CONTRITION, or Sorrow for our Sins, attended with a sincere resolution of reforming them1. The Scripture never uses this term in this sense; but there are many expressions to be observed in it, which are equivalent, and prove that without Contrition there is no Repentance, and without Repentance no Remission of Sins: A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou shalt not despise. Psal. li. 17. I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. Isai. xxxviii. 15. But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart, with all thy soul, or, with all the sorrow of thy soul. See likewise Deut. iv. 29. xxx. 1, 2. S. Paul speaking to Agrippa, said, I have shewed unto the Jews and Gentiles that they should repent, and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
In those places generally where we meet with the words conterere and contritio, they signify to bruise, Bruising, Humiliation, Grief, Ruin, Destruction. For example, Contrition and Unhappiness are in the way of the Wicked; that is to say, God shall destroy them, and overwhelm them with Misfortunes. Pride goeth before Contrition; that is to say, Pride and Elevation are commonly followed with a Fall, with Destruction, &c.
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Footnotes
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Concil. Trident. Sess. xiv. c. 4. Contritio est animi dolor ac detestatio de peccato commisso, cum proposito non peccandi de cætero. ↩