Article II: On Superstitious Worship of a Creature

Observation concerning order. The ancients were accustomed, and after them not a few modern writers of moral theology still are accustomed, to set forth the argument of superstitious worship of a creature in such a way that first they speak successively of idolatry, or explicitly of worship of a creature, then of divination by which knowledge is sought, then of vain observances by which other good or evil effects are superstitiously sought or avoided. (Cf. St. Thomas, 2, 2, q. 94-96.) This order, drawn partly from the matter, generates a confusion between those things which are grave by their whole genus and those which are practically excused from grave sin, which seems rather to be avoided ¹. Wherefore it seems better to attend to formal differences, and thence to distinguish undue and open worship of a creature, or idolatry; implicit worship, which is contained in magic; and vain observances which can be purified from that worship.

¹ Hence, if we are not mistaken, moderns have been moved to excuse implicit invocation of the devil from grave sin. Yet it does not escape us by what ratio a true invocation of the devil changes its theological species because it is implicit rather than explicit. (Thus, for example, Aertnijs, I, 419.)