Natural Knowledge of God in the Philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquina

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slightest vestige ot dependenoe, depend upon a pre-existing some~ing in
order to produce the universe' Is God First Being' Supre.. Being? First
Cause'
!hen there is no ·pre-existing something·, then Goa oreated His
etrects in the manner suitable to Hia nature,by the power ot Hi. Being,
in 'Virtue ot His being First Cause.
Dl1s is not equiT8.lent to saying that the world was produced without
a cause.
On the cOD.trary, the exiatence ot -:y created ettect requires
the existenee ot a Firat Cause.
Dle amoeba exists, theretore, God exists.
!bat is just as convincing as to say that, sinoe the Rocky Mountains
exist, God exists. It there are beings that are not their own cause,--
and there are,--they demand a First Cause.
It this First Cause produced
any ettects, Be created them.
God is the cause at creatures ~ tieri, but Be is also the cause ot
their continuance in being; He is their oause ~!!!!. !be existence ot
a creature is contingent in its origin; it re~ins contingent. Ivery mo­,..
ment added to the period of a creature's existenoe 1s a gitt or God, is
an ettect ot H1s continuous oausality. Seccnd causes may be the oause ot
the beooming ot a thing; they can not participate in God's causality ~
esse. Men may build houses, they only use the materials at their disposal;
I
they neither produoed these material. (except as second causes) nor can
they keep them in existence. !bey paint and oil and T8.rnis~
the surtaces
exposed, to retard the prooess at deterioration that inevitably ooours.
And yet the giant redwoods appear youthful and vigorous in spite or their
oenturies upon centuries ot existenoe.
Created being is dependent on God