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Objection 1: It would seem that, after Penance, man rises again
to equal virtue. For the Apostle says (Rm. 8:28): "To them
that love God all things work together unto good," whereupon a gloss
of Augustine says that "this is so true that, if any such man goes
astray and wanders from the path, God makes even this conduce to his
good." But this would not be true if he rose again to lesser virtue.
Therefore it seems that a penitent never rises again to lesser virtue.
Objection 2: Further, Ambrose says [Hypognosticon iii] that
"Penance is a very good thing, for it restores every defect to a
state of perfection." But this would not be true unless virtues were
recovered in equal measure. Therefore equal virtue is always recovered
through Penance.
Objection 3: Further, on Gn. 1:5: "There was evening and
morning, one day," a gloss says: "The evening light is that from
which we fall the morning light is that to which we rise again." Now
the morning light is greater than the evening light. Therefore a man
rises to greater grace or charity than that which he had before; which
is confirmed by the Apostle's words (Rm. 5:20): "Where sin
abounded, grace did more abound."
On the contrary, Charity whether proficient or perfect is greater
than incipient charity. But sometimes a man falls from proficient
charity, and rises again to incipient charity. Therefore man always
rises again to less virtue.
I answer that, As stated above (Question 86, Article 6, ad
3; Question 89, Article 1, ad 2), the movement of the
free-will, in the justification of the ungodly, is the ultimate
disposition to grace; so that in the same instant there is infusion of
grace together with the aforesaid movement of the free-will, as stated
in the FS, Question 113, Articles 5,7, which movement
includes an act of penance, as stated above (Question 86, Article
2). But it is evident that forms which admit of being more or less,
become intense or remiss, according to the different dispositions of
the subject, as stated in the FS, Question 52, Articles
1,2; FS, Question 66, Article 1. Hence it is that, in
Penance, according to the degree of intensity or remissness in the
movement of the free-will, the penitent receives greater or lesser
grace. Now the intensity of the penitent's movement may be
proportionate sometimes to a greater grace than that from which man fell
by sinning, sometimes to an equal grace, sometimes to a lesser.
Wherefore the penitent sometimes arises to a greater grace than that
which he had before, sometimes to an equal, sometimes to a lesser
grace: and the same applies to the virtues, which flow from grace.
Reply to Objection 1: The very fact of falling away from the love
of God by sin, does not work unto the good of all those who love
God, which is evident in the case of those who fall and never rise
again, or who rise and fall yet again; but only to the good of "such
as according to His purpose are called to be saints," viz. the
predestined, who, however often they may fall, yet rise again
finally. Consequently good comes of their falling, not that they
always rise again to greater grace, but that they rise to more abiding
grace, not indeed on the part of grace itself, because the greater the
grace, the more abiding it is, but on the part of man, who, the more
careful and humble he is, abides the more steadfastly in grace. Hence
the same gloss adds that "their fall conduces to their good, because
they rise more humble and more enlightened."
Reply to Objection 2: Penance, considered in itself, has the
power to bring all defects back to perfection, and even to advance man
to a higher state; but this is sometimes hindered on the part of man,
whose movement towards God and in detestation of sin is too remiss,
just as in Baptism adults receive a greater or a lesser grace,
according to the various ways in which they prepare themselves.
Reply to Objection 3: This comparison of the two graces to the
evening and morning light is made on account of a likeness of order,
since the darkness of night follows after the evening light, and the
light of day after the light of morning, but not on account of a
likeness of greater or lesser quantity. Again, this saying of the
Apostle refers to the grace of Christ, which abounds more than any
number of man's sins. Nor is it true of all, that the more their
sins abound, the more abundant grace they receive, if we measure
habitual grace by the quantity. Grace is, however, more abundant,
as regards the very notion of grace, because to him who sins more a
more "gratuitous" favor is vouchsafed by his pardon; although
sometimes those whose sins abound, abound also in sorrow, so that they
receive a more abundant habit of grace and virtue, as was the case with
Magdalen.
To the argument advanced in the contrary sense it must be replied that
in one and the same man proficient grace is greater than incipient
grace, but this is not necessarily the case in different men, for one
begins with a greater grace than another has in the state of
proficiency: thus Gregory says (Dial. ii, 1): "Let all, both
now and hereafter, acknowledge how perfectly the boy Benedict turned
to the life of grace from the very beginning."
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