b.2.1. The Divine Intellect
God causes things by His knowledge. Having this question answered by St. Thomas, the argument of which leaned towards the discussion of the divine causality through His knowledge. In the previous discussion, it is concluded that the esse of God is His own act of understanding. With this, it can be said that “He must understand Himself perfectly, which includes a perfect understanding of all that He causes, which is everything.” It is understood, then, that inasmuch as we understand that the perfection of understanding is in God, the understanding of His creatures can be also attributed to Him perfectly. Thus, God knows all other things by knowing Himself inasmuch as all His effects are in His essence in an intelligible mode, for all things are in God virtually as effects in their cause.
St. Thomas argues that the cause of all things is God. He states that
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The Divine Will
“There is will in God as there is intellect: since will follows upon intellect.” It is clear in this passage that St. Thomas asserts that there is will in God, which we call the divine will. All the perfection is in Him so one could say that the perfection of the will is in God since it follows upon intellect.
The next question as regards the divine will that St. Thomas tried to elaborate upon is the question whether God wills something apart from Himself. St. Thomas clearly says yes, that God wills creatures apart from Himself and these creatures are ordered to the divine goodness that is God. St. Thomas argues that the will of God is extended to the creatures. St. Thomas says:
God wills not only Himself, but other things apart from Himself…For natural things have a natural inclination not only towards their own proper good, to acquire it if not possessed, and, if possessed, to rest therein; but also to spread abroad their own good amongst others, so far as possible. Hence we say that every agent, in so far as it is perfect and in act, produces its