(_a_) By _thought_, when we voluntarily and with deliberation consider,
and take pleasure in considering, those things which we know to be
forbidden by God. The thought of evil is not necessarily sinful,
nor is the emotion of pleasure that follows on the thought, _unless
harboured_. We cannot avoid the knowledge of evil, nor can we help the
sense of pleasure which is due to the corruption of our nature through
original sin, but when the _will consents_ to the thought of evil,
takes it up and gives it a lodgment in the heart, then it becomes Sin.
(_b_) By _desire_, when, knowing that a certain course of conduct,
or a certain act is contrary to the Will of God, we feel a desire,
and encourage that desire to take the course, to do the act which we
know is wrong. We sin by wilfully harbouring an evil thought, and by
wilfully harbouring an evil wish. For instance, we may desire that
someone who has injured us may meet with some accident, or not recover
from some sickness. The thought of such a thing must at once be put
aside, lest it should breed the wish that so it might be.
(_c_) By _speech_, when knowingly words are uttered either (1) contrary
to truth; (2) contrary to charity; (3) contrary to religion.
1. God is truth, and loveth truth, and all falsehood is abominable
in His sight. As children of God we must seek ever to be open and
truthful, avoiding evasions of the truth, and perversions of the truth,
and denials of the truth. That is to say, avoiding the obligation of
speaking the truth exactly when it is required; twisting the truth
about so as to alter its appearance and give it a look other than it
should have--a dressing up of the truth, denial of the truth, knowing
what we are doing. Satan is a liar, and the father of lies.
2. Contrary to charity. We sin when we speak words that are unkind,
even if they be true. We have no right to reveal what we know, and
to publish abroad the infirmities, the errors, the faults of our
neighbours, unless we are called upon to do so for some justifiable
cause. All backbiting, slandering, evil-speaking, is inspired by the
Evil One, who stirs up strife, whereas God is the God of unity.
3. Contrary to religion. We sin when we speak against God's revealed
truth and His Church. But we can also sin by holding our tongues when
we ought to speak. When we hear error proclaimed we are bound to stand
up for the truth; not to do so is to neglect a plain duty, for God
has made us all missionaries of His Gospel, soldiers in His army, to
advance His kingdom by example and by precept, and we are bound by our
allegiance to Him to use our best endeavours to dissipate error and
remove prejudice.
[Illustration]
Third Thursday in Lent.
_THE NATURE OF SIN._
(CONTINUED.)
1. We have seen how that we can sin against God's Commandments, by
thought, and by word. We can also sin against Him by act, and by
omission. We daily say, "We have offended against Thy holy laws. We
have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have
done those things which we ought not to have done."
We will therefore now consider sins of _commission_ and sins of
_omission_.
2. We commit sins of the first sort, that is, we are guilty of _sins
of commission_, when we do anything, when we adopt any course of
conduct, knowing it to be forbidden by God. It seems hardly necessary
to say much about such sins, as they are obvious to all. It is perhaps
only necessary to say that we are guilty of sins of commission, when
we transgress any of the Commandments of God _in the spirit_, as
well as in the letter. Our Lord shews us that the Commandments are
expanded under the Gospel to include much more than appears on the
surface. Consequently any little act of unkindness, any trifling
with sensuality, any over-indulgence in eating or drinking, any
disrespectful treatment of those who are in authority, are sins of
commission, though they are not against the written words of the law.
It is therefore right for us to consider what is implied by the written
law, and to measure our conduct and weigh our acts by the spirit of
charity, by first principles of justice, and then it will be found that
we have allowed ourselves many things which are contrary to the spirit
of the Gospel. "Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing
which he alloweth." (Rom. xiv. 22.)
3. We use much less circumspection about _sins of omission_. It is
therefore advisable to consider them more carefully.