Chapter VII.
On the glory of paradise.
Concerning heavenly glory, this must be held in summary: that in it there is a substantial, consubstantial, and accidental reward. The substantial reward, I say, consists in the vision, fruition, and possession of the one highest good, namely God, whom the Blessed will see face to face, that is, nakedly and without veil; whom they will enjoy eagerly and delightfully; whom they will also hold for all eternity, so that that saying of Bernard may be verified: "God will be to the reason the fullness of light, to the will the abundance of peace, and to the memory the continuation of eternity." - The consubstantial reward consists in the glory of the body, which is called the second stole: which being resumed, the blessed soul tends more perfectly toward the highest heaven. And this stole consists in a fourfold dowry of the body, namely in the dowry of clarity, subtlety, agility, and impassibility: which will be in greater or lesser degree, according to the lesser or greater charity previously possessed. - The accidental reward consists in a certain special beauty superadded, which is called the aureole: and according to the judgment of the doctors, it is owed to a threefold kind of works, namely martyrdom, preaching, and virginal continence. And in all the aforesaid, degree and distinction will be observed according to the exigency of merits.
The reason for understanding the aforesaid is this: because the first principle, by the very fact that it is first, has supreme unity, truth, and goodness; by this very fact there must be posited in it supreme power, wisdom, clemency, and justice. Since, moreover, it is fitting that these invisible things of God be manifested through works, therefore God, originating this sensible world, so produced, so governs, so restores, so rewards and consummates it, that in production supreme power is manifested, in governance wisdom, in restoration clemency, and in retribution consummated justice. Therefore, that power might be manifested, he produced all things from nothing for his own praise, glory, and honor, making something close to nothing, namely corporeal matter, and something close to himself, namely spiritual substance, and joining these together in one man in the unity of nature and person, namely the rational soul and corporeal matter. - That wisdom might be manifested, he indeed governs all things most providently and in order. For he himself rules the highest part of man through himself, namely the mind, which he illumines, and the lowest part, namely the body, through the free choice of the will, so that the body and bodily things as regards governance may be subject to the spirit, and the spirit to God.
That clemency might be manifested, he restored fallen man by assuming human nature, by taking on sufferings, and finally by enduring the penalty, so that through the highest mercy he might make the merciful one conformed to the wretched for the relief of misery, not only in the dignity of created nature, but also in the defects of nature established in misery. - That justice might at last be manifested, he will repay each one according to the demand of their merits, not only punishment to the wicked, but also eternal glory to the just. For thus do equitable retribution and gratuitous restoration and ordered governance and virtuous production demand. For the consummation of all these things is at the end.
First, therefore, since the rewarding of all the just must take place according to what just retribution and also virtuous production demand: and God's production made the rational spirit near to God, capable of God, capable namely according to the power of the implanted image of the most blessed Trinity itself, which in the just the whole spirit of man served according to the integrity of the image: hence it is that the rational spirit can be rewarded and fulfilled by nothing less than God, nor can its capacity be bounded: therefore as a reward there is given to it the deiformity of glory, through which, made conformed to God, it may see him clearly by reason and love him fully by will and retain him forever by memory: so that the whole soul may live, the whole soul may be endowed in the three powers of the soul, the whole soul may be configured to God, the whole soul may be united to him, the whole soul may rest in him, finding in him as in every good peace, light, and eternal sufficiency, through which, established "in a state made perfect by the aggregation of all goods" and living eternal life, it may be called blessed and also glorious.
Again, since that retribution must be made according to what is required not only by just retribution and virtuous production, but also by ordered governance: and God in production bound the body to the soul and joined them to one another by natural and mutual appetite, while for governance He subjected it and established it in the state of merit, so that the spirit might condescend and attend to governing the body for the sake of exercise in meriting: nor does natural appetite permit that the soul be fully blessed unless the body be restored to it, toward the resumption of which it has a naturally implanted inclination; nor does the order of governance allow that the body be restored to the blessed spirit unless it be in all things conformed and subject to it, insofar as the body can be conformed to the spirit. Since therefore the spirit is glorified by the vision of eternal light, there must result in its body the greatest clarity of light. Because indeed by the love of that supreme Spirit it is made supremely spiritual, it must have in the body a corresponding subtlety and spirituality. Because by the possession of eternity it is made altogether impassible, there must be in its body complete impassibility both within and without. Because indeed from all these things the spirit is most ready to tend toward God, in the glorified body there must be found supreme agility. Since therefore through these four properties the body is made conformed to the spirit and also subject to it, hence it is that in these four it is said to be especially endowed, by reason of which it has the aptitude to follow the spirit and to be placed in the celestial region, which is the region of the Blessed. For in these properties it is made like to the celestial bodies, through which the celestial body is, as it were, gradually distant from the four elements: and thus the fourfold dowry of bodies renders the body both perfect in itself and conformed to the celestial habitation and to the blessed Spirit, through whom from the supreme head, God, even unto the hem of the garment, namely the body, the fullness of sweetness and the inebriation of beatitude overflows and, insofar as is possible, is derived.
Finally, since that rewarding ought to take place according to what just retribution and virtuous production and ordered governance and also glorious restoration require: and in the diverse members of Christ there are diverse charisms of graces, not only with respect to interior gifts, but also with respect to exterior exercises; not only with regard to habits, but also with regard to states; not only with regard to the perfection of charity in the mind, but also with regard to the beauty and comeliness of perfection in bodily work: hence it is that to certain members there is owed not only the stole of the soul with its three endowments and the stole of the body with four, but also a certain excellence of beauty and joy on account of the preeminence of perfection and beauty possessed in virtuous work. Since therefore there is a threefold genus of work that is preeminently perfect and beautiful and adorned with a special comeliness according to the threefold power of the soul: according to the rational power, the preaching of truth leading others to salvation; according to the concupiscible power, the perfect turning away from concupiscences through the perpetual integrity of virginal continence; according to the irascible power, the enduring of death for the honor of Christ: hence it is that to these three classes of the just, namely preachers, virgins, and martyrs, there is owed that excellence of accidental reward which is called the aureole: which contributes to the beauty not only of the soul, but also of the body, because it is rendered not to the will alone, but to the outward work, presupposing beneath itself the merit and reward of charity, which consists in the sevenfold endowment, threefold of the soul and fourfold of the body, in which is enclosed the consummation, integrity, and fullness of all goods pertaining to the complement of glory.
But as to what kind and how great those things are, let not my words but those of blessed Anselm be set forth. For he says at the end of the Proslogion: "Rouse yourself now, O my soul, and lift up your whole understanding and think, as much as you can, of what kind and how great that good is. For if individual goods are delightful, think intently how delightful is that good which contains the joyfulness of all goods, not such as we have experienced in created things, but differing as much as the Creator differs from the creature. For if created life is good, how good is the creative life? If wrought salvation is joyful, how joyful is the salvation that makes all salvation? If wisdom in the knowledge of created things is lovable, how lovable is the wisdom that created all things from nothing? In short, if there are many and great delights in delightful things, of what kind and how great is the delight in him who made those very delightful things?"
"Who will enjoy this good, what shall be his, and what shall not be his? Surely whatever he wills shall be, and what he does not will shall not be. There indeed shall be goods of body and soul, such as eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived. Why then do you wander through many things, O little man, seeking the goods of your soul and your body? Love the one good, in which are all goods, and it suffices. Desire the simple good, which is every good, and it is enough. For what do you love, my flesh, what do you desire, my soul? There is whatever you love, whatever you desire. If beauty delights: the just shall shine as the sun. If swiftness, or strength, or freedom of body, which nothing can resist: they shall be like the Angels of God, because it is sown a natural body, and shall rise a spiritual body, by power, assuredly, not by nature. If long and healthful life: there is sound eternity and eternal soundness, because the just shall live forever, and: The salvation of the just is from the Lord. If fullness: they shall be satisfied, when the glory of God shall appear. If inebriation: they shall be inebriated with the plenty of the house of God. If melody: there the choirs of Angels sing together praising God without end. If any pleasure, not impure but pure: you shall give them to drink of the torrent of your pleasure, O God. If wisdom: the very wisdom of God shall show itself to them. If friendship: they shall love God more than themselves and one another as themselves, and God shall love them more than they love themselves, because they love Him and themselves and one another through Him, and He loves Himself and them through Himself. If concord: all of them shall have one will, because they shall have no will but God's will. If power: they shall be omnipotent over their own will, as God is over His. For as God shall be able to do what He wills through Himself, so shall they be able through Him to do what they will: because as they shall will nothing other than what He wills, so He shall will whatever they will: and what He wills cannot fail to be. If honor and riches: God shall set His good and faithful servants over many things, indeed sons of God and gods they shall be called and shall be, and where His Son shall be, there shall they be also, heirs indeed of God, and co-heirs with Christ. If true security: surely they shall be as certain that these things, or rather this good, shall never and in no way be lacking to them, as they shall be certain that they shall not lose it of their own accord, nor that God who loves them shall take it from His lovers against their will, nor that anything more powerful than God shall separate God and them against their will." "But joy —of what kind or how great is it, where such and so great a good is? O human heart, heart in need, heart that has known sorrows, indeed overwhelmed by sorrows, how greatly would you rejoice, if you abounded in all these things? Ask your inmost being, whether it can contain its joy over so great a blessedness. But surely, if another, whom you loved entirely as yourself, had the same blessedness: your joy would be doubled, because you would rejoice no less for him than for yourself. If indeed two, or three, or many more had the same: you would rejoice just as much for each one as for yourself, if you loved each one as yourself. Therefore in that perfect charity of innumerable Angels and blessed human beings, where no one loves another less than himself, each one shall rejoice for each of the others no differently than for himself. If, therefore, the heart of man will scarcely contain its own joy over so great a good of its own, how shall it be capable of so many and so great joys? And indeed, because insofar as anyone loves another, so much does he rejoice in that other's good: as in that perfect felicity each one shall love God incomparably more than himself and all others together, so shall he rejoice beyond reckoning in the felicity of God more than in his own and that of all others together. But if they shall so love God with the whole heart, the whole mind, the whole soul, that yet the whole heart, the whole mind, the whole soul shall not suffice for the worthiness of that love: assuredly they shall so rejoice with the whole heart, the whole mind, the whole soul, that the whole heart, the whole mind, the whole soul shall not suffice for the fullness of that joy."
"Not yet therefore, Lord, have I said or conceived how greatly those Blessed ones of yours shall rejoice. Surely they shall rejoice as much as they shall love; they shall love as much as they shall know. How much shall they know you and how much shall they love you? Certainly neither eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it ascended into the heart of man in this life, how much they shall know and love you in that life.
I pray, O God, that I may know you, love you, that I may rejoice in you: and if I cannot do so fully in this life, may I at least advance from day to day, until that fullness shall come: may the knowledge of you advance here in me and there be made full, may your love grow here and there be full: so that here my joy may be great in hope and there be full in reality. Lord, through your Son you command, nay rather you counsel us to ask, and you promise that we shall receive, that our joy may be full. O truthful God, I ask that I may receive, that my joy may be full. I ask, Lord, what you counsel through our admirable Counselor: may I receive what you promise through your Truth, that my joy may be full. Meanwhile let my mind meditate upon this, let my tongue speak of it, let my heart love it, let my mouth discourse upon it, let my soul hunger for it, let my flesh thirst for it, let my whole substance desire it, until I enter into the joy of my Lord, who is the triune and one God blessed for ever and ever. Amen ."
HERE ENDS THE BREVILOQUIUM OF BROTHER BONAVENTURE.