Others again, seeing that these gifts are set down in Holy Writ as having been in Christ, according to Isa. 11:2, 3, said that the virtues are given simply that we may do good works, but the gifts, in order to conform us to Christ, chiefly with regard to His Passion, for it was then that these gifts shone with the greatest splendor.  Yet neither does this appear to be a satisfactory distinction.  Because Our Lord Himself wished us to be conformed to Him, chiefly in humility and meekness, according to Matt. 11:29:  “Learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart,” and in charity, according to John 15:12:  “Love one another, as I have loved you.”  Moreover, these virtues were especially resplendent in Christ’s Passion.

Accordingly, in order to differentiate the gifts from the virtues, we must be guided by the way in which Scripture expresses itself, for we find there that the term employed is “spirit” rather than “gift.”  For thus it is written (Isa. 11:2, 3):  “The spirit . . . of wisdom and of understanding . . . shall rest upon him,” etc.:  from which words we are clearly given to understand that these seven are there set down as being in us by Divine inspiration.  Now inspiration denotes motion from without.  For it must be noted that in man there is a twofold principle of movement, one within him, viz. the reason; the other extrinsic to him, viz.  God, as stated above (Q. 9, AA. 4, 6):  moreover the Philosopher says this in the chapter On Good Fortune (Ethic.  Eudem. vii, 8).

Now it is evident that whatever is moved must be proportionate to its mover:  and the perfection of the mobile as such, consists in a disposition whereby it is disposed to be well moved by its mover.  Hence the more exalted the mover, the more perfect must be the disposition whereby the mobile is made proportionate to its mover:  thus we see that a disciple needs a more perfect disposition in order to receive a higher teaching from his master.  Now it is manifest that human virtues perfect man according as it is natural for him to be moved by his reason in his interior and exterior actions.  Consequently man needs yet higher perfections, whereby to be disposed to be moved by God.  These perfections are called gifts, not only because they are infused by God, but also because by them man is disposed to become amenable to the Divine inspiration, according to Isa. 50:5:  “The Lord . . . hath opened my ear, and I do not resist; I have not gone back.”  Even the Philosopher says in the chapter On Good Fortune (Ethic.  Eudem., vii, 8) that for those who are moved by Divine instinct, there is no need to take counsel according to human reason, but only to follow their inner promptings, since they are moved by a principle higher than human reason.  This then is what some say, viz. that the gifts perfect man for acts which are higher than acts of virtue.

Reply Obj. 1:  Sometimes these gifts are called virtues, in the broad sense of the word.  Nevertheless, they have something over and above the virtues understood in this broad way, in so far as they are Divine virtues, perfecting man as moved by God.  Hence the Philosopher (Ethic. vii, 1) above virtue commonly so called, places a kind of “heroic” or “divine virtue [*_arete heroike kai theia_],” in respect of which some men are called “divine.”