Hou pride is in heretikes deedli synne.
The Deadly Pride of Heresy
The author explains that heresy is a mortal sin of pride, where one elevates their own opinion above the authority of God and Holy Church.
A heretic commits a mortal sin through pride, because he chooses to find his rest and delight in his own opinions and words, believing that an opinion or statement is true even when it contradicts God and the Holy Church. He therefore sins mortally in his pride, for he loves himself and his own will so much that, even when it is clearly against the ordinances of the Holy Church, he refuses to abandon it, instead resting in it as if it were absolute truth, effectively making it his god. But he deceives himself, for God and the Holy Church are so united and in agreement that whoever acts against one acts against the other, and thus he acts against both. Therefore, anyone who claims to love God and keep His commandments, while despising the Holy Church and disregarding the laws and ordinances established by its head and sovereign for the governance of all Christian people, is lying. He does not choose God, but chooses the love of himself, which is contrary to the love of God, and so he sins mortally. In the very thing by which he thinks he most pleases God, he actually displeases Him most, because he is blind and refuses to see. Of this blindness and of this false resting of heretics in their own feeling, the wise man speaks this way: "There is a way that seems right to a person, and its end leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12). There is a way that seems right to a person, and its final end brings him to eternal death.
The Deception of the False Way
Unlike other sinners who feel the sting of conscience, the heretic is uniquely trapped by a false sense of righteousness that leads to spiritual ruin.
This way in particular is called heresy, because other fleshly sinners who commit deadly sin and stay put in it commonly always think ill of themselves, and feel a sting in conscience that they are not on the right way.✦ But a heretic always assumes that he is doing well and teaching well, so he believes his way is the right way, and therefore he feels no sting of conscience and no humility of heart.✦ And truly, unless God in His mercy sends him humility while he is still alive, he will end up in hell—all the while thinking he has done well and earned the bliss of heaven through his teaching.1
Read the original Latin
An heretike synneth deedli in pride, for he chesith his reste and his delite in his owen opynyoun and in his owen seiynge, for he weneth it is sooth that opynyon or seiynge whiche is agens God and Hooli Chirche. And therefore synneth he in pride deedli, for he loveth himsilf and his owen wil, and with so moche that though it be opynli agens ordenaunce of Hooli Chirche, he wole not leve it, but reste thereinne, as in a ful soothfastnesse, and so maketh he it his god. But he bigileth himsilf, for God and Holi Chirche are so onyd and acordid togidere that whoso dooth agen that oon, he dooth agen that othir and so he doth agens bothe. And therfore who that seith he loveth God and kepith his biddynge, and dispiceth Hooli Chirche, and setteth at nought the lawes and the ordenaunce of it maad bi the heed and the sovereyn in governaunce of alle Cristen men, he lieth. He chesith not God, but he cheseth the love of himsilf, whiche is contrarie to the love of God, and so he synneth deedli. And in that, that he weneth most for to plese God, he most displeseth him, for he is blynde and wole not see. Of this blyndenesse and of this fals restynge of heretikes in here owen felynge speketh the wise man thus: Est via que videtur homni recta; et novissima eius ducunt ad mortem (Proverbs 14:12). There is a wai whiche semeth to a man rightful, and the laste ende of hit bringith him to endelees deth.
This wai speciali is called heresie, for othir fleischli synneres that synnen deedli and lyen stille thereinne comonli supposen evere amys of hemsilf, and felen bitynge in conscience that thei goo not the right wai. But an heretik supposith evere that he dooth wel and techeth wel, and so he weneth that his wai were the right wai, and therfore felith he no bitynge of conscience ne mekenesse in herte. And sothli but God sende hym mekenesse while he lyveth heere, of His merci, at the laste ende he goth to helle, and neverthelees yit weneth he for to have doon weel and geten him the blisse of hevene for his techynge.
Scripture echoes
Notes
- 1 ↩ME 'but God sende' is the conditional 'unless God send'; not contrastive 'but'.
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