his or another's
will to sin; secondly, indirectly, namely by not preventing someone
from sinning. Hence (Ezech. 3:18) it is said to the watchman: "If
thou say not to the wicked: 'Thou shalt surely die' [*Vulg.: "If,
when I say to the wicked, 'Thou shalt surely die,' thou declare it
not to him."] . . . I will require his blood at thy hand." Now God
cannot be directly the cause of sin, either in Himself or in another,
since every sin is a departure from the order which is to God as the
end: whereas God inclines and turns all things to Himself as to their
last end, as Dionysius states (Div. Nom. i): so that it is impossible
that He should be either to Himself or to another the cause of
departing from the order which is to Himself. Therefore He cannot be
directly the cause of sin. In like manner neither can He cause sin
indirectly. For it happens that God does not give some the
assistance, whereby they may avoid sin, which assistance were He to
give, they would not sin. But He does all this according to the order
of His wisdom and justice, since He Himself is Wisdom and Justice: so
that if someone sin it is not imputable to Him as though He were the
cause of that sin; even as a pilot is not said to cause the wrecking
of the ship, through not steering the ship, unless he cease to steer
while able and bound to steer. It is therefore evident that God is
nowise a cause of sin.

Reply Obj. 1: As to the words of the Apostle, the solution is clear
from the text. For if God delivered some up to a reprobate sense, it
follows that they already had a reprobate sense, so as to do what was
not right. Accordingly He is said to deliver them up to a reprobate
sense, in so far as He does not hinder them from following that
reprobate sense, even as we are said to expose a person to danger if
we do not protect him. The saying of Augustine (De Grat. et Lib. Arb.
xxi, whence the gloss quoted is taken) to the effect that "God
inclines men's wills to good and evil," is to be understood as
meaning that He inclines the will directly to good; and to evil, in
so far as He does not hinder it, as stated above. And yet even this
is due as being deserved through a previous sin.

Reply Obj. 2: When it is said the "creatures of God are turned 'to'
an abomination, and a temptation to the souls of men," the
preposition "to" does not denote causality but sequel [*This is made
clear by the Douay Version: the Latin "factae sunt in abominationem"
admits of t