God objectively and effectively the blessedness of all; joy
It is manifest that God is not only His own blessedness objectively and formally, but also of all things objectively and effectively. For all things are blessed in some measure by some good, and especially intelligent creatures; but God is the efficient and exemplar cause of every good, and every good is a certain participation of Him. There are indeed those who think God is also formally the creatures blessedness, because He is more intrinsic to things than their own act: but they err. For God is indeed in us, yet not some part of essence or our whole essence formally, but only causally and eminently.
And if indeed the highest good for each is its own being and conservation: yet because they neither are nor are conserved from themselves but from God: therefore they are also blessed by Him, and love Him more than themselves while they love themselves. For they love not only what they are, but would wish to be that always and everywhere and seek extensive and intensive infinity, which is in God alone, in whom there is never or anywhere any defect of goodness — which blessedness is called eternal life, which God does not acquire from elsewhere by His virtues, but by them gives it to others.
IV. Joy is that by which He pleasantly enjoys Himself. This is not a variable affection. For God is affected with perfect joy and perpetually delights in Himself, to use Lactantius word — Zephaniah 3:17. If you ask a philosopher concerning Gods blessedness, Aristotle of Stagira in On the Heavens book 1 chapter 9 attributes to God a life most sufficient to Himself. Nothing truer than this saying was brought forth by this pagan. CHAPTER TWENTY, On Gods figurative attributes, follows.
Latin
Manifestum est, Deum non solum esse suammet beatitudinem objective et formaliter, sed etiam omnium rerum objective et effective. Omnia enim modulo quodam suo beantur aliquo bono, imprimis vero creaturae intelligentes, Deus autem est omnis boni causa efficiens et exemplaris, omneque bonum est quaedam illius participatio. Sunt quidem, qui existimant, Deum etiam creaturarum beatitudinem esse formaliter, quia rebus magis est intrinsecus, quam proprius ipsarum actus: sed errant. Deus enim est quidem in nobis, non tamen pars aliqua essentiae aut tota essentia nostra formaliter, sed tantum causaliter et eminenter. Et si vero summum cuique bonum sit proprium esse et conservatio: tamen quia neque sunt, neque conservantur a se, sed a Deo: ideo et beantur ab illo, eumque magis amant, quam sese, dum amant se. Nam non amant solum quod sunt, sed vellent id esse semper et ubique appetuntque infinitatem extensivam et intensivam, quae in solo Deo est, quippe in quo nullus est defectus bonitatis ullus unquam aut uspiam, quae beatitudo vocatur vita aeterna, quam Deus non acquirit aliunde per virtutes suas, sed per eas illam dat aliis. IV. Gaudium est, quo in seipso jucunde fruitur. Hoc non est affectus variabilis. Nam perfecto gaudio Deus afficitur et in se perpetim, ut Lactantii verbo utar, jucundatur — Sophon. III.17. Si philosophum de Dei beatitudine interroges, Aristoteles Stagirites lib. I de caelo cap. IX Deo tribuit vitam sibi ipsi sufficientissimam. Quo dicto nihil verius ab hoc ethnico prolatum est. CAPUT VICESIMUM, De attributis Dei figuratis, sequitur.