8 SIN 



the cause of the act of sin," says St. Thomas; 

 "yet He is not the cause of sin [as such], because 

 He does not cause the act to have a defect." 24 

 "God is the author of all that exists," explains St. 

 Augustine, "but He is not the author of evil, be- 

 cause all things are good in so far as they exist." 2B 

 Again: "Every nature, even that which is cor- 

 rupted, is good qua nature, and evil [only] in so 

 far as it is corrupt." 2tJ God's contribution to a 

 sinful act is in itself good. He merely enables 

 man to employ the faculties which He has given 

 him for a good purpose. It is man who renders 

 the act evil by having a wrong intention. The 

 Scholastics express this truth as follows : "Deus 

 concurrit ad materiale, non ad formale pec- 

 cati." The Tridentine Council condemns the 

 assertion that "it is not in man's power to make 

 his ways evil, but the works that are evil God 

 worketh as well as those that are good, not per- 

 missibly only, but properly and of Himself, in 

 such wise that the treason of Judas is no less His 

 own proper work than the vocation of Paul." 27 



24 St. Thomas, Summa Theol., ia "Mali auctor non est [Deus], qui 

 aae, qu. 79, art. 2: "Deus est causa omnium, quae sunt, auctor est; quia 

 actus peccati; non tamen est causa inquantum sunt, infantum bona 

 peccati, quia non est causa huius, sunt." (Migne, P. L., XL, 16). 

 quod actus sit cum defectu." — 26 St. Augustine, Enchiridion, c. 

 Ibid. (Sed contra): "Actus peccati 13: "Omnis natura, etiam vitiosa, 

 est qui Jam motus liberi arbitrii. inquantum natura est, bona est; in- 

 Sed voluntas Dei est causa omnium quantum vitiosa est, mala est." (P. 

 motionum, ut Augustinus dicit (De L., XL, 16, 28). 



Trinit., Ill, c. 4 et 9). Ergo vo- 27 Cone. Trident., Sess. VI, can. 



luntas Dei est causa actus peccati." 6: "Si quis dixerit, non esse in po- 



25 De Divers. Quaest., 83, n. 21: testate hominis, vias suas malas fa- 



