Summa contra Gentiles3.81 Chapter LXXXI. Of the ordering of men among themselves and to other things

the order of divine providence only in a general way; whereas, in order to acquire perfect knowledge of that order things in which the order of divine providence is already established in detail. Consequently the human soul needs bodily organs, so as to be able to receive knowledge from things having bodies. And yet, on account of the weakness of its intellectual light, it is unable to acquire perfect knowledge of things that concern man, without the help of higher spirits, God so disposing that the lower spirits reach perfection through the higher, as we have already proved.” Since animals which have none at all are subject to man, acsaid (Gen. i. 26): Let us make man to our own image and likeness, that is to say, inasmuch as he is an intelligent being, and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the earth. Dumb animals, though bereft of intellect, yet, since they have some kind of knowledge, are placed by the order of divine providence above plants and other things devoid of knowledge. Hence it is said (Gen. i. 29-30): Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat, and to all the beasts of the earth.

Among those that are wholly bereft of knowledge, one thing. is placed before another according as one is more capable of action than another. For they have no share in the disposition of providence, but only in the execution.

And since man has both intelligence, and sense, and bodily powers, these things are dependent on one another, according to the disposition of divine providence, in likeness to the order to be observed in the universe. For bodily power is subject to the powers of sense and intellect, as carrying out their commands; and the sensitive power is subject to the intellective, and is controlled by its rule.

In the same way, we find order among men. For those who excel in intelligence, are naturally rulers; whereas those who are less intelligent, but strong in body, seem made by nature for service, as Aristotle says in his Politics. The statement of Solomon (Prov. xi. 29) is in agreement with this: The fool shall serve the wise; as also the words of Exodus (xvili. 21, 22): Provide out of all the people wise men such as fear God... who may judge the people at all times.

And just as in the works of one man there is disorder through the intellect being obsequious to the sensual faculty; while the sensual faculty, through indisposition of the body, is drawn to the movement of the body, as instanced in those who limp: so too, in human government disorder results from a man being set in authority, not on account of his excelling in intelligence, but because he has usurped the government by bodily force, or has been appointed to rule through motives of sensual affection. Nor does Solomon omit to mention this disorder, for he says (Eccles. x. 5, 6): There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were by an error proceeding from the face of the prince; a fool set in high dignity. Now divine providence does not exclude a disorder of this kind: for it results, by God’s permission, from the fault of the inferior agents; even as we have said of other evils. Nor is the natural order wholly perverted by such a disorder: for the government of fools is weak, unless it be strengthened by the counsels of the wise. Hence it is said (Prov. xx. 18): Designs are strengthened by counsels: and wars are to be arranged by governments; and (xxiv. 5, 6);

Ss eitersmsegas 2 Vulg., able. 3 Chey bea CHAPTER LXXXII 207 A wise man is strong, and a knowing man, stout and valiant: because war is managed by due ordering, and there shall be safety when there are many counsels. And since the counsellor rules him who receives his counsel, and, in a sense, governs him, it is said (Prov. xvii. 2) that a wise servant shall rule over foolish sons.

_ Itis therefore evident that divine providence imposes order on all things, and thus the Apostle says truly (Rom. xii. 1) that the things which ave of God are well ordered.’