Whether Grace Is the Principle of Merit Through Charity Rather Than
the Other Virtues?
Objection 1: It would seem that grace is not the principle of merit
through charity rather than the other virtues. For wages are due to
work, according to Matt. 20:8: "Call the laborers and pay them their
hire." Now every virtue is a principle of some operation, since
virtue is an operative habit, as stated above (Q. 55, A. 2). Hence
every virtue is equally a principle of merit.
Obj. 2: Further, the Apostle says (1 Cor. 3:8): "Every man shall
receive his own reward according to his labor." Now charity lessens
rather than increases the labor, because as Augustine says (De Verbis
Dom., Serm. lxx), "love makes all hard and repulsive tasks easy and
next to nothing." Hence charity is no greater principle of merit than
any other virtue.
Obj. 3: Further, the greatest principle of merit would seem to be the
one whose acts are most meritorious. But the acts of faith and
patience or fortitude would seem to be the most meritorious, as
appears in the martyrs, who strove for the faith patiently and
bravely even till death. Hence other virtues are a greater principle
of merit than charity.
_On the contrary,_ Our Lord said (John 14:21): "He that loveth Me,
shall be loved of My Father; and I will love him and will manifest
Myself to him." Now everlasting life consists in the manifest
knowledge of God, according to John 17:3: "This is eternal life: that
they may know Thee, the only true" and living "God." Hence the merit
of eternal life rests chiefly with charity.
_I answer that,_ As we may gather from what has been stated above (A.
1), human acts have the nature of merit from two causes: first and
chiefly from the Divine ordination, inasmuch as acts are said to
merit that good to which man is divinely ordained. Secondly, on the
part of free-will, inasmuch as man, more than other creatures, has
the power of voluntary acts by acting by himself. And in both these
ways does merit chiefly rest with charity. For we must bear in mind
that everlasting life consists in the enjoyment of God. Now the human
mind's movement to the fruition of the Divine good is the proper act
of charity, whereby all the acts of the other virtues are ordained to
this end, since all the other virtues are commanded by charity. Hence
the merit of life everlasting pertains first to charity, and
secondly, to the other virtues, inasmuch as their acts are commanded
by charity. So, likewise, is it manifest that what we do out of love
we do most willingly. Hence, even inasmuch as merit depends on
voluntariness, merit is chiefly attributed to charity.
Reply Obj. 1: Charity, inasmuch as it has the last end for object,
moves the other virtues to act. For the habit to which the end
pertains always commands the habits to which the means pertain, as
was said above (Q. 9, A. 1).
Reply Obj. 2: A work can be toilsome and difficult in two ways:
first, from the greatness of the work, and thus the greatness of the
work pertains to the increase of merit; and thus charity does not
lessen the toil--rather, it makes us undertake the greatest toils,
"for it does great things, if it exists," as Gregory says (Hom. in
Evang. xxx). Secondly, from the defect of the operator; for what is
not done with a ready will is hard and difficult to all of us, and
this toil lessens merit and is removed by charity.
Reply Obj. 3: The act of faith is not meritorious unless "faith . . .
worketh by charity" (Gal. 5:6). So, too, the acts of patience and
fortitude are not meritorious unless a man does them out of charity,
according to 1 Cor. 13:3: "If I should deliver my body to be burned,
and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."
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