Body of Divinity, Book 4 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. That all Sins are Mortal.Lex Dei prohibet omnia etiam levissima peccati quae venialia vocabulo autiquo, sed ineptè & impiè ab adversariis usurpato, vocantur. Baronius Disput. Theol. de peccato mortali & veniali. Sectione 1. Vide plura ibid. Sectione 2. & 3.
THe Schoolmen aAquinas 1a, 2ae Quaest. 88. Arti…. 1, &cand their followers the Jesuites bBellarm. de Amiss. grat. & statu peccati, l. 1. c. 3, &c. See Dr Halls No peace with Rome; and Dr Pri…. Serm. 2. on Mat. 5. 25. p. 42. to 47. Mr Pemble of Justification, Sect. 3. cap. 4. pag. 144, 145, 146. and Mr Burgesse of Justification, pag. 206, 207. and Doctor Featleys Vertumnus Romanus, pag. 28, 29.distinguish sins into Venial and Mortal. Some sins say they are sua natura, in their own nature venial, others mortal, of which they reckon up seven. Veniale quod est praeter, mortale quod est contra legem. As all sin except that against the holy Ghost Mark 7. 29. is venial in Christ, so without him is all mortal and deadly, Cartw, on Mat. 5. 23.
All sinne deserveth eternal death, Rom. 6. 23. as appeareth by the opposition of life everlasting, which the Apostle joyneth in the same verse, Id. ibid. There is the merit of hell in every idle word, because the wages of sin as sin is death.
Every transgression of the Law is worthy of death, Gal. 3. 10. Every sinne is a transgression of the Law, 1 Iohn 3. 4. Rainold. de lib. Apoc. Tom. 2. cap. 164. & 165. See Deut. 27. 26. & 30. 19. Ezekiel 18. 4. Iames 2. 10. Numbers 15▪ 22, 23, 24. 1 Cor. 15. 56.
Bellarmine seeks to elu de these and that other place with these glosses, The soul that sinneth, that is, mortally, shall die; the wages of sin, that is, of mortal sin,Bellarminus distinguit i…ter peccata quae sunt contralegem, & quae sunt praeter legem, ut peccata venialia. Sed excogitatum est commentum nullius momenti & ponderis, ubi enim in tota Scriptura reperient aliquid esse peccatum quod sit praeter legem, nisi fortè opera supererogationis esse peccata venialia censeant, quae praeter legis mandata esse dicunt. Certè furari obolum (quod exemplum Bellarminus affert) directè pugnat Contra mandatum non furaberis. Mentiri vel jocosè vel officiosè est contra mandatum, non dices falsum testimonium. Johannes Fisherus▪ Roffensis Episc. planè Luthero concessit, peccatum esse veniale tantùm ex misericordia Dei. Venialia appellantur quaedam peccata ab eventu, quia condonantur, non quod per se venia digna sint. Agnoscimus Joannem, 1 Io. 5. 17. distinguere inter peccatum ad mortem, & non ad mortem, sed in hac oppositione per peccatum ad mortem, non intelligit quod mortem non meretur, sed in quo aliquis non moritur, vel quod ta…c non est, ex quo peccator non possit revocari ad meliorem mentem. Si autem intelligi hoc deberet de peccato mortali quod Pontificii à veniali distinguunt, sequeretur nullas preces fieri debere in Ecclesia nisi pro iis qui vemaliter peccaut, quod ipsi absurdum judicabunt, ut contrarium sua praxi confirmant. Riveti Cathol. Orthod. Tract. quart quaest. 13. is death; and the sting of death is sinne, that is, deadly sinne; these are tautologies; as if the Prophet had said, The soul that sinneth a sinne unto death shall die; and the Apostie, sinne that deserveth death deserveth death; He saith they are venial ex natura sua, such as if God please to remit the temporal punishment, they are so little that he cannot inflict eternal for them, they are venial propter parvitatem materiae, & imperfectionem actus.
Quodvis peccatum peccantem in rigore l…gis morte involveret, si persona absque misericordia Dei in Christo judicaretur. Episc. Daven.
Sins may be termed venial or mortal: 1. Either comparatè in comparison of others; or simpliciter simply and in themselves, and that either, 1. Ex natura sua of their own nature. 2. Ex gratia by favour or indulgence. 3. Ex eventu in the issue or event; in the two last respects all the sins of the elect are venial, but no sins ex natura sua are venial, that is, such as in their own nature deserve pardon, Nullum peccatum est veniale dum placet: sicut nullum mortale si verè displicet, August. Ambrosius saith, All mortal sins are made venial by repentance.
Object. Mat. 5. 22. There are two punishments lesse then hell fire, Therefore allThis place Bellarmine urgeth, De amiss. grat. & statu peccati, l. 1. c. 9. sins are not mortal.
Answ. That which our Saviour speaketh here of three several punishments, is spoken by allusion to the proceeding in the Civil Courts in Iudaea, and all that can be gathered from thence is but this, That as there are differences of sins, so there shall be of punishments hereafter.
2. Maldonate the Jesuite ingeniously confesseth that by councel and judgement the eternal death of the soul is understood, yet with this difference, that a lesse degree of torment in hell is understood by the word Judgement then Councel, and a lesse by Councel then by hell fire.
Object. Mat. 5. 26. & 7. 5. & Luke 6. 41. 1 Cor. 3. 12. Some sins there are comparedBellarmin. ubi supra. The Papists have devised smoaky distinctions of peccatum simpliciter, and secundum quid, they say, Venial sinne is not properly sin, but imperfectly and analogically, no transgression, but praetergression of the divine Law, and that it is pardoned without repentance, even by the outward sprinkling of holy water. to very light things, as hay, stubble, a mote, a farthing.
Answ.
1. Some sins in comparison of others may be said to be light, as a mote is little to a beam, a farthing to a pound, yet no sinne committed against God may be simply termed light or little, Zech. 1. 5. being committed against an infinite God, and having cost an infinite price.
2. A mote if it be not taken out of the eye hindereth the sight, so the least sinne hindereth grace and is sufficient to damn the soul.
3. Christ by the farthing Matth. 5. understands the last paiment of debt, notOmnis transgressio legis est quiddam admissum contra legem, sed omne peccatum est transgressio legis divinae, 1 Joan. 3. 4. Peccatum est dictum, vel factum vel concupitum contra legem Dei. Augustinus contra Faustum, lib. 22. cap. 27. Sic Bernardus, Omne peccatum contra legem Dei praesumitur, de praecepto & dispens. cap. 14. Sic inter ipsos Pontificios Durandus, Gerson, Vega, aliique. Vide Bellarm. de Iustif. l. 4. c. 13. 2. Omnia peccata venialia …ege divina prohibentur, ergò sunt contra legem. 3. Rectae rationi adversantur, recta ratio enim dictat verba ot…sa, cogitationes inordinatas esse mala illicita & fugi…uda, ergo contrariantur legi divinae Episc. Dav. de justitia actuali, c. 48. Vide plura ibid. sinne; and the Apostle light and vain Doctrine by hay and stubble: Purgatory is to cleanse men from their lesser sins, but precious Doctrines or good works are there tried by fire.
Object. James 1. 15. Sin When it is perfected brings forth death, therefore not every sin, not sin in every degree.
Answ. The Apostle there sets forth the method and order how sin comes to the height; the word he useth for sin is of the feminine gender, speaking of the conception and production of sin, he saith, Sin when it is finisht brings forth death actually, the least sin merits death; or the Apostle shews when death appears to us most, not in its conception and production, but when it is finisht.
Object. Mat. 12. 36. He saith not, we shall be condemned for every idle word, but only that we shall be called to answer for it.
Answ. The same phrase is used concerning all kinde of sins, yea those that are greatest and most grievous.
Object. There is a mortal sin, 1 Iohn 5. 16. therefore a venial sin.
Answ. He speaks of a mortal sinne, not by nature, or by merit, but by event, the event of which shall certainly be death, and the person out of all hope of pardon. Vide Bezam.
Of all words sin hath no diminutive, not in any tongue known to us commonly only the Spaniard hath his Peccadillo, a petty sin. Dr Clark.
Sinnes considered in reference to the object are all great, so Peccata sunt aequalia.
2. The least sin that ever was committed had in it the whole nature of sin, it is tam peccatum, as truly sin as the greatest.