View source for It is so sweet a bitter

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<p>"Godly sorrow works repentance." 2 Corinthians 7:10<br><br>
  Genuine, spiritual mourning for sin—is the <strong>work of the Spirit of God</strong>. <em>Repentance </em>is too choice a flower to grow in nature's garden!<br><br> Pearls grow naturally in oysters—but penitence never shows itself in sinners—unless divine grace works it in them. If you have one particle of real hatred for sin, God must have given it <span lang="en-us">to </span>you—for human nature's <em>thorns </em>never produced a single<em>fig</em>. "That which is born of the flesh—is flesh."<br><br>
  True repentance has a distinct reference to the <strong> Saviour </strong>. When we repent of sin, we must have one eye upon <em>SIN</em>—and another upon the <em>CROSS!</em> It will be better still—if we fix both our eyes upon Christ—and see our transgressions only in the light of His love.<br><br>
  True sorrow for sin is eminently <strong>practical</strong>. No man may say he <em>hates </em>sin—if he <em>lives </em>in it. Repentance makes us see the evil of sin, not merely as a theory—but experimentally, as the burnt child dreads the fire. <br><br>We shall be as much afraid of it, as a man who has lately been accosted and robbed—is afraid of the thief upon the highway. We shall shun sin—shun it in everything—not in <em>great </em>things only—but in <em>little </em>things; as men shun little snakes—as well as great vipers!<br><br>
  True mourning for sin will make us very watchful over our <em>tongue</em>—lest it should say a wrong word.<br><br> We shall be very watchful over our <em>daily actions</em>—lest in anything we offend. Each night we shall close the day with painful confessions of shortcomings; and each morning awaken with anxious prayers, that this day God would preserve us—that we may not sin against Him.<br><br>
  Sincere repentance is <strong>continual</strong>. Believers repent until their dying day. Repentance is not intermittent. Every other sorrow yields to time—but this dear sorrow grows with our growth.<strong> It is so <em>sweet </em>a <em>bitter</em></strong>, that we thank God that we are permitted to experience it, until we enter our eternal rest!
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