The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1903-06-27


ments of the enthusiasts who hailed
Him as King. But the pathway over
which Jesus rides to the soul of man
Is one which is paved with repentance
and the fruits which are meet for that
repentance. God Is no respecter Of
persons, and His Son travels but one
road on His way to the soul. All 0 like
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 II. But repentance draws the
Saviour quickly. His coming isnot de-
layed. Prepare We the way of the
Lord by repentance.
THERE are two aspects TO this meg
sage of John. One its bearing upon
the unregenerate soul, and the other
having 10 do with the soul that has
been born again. Both are called tom
attitude of repentance. One to the
saving of the soul, the other to the
putting Oft. 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
Christ ian! because upon the failures of
to-day you are to mount by the help
of Jesus to 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deaths grim hand has been withdrawn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 al
tered life.
uERE is the soul conscious Of sin
and manifesting repentance, and
yet longing and desiring to take
with it all the old life with
its Rdulgences. 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 negative quantity. Re-
pent! but bring forth fruits meet for
repentance. In this matter of re-
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 temperatures 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 We! Repent We! 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 oil about you.
Repent of your selfish 1--we of ease
which permits you to stay away from
Gods house when you as member
there have regular appointment to
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 in
meeting to repentance for past short
comings and aspirations for better
life, and which, like the vapor which
vanishes before the searching rays of
the sun, disappears utterly before the
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 sery-
ice, speaking not to the honor and
praise of the Lord. but in sharp criti-
cism of the preacher, OF the service,
and of pretty much every one who
came under your notice. Repent, O
Christian! because your life at home
and in the Office bellies most awfully
your profession.
T HUS prepare the way of the Lord.
! There is double way in which
genuine repentance prepares the com.
ing Of the Lord. Spiritually-the tears
of true repentance always catch the
light of the shining presence of Jesus,
who never fails to come, and each tear
flashes its brilliancy and beauty over
the whole life, and upon those about.
Materially,-true repentance on the
mart of the ,inre generate md the