Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-10-03
REPENTANCE Is FORsAKING THOSE
THINGS ONE KNOWS TO BE WRONG

don't believe I'd ever been saved. l
wasn't frightened, l had no fear OF
God in that sense of the word.
had no special fear of what was 10
come. My conscience told me that
I was wrong. and l wanted TO be
right, and l believe SO people out
of 100 want to be right. You will
find one that don't. All right, let
them go to the devil if they don
want to be right; I can't do any
thing 10 help them any more than
l am.
My conscience told me l was
wrong-your conscience tells you
you are wrong-and 1 wanted to be
right.
Repentance Not Fear.
So, repentance, oh, it is deeper
than simply fearing the conse-
qUences of sin. Repentance is not
fear; it isn't likely to be brought
about by it.
Now l don't care what puts a
man on his knees, whether he is
afraid he will go to hell if he don't
repent, or whether it is because OF
a manifestation of the love of God
through Jesus Christ that breaks
his heart; and when he lives in sin,
he is living against God, don't
care what it is only so long as you
will keep out of hell and live
right | don't care what brings
you to Jesus Christ. l don't care
now.
Now men are often deeply con-
victed of sin, but they go right on
in sin. Sometimes they will join
the church, but there will be no
change in their lives, and yet |
have more respect for fellow that
will join the church, even if he
don't change his life than | have
for the guy that won't join the
church and won't change his life
because that man may hear some
thing that will convert him, while
this fellow won't go to church and
he is sure not to near anything.
have got more respect for him any
way.
And sometimes they will cheat
and swear and lie and commit
adultery. They were convicted but
they wouldn't repent and forsake
their sins and without repentance
and faith in Jesus Christ nobody
is right with God.
Then first make the wrongs in
your life right. Start by faith in
Jesus, that's the thing for you to
do.
Now repentance is not feeling
sorry that you have done wrong.
don't believe there is man or
woman ever lived that did wrong
that didn't feel sorry for it, espe-
cially if they got caught.
There is never a man or woman
that goes wrong that doesn't feel
mean about it when they are alone
and think it all over. l thank God
that he has so ordained that no
man or woman on earth can do
wrong and find happiness in wrong
doing. There is no peace, saith
God, to the wicked. So, there is
no happiness to a sinner. l thank
God that he has ordained that we
can't find happiness in sin. AbsO-
lutely you can't do it, no matter
where. You never could and you
never will.
There are people SO convicted
that they can't sleep, in the world.
1 know men that are so convicted
they are afraid to come to this tab
ernacle. They are afraid to put
under this atmosphere,
and under the influence of these
Isn't it horrible? Can you i'm
agine any respectable man or any
man with good brains not wanting
to be decent or a Christian? l can't
conceive it. No, sir.
God commands all men every
where to repent" Repentance isn't
promising that you will do better.
Oh. a good many will promise they
will do better and they will do it.
That's reforming. Reformation is
not regeneration. What you need
is not a restrained nature, but d
new nature. That which is flesh no
matter whether it is white flesh,
rich flesh. poor flesh, sober or
drunk, what you need is to be born
again. By the deeds OF the law
shall no flesh be justified in His
sight.
Conscience an ACcuSer.
No man ever lies without know
ing that he has done wrong. He
doesn't need to know about phil
osophy and science in order to
know that he has done wrong when
he lies. Listen, nobody ever takes
advantage of another man in trade,
then feels like a saint about it. No,
Nobody ever ruined trusting wom-
an that didn't despise himself thai
he did. No man ever broke into
another mans house and stole what
that man had earned and saved.
what that reprobate didn't have the
or ability to earn with
out despising himself Although