Second Question. On The Means To The Ultimate End

18. What they are. In order that man may be able to attain the end to which he is destined, God willed him to be furnished with suitable means and powers. These are of two kinds, natural means and supernatural means; and both the natural and the supernatural are some external, others internal.

1. The external natural means are: a. created things existing besides man, which supply him with the necessities of life; b. the diverse forms of societies, the family and civil society. The internal natural means with which the soul is furnished are especially the intellect and the will, by which it can know and love its highest good.

The philosophical disciplines treat of all these things; supposing their doctrines, in this place we treat only of the liberty of the will, concerning which several points must be noted which are of the greatest importance in moral theology.

2. The external supernatural means which Christ the Lord instituted for this end are the Church, sacrifice, the sacraments, and the like. The internal supernatural means with which the soul is furnished, so that it may be able to tend to the supernatural end, are: a. sanctifying grace, which inheres in the substance of the soul and elevates man to a supernatural nature and life proportioned to the supernatural end to which he is destined; b. infused habits, which inhere in the powers of the soul, namely in the intellect and appetite, and furnish man with the forces and powers by which he can exercise works proportioned to the supernatural end; c. actual graces, by which God concurs with individual supernatural actions of man, in that He preveniently assists, accompanies, and perfects them by His help.

In order that man may tend by his moral acts to the ultimate end, the powers by which moral acts are elicited must be furnished with dispositions and qualities stable in themselves, by which they are rendered apt for eliciting acts consonant with the end; therefore God has placed habits in the powers, and these supernatural habits. Further, in order that the powers furnished with habits may be able to act supernaturally, they also need actual grace, by which they are excited to acts. Finally, in order that their acts may be meritorious of eternal life, the soul must be adorned with sanctifying grace. In these are contained all the internal means which are necessary to man so that he may be able to live a moral life consonant with the ultimate end.

Dogmatic theology treats of grace, whether habitual or actual; but those things which are necessary to know about infused habits must be set forth in this place. Now infused habits are of two kinds, supernatural virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit, concerning which we must now treat.