Part III (Secunda Secundae) Part 22 (2/2)
_On the contrary,_ Augustine [*Fulgentius] (De Fide ad Petrum iii) says that ”those who despair of pardon for their sins, or who without merits presume on G.o.d's mercy, sin against the Holy Ghost,” and (Enchiridion lx.x.xiii) that ”he who dies in a state of obstinacy is guilty of the sin against the Holy Ghost,” and (De Verb. Dom., Serm.
lxxi) that ”impenitence is a sin against the Holy Ghost,” and (De Serm. Dom. in Monte xxii), that ”to resist fraternal goodness with the brands of envy is to sin against the Holy Ghost,” and in his book De unico Baptismo (De Bap. contra Donat. vi, 35) he says that ”a man who spurns the truth, is either envious of his brethren to whom the truth is revealed, or ungrateful to G.o.d, by Whose inspiration the Church is taught,” and therefore, seemingly, sins against the Holy Ghost.
_I answer that,_ The above species are fittingly a.s.signed to the sin against the Holy Ghost taken in the third sense, because they are distinguished in respect of the removal or contempt of those things whereby a man can be prevented from sinning through choice. These things are either on the part of G.o.d's judgment, or on the part of His gifts, or on the part of sin. For, by consideration of the Divine judgment, wherein justice is accompanied with mercy, man is hindered from sinning through choice, both by hope, arising from the consideration of the mercy that pardons sins and rewards good deeds, which hope is removed by ”despair”; and by fear, arising from the consideration of the Divine justice that punishes sins, which fear is removed by ”presumption,” when, namely, a man presumes that he can obtain glory without merits, or pardon without repentance.
G.o.d's gifts whereby we are withdrawn from sin, are two: one is the acknowledgment of the truth, against which there is the ”resistance of the known truth,” when, namely, a man resists the truth which he has acknowledged, in order to sin more freely: while the other is the a.s.sistance of inward grace, against which there is ”envy of a brother's spiritual good,” when, namely, a man is envious not only of his brother's person, but also of the increase of Divine grace in the world.
On the part of sin, there are two things which may withdraw man therefrom: one is the inordinateness and shamefulness of the act, the consideration of which is wont to arouse man to repentance for the sin he has committed, and against this there is ”impenitence,” not as denoting permanence in sin until death, in which sense it was taken above (for thus it would not be a special sin, but a circ.u.mstance of sin), but as denoting the purpose of not repenting. The other thing is the smallness or brevity of the good which is sought in sin, according to Rom. 6:21: ”What fruit had you therefore then in those things, of which you are now ashamed?” The consideration of this is wont to prevent man's will from being hardened in sin, and this is removed by ”obstinacy,” whereby man hardens his purpose by clinging to sin. Of these two it is written (Jer. 8:6): ”There is none that doth penance for his sin, saying: What have I done?” as regards the first; and, ”They are all turned to their own course, as a horse rus.h.i.+ng to the battle,” as regards the second.
Reply Obj. 1: The sins of despair and presumption consist, not in disbelieving in G.o.d's justice and mercy, but in contemning them.
Reply Obj. 2: Obstinacy and impenitence differ not only in respect of past and future time, but also in respect of certain formal aspects by reason of the diverse consideration of those things which may be considered in sin, as explained above.
Reply Obj. 3: Grace and truth were the work of Christ through the gifts of the Holy Ghost which He gave to men.
Reply Obj. 4: To refuse to obey belongs to obstinacy, while a feigned repentance belongs to impenitence, and schism to the envy of a brother's spiritual good, whereby the members of the Church are united together.
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THIRD ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 14, Art. 3]
Whether the Sin Against the Holy Ghost Can Be Forgiven?
Objection 1: It would seem that the sin against the Holy Ghost can be forgiven. For Augustine says (De Verb. Dom., Serm. lxxi): ”We should despair of no man, so long as Our Lord's patience brings him back to repentance.” But if any sin cannot be forgiven, it would be possible to despair of some sinners. Therefore the sin against the Holy Ghost can be forgiven.
Obj. 2: Further, no sin is forgiven, except through the soul being healed by G.o.d. But ”no disease is incurable to an all-powerful physician,” as a gloss says on Ps. 102:3, ”Who healeth all thy diseases.” Therefore the sin against the Holy Ghost can be forgiven.
Obj. 3: Further, the free-will is indifferent to either good or evil.
Now, so long as man is a wayfarer, he can fall away from any virtue, since even an angel fell from heaven, wherefore it is written (Job 4:18, 19): ”In His angels He found wickedness: how much more shall they that dwell in houses of clay?” Therefore, in like manner, a man can return from any sin to the state of justice. Therefore the sin against the Holy Ghost can be forgiven.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Matt. 12:32): ”He that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come”: and Augustine says (De Serm. Dom. in Monte i, 22) that ”so great is the downfall of this sin that it cannot submit to the humiliation of asking for pardon.”
_I answer that,_ According to the various interpretations of the sin against the Holy Ghost, there are various ways in which it may be said that it cannot be forgiven. For if by the sin against the Holy Ghost we understand final impenitence, it is said to be unpardonable, since in no way is it pardoned: because the mortal sin wherein a man perseveres until death will not be forgiven in the life to come, since it was not remitted by repentance in this life.
According to the other two interpretations, it is said to be unpardonable, not as though it is nowise forgiven, but because, considered in itself, it deserves not to be pardoned: and this in two ways. First, as regards the punishment, since he that sins through ignorance or weakness, deserves less punishment, whereas he that sins through certain malice, can offer no excuse in alleviation of his punishment. Likewise those who blasphemed against the Son of Man before His G.o.dhead was revealed, could have some excuse, on account of the weakness of the flesh which they perceived in Him, and hence, they deserved less punishment; whereas those who blasphemed against His very G.o.dhead, by ascribing to the devil the works of the Holy Ghost, had no excuse in diminution of their punishment. Wherefore, according to Chrysostom's commentary (Hom. xlii in Matth.), the Jews are said not to be forgiven this sin, neither in this world nor in the world to come, because they were punished for it, both in the present life, through the Romans, and in the life to come, in the pains of h.e.l.l. Thus also Athanasius adduces the example of their forefathers who, first of all, wrangled with Moses on account of the shortage of water and bread; and this the Lord bore with patience, because they were to be excused on account of the weakness of the flesh: but afterwards they sinned more grievously when, by ascribing to an idol the favors bestowed by G.o.d Who had brought them out of Egypt, they blasphemed, so to speak, against the Holy Ghost, saying (Ex. 32:4): ”These are thy G.o.ds, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.” Therefore the Lord both inflicted temporal punishment on them, since ”there were slain on that day about three and twenty thousand men” (Ex. 32:28), and threatened them with punishment in the life to come, saying, (Ex. 32:34): ”I, in the day of revenge, will visit this sin ... of theirs.”
Secondly, this may be understood to refer to the guilt: thus a disease is said to be incurable in respect of the nature of the disease, which removes whatever might be a means of cure, as when it takes away the power of nature, or causes loathing for food and medicine, although G.o.d is able to cure such a disease. So too, the sin against the Holy Ghost is said to be unpardonable, by reason of its nature, in so far as it removes those things which are a means towards the pardon of sins. This does not, however, close the way of forgiveness and healing to an all-powerful and merciful G.o.d, Who, sometimes, by a miracle, so to speak, restores spiritual health to such men.
Reply Obj. 1: We should despair of no man in this life, considering G.o.d's omnipotence and mercy. But if we consider the circ.u.mstances of sin, some are called (Eph. 2:2) ”children of despair” [*_Filios diffidentiae,_ which the Douay version renders ”children of unbelief.”].
Reply Obj. 2: This argument considers the question on the part of G.o.d's omnipotence, not on that of the circ.u.mstances of sin.
Reply Obj. 3: In this life the free-will does indeed ever remain subject to change: yet sometimes it rejects that whereby, so far as it is concerned, it can be turned to good. Hence considered in itself this sin is unpardonable, although G.o.d can pardon it.
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FOURTH ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 14, Art. 4]
Whether a Man Can Sin First of All Against the Holy Ghost?
Objection 1: It would seem that a man cannot sin first of all against the Holy Ghost, without having previously committed other sins. For the natural order requires that one should be moved to perfection from imperfection. This is evident as regards good things, according to Prov. 4:18: ”The path of the just, as a s.h.i.+ning light, goeth forwards and increases even to perfect day.” Now, in evil things, the perfect is the greatest evil, as the Philosopher states (Metaph. v, text. 21).
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