Instruction concerning penance and holy communion the second part fo the instruction of youth, containing the means how we may return to God by penance, and remain in his grace by the good and frequent use of the sacraments. By Charles Gobinet, Doctor of Divinity, of the house and Society of Sorbon, principal of the college of Plessis-Sorbon.

CHAP. X. A Further illustration of the grievousness of sin.

ALL that which we have said, is more then enough to give a judgment of the heinous∣ness of Mortal Sin; but because the more we sink

into the matter, the more copious is the Subject; behold yet one more consideration to discover its enormity.

Sin is a resistance to the Divine will, or as St. Ambrose hath very well defin'd, it is a Swerving from the Law of God, and a disobedience to his Divine Commandements. Proevaricatio divinae le∣gis, & coelestium inobedientia mandatorum. This disobedience offends God, and injures him so, as to violate the right, which God hath to be obey'd, and loved by his Creatures. It's also necessarily accompanied with all those indignities, which we have said above are found in Sin, viz. Rebellion against God, Ingratitude, Contempt of him, Vi∣olence committed in his Adorable Presence, and Esteem and preference of the Creature before God, a Renouncing of his Friendship, and ma∣ny other Indignities: And this it is, which makes the injury done to God by this Disobedience, most Heinous, and far surpass all that one can imagine.

And being that this vile and base injury is of∣fered to a Person the most Eminent and of high∣est Dignity, whose Authority is Boundless, and infinitely raised above all that is great. Hence it is, that this affront is so immence, that it infinitly surpasses all the abuses, and wrongs, that can be offered unto man: it being a certain Rule, that an offence takes its heinousness from the great∣ness of the Person that is offended: And thus an affront offered to a Prince, doth far Surmount that done to one of base condition. Now being that God is infinite in Greatness and Majesty, it follows that an injury offered to him is also infinite.

Add all these things together, an Infinite of∣fence committed against the Infinite Greatness of God, accompanied with all those Indignities we have spoken of, with Rebellion, with Ingra∣titude, with Contempt of God, with Prefe∣rence of a creature before his Friendship, with In∣fidelity: and judge what we ought to say of the greatness of the Injury, which Sin offers to God. But above all consider the Sin, as committed by a Wretched creature, by a Miserable servant, by a worm of the Earth, which before God is less then nothing; Judge then I say, if you can, but you can never arrive at a perfect Judgment, al∣though all the knowledge of both Men and An∣gels were united in your understanding.

An affront so great, that it made St. Augustine, and other Divines after him to say, that it were far better the whole frame of the world should perish, that is Heaven, and Earth, and all contain'd therein, then that a man should commit any one mortal sin against God. Pecca∣tum est inhonorare Deum, quod non debet facere homo, etiamsi totum pereat quod non est Deus. Sin, saith that Holy Doctor, is to dishonour God, which a man ought not to do, altho' all things, except God, be destroyed.

An injury so horrible that it made St. Anselm say, That if he should see on one side Hell open with all its flames; and on the other side, one sole Mortal Sin to be Committed; and that he were for∣ced to make choice of the one, he would rather choose to cast himself into hell, then sin mortally. S. Anselm de similitudinibus. c. 190. And he adds the reason. Because, said he, I should rather desire, being innocent and without sin, to enter into Hell, then enjoy Para∣dise,

being defiled with sin; for it is most certain, that only the wicked are tormented in Hell, and only the just are blessed in Heaven. Altho' this necessity of choice can never happen; yet the supposition, which this great Saint makes, doth manifestly shew the grievousness of Mortal sin, & the injury which by it is done to God: and it is grounded upon this manifest truth in Divinity; that the evil of the fault is infinitely greater, and more to be feared, then the evil of the punishment.

A wrong so heinous, that Divines with one accord agree, that if all the men in the world, and all the Angels in Heaven, should unite their forces, to deplore the injury offered to God by any one mortal sin, to do Penance, and give Satisfaction to God for it; they could not all together in the least perform that which it deserves.

A damage so great, an abuse so detestable, that only God himself was able to repair it, only God himself could satisfy for it to the full; and to perform this, it was necessary, that God should put himself in a state to satisfy, that he should humble himself so as to become man, to offer himself in Sacrifice to the Divine justice: a Sacrifice, which equalled the price, and also far surpass'd the grievousness of Sin; and in which two things were admirably conjoyned, the Di∣vinity, and Humanity, this to be offer'd, and that to give infinite value and merit to the offer∣ing; as a Father of the Church said excellently well. De nostro obtulit Sacrificium, de suo contulit pretium. Euseb. Emis. hom. 6. de Pascha.

In fine, an injury so offensive and enormous, that the Flames of Hell, which it hath kindled,

can neither purge it for all Eternity; nor ap∣pease the Divine wrath, which it hath incens'd, against those, who neglective, whilst they lived, to apply to themselves the Satisfaction made by the Sacrifice offered by the Son of God upon the Cross, are dead in Mortal Sin.

Weigh well all these Considerations, Theotime, read them often, and endeavour by frequent Me∣ditation, to imprint them in your mind.