Part II (Pars Prima Secundae) Part 17 (2/2)

Reply Obj. 2: The movements of the human body are reduced, as to their cause, to the movement of a heavenly body, in so far as the disposition suitable to a particular movement, is somewhat due to the influence of heavenly bodies; also, in so far as the sensitive appet.i.te is stirred by the influence of heavenly bodies; and again, in so far as exterior bodies are moved in accordance with the movement of heavenly bodies, at whose presence, the will begins to will or not to will something; for instance, when the body is chilled, we begin to wish to make the fire. But this movement of the will is on the part of the object offered from without: not on the part of an inward instigation.

Reply Obj. 3: As stated above (Cf. I, Q. 84, AA. 6, 7), the sensitive appet.i.te is the act of a bodily organ. Wherefore there is no reason why man should not be p.r.o.ne to anger or concupiscence, or some like pa.s.sion, by reason of the influence of heavenly bodies, just as by reason of his natural complexion. But the majority of men are led by the pa.s.sions, which the wise alone resist. Consequently, in the majority of cases predictions about human acts, gathered from the observation of heavenly bodies, are fulfilled. Nevertheless, as Ptolemy says (Centiloquium v), ”the wise man governs the stars”; which is a though to say that by resisting his pa.s.sions, he opposes his will, which is free and nowise subject to the movement of the heavens, to such like effects of the heavenly bodies.

Or, as Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. ii, 15): ”We must confess that when the truth is foretold by astrologers, this is due to some most hidden inspiration, to which the human mind is subject without knowing it. And since this is done in order to deceive man, it must be the work of the lying spirits.”

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SIXTH ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 9, Art. 6]

Whether the Will Is Moved by G.o.d Alone, As Exterior Principle?

Objection 1: It would seem that the will is not moved by G.o.d alone as exterior principle. For it is natural that the inferior be moved by its superior: thus the lower bodies are moved by the heavenly bodies.

But there is something which is higher than the will of man and below G.o.d, namely, the angel. Therefore man's will can be moved by an angel also, as exterior principle.

Obj. 2: Further, the act of the will follows the act of the intellect. But man's intellect is reduced to act, not by G.o.d alone, but also by the angel who enlightens it, as Dionysius says (Coel.

Hier. iv). For the same reason, therefore, the will also is moved by an angel.

Obj. 3: Further, G.o.d is not the cause of other than good things, according to Gen. 1:31: ”G.o.d saw all the things that He had made, and they were very good.” If, therefore man's will were moved by G.o.d alone, it would never be moved to evil: and yet it is the will whereby ”we sin and whereby we do right,” as Augustine says (Retract. i, 9).

_On the contrary,_ It is written (Phil. 2:13): ”It is G.o.d Who worketh in us” [Vulg.'you'] ”both to will and to accomplish.”

_I answer that,_ The movement of the will is from within, as also is the movement of nature. Now although it is possible for something to move a natural thing, without being the cause of the thing moved, yet that alone, which is in some way the cause of a thing's nature, can cause a natural movement in that thing. For a stone is moved upwards by a man, who is not the cause of the stone's nature, but this movement is not natural to the stone; but the natural movement of the stone is caused by no other than the cause of its nature. Wherefore it is said in _Phys._ vii, 4, that the generator moves locally heavy and light things. Accordingly man endowed with a will is sometimes moved by something that is not his cause; but that his voluntary movement be from an exterior principle that is not the cause of his will, is impossible.

Now the cause of the will can be none other than G.o.d. And this is evident for two reasons. First, because the will is a power of the rational soul, which is caused by G.o.d alone, by creation, as was stated in the First Part (Q. 90, A. 2). Secondly, it is evident from the fact that the will is ordained to the universal good. Wherefore nothing else can be the cause of the will, except G.o.d Himself, Who is the universal good: while every other good is good by partic.i.p.ation, and is some particular good, and a particular cause does not give a universal inclination. Hence neither can primary matter, which is potentiality to all forms, be created by some particular agent.

Reply Obj. 1: An angel is not above man in such a way as to be the cause of his will, as the heavenly bodies are the causes of natural forms, from which result the natural movements of natural bodies.

Reply Obj. 2: Man's intellect is moved by an angel, on the part of the object, which by the power of the angelic light is proposed to man's knowledge. And in this way the will also can be moved by a creature from without, as stated above (A. 4).

Reply Obj. 3: G.o.d moves man's will, as the Universal Mover, to the universal object of the will, which is good. And without this universal motion, man cannot will anything. But man determines himself by his reason to will this or that, which is true or apparent good. Nevertheless, sometimes G.o.d moves some specially to the willing of something determinate, which is good; as in the case of those whom He moves by grace, as we shall state later on (Q. 109, A. 2).

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QUESTION 10

OF THE MANNER IN WHICH THE WILL IS MOVED (In Four Articles)

We must now consider the manner in which the will is moved. Under this head there are four points of inquiry:

(1) Whether the will is moved to anything naturally?

(2) Whether it is moved of necessity by its object?

(3) Whether it is moved of necessity by the lower appet.i.te?

(4) Whether it is moved of necessity by the exterior mover which is G.o.d?

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FIRST ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 10, Art. 1]

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