blish and to preserve that which it has
established. Now a person establishes the equality of justice by
doing good, i.e. by rendering to another his due: and he preserves
the already established equality of justice by declining from evil,
that is by inflicting no injury on his neighbor.

Reply Obj. 1: Good and evil are here considered under a special
aspect, by which they are appropriated to justice. The reason why
these two are reckoned parts of justice under a special aspect of
good and evil, while they are not reckoned parts of any other moral
virtue, is that the other moral virtues are concerned with the
passions wherein to do good is to observe the mean, which is the same
as to avoid the extremes as evils: so that doing good and avoiding
evil come to the same, with regard to the other virtues. On the other
hand justice is concerned with operations and external things,
wherein to establish equality is one thing, and not to disturb the
equality established is another.

Reply Obj. 2: To decline from evil, considered as a part of justice,
does not denote a pure negation, viz. "not to do evil"; for this does
not deserve the palm, but only avoids the punishment. But it implies
a movement of the will in repudiating evil, as the very term
"decline" shows. This is meritorious; especially when a person
resists against an instigation to do evil.

Reply Obj. 3: Doing good is the completive act of justice, and the
principal part, so to speak, thereof. Declining from evil is a more
imperfect act, and a secondary part of that virtue. Hence it is a
material part, so to speak, thereof, and a necessary condition of the
formal and completive part.
_______________________

SECOND ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 79, Art. 2]

Whether Transgression Is a Special Sin?

Objection 1: It would seem that transgression is not a special sin.
For no species is included in the definition of its genus. Now
transgression is included in the definition of sin; because Ambrose
says (De Parad. viii) that sin is "a transgression of the Divine
law." Therefore transgression is not a species of sin.

Obj. 2: Further, no species is more comprehensive than its genus. But
transgression is more comprehensive than sin, because sin is a "word,
deed or desire against the law of God," according to Augustine
(Contra Faust. xxii, 27), while transgression is also against nature,
or custom. Therefore transgression is not a species of sin.

Obj. 3: Further, no species co