=Problem of Unification.=--It was the province of the moral
philosophers, of the theologians, of the church to attempt a fusion of
these elements of inner and outer control. It was their aim to connect,
to synthesize these factors into one commanding and comprehensive view
of life. But the characteristic of their method was to suppose that the
combination could be brought about, whether intellectually or
practically, only upon a supernatural basis, and by supernatural
resources. From the side of the natural constitution of both man and the
State, the various elements of behavior are so hopelessly at war with
one another that there is no health in them nor help from them. The
appetites and desires are directed only upon carnal goods and form the
dominant element in the person. Even when reason gets glimpses of the
good, the good seen is narrow in scope and temporal in duration; and
even then reason is powerless as an adequate motive. "We perceive the
better and we follow the worse." Moreover, it is useless to seek aid
from the habituation, the education, the discipline and restraint of
human institutions. They themselves are corrupt. The product of man's
lower nature cannot be capable of enlightening and improving that
nature; at most it can only restrain outer action by appealing to fear.
Only a divine revelation can make known man's true end; and only divine
assistance, embodied in the ordinances and sacraments of the
supernaturally founded and directed church, can bring this knowledge
home to erring individuals so as to make it effectual. In theory the
conception of the end, the good, was supreme; but man's true good is
supernatural and hence can be achieved only by supernatural assistance
and in the next world. In practice, therefore, the important thing for
man in his present condition is implicit reliance upon and obedience to
the requirements of the church. This represents on earth the divine
sovereign, ultimate source of all moral law. In effect, the moral law
became a net-work of ordinances, prescriptions, commands, rewards,
penalties, penances, and remissions. The jural point of view was
completely enthroned.[108] There was no problem; there was a final,
because a supernatural solution.
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