Three ways an act surpasses nature's powers (Bellarmine)
Thesis XXVII. Bellarmine observes that an action can surpass the powers of nature in three ways. The first is simply and absolutely, when the action is by its kind of a higher order than natural things. Such are the acts of the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, which are not acquired by repeated practice but are infused into the soul by God.
The second is not simply but because of the state of sin, since man, weakened by sin, cannot easily do many things without such help.
The third is because of manner, place, time or some other circumstance: something that does not exceed nature's powers by its kind or because of man's state may still exceed them because of the circumstances. 'So,' he says, 'a righteous man will easily be able to keep some commandment of the Decalogue if no temptation from the devil comes upon him from outside. But if such temptation comes, he will not be able to do it without special help.'
Latin
XXVII. Observat autem ille operationem aliquam tribus modis naturae vires superare posse. Primo simpliciter & absolute. Ut si operatio ex suo genere sit ordinis altioris quam sint res naturales. Quales sunt actus virtutum Theologicarum fidei, spei, & charitatis, quae non acquiruntur per iteratos & frequentatos actus, sed divinitus in animam infunduntur. Secundo non simpliciter, sed ratione status peccati; quoniam homo per peccatum debilitatus multa non potest sine tali auxilio facile efficere. Tertio ratione modi, loci, temporis, aut alterius cujuslibet circumstantiae: quoniam contingere potest, ut id quod neque ex genere suo, neque ratione status, vires naturae superat, easdem tamen superet ratione circumstantiae. Ita, inquit, poterit homo justus praeceptum aliquod Decalogi facile adimplere, si nulla extrinsecus diabolica tentatio accedat. Si vero ejusmodi tentatio accedat, sine speciali auxilio id facere non poterit.