rtues were in Him, since in their nature they imply no defect with
regard to their matter.

Reply Obj. 2: The merit of faith consists in this--that man through
obedience assents to what things he does not see, according to Rom.
1:5: "For obedience to the faith in all nations for His name." Now
Christ had most perfect obedience to God, according to Phil. 2:8:
"Becoming obedient unto death." And hence He taught nothing
pertaining to merit which He did not fulfil more perfectly Himself.

Reply Obj. 3: As a gloss says in the same place, faith is that
"whereby such things as are not seen are believed." But faith in
things seen is improperly so called, and only after a certain
similitude with regard to the certainty and firmness of the assent.
_______________________

FOURTH ARTICLE [III, Q. 7. Art. 4]

Whether in Christ There Was Hope?

Objection 1: It would seem that there was hope in Christ. For it is
said in the Person of Christ (Ps. 30:1): "In Thee, O Lord, have I
hoped." But the virtue of hope is that whereby a man hopes in God.
Therefore the virtue of hope was in Christ.

Obj. 2: Further, hope is the expectation of the bliss to come, as was
shown above (II-II, Q. 17, A. 5, ad 3). But Christ awaited something
pertaining to bliss, viz. the glorifying of His body. Therefore it
seems there was hope in Him.

Obj. 3: Further, everyone may hope for what pertains to his
perfection, if it has yet to come. But there was something still to
come pertaining to Christ's perfection, according to Eph. 4:12: "For
the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
building up [Douay: 'edifying'] of the body of Christ." Hence it
seems that it befitted Christ to have hope.

_On the contrary,_ It is written (Rom. 8:24): "What a man seeth, why
doth he hope for?" Thus it is clear that as faith is of the unseen,
so also is hope. But there was no faith in Christ, as was said above
(A. 1): neither, consequently, was there hope.

_I answer that,_ As it is of the nature of faith that one assents to
what one sees not, so is it of the nature of hope that one expects
what as yet one has not; and as faith, forasmuch as it is a
theological virtue, does not regard everything unseen, but only God;
so likewise hope, as a theological virtue, has God Himself for its
object, the fruition of Whom man chiefly expects by the virtue of
hope; yet, in consequence, whoever has the virtue of hope may expect
the Divine aid in other thing