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Of the Seven Capital Sins

1. Which are the sinnes, that are speacially to be noted?

TRuely, those, that are called Capital, bicause they are, as it were the fountaines or heades of all the rest, & out of which as out of a corrupted roote, very pestilent fruites doe spring, and as it were by a long race, all kinde of vices, & turpituds, scandales, harmes, corruptions, & mischeifs of mankind, doe descend, and breake out with great violence.

2. How many such capitall sinnes are there?

1SEuen; which are numbred in this manner: Pride, Couetousnesse, Lecherie, Enuie, Glotonie, Anger, Sloth. But as these are euer to be detested & eschewed; soe the seuen vertues opposite vnto these vices, are to be followed with very great diligence and affection, if we seeke the life of our soule. To Pride; contrarie is2 Humilitie: to Couetousnesse;3 Liberalitie: to Lecherie;4 chastitie: Charitie5 oppugneth Enuie: Abstinence6 is opposite to Glotonie: Patience7 to Anger: finally Deuotion8 or Godly diligence, & diligent pietie expelleth Sloth.

3. What is Pride, and what daughters doth she beget?

PRide9 is an inordinate appetite of excellencye, whether it lurke in the minde or appeare in out warde shew.

She certes is the mother, prince10 and Queene of all vices, which principally begetteth this vnhappy ofspring;11 Disobedience, boasting, Hypocrysie, contention, pertinacie, discord, curiositie.

And to the intent that we might auoide this most Pestiferous sinne; holy TOBIE, giueth warning in this maner: Doe thou neuer permit 12 Pride to beare rule in thy thought or in thy worde: for in it all perdition tooke the beginning. 13 For this cause is that Apostolicall doctrine: God resisteth the proud 14 and giueth grace to the humble. Yea and if we beleeue Ecclesiasticus: Pride is hatefull before God, 15 & men. God hath dried vp the rootes of proud nations & hath planted the humble out of those nations. Why therfore arte thou proud thou dust and ashes?

4. What is Couetousnesse and of what manner of daughters is she the mother?

COuetousnesse is an inordinate appetite of hauing.16 For he is rightly deemed couetouse, not only that taketh by violence, but also that desireth an other mannes, or couetously keepeth his owne.

The17 daughters of this bad mother, are Treason, fraude, fallacie, Periurie, Disquietnes, violence, vnmercifullnes, or Inhumanitie, and hardnes of harte: The Apostle condemneth this vice, so as he hath called it the seruice of18 Idoles:19 and besides writeh thus. They that willbe made riche, fall into tentation & the snare of the Deuill, and many desiers vnprofitable and hurtfull, which drown men into distruction and perdition. For the roote of al euils is couetousnes. And in an other place we find it writen: nothing is more wicked then a Couetouse 20 man. Also nothing is more vniust then to loue money. For this man setteth his very soule to sale. And Christ him selfe testifieth: you cannot serue God 21 and mammon. And againe: be not carefull for to morow. Which Saint PAVL also more expresly deliuering, giueth this admonition:22 Let your maners be without auarice: contented with thinges present. For he said, I will not leaue thee, neither will I forsake thee: so that we doe confidently say: Our Lorde is my helper: Hauing 23 foode and wherewith to be couered, with these we are content.

5. What is Lechery, and what manner of ofspring doth it ingender?

LEcherie,24 is an inordinate appetite of vncleane & libidinouse pleasure. And it25 bringeth forth blindnes of minde, inconsideration, inconstancie, headlongnes, loue of himselfe, hatred of God, too much desire of this life, a horror of death and future Iudgement, and desperation of eternall felicitie.

Against this sinne which maketh26 the wise mad; & causeth men to become in maner beastes: thus writeth S. PAVL: Flie 27 fornication. Euery sinne whatsoeuer a man doth, is without the body: but he that doth fornicate, sinneth against his owne bodye. And in another place thus:28 Fornication and all vncleanes, or auarice, let it not so much as be named among you, as becommeth Saints: or filthines, or foolish talke, or scurrilitie, being to no purpose: but rather giuing of thankes. And it is a wonderfull thing that Christians are not marueilously29 ashamed: who doe pollute themselues with filthy luste in the sighte of God & his Angels, whereas they haue consecrated in Baptisme their bodies and members as pure temples30 to the holy Ghost, and to Christ our Lord. Hereupon againe saith S. PAVL. Know 31 you not that your members are the temple of the holy Ghost, which is in you, whom you haue of God, and you are not your owne? Then againe; Knowe 32 you not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Taking therfore the members of Christ, shall I make them the members of an harlotte? And finallie he concludeth in this sorte: For you are 33 bought with a greate price. Glorifie and beare God in your body. For 34 fornicatours, and aduouterours, God will iudge.

6. What is Enuie, and what daughters doth she bring forthe?

ENuie,35 is a sadnesse for the good of an other, and a hatred of an other mans felicitie: in respect of Superiours; because hee is not made equall vnto them: and in respect of inferiors; least they should be made equall vnto him: and in respect of equalls; because they are equall vnto him, as Saint AVGVSTINE36 saith: & she hath to her37 daughters: hatred, whispering, detraction, exulting in other mens aduersities, and afliction in their prosperity.

CAIN is reade to haue enuied ABEL38 his owne brother, and SAVL to haue enuied DAVID39 the designed King, his sonne in lawe. This abhominable vice besides40 that it is voide of all charitie and humanitie: it also maketh men most like vnto Deuils. For by the enuie of the 41 Deuill death entred into the worlde: and they doe imitate him, which are of his parte. Well therfore, dothe the Apostle giue warning:42 Let vs not be made desirous of vaine glory, prouoking one an other, enuying one an other.

7. What is Glotony, and which are her daughters?

GLotonie is an inordinate43 appetite of meate and drinke: her daughters44 are, foolish mirth,45 much talke, scurrilitie,46 vncleannes, dulnes of sense, & vnderstanding. And what is more foule & vnsemely then that a man should be inferiour to beastes, which are content with a certain naturall moderation; whilest he maketh himselfe a slaue to his bellie, to surfeting and drunckennes, consuming his goods, hurting his health, bringing on diseases, and finally shortning & cutting off his owne life? For it is a very true saying: By meanes 47 of surfeiting many haue died: but he that is abstinent shall encrease life. Againe: In much 48 meat there shalbe infirmitie. Therefore Christ commandeth: Looke well 49 to your selues, least perhaps your hartes be ouercharged with surfeting, & drunckennes. And Saint PAVL dehorting vs from drunckenes saith:50 Be not druncke with wine wherein is riotousnes. 51 Drunckerds shal not possese the kingdome of God. And hence is it also that the Prophet giueth such a heauie threate vnto drunckerds: Woe 52 you that are mightie to drincke wine, and strong men to mingle drunckennes.

8. What is Anger & what ofspring hath shee?

Anger, is an inordinate desire of punishing him, by whom a man supposeth that he haue ben harmed. There doth spring53 from her these detestable daughters: Braulinge, Swelling of the minde, Contumelies, clamour, disdainfulnesse, and Blasphemie.

This is a pernitious poison of54 the minde, ouerthrowing al vigour of iudgement & wisdome, and impairing the helth of the minde, yea & oftentimes also of the body. For which cause hath Ecclesiastes giuen warning: Be not 55 thou swifte to be angry, for anger resteth in the bosome of a foole. And the doctor of the Gen tiles hath giuen charge: Let 56 all bit ternes, & anger, & indignation, clamor and blasphemie, be taken away from you with all malice. And be gentle one to another, mercifull, pardoning one another, as also God in Christ hath pardoned you. But against angrye, contentiouse, & contumelious persons, that dreadfull sentence of Christ is alreadie pronounced: Whosoeuer 57 is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of iudgement: and whosoeuer shall say to his brother, Raca; shall be in danger of a Councell: And whosoeuer shall say thou foole; shall be guilty of hell fire.

9. What is Sloth, and which be her bran ches?58

SLoth is a languishing of a minde that is slacke and negligent to do well: And speacially it is a sadnes about some spirituall matter. Shee bringeth forth59 these daughters, malice, rancour, pusillanimitie, desperation, dulnes about the necessarie commandements, and a wandering of the minde about things vnlawfull.

Of this sinne are those men guiltie, that are60 Idle, lither, and as the Scripture calleth them, luke warme61 and finally euery one that dothe passe ouer this time of grace & day of saluation in vaine affairs & endeuoures. And the end of this sinne is that which Christ teacheth in the Gospell: Euery tree 62 which yeeldeth not good fruite shall be cut downe, and shall be cast into the fire. And in an other place: The 63 vnprofitable seruant cast ye out into the vtter darkenes. 64 Neither hath he omitted to tell vs, what in the meane season he would haue vs to doe, that we may eschew sloth, saying: Take heede, 65 watch and pray, for you know not when the time is: striue to enter by 66 the narrow gate, because many I say to you shall seeke to enter, and shall not be able. These thinges we haue breifly touched to the intent that they which are not already taught the waies of Iustice, maye not onlye know & discerne the chiefe diseases and detestable plagues of mankind which we haue shewed: but also endeuour accordinge to the prescript of Gods law, to abandon from themselues and others, and vtterly to expell the same. Happy 67 is that man which hath not walked in the Councell of the wicked, and hath not stoode in the way of sinners, and hath not sitte in the chaire of pestilence, as the Kinglie Psalmist singeth: notefying vnto vs the first part of Iustice and happinesse, in the front of his first Canticle.

Footnotes

  1. vide Greg. l. 3. mor. c. 31 & Cassia collat. 5. & l. 5. & sequen. ↩

  2. Colos. 3, 12. ↩

    1. Cor. 9, 5.
    ↩

  4. Act. 24, 25. ↩

    1. Cor. 13 4.
    ↩

  6. Eccli. 31, 19.31. ↩

  7. Heb. 10, 36. ↩

    1. Cor. 15, 58.
    ↩

  9. Vide Chrys. ho. 43 ad pop. Antioch. Ber. de grad. humil. Greg, 34. mor. c. 17. & seq. & l. 23. c. 7. Pros. ad Demet. Isid. de summo bono l. 2. c. 38. Fulg. ep. 3. c. 16. & 17. ↩

  10. Greg. l. 31 mor. c. 31. Prosp. lib. 3. de vit. cont. cap. 2. Aug. ep. 56. Ber. ser. 3. ex paruis & ser 4. de adu. ↩

  11. Deut. 17, 12. Sap. 5, 8. Mat. 23, 11.14.27.. Prou. 13, 10. Gen. 49, 7. Prou. 6, 16. 1. Tim. 5, 13. ↩

  12. Tob. 4, 14. ↩

  13. Eccli. 10, 15. Chrys. ho. 8. in Ioan ↩

  14. Iac. 4, 6. 1. Pet. 5, 5. ↩

  15. Eccli. 10, 7.18.10. ↩

  16. vide Bas. in ditescent. & auar. ho. 6. & 7. Pros. l. 2. de vita cont. c. 15 & 16. Isid. de sum. bo. l. 2. c. 41. Aug. l. . de lib. arb. c. 17. & ser. 196. de temp. Ambr. in lib de Nabuthe Iezrael. l. 1. de Cain & Abel. cap. 5. ↩

  17. Greg. lib. 1. mor. c. 31 2. Tim. 3, 4. 1. Cor. 6, 8. Eccli. 11, 31.33. Zach. 8, 17. Mat. 6, 24. Pro 22, 22. & 21, 13. ↩

  18. Col. 3, 5. Eph. 5, 5. ↩

  19. 1 Tim. 6 9. Esa. 5, 8. Mar. 10, 24. Abac. 2, 6.9. Iac. 5, 1. Eccli. 31, 5.8 11. Bar. 3, 16 Psal. 48, 17. ↩

  20. Eccli. 10, 9.10. ↩

  21. Mat. 6, 25. Chrys. ho. 7. in Io. Ibidem ver. 34. ↩

  22. Heb. 13, 5. Luc. 12, 15. ↩

    1. Tim. 6, 8.
    ↩

  24. vide pros de vit. cont. l. 3. c. 6. Isid. de sum. bo. l. 2. c. 39. ↩

  25. Greg. lib. 31 mor. c. 31. Ose. 4, 11 2. Reg. 11, 14. Dan. 13, 56. Pro. 13, 3 Sap. 4, 12. Psal. 51, 6. 2. Tim. 3, 4. Psal. 20, 9. Iac. 4, 4. Eph. 4, 19. ↩

    1. Reg. 11 1. Eccli. 19.2 Hier. in cap 4. Ose. Amb. l. 1. de Cain & Abel. c. 5. & l. de Noe. & area. cap. 9.
    ↩
    1. Cor. 6.18. & ibid. Chrys. Aug. de 10. chord. c. 10. & ser. 16. de ver. do c. 10
    ↩

  28. Eph. 5, 3. & ibi Hieron vide sextum preceptum Decalogi. ↩

  29. Amb. in c. 4. Luc. Greg. 16. mor. c. 31. ↩

    1. Cor. 5, 16. 2. Cor. 6, 16.
    ↩
    1. Cor. 6.19.
    ↩

  32. Ibid. Ver. 15. ↩

  33. Ibid. Ver. 20. ↩

  34. Heb. 13, 4 1. Cor. 6, 9. Eph. 5, 5. Gal. 5, 20. Apoc. 21, 8. ↩

  35. de hoc peccato scribit Cypr. ser. de zelo & li uorc. Bas. ho. 11. de inuid. & 21. in aliquot. scripturae locos Chrys. hom. 44. & 45. ad pop. Prosp. l. 3. de vita contemp. c. 5. & 9. Isid. de surn. bo. l. 3, c. 25. ↩

  36. Aug. l. 11 de Gen. ad li. et. 14. Prosp. Sent. 292. ↩

  37. Greg. l. 31 mor. c. 31. 1. Io. 3, 12. Ro. 1, 29. Pro. 17, 5. et 24, 17.21. et 28, 22. Eccles. 4, 4. ↩

  38. Gen. 4, 5. Iudae ver. 11 ↩

    1. Reg. 18, 8.
    ↩

  40. Nysse. in vita Moisi Hier. in c. 5. ad Gal. Greg 3. par. pastor. admon. 11. Aug. ser. 83. de temp. Bern. ser. 24. & 49. in Cant. & in ser de de tripl. custo. ↩

  41. Sap. 2, 24. Chrys. ho. 41. in Mat. Greg. l. 5. mor. c. 33. & 34. & l. 29. c. 3. Aug. de virg. c. 31 ↩

  42. Gal. 5, 26. ↩

  43. Greg. 30. mor. c. 27. Ber. l. de pas. c. 42. ↩

  44. Greg. lib. 31. mor. c. 31 ↩

  45. Exo. 32, 6 Iob. 21, 12. Pro. 10, 19. Eph. 5, 4. Greg 3. parte past. admon. 20. Chry. ho. 57 ad pop. ↩

  46. Esa. 28, 7. Eccles. 10, 16 Chry. ho. 44 in Io. & 58. in Mat. Hiero. l. 2. cont. Iouin. c. 6. & seq. et in c. 44. Ezech. & in c. 5. ad Gal. Vide de hoc vitio Basil. ho. in ebriet. & luxil Aug. ser. 231. & 232. de temp. Chryso. in ser. cont. luxum & crapulam & ho. 1. ad pop. Ant. Isid. l. 2. de sum. bo. c. 42. & 43. Amb. de Helia & ieiunio c. 12. & seq. ↩

  47. Eccli. 37, 32. & 31, 19. ps. 77, 29. Num. 11, 33. Deut. 12, 15. Prou. 21, 17. ↩

  48. Eccli. 37, 33 ↩

  49. Luc. 21, 34. Vide Bur char. l. 34. de cret. et Iuon. parte 13. c. 68. & sequ. ↩

  50. Eph. 5, 18. Pro. 20, 1 Hier. in c. 1. ad Tit. & ep 83. ad Ocea. c. 4 Ambr. l. 1 de paenit. c. 14. ↩

    1. Cor. 6, 10. Gal. 5, 11 Ose. 4, 11. Pro. 31, 4. Eccli. 19, 2.
    ↩

  52. Esa. 5, 22 11. et 22, 12. Pro. 23, 20.29. Amos. 6, 4. Luc. 6, 24. ↩

  53. Greg. l. 31. mor. c. 31 Pro. 29, 22. Iob. 15, 2.13. Eccli. 19, 28. Eph. 4, 31. ↩

  54. lege Bas. ho. 10. de ira Chrys. ad pop. ho 29. & seq. & ho 6 in act. 4. & 18. in Mat. Greg. l. 5. mor. c. 30. & sequ. ↩

  55. Eccles. 7, 10. Eccli. 8, 19. & 28, 1. & 30, 26. Pro. 12, 16. & 15, 1.18. & 18, 6.14. & 22, 24. & 26, 21. & 27, 3. Iob. 5, 2. Ps. 4, 5. & 30, 10. ↩

  56. Eph. 4, 31. Col. 3, 8.12. Ber. ser. 13. in Ps. Qui habitat. Amb. lib. 1. off. c. 21 August. in. Psal. 4. & lib. de vera relig. cap. 45. & epist. 87. & 149. Greg. lib. 8. ep 51. ad Leont. & par. 3. past. adm. 17. ↩

  57. Mat. 5.23 Greg. l. 21. mor. c. 5. Aug. l. 1. de ser. dom. in monte c. 19. Enchir. c. 79. ↩

  58. Ber. ser. 3. & 6. de ascens. Greg. 3. parte past. admon. 16. ↩

  59. Greg. 31. mor. c. 31 Eccli. 33, 29. Pro. 15, 13. Eccli. 7.9. & 30, 22. Pro. 17, 22. Psal. 118, 28 & 39, 13. ↩

  60. Mat. 20, 3.6. & 22.5. ↩

  61. Ap. 3, 15 Pro. 6, 3. & 10, 4.26. & 13, 4. & 18, 8.9. & 19, 15 24. & 20, 4. & 21, 25. & 22, 13. & 24, 30. & 25, 20. & 26, 13. & 28, 19. Eccli. 5, 8. & 7, 16. & 14, 2. et 22, 1 Psal. 72, 5. Hier. 48, 10. iuxta 70. Ro. 13, 11. 2. Cor. 7, 10 Gal. 3, 3. Apoc. 2, 4. ↩

  62. Mat. 7, 18. & 3, 10 & 21, 19. Luc. 13, 7. Io. 15, 2. ↩

  63. Mat. 25, 26, 30. ↩

  64. Eccli. 6, 23 Eccles. 9, 10, 2. Thes. 3, 7. Gal. 6.9, 10. Heb. 12, 12. Ro. 12, 11. Phil. 4, 4. ↩

  65. Mar. 13, 33.35. Mat. 24, 42. & 25 13. Io. 9, 4 Eph. 5, 14.16 Ap. 3, 2.3. ↩

  66. Luc, 13, 24. Mat. 7, 13. & 11, 12 ↩

  67. Psal. 1, 1. Bern. ser. 35. ex paruis. ↩

Chapter 19 of 36