aspect of good, wherefore prudence also is only one.
Reply Obj. 3: It belongs to Divine Providence alone to consider all
things that may happen beside the common course. On the other hand,
among men, he who is most discerning can judge a greater number of
such things by his reason: this belongs to _gnome,_ which denotes a
certain discrimination in judgment.
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QUESTION 52
OF THE GIFT OF COUNSEL
(In Four Articles)
We must now consider the gift of counsel which corresponds to
prudence. Under this head there are four points of inquiry:
(1) Whether counsel should be reckoned among the seven gifts of the
Holy Ghost?
(2) Whether the gift of counsel corresponds to prudence?
(3) Whether the gift of counsel remains in heaven?
(4) Whether the fifth beatitude, "Blessed are the merciful," etc.
corresponds to the gift of counsel?
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FIRST ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 52, Art. 1]
Whether Counsel Should Be Reckoned Among the Gifts of the Holy Ghost?
Objection 1: It would seem that counsel should not be reckoned among
the gifts of the Holy Ghost. The gifts of the Holy Ghost are given as
a help to the virtues, according to Gregory (Moral. ii, 49). Now for
the purpose of taking counsel, man is sufficiently perfected by the
virtue of prudence, or even of _euboulia_, as is evident from what
has been said (Q. 47, A. 1, ad 2; Q. 51, AA. 1, 2). Therefore counsel
should not be reckoned among the gifts of the Holy Ghost.
Obj. 2: Further, the difference between the seven gifts of the Holy
Ghost and the gratuitous graces seems to be that the latter are not
given to all, but are divided among various people, whereas the gifts
of the Holy Ghost are given to all who have the Holy Ghost. But
counsel seems to be one of those things which are given by the Holy
Ghost specially to certain persons, according to 1 Macc. 2:65:
"Behold . . . your brother Simon is a man of counsel." Therefore
counsel should be numbered among the gratuitous graces rather than
among the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost.
Obj. 3: Further, it is written (Rom. 8:14): "Whosoever are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." But counselling is not
consistent with being led by another. Since then the gifts of the
Holy Ghost are most befitting the children of God, who "have received
the spirit of adoption of sons," it would seem that counsel should
not be numbered among the gifts of the Holy Ghost.
_On the contr
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