The Nature and Necessity of True Repentance

Next Part The Nature and Necessity of True Repentance 2

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men everywhere to repent!" Acts 17:30

We here find Paul in as learned an assembly as, perhaps, he ever appeared in. We find him in Athens, a city of Greece, famous all over the world for learning; a city where Socrates, Plato, and the most illustrious philosophers of antiquity, lived and taught. We find him in the famous Court of Areopagus, or Mars-Hill, where the wisest men and best philosophers of this wise and philosophical city were met together.

And how does the apostle conduct himself in these critical circumstances? Why, instead of amusing them with a learned harangue; instead of confirming them in their idolatry, and vindicating himself by publicly professing that he worshipped the gods of the country, and sacrificed at the established altars; instead of this, I say, the apostle boldly, though in a very wise and kind manner, exposes their superstitions, calls them off from their idols—to the worship of the one true God, the Maker and Ruler of heaven and earth! And, having asserted these fundamental articles of natural religion, he introduces the glorious peculiarities of Scripture revelation, and preached Jesus Christ to them as the Saviour and Judge of the world.

In my text, he inculcates the great gospel duty of repentance as binding upon all mankind, (philosophers and teachers, as well as the illiterate vulgar) in Athens, as well as in the most barbarous countries of the earth.

"The times of this ignorance God winked at." By the times of ignorance, he means the times previous to the propagation of the gospel in the heathen world, who for many ages were sunk in the most gross ignorance of the true God, and in the most absurd and impious superstition and idolatry, notwithstanding the loud remonstrance of the light of reason, and the various lessons of the book of creation, so legible to all.

When it is said that God winked at these times of ignorance, it may mean, as our translators seem to have understood it, that God seemed to overlook, or not to take notice of this universal ignorance that had overspread the world, so as to send his prophets to them for their reformation. In this view, there is a strong antithesis between the first and last parts of my text. "God once seemed to overlook the idolatry and superstition of mankind, and to let them go on, without sending his messengers to call them to repentance; and in these dark times their impenitence was the less inexcusable. But now the case is altered! Now he has introduced a glorious day, and he plainly and loudly calls and commands all men everywhere to repent; and therefore, if you now continue impenitent, then you are utterly inexcusable."

Or the word may be rendered, God overlooked these times of ignorance: he overlooked them by way of displeasure; he would not favour such guilty times with a gracious glance of his eye: and in righteous displeasure he did not so much as give them an explicit call to repentance. Or he overlooked them by way of forbearance. Ignorant and idolatrous as the world was, he did not destroy it—but bore it from age to age, with a design to publish a more explicit command to repent. And now that time is come; that time, for the sake of which a long-suffering God had borne with a guilty world so long. Now he commands all men everywhere to repent; all men, Gentiles as well as Jews: everywhere in the dark heathen lands, as well as in the enlightened spot of Judea.

REPENTANCE is indeed a duty enjoined by our natural reason, and strongly enforced by the Jewish religion; but it is the gospel that affords the strongest motives and allurements, and the best helps and advantages for repentance. The gospel was first introduced by a loud call to repentance: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" was the united cry of John the Baptist, of Christ, and his disciples. And Paul sums up the substance of his preaching in these two articles, "Repentance toward God, andfaith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." Acts 20:21.

Repentance is universally acknowledged to be an essential ingredient in the religion of a sinner. Those who deny the Christian religion, and particularly the necessity of Christ's death to make atonement for sin, deny it upon this supposition, that the light of nature teaches us the necessity of repentance, and that alone is a sufficient atonement for one's sins. Thus, even infidels, Jews, Pagans, and Muhammadans, agree in asserting the necessity of repentance. It is this grand, universal, uncontroverted duty, and not the little disputable peculiarity of one party, that I am now about to inculcate upon you; and he who has an ear to hear let him hear.

But here, I hope you are ready to request me, "Please let us know what repentance is, before you exhort us to it. How may we know what it is to repent, and whether we have truly repented or not?"

If this is your desire, it directly coincides with my main design: and I shall endeavour, with the utmost plainness and faithfulness, to tell you what gospel repentance is, and help you to determine whether ever you have been the subjects of it.

Now it is evident, both from Scripture and common sense, that every pang of sorrow for sin, and every instance of reformation, is not that repentance which we have now under consideration. If horror of conscience and fears of hell could constitute true repentance, then Judas was a true penitent; for his horror and fear were so great that he could not live under it. If sudden pangs of terror and remorse, with some resolutions to amend, could constitute true repentance, then Felix, the heathen governor, was a true penitent; for we are told, that, while Paul reasoned before him, concerning temperance, righteousness, and judgement to come—that he trembled, Acts 24:25, and seemed resolved to give him another hearing on these subjects. If a reformation in many instances were the same thing with repentance, then Herod, the murderer of John the Baptist, was a true penitent; for we are told, he heard John gladly, and did many things at his exaltation. Mark 6:20. But these knew nothing of true repentance unto life; and therefore we may feel what they felt—and yet remain impenitent.

I scarcely think there are any of you so hardy and reprobated of God, as never to have experienced any sort of repentance. It is likely there is not one in this assembly but has sometimes been scared with dreadful apprehensions of death, hell, and the consequences of sin. And perhaps you have cried and wept to think of your sinful life, and trembled to think what would be theend of it. You have also prayed to God to forgive you, and resolved and promised that you would reform. Nay, it is possible, theterrors of the Lord and a sense of guilt, may have almost overwhelmed and distracted you, haunted you from day to day, anddisturbed your nightly slumbers. On these accounts you conclude, perhaps, that you are true penitents: but, alas! after all this, you may be but impenitent sinners! True evangelical repentance has the following distinguishing characteristics; by which I request you to examine yourselves.

I. It extends to the heart—as well as to the practice. Every true penitent, indeed, has an affecting sense of the many sins and guilty imperfections of his life; but then his repentance does not stop there—but he looks into the horrid arcade of sin in his heart—the secrets of wickedness within. He traces up these corrupt streams—to the more corrupt fountain in his heart, from which they flow. A blind mind; a corrupt heart, a heart disaffected to God—which could live content for months, for years, without loving God; a heart dead to his service, a heart insensible to eternal things, a heart excessively set upon earthly trifles; a hardenedconscience; a stubborn, ungovernable will—these, to the true penitent, appear the greatest crimes, while, by a thoughtless world, they are hardly noticed as slight imperfections.

Hence when his walk in the eyes of men is unblamably, and even imitable—he still finds daily occasion for repentance and humiliation before God. For oh! his heart, or his inward temper, is not such as it should be! He does not love God nor man as he knows he should! He does not delight in the service of God as he should! Every thought, every motion of his heart towards forbidden objects alarms him, like a symptom of the plague, or the stirring of an enemy in ambush; and he is immediately in arms to make resistance!

But the thoughtless world in general, are very well pleased if their outward actions are good, and if they abstain from what is grossly evil. But this does not satisfy the true penitent: he narrowly inspects the principles, the motives, and the ends of his actions; and there he finds sufficient cause for mortification and sorrow, even when his actions in themselves are lawful and good. In short, every true penitent is a critic upon his own heart; and there he finds constant cause for repentance while in this imperfect state.

The proof of this is so evident, that I need hardly mention it. Can you suppose that it will satisfy a true lover of God and holiness, just to have a clean outside—while his heart is a mere mass of corruption? Will it content such a one, that he performs all the outward duties of religion—if there be no life or spirit in them? Will God account that man truly penitent, who thinks it enough that he is not guilty of open acts of wickedness, though he indulges it, and loves it in his heart? No! Such repentance is a shallow, superficial thing, and is good for nothing! David's repentance reached his heart. Hence, in his penitential Psalm 51, he not only confesses his being guilty of the blood of Uriah—but that he was shaped in iniquity, and conceived in sin, and earnestly prays, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me!" And he is deeply sensible of the lack of truth or integrity in the inward parts.

Now, my friends, if this is an essential ingredient in true repentance, do not some of you see, that you are destitute of it, and consequently, that you are still impenitent sinners, and ready to perish as such! A dreadful conviction! But do not shut your eyes against it, for, until you see your error—you cannot correct it.

2. In evangelical repentance, there is a deep sense of the intrinsic evil of sin, and a hearty sorrow for it as done against God Himself.

Many who think they repent of sin—have no proper sorrow upon the account of sin against God—but only on account of thepunishment it is likely to bring upon themselves. It is not sin they hate—but hell. Were it possible for them to enjoy their sins—and yet be happy forever, they would never think of repenting; and hence repentance is really a hardship in their view. Need I tell you that such a servile, forced repentance—is good for nothing? If the criminal is very sorry, not because he has offended—but because he is to be executed for it—would you call him a true penitent? If your slave cries and trembles, not from a sense of his offence against you—but for fear of the lash, do you think he truly repents of it? No! This is merely self-love, and not the love of duty; it is fear of punishment, and not hatred of the crime—which is the principle of this servile, insincere repentance.

Hence you may see you may be very sorry for your sin, because it may fix a scandal upon your character, because it may have injured your temporal estate, or because it may ruin you in the eternal world. I say, you may be very sorry for sin on such servile reasons as these—and yet know nothing of true repentance. True repentance is a more kindly, sincere thing; it proceeds from an affecting sense of the baseness and malignity of sin in itself.

Sin appears to the true penitent—as some kinds of poison to us; that is, not only hateful because it is deadly and destructive—but hateful and nauseous in itself. I do not mean that the fear of punishment is no ingredient in true repentance: the love of Godand self-love are very consistent, if the latter is kept in a due subordination to the former; and therefore the fear of punishment has great weight even with the evangelical penitent. But I mean the fear of punishment is not the principal spring, much less theonly spring and motive of true repentance. The true penitent hates sin, even when he is not thinking of heaven or hell—but only viewing it in its own nature. Though he was allowed to go to heaven in the ways of sin—he would by no means choose it. Heaven itself would be the less acceptable to him, if it were the end of such a course of sin.

He is also deeply sorry for sin—as against God, or as contrary to him. He is also deeply sorry for sin—as rebellion against God's authority, as a contrariety to his holiness, as an opposition to his will and pleasure, as a most base, ungrateful return for all his goodness. He is also deeply sorry for sin—as the cause of all the agonies of the blessed Jesus! He hates it; he mourns over it with sincere and kindly relentings of heart. It was sin in this view—as against God, that lay heaviest upon David's heart. He seems to have forgotten the injury he had done to Uriah and his wife, while all his attention was engrossed by the horror of his crime—as against God. "Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight!"

It was this view of sin that armed Joseph, in the heat of youth—with powers to resist the solicitations of his mistress. "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God!" Genesis 39:9. Oh! the thought of sinning against God, against so glorious, so gracious and excellent a Being, pierced him to the heart, and he could not bear it. Thus it is with every true penitent. It wounds him to the heart to think that he should treat so good and holy a God—so basely and wickedly. This thought would break his heart, even though sin should be attended with no danger to himself; and it does in fact grieve him, and melt down his soul into sincere sorrows, even when he has not one thought of his own danger.

Nay, of so sincere a nature is evangelical repentance, that the penitent soul never melts so freely, nor bursts out into such a flood of sincere sorrows—as when it has reason to hope that a gracious God has freely forgiven it. Then it sees the base ingratitude andcomplicated vileness of sin—as committed against so gracious a God. God's forgiving the penitent is a reason to him—why he should never forgive himself. If God had concealed the glory of his grace, and rendered himself less lovely—he would be less sensible of the evil of sinning against him, and less sorry for it. But oh! that he should sin against a God who is so gracious as to forgive him after all! This thought cuts him to the heart! Hence the evidences of pardon and the hope of salvation do not put an end to true repentance—but, on the other hand, promote it! This blessed hope, indeed, abates the terrors of a slave, and mixes many sweets in the bitter cup of repentance; but it is so far from putting a stop to the flow of sincere, filial sorrows—that it opens new springs for them, and causes them to gush out in larger streams!

How different is this from the general temper of the world! If they repent—it is while hell stands open before them, and the load of guilt oppresses them. But could they believe that God has forgiven their sins, and that they shall notwithstanding be saved, they would be very easy about it; nay, they would most gladly, from this very consideration, take encouragement to sin the more boldly! This is more than the secret sentiment: it is the avowed profession of multitudes. Ask them how they can go on impenitent in sin, and be easy in such a course? Their answer is, "God is merciful; and they hope he will forgive and save them after all." What is this but an explicit purpose to sin against God—because he is good; and to abuse his mercy—if he will be merciful! Nothing but the lash can keep such sordid, slavish souls in subjection. Their hearts are dead to gratitude and every sincere passion. If God will have them to repent, he must give them no hope of pardon and happiness; for as this hope rises, their repentance ceases, and sin appears a harmless, inoffensive thing!

But how different is this from the sincere temper of the true penitent! It wounds him more to offend a sin-pardoning than a sin-punishing God! And never does his heart melt so kindly—as when under the warm beams of divine love! Never does he repent so heartily—as with a pardon in his hand, and with the prospect of heaven open before him! Do not think that this an excessive refinement of repentance, for common sense may tell you, that God will never accept of that repentance which has thepunishment, and not the crime for its object; and this sincere temper is assigned to the true penitent in the sacred Scriptures.

After God has promised many blessings to the Jews, this is mentioned as the consequence, "Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign LORD." Ezekiel 16:63. So, after many promises of rich blessings, it is said, "Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices!" Ezekiel 36:31. You see this shame and confusion, this penitential remembrance and self-loathing, are the effects of God's being reconciled. When God is pacified, then they are ashamed, confounded, and loathe themselves!

Friends, does your repentance stand this test? Examine and see; for if it does not, it is only a repentance to be repented of.

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