For behold this same thing, that you sorrowed after a godly sort, what earnestness it worked in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what full punishment! In all things you have proved yourselves to be pure in this matter.
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Ambrosiaster
AD 400
Someone who repents is troubled by the fear that he might sin again. But a person who knows that he has been deformed by sin longs to reform himself. One who knows that he is being rebuked for his own good begins to experience a zeal for bringing good works to completion. Commentary on Paul’s Epistles.
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 Prayer of Manasseh , 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 mortifica...
For behold, he says, this self-same thing, that you were made sorry after a godly sort, what earnest care it wrought in you. 'For not only,' he says, 'did your sorrow not cast you into that condemning of yourselves, as having acted idly in so doing; but it made you even more careful.' Then he speaks of the certain tokens of that carefulness;
Yea, what clearing of yourselves, towards me. Yea, what indignation against him that had sinned. Yea, what fear. 2 Corinthians 7:11 For so great carefulness and very speedy reformation was the part of men who feared exceedingly. And that he might not seem to be exalting himself, see how quickly he softened it by saying,
Yea, what longing, that towards me. Yea, what zeal, that on God's behalf. Yea, what avenging: for you also avenged the laws of God that had been outraged.
In every thing ye approved yourselves to be pure in the matter. Not only by not having perpetrated, for this was evident before, but also by not consenting unto it. For s...
