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Objection 1: It would seem that the prophet always distinguishes
what he says by his own spirit from what he says by the prophetic
spirit. For Augustine states (Confess. vi, 13) that his mother
said "she could, through a certain feeling, which in words she could
not express, discern betwixt Divine revelations, and the dreams of
her own soul." Now prophecy is a Divine revelation, as stated above
(Article 3). Therefore the prophet always distinguishes what he
says by the spirit of prophecy, from what he says by his own spirit.
Objection 2: Further, God commands nothing impossible, as Jerome
[Pelagius. Ep. xvi] says. Now the prophets were commanded
(Jer. 23:28): "The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell
a dream; and he that hath My word, let him speak My word with
truth." Therefore the prophet can distinguish what he has through the
spirit of prophecy from what he sees otherwise.
Objection 3: Further, the certitude resulting from a Divine light
is greater than that which results from the light of natural reason.
Now he that has science, by the light of natural reason knows for
certain that he has it. Therefore he that has prophecy by a Divine
light is much more certain that he has it.
On the contrary, Gregory says (Hom. i super Ezech.): "It
must be observed that sometimes the holy prophets, when consulted,
utter certain things by their own spirit, through being much accustomed
to prophesying, and think they are speaking by the prophetic spirit."
I answer that, The prophet's mind is instructed by God in two
ways: in one way by an express revelation, in another way by a most
mysterious instinct to "which the human mind is subjected without
knowing it," as Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. ii, 17).
Accordingly the prophet has the greatest certitude about those things
which he knows by an express revelation, and he has it for certain that
they are revealed to him by God; wherefore it is written (Jer.
26:15): "In truth the Lord sent me to you, to speak all these
words in your hearing." Else, were he not certain about this, the
faith which relies on the utterances of the prophet would not be
certain. A sign of the prophet's certitude may be gathered from the
fact that Abraham being admonished in a prophetic vision, prepared to
sacrifice his only-begotten son, which he nowise would have done had
he not been most certain of the Divine revelation.
On the other hand, his position with regard to the things he knows by
instinct is sometimes such that he is unable to distinguish fully
whether his thoughts are conceived of Divine instinct or of his own
spirit. And those things which we know by Divine instinct are not all
manifested with prophetic certitude, for this instinct is something
imperfect in the genus of prophecy. It is thus that we are to
understand the saying of Gregory. Lest, however, this should lead
to error, "they are very soon set aright by the Holy Ghost [2
Kgs. 7:3 seqq.], and from Him they hear the truth, so that
they reproach themselves for having said what was untrue," as Gregory
adds (Hom. i super Ezech.).
The arguments set down in the first place consider the revelation that
is made by the prophetic spirit; wherefore the answer to all the
objections is clear.
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