suffice; nor the knowledge of Him obtained by demonstration; nor even the knowledge obtained
by faith. In this life, we cannot see God in His essence, or have ultimate happiness; but hereafter
we shall see Him face to face. (Not literally, we are warned, because God has no face.) This will
happen, not by our natural power, but by the divine light; and even then, we shall not see all of
Him. By this vision we become partakers of eternal life, i.e., of life outside time.
Divine Providence does not exclude evil, contingency, free will, chance or luck. Evil comes
through second causes, as in the case of a good artist with bad tools.
Angels are not all equals; there is an order among them. Each angel is the sole specimen of his
species, for, since angels have no bodies, they can only be distinct through specific differences,
not through position in space.
Astrology is to be rejected, for the usual reasons. In answer to the question "Is there such a thing
as fate?" Aquinas replies that we might give the name "fate" to the order impressed by Providence,
but it is wiser not to do so, as "fate" is a pagan word. This leads to an argument that prayer is
useful although Providence is unchangeable. (I have failed to follow this argument.) God
sometimes works miracles, but no one else can. Magic, however, is possible with the help of
demons; this is not properly miraculous, and is not by the help of the stars.
Divine law directs us to love God; also, in a lesser degree, our neighbour. It forbids fornication,
because the father should stay with the mother while the children are being reared. It forbids birth
control, as being against nature; it does not, however, on this account forbid lifelong celibacy.
Matrimony should be indissoluble, because the father is needed in the education of the children,
both as more rational than the mother, and as having more physical strength when punishment is
required. Not all carnal intercourse is sinful, since it is natural; but to think the married state as
good as continence is to fall into the heresy of Jovinian. There must be strict monogamy; polygyny
is unfair to women, and polyandry makes paternity uncertain. Incest is to be forbidden because it
would complicate family life. Against brothersister incest there is a very curious argument: that if
the love of husband and wife were combined with that of brother and sister, mutual attraction
would be so strong as to cause unduly frequent intercourse.
All these arguments on sexual ethics, it is to be observed, appeal to