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Objection 1: It would seem that men are not guarded by the angels.
For guardians are deputed to some because they either know not how, or
are not able, to guard themselves, as children and the sick. But man
is able to guard himself by his free-will; and knows how by his
natural knowledge of natural law. Therefore man is not guarded by an
angel.
Objection 2: Further, a strong guard makes a weaker one
superfluous. But men are guarded by God, according to Ps.
120:4: "He shall neither slumber nor sleep, that keepeth
Israel." Therefore man does not need to be guarded by an angel.
Objection 3: Further, the loss of the guarded redounds to the
negligence of the guardian; hence it was said to a certain one:
"Keep this man; and if he shall slip away, thy life shall be for his
life" (3 Kgs. 20:39). Now many perish daily through falling
into sin; whom the angels could help by visible appearance, or by
miracles, or in some such-like way. The angels would therefore be
negligent if men are given to their guardianship. But that is clearly
false. Therefore the angels are not the guardians of men.
On the contrary, It is written (Ps. 90:11): "He hath
given His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways."
I answer that, According to the plan of Divine Providence, we find
that in all things the movable and variable are moved and regulated by
the immovable and invariable; as all corporeal things by immovable
spiritual substances, and the inferior bodies by the superior which are
invariable in substance. We ourselves also are regulated as regards
conclusions, about which we may have various opinions, by the
principles which we hold in an invariable manner. It is moreover
manifest that as regards things to be done human knowledge and affection
can vary and fail from good in many ways; and so it was necessary that
angels should be deputed for the guardianship of men, in order to
regulate them and move them to good.
Reply to Objection 1: By free-will man can avoid evil to a certain
degree, but not in any sufficient degree; forasmuch as he is weak in
affection towards good on account of the manifold passions of the soul.
Likewise universal natural knowledge of the law, which by nature
belongs to man, to a certain degree directs man to good, but not in a
sufficient degree; because in the application of the universal
principles of law to particular actions man happens to be deficient in
many ways. Hence it is written (Wis. 9:14): "The thoughts
of mortal men are fearful, and our counsels uncertain." Thus man
needs to be guarded by the angels.
Reply to Objection 2: Two things are required for a good action;
first, that the affection be inclined to good, which is effected in us
by the habit of mortal virtue. Secondly, that reason should discover
the proper methods to make perfect the good of virtue; this the
Philosopher (Ethic. vi) attributes to prudence. As regards the
first, God guards man immediately by infusing into him grace and
virtues; as regards the second, God guards man as his universal
instructor, Whose precepts reach man by the medium of the angels, as
above stated (Question 111, Article 1).
Reply to Objection 3: As men depart from the natural instinct of
good by reason of a sinful passion, so also do they depart from the
instigation of the good angels, which takes place invisibly when they
enlighten man that he may do what is right. Hence that men perish is
not to be imputed to the negligence of the angels but to the malice of
men. That they sometimes appear to men visibly outside the ordinary
course of nature comes from a special grace of God, as likewise that
miracles occur outside the order of nature.
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