The below is the sentence from "Divine Institute" by Lactantius.

That which has an end does not contain the chief good. But the chief good is contained in that spiritual life which we acquire by ourselves, because it cannot contain evil, or have an end; to which subject nature and the system of the body afford an argument.

Could you explain what the "afford an argument" means in this context? I have looked it up and it seems that the meaning of "afford" here is a little different from how I usually use this word.

Question

The below is the sentence from "Divine Institute" by Lactantius.

That which has an end does not contain the chief good. But the chief good is contained in that spiritual life which we acquire by ourselves, because it cannot contain evil, or have an end; to which subject nature and the system of the body afford an argument.

Could you explain what the "afford an argument" means in this context? I have looked it up and it seems that the meaning of "afford" here is a little different from how I usually use this word.

Answer

In this context, the phrase "afford an argument" means to provide evidence or support for a particular viewpoint or idea. It is suggested that the nature of the human body and the way it functions provide evidence or support for the idea that the chief good is contained in the spiritual life that cannot contain evil or have an end

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