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Objection 1: It would seem that man can wish and do good without
grace. For that is in man's power, whereof he is master. Now man
is master of his acts, and especially of his willing, as stated above
(Question 1, Article 1; Question 13, Article 6). Hence
man, of himself, can wish and do good without the help of grace.
Objection 2: Further, man has more power over what is according to
his nature than over what is beyond his nature. Now sin is against his
nature, as Damascene says (De Fide Orth. ii, 30); whereas
deeds of virtue are according to his nature, as stated above
(Question 71, Article 1). Therefore since man can sin of
himself he can wish and do good.
Objection 3: Further, the understanding's good is truth, as the
Philosopher says (Ethic. vi, 2). Now the intellect can of
itself know truth, even as every other thing can work its own operation
of itself. Therefore, much more can man, of himself, do and wish
good.
On the contrary, The Apostle says (Rm. 9:16): "It is not
of him that willeth," namely, to will, "nor of him that runneth,"
namely to run, "but of God that showeth mercy." And Augustine
says (De Corrept. et Gratia ii) that "without grace men do
nothing good when they either think or wish or love or act."
I answer that, Man's nature may be looked at in two ways: first,
in its integrity, as it was in our first parent before sin; secondly,
as it is corrupted in us after the sin of our first parent. Now in
both states human nature needs the help of God as First Mover, to do
or wish any good whatsoever, as stated above (Article 1). But in
the state of integrity, as regards the sufficiency of the operative
power, man by his natural endowments could wish and do the good
proportionate to his nature, such as the good of acquired virtue; but
not surpassing good, as the good of infused virtue. But in the state
of corrupt nature, man falls short of what he could do by his nature,
so that he is unable to fulfil it by his own natural powers. Yet
because human nature is not altogether corrupted by sin, so as to be
shorn of every natural good, even in the state of corrupted nature it
can, by virtue of its natural endowments, work some particular good,
as to build dwellings, plant vineyards, and the like; yet it cannot
do all the good natural to it, so as to fall short in nothing; just as
a sick man can of himself make some movements, yet he cannot be
perfectly moved with the movements of one in health, unless by the help
of medicine he be cured.
And thus in the state of perfect nature man needs a gratuitous strength
superadded to natural strength for one reason, viz. in order to do and
wish supernatural good; but for two reasons, in the state of corrupt
nature, viz. in order to be healed, and furthermore in order to carry
out works of supernatural virtue, which are meritorious. Beyond
this, in both states man needs the Divine help, that he may be moved
to act well.
Reply to Objection 1: Man is master of his acts and of his willing
or not willing, because of his deliberate reason, which can be bent to
one side or another. And although he is master of his deliberating or
not deliberating, yet this can only be by a previous deliberation; and
since it cannot go on to infinity, we must come at length to this,
that man's free-will is moved by an extrinsic principle, which is
above the human mind, to wit by God, as the Philosopher proves in
the chapter "On Good Fortune" (Ethic. Eudem. vii). Hence
the mind of man still unweakened is not so much master of its act that
it does not need to be moved by God; and much more the free-will of
man weakened by sin, whereby it is hindered from good by the corruption
of the nature.
Reply to Objection 2: To sin is nothing else than to fail in the
good which belongs to any being according to its nature. Now as every
created thing has its being from another, and, considered in itself,
is nothing, so does it need to be preserved by another in the good
which pertains to its nature. For it can of itself fail in good, even
as of itself it can fall into non-existence, unless it is upheld by
God.
Reply to Objection 3: Man cannot even know truth without Divine
help, as stated above (Article 1). And yet human nature is more
corrupt by sin in regard to the desire for good, than in regard to the
knowledge of truth.
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