Pars 6, Cap. 6
Breviloquium · Pars VI: De medicina sacramentali
Capitulum VI. De Sacramentorum iteratione.
De iteratione autem Sacramentorum hoc tenendum est, quod licet commune sit omnibus Sacramentis non iterari super eandem personam et materiam et ex eadem causa, ne fiat contumelia Sacramento3; specialiter tamen tria sunt Sacramenta, quae non sunt aliquatenus iteranda, scilicet baptismus, confirmatio et ordo. In his namque tribus imprimitur triplex character interior, qui non deletur; inter quos character baptismalis retinet fundamentum, nec alii possunt imprimi, nisi ille primitus imprimatur. — Unde si quis ordinatur non baptizatus, nihil prorsus efficitur, sed est totum de novo faciendum, quia « non intelligitur iteratum, quod constat non fuisse factum4 ».
Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praemissorum haec est: quia principium nostrum reparativum, Verbum scilicet incarnatum, licet ratione summae virtutis et sapientiae et bonitatis suae nihil agat inefficaciter, nihil inepte, nihil infructuose; potissime tamen hoc observare5 debet in nobilissimis suis operibus, cuiusmodi sunt illa, per quae reparatur genus humanum. Quoniam ergo Sacramenta sunt de genere huiusmodi operum divinorum; hinc est, quod contumelia quodam modo fit eis, quando super eandem materiam et personam et ex eadem causa iterantur; quia ex hoc ostenditur, quod prius dispensata fuerunt inefficacia, inepta et infructuosa, contra id quod exigebat ipsius reparativi principii virtus, sapientia et bonitas summa, quae semper assistit ad operandum in illis et per illa Sacramenta. p. 271
Rursus, quoniam inter haec Sacramenta reparantia, in quibus est generaliter efficacia divinae virtutis ad reparationem humani generis, quaedam sunt, quae tantum introducta sunt propter remedia morborum; quaedam etiam1 non solum ad hoc, sed ad statuendum, discernendum et ordinandum in Ecclesia hierarchicos gradus; et morbi possunt variari, expelli et iterum introduci, gradus autem Ecclesiae debent esse firmi, solidi et inconcussi: hinc est, quod Sacramenta, quae respiciunt morbos iterabiles, habent effectus transeuntes, ac per hoc et iterabiles ratione novae causae. Sacramenta vero illa, quae respiciunt gradus hierarchicos et status fidei determinatos, necesse est, quod praeter effectus remediantes aliquos effectus tribuant permanentes ad graduum et statuum Ecclesiae distinctionem fixam et stabilem. Et quoniam hoc non potest fieri per data naturalia, vel per dona gratuita gratum facientia; necesse est, quod fiat per aliqua signa substantiae incorruptibili, scilicet animae incorruptibili, a principio incorruptibili secundum conformitatem ad incorruptibile indelebiliter et gratis impressa, quae characteres appellantur; qui, quoniam nunquam delentur, ideo nec iterari possunt, nec illa Sacramenta, in quibus huiusmodi characteres imprimuntur.
Postremo, quoniam triplex est status fidei, secundum quem habet fieri distinctio in populo christiano, videlicet2 in acie ecclesiasticae hierarchiae, scilicet status fidei genitae, roboratae et multiplicatae; secundum primum fit distinctio fidelium ab incredulis, per secundum fit distinctio fortium ab infirmis et debilibus; secundum tertium fit distinctio clericorum a laicis: hinc est, quod illa Sacramenta, quae respiciunt triplicem fidei statum praedictum, characteres imprimunt, per quos indelebiliter impressos semper distinguunt, ac per hoc nunquam iterari possunt. Quoniam ergo baptismus respicit statum fidei genitae, in quo populus Dei distinguitur ab incredulis, ut Israelitae ab Aegyptiis; et confirmatio respicit statum fidei roboratae, in quo distinguitur populus fortis ab infirmis, sicut pugiles ab his qui ad pugnandum3 non sunt idonei; et ordo respicit statum fidei multiplicatae, in quo distinguitur clerus a laicis, sicut levitae ab aliis tribubus: hinc est, quod in his tantum tribus Sacramentis characteres imprimuntur.
Quia vero distinctio populi a non-populo est prima et radicalis; hinc est, quod character baptismalis est fundamentum omnium aliorum characterum; et ideo, illo non substrato, nihil poterit superaedificari; ac per hoc oportet de novo fieri. Si autem ille substernatur, alii imprimi possunt nec unquam ulterius iterandi sunt; nec Sacramenta tria praedicta, quae hos imprimunt, ex causa aliqua iterantur, et gravis de facto iterantibus debet poena imponi4 propter divini contumeliam Sacramenti; licet alia quatuor ex causis diversis possint sine sui contumelia iterari.
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Chapter VI. On the iteration of the Sacraments.
Concerning the iteration of the Sacraments, moreover, this must be held: that although it is common to all the Sacraments not to be iterated upon the same person and matter and from the same cause, lest an affront be done to the Sacrament3, nevertheless there are three Sacraments in particular which are in no wise to be iterated, namely baptism, confirmation and order. For in these three a threefold interior character is imprinted, which is not blotted out; and among these the baptismal character retains the foundation, nor can the others be imprinted unless that one be imprinted first. — Whence if anyone is ordained unbaptized, absolutely nothing is effected, but the whole is to be done anew, because « that is not accounted iterated which is established not to have been done4 ».
Now the reason for the understanding of the premises is this: since our reparative principle, the Word namely incarnate, although by reason of his supreme power and wisdom and goodness he does nothing inefficaciously, nothing ineptly, nothing unfruitfully, must nevertheless observe5 this most of all in his noblest works, of which kind are those by which the human race is repaired. Since therefore the Sacraments are of the kind of these divine works, hence it is that an affront is in a certain manner done to them when they are iterated upon the same matter and person and from the same cause; because from this it is shown that they were before dispensed inefficacious, inept and unfruitful, against that which the power, wisdom and supreme goodness of the reparative principle itself demanded, which always assists to work in them and through them, the Sacraments. p. 271
Again, since among these reparative Sacraments — in which there is generally the efficacy of the divine power unto the reparation of the human race — some are which have been introduced only for the sake of remedies of diseases, and some also1 not only for this, but for establishing, discerning and ordering in the Church the hierarchic grades; and diseases can be varied, expelled and introduced again, whereas the grades of the Church ought to be firm, solid and unshaken: hence it is that the Sacraments which regard iterable diseases have transient effects, and through this iterable ones by reason of a new cause. But those Sacraments which regard the hierarchic grades and determinate states of faith must needs, beyond their remedying effects, bestow certain permanent effects unto the fixed and stable distinction of the grades and states of the Church. And since this cannot be done through natural endowments, or through gratuitous gifts making one pleasing to God, it must needs be done through certain signs imprinted indelibly and gratuitously upon an incorruptible substance, namely upon the incorruptible soul, from an incorruptible principle, according to a conformity to the incorruptible — which signs are called characters; and these, since they are never blotted out, therefore neither can they be iterated, nor those Sacraments in which characters of this kind are imprinted.
Lastly, since the state of faith is threefold, according to which the distinction in the christian people has to be made, namely2 in the battle-line of the ecclesiastical hierarchy — that is, the state of faith begotten, strengthened and multiplied; and according to the first is made the distinction of the faithful from the unbelieving, through the second is made the distinction of the strong from the infirm and weak, according to the third is made the distinction of clerics from laics: hence it is that those Sacraments which regard the aforesaid threefold state of faith imprint characters, through which, indelibly impressed, they always distinguish, and through this can never be iterated. Since therefore baptism regards the state of faith begotten, in which the people of God is distinguished from the unbelieving, as the Israelites from the Egyptians; and confirmation regards the state of faith strengthened, in which the strong people is distinguished from the infirm, as boxers from those who are not fit for fighting3; and order regards the state of faith multiplied, in which the clergy is distinguished from the laics, as the levites from the other tribes: hence it is that in these three Sacraments alone characters are imprinted.
But because the distinction of the people from the non-people is the first and radical one, hence it is that the baptismal character is the foundation of all the other characters; and therefore, that one not being laid underneath, nothing will be able to be built upon it, and through this it behoves that it be done anew. If, however, that one be laid underneath, the others can be imprinted and are never further to be iterated; nor are the three aforesaid Sacraments which imprint them iterated from any cause, and a grave penalty ought to be imposed on those who in fact iterate them4, on account of the affront to the divine Sacrament; although the other four can, from diverse causes, be iterated without affront to themselves.
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- 3August., I. de Baptismo contra Donat. c. 1. n. 2: Nulli enim Sacramento iniuria facienda est.Augustine, On Baptism, against the Donatists, I, c. 1, n. 2: "For to no Sacrament is injury to be done."
- 4Innocent. III. in C. Veniens (3.), X. de presbytero non baptizato (lib. III. tit. 43.) et in C. Tuae litterae (1.), X. de clerico per saltum promoto (lib. V. tit. 29.). Primo loco cit. habetur etiam, quod « baptismus sit fundamentum omnium Sacramentorum », et quod « ante susceptionem baptismi non suscipiatur aliud Sacramentum, quoniam, ubi fundamentum non est, superaedificari non potest »; ad quae verba respicitur infra circa finem huius cap. — De hoc cap. cfr. IV. Sent. d. 6. p. I. per totam (praecipue q. 4. et 6.); d. 7. a. 3. q. 3; d. 24. p. II. a. 1. q. 1. seqq.Innocent III, in the decretal Veniens (3), X, On a presbyter not baptized (bk. III, tit. 43), and in the decretal Tuae litterae (1), X, On a cleric promoted by a leap (bk. V, tit. 29). In the first place cited it is also had that "baptism is the foundation of all the Sacraments," and that "before the reception of baptism no other Sacrament is to be received, since, where there is no foundation, there can be no building upon it"; to which words regard is had below, toward the end of this chapter. — On this chapter cf. IV Sent. d. 6, p. I, throughout (especially qq. 4 and 6); d. 7, a. 3, q. 3; d. 24, p. II, a. 1, q. 1 seqq.
- 5Ed. 1 servare, quae etiam superius pro praemissorum cum I K L et 2 praedictorum. Inferius pro ex hoc I K L M in hoc.Edition 1 reads servare, which above also, for praemissorum, reads with I K L and edition 2 praedictorum. Below, for ex hoc, I K L M read in hoc.
- 1Ed. 1 addit quae. Mox post sed N addit etiam.Edition 1 adds quae. Shortly after, following sed, N adds etiam.
- 2Pro videlicet, quod edd. et pauci codd. omittunt, E F G H minus, aptae ponunt et. Inferius pro incredulis D P substituunt infidelibus.For videlicet, which the editions and a few codices omit, E F G H less aptly put et. Below, for incredulis, D P substitute infidelibus.
- 3Ita I K L M O edd. pugnam; B prosequitur non sunt habiles nec idonei. Inferius pro clerus S clericus, et christiani pro a non-populo.So I K L M O; the editions read pugnam; B continues non sunt habiles nec idonei. Below, for clerus, S reads clericus, and christiani for a non-populo.
- 4Cfr. tom. IV. pag. 146, nota 7. — Inferius pro sui, quod C E T omittunt, multi codd. sua, 2 alia.Cf. tom. IV, p. 146, note 7. — Below, for sui, which C E T omit, many codices read sua, edition 2 alia. ---