The Grenada sentinel., 1903-06-27

:
strewn with palm branches and gar
ments of tho enthusiasts who hailed
Him a. King. But the pathway over
which Jesus rides to the soul Of man
Is one which is paved witlDrepentance
md the fruits which are meet for that
God is no respecter Of
persons, and His Son travels but one
road on His way to the soul. All alike
are called to repentance, and no path
way of good resolutions, or good works.
or high moral living, or high ideals or
aims, be that pathway paved ever so
smoothly, will tempt the Lord to pass
over it. But repentance draws the
Saviour quickly. His coming isnot de-
layed Prepare ye the way OF the
Lord by repentance.
THERE are two aspects to this mes
| sage of John. One its bearing upon
the unregenerate soul, and the other
having to do with the soul that has
been born again. Both are called to an
attitude of repentance. One to the
saving Of the soul, the other to the
putting off, more and more, of the flesh
and the putting on more and more Of
Christ. Repent, o Soul! that has
not felt the cleansing and saving power
Of Jesus blood, because "the Kingdom
of Heaven is at hand" Repent, O
Christian! because upon the failures of
to-day you are to mount by the help
of Jesus to a newer and better self
tomorrow. There is to be practical
evidence in your life of that repent
ance. 1t is not the cry of the soul
when in peril and face to face with
death, and then utter forgetfulness of
that cry when the peril is passed and
deaths grim hand has been withdrawn
without claiming his victim. All, how
often is wrung from the lips the agon-
lied cry of seeming repentance, and as
the storm passes and the bark of life
once more apparently sails on quiet
sea, the soul forgets the cry and the
peril. And again on it goes in its in
difference to its desperate need, while
just ahead are the rapids and the brink
of eternity. That cry in the hour OF
peril was not the cry of repentance.
Had it been so, the fruits of that re-
pentance would have wrought the all
tered life.
LERE is the soul conscious Of sin
l and manifesting repentance, and
yet longing and desiring to take
with it all the old life with
its indulgences. The soul is
alarmed over the thought of what it
must give up. 1t clings to former as
sociates, habits and manner of life.
Where this is the case, measure the
degree of repentance. Such repentance
is either infinitesimally small, or else
altogether a negative quantity. Re-
pent! but bring forth fruits meet for
repentance. In this matter of re-
pentance there are just two who are
involved-God and the soul. God the
righteous One and man the sinner.
When the sinner takes his eyes off God
and focuses them upon the things
about him these temporalities are mag
nified and the sense of God is lost.
With this comesa lessened degree of re-
pentance, and so little of the fruits OF
repentance in the life as to be hardly
perceptible. This is one of the sad con-
ditions in the churches to-day. Low
cred standards, and the bringing of the
world into the activities of the
churches and the lives of the Chris
tians, are reducing the consciousness
of the need of repentance. John the
Baptist and his message are needed to-
day. The cry must be raised on every
hand: Repent ye! Repent ye! Re.
pent, unsaved soul, because your peril
is great, the time is short, and Jesus
stands patiently waiting to enter over
the roadway of your sincere repent
ance. Repent, o Christian! of that
love for the world and the things OF
the world which is so filing your heart
and life. Repent of that indifference
towards the lost souls all about you
Repent of your selfish love of ease
which permits you to stay away from
Gods house when you as member
there have a regular appointment tc
meet your Lord there and help sustain
| His worship. Repent of your shallow
ness and hypocrisy which encourage
and allow you to get up and testify il
meeting to repentance for past short
comings and aspirations for better
life, and which, like the vapor which
vanishes before the searching rays O.
the sun, disappears utterly before thu
light, glib, gossipy conversation which
fills Gods house after meeting. Re
pent because you go away from the de
votional meeting or the preaching serv
ice thinking not of God and His serv
ice, speaking not to the honor ant
praise of the Lord. but in sharp criti
cism of the preacher, of the service
and of pretty much every one VIII
came under your notice. Repent,
Christian! because your life at hom
and in the office bellies most awful,
your profession.
IT HUS prepare the way of the Lore
There is a double way in whicl
genuine repentance prepares the CON
ing of the Lord. Spiritually-thet tear