Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1903-03-04

church, preached at 30 Sunday eve
 ming on the subject of Repentance.
 "God commandeth all men every
 where to repent" Acts r 30.
 Repentance is one of the fundamen
 tai teachings in Gods word. yet fea
 it is misunderstood by many. At an,
 rate it does not receive the emphasi
 that it ought to receive. The grea
 theme of John the Baptist was, ''Re
 pent, for the kingdom of heaven is a
 hand" Christ began his ministr,
 with the same message. The disciple
 'preached that men should repent. :
 Peter after Pentecost and Paul a
 Athens preached, Repent. g
 It may help us to understand wha
 repentance is by telling what it i
 not It is not mere feeling. Men il danger of death have called mightil! on God. but when the danger was pas
 they were as profane as ever. Again repentance is not mere sorrow fol sin. The rich young ruler was "eX ceedingly sorrowful,' '' but he did moi repent. A man may be greatly dis tressed because of sin, and only
 plunge the deeper into sin. Repent ance is not remorse. Judas went out and hanged himself but he did not repent. But again reformation is not repentance. Reformation fears the con sequences of sin. Repentance hates the sin itself. Reformation excuses sin. Repentance confesses it. Re pentance is face to face with God. Reformation is not. Repentance causes a man to surrender himself to God. Reformation does not neces- sarily. The source of repentance is in the conviction of sin.
 There is an intellectual elements recognition of sin as involving per sonaI guilt and helplessness. There is an emotional element "a sorrow for sin as committed against goodness and justice. and therefore hateful to God and hateful in itself. There is also voluntary element-an inward turning from sin, and a disposition to seek pardon and cleansing. This is the most important element. Repent ance, as some one has said, is ''being so sorry for sin that with Gods help you will give it up.'' Too many are like the little girl who prayed: 70 Lord, make me good. not very good, but only good enough 50 I won't get a " God pity the man who seeks to escape merely the penalty of hell and not the pollution of sin. It is not simply the consequences, but sin itself that God wants us to hate.
 We should repent b cause God com mands it. Gods commands are not He commands all men everywhere to repent because all men everywhere have sinned. ''All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Rom. 3:23. There are some who count themselves as pretty good sort of people, and they are as the world looks at them; but when the light of God shines on their selfish ness, their pride, their motives and their thoughts. the mark of sin is seen in everyone. If you owed personal debt as great as that of the United States, it would not matter much you had 5000 or only ten cents. You can't pay the debt. It is only as you repent and cast yourself on the merits of Jesus Christ that you can hope for salvation.
 We should repent also, because Gods goodness leads to it. ''Despis- eth thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" Rom. 2:4. No one can ever measure the goodness of God. When our Anglo Saxon forefathers were framing words to express their ideas, the word which they chose to describe the Almighty was God, which means "the good. " "the good one.'' "God is love. 5 He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our Yet with what amazing indifference we treat that goodness! We reach out our hands to money. and pleasure. and popular applause. and say, 'l'll follow thee.r but how few have the courage and the grati- tude to say. Lord, l will follow thee whithersoever thou goestl' Still what more powerful influence is there than the goodness of God to lead us to repentance? If a man curses you for wrong you have done, you will be more stubborn than ever. 1t is the goodness and the love of God that has melted the hardest hearts.
 We should repent also because Gods long suffering waits for it. ''The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Peter 3:9. Lastly. we should repent because there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that Luke 15:1O.
 Will you not repent and turn to God?