." And
so God's mercy, through Penance, grants pardon to sinners without any
end, wherefore it is written (2 Paralip. 37 [*Prayer of Manasses,
among the Apocrypha. St. Thomas is evidently quoting from memory, and
omits the words in brackets.]): "Thy merciful promise is unmeasurable
and unsearchable . . . (and Thou repentest) for the evil brought upon
man." It is therefore evident that Penance can be repeated many times.

Reply Obj. 1: Some of the Jews thought that a man could be washed
several times in the laver of Baptism, because among them the Law
prescribed certain washing-places where they were wont to cleanse
themselves repeatedly from their uncleannesses. In order to disprove
this the Apostle wrote to the Hebrews that "it is impossible for
those who were once illuminated," viz. through Baptism, "to be
renewed again to penance," viz. through Baptism, which is "the laver
of regeneration, and renovation of the Holy Ghost," as stated in
Titus 3:5: and he declares the reason to be that by Baptism man dies
with Christ, wherefore he adds (Heb. 6:6): "Crucifying again to
themselves the Son of God."

Reply Obj. 2: Ambrose is speaking of solemn Penance, which is not
repeated in the Church, as we shall state further on (Suppl., Q. 28,
A. 2).

Reply Obj. 3: As Augustine says [*De vera et falsa Poenitentia, the
authorship of which is unknown], "Our Lord gave sight to many blind
men at various times, and strength to many infirm, thereby showing,
in these different men, that the same sins are repeatedly forgiven,
at one time healing a man from leprosy and afterwards from blindness.
For this reason He healed so many stricken with fever, so many feeble
in body, so many lame, blind, and withered, that the sinner might not
despair; for this reason He is not described as healing anyone but
once, that every one might fear to link himself with sin; for this
reason He declares Himself to be the physician welcomed not of the
hale, but of the unhealthy. What sort of a physician is he who knows
not how to heal a recurring disease? For if a man ail a hundred times
it is for the physician to heal him a hundred times: and if he failed
where others succeed, he would be a poor physician in comparison with
them."

Reply Obj. 4: Penance is to deplore past sins, and, _while deploring
them,_ not to commit again, either by act or by intention, those
which we have to deplore. Because a man is a mocker and not a
penitent, who, _while doing pena