Part II (Pars Prima Secundae) Part 176 (2/2)
Objection 1: It would seem that man can merit everlasting life without grace. For Our Lord says (Matt. 19:17): ”If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments”; from which it would seem that to enter into everlasting life rests with man's will. But what rests with our will, we can do of ourselves. Hence it seems that man can merit everlasting life of himself.
Obj. 2: Further, eternal life is the wage of reward bestowed by G.o.d on men, according to Matt. 5:12: ”Your reward is very great in heaven.” But wage or reward is meted by G.o.d to everyone according to his works, according to Ps. 61:12: ”Thou wilt render to every man according to his works.” Hence, since man is master of his works, it seems that it is within his power to reach everlasting life.
Obj. 3: Further, everlasting life is the last end of human life. Now every natural thing by its natural endowments can attain its end.
Much more, therefore, may man attain to life everlasting by his natural endowments, without grace.
_On the contrary,_ The Apostle says (Rom. 6:23): ”The grace of G.o.d is life everlasting.” And as a gloss says, this is said ”that we may understand that G.o.d, of His own mercy, leads us to everlasting life.”
_I answer that,_ Acts conducing to an end must be proportioned to the end. But no act exceeds the proportion of its active principle; and hence we see in natural things, that nothing can by its operation bring about an effect which exceeds its active force, but only such as is proportionate to its power. Now everlasting life is an end exceeding the proportion of human nature, as is clear from what we have said above (Q. 5, A. 5). Hence man, by his natural endowments, cannot produce meritorious works proportionate to everlasting life; and for this a higher force is needed, viz. the force of grace. And thus without grace man cannot merit everlasting life; yet he can perform works conducing to a good which is natural to man, as ”to toil in the fields, to drink, to eat, or to have friends,” and the like, as Augustine says in his third Reply to the Pelagians [*Hypognosticon iii, among the spurious works of St. Augustine].
Reply Obj. 1: Man, by his will, does works meritorious of everlasting life; but as Augustine says, in the same book, for this it is necessary that the will of man should be prepared with grace by G.o.d.
Reply Obj. 2: As the gloss upon Rom. 6:23, ”The grace of G.o.d is life everlasting,” says, ”It is certain that everlasting life is meted to good works; but the works to which it is meted, belong to G.o.d's grace.” And it has been said (A. 4), that to fulfil the commandments of the Law, in their due way, whereby their fulfilment may be meritorious, requires grace.
Reply Obj. 3: This objection has to do with the natural end of man.
Now human nature, since it is n.o.bler, can be raised by the help of grace to a higher end, which lower natures can nowise reach; even as a man who can recover his health by the help of medicines is better disposed to health than one who can nowise recover it, as the Philosopher observes (De Coelo ii, 12).
________________________
SIXTH ARTICLE [I, Q. 109, Art. 6]
Whether a Man, by Himself and Without the External Aid of Grace, Can Prepare Himself for Grace?
Objection 1: It would seem that man, by himself and without the external help of grace, can prepare himself for grace. For nothing impossible is laid upon man, as stated above (A. 4, ad 1). But it is written (Zech. 1:3): ”Turn ye to Me ... and I will turn to you.”
Now to prepare for grace is nothing more than to turn to G.o.d.
Therefore it seems that man of himself, and without the external help of grace, can prepare himself for grace.
Obj. 2: Further, man prepares himself for grace by doing what is in him to do, since if man does what is in him to do, G.o.d will not deny him grace, for it is written (Matt. 7:11) that G.o.d gives His good Spirit ”to them that ask Him.” But what is in our power is in us to do. Therefore it seems to be in our power to prepare ourselves for grace.
Obj. 3: Further, if a man needs grace in order to prepare for grace, with equal reason will he need grace to prepare himself for the first grace; and thus to infinity, which is impossible. Hence it seems that we must not go beyond what was said first, viz. that man, of himself and without grace, can prepare himself for grace.
Obj. 4: Further, it is written (Prov. 16:1) that ”it is the part of man to prepare the soul.” Now an action is said to be part of a man, when he can do it by himself. Hence it seems that man by himself can prepare himself for grace.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (John 6:44): ”No man can come to Me except the Father, Who hath sent Me, draw him.” But if man could prepare himself, he would not need to be drawn by another. Hence man cannot prepare himself without the help of grace.
_I answer that,_ The preparation of the human will for good is twofold: the first, whereby it is prepared to operate rightly and to enjoy G.o.d; and this preparation of the will cannot take place without the habitual gift of grace, which is the principle of meritorious works, as stated above (A. 5). There is a second way in which the human will may be taken to be prepared for the gift of habitual grace itself. Now in order that man prepare himself to receive this gift, it is not necessary to presuppose any further habitual gift in the soul, otherwise we should go on to infinity. But we must presuppose a gratuitous gift of G.o.d, Who moves the soul inwardly or inspires the good wish. For in these two ways do we need the Divine a.s.sistance, as stated above (AA. 2, 3). Now that we need the help of G.o.d to move us, is manifest. For since every agent acts for an end, every cause must direct is effect to its end, and hence since the order of ends is according to the order of agents or movers, man must be directed to the last end by the motion of the first mover, and to the proximate end by the motion of any of the subordinate movers; as the spirit of the soldier is bent towards seeking the victory by the motion of the leader of the army--and towards following the standard of a regiment by the motion of the standard-bearer. And thus since G.o.d is the First Mover, simply, it is by His motion that everything seeks to be likened to G.o.d in its own way. Hence Dionysius says (Div. Nom. iv) that ”G.o.d turns all to Himself.” But He directs righteous men to Himself as to a special end, which they seek, and to which they wish to cling, according to Ps. 72:28, ”it is good for Me to adhere to my G.o.d.” And that they are ”turned” to G.o.d can only spring from G.o.d's having ”turned” them. Now to prepare oneself for grace is, as it were, to be turned to G.o.d; just as, whoever has his eyes turned away from the light of the sun, prepares himself to receive the sun's light, by turning his eyes towards the sun. Hence it is clear that man cannot prepare himself to receive the light of grace except by the gratuitous help of G.o.d moving him inwardly.
Reply Obj. 1: Man's turning to G.o.d is by free-will; and thus man is bidden to turn himself to G.o.d. But free-will can only be turned to G.o.d, when G.o.d turns it, according to Jer. 31:18: ”Convert me and I shall be converted, for Thou art the Lord, my G.o.d”; and Lam. 5:21: ”Convert us, O Lord, to Thee, and we shall be converted.”
Reply Obj. 2: Man can do nothing unless moved by G.o.d, according to John 15:5: ”Without Me, you can do nothing.” Hence when a man is said to do what is in him to do, this is said to be in his power according as he is moved by G.o.d.
Reply Obj. 3: This objection regards habitual grace, for which some preparation is required, since every form requires a disposition in that which is to be its subject. But in order that man should be moved by G.o.d, no further motion is presupposed since G.o.d is the First Mover. Hence we need not go to infinity.
Reply Obj. 4: It is the part of man to prepare his soul, since he does this by his free-will. And yet he does not do this without the help of G.o.d moving him, and drawing him to Himself, as was said above.
________________________
SEVENTH ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 109, Art. 7]
<script>