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Often appears with: justice as a virtue · friendship and loyalty · duty, conscience, and obligation · equity, mercy, and pardon · pleasure, pain, and the good life · will, choice, and freedom · the nature and attributes of God · sin, guilt, and repentance · the fear of death · crime and punishment · contracts, oaths, and obligation · the passions and the emotions
Usually: argument (96) · detachment (68) · exhortation (62) · reflection (38) · censure (27) · narrative (23) · grief and loss (21) · lament (17) · injustice endured (14) · reverence (14)
“Having emerged from the poverty and obscurity in which I was born and bred, to a state of affluence and some degree of reputation in the world, and having gone so far through life with a considerable share of felicity, the conducing means I made use of, which with the blessing of God so well succeeded, my posterity may like to know.” Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin · insight
“The liability to be separated from my grandmother, seldom or never to see her again, haunted me.” Frederick Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom · vivid
“The endeavour to injure one whom we hate is called "Anger;" the endeavour to repay in kind injury done to ourselves is called "Revenge.” Benedictus de Spinoza, Ethics — Part 3 · observation
“Garrick had it dashed in his face, sounded in his ears, and went home every night with the plaudits of a thousand in his CRANIUM.” James Boswell, Boswell's Life of Johnson · vivid
“I never knew a man of whom it could be said with less certainty to-day, what he will do to-morrow, than Garrick; it depends so much on his humour at the time.” James Boswell, Boswell's Life of Johnson · observation
“There is no other thing more mischievous to men than roaming; yet for their cursed belly’s need men endure sore distress.” Homer, The Odyssey of Homer · insight
“Many such sorrows has fortune visited me with all my life long. To pass by my other afflictions, I have lost five children under the most pitiful conditions possible: for the five I lost one by one when each was my only child, suffering these blows of bereavement in such a manner that each child was born to one already bereaved. Thus I ever lost my children without solace, and got them amidst fresh grief.....” Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations · vivid
“We have summer heat here still,' writes Marcus, 'but since my little girls are pretty well, if I may say so, it is like the bracing climate of spring to us.” Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations · observation
“Tis humane to have compassion on the afflicted and as it shews well in all, so it is especially demanded of those who have had need of comfort and have found it in others: among whom, if any had ever need thereof or found it precious or delectable, I may be numbered.” Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron, Volume I · precept
“But notwithstanding this frequent confusion of interests, it is easy to attain what natural philosophers, after Lord Bacon, have affected to call the experimentum crucis, or that experiment which points out the right way in any doubt or ambiguity.” David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals · observation
“O my Jesus and my Lord, how pressing now is Thy love! It binds our love in bonds so straitly, that it is not in its power at this moment to love anything else but Thee.” Teresa of Ávila, Saint, The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus, of the Order of Our · vivid
“O Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden, and enjoy (its good things) as ye wish: but approach not this tree, or ye run into harm and transgression.” Ali, Abdullah Yusuf; Pickthall, Marmaduke William; Shakir, M. H., Three translations of the Koran (Al-Qur'an) side by · precept
Pepys mourns his brother Tom’s death, then describes Parliament returning and the king’s anger at Bristol, including attempts to arrest him, and follows with the burial arrangements and dinner and church service for Tom.
15th. My poor brother Tom died. 16th. To the office, where we sat this afternoon, having changed this day our sittings from morning to afternoon, because of the Parliament which returned yesterday; but was adjourned till Monday next, upon pretence that many of the members were said to be upon the road; and also the King had other affairs, and so desired them to adjourn till then. But the truth is, the King is offe…
Arete prepares Odysseus’s bath and stores the Phaeacian gifts in a coffer, Odysseus ties the knot learned from Circe, then he thanks Nausicaa and eats with the chiefs while Demodocus is honored with food.
golden chalice of mine own, that he may be mindful of me all the days of his life when he poureth the drink-offering to Zeus and to the other gods.” So spake he, and Arete bade her handmaids to set a great cauldron on the fire with what speed they might. And they set the cauldron for the filling of the bath on the blazing fire, and poured water therein, and took faggots and kindled them beneath. So the fire began to…
Eumaeus warns Odysseus against the dangerous wooers, then explains his own past and family, while Odysseus presses for details about Eumaeus’ origins and whether his parents live or died.
a serving-man, in piling well a fire, in cleaving dry faggots, and in carving and roasting flesh and in pouring of wine, those offices wherein meaner men serve their betters.” Then didst thou speak to him in heaviness of heart, swineherd Eumaeus: “Ah! wherefore, stranger, hath such a thought arisen in thine heart? Surely thou art set on perishing utterly there, if thou wouldest indeed go into the throng of the wooer…
Moses tells Israel to remember the wilderness for forty years—manna, clothing, and God’s nurturing—to bless the LORD in prosperity and fearfully avoid forgetting Him in abundance.
All the commandments which I command thee this day ye shall keep for to do them, that ye may live and multiply and go and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. And think on all the way which the LORD thy God led thee this forty years in the wilderness, for to humble thee and to prove thee, to wete what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no. He humbled thee and made t…
Tyndale contrasts the law with grace and truth in Christ, saying the law reveals sin and condemns, while the gospel gives promises, mercy, justification, and the ministry of life.
and shall hence forth continue righteous, living, and saved for ever, as Christ him self saith (in the xi. of Ihon) He that believeth on me shall never more die. The law (saith the gospell of Ihon in the first chapter) was given by Moses: but grace and verity by Iesus Christ. The law (whose mnistrer is Moses) was given to bring us unto the knowledge of our selves, that we might there by feel and perceive what we are…
Tyndale describes human nature after Adam’s fall as inherently sinful and under divine wrath, then explains that grace grafts believers into Christ and enables inward consent and sorrow for sin.
((Nature.)) By nature through the fall of Adam, are we the children of wrath, heirs of the vengeance of God by birth, yee and from our conception, we have our fellowship with the damned devils under the power of darkness and rule of satan, while we are yet in our mother's wombs, though we shew not forth the fruits of sin, yet are we full of the natural poison where of all sinful deeds spring, and cannot but sin outw…
Paul praises the Philippians for renewed support, explains his contentment through Christ, thanks God, and then begins his letter to the Colossians with thanksgiving for faith, love, and hope in heaven.
shew your petition unto God in prayer and supplication with giving of thanks. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding keep your hearts, and minds in Christ Iesu. Furthermore brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things pertain to love, whatsoever things are of honest report, if there be any virtuous thing, i…
Aeneas escapes foes and fire, but Anchises refuses to flee and insists on dying, urging Aeneas to save the remaining family and mourn him, despite the repeated pleas.
yields, tho’ late, And mourns with mortal groans th’ approaching fate: The roots no more their upper load sustain; But down she falls, and spreads a ruin thro’ the plain. “Descending thence, I scape thro’ foes and fire: Before the goddess, foes and flames retire. Arriv’d at home, he, for whose only sake, Or most for his, such toils I undertake, The good Anchises, whom, by timely flight, …
After falling asleep in an abandoned house, Washington learns his mother has died; he describes family collapse, help from Mrs. Ruffner, work in a coal mine, and Miss Mary F. Mackie inviting him back to Hampton early.
my brother John found me asleep in this house, and broke to me, as gently as he could, the sad news that our dear mother had died during the night. This seemed to me the saddest and blankest moment in my life. For several years my mother had not been in good health, but I had no idea, when I parted from her the previous day, that I should never see her alive again. Besides that, I had always had an intense desire to…
He contrasts donors who treat visitors rudely with those who welcome them, claims Boston donors feel honored to give, and recounts both long periods of rejection and a later large gift letter from a Connecticut man.
and more, rich people are coming to regard men and women who apply to them for help for worthy objects, not as beggars, but as agents for doing their work. In the city of Boston I have rarely called upon an individual for funds that I have not been thanked for calling, usually before I could get an opportunity to thank the donor for the money. In that city the donors seem to feel, in a large degree, that an honour i…
Douglass explains that as a child he first did not understand he was a slave, until he learned the cabin and people belonged to an “Old Master” who would separate him from his grandmother, making separation his heaviest childhood sorrow.
my grandmother were five in number. Their names were JENNY, ESTHER, MILLY, PRISCILLA, and HARRIET. The daughter last named was my mother, of whom the reader shall learn more by-and-by. Living here, with my dear old grandmother and grandfather, it was a long time before I knew myself to be *a slave*. I knew many other things before I knew that. Grandmother and grandfather were the greatest people in the world to me; …
Plutarch explains why early fame can dull ambition, saying Marcius instead grows more driven by honor, repeatedly wins laurels, and prioritizes his mother Volumnia’s joy, living with her even after marriage.
news of the victory to the people in the Forum. The fifteenth of July, being the day of this conquest, became consequently a solemn holiday sacred to the Twin Brothers. It may be observed in general, that when young men arrive early at fame and repute, if they are of a nature but slightly touched with emulation, this early attainment is apt to extinguish their thirst and satiate their small appetite; whereas the fir…
Cato is portrayed as having suffered personal losses after his presumption—his wife and son die—and he later marries again through arrangements, setting out to have many children and maintain public duty.
might go home again to their own schools, and declaim to the Greek children, and leave the Roman youth, to be obedient, as hitherto, to their own laws and governors. Yet he did this not out of any anger, as some think, to Carneades; but because he wholly despised philosophy, and out of a kind of pride, scoffed at the Greek studies and literature; as, for example, he would say, that Socrates was a prating seditious f…
After Leonidas is restored, the narrative follows the flight to sanctuaries and the political reversal, especially Cleombrotus and Leonidas’s conflict, and centers on Chilonis’s powerful lament and demand that Cleombrotus be banished too.
their fury, if his son, Hippomedon, whose manly virtues made him dear to all, had not saved him out of their hands, and then privately conveyed him from the city. During this commotion, the two kings fled, Agis to the temple of the Brazen House, and Cleombrotus to that of Neptune. For Leonidas was more incensed against his son-in-law; and leaving Agis alone, went with his soldiers to Cleombrotus's sanctuary, and th…
Cardenio thanks Don Quixote for kindness, agrees to tell his misfortunes without interruptions, and accepts food; he leads them to a grassy spot and asks them to promise not to interrupt his sad story.
IN WHICH IS CONTINUED THE ADVENTURE OF THE SIERRA MORENA c24a.jpg (151K) Full Size The history relates that it was with the greatest attention Don Quixote listened to the ragged knight of the Sierra, who began by saying: “Of a surety, señor, whoever you are, for I know you not, I thank you for the proofs of kindness and courtesy you have shown me, and would I were in a condition to requite with something more tha…
Religious ceremonies draw groups together, replacing individual utilitarian attention with communal beliefs and ancestor memory, which renew social life and strengthen individuals’ sense of inner mastery.
the effect of the cult really is to recreate periodically a moral being upon which we depend as it depends upon us. Now this being does exist: it is society. Howsoever little importance the religious ceremonies may have, they put the group into action; the groups assemble to celebrate them. So their first effect is to bring individuals together, to multiply the relations between them and to make them more intimate w…
An envoy tells Kriemhild that her Burgundian brothers are coming from Worms to Etzel’s land in state, bringing armor and shields; Kriemhild expresses joy while also framing her grief over past wrongs.
"Thou must greet them well, Kriemhild, lady mine. Thy dear brothers be coming in great state to visit thee." Within a casement window Lady Kriemhild stood and looked out to see her kin, as friend doth for friend. Many a man she spied from her fatherland. The king, too, learned the tale and laughed for very pleasure. "Now well is me of my joys," quoth Kriemhild, "my kinsmen bring with them many a brand-new shield and…
He cites Montaigne to support the doctrine of enlightened self-interest, saying Americans openly trace actions to interest rightly understood, using it to justify mutual assistance, while noting rare spontaneous disinterested impulses.
to be virtuous. I shall not here enter into the reasons they allege, which would divert me from my subject: suffice it to say that they have convinced their fellow-countrymen. Montaigne said long ago: "Were I not to follow the straight road for its straightness, I should follow it for having found by experience that in the end it is commonly the happiest and most useful track." The doctrine of interest rightly under…
Montaigne argues that his notoriously unreliable memory makes him seem ungrateful, since friends misread his forgetfulness as malice, and he distinguishes memory from understanding.
OF LIARS There is not a man living whom it would so little become to speak from memory as myself, for I have scarcely any at all, and do not think that the world has another so marvellously treacherous as mine. My other faculties are all sufficiently ordinary and mean; but in this I think myself very rare and singular, and deserving to be thought famous. Besides the natural inconvenience I suffer by it (for, certes…
Hume disputes the selfish theory of virtue, arguing that we praise actions by distant people and even adversaries, and that our sentiments cannot be reduced to imagined personal advantage.
the present subject very considerable; yet is not this an affair to be decided by authority, and the voice of nature and experience seems plainly to oppose the selfish theory. We frequently bestow praise on virtuous actions, performed in very distant ages and remote countries; where the utmost subtilty of imagination would not discover any appearance of self-interest, or find any connexion of our present happiness a…
Hume argues against explaining all moral sentiments by self-love, using an “experimentum crucis” where public and private interests can diverge yet gratitude and revenge toward virtue or vice persist.
Self-love is a principle in human nature of such extensive energy, and the interest of each individual is, in general, so closely connected with that of the community, that those philosophers were excusable, who fancied that all our concern for the public might be resolved into a concern for our own happiness and preservation. They saw every moment, instances of approbation or blame, satisfaction or displeasure towar…
Abigail Adams, writing 14 November 1779, mourns her disconsolate home and intense separation from John, hopes for their reunion, worries for her sons’ futures, and addresses Mr. Thaxter’s kindness.
you, because you say a lady cannot help being an odious creature at sea; and I will not wish myself in any situation that should make me so to you. Nothing new in the political way but the raising the siege of Savannah[210] and being unfortunate. You will have particulars, no doubt. Our friends are all well. Mr. Laurens is appointed to Holland--has not yet given his answer. Adieu. Ever, ever yours, PORTIA. FOOTNOT…
In June 1545 (undated but shortly after Calvin’s Strasbourg visit), Calvin consoles John Cavent after the deaths of Cavent’s wife and mother, suggests ways to send the children via M. de Falais, and urges patience.
[*June 1545.*] VERY DEAR BROTHER,--I have no doubt that Master Christopher[495] will have done his duty by delivering to you the letters which contained information of the death of your wife and mother. If it be hard to bear their loss, you have good cause to find consolation in our Lord, who enabled them to glorify his name in their death, and who gave them strength in the hour of need, and who, I do not doubt, wil…
Marcus explains providence and necessity: all that comes from the gods depends on divine administration, worldly events are not truly random, vice alone is avoidable, and he urges gratitude instead of complaining amid trials.
of true moderation and sobriety in either estate, is proper to a man, who hath a perfect and invincible soul; such as he showed himself in the sickness of Maximus. XIV. From the gods I received that I had good grandfathers, and parents, a good sister, good masters, good domestics, loving kinsmen, almost all that I have; and that I never through haste and rashness transgressed against any of them, notwithstanding tha…
The narrative summarizes Marcus’s later correspondence: he cares for children, writes about summer heat and his daughters’ health, informs Fronto after Faustina’s near-death, and urges sympathy when Fronto loses a grandson.
[41] Ad Ant. Imp i., 3. Marcus, we know, was devoted to his children. They were delicate in health, in spite of Fronto's assurance, and only one son survived the father. We find echoes of this affection now and again in the letters. 'We have summer heat here still,' writes Marcus, 'but since my little girls are pretty well, if I may say so, it is like the bracing climate of spring to us.'[42] When little Faustina ca…
He thanks God even for boyhood, claiming natural gifts like memory, speech, friendship, and truth-seeking as God’s provision, while admitting his sin was seeking pleasures in creatures rather than God.
cane. It was the low stature then of childhood which Thou our King didst commend as an emblem of lowliness, when Thou saidst, Of such is the kingdom of heaven. Yet, Lord, to Thee, the Creator and Governor of the universe, most excellent and most good, thanks were due to Thee our God, even hadst Thou destined for me boyhood only. For even then I was, I lived, and felt; and had an implanted providence over my well-bei…
He asks what spiritual fruit confession to others brings, says reading the past sins of believers should awaken mercy rather than despair, and explains that his present spiritual state is what others desire to hear.
will in such wise confess unto Thee, that men may hear, to whom I cannot demonstrate whether I confess truly; yet they believe me, whose ears charity openeth unto me. But do Thou, my inmost Physician, make plain unto me what fruit I may reap by doing it. For the confessions of my past sins, which Thou hast forgiven and covered, that Thou mightest bless me in Thee, changing my soul by Faith and Thy Sacrament, when re…
Augustine quotes and interprets Paul’s contentment: Paul rejoices not because his needs are met but because the Philippians’ care bears the “fruit” of right intention, not mere “gift” provision.
all things I am instructed both to be full, and to be hungry; both to abound, and to suffer need. I can do all things through Him which strengtheneth me. Whereat then rejoicest thou, O great Paul? whereat rejoicest thou? whereon feedest thou, O man, renewed in the knowledge of God, after the image of Him that created thee, thou living soul, of so much continency, thou tongue like flying fowls, speaking mysteries? (f…
Mill describes a grief during which books, conversation, and even appeals to his father fail to offer relief, since he believes his suffering is neither understood nor treatable.
"A grief without a pang, void, dark and drear, A drowsy, stifled, unimpassioned grief, Which finds no natural outlet or relief In word, or sigh, or tear." In vain I sought relief from my favourite books; those memorials of past nobleness and greatness from which I had always hitherto drawn strength and animation. I read them now without feeling, or with the accustomed feeling minus all its charm; and I became persua…
Johnson reflects on fame’s small practical reality, praises Garrick’s self-making and charity while teasing his unpredictability, and recalls an anecdote about Garrick’s tea-making money grumbles.
the Temple, nobody else there. The company being small, Johnson was not in such spirits as he had been the preceding day, and for a considerable time little was said. Talking of fame, for which there is so great a desire, I observed how little there is of it in reality, compared with the other objects of human attention. 'Let every man recollect, and he will be sensible how small a part of his time is employed in ta…
Deucalion addresses Pyrrha in grief, saying they are the entire new human race after the sea kills everyone else; he interprets divine will and imagines restoring mankind.
to give out oracular responses. No man was there more upright than he, nor a greater lover of justice, nor was any woman more regardful of the Deities than she. Soon as Jupiter {beholds} the world overflowed by liquid waters, and sees that but one man remains out of so many thousands of late, and sees that but one woman remains out of so many thousands of late, both guiltless, and both worshippers of the Gods, he di…
Daedalus’s exiled story and the death of Icarus are recounted: Icarus’ body is found in the sea, a tomb is made, and a partridge (Perdix/Talos) is transformed after Daedalus kills his nephew.
wings, he caught no {more} air. His face, too, as he called on the name of his father, was received in the azure water, which received its name[21] from him. But the unhappy father, now no more a father, said, “Icarus, where art thou? In what spot shall I seek thee, Icarus?” did he say; {when} he beheld his wings in the waters, and {then} he cursed his own arts; and he buried his body in a tomb, and the land was cal…
He recounts waking with gratitude for friends, treating virtuous companionship as a divine affinity that cancels barriers, and admits how tenderness can distract him without leading to fruit.
of beloved persons. Let the soul be assured that somewhere in the universe it should rejoin its friend, and it would be content and cheerful alone for a thousand years. I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new. Shall I not call God the Beautiful, who daily showeth himself so to me in his gifts? I chide society, I embrace solitude, and yet I am not so ungrateful as not to see …
After receiving Gelimer’s letter, Tzazon sails from Sardinia, brings reinforcements on foot to the boundary plain between Numidians and Mauretanians near Boulla, and the Vandals reunite in silent grief and embraces without detailed questions.
hereafter in common against the enemy, we shall either recover our previous fortune, or gain the advantage of not bearing apart from each other the hard fate sent by Heaven." When this letter had been brought to Tzazon, and he had disclosed its contents to the Vandals, they turned to wailing and lamentation, not openly, however, but concealing their feelings as much as possible and avoiding the notice of the islande…
Hildebrand tries to recover the dead Wolfhart but is wounded by Hagen; Dietrich then learns Hildebrand is covered in blood, asks who struck him, and mourns Ruediger as all Dietrich’s warriors are gone.
2290 "Therefrom shall profit never / Master Hildebrand. Slain hath been here my helper / 'neath the warrior's hand, The best of feres in battle / that fortune ever sent." His shield upraised he higher / and hewing through the throng he went. 2291 Next saw ye Dankwart / by doughty Helfrich slain, Gunther and Giselher / did full sorely plain, When they beheld him fallen / where fiercely raged the fray. For his death…
Predestination is said to be certain and infallibly effective, though not necessitating its effects; it preserves contingency in free will and explains how the “crown” may be lost by mortal sin.
of action can be imagined previous to the act of thinking. Wherefore it cannot be said that anything begun in us can be the reason of the effect of predestination. And so others said that merits following the effect of predestination are the reason of predestination; giving us to understand that God gives grace to a person, and pre-ordains that He will give it, because He knows beforehand that He will make good use …
Thomas replies to objections by distinguishing present righteousness from the predestined number, reasoning by part-to-whole proportion, and concluding that the saved are a minority because their end exceeds nature and requires grace.
is, however, better to say that, "to God alone is known the number for whom is reserved eternal happiness [*From the 'secret' prayer of the missal, 'pro vivis et defunctis.']" Reply Obj. 1: These words of Deuteronomy must be taken as applied to those who are marked out by God beforehand in respect to present righteousness. For their number is increased and diminished, but not the number of the predestined. Reply Ob…
Thomas holds that some are said to be blotted out of the book of life when they fall from grace, though those predestined by God are never blotted out; the change is in the person, not in God’s foreknowledge.
the book of life." But nothing can be taken away from the foreknowledge of God, nor from predestination. Therefore neither can anyone be blotted out from the book of life. Obj. 2: Further, whatever is in a thing is in it according to the disposition of that thing. But the book of life is something eternal and immutable. Therefore whatsoever is written therein, is there not in a temporary way, but immovably, and inde…
In the third article, Aquinas holds it is most probable that angels were created in sanctifying grace, using Augustine’s seedlike-form idea to say grace was given at creation.
call the help of grace. Therefore it must be said that an angel could not of his own will be turned to such beatitude, except by the help of grace. Reply Obj. 1: The angel loves God naturally, so far as God is the author of his natural being. But here we are speaking of turning to God, so far as God bestows beatitude by the vision of His essence. Reply Obj. 2: A thing is "difficult" which is beyond a power; and thi…
Aquinas sets out the bodily conditions of the first man and argues that Adam was immortal in innocence because God gave the soul a supernatural power to preserve the body from corruption while he remained sinless.
Did. ix, 10). But there can be no passing from one genus to another. Therefore if the first man was incorruptible, man could not be corruptible in the present state. Obj. 3: Further, if man were immortal in the state of innocence, this would have been due either to nature or to grace. Not to nature, for since nature does not change within the same species, he would also have been immortal now. Likewise neither would…
Aquinas teaches the stain of sin remains even after the act ends, because the will does not immediately return to God; only when grace moves the sinner back to divine light is the stain removed.
We must now consider the debt of punishment. We shall consider (1) the debt itself; (2) mortal and venial sin, which differ in respect of the punishment due to them. Under the first head there are eight points of inquiry: (1) Whether the debt of punishment is an effect of sin? (2) Whether one sin can be the punishment of another? (3) Whether any sin incurs a debt of eternal punishment? (4) Whether sin incurs a d…
In response to objections, Aquinas holds that unbelievers’ first stirrings of concupiscence are not mortal sin because they do not consent, unlike sins that bind more grievously in believers due to grace.
to one unto condemnation, what He does not impute to another. But he does not impute first movements to believers, unto condemnation. Neither therefore does He impute them to unbelievers. *I answer that,* It is unreasonable to say that the first movements of unbelievers are mortal sins, when they do not consent to them. This is evident for two reasons. First, because the sensuality itself could not be the subject of…
It argues that the New Law is chiefly inscribed on hearts through the Holy Ghost by faith in Christ, though secondarily it includes written Gospel instruction that disposes believers to receive grace.
"If thy brother, constrained by poverty, sell himself to thee, thou shalt not oppress him with the service of bondservants: but he shall be as a hireling and a sojourner." Reply Obj. 5: As the Philosopher says (Ethic. x, 9), the paternal authority has the power only of admonition; but not that of coercion, whereby rebellious and headstrong persons can be compelled. Hence in this case the Lord commanded the stubborn …
Thomas begins Q.110 by arguing that grace implies something in the soul: not merely divine acceptance, but an effect in the recipient, like light that enlightens the prevaricator.
Whether Grace Implies Anything in the Soul? Objection 1: It would seem that grace does not imply anything in the soul. For man is said to have the grace of God even as the grace of man. Hence it is written (Gen. 39:21) that the Lord gave to Joseph "grace [Douay: 'favor'] in the sight of the chief keeper of the prison." Now when we say that a man has the favor of another, nothing is implied in him who has the favor o…
In Art. 4 Aquinas argues that grace is the principle of merit through charity, since charity is the end and commands the other virtues; thus merit is chiefly attributed to love.
every virtue is a principle of some operation, since virtue is an operative habit, as stated above (Q. 55, A. 2). Hence every virtue is equally a principle of merit. Obj. 2: Further, the Apostle says (1 Cor. 3:8): "Every man shall receive his own reward according to his labor." Now charity lessens rather than increases the labor, because as Augustine says (De Verbis Dom., Serm. lxx), "love makes all hard and repulsi…
It distinguishes envy of a brother’s spiritual good from other kinds of envy, then explains how repentance can be blocked by impenitence and obstinacy, with objections answered about despair, presumption, grace, repentance, and schism.
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 "impenite…
Only the objection is given: Aquinas cites Augustine arguing that love returned and the fact that benefactors “forestal” us in charity should motivate us to love benefactors more than those we have benefited.
Whether a Man Ought to Love His Wife More Than His Father and Mother? Objection 1: It would seem that a man ought to love his wife more than his father and mother. For no man leaves a thing for another unless he love the latter more. Now it is written (Gen. 2:24) that "a man shell leave father and mother" on account of his wife. Therefore a man ought to love his wife more than his father and mother. Obj. 2: Further…
Aquinas argues that we should love benefactors most, since they are a principle of good and a higher good, though recipients may love benefactors more in certain relational ways, such as by seeing their own good.
to love, but declines to return love already given." Now a man's benefactor forestalls him in the kindly deeds of charity. Therefore we ought to love our benefactors above all. Obj. 2: Further, the more grievously we sin by ceasing to love a man or by working against him, the more ought we to love him. Now it is a more grievous sin to cease loving a benefactor or to work against him, than to cease loving one to whom…
He replies that while God and parents may be loved more than we reciprocate, this does not imply we love every person who benefitted us more than our greatest benefactors.
a duty, wherefore the contrary is the greater sin. On the other hand, the love of the benefactor for the beneficiary is more spontaneous, wherefore it is quicker to act. Reply Obj. 3: God also loves us more than we love Him, and parents love their children more than these love them. Yet it does not follow that we love all who have received good from us, more than any of our benefactors. For we prefer such benefactor…
The innocent and the penitent both owe thanksgiving, but in different senses: the innocent gives thanks for a greater and more continuous gift of innocence, while the penitent gives thanks for grace received when deserving punishment.
to oneself, as the Philosopher states regarding justice (Ethic. v, 11), in so far, to wit, as the various parts of man are considered as though they were various persons. Reply Obj. 2: It is the mark of a happy disposition to see good rather than evil. Wherefore if someone has conferred a favor, not as he ought to have conferred it, the recipient should not for that reason withhold his thanks. Yet he owes less thank…
A person is bound to give thanks to every benefactor in proportion to what is owed, since a benefactor as cause properly calls for repayment, though the kind of repayment varies by circumstances and practical equity.
his kindness, as heretofore. And yet, as far as it possible without sin, the kindness he has shown should be held in memory, as the Philosopher says (Ethic. ix, 3). Reply Obj. 6: As stated in the preceding reply, repayment of a favor depends chiefly on the affection of the heart: wherefore repayment should be made in such a way as to prove most beneficial. If, however, through the benefactor's carelessness it prove …
Repayment of gratitude should generally not be delayed, but it need not be immediate; it should respect both the giver’s heartfelt intention and a convenient time so it is not coerced or constrained.
is a part of justice. But justice considers equality between giving and taking. Therefore also in repaying favors we should consider the deed rather than the disposition of the benefactor. Obj. 3: Further, no one can consider what he does not know. Now God alone knows the interior disposition. Therefore it is impossible to repay a favor according to the benefactor's disposition. *On the contrary,* Seneca says (De B…
Aquinas argues that gratitude requires repaying a benefactor with something greater than received, since the benefactor’s gratuitous intention creates a moral debt that the beneficiary must answer as far as possible.
But "more" is excess of equality. Since therefore excess is sinful in every virtue, it seems that to repay more than the favor received is sinful and opposed to justice. *On the contrary,* The Philosopher says (Ethic. v, 5): "We should repay those who are gracious to us, by being gracious to them return," and this is done by repaying more than we have received. Therefore gratitude should incline to do something grea…
In the four questions on ingratitude, Aquinas first argues that ingratitude is always sinful, since gratitude is a moral debt demanded by virtue and ingratitude is contrary to that virtue.
for blindness and deafness differ according to the difference of sight and hearing. Therefore just as gratitude or thankfulness is one special virtue, so also is ingratitude one special sin. It has, however, various degrees corresponding in their order to the things required for gratitude. The first of these is to recognize the favor received, the second to express one's appreciation and thanks, and the third to rep…
Aquinas’s second article argues that ingratitude is a special sin opposed to the special virtue of gratitude, and he distinguishes degrees from failing to repay, to failing to notice, to outright forgetting or denying the favor.
the same also he is tormented" (Wis. 11:17). Now he that is ungrateful when he receives a favor sins against the favor. Therefore he should be deprived of the favor. *On the contrary,* It is written (Luke 6:35) that "the Highest . . . is kind to the unthankful, and to the evil." Now we should prove ourselves His children by imitating Him (Luke 6:36). Therefore we should not withhold favors from the ungrateful. *I a…
Aquinas argues in the third article that ingratitude is not always a mortal sin: omission-based ingratitude is usually venial, but can become mortal through contempt or the serious nature of what is withheld.
of punishment, but only those who are not moved by love to do good, and who, though they belong to the Church outwardly, do not belong to it in merit. Reply Obj. 4: Sometimes a wrong done to a person reflects on God and the Church: and then it is the duty of that person to avenge the wrong. For example, Elias made fire descend on those who were come to seize him (4 Kings 1); likewise Eliseus cursed the boys that moc…
In the fourth article on ingratitude, Aquinas says favors should not automatically be withheld: a benefactor should judge cautiously, aim to convert ungratefulness into gratitude, and only stop repeating favors when ingratitude worsens.
*On the contrary,* Tully (De Invent. Rhet. ii) reckons it a part of justice. *I answer that,* As the Philosopher states (Ethic. ii, 1), aptitude to virtue is in us by nature, but the complement of virtue is in us through habituation or some other cause. Hence it is evident that virtues perfect us so that we follow in due manner our natural inclinations, which belong to the natural right. Wherefore to every definite …
Aquinas turns to the “word of wisdom and the word of knowledge,” introducing the questions whether any gratuitous grace attaches to words and to whom such grace is fitting.
considered in itself. Secondly, because the gift of prophecy regards the knowledge of things, which is more excellent than the knowledge of words, to which the gift of tongues pertains. Thirdly, because the gift of prophecy is more profitable. The Apostle proves this in three ways (1 Cor. 14); first, because prophecy is more profitable to the edification of the Church, for which purpose he that speaketh in tongues p…
He describes visiting the fire site the next night, meeting the last surviving heir who mourns the destroyed family cellar, then returns to recount other former dwellings and their trades, including a potter named Wyman.
the well the same, which tempered the traveller’s beverage and refreshed his steed. Here then men saluted one another, and heard and told the news, and went their ways again. Breed’s hut was standing only a dozen years ago, though it had long been unoccupied. It was about the size of mine. It was set on fire by mischievous boys, one Election night, if I do not mistake. I lived on the edge of the village then, and ha…
Overcome by grief, the Argonauts are urged by Ancaeus to keep sailing; new helmsmen take over, and they depart after twelve days at dawn, passing the Acheron outfall and other landmarks toward the open sea.
not Hera kindled exceeding courage in Ancaeus, whom near the waters of Imbrasus Astypalaea bore to Poseidon; for especially was he skilled in steering and eagerly did he address Peleus: "Son of Aeacus, is it well for us to give up our toils and linger on in a strange land? Not so much for my prowess in war did Jason take me with him in quest of the fleece, far from Parthenia, as for my knowledge of ships. Wherefore,…