Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-03-22
Repentance and Restitution.

Remembrance and Restitution.
Few pc pie arc so far gone in sin, that
they do not at times feel sorrow for their SIM
and make strong resolutions to sin no more.
People do this while they still 20 on shining
They are sorry for each sinful act after it is
done, determine to repeat it no more, aud
then 20 straight on and repeat II at the next
temptation Every sorrow Tor sin then, every
sorrow soon accompanied with strong resolu.
tions to sin no more, is not true repentance.
Repentance, to be Of any value, must Work
total reformation, an entire change from sin
TO holiness. and neither the sinner. nor any body
else can be certain that his repentance is true.
until it has been crystalzed into holy living
Emotions. aspirations. mental exercises. are
of value SOLELY as thew change the life. We
know nothing of their ouality until they are
nut into practice Often thew mass AWAY and
come TO nothing Often men 90 on shining
and repepting TO their utter ruin paving their
road to hell with the very host resolutions
We never know Of apv repentance. Of any
good resolution. whether it is not an addition
10 this navement until Il has taken shane in
life And hero il tho reason Of the fearful
r,cor,o;n,y ho, i, ,bis world olwovs b.n,s
ovor doa,5 .heJ ronor,an.os II c,n 1oyor 5e
tnown whether ,bov are trno or sbam renen.
,snees Tbo o,norirnisy 81 ,cs,ing ,bor, ,vo.
NO, ,;v.,
Wbuo bcrororo tho sinner sbopld meyer
doubt that 10 trne renentanco pardon will be
given he sbould take care To he certain that
bis rcpontnnee !, trpo Death and life to him
hang on that issue.
There is ono thing bv which the truth Of
reneptaneo can he tested better and more mi.
versallv nerbans than bv ANYTHING else. and
that is 5y he maxim of resfitRtion. We
should have but little aitb in the repentanee
of the thief who refused 10 return what he
had stolen. in the repentance of the dishonest
man who still retained his ill.oottep gains. in
that Of the slanderer who refused 10 undo the
il!-eHects Of his slapder. 1t is not enough
that the thief cease to steal for the future
lie must res.ora what he has stolen in the
mast II il no, onougb that tho d;sbones,
man cease his dishonest tricks for the future
he must disgorge his already senuired plunder
He must if necessary work hard. live hard
and suffer if need be. TO do H. II il not
enough that the slapderer cease his slandering
hereafter. He must set himself patiently al
work to undo the effect of his SANDER, aud
remedy, as far as he can. his grieyous wrong
Our repentance is delusion Of the devil if il
do not lead Ms 10 make il the first purpose Of
onr lives IN rirbt our wronrs
| And vet unto a rreat deal that goes uude,
the name Of repentance renentanee on which
men stake their salvation before God. Nh.
never comes.
A man will cheat and overrcacb and make
his fortune so. and will consider it. and be al.
lowed 10 consider il a satisfactory re enhance
| if some day he stops cheating. and hereafter
| lives honestly on the gains Of his cheating
The best pew in the church, and the highest
consideration in a Christian community will
be his A man will conduct a disreputable.
knayish business. or will conduct an hones
calling in disreputable and knavish wav, til
be has amassed a competence, and then will
% repent and retire from the business. be
| baptised or confirmed, and count himself a
very good Christian thereafter with hi.
whole past life lying uumended behind him
ready to rise up and claim him at the last
A man will lead a lbertine life, and Kill
souls as well as ruin earthly lives, and somS
Jay MhEu ut - tlIEl VI kulH Will IEltui.
will marry, settle down. aud becom,
the father Of family, aud enjoy the sweet
satisfaction Of believing himself changed
man, while his whole accursed past with al
its victims lives to claim him for its own, tC
blast aud wither him in some dark day o
God.
Men all about US are making repentance
Of this sort, and painfully cheating themselve
with the delusion that they are repentan ce
which secure forgiveness.
But it may be said there are wrongs which
a man cannot right lie has done them, ant
those who have suffered them have passed ou
of his knowledge, or beyond his reach, O.
they are dead. Or the wrongs are such tina
they cannot be atoned for; so bitter, 81
deep, 50 demonlike, that dozen lives, if tn
doer had them, would not atone for the ruiz
he has wrought.
What is to be done then?
1t is the fact that many and many a mai
cannot right the wrongs he has done, or eradi
cate 1.-THE of the evil he has caused, toll a
he may. But none the less is he to be faith
ful in mending his own past as far as it ma,
) be mended. That he cannot do all. is no rea
son why he shall not do what he may.
In the old DAYS, men, burdened with tn
sense of the evil and the ruin their sins ha
caused, devoted themselves for life to work
of charity, put themselves in the forlorn hop
in the ranks of mercy, nursed the fever stricke
p or the plague struck or buried the dead in tn
pestience, or sold all they had and fed TO tn
cell or the hermitage, to spend life in praye,
or went on pilgrimapes to far lands TO la
their heavy burden down.
In our selfish, comfort.seekino age. il is III
fashion to sneer at all this. We take our r,
Z pentance easier now. Our evil lives ar
:, troubled by no pangs of conscience. The
repent as they call it, and live as luxur
. ously, eat, sleep, drink, and dress as well a