It would not be proper to attribute to Him the homely (or, civil)
virtues, such as prudence, which "relates to the rational part of our
nature"; courage, which "relates to our irascible part"; temperance,
which consists of the harmonious consonance of our desires and our
reason; last, of justice, which "consists in the accomplishment by all
these faculties of the function proper to each of them," "whether to
command, or to obey," (as said Plato[338]). But if we cannot become
assimilated to the divinity by these homely virtues, that process
must demand similarly named virtues of a superior order. However,
these homely virtues would not be entirely useless to achieve that
result, for one cannot say that while practising them one does not at
all resemble the divinity as they who practise them are reputed to be
godlike. These lower virtues do therefore yield some resemblance to the
divinity, but complete assimilation can result only from virtues of a
higher order.
THE DIVINE NEED NOT POSSESS THE LOWER VIRTUES BY WHICH WE ARE
ASSIMILATED TO HIM.
Virtues, even if they be not homely, are therefore ultimately ascribed
(to the divinity). Granting that the divinity does not possess the
homely virtues, we may still become assimilated to Him by other virtues
for with virtues of another order the case might differ. Therefore,
without assimilating ourselves to the divinity by homely virtues we
might nevertheless by means of virtues which still are ours, become
assimilated to the Being which does not possess virtue.
This may be explained by an illustration. When a body is warmed by the
presence of fire, the fire itself need not be heated by the presence of
another fire. It might be argued that there was heat in the fire, but
a heat that is innate. Reasoning by analogy, the virtue, which in the
soul is only adventitious, is innate in Him from whom the soul derives
it by imitation; (in other words, the cause need not necessarily
possess the same qualities as the effect).
Our argument from heat might however be questioned, inasmuch as the
divinity really does possess virtue, though it be of a higher nature.
This observation would be correct, if the virtue in which the soul
participates were identical with the principle from which she derives
it. But there is a complete opposition; for when we see a house, the
sense-house is not identical with the intelligible House, though
possessing resemblance thereto. Indeed, the sense-house participates in
order and proportion, though neither order, proportion, nor symmetry
could be attributed to the idea of the House. Likewise, we derived
from the divinity order, proportion and harmony, which, here below,
are conditions of virtue, without thereby implying that the divinity
Himself need possess order, proportion, or harmony. Similarly, it is
not necessary that He possess virtue, although we become assimilated to
Him thereby.
Such is our demonstration that human assimilation to the divine
Intelligence by virtue does not (necessarily imply) (in the divine
Intelligence itself) possession of virtue. Mere logical demonstration
thereof is not, however, sufficient; we must also convince.