Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 402

378

§ 70.

RELATION BETWEEN THIS PRINCIPIUM

[Div. Ill

be manifest, but that this was followed by the period in which God gave the sinner up (Tra/aeSco/ce) Not to speak now of .

that

first

period,

it is

clear that at least after that the natural

knowledge of God could lead to no result not even in }jhilosophy, of which the same apostle testifies that the " wisdom ;

made

foolish " (1 Cor.

Hence it is only i. 20). by the special knowledge that the natural knoAvledge becomes serviceable. By the light of the Scripture the sinner of the

world

is

becomes able to give himself an account of the " seed of religion" in his heart and of the " divine things " visible in the but, where this light hides itself even upon the cosmos Areopagus I advance no farther than to the Unknown God. If therefore this entire juxtaposition, as though a sjjecial knowledge of God stood side by side with a natural knowledge of God, falls away, the way is cleared thereby to view more accurately the relation between the two principia of this Both principia are one in knowledge thus distinguished. God, and the beam of this light is onl}^ broken when the The soundness of our human heart is broken by sin. knowledge-bringing impulse goes out from God to us the active element, the first mover (primum movens), as the ultimate cause (principium remotissimum), lies in the Divine This impulse of self-communication to man attains Being. its end completely in creation by the whole instrumentation for the natural knowledge. And where, after sin, this Divine impulse encounters an evil cataract, which prevents the entrance of light, this impulse seeks and finds another and more sure way by special revelation. Hence it is the same God, and in that God the same impulse, by which both prinThat in the origin of all things, or, cipia appear in actioii. more particularly, in God's eternal counsel, both these stood in this unity before God, cannot detain us here, since this but here it must be belongs to the domain of dogmatics ;

;

;

indicated that the natural principium lays the foundation

knowledge, and that the special principium either fails must adapt itself entirely to the provisions Even the miracles, whose that are original in the creation. character cannot be considered closely here, link no new eleof all

of its purpose or

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