Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1915-10-14

again that he hath robbed and walk
in the statutes of life without com
hitting sin, he shall surely live
Eek. 1915.
There are many people convicted
of sin who give their hand to the
preacher or sign card and join the
church without a change of heart
and make mock of religion. They
are convicted but stop short of re-
pentance which is such bitter cup.
The sinner does not want to drink of
it and will not if it can possibly be
avoided. He had rather do anything
than to repent of sin before God
There are not few who would build
church, give sections of land to
charity, suffer physical pain or go
through any sort of moral reform
il by so doing they could have peace
with God but still they will not re-
pent.
When the Apostles went to SAM
aria they met with one Simon who
had been convicted and had without
repentance made profession of re-
ligion. His trying to purchase the
Holy Ghost power with money led
Peter to pronounce him yet in the
gall of bitterness and the bond of
iniquity and exhorted him to prayer
and repentance When Zachaeus got
one good look at Jesus he became
convicted of sin but he did not stop
at conviction, he repented and in his
haste to come down and confess his
sins and promise to restore four-fold
he made the sycamore bark fly in
all directions. When he reached the
ground the thing was settled and
Jesus said, This day is salvation
come to this house" And he took
Jesus home with him. l pray that
many of you who are here tonight
and have been convicted of your sin
would repent as Zachaeus did and
take Jesus home with you. He would
prove the greatest guest you ever
entertained and would take up His
abode with you and His presence
would give youa fore taste of heaven.
". Repentance More
Than Reformation
Undoubtedly there are great
many people who think all there is
to repentance is resolving to do bet
ter than they have done in the past.
But you can not defeat the devil by
forming good resolutions il you do
not meet Jesus at Calvary There
are very few men so wicked but that
they have repeatedly promised them
selves that they were going to turn
over a new leaf and live better but
they do not resemble angels yet
Suppose owed you two hundred
dollars and meet you tomorrow and
say, Friend, l was over to the tab
ernacle last night and after hearing
the sermon l decided to be better
man. / came over to tell you | have
decided not to go in debt any more.
Perhaps you would congratulate me
but would you open the desk and
take out the note you hold against
me and after marking it paid hand 1t
to me? No, you would say, Your
resolve is for the future, your in
debtedness is for the past" And
would still owe you the two hundred
dollars.
If a man were to break into a
building tonight and crack safe
and should kill the man who detect
ed him and then escape TO another
state and there live law abiding
life for eight years before being capt
ured by the officers of the law and
brought back for trial. Would the
fact that he had been a law abiding
citizen during the eight years atone
for the crime of cracking the safe
and killing a man? Certainly not.
Nor will your good resolutions to-
night atone for the sins of yesterday.
Nothing short of repentance will set
tie your old account with God. This
substituting reformation for repent
ance is like cutting off the tail of a
mad dog to cure him; that might
work if you cut it off just back OF
his ears. Ii is like patching ones
clothes. | believe in patching but
there comes time when you have
to get a new garment. Some of you
have patched up your carnal life now
so much that il looks like crazy
quilt or map of the Canal Zone.
A patch OF silk on what you
wear, calls most attention
to the tear.
What youneed is a new life given OF
God to thOse who repent. You may
be advised. scrutinized, catachized,
baptized, and popularized, but in the
Judgment you will be surprised and
lost forever if you do not repent and
become a true follower of Jesus.
believe in a high state of culti-
walton but a farmer may pillow ane
harrow his ground every day of the
summer and not permit a single weed
to grow, that would be a high state
of cultivation, but if he did not plant
seed in his field he would get no crop
in the autumn. Simply Kidding your
life of the weeds of sin without
planting the seed of Christianity in
your heart garden is as great folly
as for farmer to cultivate his
ground all summer and plant no seed.
Repentance pulls up the weeds now
growing and plants the seeds OF
righteousness. The man who at
tempts to improve by reforming is
whitewashing his life but the one
who repents washes white his life
and there is vast difference in the
result of the two processes.
The attitude of many toward this
great subject of repentance reminds
me of the story of a Jew who lived In
a community where 1t was popular
and he believed would be profitable
to be a Catholic, so he went to the
priest and asked if he could make a
Catholic of a Jew. The priest 1t is
said did so by an application OF the
Holy Water" A few days later on
Friday this Jew invited the priest
to his home for dinner, and at this
dinner they had roast goose. The
priest said, "You are no good Cath
Ollie or you would have fish on Fri
day" The Jew turned to his wire
and said, Rachel, bring me the