Saint Thomas Aquinas ON THE TRUTH OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH SUMMA CONTRA CENTILES BOOK THREE: PROVIDENCE Page 1 z ‘Translated, with an Introduction and Notes, by VERNON J. BOURKE SANT LOUIS UNIVERSITY Hanover House, Garden City, New YorkCopyright ©, 1956, BP*DAIeday & Company, Inc. Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 55-8490 Printed in the United States Nihil obstat: Jom A, Goopwive, J. C. D Censor Librorum Imprimatur: 9 Fracis Canpinat, SPELLMAN Archbishop of New York ‘Typography by Joseph P. Ascherl Ae Jo-2t 9 Contents PART Ir Chapters 84-163 cuapren, 84. That the celestial bodies make no impression on our intellects 85. That the celestial bodies are not the causes of ‘our acts of will and choice ‘That the corporeal effects in things here below do not necessarily result from the celestial bodies . That the motion of a celestial body is not the cause of our acts of choice by the power of its soul moving us, as some say ‘That separate created substances cannot be di rectly the cause of our acts of choice and wil, bat only God That the movement of the will is caused by God and not only the power of the will ‘That husian acts of choice and of will are sub- ject to divine providence How human events may be traced back to higher causes How a person is favored by fortune and how man is assisted by higher causes On fate: whether and what itis - On the certainty of divine providence ‘That the immutability of divine providence does not suppress the value of prayer ‘That some prayers are not granted by God How the disposition of providence has a ra tional plan1g2 ON THE TRUTH op THE caTHOLIC FAITH: 3] Besides, any law that is rightly established promotes virtue. Now, vrve consists in this: that both the inner feelings and the use of corporeal things be regulated by rea- son. So, this is something to be provided for by divine law. [4] Moreover, it is the function of every lawmaker to mine by law the things without which observation of the law is impossible, Now, since law is proposed to reason, man would not follow the law unless all the other things which belong to man were subject to reason. So, itis the function of divine law to command the submission to tea- som ofall the other factors proper to man. [5] Thus it i said: “Let your service be reasonable” (Rom, 12:1); and again: “"This is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3)- [6] Now, by this conclusion we refute the eror of some who say that thse acts only are sinful whereby one’s neigh- Doris offended or seandalized, Chapter 222. THE REASON WHY SIMPLE FORNICATION IS [A SIN ACCORDING 10 BIVINE LAW, AND THAT MATRIMONY IS NATURAL [2] From the foregoing we can see the futility of the argument of certain people who say that simple fornication is not a sin2 For they say: Suppose there is @ woman who is not martied, or under the control of any man, either her father ot another man. Now, if a man performs the sexual act with her, and she is willing, he does not injure her, because she favors the action and she has control over her own body. Nor does he injure any other person, because 1. ‘That this view still remained a problem in 1377 is evidence Uy Bishop ‘Temple's condemned. propostion 183 (Pontes Vie 8 Phomad, Vi, 6) Popeston 183 Summa Contra Gentiles BOOK THREE: PROVIDENCE 143 she iy understood to be under no other person’s contre. So, this does not seem to be @ sin. [2] Now, to say that he injures God would not seem to be an adequate answer. For we do not offend God except by doing something contrary to our own good, as has been said But this does not appear contrary to man’s good. Hence, on this bass, no injury seems to be done to God. [3] Likewise, it also would seem an inadequate answer to say that some injuxy is done to one's neighbor by this action, inasmuch as he may be scandalized. Indeed, it is possible for him to be scandalized by something which is rot in itself a sin, Im this event, the act would be acci dentally sinful. But our problem is not whether simple for nication is accidentally a sin, but whether itis so essentially. [4] Hence, we must look for a solution in our earlier con- siderations. We have said that God exercises care over every petson on the basis of what is good for hi.® Now, it is {good for each person to attain his end, whereas itis bad for him to swerve away from his proper end, Now, this should be considered applicable to the parts, jut as it is to the whole being’ for instance, each and’ every part of man, and every one of his acts, should attain the proper end. Now, though the male semen is supertuous in regard to the preservation of the individual, it i nevertheless necessary in regard to the propagation of the species, Other super- fivous things, such as excrement, urine, sweat, and such things, are not at all necessary; hence, their emission con- tributes to man's good. Now, this is not what is sought in the case of semen, but, rather, to emit it for the purpose of generation, to which purpose the sexual act is directed. But yman's generative process would be frustrated unless it were followed by proper nutrition, because the offspring ‘would not survive if proper nutrition were withheld. There- fore, the emission of semen onght to be so ordered that it 2, Seeabove, ch. 222, 3. See above, ch. 2138