THE "SUMMA THEOLOGICA"

QUESTION XXIII.
OF PREDESTINATION.
(In Eight Articles.)
A_rER the consideration of divine providence, we must
treat of predestination and the book of life. Concerning perdestination
there are eight points of inquiry: (I) Whether
predestination is suitably attributed to God ? (2) What
is predestination, and whether it places anything in the
predestined ? (3) Whether to God belongs the reprobation
of some men ? (4) On the comparison of predestination
to election; whether, that is to say, the predestined are
chosen ? (5) Whether merits are the cause or reason of
predestination, or reprobation, or election ? (6) Of the
certainty of predestination; whether the predestined will
infallibly be saved ? (7) Whether the number of the predestined
is certain ? (8) Whether predestination can be
furthered by the prayers of the saints ?
FIRST ARTICLE.
WHETHER MEN ARE PREDESTINED BY GOD ?
We proceed thus to the First A rficle:--
Objection z. It seems that men are not predestined by God,
for Damascene says (De Fide Orthod. ii. 30): It must be borne
in mind that God foreknows but does not predetermine everything,
since He foreknows all that is in us, but does not
predetermine it all. But human merit and demerit are in
us, forasmuch as we are the masters of our own acts by
free-will. All that pertains therefore to merit or demerit
is not predestined by God; and thus man's predestination
is done away.
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