Chapter XVI.
Comparison between the apostles and Novatians. The
fitness of the words, “Ye know not what spirit ye are of,” when applied to them. The desire of penance is extinguished by them when they take away its fruit. And thus are sinners deprived of the promises of Christ, though, indeed, they ought not to be too soon admitted to the mysteries. Some examples of repentance.
87. , then, as the Apostle forgave sins, by what authority do you say that they are not to be forgiven? Who has the most reverence for Christ, Paul or Novatian? But Paul knew that the Lord was merciful. He knew that the Lord Jesus was offended more by the harshness of the disciples than by their pitifulness.
88. Furthermore, Jesus rebuked James and
John when they spoke of bringing down fire from heaven to consume those
who refused to receive the Lord, and said to them: “Ye know
not whose spirit ye are of; for the Son of Man is not come to destroy
men’s lives but to save them.” To them, indeed, He said, “Ye
know not whose spirit ye are of,” who were of His spirit; but to
you He says, “Ye are not of My spirit, who hold not fast My
clemency, who reject My mercy, who refuse repentance which I willed to
be preached by the apostles in My Name.”
89. For it is in vain that you say that you
preach repentance who remove the fruits of repentance. For men
are led to the pursuit of anything either by rewards or results, and
every pursuit grows slack by delay. And for this reason the Lord, in order that the devotion of His disciples might be increased, said that every one who had left all that was his, and followed God, should receive sevenfold more both here and hereafter. First of all He promised the reward here, to do away with the tedium of delay, and again hereafter, that we might learn to believe that rewards will also be given to us hereafter. Present rewards are then an earnest of those hereafter.
90. If, then, any one, having committed
hidden sins, shall nevertheless diligently do penance, how shall he
receive those rewards if not restored to the communion of the
Church? I am willing, indeed, that the guilty man should hope for
pardon, should seek it with tears and groans, should seek it with the
aid of the tears of all the people, should implore forgiveness; and if
communion be postponed two or three times, that he should believe that
his entreaties have not been urgent enough, that he must increase his
tears, must come again even in greater trouble, clasp the feet of the
faithful with his arms, kiss them, wash them with tears, and not let
them go, so that the Lord Jesus may say of him too: “His
sins which are many are forgiven, for he loved much.”
91. I have
known penitents whose countenance was furrowed with tears, their cheeks
worn with constant weeping, who offered their body to be trodden under
foot by all, who with faces ever pale and worn with fasting bore about
in a yet living body the likeness of death.