Chapter 1 — Prologue

God is a great Lord and a great king above all gods. For the Lord will not reject his people. For in his hands are all the ends of the earth and the heights of the mountains are his. For the sea is his and he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

Psalm 94:3–5

We have shown in the preceding books that there is one first being, possessing the full perfection of all being, whom we call God, and who bestows being on all that exists from the abundance of his perfection, so that he is proved to be not only the first of beings, but also the beginning of all. Moreover, he bestows being on others not through natural necessity, but according to the decree of his will, as we have shown above. (Bk. 2, ch. 23.) Hence it follows that he is the Lord of the things made by him, since we dominate over those things that are subject to our will. And this is a perfect dominion that he exercises over things made by him, insofar as in their making he needs neither the help of an extrinsic agent, nor matter as the foundation of his work, since he is the universal efficient cause of all being.

Now everything that is produced through the will of an agent is directed to an end by that agent, because the good and the end are the proper object of the will. Therefore, whatever proceeds from a will must be directed to an end. And each thing attains its end by its own action, which action needs to be directed by him who endowed things with the principles by which they act.

Consequently, God, who in himself is perfect in every way, and by his power endows all things with being, must be the ruler of all, himself ruled by none: nor is any thing to be excepted from his ruling, as neither is there any thing that does not owe its being to him. Therefore, as he is perfect in being and causing, so is he perfect in ruling.

The effect of this ruling is seen to differ in different things, according to the difference of natures. For some things are so produced by God that, being intelligent, they bear a resemblance to him and reflect his image: thus not only are they directed, but they direct themselves to their appointed end by their own actions. And if in thus directing themselves they be subject to the divine ruling, they are admitted by that divine ruling to the attainment of their last end, but are excluded from it if they direct themselves otherwise.

There are others without intelligence which do not direct themselves to their end, but are directed by another. Of these some, being incorruptible, do not wander in their own action from the direction to their appointed end (even as they do not suffer defect in their natural being), but are subject without fail to the ruling of the supreme ruler. Such are the heavenly bodies, whose movements are invariable.

Others, however, being corruptible, are patient of defects in their natural being; yet this defect is supplied to the advantage of another, since when one thing is corrupted, another is generated. Likewise, they fail from their natural direction in their own actions, yet this failing is compensated by some resultant good. From which it is clear that not even those things which are seen to wander from the direction of the supreme ruling escape from the power of the supreme ruler. This is so because these corruptible bodies are perfectly subject to God just as they are created by him.

Therefore, considering this, the Psalmist, filled with the divine spirit, first describes to us the perfection of the supreme governor in order to give us an illustration of the divine government—as to his nature when he says: God; as to his power, when he says: a great Lord, implying that he needs no one for his power to produce its effect; as to his authority, when he says: a great king above all gods, since, although there be many rulers, yet are all subject to his rule.

Second, he describes to us the manner of this government. And with regard to intellectual beings—which, if they submit to his rule, receive from him their last end which is himself—he says: For the Lord will not reject his people. As regards things corruptible—which, though at times they wander from their proper mode of action, never escape the power of the supreme ruler—he says: For in his hands are all the ends of the earth. And as regards the heavenly bodies—which transcend the highest summits of the earth (that is, of corruptible bodies), and always maintain the order of the divine government—he says: And the heights of the mountains are his.

Third, he assigns the reason of this universal government, because the things that God made must be governed by him. To this he refers when he says: For the sea is his.

Since, then, in the first book we have treated of the perfection of the divine nature, and in the second of the perfection of the divine power, inasmuch as he is the Creator and Lord of all, it remains for us in this third book to treat of his perfect authority or dignity, inasmuch as he is the end and governor of all. We must therefore proceed in this order: first, to treat of him as the end of all things; second, of his universal government, inasmuch as he governs every creature; third, of that special government by which he governs creatures endowed with intelligence.