On the contrary, The Apostle enumerates them thus (1 Cor. 13:13):  “Now there remain faith, hope, charity.”

I answer that, Order is twofold:  order of generation, and order of perfection.  By order of generation, in respect of which matter precedes form, and the imperfect precedes the perfect, in one same subject faith precedes hope, and hope charity, as to their acts:  because habits are all infused together.  For the movement of the appetite cannot tend to anything, either by hoping or loving, unless that thing be apprehended by the sense or by the intellect.  Now it is by faith that the intellect apprehends the object of hope and love.  Hence in the order of generation, faith precedes hope and charity.  In like manner a man loves a thing because he apprehends it as his good.  Now from the very fact that a man hopes to be able to obtain some good through someone, he looks on the man in whom he hopes as a good of his own.  Hence for the very reason that a man hopes in someone, he proceeds to love him:  so that in the order of generation, hope precedes charity as regards their respective acts.

But in the order of perfection, charity precedes faith and hope:  because both faith and hope are quickened by charity, and receive from charity their full complement as virtues.  For thus charity is the mother and the root of all the virtues, inasmuch as it is the form of them all, as we shall state further on (II-II, Q. 23, A. 8).

This suffices for the Reply to the First Objection.

Reply Obj. 2:  Augustine is speaking of that hope whereby a man hopes to obtain bliss through the merits which he has already:  this belongs to hope quickened by and following charity.  But it is possible for a man before having charity, to hope through merits not already possessed, but which he hopes to possess.

Reply Obj. 3:  As stated above (Q. 40, A. 7), in treating of the passions, hope regards two things.  One as its principal object, viz. the good hoped for.  With regard to this, love always precedes hope:  for good is never hoped for unless it be desired and loved.  Hope also regards the person from whom a man hopes to be able to obtain some good.  With regard to this, hope precedes love at first; though afterwards hope is increased by love.  Because from the fact that a man thinks that he can obtain a good through someone, he begins to love him:  and from the fact that he loves him, he then hopes all the more in him. ________________________

QUESTION 63

OF THE CAUSE OF VIRTUES
(In Four Articles)

We must now consider the cause of virtues; and under this head there are four points of inquiry: 

(1) Whether virtue is in us by nature?

(2) Whether any virtue is caused in us by habituation?

(3) Whether any moral virtues are in us by infusion?

(4) Whether virtue acquired by habituation, is of the same species as infused virtue? ________________________