The Tupelo journal., 1903-07-03


of trial.
CAUL vas sorry for his act Of DISC
y bedience which cost him the sharp
repuke of the prophet and the king
dom, butrepentance never moved with
in his heart and he went headlong to a
miserable death. David not only felt
sorry for his great sin, but he repented
in sack cloth and ashes, and later
wrote: "The sacrifices of God are a
broken spirit; a broken and a contrite
heart, o God, Thou wilt not despise."
The sorrow of his heart was mani
tested in the outward life of his
changed conduct. The rich young
ruler left Jesus sorrowful, but re-
pentance did not come to make him
willing to give his all to the Lord and
help him to lead a new life in humble
service. All who came to John and
were baptized in the Jordan made a
profession of repentance, but it was
only as Pharisees and Sadducees gave
expression in their outward lives of
pure religion and undefled," it was
only as the people gave that others
might have raiment and meat, it was
only as the publicans in their tax gath
ering only exacted that which they
were entitled to, it was only as the sol
diers violated no mans person or
rights, did not bear false witness, and
did not plot mutiny and rebellion, that
the genuineness of the repentance
which they professed was made evil
dent. See how strikingly this is ex-
emplified inthe experience of Zaccheus.
He uitextortion, herestored the goods
he had taken wrongfully, and Jesus
declared: "This day is salvation come
to this house." And all throughout
Jericho and the surrounding country
it was soon known that Zaccheus had
repented and become a changed man,
for the widow, the struggling trades
man and farmer whom he had robbed
in his tax gathering were made to re-
joice with a fourfold return of their
goods, and the poor of the city were
warmed and fed and clothed by the
generous gifts which the converted
publican gave ever to the half of his
great. possessions.
. UT the test of genuine repentancei is
u found not only in the changed life.
but in the patience manifested in that
life when the accumulated conse-
quences of past mistakes and misdeeds
press upon the soul. God forgives, but
He does not always remove the con
sequences of sin. The boy who drove
a nail into the post every time he told
a lie, and who, after he had filled the
post full, began to draw them out.
One by one, whenever temptation was
overcome and he told the truth, vas
panied by the fact that the nail holes
were still there with their disfiguring
marks. 1t is so with the sin marks and
failures in the life. The scars remain.
Careless neglect of duty, the seeking
of the qualification of selfish desires
and aims may plunge one into difficult
ties which are exceedingly trying and
painful. and the g~enuineness of the re-
pentance for the wrong and evil that
have crept into the life is measured by
the patience with which those difficult
ties and trials are faced. The bringing
forth of fruits meet for repentance
here has it's realization. That is not
repentance which is sorrow because
the consequences of sin and wrong
doing must be endured. Repentance
that arises simply from a desire to es-
cape the penalties of sin is not genuine
repentance.
The prisoner in the dock is sorry be-
u of the punishment which is about
to be inflicted upon him for his wrong
doing. He makes profession of re-
pentance in the hope, perhaps, that he
may escape the penalty of his sin
wholly or in part. While he feels the
penalties of sin pressing hard upon
him he is %repentant, but once escaped
from the consequences of sin, he for
gets the professed repentance and is
soon back into the old ways and the old
life. But real repentance would find
expression in patiently enduring the
consequences of the wrong doing and
the turning from ways which would
make a repetition of the sin and wrong
Going possible. How repeatedly Israel
was brought to a shallow repentance
as she felt the voc of her evil ways
crushing in upon her, and then as soon
as relief came she was back in the old
pathway of idolatrous practices. That
was not real repentance. The soul is
so easily deceived in the quality of its
repentance. At the time it believes
that the repentance is deep and gen
uine, but as the impression ear off
there is a drifting back into the old
ways. 1t has not stood the test. The
fruits of repentance then are not only
a present expression but a future en-
durance and altered life.
IT. HE message of John was the
| same to all. People from all
classes and conditions in life sought
him out in his wilderness retreat.
There were the religious teachers and
great numbers of common people.
there were the rich and the poor, the
public officials and the soldiers. And
to one and all, the message of John
the Baptist was "repent ye," "bring
forth therefore fruits meet for repen-
tance." And to all the world to-day
the same message sounds forth. ere
pentye." Bring forth therefore fruits
meet for repentance" Repentance and
the evidences of that repentance were
the necessarypreparation forthe COM
ing of the Lord. Jesus entering Jera-