Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Ser. II, Vol. XII:
The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the Great.: How those are to be admonished who abstain not from the sins which they bewail, and those who, abstaining from them, bewail them not.

Chapter XXX.

How those are to be admonished who abstain not from the sins which they bewail, and those who, abstaining from them, bewail them not.

(Admonition 31.)  Differently to be admonished are those who lament their transgressions, and yet forsake them not, and those who forsake them, and yet lament them not.  For those who lament their transgressions and yet forsake them not are to be admonished to learn to consider anxiously that they cleanse themselves in vain by their weeping, if they wickedly defile themselves in their living, p. 62b seeing that the end for which they wash themselves in tears is that, when clean, they may return to filth.  For hence it is written, The dog is returned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire (2 Pet. ii. 22).  For the dog, when he vomits, certainly casts forth the food which weighed upon his stomach; but, when he returns to his vomit, he is again loaded with what he had been relieved from.  And they who mourn their transgressions certainly cast forth by confession the wickedness with which they have been evilly satiated, and which oppressed the inmost parts of their soul; and yet, in recurring to it after confession, they take it in again.  But the sow, by wallowing in the mire when washed, is made more filthy.  And one who mourns past transgressions, yet forsakes them not, subjects himself to the penalty of more grievous sin, since he both despises the very pardon which he might have won by his weeping, and as it were rolls himself in miry water; because in withholding purity of life from his weeping he makes even his very tears filthy before the eyes of God.  Hence again it is written, Repeat not a word in thy prayer (Ecclesiasticus 7.14).  For to repeat a word in prayer is, after bewailing, to commit what again requires bewailing.  Hence it is said through Isaiah, Wash you, be ye clean (Isa. 1:0, 16).  For he neglects being clean after washing, whosoever after tears keeps not innocency of life.  And they therefore are washed, but are in no wise clean, who cease not to bewail the things they have committed, but commit again things to be bewailed.  Hence through a certain wise man it is said, He that is baptized from the touch of a dead body and toucheth it again, what availeth his washing (Ecclesiasticus 34.25 1290 )?  For indeed he is baptized from the touch of a dead body who is cleansed from sin by weeping:  but he touches a dead body after his baptism, who after tears repeats his sin.

Those who bewail transgressions, yet forsake them not, are to be admonished to acknowledge themselves to be before the eyes of the strict judge like those who, when they come before the face of certain men, fawn upon them with great submission, but, when they depart, atrociously bring upon them all the enmity and hurt they can.  For what is weeping for sin but exhibiting the humility of one’s devotion to God?  And what is doing wickedly after weeping but putting in practice arrogant enmity against Him to whom entreaty has been made?  This James attests, who says, Whosoever will be a friend of this world becomes the enemy of God (James iv. 4).  Those who lament their transgressions, yet forsake them not, are to be admonished to consider anxiously that, for the most part, bad men are unprofitably drawn by compunction to righteousness, even as, for the most part, good men are without harm tempted to sin.  Here indeed is found a wonderful measure of inward disposition in accordance with the requirements of desert, in that the bad, while doing something good, but still without perfecting it, are proudly confident in the midst of the very evil which even to the full they perpetrate; while the good, when tempted of evil to which they in no wise consent, plant the steps of their heart towards righteousness through humility all the more surely from their tottering through infirmity.  Thus Balaam, looking on the tents of the righteous, said, May my soul die the death of the righteous, and may my last end be like theirs (Num. xxiii. 10).  But, when the time of compunction had passed, he gave counsel against the life of those whom he had requested for himself to be like even in dying:  and, when he found an occasion for the gratification of his avarice, he straightway forgot all that he had wished for himself of innocence.  Hence it is that Paul, the teacher and preacher of the Gentiles, says, I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members (Rom. vii. 23).  He is of a truth tempted for this very purpose, that he may be the more stedfastly confirmed in good from the knowledge of his own infirmity.  Why is it, then, that the one is touched with compunction, and yet draws not near unto righteousness, while the other is tempted, and yet sin defiles him not, but for this evident reason, that neither do good things not perfected help the bad, nor bad things not consummated condemn the good?

But, on the other hand, those who forsake their transgressions, and yet mourn them not, are to be admonished not to suppose the sins to be already remitted which, though they multiply them not by action, they still cleanse away by no bewailings.  For neither has a writer, when he has ceased from writing, obliterated what he had written by reason of his having added no more:  neither has one who offers insults made satisfaction by merely holding his peace, it being certainly necessary for him to impugn his former words of pride by words of subsequent humility:  nor is a debtor absolved by not increasing his debt, unless he also pays what he has incurred.  Thus also, when we offend against God, we by no means make satisfaction by ceasing p. 63b from iniquity, unless we also follow up the pleasures which we have loved by lamentations set against them.  For, if no sin of deed had polluted us in this life, our very innocence would by no means suffice for our security as long as we live here, since many unlawful things would still assail our heart.  With what conscience, then, can he feel safe, who, having perpetrated iniquities, is himself witness to himself that he is not innocent?

For it is not as if God were fed by our torments:  but He heals the diseases of our transgressions by medicines opposed to them that we, who have departed from Him delighted by pleasures, may return to Him embittered by tears; and that, having fallen by running loose in unlawful things, we may rise by restraining ourselves even in lawful ones; and that the heart which mad joy had flooded may be burnt clean by wholesome sadness:  and that what the elation of pride had wounded may be cured by the dejection of a humble life.  For hence it is written, I said unto the wicked, Deal not wickedly; and to the transgressors, lift not up the horn (Psa. 75.4 1291 ).  For transgressors lift up the horn, if they in no wise humble themselves to penitence after knowledge of their iniquity.  Hence again it is said, A bruised and humbled heart God doth not despise (Psa. 51.17 1292 ).  For whosoever mourns his sins yet forsakes them not bruises indeed his heart, but scorns to humble it.  But he who forsakes his sins yet mourns them not does indeed already humble his heart, but refuses to bruise it.  Hence Paul says, And such indeed were ye; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified (1 Cor. vi. 11); because, in truth, amended life sanctifies those whom the ablution of the affliction of tears cleanses through penitence.  Hence Peter, when he saw some affrighted by consideration of their evil deeds, admonished them, saying, Repent, and be baptized every one of you (Acts ii. 38).  For, being about to speak of baptism, he spoke first of the lamentations of penitence; that they should first bathe themselves in the water of their own affliction, and afterwards wash themselves in the sacrament of baptism.  With what conscience, then, can those who neglect to weep for their past misdeeds live secure of pardon, when the chief pastor of the Church himself believed that penitence must be added even to this Sacrament which chiefly extinguishes sins?

Footnotes

In Engl. Bib., xxxiv. 25.

In English Bible, lxxv. 4.

Ibid. li. 17.