The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: the Second Epistle to the Corinthians
2. The Apostle distinguishes this sorrow from penance as the cause from the effect ; for sorrow, that is contrition, works penance, that is self-punishment. Hence it is evident that this sorrow and this penance are not merely a return to one’s sense and a new life, as heretics think ; nor mere leaving off one’s past sins, as Erasmus says, but are contrition and self-discipline. It is evident in the second place that sinners are justified and attain salvation, not by faith alone, but also by penance; and thirdly, that repentance includes this contrition, confession, and satisfaction, and that these are the three parts of repentance. So in ver. 11 the Apostle, explaining repentance, says that it works carefulness, i.e., to appease and satisfy God, revenge, &c.
Here we should take note of the golden saying of S. Chrysostom (Hom. 5 ad Pop.), on the use, end, and fruit of sorrow. He says : “ Sorrow was given us, not that we should mourn over death or other ills, but to blot out sin, and to be a remedy against it. Just as the remedy for blear eyes takes away that particular disease and no others, so does sorrow banish sin , but not other ailments. For example, a man loses his money — he grieves, but does not mend his case ; one loses his son — he grieves, but does not thereby raise the dead. He meets with scorn and contempt — he grieves, but the insult remains ; he falls sick — he grieves, but does not thereby banish his sickness, nay, he makes it worse. But when a man sins and grieves for it, he blots out his sin, for godly sorrow works repentance powerful for salvation. Sorrow, therefore, was made because of sin alone, and from it takes its birth, and, like a moth, eats it up and destroys it.”
Cassian, following his master S. Chrysostom, thus describes (lib. ix. c. 10) godly sorrow : “ Sorrow can be said to be useful to us only when it is enkindled within us by repentance for our sins, or by a longing after perfection, springing from the contemplation of our future bliss. . . . This sorrow , which worketh repentance powerful to salvation, is obedient, affable, humble , meek, tender, and long-suffering, as descending from the love of God, and unweariedly extending itself through its longing after perfection to all bodily mortification, and to complete spiritual contrition. It is at times joyful, and feeds itself on hope of progress ; it retains all the pleasantness of affability and long-suffering, having in it all the fruits of the Holy Spirit — love, joy , peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance ." He proceeds to give the marks of worldly sorrow: “It is harsh , impatient, hard, full of bitterness and unfruitful grief and guilty despair . It breaks off from diligence and saving grief any one that it may have laid hold of; it is void of reason , and not only hinders prayer from being efficacious , but destroys all the aforesaid fruits of the Spirit conferred by godly sorrow.”
Ver. 11. — For behold this selfsame thing , &c. The Apostle here, as Calvin admits, names seven effects of godly sorrow and true repentance, (1.) Carefulness to expiate the offence against God and to regain His favour. (2.) Defence (rendered by Ambrose, “excusing ;” by Erasmus, “satisfaction ;” by Maldonatus, “clearing of the accusation”), not by words but by deeds — by a good life. Here the defence may be the defence of S. Paul against his detractors and the false apostles. (3.) Indignation — that now, recognising your divisions, your passing over the act of incest and the other sins rebuked in my First Epistle, you were grieved and penitent, you were indignant with yourselves. (4.) Fear, not only of man, but fear of offending God. (5.) Desire to correct self, and to satisfy man and still more God. (6.) Zeal to honour God and to cast the notorious sinner out of the Church (Anselm and Chrysostom). (7.) Revenge, or purpose to punish sin by grief and tears, by bodily and spiritual mortification (Theodoret, Theophylact, Ambrose, S. Thomas). Calvin himself says (Inst. lib. iii. c. 13, § 16) : “Last of all is revenge. The more severe we are against ourselves, the keener our condemnation of our sins , the more hope ought we to have that God will be propitious and merciful to us. And surely the soul that is smitten with fear of God’s judgment cannot but anticipate part of His punishment by inflicting punishment on itself.”
In these seven effects and fruits of repentance there is a gradation ; for the Apostle rises by steps from the less to the greater, as is expressed by the repeated, “yea, what.” This sorrow for having offended God has not only brought on carefulness to be reconciled to Him, but also defence of me, Paul ; not only that, but indignation against sin, holy fear of guarding against sin for the future, desire of making satisfaction, zeal against sinners, and, lastly, revenge on sin, which is the last step and fruit of repentance.
This passage plainly shows us, therefore, that repentance is not merely a change of life and a purpose of better living, but is also detestation of the old life, mortification, and satisfaction. Hence the Council of Trent (sess. xiv. c. 8), following the ancient usage of the Church, bids confessors, in enjoining satisfaction, to regard not only the needs of the new life, but also the revenge due to the sin committed, although its guilt by absolution is remitted.
Tertullian, one of the earliest of the Fathers, says the same (de Penit. c. ix.). His words are: “ Public confession is a discipline which lays low and humiliates man, and acts as an allurement to mercy ; as to dress and food, it bids us lie in sackcloth and ashes , defile the body with sordid clothing, tame the mind with sorrow , with stern treatment change what is sinful, to use food and drink for the sake of the life only , not for the pleasure of the belly , to cherish prayer , to weep and cry to God day and night, to attend Church services , and to kneel with those that are pleasing to God , to add supplications to those of all the brethren.”
Climacus, too (de Penit. Gradu . 5), says: “ Repentance is thought condemning itself, a perpetual repudiation of bodily delight , a voluntary endurance of all afflictions, a constant deviser of sufferings for itself, a severe mortifier of the pleasures of appetite , a condemner of the physical life also in its keenest sensual delight, an abyss of humility.”
How different is all this from the easy system of Luther and Calvin, who enjoin no other penance than faith for every sin, no matter how frequent or how heinous. I believe, say they, that God has pardoned thee thy sins through the merits of Christ, and therefore He will pardon thee all thy punishment and guilt. In other words, believe yourself to be in the Elysian Fields, believe yourself a king, and straightway you are such ; at all events, if not really, certainly in imagination. Surely all this is but like the fond dreams of lovers. Let him believe this who lacks, not so much faith, as brains and sound sense, and who, at his own risk, desires and intends to enter on the broad way of the many, which leads to perdition, and not the narrow way of the few, which leads to life. As the Sibyl said to Æneas : “ Easy is the descent to Avernus, but to retrace one’s steps, and to emerge into the upper air — this is labour, this is toil ; the few God-born ones, beloved by Jupiter, or raised by their virtues to the heavens, have alone availed to do it.”