II. Triple end of each thing; plant example; harmony for self, others, whole, and God; against Epicureans and chance
II. Now of each thing produced by GOD there is a threefold end: first, conservation of itself, to which it is driven by pleasure and pain; second, the use of others, to which it is driven by fear and desire; third, the order and integrity of the universe, which is for God in the harmony and concurrence of causes and in the first necessity. So a plant makes fruit for its own conservation, to which fear of death and love of life drive it; from this results the second end, the nourishing of animals from its fruits, since imperfect beings exist for perfect ones; and the life of animals is for the integrity of the world. Therefore the end of the plant is the worlds integrity. But those that more immediately attain the last end are nobler than the rest.
Besides their proper end, things have many other ends that beget harmony for the world; and whatever is evil and excrementitious has most excellent ends. So choleric humor is gathered in the gall lest it infect the blood; and because it goes to its like, it is vital to the gall, and then serves great uses. From which it is plain there is a Craftsman of things who so disposed and tempered them that while each acts for itself it is at once useful to others, and all to the whole, and the whole is dedicated and set under sail for Gods glory. Harmony therefore does not consist only in each things acting for itself, but in this: that while it acts for itself it acts at once for others, for the whole, and for God.
And this reason of order is from the first wisdom. But the beauty rising from order is from the first love; and beauty itself, not as a sign by which we are carried to the notion of the good, but as an influx from active love, is the seat of harmony. Therefore, since the Craftsman of things is most wise and can and knows all things and wills according to His nature, He must dispose and order all things. Nothing therefore is by chance with respect to Him. Otherwise many things would happen beside necessity, beside fate, and beside harmony, and He Himself would be subject to fate and not fate to Him — which is as foolish and absurd as subjecting the inventor of an art to the art rather than the art to the inventor.
From all of which it becomes plain that the Epicureans, Muhammadans, and others gravely err who against harmony think all things happen by chance, breaking Gods power, wisdom, and love, by which ends are appointed even to harmful animals, serpents, flies and the like, and even to infirmities. Nor are wars, plague, famine, and death itself excluded from this harmony. For these too are useful to the world, as the discord of heat and cold — for inventing doctrines, for changing kingdoms, for punishing sins, and for the exercise and varied demonstration of virtue.
Latin
II. Est autem cuiusque rei a DEO productae triplex finis: 1. conservationis sui, ad quam impellitur voluptate et dolore; 2. usus aliorum, ad quae impellitur metu et desiderio; 3. universi ordo et integritas, quae est propter Deum in harmonia et concursu causarum et necessitate prima. Sic planta facit fructus propter conservationem sui, ad quam timor mortis et amor vitae impellit, ex quo resultat secundus finis, qui est animalium nutricatus e fructibus eius, siquidem imperfecta entia sunt propter perfecta entia; animalium autem vita est ad mundi integritatem. Ergo finis plantae est mundi integritas. Sed quae immediatius attingunt ultimum finem, ea sunt caeteris nobiliora. Sunt autem rebus praeter proprium finem multi alii, qui mundo harmoniam pariunt, et quaecunque mala et excrementitia sunt, habent fines optimos. Sic humor cholericus unitur in felle, ne sanguinem inficiat, et quia vadit ad simile, vitalis est felli, ac deinde servit usibus magnis. Ex quibus manifestum est esse opificem rerum, qui ita disposuit et contemperavit res, ut dum pro se agunt singulae sint simul utiles aliis, et omnes toti, totum vero dedicatur et velificetur Dei gloriae. Harmonia igitur non consistit in eo duntaxat quod res quaelibet agat propter se, sed dum agit propter se, agat simul propter alia, et totum, et Deum. Et haec ordinis ratio est a sapientia prima. Sed pulchritudo oriens ab ordine est ab amore primo, et ipsa pulchritudo non ut signum quo rapimur ad boni notionem, sed ut influxus ab amore activo, est sedes harmoniae. Quapropter cum sapientissimus sit rerum opifex et omnia possit et sciat et naturae suae convenienter velit, omnia disponat et ordinet oportet. Nihil igitur est a casu respectu illius. Sic enim multa evenirent praeter necessitatem et praeter fatum et praeter harmoniam, et ipse subiectus esset fato et non fatum ipsi — id quod tam stultum et absurdum est, ac si artificem artis inventorem subiicias arti, non vero artem inventori. Ex quibus omnibus planum fit graviter errare Epicureos, Mahumedanos et alios, qui contra harmoniam omnia casu evenire opinantur, infringentes Dei potentiam, sapientiam et amorem, quo singulis sui praestituuntur fines, etiam noxiis animalibus, serpentibus, muscis ac similibus, imo et infirmitatibus. Neque ab hac harmonia excluduntur bella, pestis, fames et mors ipsa. Nam et haec utilia sunt mundo, sicut caloris et frigoris discordia, tum ad doctrinas inveniendas, tum ad regna mutanda, tum ad peccatorum punitionem, tum ad virtutis exercitium et variam demonstrationem.