God's service"; thus
it is said in Exodus[80]: _The multitude of the children of Israel ...
offered first-fruits to the Lord with a most ready and devout mind._ It
is clear, however, that a wish to do _readily_ what belongs to God's
service is a special act. Hence devotion is a special act of the will.

But some argue that devotion is not a special kind of act, thus:

1. That which serves to qualify other acts cannot be itself a special
act. But devotion appears to qualify certain other acts; thus it is said
that _all the multitude offered victims, and praises, and holocausts
with a devout mind_.[81]

But that which moves another gives a certain measure to the
latter's movement. The will, however, moves the other faculties
of the soul to their respective acts; and, moreover, the will,
as aiming at an end in view, moves itself to the means towards
that end. Consequently, since devotion is the act of a man who
offers himself to serve Him Who is the Ultimate End, it follows
that devotion gives a certain measure to human acts--whether
they be the acts of the will itself with regard to the means to
an end, or the acts of the other faculties as moved by the will.

2. Again, no act which finds a place in different kinds of acts can be
itself a special kind of act. But devotion is to be found in acts of
different kinds, both in corporal acts, for example, and in spiritual;
thus a man is said to meditate devoutly, for instance, or to genuflect
devoutly.

But devotion does not find a place in different kinds of acts as
though it were a _species_ coming under different _genera_, but
in the same sense as the motive power of a moving principle is
virtually discoverable in the movements of the things it sets in
motion.

3. Lastly, all special kinds of acts belong either to the appetitive or
to the cognoscitive faculties. But devotion comes under neither of
these--as will be evident to anyone who will reflect upon the various
acts of these faculties respectively.

But devotion is an act of the appetitive powers of the soul, and
is, as we have said above, a movement of the will.

_Cajetan:_ With regard to the proper meaning of the term _devotion_,
note that since _devotion_ is clearly derived from _devoting_, and since
_to devote_--derived in its turn from _to vow_--means to promise
something spontaneously to God: it follows that the principle in all
such prom