Men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, haughty, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, wicked,

“And the apostle says, "Which things we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth." For of the prophets it is said, "We have all received of His fulness," that is, of Christ's. So that the prophets are not thieves. "And my doctrine is not Mine," saith the Lord, "but the Father's which sent me." And of those who steal He says: "But he that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glory." Such are the Greeks, "lovers of their own selves, and boasters." Scripture, when it speaks of these as wise, does not brand those who are really wise, but those who are wise in appearance. "And my doctrine is not Mine," saith the Lord, "but the Father's which sent me." And of those who steal He says: "But he that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glory." Such are the Greeks, "lovers of their own selves, and boasters." Scripture, when it speaks of these as wise, does not brand those who are really wise, but those who are wise in appearance.”

“Immediately he sets down the root and fountain, whence these and all other evils spring, that is, overweeningness. He that is seized with this passion is careless even of his own interests. For when a man overlooks the concerns of his neighbor, and is careless of them, how should he regard his own? For as he that looks to his neighbor's affairs will in them order his own to advantage, so he that looks down upon his neighbor's concerns will neglect his own. For if we are members one of another, the welfare of our neighbor is not his concern only, but that of the whole body, and the injury of our neighbor is not confined to him, but distracts with pains all else as well. If we are a building, whatever part is weakened, it affects the whole, whilst that which is solid gives strength and support to the rest. So also in the Church, if thou hast slighted thy neighbor, thou hast injured thyself. How? In that one of thy own members hath suffered no small hurt. And if he, who does not impart of his possessions, goes into Hell, much more will he be condemned, who sees a neighbor suffering severer evils, and does not stretch out his hand, since in this case the loss is more grievous. "For men shall be lovers of their own selves." He that loves himself may be said not to love himself, but he that loves his brother, loves himself in the truest sense. From self-love springs covetousness. For the wretched niggardly temper of self-love contracts that love which should be widely extended, and diffused on every side. "Covetous." From covetousness springs boastfulness, from boastfulness pride, from pride blasphemy, from blasphemy defiance and disobedience. For he who exalts himself against men, will easily do it against God. Thus sins are produced. Often they ascend from below. He that is pious towards men, is still more pious towards God. He who is meek to his fellow-servants, is more meek to his Master. He that despises his fellow-servants, will end with despising God Himself.”

“There isn't anyone, after all, who doesn't love himself. But we have to look for the right sort of love and avoid the wrong sort. You see, anyone who loves himself by leaving God out of his life and leaves God out of his life by loving himself, doesn't even remain in himself but goes away from himself.… Listen to the apostle giving his support to this understanding of the matter. "In the last days," he says, "dangerous times will loom up." What are the dangerous times? "There will be people loving themselves." That's the core of the evil. So let's see if they remain in themselves by loving themselves; let's see, let's hear what comes next: "There will be people, he says, loving themselves, lovers of money." Where are you now, you that were busy loving yourself? Obviously, you're outside. Are you, I'm asking you, are you money? Obviously, after loving yourself by neglecting God, by loving money you have even abandoned yourself.”

“He above instructed him how he might resist present tribulations and dangers; here he shows how he may stand against future ones. And first he foretells the future dangers; second he shows his own fitness for resisting, at the place *you, however, have followed*; third he shows how he is to resist, at the place *I testify*. Concerning the first he does two things: first he foretells the dangers of the last times; second he shows how their vices are also to be avoided even now, at the place *and avoid these*. Likewise the first is divided into two: first he foretells that there will be dangers in the last times; second, the cause of the dangers, at the place *and men will be*. He says therefore: I said, *avoid profane things*, etc.; but these are not only to be avoided now, but in the future certain other things also remain to be avoided. And they are called the last days, because they are near to the last day. Jn. 5:55: *I will raise him up on the last day*. Gen. 49:1: *Gather together, that I may announce to you the things that are to come in the last days*. And he adds *dangerous times will be at hand*, etc. Matt. 24:9: *You will be hated by all nations because of my name*. The cause of these things is the abundance of iniquity, Matt. 24:12: *because iniquity has abounded, the charity of many will grow cold*, since faith and charity will either be nullified or perish entirely; for the more a thing is removed from its principle, the more it fails. And therefore in that time faith and charity will fail all the more, because they are removed further from Christ. Lk. 18:8: *When the Son of man comes, do you think he will find faith on the earth?* And concerning this he first sets down the root of iniquity; second, its diverse species. Now the root of all iniquity is love of oneself. A twofold love makes a twofold city. But against this: everyone naturally loves himself. I respond. It must be said that in man there are two things, namely a rational nature and a corporeal one. As to the intellectual or rational nature, which is called the inner man, as is said in 2 Cor. 4:16, man ought to love himself more than all others, because he would be foolish who would wish to sin in order to draw others back from sins; but as to the outer man, it is praiseworthy that he love others more than himself. Hence those who love themselves only in this way are blameworthy. Phil. 2:21: *All seek the things that are their own, not the things that are of Jesus Christ*. From this root the species of iniquity are diverse. Hence he says *covetous, haughty*, etc. And concerning this he does three things: first he sets down the sins that consist in the abuse of external things; second, those that pertain to a man's disorder toward others, at the place *blasphemers*; third, those toward himself, at the place *without self-control*. Now there are two things in external matters, namely abundance of riches, and excellence of goods. As to the first he says *covetous*. And covetousness is set down first, because it is the root of all evils. Or it is close to love of oneself, which is directed toward external goods. As to the second he says *haughty*. Haughtiness is a species of pride, of which there are four: one, when someone attributes to himself that which he lacks. The second, when he attributes to himself what he has from another, as if he had it from himself. 1 Cor. 4:7: *What do you have that you have not received?*, etc. The third, when he attributes to himself what he has from another, but as by his own merits. Lk. 18:12: *I fast twice in the week*, etc. The fourth, when he singularly wishes to appear above all, and this is haughtiness. Ps. 130:1: *Lord, my heart is not exalted*, etc. What he says, *proud*, is reduced to the other species of pride. Jas. 4:6: *God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble*. Consequently he sets down the vices with respect to others. And first with respect to superiors; second with respect to equals, at the place *wicked*. The superior is threefold, namely God; and against him he says *blasphemers*. Is. 1:4: *They have forsaken the Lord, they have blasphemed the Holy One of Israel, they are alienated and gone backward*. Likewise parents; and with respect to this he says *disobedient to parents*. 1 Kings 15:23: *To resist is as the sin of divination, and to refuse to obey is as the crime of idolatry*. Prov. 30:17: *The eye that mocks a father, and that despises the childbearing of its mother, let the ravens of the torrents dig it out, and let the young eagles eat it*. Likewise a benefactor as such; and with respect to this he says *ungrateful*. Ps. 37:21: *Who repay evils for goods*, etc. Col. 3:15: *Be grateful*. Wis. 16:29: *For the hope of the ungrateful shall melt away like winter ice, and shall perish like superfluous water*. Then he sets down the evils that are toward an equal and a neighbor, and they are three. The first pertains to deed; hence he says *wicked*, that is, those who perpetrate grave crimes against their neighbors. Is. 1:4: *Woe to the sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a wicked seed, wicked children*, etc. The second pertains to affection; hence he says *without affection*, that is, without the affection of charity, and without peace. Third, with respect to word; hence he says *slanderers*. Lev. 19:16: *You shall not be a slanderer, nor a whisperer among the people*. Likewise with respect to himself he shows certain other things in three ways: first with respect to the corruption of the concupiscible appetite, second the irascible, third the rational. As to the first he says *without self-control*. Hence one is called without self-control who does not hold himself to a good purpose on account of depraved desires. Ecclus. 26:20: *But no weighing is worthy of a continent soul*. As to the irascible appetite he properly says *harsh*, that is, not meek; for this meekness moderates the passions of anger. Matt. 11:29: *Learn from me, because I am meek and humble of heart*. Ps. 24:9: *He will teach the meek his ways*. Likewise he sets down another thing that pertains to the effect of the irascible appetite, namely the exclusion of kindness; hence he says *without kindness*. For this is natural, that when one of two contraries dominates, it excludes the other. Eph. 4:32: *Be kind to one another*. Then he sets down the vices that pertain to the corruption of the rational power. Now this power is perfected by prudence; but to prudence is opposed one vice through the abuse of prudence, and another through its privation, and he sets down both. As to the first he says *traitors*. Now sagacity pertains to prudence, which some abuse unto evil, and these are traitors. Prov. 11:13: *He who walks deceitfully reveals secrets*. Likewise constancy, which some abuse while they persist obstinately in evil; hence he says *obstinate*. Prov. 3:5: *Lean not upon your own prudence*. Then he sets down the vices that pertain to the privation of prudence. And first he sets down the cause of the privation; hence he says *puffed up*. For the proud are inflated in their doings, because they do not measure their own strength, and therefore they fail. Prov. 11:2: *Where pride is, there also shall be reproach; but where humility is, there also is wisdom*. Second he sets down the effect of the privation, because they prefer temporal things to eternal; hence he says *lovers of pleasures more than of God*. Is. 13:22: *Sirens in the shrines of pleasure*. But is it the same thing to be without self-control, and to be a lover of pleasures? I respond. It must be said that it is not, because properly he is called without self-control who has hope of fleeing them, but is overcome by them; but properly the lover of them is the intemperate man, who has a corrupted judgment. Consequently he sets down pretense, saying, *having indeed the appearance of piety* — 2 Cor. 11:13: *deceitful workers* — *but denying its power*, namely the power of piety, which is said here in two ways. In one way, the very force of piety, that is, its power; hence he says *denying*, that is, not having the truth. Titus 1:16: *They confess that they know God, but in their deeds they deny him*. In another way, because the power of a thing is said to be that on which the whole thing depends. But the whole power of piety depends on charity, therefore he says *its power*, namely charity, *denying*.”

“St. Cyprian, expounding these words, says: “Let no faithful man, who keepeth in mind our Lord’s and apostle’s admonition, marvel, if he see in latter times proud and stubborn men, enemies of God’s priests, go out of the Church to attack the same, since both our Lord and his apostle have predicted that such things would be.””

“men--in the professing Church. Compare the catalogue, Rom 1:29, &c., where much the same sins are attributed to heathen men; it shall be a relapse into virtual heathendom, with all its beast-like propensities, whence the symbol of it is "a beast" (Rev 13:1, Rev 13:11-12, &c.; Rev 17:3, Rev 17:8, Rev 17:11). covetous--Translate, "money-loving," a distinct Greek word from that for "covetous" (see on Col 3:5). The cognate Greek substantive (Ti1 6:10) is so translated, "the love of money is a (Greek, not 'the') root of all evil." boasters--empty boasters [ALFORD]; boasting of having what they have not. proud--overweening: literally, showing themselves above their fellows. blasphemous--rather, "evil-speakers," revilers. disobedient to parents--The character of the times is even to be gathered especially from the manners of the young [BENGEL]. unthankful--The obligation to gratitude is next to that of obedience to parents. unholy--irreligious [ALFORD]; inobservant of the offices of piety.”