The Practical Divinity of the Papists Discovered to be Destructive, Discourse · Chapter 8 · Section 11
SECT. XI.
HItherto, thus much of deceit and lyes, in word and promiſes, &c. Hypocriſie is a lye indeed, both are equally ſinful. (k)Paria eſſe factis aut verbis mentiri, Vid. Navar. cap. 18. n. 8. Non ſolum in verbo ſed etiam in facto mendacium conſiſtit, cum in utroque ſit eadem intentio fallendi, uterque aequaliter peccat, quia verbum & factum aſſumuntur ut inſtrumentum fallendi: nec refert quantum ad peccatum, verbo, nutu, vel facto mentiri; ſicut nec quantum ad homicidium, uti gladio vel ſecuri. Sylveſt. ſum. v. mendacium. n. 5.Aquinas after ſome of the Antients aſſerts, that it is all alike to lye in deeds, as in words: as that is a compoſing of words, ſo this of acts, to ſignifie and make one believe what is falſe: both are uſed as inſtruments of deceit, and it is all one which way you cozen another, ſo he be but cheated (as it is all one whether you kill a man with a Sword, or an Axe, as they expreſs it): and both by their Doctrine are made Venial. Sylveſter inquires (l)Sum. v. ſimulatio n. 4. ut pallietur iniquitas, & ipſo bonus putetur, quod eſt peccatum—ad honorem Dei, & proximorum aedificationem—& hoc non eſt peccatum.whether to make a falſe ſhew of ſanctity be a ſin? he anſwers that if is he for the Honour of God, and the profit of others, it is no ſin: but if it be to palliate his own wickedneſs; and that he may be accounted good, then it is a ſin; becauſe it is a falſe oſtentation of fanctity. But ſo is the other too, which yet with him, is no ſin: either both muſt be acquitted, or neither. So Cajetan (m)Si f…nis ille ſit bonus (puta, ad aedificationem aliorum) nihilominus peccatum eſt, quia non ſunt facienda mala ut-bona eveniant. Sum. v. hypocris p. 340.will have it to be evil, though the end be good; becauſe we muſt not do evil, that good may enſue. But they agree, and it is their common Doctrine that (n)Solummodo intendit ſimulare ſe bonum ſeu meliorem quam ſit, & hoc hypocriſis ſi nuda ſit, licet non ſit peccatum mortale, eſt tamen peccatum quia mendacii vim haber. Cajetan. ibid. Sylveſt. ibid. Navar. c. 18. n. 8.bare Hypocriſie, when one feigns he is good, and is not, or better than he is; is no mortal evil, though it hath the force of a lye, and be deſign'd to deceive others, (o)Facere opera quibus, bonus appareat, cum non ſit, ſine intentione oſtendendi ſe bonum, non eſt etiam veniale, juxta mentem omnium. Idem ibid.otherwiſe it would not be ſo bad as a Venial. (p)Alias erit veniale, puta, cum in ipſa fictione delectetur,—magis vanus videtur quam malus. Sylveſt. ibid.Although he delight in thus playing the Hypocrite, it will not be worſe; this is but vanity, not wickedneſs, unleſs it be for an end mortally wicked, ſuch as will make an act, otherwiſe indifferent, to be criminal. But if he made this falſe and deceiving ſhew, (q)Si a…m finis ille ſit vana gloria, non tamen ita quod in ea ponatur ultimus finis, peccatum eſt veniale quidem ſed duplicatum. Cajetan. ibid.for an evil end; to wit, for vain glory, ſo long as it is not made his laſt end (to wit, his God); ſuch vain glorious Hypocriſie will be no worſe: for though the ſin, ſays Cajetan, be here doubled; yet the double ſin is but a ſingle Venial. And if he do thoſe works, (r)Qui opera ad Dei, ſervitium naturaliter ordinata (…ut ſunt jejunium oratio eleemoſyna) facit ex intentione non ſerviendi Deo, ſed ob gloriam humanam, hypocriſis peccatum incurrit formaliter, implicite tamen. Cajetan. ibid. p. 341. Nonnunquam etiam fratres ſuos admonuiſſe, ut aliquam oſtenderent virtutis, apparentiam in abſtinentiis, vigiliis, verborum ac geſtorum diſciplina, quum apud ſaeculares eſſent; & ſic eos ſancta quadam hypocriſi, ad fidei reverentiam, & virtutis amorem propenſius invitarent. Specul. hiſtor. l. 29. c. 105.which are naturally ordained for the ſervice of God, with an intention not to ſerve him, but for glory from men, it is but ſuch Hypocriſie, and that with ſome extenuation, it is not ſo bad explicitely, ſeeing the intention to deceive, is but implicite. They have a reverence for Hypocriſy as a holy art: they honour it and their Church with the ſame title, both being holy alike (ſo much alike, ſome will think, that it is hard to know the one from the other). They extol their great Saints for their holy Hypocriſie. It is amongſt the commendations of Saint Deminick himſelf. Vincentius Biſhop of Beauvois, in his praiſes, ſpends one Chapter upon this Subject de ſancta ejus Hypoeriſie, ſhewing that it was not only the practice of their Saint, but that he commended the holy thing to his Brethren (the Fryers Praedicaut). Hypocriſie being ſuch a holy quality in their account, and a ſpecial ornament of their greateſt Saints; no wonder if they be ſo far, from branding it as a crime, that they declare it meritorious. A Religious perſon that feigns himſelf to have more holineſs than he hath, that others may be edified, ſins not, but rather merits (ſo Roſella v. Hypoer. n. 1.) Thus they give us warning not to truſt any ſhews of ſanctity or mortification amongſt them; ſince they are ſo far from counting it a ſin, that they conclude it meritorious, even for their Religious to deceive others with Hypocritical oſtentation of what holineſs they have not. Indeed the Romaniſts are concern'd to ſpeak favourably of Hypocriſie, and treat it with kindneſs; for ſince they require no more truth and ſincerity in their dealings with men, and make no more than exterior ſhews of piety, (if ſo much) needful in the worſhip of God; and yet would be accounted the beſt, or only true Chriſtians on earth: if they ſhould condemn Hypocriſie as a mortal ſin, that Religion and Righteouſneſs; which their Church counts ſufficient, would be branded by themſelves, as damnably criminal.