TREATISE VI
Virtue in General
This treatise is divided into three chapters : i. nature and kinds of virtue ; 2. the acquired moral virtues ; 3. the infused virtues.
CHAPTER I. NATURE AND KINDS OF VIRTUE
179. Definition. Virtue is that which confers goodness on its owner and makes his acts good (Aristotle). This definition is primarily true of the moral virtues which make both man himself and his acts good. Another definition is that given by St. Augustine, referring to the infused virtues : virtue is a good quality of the soul enabling man to live well, which no one can use for evil, produced in man by God without man’s assistance. The nature of virtue is understood more clearly by comparing it with the gifts and fruits of the Holy Ghost and with the beatitudes.
180. The gifts of the Holy Ghost are habits accompanying sanctifying grace whereby a man is well disposed to receive the inspirations and movements of the Holy Ghost. In the gifts, therefore, it is the Holy Ghost Himself who inspires man towards goodness ; in the virtues man is moved by right reason aided by grace. The gifts of the Holy Ghost are seven in number : wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, piety, fortitude, fear.
The gift of wisdom (corresponding to the virtue of charity) is a habit infused by God which makes the soul responsive to the Holy Ghost in the contemplation of divine things and in the use of God’s ideas to judge both created and divine matters. — The first effect of wisdom is a filial fear of God, but its supreme effect is a welcome peace in the heart of man.
The gift of understanding is a supernatural enlightenment given to man in the form of a habit whereby he grasps revealed truths easily and intimately.
The gift of knowledge (the science of the saints) enables man through some form of spiritual relish and warmth of charity to judge everything in its relationship to his supernatural end by means of inferior causes . — The gifts of understanding and of knowledge aid and perfect the virtue of faith.
The gift of counsel (which aids and perfects the virtue of prudence) enables man to judge and command individual acts.
The gift of piety (which aids and perfects the virtue of justice) enables man to show reverence both for God as a most loving Father and for men as the sons of God.
The gift of fortitude (which aids and perfects the virtue of fortitude) gives the soul a singular strength in resisting evil and attaining to everlasting life.
The gift of fear (which aids and perfects the virtue of hope) impels man to a profound respect for the majesty of God.
181. The fruits of the Holy Ghost which St. Paul lists as twelve in number (charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, continence, chastity) are human acts which result from the gifts of the Holy Ghost and refresh man with holy and sincere joy.
The beatitudes (of which St. Matthew lists eight, St. Luke four) are external acts of the virtues and gifts which in their own special way lead man to happiness both on earth and especially in Heaven.
182. Kinds of virtue.
1. In relation to their origin, virtues are either acquired or infused, according as man acquires them by his own acts or God infuses them together with sanctifying grace.
2. In relation to their object, virtues are either intellectual, moral, or theological. The intellectual virtues perfect man in his understanding of truth (whether speculative or practical), and of these there are five: understanding, wisdom, knowledge, prudence, art. The moral virtues perfect the powers of man to enable him to use correctly and well the means to his supernatural end ; these can be reduced to four as being more fundamental than the rest and are known as the cardinal virtues : prudence, fortitude, justice, temperance. — The theological virtues have God as their immediate object and are given and revealed by God alone ; these are three in number : faith, hope, and charity.
CHAPTER II. THE ACQUIRED MORAL VIRTUES
183. The existence of acquired moral virtues is as certain as the existence of man’s ability to perform good acts by his own natural powers. It is by the repetition of such acts that good habits or virtues are formed. Moral virtues acquired without the aid of grace and charity are genuine virtues although imperfect, since they do not make man perfectly good.
184. The properties of the acquired virtues arc four in number : 1. they avoid extremes; 2. they are interconnected; 3. they are unequal , 4. they endure after this life.
1. A moral virtue avoids extremes, i.e., it docs not offend against right reason either by excess or by defect. This mean of the virtues is cither a rational mean in so far as they incline man to observe a due proportion in his acts, or an objective mean which in addition determines that there should be an equality between man’s acts and his neighbour’s due. Only the virtue of justice possesses an objective mean.
2. The moral virtues are interconnected to this extent that if one moral virtue is possessed in its perfect form then all the others must be present, whereas if one is lacking, all the others are wanting in perfection. The bond of union between the supernatural virtues is charity, whereas the moral virtues are united together by prudence. Neither the intellectual virtues nor the theological virtues are connected in this way ; one may exist without the other. It is possible for a man to possess inclinations towards the moral virtues even though he is completely wanting in one of those virtues.
3. The moral virtues are unequal both from the point of view of their objects and from the point of view of man himself. It is quite clear that varying degrees of virtues may be found in different persons. A similar inequality exists in the intellectual and theological virtues.
4. The moral virtues endure after this life, at least in their formal element, viz., the right order of reason existing in them. As regards their material acts, those virtues which control our inordinate passions will not be found in Heaven where such passions no longer exist.
CHAPTER III. THE INFUSED VIRTUES
185. The existence of infused virtues — all of which the soul receives together with sanctifying grace— is to-day generally admitted. Therefore even baptized infants possess all the infused virtues (Council of Vienna). The infused moral virtues are of a distinct species from the corresponding acquired moral virtues, since in the latter reason takes the place of faith as the standard of moderation.
Three special properties are to be found in the infused virtues : a) they increase within themselves as often as sanctifying grace increases, v.g., by the performance of meritorious acts ; b) all of them, with the exception of faith and hope, are lost by mortal sin ; c) they can be diminished only indirectly.