I find this a remarkable statement. Why would man hinder himself from grace? If one is face with a choice between heaven and hell, unfetter by everything around him so that he is capable of making a rational decision between going the heaven or going to hell, then why would they choose hell? Personally, I don't know of anyone who sat down and "rationally" decided one way or the other. And I would say this includes Adam. Do you believe Adam made a rational decision? This certainly doesn't fit into the gospel experience.
As far as Aquainas's text (Job 21:14), please not the context of Job's speech:
Job 21:3 Bear with me, and I will speak, and after I have spoken, mock on.
Job 21:4 As for me, is my complaint against man? Why should I not be impatient?
Job 21:5 Look at me and be appalled, and lay your hand over your mouth.
Job 21:6 When I remember, I am dismayed, and shuddering seizes my flesh.
Job 21:7 Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
Job 21:8 Their offspring are established in their presence, and their descendants before their eyes.
Job 21:9 Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them.
Job 21:10 Their bull breeds without fail; their cow calves and does not miscarry.
Job 21:11 They send out their little boys like a flock, and their children dance.
Job 21:12 They sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe.
Job 21:13 They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol.
Job 21:14 They say to God, 'Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.
Job 21:15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?'
Job 21:16 Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand? The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
These are the wicked. Those people who have no desire to serve God. They do not answer the external call of God so there is no internal call. I believe Aquinas completely misread this section of Job. I would suggest comparing against Paul's writings:
1Co 1:26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
1Co 1:27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
1Co 1:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
I would have liked to have heard an explaination from Aquinas on 1 Cor 1:28. Had he been an Augustinian and not a Dominican he might have done better. Perhaps it was his nickname "Dumb Ox" that stigmatized him. :O)
Why would a married pastor have sexual relations with a member of his church? Why would a priest molest a small boy? It’s called “choice”, what some would call “free will”, others would call “permissive will”. It seems to be something that Calvinists deny.
If people were staring hell in the face as it were, I doubt anyone would choose it. But people have been convinced or have convinced themselves that not only is hell not real, but for the most part, that the supernatural isn't real. Or at least God. Many still believe in magic and forces, etc.
People have been deceived about what they're really rejecting and accepting, and choosing.
That's why they resist grace, because they don't really realize the full consequences of their decision.
Rationalizing has nothing to do with it anyway.