(17:23) As, therefore,
God's intellect is the sole cause of things, namely, both of their essence
and existence, it must necessarily differ from them in respect to its
essence, and in respect to its existence. (17:24) For a cause differs
from a thing it causes, precisely in the quality which the latter gains
from the former.
(17:25) For example, a man is the cause of another man's existence,
not of his essence (for the latter is an eternal truth), and, therefore,
the two men may be entirely similar in essence, but must be different in
existence; and hence if the existence of one of them cease, the existence
of the other will not necessarily cease also; but if the essence of one
could be destroyed, and be made false, the essence of the other would be
destroyed also. (17:26) Wherefore, a thing which is the cause both of
the essence and of the existence of a given effect, must differ from
such effect both in respect to its essence, and also in respect to its
existence. (27) Now the intellect of God is the cause of both the essence
and the existence of our intellect; therefore the intellect of God in so
far as it is conceived to constitute the divine essence, differs from our
intellect both in respect to essence and in respect to existence, nor
can it in anywise agree therewith save in name, as we said before.
17:(28) The reasoning would be identical, in the case of the will, as
anyone can easily see.
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