Chapter 52 — That no created substance can by its natural power arrive at seeing God in his essence

However, it is not possible for any created substance to attain to this way of seeing God by its own power.

For that which is proper to the higher nature cannot be acquired by a lower nature, except through the action of the higher nature to whom it properly belongs: thus water cannot become hot except through the action of heat. Now to see God in his essence is proper to the divine nature, since to operate through its own form is proper to the operator. Therefore, no intellectual substance can see God in the divine essence, unless God himself bring this about.

Again. A form proper to one thing does not become another’s except through the first’s agency, because an agent produces its like by communicating its form to another. Now it is impossible to see the divine substance unless the divine substance itself become the form by which the intellect understands, as we have proved. (Ch. 51.) Therefore, no created substance can attain to that vision except through the divine agency.

Besides. If any two things have to be united together so that one be formal and the other material, their union must be completed by an action on the part of the one that is formal, and not by the action of the one that is material, because the form is the principle of action, whereas matter is the passive principle. Now in order that the created intellect see God’s substance, the divine essence itself must be united to the intellect as an intelligible form, as we have proved. (Ch. 51) Therefore, no created intellect can attain to this vision except through the divine agency.

Further. What is so of itself is the cause of what is so through another. (Physics 8.5.) Now the divine intelligence sees of itself the divine substance: for the divine intelligence is the divine essence, in which God’s substance is seen, as we proved in the first book: (Ch. 45.) whereas the created intellect sees the divine substance in the divine essence as in something other than itself. Therefore, this vision cannot be acquired by the created intellect except through the action of God.

Moreover. Whatever exceeds the limits of a nature cannot be acquired by that nature except through the agency of another: thus water does not flow upwards unless it be moved by something else. Now it is beyond the limits of any created nature to see God’s substance: for it is proper to every created intellectual nature to understand according to the mode of its substance, but the divine substance cannot be understood thus, as we proved above. (Ch. 49.) Therefore, no created intellect can possibly attain to a vision of the divine substance except by the agency of God who surpasses all creatures.

Hence it is said: The grace of God is life everlasting (Rom 6:23). For we have proved (Ch. 50.) that man’s happiness consists in seeing God, which is called life everlasting: and we are said to obtain this by God’s grace alone, because that vision surpasses the faculty of every creature, and it is impossible to attain thereto except by God’s gift; and when such things are obtained by a creature, it is put down to God’s grace. Again, our Lord says: I will manifest myself to him (John 14:21).