Whether Temporal Goods Fall Under Merit?
Objection 1: It would seem that temporal goods fall under merit. For
what is promised to some as a reward of justice, falls under merit.
Now, temporal goods were promised in the Old Law as the reward of
justice, as appears from Deut. 28. Hence it seems that temporal goods
fall under merit.
Obj. 2: Further, that would seem to fall under merit, which God
bestows on anyone for a service done. But God sometimes bestows
temporal goods on men for services done for Him. For it is written
(Ex. 1:21): "And because the midwives feared God, He built them
houses"; on which a gloss of Gregory (Moral. xviii, 4) says that
"life everlasting might have been awarded them as the fruit of their
goodwill, but on account of their sin of falsehood they received an
earthly reward." And it is written (Ezech. 29:18): "The King of
Babylon hath made his army to undergo hard service against Tyre . . .
and there hath been no reward given him," and further on: "And it
shall be wages for his army . . . I have given him the land of Egypt
because he hath labored for me." Therefore temporal goods fall under
merit.
Obj. 3: Further, as good is to merit so is evil to demerit. But on
account of the demerit of sin some are punished by God with temporal
punishments, as appears from the Sodomites, Gen. 19. Hence temporal
goods fall under merit.
Obj. 4: _On the contrary,_ What falls under merit does not come upon
all alike. But temporal goods regard the good and the wicked alike;
according to Eccles. 9:2: "All things equally happen to the just and
the wicked, to the good and to the evil, to the clean and to the
unclean, to him that offereth victims and to him that despiseth
sacrifices." Therefore temporal goods do not fall under merit.
_I answer that,_ What falls under merit is the reward or wage, which
is a kind of good. Now man's good is twofold: the first, simply; the
second, relatively. Now man's good simply is his last end (according
to Ps. 72:27: "But it is good for men to adhere to my God") and
consequently what is ordained and leads to this end; and these fall
simply under merit. But the relative, not the simple, good of man is
what is good to him now, or what is a good to him relatively; and
this does not fall under merit simply, but relatively.
Hence we must say that if temporal goods are considered as they are
useful for virtuous works, whereby we are led to heaven, they fall
directly and simply under merit, even as increase of grace, and
everything whereby a man is helped to attain beatitude after the
first grace. For God gives men, both just and wicked, enough temporal
goods to enable them to attain to everlasting life; and thus these
temporal goods are simply good. Hence it is written (Ps. 33:10): "For
there is no want to them that fear Him," and again, Ps. 36:25: "I
have not seen the just forsaken," etc.
But if these temporal goods are considered in themselves, they are
not man's good simply, but relatively, and thus they do not fall
under merit simply, but relatively, inasmuch as men are moved by God
to do temporal works, in which with God's help they reach their
purpose. And thus as life everlasting is simply the reward of the
works of justice in relation to the Divine motion, as stated above
(AA. 3, 6), so have temporal goods, considered in themselves, the
nature of reward, with respect to the Divine motion, whereby men's
wills are moved to undertake these works, even though, sometimes, men
have not a right intention in them.
Reply Obj. 1: As Augustine says (Contra Faust. iv, 2), "in these
temporal promises were figures of spiritual things to come. For the
carnal people were adhering to the promises of the present life; and
not merely their speech but even their life was prophetic."
Reply Obj. 2: These rewards are said to have been divinely brought
about in relation to the Divine motion, and not in relation to the
malice of their wills, especially as regards the King of Babylon,
since he did not besiege Tyre as if wishing to serve God, but rather
in order to usurp dominion. So, too, although the midwives had a good
will with regard to saving the children, yet their will was not
right, inasmuch as they framed falsehoods.
Reply Obj. 3: Temporal evils are imposed as a punishment on the
wicked, inasmuch as they are not thereby helped to reach life
everlasting. But to the just who are aided by these evils they are
not punishments but medicines as stated above (Q. 87, A. 8).
Reply Obj. 4: All things happen equally to the good and the wicked,
as regards the substance of temporal good or evil; but not as regards
the end, since the good and not the wicked are led to beatitude by
them.
And now enough has been said regarding morals in general.