Of God and His Creatures
In what manner Power is said to be in God
Since the divine action is nothing else than the divine power, it is
manifest that power is not said to be in God as a principle of His
action (for nothing is the principle of itself), but as a principle of
the thing made or done: also that when power is said to be in God in
respect of the things made or done by Him, this is a predication of
objective fact: but when it is said to be in Him in respect of His own
action, such predication regards only our way of viewing things,
inasmuch as our understanding views under two different concepts God's
power and God's action.* Hence if there be any
actions proper to God, that do not pass into anything made or done, but
are immanent in the agent, in respect of these actions there is not
said to be power in God except in our way of viewing things, not in
objective fact. There are such actions, namely, understanding and
willing. Properly speaking, the power of God does not regard these
actions, but only effects produced in the world external to Him.
Intellect and will, then, are in God, not as 'faculties,' or 'powers,'
but only as actions. It is also clear from the aforesaid that the
multitude of actions which are attributed to God, as understanding,
willing, producing creatures, and the like, are not different things,
since each one of these actions in God is His own being, which is one
and the same.
2.9 : That God's Power is His Action
2.11 : That something is predicated of God in relation to Creatures