Natural Knowledge of God in the Philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquina

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the dead tly to prev.nt pollution by its deoay.
Tbe dog may viottmize a
mouse but ne will not eat it atter he has killed it, the oat kills the
mouse in order to teed upon it. Plants and animals tollow'blindly the
natural appetites that direot them to the attainaent ot their own good
and that ot the speoiea.
.. ,
!he tree aotions ot man are subjeot to intelligent
ohoioe, tor man has the higher taoulties ot intelleot and will.
It tollon then. that in God. !!!!.!.!!. pure intzlligence, there.!! will. 2 •
It mtAy be well to repeat that in attributing intelligenoe and will
to God, the predication i8 toral. 1hat ii, the meaning is not that intelligenoe
and will exist virtually in God inasmuoh as He oauses them to
exiat in oreature.. !beae attributes are not in God aa the oak tree ia
in the aoornl they belong to God in T4.rtue ot His elSenoe J beoause God
is God, He is intelligent and living. Beoau.e God.!! e .. entially intelli&ent,
there are intelligent oreated being'; their intelligenoe is a
tinite likene •• ot God'. intelligence. Beoauae God il lite, oreature.
have lite. Only that whioh !! living can oomaunioate lite to another;
the dead oat grows no aoorn.. It i. beoau.e God.!!. inte1ligenoe, !!.
lite, !!. goodDe •• , .!!. Being, that He oODllllUllioated intelligenoe, lite,
I
24nid •
••• intel1eotual nature. haTe a lite aptitude to good a. apprehended
through it. intelligible tora, 10 a. to re.t therein .nen pos.es.ed, 'and
wheD not po.a •••• d to .eet to po •• e •• it. both ot whioh pertain to the will.
Henoe in every intelleotua1 being there i. will, justa. in every .en.ibls
being there is animal appetite. And so there must bs will in God, linoe
there is intelleot in Him.