Of God and His Creatures
That Divine Providence is not inconsistent with an element of
Contingency in Creation*
AS divine providence does not exclude all evil from creation, neither
does it exclude contingency, or impose necessity upon all things. The
operation of providence does not exclude secondary causes, but is
fulfilled by them, inasmuch as they act in the power of God. Now
effects are called 'necessary' or 'contingent' according to their
proximate causes, not according to their remote causes. Since then
among proximate causes there are many that may fail, not all effects
subject to providence will be necessary, but many will be
contingent.
6. On the part of divine providence no hindrance will be put to the
failure of the power of created things, or to an obstacle arising
through the resistance of something coming in the way. But from such
failure and such resistance the contingency occurs of a natural cause
not always acting in the same way, but sometimes failing to do what it
is naturally competent to do; and so natural effects do not come about
of necessity.*
3.71 : That the Divine Providence is not wholly inconsistent with the presence of Evil in Creation
3.73 : That Divine Providence is not inconsistent with Freedom of the Will