Answer: The grace of God, which beautifies the soul, may be in the soul in a greater or less degree; and of course, the soul may be more or less beautiful in the eyes of God, more or less pure, more or less holy. The malignity of mortal sin is such, that it banishes the grace of God entirely from the soul, and makes it positively ugly and loathsome in his sight; whereas venial sin does not banish the grace of God away from the soul; but it obscures its lustre, diminishes its splendor, and stains its brightness. It does not make the soul positively hateful to God; but it makes her less pure, less holy, less beautiful, and consequently less agreeable in his sight. It does not destroy friendship between God and the soul, so as to make them enemies; but it cools the fervor of that charity and love which subsisted between them, and begets a degree of indifference on each side; and, as even the smallest venial sin is in some degree against the will of God, therefore it displeases him, and is disagreeable to him, and deserves to be punished by him.
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