa sanctificatio; which reading seems rather to be a fault of that edition — one which we ourselves, leaving the codices aside, followed with too little deliberation when we reported the same passage in tom. IV, p. 50, col. II; cf. note 6 there. In the same place and the following there is found the sentence in which, for formari, the Vatican codex and editions 1 and 3 wrongly have formaliter.
- 4Loc. in praeced. nota cit. Cfr. etiam ipsius liber de Sacram. legis naturalis et scriptae.The passage cited in the preceding note. Cf. also his own book On the Sacraments of the natural and of the written law.
- 5Ioan. 1, 17: Quia Lex per Moysen data est, gratia et veritas per Iesum Christum facta est. — Inferius pro opere I K L operatione, et pro non poterat, ut decebat P non potest nec (F L T Z etiam nec) decet.John 1, 17: "For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." — Below, for opere I K L have operatione, and for non poterat, ut decebat P has non potest nec (F L T Z also nec) decet.
- 6Plurimi codd. et 2 perperam perfectos. Respicitur Hug. a S. Vict., I. de Sacram. p. XI. c. 4: Primum igitur ante Legem parvulos consilio nutrivit, postea sub Lege exercitatos praecepto tentavit, novissime sub gratia perfectos in libertate spiritus ambulare permittit.Very many codices and edition 2 wrongly have perfectos. Hugh of St. Victor is being looked to, On the Sacraments I, p. XI, c. 4: "First, therefore, before the Law he nourished the little ones with counsel; afterwards under the Law he tried them, exercised, with precept; last of all under grace he permits them, made perfect, to walk in the liberty of the spirit."
- 1Cfr. IV. Sent. d. 1. p. I. q. 2. ad 4, ubi triplex genus signorum sacramentalium explicatur;Cf. IV Sent. d. 1, p. I, q. 2, ad 4, where the threefold kind of sacramental signs is explained.
- 2A C T plenior. I K L O omittunt temporis. In fine cap. D addit adipiscendum.A C T read plenior. I K L O omit temporis. At the end of the chapter D adds adipiscendum. ---