Catholic Theology Plain Pure Peaceable, Section 20
SECT. XX. What Repentance for particular Sins is neceſſary to pardon.
292. But the very Act of Repentance hath ſuch various degrees, that thoſe alſo here deſerve our conſideration. For he that hath the habit of holineſs no doubt hath ſome degree of Repentance ſecretly ſtirring in him before it cometh to deep repentance, and open confeſsion; I do not think that David was without all remorſe and repentance till Nathan ſpake to him, though his Repentance was not ſuch as the quality of his ſin required. And it is not every remorſe nor every degree of Repentance which is ſufficient to prove a Soul ſanctified, that is, habitually poſſeſſed with that love of God, and the hatred of Sin. And ſuch at leaſt the act muſt be.
293. In groſs known Sin, Repentance is not true unleſs it contain a Reſolution preſently to forſake it. He that is unreſolved, though he have much remorſe and trouble of mind, is not truly penitent: Nor he that is reſolved only to forſake it ſometime hereafter, or when he hath ſinned once more, but not at the preſent.
294. And as this is true of actual Repentance, ſo a true Habit muſt be ſuch as is the Habit of ſuch acts: even a habitual love to preſent holineſs, and a habitual hatred to preſent Sin; which in the courſe of our lives doth actually reſolve us and preſerve us, however a violent temptation do interrupt that courſe.
295. But whether every known Sin of the ſmalleſt ſort in it ſelf, have always ſuch Reſolutions of preſent forſaking it in all that are truly penitent, is a harder queſtion. Many a godly man is frequently angry ſinfully, and ſluggiſh ſinfully, and daily uſeth ſome idle words, and ungoverned and idle thoughts, and is ſinfully remiſs in the degrees of every duty, and knoweth all this to be Sin: And if he reſolved preſently to do ſo no more, he would not do ſo again ſo frequently as he doth. In ſuch a caſe it is exceeding hard to judge of a man's repentance: And yet When Petavius out of Aquin. Elench. Ther. Vincent. c. 29. p. 109, &c. Diſtinguiſheth Peccatum a Culpa, and ſaith that all Sin, is not Culpa, it is but a trifling with an equivocal or analogical ſence of Peccatum: And his citation of Auguſtine there is upon a miſinterpretation; which the Reader may eaſily perceive.alas, whoſe caſe is it not? we have a diſlike of the Sin, and a wiſh that we were delivered from it: But that is but a deſire that we loved it leſs, and hated it more; and proveth not that our hatred is ſufficient. For many a man that liveth in groſs Sin, doth wiſh that his heart were turned from it, and did not love it, when it is not ſo turned. And why will the ſame wiſh then ſerve about leſſer Sins? And yet if preſent Reſolution againſt every ſmall Sin be neceſſary to pardon (even of known Sins) alas, who is pardoned?
296. And if the caſe muſt be reſolved by the material magnitude or ſmallneſs of the Sin, what bounds ſhall we ever be able to aſſign, and what underſtanding is able to diſtinguiſh between the Sin ſo great which muſt be preſently reſolved againſt ex neceſsitate medii to pardon, and the Sin ſo ſmall as may be pardoned without ſuch Reſolution? whether in ſpeech every idle word be ſuch? If not, whether every idle jeaſt, or every laſcivious word? or paſſionate word? or backbiting word (the ordinary Sin of many ſtrict Profeſſors) or every ſinful Oath, or Curſe, or Slander? who can ſay, it is this, and not that? And ſo in all commiſſions and omiſſions?
297. And it will ſtill remain exceeding difficult what Reſolutions againſt Sin will prove true Repentance: For as many a child under correction, ſo many an adult Sinner on his Sick bed, or under a terrifying Sermon, or conviction, not only ſeemeth, but doubtleſs is, as paſsionately reſolved at the preſent to forſake his Sin, as a Godly man is, if not more: and yet quickly loſeth all that Reſolution, and liveth in the Sin which he reſolved to forſake.
298. By this it would ſeem that it is not true Reſolution which cauſeth not the ordinary forſaking of the Sin. For to Reſolve to day, and Sin to morrow, is but to play with Sin, and not to repent or mortifie it. And yet if actual forſaking be neceſſary (of All Sin) who then is penitent or can be ſaved. For there is no man that doth good, and ſinneth Jam. 3. 2.not: And in many things we offend all. Who leaveth all the idle thoughts, and words, and negligence, &c. which he knoweth to be Sin? And the moſt underſtanding men then would be very hardly ſaved, who know almoſt all Sin, in compariſon of the ignorant, who know it not?
299. And yet no doubt, thoſe Sins which are materially ſmall, may have ſuch circumſtances, as may make them more malignant than ſome greater in the matter: As when they are committed through malignant contrivances and ends, or in groſs contempt, or negligence. So that this alſo maketh the deciſion of the caſe more difficult.
300. And it will be hard, not only to know which and how great the Sins muſt be which are unpardoned if lived in without forſaking, or without reſolving to forſake them preſently if known; but alſo how great, and what Sins unknown may ſtand with ſaving Grace. For ſurely if men ſhould ignorantly reproach or reject God, or Chriſt, or the Holy Ghoſt, or live in Murder, Adultery, Perjury, &c. not knowing them to be Sins, this would not ſtand with ſaving Grace: And yet to live in ſome unknown Sin may.
301. And it is as hard to know how oft a groſs Sin may be committed in conſiſtence with true habitual Grace? And how oft the Reſolution of the will may change, without the loſs of holy habits. The te…pter will ſay to David or Peter, If once, why not twice? If twice why not thrice? And who but God can ſay, juſt how oft? And yet to ſet no bounds confoundeth the juſt and unjuſt, good and bad, and maketh Sanctification but a name. And to ſay that Peter's Faith did totally fail, or that he was holy deprived of wholly love, or ſaving Grace, is raſh and an unlikely thing.
302. And it muſt be remembred that the Will is always in the time of ſinning, more for the committing the Sin, than againſt it, actually, or elſe it would not be committed; And in omiſſions, it is not prevalently for the Duty; elſe it would be done. And if it were Habitually ſo too, as to a holy or a ſinful life, the perſon were unholy. And when the will (known by the practice) is ſometime actually more for a groſs Sin than againſt it, and daily actually more for ſome ſmall Sins than againſt them, it is wonderous hard here to diſcern certainly that the contrary habit is our ſtate.
303. And it addeth to the difficulty, that it is hard to be ſure whether the Habit of Love and Holineſs may not be predominant, and yet the very Habit of ſome one Sin (as well as the act) be ſtronger than the contrary habit: For a daily uſe of the acts ſeemeth to prove a prevalent Habit. As a Habit of Anger, of vain jeaſting, &c. And if a very Habit of one Sin may be prevalent, though not of all others, it will be hard to ſay either how great that Sin may be (and ſo whether a Habit of Luſt, of Pride, of Covetouſneſs, may ſtand with Grace, in that prevalency) or yet, how many Sins may be ſo habitually prevalent, in a ſanctified man. But if no one, what ſhall thoſe think of themſelves that live in the daily act of ſmaller Sins before-mentioned? And that they erre who tell us that all Sin is equally mortified in the Habit, common experience fully proveth. But ſuch men uſe not to diſtinguiſh between the General habit of Love to Good and Hatred to evil (which is as the trunk of the Tree to the branches (which may have their particular Cankers and Diſeaſes) and is indeed Virtually a Habit of all Good, and againſt all Evil); and the particular Habits of Good and Evil which are alſo found in every Soul.
304. Yea the difficulty is yet greater, by our ignorance of the very nature of a Habit of the will, or of that Inclination of it to Good or Evil which is antecedent to the Act: which, he that hath read the Schoolmen and Metaphyſicks, or ever well ſtudyed it himſelf, will diſcern to be tantum non out of the reach of our underſtandings. That it is a Diſpoſitive promptitude to Act, we feel: But whether that Diſpoſition be it ſelf a ſecret unobſerved Immanent Act, diſpoſing to the more open perceptible Act; (for the Soul is never out of Action, and certainly hath at one inſtant ſeveral Acts, of which that de fine is oft unobſerved, and yet moſt powerful? As a Traveller that is taken up with other thoughts and talk would never hold on his way if the end were not actually intended, though he feel it not); or whether it be the Natural Inclination of the Will corroborated? and what that Inclination is? whether it lie much in a Receptive diſpoſition of the acted faculties, by which they are ſtill ready to receive the Active motion of the Agent power; as the Receptivity of the fuel cauſeth the greatneſs and conſtancy of a flame; or the opening of the window, the ſhining in of the Sun, or the compoſition of the adapted wheels, cauſeth the Clock or Watch to be eaſily and truly moved by the poiſe or ſpring; or what elſe it is that we call a Habit, is not ſo eaſily known as unſtudied confident Diſputers think: So that judicious Mr. Truman (Tract. of Impaten. Nat. & Mor.) ſeemed to deſpair of clear underſtanding it.
And whether an Infants Principle of Holineſs, be Quid morale, which never came from any act, nor is the particular Habit of any act, any more than the Inclinatio naturalis ad bonum qua bonum? with abundance of other difficulties about Habits; Theſe all make our caſe the harder to be reſolved.