Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Q22 A2: Whether everything is subject to the providence of God?

Yes. All things are subject to divine providence, not only in general, but even in their own individual selves because since every agent acts for an end, the ordering of effects towards that end extends as far as the causality of the first agent extends.

Since the providence of God is nothing less than the type of the order of things towards an end, it necessarily follows that all things, inasmuch as they participate in existence, must likewise be subject to divine providence.

God knows all things, both universal and particular. And since His knowledge may be compared to the things themselves, as the knowledge of art to the objects of art, all things must of necessity come under His ordering, as all things wrought by art are subject to the ordering of that art.

Man is not the author of nature; but he uses natural things in applying art and virtue to his own use. Hence human providence does not reach to that which takes place in nature from necessity; but divine providence extends thus far, since God is the author of nature.