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Objection 1: It would seem that God should not be praised with the
lips. The Philosopher says (Ethic. 1,12): "The best of men
ere accorded not praise, but something greater." But God transcends
the very best of all things. Therefore God ought to be given, not
praise, but something greater than praise: wherefore He is said
(Ecclus. 43:33) to be "above all praise."
Objection 2: Further, divine praise is part of divine worship, for
it is an act of religion. Now God is worshiped with the mind rather
than with the lips: wherefore our Lord quoted against certain ones the
words of Is. 29:13, "This people . . . honors Me with
their lips, but their heart is far from Me." Therefore the praise
of God lies in the heart rather than on the lips.
Objection 3: Further, men are praised with the lips that they may
be encouraged to do better: since just as being praised makes the
wicked proud, so does it incite the good to better things. Wherefore
it is written (Prov. 27:21): "As silver is tried in the
fining-pot . . . so a man is tried by the mouth of him that
praiseth." But God is not incited to better things by man's words,
both because He is unchangeable, and because He is supremely good,
and it is not possible for Him to grow better. Therefore God should
not be praised with the lips.
On the contrary, It is written (Ps. 62:6): "My mouth shall
praise Thee with joyful lips."
I answer that, We use words, in speaking to God, for one reason,
and in speaking to man, for another reason. For when speaking to man
we use words in order to tell him our thoughts which are unknown to
him. Wherefore we praise a man with our lips, in order that he or
others may learn that we have a good opinion of him: so that in
consequence we may incite him to yet better things; and that we may
induce others, who hear him praised, to think well of him, to
reverence him, and to imitate him. On the other hand we employ
words, in speaking to God, not indeed to make known our thoughts to
Him Who is the searcher of hearts, but that we may bring ourselves
and our hearers to reverence Him.
Consequently we need to praise God with our lips, not indeed for His
sake, but for our own sake; since by praising Him our devotion is
aroused towards Him, according to Ps. 49:23: "The sacrifice
of praise shall glorify Me, and there is the way by which I will show
him the salvation of God." And forasmuch as man, by praising God,
ascends in his affections to God, by so much is he withdrawn from
things opposed to God, according to Is. 48:9, "For My praise
I will bridle thee lest thou shouldst perish." The praise of the
lips is also profitable to others by inciting their affections towards
God, wherefore it is written (Ps. 33:2): "His praise shall
always be in my mouth," and farther on: "Let the meek hear and
rejoice. O magnify the Lord with me."
Reply to Objection 1: We may speak of God in two ways. First,
with regard to His essence; and thus, since He is incomprehensible
and ineffable, He is above all praise. In this respect we owe Him
reverence and the honor of latria; wherefore Ps. 64:2 is rendered
by Jerome in his Psalter: "Praise to Thee is speechless, O
God," as regards the first, and as to the second, "A vow shall be
paid to Thee." Secondly, we may speak of God as to His effects
which are ordained for our good. In this respect we owe Him praise;
wherefore it is written (Is. 63:7): "I will remember the
tender mercies of the Lord, the praise of the Lord for all the things
that the Lord hath bestowed upon us." Again, Dionysius says
(Div. Nom. 1): "Thou wilt find that all the sacred hymns,"
i.e. divine praises "of the sacred writers, are directed
respectively to the Blessed Processions of the Thearchy," i.e. of
the Godhead, "showing forth and praising the names of God."
Reply to Objection 2: It profits one nothing to praise with the
lips if one praise not with the heart. For the heart speaks God's
praises when it fervently recalls "the glorious things of His works"
[Ecclus. 17:7,8]. Yet the outward praise of the lips avails
to arouse the inward fervor of those who praise, and to incite others
to praise God, as stated above.
Reply to Objection 3: We praise God, not for His benefit, but
for ours as stated.
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