Disputationes metaphysicae

Divine and supernatural theology, although it rests upon divine light and upon principles revealed by God, is nevertheless brought to completion by human discourse and reasoning, and so it is also aided by truths known by the light of nature, and it uses them as servants and, as it were, instruments for perfecting its discourses and illustrating divine truths. Among all the natural sciences, however, that one which is first of all, and has obtained the name of first philosophy, chiefly serves sacred and supernatural theology. This is both because among them all it comes nearest to the knowledge of divine things, and also because it explains and confirms those natural principles which embrace all things universally and in a certain way support and sustain all doctrine. For this reason, therefore, although I have been occupied in treating and bringing to light weightier commentaries and disputations of sacred theology, I have been compelled to interrupt their course for a little while, or rather to slacken it, in order that what I had worked out as a young man many years ago concerning this natural wisdom, and had publicly dictated, I might at least review and enrich at successive intervals, so that it could be communicated to all for the public benefit. For since, in the course of disputing about the divine mysteries, these metaphysical doctrines kept presenting themselves, without the knowledge and understanding of which those higher mysteries can scarcely, or not even scarcely, be treated as they deserve, I was often compelled either to mix lower questions with divine and supernatural things, which is disagreeable to readers and of little use; or certainly, in order to avoid this inconvenience, to propose my opinion briefly on matters of this kind and to ask of readers, as it were, a bare faith in them. Which could rightly have seemed both troublesome to me and importunate to them. For these principles and metaphysical truths so cohere with theological conclusions and discourses that, if the science and perfect knowledge of the former is taken away, the science of the latter too must necessarily be greatly shaken. Induced, therefore, by these reasons and at the request of many, I decided to write this work in advance, in which I might embrace all metaphysical disputations in that method of doctrine which is more apt for the comprehension of the things themselves and for brevity, and which serves revealed wisdom more. Wherefore it will not be necessary to distribute or divide this work into several books; for in a brief number of disputations all those things can be comprehended and exhausted which are proper to this doctrine, or which belong to its subject under that aspect under which it is considered in it; but those things which pertain to pure philosophy or dialectic (on which other metaphysical writers dwell at length) we shall cut away, as far as possible, as foreign to the present doctrine. But before I begin to speak of the matter subject to this doctrine, I shall undertake, God favouring, to discuss wisdom or metaphysics itself, and its object, usefulness, necessity, attributes and functions.