The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-15
privacy, comes forth and says in fact t.

privacy. comes forth and says in fact to
his era, Repent, you are wrong
| But when the prcac cher takes up that
word. 1t has deeper and grander mean
ing still. The man who repents of his
I! sins knows the bitterness OF inward sor-
| row, the pares of remor5e. and his soul
is afflicted with sr:evous distress on ac-
count OF transgression. Johns, then.
was not d cheerful ministry, nor in a
sense a popular one. It would have been
far moro pleasant to say. Il approve of
ell your doings; endorse your actions"
He who comes with a speech of that
kind to the people, is for a time the
popular idol.
To come into the midst of city or to
so up ana down in tho land crying, "r,e-
pent," is to excite the most desperate
prejudice Who are you? they will say
Why this challenging tone? What war
rant have you to speak to us thus?
Prove your standing. Whence come you,
| and what is the measure Of your respon-
sibility? Then will follow insiauations
as to sinister motives and implications
|
the tuguouue will be tho weapon Of the
hour The man whose little sermon is
"Repent" sets himself against his age,
and will be for the time being merci-
lessly battered by the very age whose
moral tone ne challenges.
Johns ministry was to clear the ground.
He was {, pioneer or advance guard; his
work was but introductory at the best.
Yet it was a work much needed. The
| ground must be cleared before the seed
can be sown, that it may bring forth an
hundredfold We are apt to lose sight
of the ambassador and his mission in
thinking of the King. We forget tho
morning star in the full blaze of the
sun. yet.it is clear that Johns preach
! ing arrested the attention of the whole
Jewish people and created an excitement
over all Palestine. It aroused the nation
from it's slumbers and prepared an high
way for the Messiah.
! Johns preaching was not merely mega
tive lie said, indeed, 'Repent ye." but
! he did not end there. he added a rea-
sou, "For the Kingdom OF Heaven is at
| hand" He did not charge his hearers
so severely as to overwhelm them with
i irtolerable grief. He intimates that re-
pentanco is a sorrow that endures for
a right bur JOY cometf, bringing its own
morning and q day which never dips into
the darkness of death.
! This heroic herald, so severe. so ter
| ribIe in aspect. SO piercing and rending
1 in voice, nevertheless has a sweet, sweet
tone of comfort. 'The Kingdom of EIea-
| ven is at hand. The morning cometh.
tho rain is over and gone. Attend, re-
| pent change. turn around, for the King
| dom of Heaven is at hand" Another
great opportunity is thus offered before
| it is too late.
Tell a man to repent only, and leave
him, and You put only a dart in his
breast. Tell him to repent, but add the
| Kingdom of Heaven, with all its light
and healing, and mercy and redemption
is at hand and you give him the hope
Of the everlasting Gospel
| But while this is true, we must also
remember that repentance alone can
never make atonement for sin. The blood
| OF Jesus and nothing else can do that
| No quantity of repentance can ever jus
| tify Us in the sight of God. And yet
without repentance no soul was ever
saved. We must know our srs. mourn
! over them, forsalze them, abhor them, or
we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
| It forms no part whatever of the price
Of our redemption. Our salvation is all
| OF grace from first to last. But the great
| fact remains that saved souls are always
penitent souls. ana that faith i'll Christ
and true repentance towards God are
| never found apart
| We know what repentance is. but have
We repented? Hare we been convinced
OF sin by the Holy Ghost? Do we know
anything OF Il broken and contr:te heart.
with a thorough hatred OF sin? Can we
say "Repcnt" az well as ~ believer"
| Ii so, let US thank God that: We have
heard and obeyed the BaRtist's cali, VINO
being dead, get spealzc.h.
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| We heartily favor the bill introduced
| by Delegate Gardner OF Hcnrico con-