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Objection 1: It would seem possible that something may occur outside
the order of the Divine government. For Boethius says (De
Consol. iii) that "God disposes all for good." Therefore, if
nothing happens outside the order of the Divine government, it would
follow that no evil exists.
Objection 2: Further, nothing that is in accordance with the
pre-ordination of a ruler occurs by chance. Therefore, if nothing
occurs outside the order of the Divine government, it follows that
there is nothing fortuitous and casual.
Objection 3: Further, the order of Divine Providence is certain
and unchangeable; because it is in accordance with the eternal design.
Therefore, if nothing happens outside the order of the Divine
government, it follows that all things happen by necessity, and
nothing is contingent; which is false. Therefore it is possible for
something to occur outside the order of the Divine government.
On the contrary, It is written (Esther 13:9): "O Lord,
Lord, almighty King, all things are in Thy power, and there is
none that can resist Thy will."
I answer that, It is possible for an effect to result outside the
order of some particular cause; but not outside the order of the
universal cause. The reason of this is that no effect results outside
the order of a particular cause, except through some other impeding
cause; which other cause must itself be reduced to the first universal
cause; as indigestion may occur outside the order of the nutritive
power by some such impediment as the coarseness of the food, which
again is to be ascribed to some other cause, and so on till we come to
the first universal cause. Therefore as God is the first universal
cause, not of one genus only, but of all being in general, it is
impossible for anything to occur outside the order of the Divine
government; but from the very fact that from one point of view
something seems to evade the order of Divine providence considered in
regard to one particular cause, it must necessarily come back to that
order as regards some other cause.
Reply to Objection 1: There is nothing wholly evil in the world,
for evil is ever founded on good, as shown above (Question 48,
Article 3). Therefore something is said to be evil through its
escaping from the order of some particular good. If it wholly escaped
from the order of the Divine government, it would wholly cease to
exist.
Reply to Objection 2: Things are said to be fortuitous as regards
some particular cause from the order of which they escape. But as to
the order of Divine providence, "nothing in the world happens by
chance," as Augustine declares (Questions. 83, qu. 24).
Reply to Objection 3: Certain effects are said to be contingent as
compared to their proximate causes, which may fail in their effects;
and not as though anything could happen entirely outside the order of
Divine government. The very fact that something occurs outside the
order of some proximate cause, is owing to some other cause, itself
subject to the Divine government.
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