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Objection 1: It would seem that blindness and hardness of heart are
always directed to the salvation of those who are blinded and hardened.
For Augustine says (Enchiridion xi) that "as God is supremely
good, He would nowise allow evil to be done, unless He could draw
some good from every evil." Much more, therefore, does He direct
to some good, the evil of which He Himself is the cause. Now God
is the cause of blindness and hardness of heart, as stated above
(Article 3). Therefore they are directed to the salvation of those
who are blinded and hardened.
Objection 2: Further, it is written (Wis. 1:13) that "God
hath no pleasure in the destruction of the ungodly." Now He would
seem to take pleasure in their destruction, if He did not turn their
blindness to their profit: just as a physician would seem to take
pleasure in torturing the invalid, if he did not intend to heal the
invalid when he prescribes a bitter medicine for him. Therefore God
turns blindness to the profit of those who are blinded.
Objection 3: Further, "God is not a respecter of persons"
(Acts 10:34). Now He directs the blinding of some, to their
salvation, as in the case of some of the Jews, who were blinded so as
not to believe in Christ, and, through not believing, to slay Him,
and afterwards were seized with compunction, and converted, as related
by Augustine (De Quaest. Evang. iii). Therefore God turns all
blindness to the spiritual welfare of those who are blinded.
Objection 4: On the other hand, according to Rm. 3:8, evil
should not be done, that good may ensue. Now blindness is an evil.
Therefore God does not blind some for the sake of their welfare.
I answer that, Blindness is a kind of preamble to sin. Now sin has
a twofold relation---to one thing directly, viz. to the sinner's
damnation---to another, by reason of God's mercy or providence,
viz. that the sinner may be healed, in so far as God permits some to
fall into sin, that by acknowledging their sin, they may be humbled
and converted, as Augustine states (De Nat. et Grat. xxii).
Therefore blindness, of its very nature, is directed to the damnation
of those who are blinded; for which reason it is accounted an effect of
reprobation. But, through God's mercy, temporary blindness is
directed medicinally to the spiritual welfare of those who are blinded.
This mercy, however, is not vouchsafed to all those who are blinded,
but only to the predestinated, to whom "all things work together unto
good" (Rm. 8:28). Therefore as regards some, blindness is
directed to their healing; but as regards others, to their damnation;
as Augustine says (De Quaest. Evang. iii).
Reply to Objection 1: Every evil that God does, or permits to be
done, is directed to some good; yet not always to the good of those in
whom the evil is, but sometimes to the good of others, or of the whole
universe: thus He directs the sin of tyrants to the good of the
martyrs, and the punishment of the lost to the glory of His justice.
Reply to Objection 2: God does not take pleasure in the loss of
man, as regards the loss itself, but by reason of His justice, or of
the good that ensues from the loss.
Reply to Objection 3: That God directs the blindness of some to
their spiritual welfare, is due to His mercy; but that the blindness
of others is directed to their loss is due to His justice: and that
He vouchsafes His mercy to some, and not to all, does not make God
a respecter of persons, as explained in the FP, Question 23,
Article 5, ad 3.
Reply to Objection 4: Evil of fault must not be done, that good
may ensue; but evil of punishment must be inflicted for the sake of
good.
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