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033 - Question 114 - OF MERIT In Ten Articles part 2 · Summa Theologica - Treatise on Law and Grace

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Speaker 1: Question one hundred and fourteen, Part two of Summa Theologica
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Speaker 1: Prima Secunde Treates on Grace. This is the LibriVox recording.
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Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Summa
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Speaker 1: Theologica Prima Secunde Treates on Grace by Saint Thomas aquinas
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Speaker 1: translated by the Fathers of the English Dominican Province. Question
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Speaker 1: one hundred and fourteen of Merit in ten articles, Part two,
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Speaker 1: Articles six through ten. Sixth article, whether a man can
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Speaker 1: merit the first grace for another? Objection? One You would
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Speaker 1: seem a man can merit the first grace for another
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Speaker 1: because on Matthew nine two, Jesus, seeing their faith, et cetera,
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Speaker 1: a glass says, how much is our personal faith worth
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Speaker 1: with God who set such a price on another's faith
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Speaker 1: as to heal the man both inwardly and outwardly. Now
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Speaker 1: inward healing is brought about by grace. Hence a man
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Speaker 1: can merit the first grace for another objection. To further,
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Speaker 1: the prayers of the just are not void but efficacious.
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Speaker 1: According to James five sixteen, the continued prayer of a
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Speaker 1: just man. Availeth much. Now he had previously said, pray
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Speaker 1: one for another, that you may be saved. Hence, since
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Speaker 1: man's salvation can only be brought about by grace, it
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Speaker 1: seems that one man may merit for another his first
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Speaker 1: grace Objection three. Further, it is written in Luke sixteen nine,
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Speaker 1: make unto you, friends of the mammon of iniquity, that
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Speaker 1: when you shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings.
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Speaker 1: Now it is through grace alone that any one is
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Speaker 1: received into everlasting dwellings. For by it alone does any
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Speaker 1: one merit everlasting life, as stated above in article two,
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Speaker 1: as well as question one hundred nine Article five. Hence,
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Speaker 1: one man may by merit obtain for another his first grace.
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Speaker 1: On the contrary, it is written in Jeremiah fifteen one,
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Speaker 1: if Moses and Samuel shall stand before me, my soul
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Speaker 1: is not towards this people. Yet they had great merit
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Speaker 1: with God. Hence it seems that no one can merit
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Speaker 1: the first grace for another. I answer that, as shown
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Speaker 1: above in articles one, three and four, our works are
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Speaker 1: meritorious from two causes. First, by virtue of the divine motion,
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Speaker 1: and thus we merit condignly. Secondly, according as they proceed
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Speaker 1: from free will, in so far as we do them willingly,
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Speaker 1: and thus they have congruous merit. Since it is congruous
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Speaker 1: that when a man makes good use of his power,
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Speaker 1: God should, by his super excellent power work still higher things.
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Speaker 1: And therefore it is clear that no one can merit
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Speaker 1: condinnely for another his first grace, save Christ alone. Since
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Speaker 1: each one of us is moved by God to reach
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Speaker 1: life everlasting through the gift of grace, hence can dine
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Speaker 1: merit does not reach beyond this motion. But Christ's soul
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Speaker 1: is moved by God through grace, not only so as
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Speaker 1: to reach the glory of life everlasting, but so as
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Speaker 1: to lead others to it, inasmuch as He is the
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Speaker 1: head of the Church and the author of human salvation
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Speaker 1: according to Hebrews two ten, who hath brought many children
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Speaker 1: into glory to perfect the author of their salvation. But
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Speaker 1: one may merit the first grace for another congruously, because
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Speaker 1: a man in grace fulfills God's will, and it is
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Speaker 1: congruous and in harmony with friendship, that God should fulfill
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Speaker 1: man's desire for the salvation of another, although sometimes there
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Speaker 1: may be an impediment on the part of him whose
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Speaker 1: salvation the just man desires. And it is in this
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Speaker 1: sense that the passage from Jeri Maya speaks. Reply to
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Speaker 1: Objection one. A man's faith avails for another salvation by
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Speaker 1: congruous and not by condign merit. Reply to Objection two.
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Speaker 1: The impetration of prayer rests on mercy, whereas condign merit
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Speaker 1: rests on justice. Hence, a man may impetrate many things
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Speaker 1: from the divine mercy in prayer which he does not
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Speaker 1: merit in justice. According to Daniel nine eighteen, for it
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Speaker 1: is not for our justifications that we present our prayers
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Speaker 1: before Thy face, but for the multitude of thy tender mercies.
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Speaker 1: Reply to Objection three. The poor who receive alms are
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Speaker 1: said to receive others into everless dwellings, either by impetrating
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Speaker 1: their forgiveness in prayer, or by meriting congruously by other works,
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Speaker 1: or materially speaking. Inasmuch by these good works of mercy
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Speaker 1: exercise towards the poor, we merit to be received into
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Speaker 1: everlasting dwellings. Seventh article, Whether a man may merit restoration
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Speaker 1: after a fall. Objection One, he would seem that any
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Speaker 1: one may merit for himself restoration after a fall. For
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Speaker 1: what a man may justly ask of God, he may
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Speaker 1: justly merit. Now nothing may more justly be besought of
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Speaker 1: God than to be restored after a fall, as Augustine
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Speaker 1: says in his commentary on Psalm seventy, verse nine, when
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Speaker 1: my strength shall fail, do not thou forsake me. Hence
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Speaker 1: a man may merit to be restored after a fall.
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Speaker 1: Objection two. Further, a man's works benefit himself more than another.
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Speaker 1: Now a man may, to some extent merit for another
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Speaker 1: his restoration after a fall, even as his first grace.
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Speaker 1: Much more. Therefore, may he merit for himself restoration after
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Speaker 1: a fall. Objection three. Further, when a man is once
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Speaker 1: in grace, he merits life everlasting by the good works
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Speaker 1: he does, as was shown above in article two, as
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Speaker 1: well as in question one hundred nine Article five. Now,
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Speaker 1: no one can attain life everlasting unless he is restored
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Speaker 1: by grace. Hence, he would seem that he merits for
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Speaker 1: himself restoration. On the contrary, it is written in Ezekiel eighteen,
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Speaker 1: verse twenty four. If the just man turn himself away
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Speaker 1: from his justice and do iniquity. All his justices which
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Speaker 1: he hath done shall not be remembered. Therefore, his previous
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Speaker 1: merits will no eyes help him to rise again. Hence
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Speaker 1: no one can merit for himself restoration after a fall.
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Speaker 1: I answer that no one can merit for himself restoration
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Speaker 1: after a future fall, either condignly or congruously. He cannot
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Speaker 1: merit for himself condignly, since the reason of this merit
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Speaker 1: depends on the motion of divine grace, and this motion
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Speaker 1: is interrupted by the subsequent sin. Hence, all benefits which he,
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Speaker 1: after wid words, obtains from God, whereby he is restored,
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Speaker 1: do not fall under merit, the motion of the preceding
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Speaker 1: grace not extending to them again. Congruous merit, whereby one
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Speaker 1: merits the first grace for another, is prevented from having
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Speaker 1: its effect on account of the impediment of sin in
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Speaker 1: the one for whom it is merited. Much more, therefore
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Speaker 1: is the efficacy of such merit impeded by the obstacle
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Speaker 1: which is in him who merits and in him for
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Speaker 1: whom it is merited. For both these are in the
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Speaker 1: same person. And therefore a man can no wise merit
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Speaker 1: for himself restoration after a fall. Reply to Objection one.
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Speaker 1: The desire whereby we seek for restoration after a fall
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Speaker 1: is called just, and likewise the prayer whereby this restoration
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Speaker 1: is besought is called just because it tends to justice,
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Speaker 1: and not that it depends on justice by way of merit,
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Speaker 1: but only on mercy. Reply to Objection two. Any One
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Speaker 1: may congruously merit for another his first grace, because there
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Speaker 1: is no impediment at least on the part of him
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Speaker 1: who merits, such as is found when any one recedes
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Speaker 1: from justice after the merit of grace. Reply to Objection three.
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Speaker 1: Some have said that no one absolutely merits life everlasting,
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Speaker 1: except by the act of final grace, but only conditionally,
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Speaker 1: that is, if he perseveres. But it is unreasonable to
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Speaker 1: say this, for sometimes the act of the last grace
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Speaker 1: is not more but less meritorious than preceding acts on
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Speaker 1: account of the prostration of illness. Hence, it must be
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Speaker 1: said that every act of charity merits eternal life absolutely,
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Speaker 1: but by subsequent sin there arises an impediment to the
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Speaker 1: preceding merit, so that it does not obtain its effect.
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Speaker 1: Just as natural causes fail of their effects on account
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Speaker 1: of a supervening impediment. Eighth Article, Whether a man may
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Speaker 1: merit the increase of grace or charity? Objection One, It
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Speaker 1: would seem that a man cannot merit an increase of
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Speaker 1: grace or charity, for when any one receives the reward
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Speaker 1: he merited, no other reward is due to him. Thus
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Speaker 1: it was said of some in Matthew six two, they
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Speaker 1: have received their reward. Hence, if any one were to
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Speaker 1: merit the increase of charity or grace, he would follow that,
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Speaker 1: when his grace has been increased, he could not expect
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Speaker 1: any further reward, which is unfitting. Objection two. Further, nothing
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Speaker 1: acts beyond its species. But the principle of merit is
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Speaker 1: grace or charity, as was shown above in articles two
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Speaker 1: and four. Therefore, no one can merit greater grace or
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Speaker 1: charity than he has. Objection three. Further, what falls under merit?
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Speaker 1: A man merits by every act flowing from grace or charity,
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Speaker 1: as by every such act a man merits life everlasting.
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Speaker 1: If therefore, the increase of grace or charity falls under merit,
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Speaker 1: he would seem that by every act quickened by charity
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Speaker 1: a man would merit an increase of charity. But what
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Speaker 1: a man merits he infallibly receives from God, unless hindered
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Speaker 1: by subsequent sin. For it is written in Tewod Timothy
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Speaker 1: one twelve. I know whom I have believed, and I
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Speaker 1: am certain that he is able to keep that which
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Speaker 1: I have committed unto him. Hence, it would follow that
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Speaker 1: grace or charity is increased by every meritorious act. And
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Speaker 1: this would seem impossible, since at times meritorious acts are
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Speaker 1: not very fervent and would not suffice for the increase
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Speaker 1: of charity. Therefore, the increase of charity does not come
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Speaker 1: under merit. On the contrary, Augustine says in his letter
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Speaker 1: one hundred and eighty six that charity merits increase, and
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Speaker 1: being increased merits to be perfected. Hence the increase of
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Speaker 1: grace or charity falls under merit. I answer that, as
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Speaker 1: stated above in Article six and seven, whatever the motion
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Speaker 1: of grace reaches to falls under condigne merit. Now, the
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Speaker 1: motion of a mover extends not merely to the last
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Speaker 1: term of the movement, but to the whole progress of
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Speaker 1: the movement. But the term of movement of grace is
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Speaker 1: eternal life, and progress in this movement is by the
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Speaker 1: increase of charity or grace, according to Proverbs for eighteen.
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Speaker 1: But the path of the just, as a shining light
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Speaker 1: goeth forward and increaseth even to perfect day, which is
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Speaker 1: the day of glory. And thus the increase of grace
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Speaker 1: falls under condign merit. Reply to objection one. Reward is
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Speaker 1: the term of merit. But there is a double term
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Speaker 1: of movement, notably the last and the intermediate, which is
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Speaker 1: both beginning and term, And this term is the reward
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Speaker 1: of increase. Now, the reward of human favor is at
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Speaker 1: the last end to those who place their end in it. Hence,
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Speaker 1: such as these receive no other reward. Reply to objection two.
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Speaker 1: The increase of grace is not above the virtuality of
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Speaker 1: the pre existing grace, although it is above its quantity,
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Speaker 1: even as a tree is not above the virtuality of
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Speaker 1: the seed, although above its quantity. Reply to Objection three.
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Speaker 1: By every meritorious act on man merits the increase of
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Speaker 1: grace equally with the consummation of grace, which is eternal life.
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Speaker 1: But just as eternal life is not given at once,
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Speaker 1: but in its own time. So neither is grace increased
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Speaker 1: at once, but in its own time, notably when a
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Speaker 1: man is sufficiently disposed for the increase of grace. Ninth Article,
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Speaker 1: Whether a man may merit perseverance Objection One, You would
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Speaker 1: seem that any one may merit perseverance, for what a
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Speaker 1: man obtains by asking can come under the merit of
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Speaker 1: any one that is in grace. Now men obtain perseverance
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Speaker 1: by asking it of God. Otherwise it would be useless
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Speaker 1: to ask of it of God in the petitions of
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Speaker 1: the Lord's Prayer, as Augustine says in on the Gift
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Speaker 1: of Perseverance. Two. Therefore, perseverance may come under the merit
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Speaker 1: of whoever has grace. Objection two. Further, it is more
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Speaker 1: not to be able to sin than not to sin,
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Speaker 1: But not to be able to sin comes under merit,
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Speaker 1: for we merit eternal life, of which impeccability is an
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Speaker 1: essential part. Much more therefore may we merit not to sin,
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Speaker 1: that is, to persevere. Objection three. Further, increase of grace
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Speaker 1: is greater than perseverance in the grace we already possess.
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Speaker 1: But a man may merit an increase of grace, as
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Speaker 1: was stated above in article eight. Much more. Therefore, may
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Speaker 1: he merit perseverance in the grace he has received. On
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Speaker 1: the contrary, what we merit we obtain from God unless
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Speaker 1: it is hindered by sin. Now, many have meritorious works
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Speaker 1: who do not obtain perseverance. Nor can it be urged
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Speaker 1: that this takes place because of the impediment of sin,
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Speaker 1: Since sin itself is opposed to perseverance, and thus if
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Speaker 1: anyone were to merit perseverance, God would not permit him
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Speaker 1: to fall into sin. Hence perseverance does not come under merit.
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Speaker 1: I answer that, since man's free will is naturally flexible
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Speaker 1: towards good and evil, there are two ways of obtaining
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Speaker 1: from God perseverance in good, first, inasmuch as free will
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Speaker 1: is determined to good by consummate grace, which will be
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Speaker 1: in glory. Secondly, on the part of the divine motion
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Speaker 1: which inclines man to good unto the end. Now, as
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Speaker 1: explained above in articles six, seven, and eight, that which
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Speaker 1: is related as a term to the free will's movement
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Speaker 1: directed to God the mover falls under human merit, and
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Speaker 1: not what is related to the aforesaid movement. As principle. Hence,
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Speaker 1: it is clear that the perseverance of glory, which is
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Speaker 1: the term of the aforesaid movement, falls under merit. But
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Speaker 1: perseverance of the wayfarer does not fall under merit, since
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Speaker 1: it depends solely on the divine motion, which is the
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Speaker 1: principle of all merit. Now God freely bestows the good
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Speaker 1: of perseverance on whomsoever he bestows it. Reply to objection one,
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Speaker 1: we impetrate in prayer things that we do not merit,
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Speaker 1: since God hears sinners who beseech the pardon of their sins,
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Speaker 1: which they do not merit, as appears from Augustine in
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Speaker 1: his tract forty four on a Gospel of John, commenting
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Speaker 1: John eleven thirty one, Now we know that God doth
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Speaker 1: not hear sinners, Otherwise it would have been useless for
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Speaker 1: the publican to say, Oh, God, be merciful to me
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Speaker 1: a sinner in Luke eighteen thirteen. So two, may we
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Speaker 1: impetrate of God in prayer the grace of perseverance, either
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Speaker 1: for ourselves or for others, although it does not fall
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Speaker 1: under merit. Reply to objection two. The perseverance which is
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Speaker 1: in heaven is compared as term to the free will's movement,
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Speaker 1: not so the perseverance of the wayfarer, for the reason
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Speaker 1: given in the body of the article. In the same
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Speaker 1: way we may answer the third objection, which concerns the
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Speaker 1: increase of grace, as was explained above tenth article, whether
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Speaker 1: temporal goods fall under merit Objection one, It would seem
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Speaker 1: that temporal goods fall under merit, for what is promised
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Speaker 1: to some as a reward of justice falls under merit.
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Speaker 1: Now temporal goods were promised in the old law as
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Speaker 1: the reward of justice, as appears from Deuteronomy twenty eight.
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Speaker 1: Hence it seems that temporal goods fall under merit Objection two. Further,
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Speaker 1: that would seem to fall under merit, which God bestows
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Speaker 1: on any one for a service done. But God sometimes
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Speaker 1: bestows temporal goods on men for services done for him,
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Speaker 1: for it is written in Exodus one twenty one. And
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Speaker 1: because the midwives feared God, he built them houses, on
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Speaker 1: which a gloss of Gregory in his Morals eighteen four
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Speaker 1: says that life everlasting might have been awarded them as
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Speaker 1: the fruit of their good will, but on account of
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Speaker 1: their sin of falsehood, they received an earthly reward, and
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Speaker 1: it is written in Ezekiel twenty nine eighteen. The king
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Speaker 1: of Babylon hath made his army to Undergod hard service
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Speaker 1: against tire, and there hath been no reward given him.
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Speaker 1: And further on, and it shall be wages for his army.
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Speaker 1: I have given him the land of Egypt, because he
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Speaker 1: hath labored for me. Therefore, temporal goods fall under merit
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Speaker 1: Objection three. Further, as good is to merit, so is
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Speaker 1: evil to demerit. But on account of the da man
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Speaker 1: merit of sin, some are punished by God with temporal punishments,
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Speaker 1: as appears from the Sodomites in Genesis nineteen. Hence, temporal
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Speaker 1: goods fall under merit. On the contrary, what falls under
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Speaker 1: merit does not come upon all alike. But temporal goods
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Speaker 1: regard the good and the wicked alike. According to Ecclesiastes
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Speaker 1: nine two, all things equally happen to the just and
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Speaker 1: the wicked, to the good and to the evil, to
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Speaker 1: the clean and to the unclean, to him that offereth victims,
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Speaker 1: and to him that despiseth sacrifices. Therefore, temporal goods do
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Speaker 1: not fall under merit. I answer that what falls under
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Speaker 1: merit is the reward or wage, which is a kind
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Speaker 1: of good. Now man's good is twofold, the first simply,
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Speaker 1: the second relatively. Now man's good simply is his last end,
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Speaker 1: according to Psalm seventy two, verse twenty seven. But it
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Speaker 1: is good for men to adhere to My God. And
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Speaker 1: consequently what is ordained and leads to this end, and
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Speaker 1: these fall simply under merit. But the relative, not the simple,
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Speaker 1: good of man, is what is good to him now,
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Speaker 1: or what is good to him relatively, And this does
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Speaker 1: not fall under merit simply, but relatively. Hence we must
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Speaker 1: say that if temporal goods are considered as they are
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Speaker 1: useful for virtuous works, whereby we are led to heaven,
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Speaker 1: they fall directly and simply under merit, even as increase
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Speaker 1: of grace and everything whereby a man is helped to
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Speaker 1: attain beatitude after the first grace, For God gives men
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Speaker 1: both just and wicked enough temporal goods to enable them
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Speaker 1: to attain to everlasting life. And thus these temporal goods
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Speaker 1: are simply good. Hence it is written in Psalm thirty three,
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Speaker 1: verse ten, for there is no want to them that
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Speaker 1: fear him. And again in Psalm thirty six, Verse twenty five.
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Speaker 1: I have not seen the just forsaken, et cetera. But
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Speaker 1: if these temporal goods are considered in themselves, they are
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Speaker 1: not man's good simply but relatively, and thus they do
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Speaker 1: not fall under merit simply but relatively, inasmuch as men
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Speaker 1: are moved by God to do temporal works in which,
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Speaker 1: with God's help they reach their purpose. And thus, as
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Speaker 1: life everlasting is simply the rob ward of the works
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Speaker 1: of justice in relation to the divine motion, as stated
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Speaker 1: above in articles three and six, so have temporal goods
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Speaker 1: considered in themselves the nature of reward with respect to
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Speaker 1: the divine motion, whereby men's wills are moved to undertake
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Speaker 1: these works, even though sometimes men have not a right
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Speaker 1: intention in them. Reply to Objection one. As Augustine says
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Speaker 1: in against Faustus four two, in these temporal promises were
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Speaker 1: figures of spiritual things to come, for the carnal people
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Speaker 1: were adhering to the promises of the present life, and
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Speaker 1: not merely their speech, but even their life was prophetic
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Speaker 1: Reply to Objection two. These rewards are said to have
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Speaker 1: been divinely brought about in relation to the divine motion,
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Speaker 1: not in relation to the malice of their wills, especially
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Speaker 1: as regards the King of Babylon, since he did not
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Speaker 1: besiege Tire as if wishing to serve God, but rather
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Speaker 1: in order to usurp dominion. So two, although the midwives
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Speaker 1: had a good will with regard to saving the children,
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Speaker 1: yet their will was not right inasmuch as they framed falsehoods.
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Speaker 1: Reply to objection three. Temporal evils are imposed as a
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Speaker 1: punishment on the wicked inasmuch as they are not thereby
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Speaker 1: helped to reach life everlasting. But to the just, who
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Speaker 1: are aided by these evils, they are not punishments but medicines,
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Speaker 1: as stated above in Question eighty seven, Article eight. Reply
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Speaker 1: to objection four. All things happen equally to the good
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Speaker 1: and the wicked as regards the substance of temporal good
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Speaker 1: or evil, but not as regards the end, since the
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Speaker 1: good and not the wicked, are led to be attitude
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Speaker 1: by them. And now enough has been said regarding morals
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Speaker 1: in general. End of Question one hundred and fourteen read
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Speaker 1: by Michael Shancraig Lambert l. C. End of Summa Theologica
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Speaker 1: pars Prima Secunde Treaties on Law and Grace