Summa contra Gentiles3.68 Chapter LXVIII. That God is everywhere

From this it is evident that God must be everywhere and in all things.

as the Philosopher proves (7 Phys. ii.). Now God moves all things in their actions, as we have proved.’ Therefore He is in all things.

_ Again. Whatever is in a place, or in anything whatsoever, is, after a manner, in contact therewith: for a body is located somewhere by contact of dimensive quantity: while an incorporeal thing is said to be somewhere by contact of its power, since it lacks dimensive quantity. Accordingly an incorporeal thing stands in relation to being somewhere sequently if there be an incorporeal thing with infinite the First Book? that God has infinite power. Therefore He Besides. As an individual cause is to an individual effect, so is a universal cause to a universal effect. Now the individual cause must neéds be present to its proper effect: thus fire by its substance gives out heat, and the is the universal cause of all being, as we proved in the there also is God present.

Furthermore. If an agent be present to but one of its effects, its action cannot extend to other things except through that one, because agent and patient must be simulit would follow that His action cannot extend to other things except through that first effect. But this is unreasonable. For if the action of an agent cannot extend to other things except through some first effect, the latter must correspond proportionately to the agent as regards whole power: thus we see that all the movements which the motive power is able to cause, can be performed by the heart. Now there is no creature through which can be done everything that the divine power is capable of doing: -for the divine power surpasses infinitely every created unreasonable to say that the divine action does not extend to other things except through some first thing. Therefore He is present, not in one only, but in all His effects.—For it would amount to the same if someone were to say that He is in some, and not in all: because no matter how many divine effects we take, they will not suffice to carry into effect the execution of the divine power.

with its proximate and immediate effect. Now in each thing there is a proximate and immediate effect of God.

creation: in bodies, there is primary matter; in incorporeal we have said in the Second Book.? Accordingly God must those things He called into being from non-being, are continually preserved in being by him, as we have proved. Wherefore it is said (Jer. xxiii. 24): I fill heaven and earth;

aif I descend into hell, Thou art present.

Hereby we refute the error of some who said that God is in a definite part of the world, for instance in the first heaven, and in the eastern portion, so that he is the principle of the heavenly movement.—Yet this statement of theirs might be upheld if rightly understood; so that the meaning world, but that in the natural order, owing to the divine motion, all corporeal movement begins in one particular as being in heaven, according to Isa. lxvi. 1: Heaven 1s 1) Ch. xv. 2a Ch lsc. SC KV SCGOs * Ch. xvi My throne, and Ps. cxiii. 16: The heaven of heavens ts only to the heavenly body but also to the lowest things. But we must not think that God is everywhere as though He were distributed throughout local space, one part of Nor is He simple in the same way as a point which is the a definite place therein; so that one point cannot be elsewhere than in one indivisible place. But God is indivisible as existing altogether outside the genus of continuous quantity. Consequently He is not necessitated by His essence to a definite place, great or small, as though He needed to be in some place: for He was from eternity before there was any place. Yet by the immensity of His power He reaches all things that are in a place, because He is the universal cause of being, as we have stated.t Accordingly, He is wholly wheresoever He is. And yet again we must not think’ that He is in things as though He were mingled with them: for we proved in the First Book that He is neither the matter nor the form of anything. But He is in all things as active cause.