The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-03-16
slss. saOODY N boston.
what !. IRepentance2

everywhere TO repent. Because he ha.h |
appointed n day In the which He will |
judge the world in righteousness by that
man whom he hath ordained; whereof
he b ,th given assurance unto all men, in
that He hath raised Him from the dead"
Mr.. Moody said: 1 want just no "
to call your attention to the word
repent" The best definition / can
give of this word repentance is,
changing our course. True Bible /
repentance IL not only turning from
Sin, but turning toward God. The |
fact l., man IL born with bis back |
toward God. Now, an nurepent-
ant sinner aud God cannot dwell in |
In the same heaven. There is q |
great deal said In the Scripture about |
repeating. When John the Baptist
came he said. "Repent, fer the
kingdom of heaven Is At hand."-l
When Christ sent out the twelve,
lie told them to preach, Repent, |
for the kingdom OF heaven IL At |
hand" And when he was going |
up on high, He told them to preach |
repentance and remission OF sins,
Then we find the apostle Paul down
among those Greeks who told them |
they must repent. But let us bear
in mind that repentance is not
merely feeling sorry for sin
TLere are q great many things you
may feel sorry about, but thai is not
true repentance. Aud 1t IL not do
log penance. That is not repent
ance. You might go down and
stand in the cold water up to your
eyes all night-would that make
you more acceptable TO God? A
great many think 1t IL fear, and are
criiisising this movement because,
they say we are trying to brighten
men into repentance. We'll, my
friendp, ! have no confidence at all
in that idea of soaring me n into the
kingdom of God. How many men
there are who, when Death comes
and takes . good look at them,
MAKE VOWS OF REPENTANCE,
but when they get well are just as
bad as before, aud worse. Repent
ance 10 not being frightened. A
great many people think they can't
pray, but. let there come some acci-
dent to them and they will pray like
saints. have been told by sailors
that when they thought the ship
was going down the worst and
most blasphemous of the crew
would get down on their knees and
pray, just as If they were all saints.
That Is not repentance. As soon
las the storm was passed, those very
men would be swearing again as
bad as ever. A great many who
think they are going to repent in
the dying hour, will be deceived.
Now, we have not got to repon'
with our feelings, but with our
whole heart. Turning to Him with
our whole heart aud lives-that is
true repentance. Another class of
people think that because they get
into some difficulty and get exposed
and feel sorry, that Is repentance.
That IL not repentance at all. Saul
had thkt kind when he thought his
subjects were going to look upon
him with dishonor aud contempt,
aud he was troubled about his own
reputation and wanted Samuel to
put it right with his people. Judas
repented, but IL was not true repent
ance. Judas ia the only man we
read of in Scripture who went to
confess to . priest, and he went
right ont after and hung himself.
He didn't go to the Master Himself.
When he truly repents man turns
to God Himself. If you want to
know what true repentance is, look
at the prOdigal son, who returned
10 bis father and said, "Let me be
ne one of the hired servants"
AND WHEN MAN COMES TO GOD
with true repentance then God will
receive him. Look ct David who
came and said, 81 have sinned," and
he repeDted in sackcloth and asIee,
and God accepted him. When the
people of Nineveh repented God &C
cepted their repentance and brought
them out OF captivity. So it is with
every man who turns with his
whole heart and soul to God and
fOrsakes his sins. There IL no ground
for forgiveness until there is true
repentance. David tried that with
.Absalom. Absslom went off and
came back, and David wouldn't see
him, probably because somebody
had told him that Absalom hadn't
really repented. Then he sent for
Joab after he had been in Jerusa-
lem two years to come and see him,
and he sent the second time and
still he didn't come. Then he said,
"You go over and set Joab's barley
on fire." And that brought him.
And Absalom said: 81 sent for you
TO go to the king, and / want you
to tell him that if there is any iDi-
guilty in me l want him to tell me
aud If not / want him to forgive"
That's the self-righteons pharisee-
Lord, II there is any iuiquity in me
tell me-" ALL think David never
made greater mistake than when
he sent for tat boy. But the king
sent for him and Absalom came,
aud he forgave him with kiss oil
reconciliation and that was for.
SiVeness on q false foundation
What was the result2 La q very
short time that young man drove
him from the throne. So if God
was to forgive you without the
proper ground for repentance, ii
would do you more harm than
good.
NOW, LET Us LOOK INTO OUR FAMILY
for God dealeth with Us as with :
son. Suppose you had q son and
he told you q cool, calm, deliberate
lie. You call The, boy to you and
You want him to confess, aud he
says, II wO0,t confess" "But,'
you say, "my soD, my servants saw
You do it," Aud still he won't con-
fess il, and you say, "Well, my son,
I'll forgive YOU" That isn't = good
ground OF reconciliation, is it7 II
won't be long before the child is ru-
ined. One thing is sure, my friend
il God is going to forgive US our
sins, we have got to repent of our
sins and turn from them. "Lst the
wicked forsake his ways" Not on-
ly must we forsake our sins, but we
must bring forth fruits meet for re-
pentance. / don't know who the
young maH was who went to his
employer the other msrning and
said: here's the money I took
from you some years ago." bat that
is bringing forth fruits meet for re.
pentance. We have not only got to
forsake our sins, but il we have in.
jured any enc, ii we have slandered
them aud caused them to suffer. We
must make restitution "a far AZ ~