Part II (Pars Prima Secundae) Part 176 (1/2)
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THIRD ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 109, Art. 3]
Whether by His Own Natural Powers and Without Grace Man Can Love G.o.d Above All Things?
Objection 1: It would seem that without grace man cannot love G.o.d above all things by his own natural powers. For to love G.o.d above all things is the proper and princ.i.p.al act of charity. Now man cannot of himself possess charity, since the ”charity of G.o.d is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost Who is given to us,” as is said Rom.
5:5. Therefore man by his natural powers alone cannot love G.o.d above all things.
Obj. 2: Further, no nature can rise above itself. But to love G.o.d above all things is to tend above oneself. Therefore without the help of grace no created nature can love G.o.d above itself.
Obj. 3: Further, to G.o.d, Who is the Highest Good, is due the best love, which is that He be loved above all things. Now without grace man is not capable of giving G.o.d the best love, which is His due; otherwise it would be useless to add grace. Hence man, without grace and with his natural powers alone, cannot love G.o.d above all things.
_On the contrary,_ As some maintain, man was first made with only natural endowments; and in this state it is manifest that he loved G.o.d to some extent. But he did not love G.o.d equally with himself, or less than himself, otherwise he would have sinned. Therefore he loved G.o.d above himself. Therefore man, by his natural powers alone, can love G.o.d more than himself and above all things.
_I answer that,_ As was said above (I, Q. 60, A. 5), where the various opinions concerning the natural love of the angels were set forth, man in a state of perfect nature, could by his natural power, do the good natural to him without the addition of any gratuitous gift, though not without the help of G.o.d moving him. Now to love G.o.d above all things is natural to man and to every nature, not only rational but irrational, and even to inanimate nature according to the manner of love which can belong to each creature. And the reason of this is that it is natural to all to seek and love things according as they are naturally fit (to be sought and loved) since ”all things act according as they are naturally fit” as stated in _Phys._ ii, 8. Now it is manifest that the good of the part is for the good of the whole; hence everything, by its natural appet.i.te and love, loves its own proper good on account of the common good of the whole universe, which is G.o.d. Hence Dionysius says (Div. Nom. iv) that ”G.o.d leads everything to love of Himself.” Hence in the state of perfect nature man referred the love of himself and of all other things to the love of G.o.d as to its end; and thus he loved G.o.d more than himself and above all things. But in the state of corrupt nature man falls short of this in the appet.i.te of his rational will, which, unless it is cured by G.o.d's grace, follows its private good, on account of the corruption of nature. And hence we must say that in the state of perfect nature man did not need the gift of grace added to his natural endowments, in order to love G.o.d above all things naturally, although he needed G.o.d's help to move him to it; but in the state of corrupt nature man needs, even for this, the help of grace to heal his nature.
Reply Obj. 1: Charity loves G.o.d above all things in a higher way than nature does. For nature loves G.o.d above all things inasmuch as He is the beginning and the end of natural good; whereas charity loves Him, as He is the object of beat.i.tude, and inasmuch as man has a spiritual fellows.h.i.+p with G.o.d. Moreover charity adds to natural love of G.o.d a certain quickness and joy, in the same way that every habit of virtue adds to the good act which is done merely by the natural reason of a man who has not the habit of virtue.
Reply Obj. 2: When it is said that nature cannot rise above itself, we must not understand this as if it could not be drawn to any object above itself, for it is clear that our intellect by its natural knowledge can know things above itself, as is shown in our natural knowledge of G.o.d. But we are to understand that nature cannot rise to an act exceeding the proportion of its strength. Now to love G.o.d above all things is not such an act; for it is natural to every creature, as was said above.
Reply Obj. 3: Love is said to be best, both with respect to degree of love, and with regard to the motive of loving, and the mode of love.
And thus the highest degree of love is that whereby charity loves G.o.d as the giver of beat.i.tude, as was said above.
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FOURTH ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 109, Art. 4]
Whether Man Without Grace and by His Own Natural Powers Can Fulfil the Commandments of the Law?
Objection 1: It would seem that man without grace, and by his own natural powers, can fulfil the commandments of the Law. For the Apostle says (Rom. 2:14) that ”the Gentiles who have not the law, do by nature those things that are of the Law.” Now what a man does naturally he can do of himself without grace. Hence a man can fulfil the commandments of the Law without grace.
Obj. 2: Further, Jerome says (Expos. Cathol. Fide [*Symboli Explanatio ad Damasum, among the supposit.i.tious works of St. Jerome: now ascribed to Pelagius]) that ”they are anathema who say G.o.d has laid impossibilities upon man.” Now what a man cannot fulfil by himself is impossible to him. Therefore a man can fulfil all the commandments of himself.
Obj. 3: Further, of all the commandments of the Law, the greatest is this, ”Thou shalt love the Lord thy G.o.d with thy whole heart” (Matt.
27:37). Now man with his natural endowments can fulfil this command by loving G.o.d above all things, as stated above (A. 3). Therefore man can fulfil all the commandments of the Law without grace.
_On the contrary,_ Augustine says (De Haeres. lx.x.xviii) that it is part of the Pelagian heresy that ”they believe that without grace man can fulfil all the Divine commandments.”
_I answer that,_ There are two ways of fulfilling the commandments of the Law. The first regards the substance of the works, as when a man does works of justice, fort.i.tude, and of other virtues. And in this way man in the state of perfect nature could fulfil all the commandments of the Law; otherwise he would have been unable to sin in that state, since to sin is nothing else than to transgress the Divine commandments. But in the state of corrupted nature man cannot fulfil all the Divine commandments without healing grace. Secondly, the commandments of the law can be fulfilled, not merely as regards the substance of the act, but also as regards the mode of acting, i.e. their being done out of charity. And in this way, neither in the state of perfect nature, nor in the state of corrupt nature can man fulfil the commandments of the law without grace. Hence, Augustine (De Corrept. et Grat. ii) having stated that ”without grace men can do no good whatever,” adds: ”Not only do they know by its light what to do, but by its help they do lovingly what they know.” Beyond this, in both states they need the help of G.o.d's motion in order to fulfil the commandments, as stated above (AA. 2, 3).
Reply Obj. 1: As Augustine says (De Spir. et Lit. xxvii), ”do not be disturbed at his saying that they do by nature those things that are of the Law; for the Spirit of grace works this, in order to restore in us the image of G.o.d, after which we were naturally made.”
Reply Obj. 2: What we can do with the Divine a.s.sistance is not altogether impossible to us; according to the Philosopher (Ethic.
iii, 3): ”What we can do through our friends, we can do, in some sense, by ourselves.” Hence Jerome [*Symboli Explanatio ad Damasum, among the supposit.i.tious works of St. Jerome: now ascribed to Pelagius] concedes that ”our will is in such a way free that we must confess we still require G.o.d's help.”
Reply Obj. 3: Man cannot, with his purely natural endowments, fulfil the precept of the love of G.o.d, as stated above (A. 3).
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FIFTH ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 109, Art. 5]
Whether Man Can Merit Everlasting Life Without Grace?