Question — Bontempi, Palladium Theologicum V · from Schola Thomistica
Question X: On the effects, and the precept, of the fear of God
MANY holy effects there, chapter 59, of the Fear of the Lord does St. Bonaventure recount: to expel sin, Ecclesiasticus 1; to beget Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus 7; to steady the mind, Ecclesiasticus 27; to enrich with Spiritual riches, Psalm 32; to heap up good works, Ecclesiasticus 15; to delight the heart, Ecclesiasticus 1; to prolong life, Proverbs 10; to irrigate devotion, Proverbs 14; to reward eternally, Ecclesiasticus 1. He goes on to teach there that servile Fear is from the Holy Spirit, even if not with Him, but is cast out, as a she-ass by a hair of the eyelash, as St. Augustine says, Tractate 9 on the first Epistle of John. That Initial fear begins intrinsic perfection he proves in chapter 41, and that it perfects it he shows in chapter 42. See the holy Doctor.
MULTOS sanctos effectus ibi, cap. 59. Timoris Domini recenset S. Bonavent. expellere peccatum Eccles. 1. Sapientiam gignere. Eccles. 7. Mentem stabilire. Eccles. 27. Ditare opibus Spiritualibus Psalm. 32. Bona opera cumulare Eccles. 15. Cor delectare. Eccles. 1. Vitam prolongare, Prov. 10. Devotionem irrigare, Proverb. 14. AEternaliter remunerare, Eccles. 1. Pergit docere ibi, Timorem servilem esse a Spiritu Sancto, etiamsi non cum eo, sed pellitur, ut Sera a filo caligatii, ut ait D. Augustinus Tract. 9. in primam Ioan. Initialem vero incipere intrinsece perfectionem, probat cap. 41. et perficere, ostendit cap. 42. Vide S. Doctorem.
MANY things, and those most excellent, the holy Doctor hands down about this beatitude on chapter 6 of Luke, in those words: Blessed are the poor in spirit, where he shows that by the Fear of the Lord heaven is opened to us: Blessed is he who is always in fear. Blessed is the man who feareth the Lord; in his commandments he desireth exceedingly, O truly golden words. Psalm 111, of which see the most excellent exposition of the Seraphic Doctor.
MULTA, eaque praeclara de hac beatitudine tradit S. Doctor ad cap. 6. Lucae in ea verba: Beati pauperes Spiritu, ubi ostendit Timore Domini nobis aperiri coelum: Beatus enim qui semper est pavidus. Beatus vir, qui timet Dominum, in mandatis eius cupit nimis, o vere aurea verba. Psalm. 111. cuius vide praeclaram Seraphici expositionem.
From the effects of the Fear of the Lord it is understood that there exists a precept. Thus Deuteronomy 10: What doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but that thou fear the Lord thy God? He speaks of filial Fear; and of servile fear, Luke 12: Fear him, who after he hath killed the body, hath power to cast both body and soul into hell.
Ex effectibus Timoris Domini intelligitur, extare praeceptum. Sic Deuter. 10. Quid Dominus Deus petit a te, nisi ut timeas Dominum Deum tuum. Loquitur de Timore filiali; et de servili, Lucae 12. Timete eum, qui postquam occiderit corpus, habet potestatem, et corpus, et animam perdere in gehennam.
Caspensis ADDS at the end, num. 34, that these precepts of the fear of God are not special, and thus are not distinguished from the precepts of the other virtues, insofar as they require filial and servile fear, whereby man is held back from sins, both against charity and against the other virtues; and accordingly from a defect of fear one never commits a special sin that must necessarily be expounded in confession, as Valentia also observes, disp. 2, quest. 4, point 2, and Sanchez, Book 2, chapter 33, num. 4. And it is proved; because confessors learned in this do not ask about it, as Fagundez says, num. 19.
ADDIT Caspensis in fine num. 34. haec praecepta timoris Dei non esse specialia, sicque non distingui a praeceptis aliarum virtutum, quatenus exigunt timorem filialem, et servilem, ut per hos retrahatur homo a peccatis, tam contra charitatem, quam contra alias virtutes; et proinde ex defectu timoris nunquam committit speciale peccatum, quod sit necessario in confessione explicandum, ut observat etiam Valentia disp. 2. quaest. 4. punct. 2. Sanchez Lib. 2. cap. 33. num. 4. Et probatur; quia de hoc neque confessarii eruditi interrogant, ut ait Fagundez num. 19.