REPENTANCE.

There is no doctrine of the Bible more frequently insisted upon, more clearly explained, or more powerfully enforced, than that of repentance. "God now commandeth all men, every where to repent," because all mankind have sinned; and their only hope of pardon rests on their obedience to this command, in "turning to the Lord their God," by a timely repentance and dereliction of their sins.

In the New Testament, repentance is uniformly spoken of as among the first and most essential doctrines of our holy religion; and is generally coupled with faith in Christ, because genuine, evangelical repentance is grounded on a true and saving faith. Both John the Baptist and our blessed Lord began their preaching with this injunction, "Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."* The disciples whom our Saviour sent forth are said to have "preached that men should repent." The call with which the apostles addressed all their hearers, was, " Repent; and be baptized, every one of you." Peter's command to Simon Magus, on discovering the corruption of his heart, is, "Repent of this thy wickedness." The duty to which Paul every where exhorted, was, " that men should repent and turn unto God, and do works meet for repentance." The charge to the Asiatic Churches in the Apocalypse, is, "Repent." Our blessed Redeemer came into the world "to call sinners to repentance." The baptism which John preached was

* Campbell on the Gospels, i. 327.

"the baptism of repentance;" and the fruits of a good life, which he enjoined his converts to bring forth, were such as are "worthy of repentance." What the apostles preached, in their Master's name, as inseparably connected, were, "repentance and remission of sins." And it is given as the sum of their teaching, "REPENTANCE toward God, and FAITH toward our Lord Jesus Christ."* The necessity of this change, for preventing final ruin, is thus repeatedly asserted by our Lord himself, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."†

Such being the importance of repentance, in order to salvation, we shall endeavour to point out, briefly and clearly, its genuine characteristics. These are, unfeigned sorrow for our sins, a desire and determination to forsake them, and an actual reformation of conduct, otherwise denominated newness of life. And these necessarily include faith in the doctrines, precepts, and promises of the Gospel.

Sorrow for sin is always the beginning, or first sign, of a true evangelical repentance. Of this there are numerous instances recorded in scripture. We have the example of a Job, who "abhorred himself, and repented in dust and ashes," when reproved by the Almighty for his presumptuous sins; of a David, who went mourning all the day long," and who "every night watered his couch with tears;" of a Peter, who, awakened to a sense of his guilt in denying his Lord, "went out and wept bitterly;" of that most illustrious example of true penitence, the sinful woman of Capernaum, who "washed her Saviour's feet with tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head."* But it is a great mistake, although a very common one, that sorrow alone constitutes repentance; for a person may be as sorrowful for a good as for a bad action. The miser may grieve for having ever bestowed alms on the poor; but his is that "sorrow of the world which worketh death." There is, however, a sorrow arising from a just sense of the evil of sin, and proper views of the attributes of God, which the apostle terms a "godly sorrow, which worketh repentance not to be repented of."t And he thus enumerates its natural consequences and effects; "What carefulness it wrought in you," over your subsequent conduct; "yea, what clearing of yourselves," from all appearance of blame; "yea, what indignation," against sin; "yea, what fear, lest you again be surprised by temptation;" "yea, what vehement desire," to perform God's holy will; yea, what zeal," in his service; "yea, what revenge," against yourselves, and against sin as your greatest enemy. These are the fruits of that sorrow which worketh "repentance unto life."

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Next to unfeigned sorrow for our sins, there must be a desire and determination, by God's grace, to forsake them. Whatever we hate, or dread, we naturally flee from. We may say, indeed, that "the remembrance of our sins is grievous unto us, and the burthen of them is

intolerable," yet all this is mere mockery, unless we earnestly desire and firmly resolve to live a new and more holy life. Nor are this desire and this resolution alone sufficient, but there must be such a radical change in our disposition and views, as will invariably produce an actual change of conduct.

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The word repentance, in the original, signifies change or alteration of mind, so as to influence one's subsequent conduct and behaviour for the better."* It implies a conversion from sin to God; "not a single act of change, but a lasting, durable state of new life." And this definition is agreeable to those numerous precepts of the gospel, which enjoin the sinner to "bring forth fruits meet for repentance;" and to that declaration of Jehovah, "When the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness, that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive."† His sorrow and his good resolutions will avail nothing, unless he adds to these the practice of virtue; for it is further declared by the same Almighty Being, "If the wicked will turn from all his sins, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die."

These are the marks of true repentance; it begins in sorrow and ends in obedience. Nor is there any exception in the command; it is addressed to every son and daughter of Adam; calling upon "all men every where to repent;" to "turn from all their transgressions," that "so iniquity should not be their ruin." Whoever

has duly considered the holiness and justice of God, and the natural weakness and sinfulness of man, whoever has reflected at all on that spotless purity of heart, that sinless obedience, which the Gospel enjoins, but to which no morta Iman can ever fully attain, must see the absolute necessity of repentance to every individual of mankind. The young are required to repent of the numerous sins and follies of their youth, and the old of the less venial transgressions of their maturer years. Even the very best of men, the most exemplary of christians, have too much cause for repentance for sins daily, and almost hourly committed. They, too, "have left undone those things which they ought to have done, and have done those things which they ought not to have done." They are required to repent of the coldness of their religious affections, the imperfection of their religious services; of their many unholy thoughts, unlawful designs, and inordinate desires; of all neglects of duty, and every violation of the divine law. In short, whoever has sinned in thought, word, or deed-and "there is no man who sinneth not"--must repent or "perish;" for the only terms on which a gracious and merciful God will accept and pardon the transgressor, are "repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." His own most gracious assurance to every humble penitent is, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."*