words are therefore applied to him, who repents of what he has done, and of the counsel which he has followed, whether his penitence be good or bad, whether it be on account of something evil or good, whether accompanied with a change of future conduct or not. If we consider their use however, fizr affzXua is generally a term midway between good and bad \jaUov, in- different^ and is chiefly referred to single actions; but iizrdma , especially in the New Testament, is taken in a good sense, by which is denoted the repentance [regret on account] of the whole life, and, in some respects, [loathing] of ourselves,1 2 or that whole blessed remembrance of the mind [the mind’s review of the past, and of its own state heretofore] after error and sin, with all the affections entering into it, which suitable fruits follow. Hence it happens, that /ueravosTv is often put in the im- perative, [izra(jJi'kz'i'<sQai never; but in other places, wherever fizravoiot, is read, /urafisXzia may be substituted ; but not vice versa . Therefore, Paul distinctly uses both words in this
passage, and applies to g,zrdvoiccv e/g euryipiav the term dg,zrci- yttsX^roi/, because neither he can regret, that he had occasioned this fAsruvoiav, repentance , to the Corinthians, nor they, that they had felt it. — ug eurripiotv, to salvation ) all the impediments to which are thus removed. — xanpyuCtrai, worketh) Therefore sorrow is not repentance itself, but it produces repentance ; that is, carefulness (tr^ou^v), ver. 11. — i] bs) but the mere sorrow of the world, etc., of which I was not a promoter among you. — rov xofffj/ou') of the world , not merely, according to the world (answering to the epithet of viz., xard k bv). \_Such was
the sorrow of Ahab in the case of Naboth. Now and, then the malignant powers of darkness also mingle themselves with it , as in the case of Saul. In such cases , even the innocent cheerfulness of children , or the singing of birds , or the frisking of calves some- times move their indignation. The sorrow of the world , such as
1 M er»p.thu» is often used of the remorse and regret of such a one as Judas. M troivoioc of the true penitent. — Ed.
2 Repentance of ourselves is not English, and does not suggest any very clear idea. I think the author meant to apply it to our original depravity, which to believers is the subject of confession and lamentation before God. This may be considered as a species of repentance, and seems to agree with the qualifying phrase in some respects. — Tr.