Latest / Summa Theologica - Treatise on Law and Grace / 029 - Question 112 - OF THE CAUSE OF GRACE In Five Articles
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- 0:00Speaker 1: Question one hundred and twelve of Sumathiologica Prima Secunde Treatise
- 0:05Speaker 1: on Grace. This is the LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
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- 0:16Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. Summa Theologica Prima Secunde Treates
- 0:24Speaker 1: on Grace by Saint Thomas aquinas translated by the Fathers
- 0:29Speaker 1: of the English Dominican Province. Question one hundred and twelve
- 0:35Speaker 1: of the Cause of Grace in five articles. We must
- 0:40Speaker 1: now consider the cause of grace, And under this head
- 0:44Speaker 1: there are five points of inquiry. First, whether God alone
- 0:50Speaker 1: is the efficient cause of grace. Second, whether any disposition
- 0:56Speaker 1: towards grace is needed on the part of the recipient
- 0:59Speaker 1: by an act act of free will. Third, whether such
- 1:04Speaker 1: a disposition can make grace follow of necessity. Fourth, whether
- 1:10Speaker 1: grace is equal in all. Fifth, whether any one may
- 1:15Speaker 1: know that he has grace.
- 1:20Speaker 2: First article, whether God alone is the cause of grace.
- 1:26Speaker 2: Objection one. It would seem that God alone is not
- 1:30Speaker 2: the cause of grace, for it is written in John
- 1:34Speaker 2: one seventeen Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, now
- 1:41Speaker 2: by the name of Jesus Christ is understood not merely
- 1:45Speaker 2: the divine nature assuming, but the created nature assumed. Therefore,
- 1:52Speaker 2: a creature may be the cause of grace. Objection two. Further,
- 2:00Speaker 2: there is this difference between the sacraments of the New
- 2:03Speaker 2: Law and those of the old, that the sacraments of
- 2:06Speaker 2: the New Law cause grace, whereas the sacraments of the
- 2:10Speaker 2: old law merely signify it. Now, the sacraments of the
- 2:15Speaker 2: New Law are certain visible elements. Therefore God is not
- 2:21Speaker 2: the only cause of grace. Objection three. Further, according to
- 2:29Speaker 2: Dionysius in on the Heavenly Hierarchy three, four, seven, and eight,
- 2:35Speaker 2: angels cleanse enlighten, and perfect both lesser angels and men.
- 2:42Speaker 2: Now the rational creature is cleansed, enlightened, and perfected by grace. Therefore,
- 2:49Speaker 2: God is not the only cause of grace. On the contrary,
- 2:57Speaker 2: it is written in Psalm eighty three, verse twelve, the
- 3:01Speaker 2: Lord will give grace and glory. I answer that nothing
- 3:09Speaker 2: can act beyond its species, since the cause must always
- 3:13Speaker 2: be more powerful than its effect. Now, the gift of
- 3:17Speaker 2: grace surpasses every capability of created nature, since it is
- 3:22Speaker 2: nothing short of a partaking of the divine nature, which
- 3:25Speaker 2: exceeds every other nature. And thus it is impossible that
- 3:31Speaker 2: any creature should cause grace. For it is as necessary
- 3:36Speaker 2: that God alone should deify, bestowing a partaking of the
- 3:40Speaker 2: divine nature by a participated likeness, as it is impossible
- 3:45Speaker 2: that anything save fire should Enkindle replied to Objection one,
- 3:54Speaker 2: Christ's humanity is an organ of his Godhead, as Damascene
- 3:59Speaker 2: says in On the True Faith three nineteen. Now, an
- 4:04Speaker 2: instrument does not bring forth the action of the principal
- 4:07Speaker 2: agent by its own power, but in virtue of the
- 4:10Speaker 2: principal agent. Hence, Christ's humanity does not cause grace by
- 4:17Speaker 2: its own power, but by virtue of the divine nature
- 4:20Speaker 2: joined to it, whereby the actions of Christ's humanity are
- 4:25Speaker 2: saving actions. Reply to objection two. As in the person
- 4:32Speaker 2: of Christ, the humanity causes our salvation by grace, the
- 4:38Speaker 2: divine power being the principal agent. So likewise, in the
- 4:42Speaker 2: sacraments of the New Law, which are derived from Christ,
- 4:46Speaker 2: grace is instrumentally caused by the sacraments, and principally by
- 4:51Speaker 2: the power of the Holy Ghost working in the sacraments.
- 4:54Speaker 2: According to John three five, unless a man be born
- 4:58Speaker 2: again of water and the ho ghost, he cannot enter
- 5:02Speaker 2: into the Kingdom of God. Reply to Objection three. Angels cleanse, enlighten,
- 5:11Speaker 2: and perfect angels or men by instruction, and not by
- 5:16Speaker 2: justifying them through grace. Hence Dionysius says in On the
- 5:21Speaker 2: Heavenly Hierarchy seven that this cleansing and enlightenment and perfecting
- 5:27Speaker 2: is nothing else than the assumption of divine knowledge. Second article,
- 5:37Speaker 2: Whether any preparation and disposition for grace is required on
- 5:41Speaker 2: man's part? Objection one. It would seem that no preparation
- 5:47Speaker 2: or disposition for grace is required on man's part, since,
- 5:52Speaker 2: as the apostle says in Romans forfour, to him that
- 5:56Speaker 2: worketh the reward is not reckoned according to grace, but
- 6:00Speaker 2: according to debt. Now a man's preparation by free will
- 6:05Speaker 2: can only be through some operation. Hence it would do
- 6:09Speaker 2: away with the notion of grace. Objection two. Further, whoever
- 6:16Speaker 2: is going on sinning is not preparing himself to have grace,
- 6:22Speaker 2: but some who are going on sinning grace is given,
- 6:26Speaker 2: as is clear in the case of Paul, who received
- 6:28Speaker 2: grace whilst he was breathing out threatenings and slaughter against
- 6:33Speaker 2: the disciples of the Lord, as is stated and Acts
- 6:37Speaker 2: nine to one. Hence no preparation for graces required on
- 6:42Speaker 2: man's part Objection three. Further, an agent of infinite power
- 6:50Speaker 2: needs no disposition in matter, since it does not even
- 6:54Speaker 2: require matter, as appears in creation to which grace is compared,
- 6:59Speaker 2: which is called a new creature according to Galatians six fifteen.
- 7:05Speaker 2: But only God, who has infinite power, causes grace, as
- 7:09Speaker 2: stated above in Article one. Hence no preparation is required
- 7:15Speaker 2: on man's part to obtain grace. On the contrary, it
- 7:22Speaker 2: is written in Amos for twelve be prepared to meet
- 7:28Speaker 2: Thy God, O Israel, and in First Kings seven three
- 7:33Speaker 2: prepare your hearts unto the Lord. I answer that as
- 7:39Speaker 2: stated above in Question one hundred and eleven Article two.
- 7:44Speaker 2: Grace is taken in two ways, first as a habitual
- 7:49Speaker 2: gift of God, secondly as a help from God who
- 7:54Speaker 2: moves the soul to good. Now taking grace in the
- 7:59Speaker 2: first sense, a certain preparation of grace is required for it,
- 8:05Speaker 2: since a form can only be in disposed matter. But
- 8:10Speaker 2: if we speak of grace as it signifies the help
- 8:12Speaker 2: from God to move us to good, no preparation is
- 8:17Speaker 2: required on man's part, that, as it were, anticipates the
- 8:21Speaker 2: divine help. But rather every preparation in man must be
- 8:25Speaker 2: by the help of God moving the soul to good.
- 8:30Speaker 2: And thus even the good movement of the free will,
- 8:33Speaker 2: whereby anyone is prepared for receiving the gift of grace,
- 8:38Speaker 2: is an act of the free will moved by God.
- 8:42Speaker 2: And thus man is said to prepare himself. According to
- 8:46Speaker 2: Proverbs sixteen one, it is the part of man to
- 8:50Speaker 2: prepare the soul, yet it is principally from God, who
- 8:55Speaker 2: moves the free will. Hence it is said that man's
- 8:59Speaker 2: will is prepared by God, and that man's steps are
- 9:03Speaker 2: guided by God. Reply to objection one, A certain preparation
- 9:10Speaker 2: of man for grace is simultaneous with the infusion of grace,
- 9:15Speaker 2: and this operation is meritorious, not indeed of grace, which
- 9:19Speaker 2: is already possessed, but of glory, which is not yet possessed.
- 9:25Speaker 2: But there is another, imperfect preparation which sometimes precedes the
- 9:30Speaker 2: gift of sanctifying grace. And yet it is from God's motion,
- 9:35Speaker 2: but it does not suffice for merit, since man is
- 9:39Speaker 2: not yet justified by grace. And merit can only arise
- 9:43Speaker 2: from grace, as will be seen further on in Question
- 9:46Speaker 2: one hundred and fourteen, Article two. Reply to objection two.
- 9:54Speaker 2: Since a man cannot prepare himself for grace unless God
- 9:58Speaker 2: prevent and move him to good, it is of no
- 10:02Speaker 2: account whether anyone arrive at perfect preparation instantaneously or step
- 10:07Speaker 2: by step, For it is written in Ecclesiasticus eleven twenty
- 10:12Speaker 2: three it is easy in the eyes of God on
- 10:16Speaker 2: a sudden to make the poor man rich. Now it
- 10:21Speaker 2: sometimes happens that God moves a man to good, but
- 10:26Speaker 2: not perfect good, and this preparation precedes grace. But He
- 10:31Speaker 2: sometimes moves him suddenly and perfectly to good, and man
- 10:36Speaker 2: receives grace suddenly. According to John six forty five, every
- 10:42Speaker 2: one that hath heard of the Father and hath learned,
- 10:45Speaker 2: cometh to me. Thus it happened to Paul, since suddenly,
- 10:51Speaker 2: when he was in the midst of sin, his heart
- 10:54Speaker 2: was perfectly moved by God to hear, to learn to come,
- 10:59Speaker 2: and he received grace suddenly. Reply to objection three. An
- 11:08Speaker 2: agent of infinite power needs no matter or disposition of
- 11:12Speaker 2: matter brought about by the action of something else, and
- 11:17Speaker 2: yet looking to the condition of the thing caused, it
- 11:20Speaker 2: must cause in the thing caused both the matter and
- 11:25Speaker 2: the due disposition for the form. So likewise, when God
- 11:29Speaker 2: infuses grace into a soul, no preparation is required, which
- 11:34Speaker 2: he himself does not bring about. Third article, whether grace
- 11:44Speaker 2: is necessarily given to whoever prepares himself for it or
- 11:48Speaker 2: to whoever does what he can? Objection one. It would
- 11:54Speaker 2: seem that grace is necessarily given to whoever prepares himself
- 11:59Speaker 2: for grace, or to whoever does what he can, because,
- 12:03Speaker 2: according to Romans five to one, being justified by faith,
- 12:07Speaker 2: let us have peace, et cetera. The class says, God
- 12:12Speaker 2: welcomes whoever flies to him, otherwise there would be injustice
- 12:17Speaker 2: with him. But it is impossible for injustice to be
- 12:22Speaker 2: with God. Therefore it is impossible for God not to
- 12:26Speaker 2: welcome whoever flies to him. Hence he receives grace of
- 12:31Speaker 2: necessity Objection two. Further, Anselm says in On the Fall
- 12:40Speaker 2: of the Devil three that the reason why God does
- 12:43Speaker 2: not bestow grace on the devil is that he did
- 12:47Speaker 2: not wish nor was he prepared to receive it. But
- 12:51Speaker 2: if the cause be removed the effect must needs be removed. Also, therefore,
- 12:58Speaker 2: if anyone is willing to receive grace, it is bestowed
- 13:01Speaker 2: on them of necessity. Objection three. Further, good is diffusive
- 13:09Speaker 2: of itself, as appears from Dionysius in on the Divine Names. Four. Now,
- 13:15Speaker 2: the good of grace is better than the good of nature. Hence,
- 13:21Speaker 2: since natural forms necessarily come to disposed matter, much more
- 13:27Speaker 2: does it seem that grace is necessarily bestowed on whoever
- 13:30Speaker 2: prepares himself for grace. On the contrary, man is compared
- 13:38Speaker 2: to God as clay to the potter, according to Jeremiah
- 13:42Speaker 2: eighteen six, as clay is in the hand of the potter,
- 13:48Speaker 2: so are you in my hand. But however much the
- 13:53Speaker 2: clay is prepared, it does not necessarily receive its shape
- 13:57Speaker 2: from the potter. Hence, however much a man prepares himself,
- 14:03Speaker 2: he does not necessarily receive grace from God. I answer that,
- 14:11Speaker 2: as stated above in Article two, man's preparation for grace
- 14:15Speaker 2: is from God as mover, and from the free will
- 14:19Speaker 2: as moved. Hence, the preparation may be looked at in
- 14:24Speaker 2: two ways. First, as it is from free will, and
- 14:30Speaker 2: thus there is no necessity that it should obtain grace,
- 14:33Speaker 2: since the gift of grace exceeds every preparation of human power.
- 14:39Speaker 2: But it may be considered secondly as it is from
- 14:43Speaker 2: God the Mover, and thus it has a necessity, not
- 14:47Speaker 2: indeed of coercion, but of infallibility as regards what it
- 14:53Speaker 2: is ordained by God, since God's intention cannot fail. According
- 14:58Speaker 2: to the saying of Augustine in his word Book on
- 15:00Speaker 2: the Predestination of the Saints, that by God's good gifts,
- 15:06Speaker 2: whoever is liberated is most certainly liberated. Hence, if God
- 15:13Speaker 2: intends while moving that the one whose heart he moves
- 15:18Speaker 2: should attain to grace, he will infallibly attain to it.
- 15:22Speaker 2: According to John six forty five, every one that hath
- 15:27Speaker 2: heard of the Father and hath learned, cometh to me.
- 15:34Speaker 2: Reply to objection one, this glass is speaking of such
- 15:38Speaker 2: as fly to God by a meritorious act of their
- 15:41Speaker 2: free will, already informed with grace, for if they did
- 15:46Speaker 2: not receive grace, it would be against the justice which
- 15:50Speaker 2: he himself established. Or if it refers to the movement
- 15:55Speaker 2: of free will before grace, it is speaking in the
- 15:58Speaker 2: sense that man's flight to God is by a divine
- 16:01Speaker 2: motion which ought not in justice to fail. Reply to
- 16:08Speaker 2: Objection two. The first cause of the defect of grace
- 16:13Speaker 2: is on our part, but the first cause of the
- 16:16Speaker 2: bestowal of grace is on God's. According to Hoseiah thirteen nine,
- 16:22Speaker 2: destruction is thy own, o Israel, Thy health is only
- 16:27Speaker 2: in me. Reply to Objection three. Even in natural things,
- 16:35Speaker 2: the form does not necessarily ensue the disposition of the matter,
- 16:40Speaker 2: except by the power of the agent that causes the disposition.
- 16:49Speaker 2: Fourth Article. Whether grace is greater in one than in another?
- 16:56Speaker 2: Objection one, it would seem that grace is not great
- 17:00Speaker 2: in one than in another, For grace is caused in
- 17:04Speaker 2: us by the divine love is stated above in Question
- 17:08Speaker 2: one hundred and ten. Article one. Now it is written
- 17:12Speaker 2: in Wisdom six eight. He made the little and the great,
- 17:17Speaker 2: and he hath equally care of all. Therefore all obtain
- 17:23Speaker 2: grace from Him equally. Objection two. Further, whatever is the
- 17:30Speaker 2: greatest possible cannot be more or less. But grace is
- 17:36Speaker 2: the greatest possible, since it joins us with our last end.
- 17:41Speaker 2: Therefore there is no greater or lesser in it. Hence,
- 17:47Speaker 2: it is not greater in one than in another. Objection three. Further,
- 17:54Speaker 2: grace is the soul's life, as stated above in Question
- 17:58Speaker 2: one hundred and ten Article one. Second reply, But there
- 18:02Speaker 2: is no greater or less in life, Hence neither is
- 18:07Speaker 2: there in grace. On the contrary, it is written in
- 18:15Speaker 2: Ephesians four to seven. But to every one of us
- 18:19Speaker 2: is given grace according to the measure of the giving
- 18:22Speaker 2: of Christ. Now, what is given in measure is not
- 18:28Speaker 2: given to all equally, hence all have not an equal grace.
- 18:36Speaker 2: I answer that, as stated above in question fifty two,
- 18:39Speaker 2: articles one and two, as well as in question fifty six,
- 18:43Speaker 2: Articles one and two, habits can have a double magnitude,
- 18:50Speaker 2: one as regards the end or object, as when a
- 18:54Speaker 2: virtue is said to be more noble through being ordained
- 18:57Speaker 2: to a greater good, the other on the part of
- 19:00Speaker 2: the subject, which more or less participates in the habit,
- 19:04Speaker 2: indhering to it. Now, as regards the first magnitude, sanctifying
- 19:11Speaker 2: grace cannot be greater or less, since of its nature
- 19:16Speaker 2: grace joins man to the highest good, which is God.
- 19:21Speaker 2: But as regards the subject, grace can receive more or
- 19:26Speaker 2: less inasmuch as one may be more perfectly enlightened by
- 19:30Speaker 2: grace than another. And a certain reason for this is
- 19:34Speaker 2: on the part of him who prepares himself for grace,
- 19:38Speaker 2: since he who is better prepared for grace receives more grace. Yet,
- 19:43Speaker 2: it is not here that we must seek the first
- 19:46Speaker 2: cause of this diversity, since man prepares himself only inasmuch
- 19:51Speaker 2: as his free will is prepared by God. Hence, the
- 19:56Speaker 2: first cause of this diversity is to be sought on
- 19:59Speaker 2: the part of God, who dispenses his gifts of grace
- 20:02Speaker 2: variously in order that the beauty and perfection of the
- 20:05Speaker 2: Church may result from these various degrees, even as He
- 20:10Speaker 2: instituted the various conditions of things that the universe might
- 20:14Speaker 2: be perfect. Hence, after the Apostle had said in Ephesians
- 20:19Speaker 2: four seven, to every one of us is given grace
- 20:23Speaker 2: according to the measure of the giving of Christ. Having
- 20:26Speaker 2: enumerated the various graces, he adds in Ephesians four twelve
- 20:32Speaker 2: for the perfecting of the saints, for the edifying of
- 20:35Speaker 2: the body of Christ. Reply to objection one, the divine
- 20:44Speaker 2: care may be looked at in two ways. First, as
- 20:48Speaker 2: regards the divine act, which is simple and uniform, and
- 20:53Speaker 2: thus his care looks equally to all, since by one
- 20:57Speaker 2: simple act he administers great things and little. But secondly,
- 21:03Speaker 2: it may be considered in those things which come to
- 21:05Speaker 2: be considered by the divine care. And thus inequality is
- 21:11Speaker 2: found inasmuch as God, by his care provides greater gifts
- 21:15Speaker 2: to some and lesser gifts for others. Reply to Objection two.
- 21:23Speaker 2: This objection is based on the first kind of magnitude
- 21:27Speaker 2: of grace, since grace cannot be greater by ordaining to
- 21:31Speaker 2: a greater good, but inasmuch as it more or less
- 21:35Speaker 2: ordains to a greater or less participation of the same good,
- 21:40Speaker 2: For there may be diversity of intensity and remissness, both
- 21:44Speaker 2: in grace and in final glory, as regards the subjects participation.
- 21:52Speaker 2: Reply to Objection three. Natural life pertains to man's substance,
- 21:58Speaker 2: and hence cannot be more or less. But man partakes
- 22:02Speaker 2: of the life of grace accidentally, and hence man may
- 22:06Speaker 2: possess it more or less. Fifth article, Whether man can
- 22:16Speaker 2: know that he has grace Objection one. You would seem
- 22:21Speaker 2: that man can know that he has grace, for grace
- 22:26Speaker 2: by its physical reality, is in the soul. Now, the
- 22:30Speaker 2: soul has most certain knowledge of those things that are
- 22:33Speaker 2: in it by their physical reality, as appears from Augustine
- 22:37Speaker 2: in on the Literal Interpretation of Genesis twelve thirty one. Hence,
- 22:43Speaker 2: grace may be known most certainly by one who has grace.
- 22:49Speaker 2: Objection two. Further, as knowledge is a gift of God,
- 22:54Speaker 2: so is grace. But whoever receives knowledge from God knows
- 23:00Speaker 2: that he has knowledge. According to Wisdom seven seventeen, the
- 23:05Speaker 2: Lord hath given me the true knowledge of the things
- 23:07Speaker 2: that are. Hence, with equal reason, whoever receives grace from
- 23:13Speaker 2: God knows that he has grace. Objection three Further, light
- 23:21Speaker 2: is more knowable than darkness, since, according to the Apostle
- 23:26Speaker 2: in Ephesians five thirteen, all that is made manifest is light. Now, sin,
- 23:34Speaker 2: which is spiritual darkness, may be known with certainty by
- 23:38Speaker 2: one that is in sin. Much more. Therefore, make grace,
- 23:43Speaker 2: which is spiritual light, be known. Objection four. Further, the
- 23:50Speaker 2: apostle says in First Corinthians two twelve, Now we have
- 23:54Speaker 2: received not the spirit of this world, but the spirit
- 23:59Speaker 2: that is of God, that we may know the things
- 24:02Speaker 2: that are given us from God. Now, grace is God's
- 24:07Speaker 2: first gift. Hence, the man who receives grace by the
- 24:12Speaker 2: Holy Spirit. By the same Holy Spirit knows the grace
- 24:15Speaker 2: given to him Objection five. Further, it was said by
- 24:22Speaker 2: the Lord to Abraham in Genesis twenty to twelve. Now
- 24:27Speaker 2: I know that thou Fearest God, that is I have
- 24:31Speaker 2: made thee know. Now he is speaking there of chaste fear,
- 24:37Speaker 2: which is not apart from grace. Hence a man may
- 24:42Speaker 2: know that he has grace. On the contrary, it is
- 24:49Speaker 2: written in Ecclesiastes nine, one man knoweth not whether he
- 24:55Speaker 2: be worthy of love or hatred. Now sank a deifying
- 25:00Speaker 2: grace maketh a man worthy of God's love. Therefore no
- 25:06Speaker 2: one can know whether he has sanctifying grace. I answer
- 25:12Speaker 2: that there are three ways of knowing a thing. First
- 25:16Speaker 2: by revelation, and thus any one may know that he
- 25:20Speaker 2: has grace. For God by a special privilege, reveals this
- 25:24Speaker 2: at times to some, in order that the joy of
- 25:27Speaker 2: safety may begin in them even in this life, and
- 25:30Speaker 2: that they may carry on toilsome works with greater trust
- 25:34Speaker 2: and greater energy, and may bear the evils of this
- 25:37Speaker 2: present life. As when it was said to Paul in
- 25:40Speaker 2: Second Corinthians twelve nine, My grace is sufficient for thee. Secondly,
- 25:49Speaker 2: a man may of himself know something and with certainty,
- 25:54Speaker 2: and in this way no one can know that he
- 25:56Speaker 2: has grace. For certitude of a thing can only be
- 26:01Speaker 2: had when we may judge of it by its proper principle.
- 26:06Speaker 2: Thus it is by undemonstrable universal principles that certitude is
- 26:11Speaker 2: obtained concerning demonstrative conclusions. Now, no one can know that
- 26:17Speaker 2: he has the knowledge of a conclusion if he does
- 26:20Speaker 2: not know its principle. But the principle of grace and
- 26:24Speaker 2: its object is God, who by reason of his very excellence,
- 26:29Speaker 2: is unknown to us according to Job thirty six twenty six. Behold,
- 26:35Speaker 2: God is great, exceeding our knowledge, and hence his presence
- 26:41Speaker 2: in us, and his absence cannot be known with certainty.
- 26:45Speaker 2: According to Job nine eleven, if he come to me,
- 26:50Speaker 2: I shall not see him. If he depart, I shall
- 26:54Speaker 2: not understand. And hence man cannot judge with so certainty
- 27:00Speaker 2: that he has grace according to First Corinthians four, Verses
- 27:04Speaker 2: three and four. But neither do I judge my own self,
- 27:10Speaker 2: But he that judgeth me is the Lord. Thirdly, things
- 27:17Speaker 2: are known conjecturally by signs, and thus any one may
- 27:22Speaker 2: know he has grace when he is conscious of delighting
- 27:25Speaker 2: in God and of despising worldly things, And inasmuch as
- 27:30Speaker 2: a man is not conscious of any mortal sin. And
- 27:34Speaker 2: thus it is written in Apocalypse two seventeen to him
- 27:39Speaker 2: that overcometh, I will give the hidden manner, which no
- 27:43Speaker 2: man knoweth, but he that receiveth it, because whoever receives
- 27:48Speaker 2: it knows by experiencing a certain sweetness, which he who
- 27:54Speaker 2: does not receive it does not experience. Yet this knowledge
- 27:59Speaker 2: is perfect. Hence the Apostle says in First Corinthians four
- 28:03Speaker 2: to four, I am not conscious to myself of anything.
- 28:08Speaker 2: Yet I am not hereby justified, Since according to Psalm
- 28:13Speaker 2: eighteen thirteen, who can understand sins from my secret ones?
- 28:19Speaker 2: Cleanse me, o, Lord, and from those of others, spare
- 28:22Speaker 2: thy servant. Reply to objection one, Those things which are
- 28:31Speaker 2: in the soul, by their physical reality, are known through
- 28:35Speaker 2: experimental knowledge, in so far as through acts man has
- 28:40Speaker 2: experience of their inward principles. Thus, when we wish, we
- 28:45Speaker 2: perceive that we have a will, and when we exercise
- 28:48Speaker 2: the functions of life, we observe that there is life
- 28:51Speaker 2: in us. Reply to objection two. It is an essential
- 28:59Speaker 2: condition of knowledge that a man should have certitude of
- 29:02Speaker 2: the objects of knowledge. And again it is an essential
- 29:07Speaker 2: condition of faith that a man should be certain of
- 29:10Speaker 2: the things of faith, and this because certitude belongs to
- 29:14Speaker 2: the perfection of the intellect, wherein these gifts exist. Hence,
- 29:20Speaker 2: whoever has knowledge or faith is certain that he has them.
- 29:25Speaker 2: But it is otherwise with grace and charity and such
- 29:28Speaker 2: like which perfect the appetitive faculty. Reply to objection three.
- 29:38Speaker 2: Sin has for its principal object commutable good, which is
- 29:43Speaker 2: known to us, but the object or end of grace
- 29:47Speaker 2: is unknown to us on account of the greatness of
- 29:49Speaker 2: its light. According to First Timothy six sixteen, who inhabiteth
- 29:55Speaker 2: light inaccessible Reply to objection four. The apostle is here
- 30:04Speaker 2: speaking of the gifts of glory which have been given
- 30:07Speaker 2: to us in hope. And these we know most certainly
- 30:11Speaker 2: by faith, although we do not know for certain that
- 30:14Speaker 2: we have grace to enable us to merit them. Or
- 30:19Speaker 2: it may be said that he is speaking of the
- 30:20Speaker 2: privileged knowledge which comes of revelation. Hence he adds in
- 30:26Speaker 2: First Corinthians two ten. But to us God hath revealed
- 30:31Speaker 2: them by his spirit reply to Objection five. What was
- 30:38Speaker 2: said to Abraham may refer to experimental knowledge, which springs
- 30:43Speaker 2: from deeds of which we are cognizant, For in the
- 30:47Speaker 2: deed that Abraham had just wrought, he could know experimentally
- 30:51Speaker 2: that he had the fear of God. Or it may
- 30:55Speaker 2: refer to a revelation.
- 30:59Speaker 1: End of question than one hundred and twelve read by
- 31:02Speaker 1: Michael Shane, Craig Lambert, l C.