January 13
“The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.” Rom. 2 :4.
Repentance is indispensable to fallen creatures. And though it be from God, as well as the blessings annexed to it, yet there is an order in his operations. He must do some things for us, before he can do others. He must give grace before he can give glory; and before he makes us happy with himself, he must make us holy like himself. Hence we read of “repentance unto life.”
But let us observe the manner of his producing this repentance. We are led to it by his goodness — not driven by the terrors of the Almighty. Cain, Pharaoh, Judas, were all terrified into repentance; and there was nothing in their experience ingenuous or saving. Peter was led to repentance. He had sadly sinned, and denied his Lord with oaths and cursings. But the Lord turned and looked upon Peter, and the look broke his heart, and “he went out and wept bitterly.” And says God, “Thou shalt remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done.”
In the gospel he draws with the cords of a man, and with the bands of love. And the repentance here spoken of, is the tender mother pulling her infant to her knee while chiding him, and constraining the little U MORNING EXERCISES.
offender to hide his blushing face, and to sob out his heart into her bosom; not the stern father driving the transgressor from his face into distance and concealment and dislike and falsehood. Or, if it be the father, it is the father of the prodigal. Impatient of paternal restraint, the prodigal asked for his portion of goods, and went away into a very far country. Soon all he had was spent; and there arose a mighty famine in the land, and he began to be in want; and he went and hired himself to keep swine. And oft he looked at his grovelling charge, and said, “Oh that I was one of you, and could eat and die and be no more.” He even fed upon their vile fare, for no man gave unto him. At length he came to himself, and the thought of home struck him: “There is bread enough in my father’s house, and to spare, and I perish with hunger. I will arise and go unto my father.” While he was yet a great way off, hovering about and afraid to draw nigh, his father saw him, and had compassion on him, and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him. He had prepared a confession, acknowledging the vilest guilt; and a petition, imploring the meanest favor; but forgiving, overflowing love prevented the expression of either. “Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring forth the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”
He felt his unworthiness before, but he was a thousand times more penitent now. “What a father have I sinned against! What excellence have I contemned! What love have I abused 1” How would he blush and weep, as he was not only clothed, but adorned; and not only fed, but feasted. How, as the ring touched his finger, and he was conducted into the room of mirth, prepared for him — how, almost sinking under the weight of obligation, would he be ready to say, “How can I bear all this?” And would not the father be more endeared to him by forgiveness, than by relation? And after all this, would he be able to stab this father to the heart; to offend him; to grieve him? Must he not delight to obey him; and every moment ask, What wilt thou have me to do? t
Despair hardens, but we are saved by hope. Threatenings may make us afraid to go on, but goodness makes us unwilling. Terrors may wrest the weapons of rebellion out of our hand, but goodness induces us to hate them, and throw them down, and weep over them, and return and vow, “0 Lord, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us; henceforth by thee only will we make mention of thy name.”
How mistaken then are many with regard to Christian repentance. It is not legal, but evangelical. It is not slavish, but filial. It is not degrading, but connected with the noblest feelings of the heart. It is not desponding and miserable, but lives in the comforts of the Holy Ghost. And “blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.”