Special Moral Theology

656. Matter. - After general moral theology, which comprises the treatises on the ultimate end, on human acts in themselves, on their rules, namely, conscience and laws, on sins, and on habits and virtues considered in general, we begin special moral theology, which treats in particular:

1. of individual good acts, and of evil acts or opposed sins;

2. of individual habits, virtues or gifts of the Holy Spirit, and of opposed vices;

3. of individual precepts, whether affirmative, which pertain to good works and virtues, or negative, which pertain to sins and vices.

Moreover, among all these, certain things pertain to the state of all men, certain things to some determined state, namely, of clerics, religious, bishops, etc.

657. Method. - Now all the aforesaid things can be explained separately, or even several of them together, as many modern authors do, who with St. Alphonsus divide moral theology according to the precepts. But the scientific and more perfect method of St. Thomas, as more complete and at the same time more compendious, is to consider all these things together, so that in the same treatise we may consider both the virtue with its acts, and the opposed vices and sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit corresponding to this virtue, and the affirmative or negative precepts pertaining to all these things.

"It must be considered," says St. Thomas,¹ "...that if we determined separately concerning virtues, gifts, vices, and precepts, it would be necessary to say the same thing many times... Therefore the way of considering will be more compendious and expeditious if, under the same treatise, the consideration proceeds at the same time concerning the virtue and the gift corresponding to it, and the opposed vices, and the affirmative or negative precepts. But this mode of consideration will be suitable to the vices themselves according to their proper species. For it has been shown above that vices and sins are diversified in species according to matter or object... But the matter concerning which both virtue operates rightly and the opposed vices depart from rectitude is the same."

¹ In the introduction to the Secunda Secundae.

In reality, the order of the precepts does not favor a scientific exposition, by which all things may be logically joined among themselves and reduced to principles. For:

a) there are many acts which are reduced to the precepts rather arbitrarily and very remotely, for example, imprecation, anger, indeed gluttony and drunkenness, which are apt to harm the body, to the fifth precept; all the sacraments to the third; the obligation of alms to the fourth or to the fifth; humility to the eighth;

b) there are acts or virtues which must be reduced to several precepts, for example, charity to the first for love of God, to the fifth for love of neighbor, to the fourth or fifth for the office of almsgiving; likewise restitution and justice, fortitude and temperance to diverse precepts according to various matters; - and thus many things are mixed together whose morality proceeds from very diverse reasons, or on the contrary those things are separated which regard the same virtues;

c) furthermore, the said method gives place to an incomplete treatment: treating professedly of commanded acts, they omit those things which are of counsel and which regard perfection, and they consider sins more, or even exclusively, not virtues.

Whence the division according to virtues is altogether to be preferred.

658. Order of division. - There are seven virtues to which all others are reduced: three theological and four cardinal. Therefore special moral theology comprises seven treatises: on faith, on hope, on charity, on prudence, on justice, on fortitude, on temperance, which regard all states; to these is added an eighth: on particular states.²

² Understand particular states relative to the ultimate end, but not lay states as moderns posit them: these, with St. Thomas, are to be considered with the virtue of justice.

We begin to speak of the theological virtues.

On Theological Virtues