89. The Five Signs of Divine Will

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Five Signs of Divine Will #

Thomas divides God’s manifestations of will into five signs:

• Prohibition (prohibitio)
• Precept or Command (praeceptum)
• Counsel (consilium)
• Operation or Doing (operatio)
• Permission (permissio)

The Problem of Division #

These five signs raise questions about proper classification:

• Some signs (command, counsel, prohibition) pertain only to rational creatures
• Others (operation, permission) apply to all creatures
• Yet Thomas uses them in a single division, requiring explanation

Direct vs. Indirect Action #

God’s operation divides into two modes:

• Direct operation: God does something by himself (operatio)
• Indirect operation: God permits something by not impeding it (permissio/prohibens)
  • Removal of an impediment constitutes a form of causation
  • Example: Samson pushing the pillar—he is removens (removing) the support, thus causing the roof to fall

God’s Declaration of Will Through Others #

When ordering another to act, God declares His will through:

• Necessary induction (necessaria inductio): by command or prohibition
  • Commands: direct will that someone do something
  • Prohibitions: direct will against something
• Persuasive induction (persuasoria inductio): through counsel
  • Induction here means persuasion, not logical induction
  • Does not force; inclines the will without necessity
  • Example: Christ counseling the rich young man to sell all and follow Him—not required for salvation, but the better way

Temporal Application of the Signs #

Thomas further distinguishes the signs by their reference to time:

• Permission and operation: refer to the present
  • Permission applies to present evil
  • Operation applies to present good
• Prohibition and command: refer to the future regarding bad and necessary good respectively
• Counsel: refers to the future regarding superabundant good

Key Arguments #

Objection 1: Apparent Overlap #

These signs seem to overlap—the same thing could be subject to both command and counsel, or operation and prohibition.

Response: Nothing prevents the same thing from being declared as God’s will in diverse ways, just as many names can signify the same thing. God can declare His will about the same matter through multiple signs.

Objection 2: Will of Sign vs. Will of Complacence #

God does nothing without willing it (Book of Wisdom 11). But the will of the sign is distinguished from the will of complacence. Therefore, operation should not be comprehended under the will of the sign.

Response: Just as God is able to will metaphorically that which He does not properly will, so He can metaphorically signify willing that which He properly wills. Operation is always the same with the will of complacence, whereas command and counsel are not—the former concerns the present, the latter the future.

Objection 3: Different Orders of Things #

Operation and permission pertain to all creatures (both rational and irrational); command, counsel, and prohibition pertain only to rational creatures. They should not be in one division since they are not of one order.

Response: The rational creature is master of its own act. Therefore, God has special signs of His will regarding rational creatures—He orders or directs them to doing things voluntarily. Other creatures act only as moved by divine action, so only operation and permission apply to them.

Objection 4: Asymmetry Between Evil and Good #

Evil happens in many ways (as Aristotle teaches: many ways to miss the target, one way to hit it). Yet only one sign is assigned for bad things (prohibition), while two are assigned for good things (counsel and command). This is unsuitable.

Response: Every evil of guilt, though happening in many ways, is unified insofar as all evils are discordant from the divine will—hence one sign suffices (prohibition). Good things relate to divine goodness in diverse ways:

• Some things are necessary to attain the enjoyment of divine goodness → Precept
• Some things help us attain divine goodness more perfectly → Counsel
  • The counsels remove impediments to the perfection of charity (as explained by St. Francis de Sales)
  • Or counsel concerns avoiding lesser evils (de minoribus malis mitandis)

Important Definitions #

Key Latin Terms #

• Operatio: Direct operation; God acting by Himself
• Permissio: Permission; God not impeding an operation that occurs
• Removens/Prohibens: The one removing or preventing—removal of an impediment is a form of causation
• Necessaria inductio: Necessary induction—compelling the will through command or prohibition
• Persuasoria inductio: Persuasive induction—inclining the will without compelling through counsel
• Praeceptum: Precept or command; God’s direct will that something be done
• Consilium: Counsel; God’s persuasion toward a higher good
• Prohibitio: Prohibition; God’s direct will against something

The Three Counsels of the Religious Life #

Thomas notes that the Church traditionally distinguishes three counsels (poverty, chastity, obedience), which relate to the three kinds of goods identified by Socrates:

• Exterior goods (given up by poverty)
• Bodily goods (given up by chastity)
• Goods of the soul (given up by obedience to another’s will)

Examples & Illustrations #

Samson and the Pillar #

When Samson pushes the pillar supporting the roof, causing it to collapse, he is not directly causing the roof to fall in every sense. Rather, he is removens (removing) the supporting pillar. This illustrates how removal of an impediment constitutes causation—an example of indirect operation or what God accomplishes through permission.

Christ and the Rich Young Man #

When the rich young man asks, “What must I do to be saved?”, Christ first lists the precepts (commandments). When the young man claims to have kept them, Christ then counsels him: “Go, sell everything you have and come follow me.” This is not presented as necessary for salvation but as the better, more perfect way—illustrating the distinction between precept (necessary) and counsel (persuasive, inviting to greater perfection).

Logical vs. Persuasive Induction #

Berquist clarifies the word inductio (induction/inducement):

• Logical induction: Drawing a conclusion from particular cases (e.g., observing 100 frogs all have three-chambered hearts and concluding all frogs do). This does not force necessity.
• Persuasive induction: Making something attractive or appealing to incline the will. Example: a car salesman offering free oil changes to induce you to buy the car. The word persuasion comes from Latin meaning “sweet” (suavis)—making the deal sweet.

The Cat and the Pill #

Berquist illustrates the difficulty of persuasion with an example from a book on giving cats medicine: one makes little meatballs, places the pill in one, and tosses them to the cat. Before offering the one with the pill, toss others so the cat is induced to take them. But persuasion works only when the cat is willing; if the cat refuses, you must force it.

Questions Addressed #

Primary Question: How Are the Five Signs Properly Divided? #

Thomas divides them into two main groups:

1. Direct and indirect self-expression of will: Operation (direct) and Permission (indirect)
2. Declaration of will to another: Command/Prohibition (necessary induction) and Counsel (persuasive induction)

This division respects the principle that things pertaining to all creatures should not be classified with things pertaining only to rational creatures, while maintaining logical unity through the principle that all these are signs by which God manifests His will.