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Objection 1: It would seem that sins once forgiven return through a
subsequent sin. For Augustine says (De Bapt. contra Donat. i,
12): "Our Lord teaches most explicitly in the Gospel that sins
which have been forgiven return, when fraternal charity ceases, in the
example of the servant from whom his master exacted the payment of the
debt already forgiven, because he had refused to forgive the debt of
his fellow-servant." Now fraternal charity is destroyed through each
mortal sin. Therefore sins already taken away through Penance,
return through each subsequent mortal sin.
Objection 2: Further, on Lk. 11:24, "I will return into
my house, whence I came out," Bede says: "This verse should make
us tremble, we should not endeavor to explain it away lest through
carelessness we give place to the sin which we thought to have been
taken away, and become its slave once more." Now this would not be
so unless it returned. Therefore a sin returns after once being taken
away by Penance.
Objection 3: Further, the Lord said (Ezech. 18:24):
"If the just man turn himself away from his justice, and do iniquity
. . . all his justices which he hath done, shall not be
remembered." Now among the other "justices" which he had done, is
also his previous penance, since it was said above (Question 85,
Article 3) that penance is a part of justice. Therefore when one
who has done penance, sins, his previous penance, whereby he received
forgiveness of his sins, is not imputed to him. Therefore his sins
return.
Objection 4: Further, past sins are covered by grace, as the
Apostle declares (Rm. 4:7) where he quotes Ps. 31:1:
"Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are
covered." But a subsequent mortal sin takes away grace. Therefore
the sins committed previously, become uncovered: and so, seemingly,
they return.
On the contrary, The Apostle says (Rm. 11:29): "The
gifts and the calling of God are without repentance." Now the
penitent's sins are taken away by a gift of God. Therefore the sins
which have been taken away do not return through a subsequent sin, as
though God repented His gift of forgiveness.
Moreover, Augustine says (Lib. Resp. Prosperi i [Prosper,
Responsiones ad Capitula Gallorum ii]): "When he that turns away
from Christ, comes to the end of this life a stranger to grace,
whither does he go, except to perdition? Yet he does not fall back
into that which had been forgiven, nor will he be condemned for
original sin."
I answer that, As stated above (Question 86, Article 4),
mortal sin contains two things, aversion from God and adherence to a
created good. Now, in mortal sin, whatever attaches to the
aversion, is, considered in itself, common to all mortal sins, since
man turns away from God by every mortal sin, so that, in
consequence, the stain resulting from the privation of grace, and the
debt of everlasting punishment are common to all mortal sins. This is
what is meant by what is written (James 2:10): "Whosoever .
. . shall offend in one point, is become guilty of all." On the
other hand, as regards their adherence they are different from, and
sometimes contrary to one another. Hence it is evident, that on the
part of the adherence, a subsequent mortal sin does not cause the
return of mortal sins previously dispelled, else it would follow that
by a sin of wastefulness a man would be brought back to the habit or
disposition of avarice previously dispelled, so that one contrary would
be the cause of another, which is impossible. But if in mortal sins
we consider that which attaches to the aversion absolutely, then a
subsequent mortal sin causes the return of that which was comprised in
the mortal sins before they were pardoned, in so far as the subsequent
mortal sin deprives man of grace, and makes him deserving of
everlasting punishment, just as he was before. Nevertheless, since
the aversion of mortal sin is diversified somewhat in relation to
various adherences, as it were to various causes, so that there will
be a different aversion, a different stain, a different debt of
punishment, according to the different acts of mortal sin from which
they arise; hence the question is moved whether the stain and the debt
of eternal punishment, as caused by acts of sins previously pardoned,
return through a subsequent mortal sin.
Accordingly some have maintained that they return simply even in this
way. But this is impossible, because what God has done cannot be
undone by the work of man. Now the pardon of the previous sins was a
work of Divine mercy, so that it cannot be undone by man's subsequent
sin, according to Rm. 3:3: "Shall their unbelief make the faith
of God without effect?"
Wherefore others who maintained the possibility of sins returning,
said that God pardons the sins of a penitent who will afterwards sin
again, not according to His foreknowledge, but only according to His
present justice: since He foresees that He will punish such a man
eternally for his sins, and yet, by His grace, He makes him
righteous for the present. But this cannot stand: because if a cause
be placed absolutely, its effect is placed absolutely; so that if the
remission of sins were effected by grace and the sacraments of grace,
not absolutely but under some condition dependent on some future event,
it would follow that grace and the sacraments of grace are not the
sufficient causes of the remission of sins, which is erroneous, as
being derogatory to God's grace.
Consequently it is in no way possible for the stain of past sins and
the debt of punishment incurred thereby, to return, as caused by those
acts. Yet it may happen that a subsequent sinful act virtually
contains the debt of punishment due to the previous sin, in so far as
when a man sins a second time, for this very reason he seems to sin
more grievously than before, as stated in Rm. 2:5: "According
to thy hardness and impenitent heart, thou treasurest up to thyself
wrath against the day of wrath," from the mere fact, namely, that
God's goodness, which waits for us to repent, is despised. And so
much the more is God's goodness despised, if the first sin is
committed a second time after having been forgiven, as it is a greater
favor for the sin to be forgiven than for the sinner to be endured.
Accordingly the sin which follows repentance brings back, in a sense,
the debt of punishment due to the sins previously forgiven, not as
caused by those sins already forgiven but as caused by this last sin
being committed, on account of its being aggravated in view of those
previous sins. This means that those sins return, not simply, but in
a restricted sense, viz., in so far as they are virtually contained
in the subsequent sin.
Reply to Objection 1: This saying of Augustine seems to refer to
the return of sins as to the debt of eternal punishment considered in
itself, namely, that he who sins after doing penance incurs a debt of
eternal punishment, just as before, but not altogether for the same
"reason." Wherefore Augustine, after saying (Lib. Resp.
Prosperi i [Prosper, Responsiones ad Capitula Gallorum ii])
that "he does not fall back into that which was forgiven, nor will he
be condemned for original sin," adds: "Nevertheless, for these
last sins he will be condemned to the same death, which he deserved to
suffer for the former," because he incurs the punishment of eternal
death which he deserved for his previous sins.
Reply to Objection 2: By these words Bede means that the guilt
already forgiven enslaves man, not by the return of his former debt of
punishment, but by the repetition of his act.
Reply to Objection 3: The effect of a subsequent sin is that the
former "justices" are not remembered, in so far as they were
deserving of eternal life, but not in so far as they were a hindrance
to sin. Consequently if a man sins mortally after making restitution,
he does not become guilty as though he had not paid back what he owed;
and much less is penance previously done forgotten as to the pardon of
the guilt, since this is the work of God rather than of man.
Reply to Objection 4: Grace removes the stain and the debt of
eternal punishment simply; but it covers the past sinful acts, lest,
on their account, God deprive man of grace, and judge him deserving
of eternal punishment; and what grace has once done, endures for
ever.
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