Pacian of Barcelona, on 2Sam 12:13

“And David said to Nathan: I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David: The Lord also hath taken away thy sin: thou shalt not die.”

“May we by all means be filled with revulsion for sin but not for repentance. May we be ashamed to put ourselves at risk but not to be delivered. Who will snatch away the wooden plank from the shipwrecked so that he may not escape? Who will begrudge the curing of wounds? Does David not say, "Every single night I will bathe my bed, I will drench my couch in my tears." And again, "I acknowledge my sin, and my iniquity I have not concealed" And further, "I said, 'I will reveal against myself my sin to my God,' and you forgave the wickedness of my heart" Did not the prophet answer [David] as follows when, after the guilt of murder and adultery for the sake of Bathsheba, he was penitent? "The Lord has taken away from you your sin."”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.