Chapter XXII. On the certainty of predestination

THIs question can be viewed in two ways: ¹ Is predestination a certainty so that its effect will infallibly come to pass? (2) Can we be certain in this life of being predestined?

THE INFALLIBILITY OF PREDESTINATION

Predestination is absolutely certain as regards the infallible positing of its effects, which are vocation, justification, and glorification. Revelation affirms this by the words of our Lord in the texts already quoted, which are: “Now this is the will of the Father who sent Me: that of all that He hath given Me, I should lose nothing. . . . My sheep hear My voice . . . and they shall not perish for ever. And no man shall pluck them out of My hand.” ?

This infallible certainty of predestination is indicated in the definition given by St. Augustine, who says that it is “the foreknowledge and the preparation of those gifts of God whereby they who are liberated are most certainly liberated.” ? This infallibility has on various occasions been affirmed by the councils.’

But the question is whether this certainty of predestination is merely a certainty of foreknowledge or also one of causality. There is no doubt that the certainty of God’s foreknowledge of sin is merely a certainty of foreknowledge and not of causality, since God cannot be either directly or indirectly the cause of sin, and so the foreknown are distinguished from the predestined. The Council of Valencia held in 855 said: “God foreknew the malice of the wicked because it was their own doing; He did not predestinate it, because He was not the cause of it.” 4 What is the certainty of predestination as regards the free determination of the salutary acts of the elect? If we take the view that God does not cause in us and with us this determination and the free mode of the same, we shall see in this but a certainty of foreknowledge. If we are of the opinion, on the contrary, that God causes infallibly, powerfully, and suavely, this salutary determination and its free mode, we shall see in this not only a certainty of foreknowledge but also of casuality.

Is not this last point expressly stated by our Lord when He says: “No man shall pluck them out of My hand”? * We have the confirmation of this, too, in St. Augustine’s definition just quoted. St. Augustine has even clearly affirmed both these certainties in the following words: “If any of these [the elect] perishes, God is deceived; but none of them perishes because God is not deceived. If any of these perishes, God is conquered by human vice; but none of them perishes, because God is invincible.” 8

St. Thomas speaks in still clearer terms: “Since predestination includes the divine will as stated above [q. 19, a. 3, 8], the fact that God wills any created thing is necessary on the supposition that He so wills, on account of the immutability of the divine will, but it is not necessary absolutely; so the same must be said of predestination.”* Predestination includes the consequent or efficacious will of saving the elect, and St. Thomas pointed out that “whatever God simply wills

THE CERTAINTY OF PREDESTINATION 215 takes place; although what He wills antecedently may not take place.” 8

In another of his works, St. Thomas states the case still more clearly: “It cannot be said that certainty of foreknowledge is the only thing superadded to providence by predestination; this is tantamount to saying that God ordains the one predestined to salvation as He does anyone else, but that in the case of the one predestined He knows that he will not fail to be saved. In such a case, to be sure, there would be no difference between the one predestined and the one not predestined as regards the order of cause to effect, but only as regards the foreknowledge of the event. Thus foreknowledge would be the cause of predestination, and predestination would not be because of the choice of the one predestinating, which is contrary to the authority of the Scripture and the sayings of the saints. Hence in addition to the certainty of foreknowledge, there is infallible certainty in this order of predestination as regards the effect. Yet the proximate cause of salvation, namely, the free will, is not necessarily but contingently directed to this end.” °

The above passage is a commentary on the following words of Jesus: “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He hath given Me, I should lose nothing.” ° But just as the divine causality, far from suppressing the activity of secondary causes, applies them to their act, so the prayers of the saints help the elect to advance on the way to eternity; and our good works merit for us eternal life and we shall in fact obtain it, if we do not lose our merits, and die in the state of grace. It is in this sense that St. Peter says: “By good works make sure your calling and election.” *

Is the number of the elect certain? God knows infallibly

the number of those who will be saved and of those who will be lost. If it were not so, there would be no certainty about predestination. Jesus said: “I know whom I have chosen”; ?? and St. Paul wrote: “The Lord knoweth who are His.” 38

SIGNS OF PREDESTINATION

Can we be certain in this life that we are predestined? In answer to this question the Council of Trent says: “No one, so long as he is in this mortal life, ought so far to presume as regards the secret mystery of divine predestination as to determine for certain that he is assuredly in the number of the predestinate; as if it were true that he who is justified either cannot sin any more, or, if he do sin, that he ought to promise himself an assured repentance. For, except by special revelation, it cannot be known whom God hath chosen unto Himself.” 1 The reason for this is because, without a special revelation, we cannot know for certain what depends solely upon God’s free will. Not one of the just, unless it is specially revealed, knows whether he will persevere in the performance of good works and in prayer. We shall be, says St. Paul, “heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ; yet so, if we suffer [perseveringly] with Him, that we may be also glorified with Him.” 15

Are there, however, any signs of predestination such as to give one a sort of moral certainty of perseverance? The Fathers, especially John Chrysostom, Augustine, Gregory the Great, Bernard, and Anselm, according to certain statements of Holy Scripture, pointed out several signs of predestination often enumerated by the theologians as follows: (1) a good life; (2) the testimony of a conscience that is free from

THE CERTAINTY OF PREDESTINATION 217 serious sins and prepared rather to die than offend God grievously; (3) patience in adversities endured for the love of God; (4) readiness to hear the word of God; (5) compassion for the poor; (6) love of one’s enemies; (7) humility; (8) a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin whom we ask every day to pray for us at the hour of our death.

Among these signs, certain ones, such as Christian patience in adversity, are proof that the inequality of natural conditions is at times more than compensated by divine grace. This is borne out by the beatitudes as recorded in the Gospel: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, they that mourn, they that hunger and thirst after justice, the merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers, they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” ** These are the predestined. St. Thomas pvints out especially in his teaching that to bear patiently a heavy cross and for a long time is a sign of predestination.

IS THERE A GREAT NUMBER OF PREDESTINED?

From the Apocalypse we gather that the number of the elect is very great, for we read: “And I heard the number of them that were signed, an hundred forty-four thousand were signed of every tribe of the children of Israel. . . . After this, I saw a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and in sight of the lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands.” *7

Are there not so many elect as reprobates? St. Augustine and St. Thomas think so, especially on account of what our Lord said, that “many are called but few chosen.” ** And again when He said: “Enter ye in at the narrow gate; for

wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there are who go in thereat. How narrow is the gate and strait is the way that leadeth to life, and few there are that find it!” 1° St. Thomas remarked on several occasions that although everything is ordered for good in the universe as a whole, and in the different species, yet if we consider the human race from the time of original sin, evil is more prevalent in this sense, that those who follow the senses and their passions are greater in number than those who follow right reason; “in man alone does evil appear as in the greater number.” * The elect are an elite class.” St. Thomas maintains, however, that the number of the angels who were saved exceeds the number of devils,?* and he wrote the same about the angels in another of his treatises, pointing out that “evil is found as in the smaller number in the angels, because many more remained faithful than fell, and perhaps even more than all the devils and men to be condemned. But in man good appears as in the smaller number . . . because of the corruption of man due to original sin, and the very nature of human conditions . . . in which the secondary perfections that direct human actions are not innate, but either acquired or infused.” *

In his theological treatise we read: “The good that is proportionate to the common state of nature is to be found in the majority; and is wanting in the minority. The good that exceeds the common state of nature is to be found in the minority, and is wanting in the majority. . . . Since eternal happiness, consisting in the vision of God, exceeds the common state of nature, and in so far as this is deprived

20 Loc. cit, Ia, q.49, a.3 ad 5um; q.63, a.g ad 1um; Ia Iae, q.71, a.2 ad gum; 7 Sent., d. 39, q.2, a.2 ad gum; C.G. III, 6; De pot., q.3, a.6 ad gum; De malo, q.1, a.3 ad 17um; a.g ad 16um.

THE CERTAINTY OF PREDESTINATION 219 of grace through the corruption of original sin, those who are saved are in the minority.” **

Let us bear in mind that, according to the passage of the commentary on the Sentences just quoted, which this last quotation does not contradict, if we include among the elect both angels and men, then the number of the elect is perhaps greater than that of the reprobates.

It is the common opinion of the Fathers and early theologians that the majority of human beings are not saved. They mention in favor of this opinion Basil, John Chrysostom, Gregory of Nazianzus, Hilary, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, Leo the Great, Bernard, and Thomas Aquinas. In more recent times we have Molina, Bellarmine, Suarez, Vasquez, Lessius, and St. Alphonse. In the last century, of those who depart from this common opinion, we have Father Faber in England, Bishop Bougaud in France, and Father Castelein, S.J., in Belgium.

Especially in the case of all those who lived before the coming of our Lord, and of those who have not had the gospel preached to them, it would seem that the formula of St. Thomas is verified that “in man evil appears as in the greater number,” #* although God never commands what is impossible, and He gives to all sufficient graces to keep the commandments as made known to them by conscience.” On the contrary, it seems well enough established that the greater number of the baptized, both children and adults, is saved. There are many children who die in the state of grace before attaining the use of reason.

We cannot say whether the greater number of non-Catholic baptized adults are saved.” On the contrary, it is probable that the majority of adult Catholics attain eternal life, and

this because of the efficacy of redemption and the sacraments.’

Throughout this question that is so mysterious, it is well for us to recall here what Pius IX said about this subject in his encyclical to the bishops of Italy on Indifferentism, which is as follows: “It is known to us and to you that those who labor under invincible ignorance concerning our most holy religion and who, diligently observing the natural law and its precepts that are engraved in the hearts of all by God, and being ready to obey Him, lead an honest and upright life, can, through the operative power of divine light and grace, attain eternal life, since God, who clearly intues, scrutinizes, and knows the minds, impulses, thoughts, and habits of all, because of His supreme goodness and clemency, by no means will allow anyone to be punished eternally who was not guilty of any wilful offense. But very well known also is the Catholic dogma, namely, that no one outside the Catholic Church can be saved, and those contumaciously resisting the authority of this Church, pertinacious in their dissension, cannot obtain eternal salvation.” ?°

28 Cf. Father Buonpensiere, O.P., De Deo uno, in Ia, q.23, a.7; Tanquerey, De Deo uno, De praed., no. 41.

29 Denz., no. 1,677. This statement must be interpreted according to the tenor of the preceding. As the supreme pontiff had just said that no one will be punished eternally who is not guilty of any wilful offense, this statement can mean only that those who wilfully remain outside the Catholic Church, when they are convinced that it is the true Church, cannot be saved. (Tr.)

Footnotes

1. John 6: 39; 10: 27-28. 2 De dono persever., chap. 14, no. $5. 2 Denz., nos. 300, 316, 321, 1,784. ↩