Summa summae S. Thomae, Tomus II

You will ask 1° whether the justification of the impious takes place in an instant.

I answer. 1°. The justification of the impious, taken for the infusion of grace and the remission of sins, takes place in an instant¹ ; because that a form be produced successively arises from this, that either the subject is not in ultimate disposition, or because the agent, since it is of finite power, needs time to overcome the resistance of the subject and introduce the form. But here we suppose the ultimate disposition, since we speak of the justification of the impious as it means simply the infusion of grace; and besides, since God requires no disposition except what he himself makes, he can effect it in the instant in which he produces grace itself, as he did in Paul; and since he is of infinite power, he does not need time to overcome the resistance of the subject. Therefore.

It is confirmed. When between the extremes of a change or motion there is no medium through which one passes from one extreme to the other, the passage from one to the other takes place in an instant. But between the extremes of justification, which are grace and the privation of grace, no medium is given. Therefore.

I answer. 2°. If indeed justification is taken not only for the infusion of grace, but also for the dispositions by which the sinner is prepared, although it can take place in an instant, as in Paul and Magdalene, ordinarily however it takes place successively; because these dispositions which Trident., session VI, chapters 5 and 6 require, ordinarily precede in time the infusion of grace itself.

You will ask 2° whether justification is the greatest work of God.

I answer. 1°.² If justification is considered on the part of the mode of acting, creation is a greater work than justification; because the most excellent mode of acting is to make something out of nothing. If indeed justification is considered on the part of the thing produced, it is a greater work than creation; because the good to which creation terminates is the good of mutable nature, while justification terminates in the eternal and fixed good of divine participation, which now is had only in hope; glorification however terminates in the same eternal good possessed in reality. Finally, if justification is considered according to the quantity of proportion in the impious man who is justified, it is a greater work than glorification; because the gift of grace more exceeds the dignity of the impious man who was worthy of punishment, than the gift of glory the dignity of the just man, who from this very fact that he is justified is worthy of glory.

You will ask 3° whether the justification of the impious is a miraculous work.

I answer. 2°.³ The justification of the impious, as it commonly takes place, can be called marvelous; because things which can be done by divine power alone have a hidden cause, and for this reason are marvelous. Yet justification should not properly be called miraculous, because for a miracle properly so called it does not suffice that the work can be done by God alone, but it must be beyond the common course of divine providence, as the resurrection of a dead man, the illumination of one born blind. Justification however, as it commonly takes place, is according to the common course of divine providence. For it is the common and accustomed course of justification that, God moving the soul inwardly, man be converted to God, first indeed by an imperfect conversion, so that afterwards he may arrive at a perfect one. But when God, beyond this common course, suddenly moves to a perfect one