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III. I am to speak of false repentance.

False or fake repentance is said to be worldly, the sorrow of the world.  That is, it is sorrow for sin, arising from worldly considerations and motives connected with the present life, or at most, have respect to his happiness in a future world, and have no regard to the true nature of sin.

1. It is not founded on such a change of opinion as I have specified to belong to true repentance.

The change is not on fundamental points. A person may see the evil consequences of sin from a worldly point of view, and it may fill him with worry. He may see that sin will greatly affect his character, or endanger his life. If some of his concealed conduct should be found out, he would be disgraced, and this may fill him with fear and distress. It is very common for persons to have this kind of worldly sorrow, when some worldly consideration is at the bottom of it all.

2. False repentance is founded in selfishness.

It may be simply a strong feeling of regret, in the mind of the individual, that he has done as he has. He sees the evil consequences of it to himself alone.  False repentance makes him miserable, or exposes him to the wrath of God, or injures his family or his friends.  In his mind, it produces some injury to himself in time or in eternity. All this is pure selfishness. He may feel remorse of conscience–biting, consuming REMORSE–and no true repentance. It may extend to fear–deep and dreadful fear–of the wrath of God and the pains of hell, and yet be purely selfish.  Because this is a false repentance there may be no such thing as a hearty hatred of sin, and no feelings of the heart going out after the convictions of the understanding, in regard to the infinite evil of sin.

IV. I am to show how this false or fake repentance may be known.

1. It leaves the feelings unchanged.

It leaves unbroken and untamed the desire to sin in the heart. The feelings as to the nature of sin are not so changed, but that the individual still feels a desire for sin. He abstains from it, not from hatred of it, but from dread of the consequences of it.

2. It brings about death.

It leads to phony concealment. The individual who has exercised true repentance is willing to have it known that he has repented, and willing to have it known that he was a sinner. He who has only false repentance, resorts to excuses and lying to cover his sins, and is ashamed of his repentance. When he is called to account for his actions, he will cover up his sins by a thousand apologies and excuses, trying to smooth them over, and decrease their enormity. If he speaks of his past conduct, he always does it in the softest and most favorable terms. He has a constant disposition to cover up his sin. This kind of repentance leads to death. It makes him commit one sin to cover up another. Instead of that innocent, open-hearted breaking forth of sensitiveness and frankness, you see a beguiling, smooth-tongued, half-hearted person mincing out something that is intended to answer the purpose of a confession, and yet to confess nothing.

How is it with you? Are you ashamed to have any person talk with you about your sins? If so, then your sorrow is only a worldly sorrow, and brings about death. How often you see sinners getting out of the way to avoid conversation about their sins, and yet calling themselves anxious inquirers, and expecting to become Christians in that way. The same kind of sorrow is found in hell. No doubt all those wretched inhabitants of the pit wish to get away from the eye of God. No such sorrow is found among the saints in heaven. Their sorrow is open, sincere, full and hearty. Such sorrow is not inconsistent with true happiness. The saints are full of happiness, and yet full of deep and undisguised, and gushing sorrow for sin. But this worldly sorrow is ashamed of itself, is mean and miserable, and brings about death.

3. False repentance produces only a partial reformation of conduct.

The reformation that is produced by worldly sorrow extends only to those things of which the individual has been strongly convicted. The heart is not changed. You will see him avoid only those cardinal sins, about which he has been much bothered.

Observe that young convert. If he is deceived, you will find that there is only a partial change in his conduct. He is reformed in certain things, but there are many things that are wrong he continues to practice. If you become intimately acquainted with him, instead of finding him concerned about sin everywhere, and quick to detect it in everything that is contrary to the Spirit of the gospel, you will find him, perhaps, strict and quick-sighted in regard to certain things, but loose in his conduct and lax in his views on other points, and very far from manifesting a Christian spirit in regard to all sin.

4. Ordinarily, the reformation produced by false sorrow is temporary even in those things that are reformed.

The individual is continually relapsing into his old sins. The reason is, the desire to sin is not gone, it is only checked and restrained by fear, and as soon as he has a hope and is in the church, and gets bolstered up so that his fears are calmed, you see him gradually slipping back, and presently returning to his old sins. This was the difficulty with the house of Israel, which made them so constantly return to their idolatry and other sins. They had only worldly sorrow. You see it now everywhere in the church. Individuals are reformed for a time, and taken into the church, and then relapse into their old sins. They love to call it getting cold in religion, and backsliding, and the like, but the truth is, they always loved sin, and when the occasion offered, they returned to it, as the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. It’s because she was always a sow.

I want you to understand this point thoroughly. –Here is the foundation of all those fits and starts in the church, which you see so much of. People are awakened, and convicted, and by and by they get to hope and settle down in false security, and then away they go. Perhaps, they may keep so far on their guard as not to be kicked out of the church, but the foundations of sins are not broken up, and they return to their old ways. The woman that loved to show off her dress loves it still, and gradually returns to her ribbons and baubles. The man who loved money loves it yet, and soon slides back into his old ways.  He dives into business, and pursues the world as eagerly and devotedly as he did before he joined the church.

Go through all the levels of society, and if you find thorough conversions, you will find that their most besetting sins before conversion are farthest from them now. The real convert is least likely to fall into his old besetting sin, because he abhors it most. But if he is deceived and worldly minded, he is always tending back into the same sins. The woman that loves to show off her dress comes out again in all her glory, and dresses as she used to. The fountain of sin was not broken up. They have not purged out iniquity from their heart, but they held on to iniquity in their heart all the time.

5. It is a forced reformation.

The reformation produced by a false repentance is not only a partial reformation, and a temporary reformation, but it is also forced and constrained. The reformation of one who has true repentance is from the heart; he has no longer a desire to sin. In him the Bible promise is fulfilled. He actually finds that “Wisdom’s ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.” He experiences that the Savior’s yoke is easy and his burden is light. He has felt that God’s commandments are not grievous but joyous. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. But this false kind of repentance is very different.  It is a legal repentance, the result of fear and not of love; a selfish repentance, any thing but a free, voluntary, hearty change from sin to obedience. You will find, if there are any individuals today that have this kind of repentance, you are conscious that you do not abstain from sin by choice, because you hate it, but from other considerations. It is more through the prohibitions of your conscience, or the fear you shall lose your soul, or lose your hope, or lose your character, than from abhorrence of sin or love to serve God.

Such persons always need to be prodded to do their duty, with an express passage of Scripture, or else they will apologize for their sin, and evade their duty, and think there is no great harm in doing as they do. The reason is, they love their sins, and if there is not some express command of God, which they dare not fly in the face of, they will practice them. Not so with true repentance. If a thing seems contrary to the great law of love, the person who has true repentance will abhor it, and avoid it of course, whether he has an express command of God for it or not. Show me such a man and I tell you he doesn’t need an express command to make him give up the drinking or making or vending of alcoholic beverages. He sees it is contrary to the great law of love, and he truly abhors it.  He would no more do it than he would blaspheme God, or steal, or commit any other abomination.

So the man that has true repentance does not need a “Thus saith the Lord,” to keep him from oppressing his fellow men, because he would not do any thing wrong. How certainly men would abhor any thing of the kind, if they had truly repented of sin.

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Secondly. In true repentance, there must be a corresponding change of feeling.

The change of feeling toward sin in all the following: its nature, its relations, its tendencies, and what it deserves. The individual who truly repents, not only sees sin to be detestable and vile and worthy of abhorrence, but also he really abhors it, and hates it in his heart. A person may see sin to be hurtful and abominable, even though his heart loves it, and desires it, and clings to it. But when he truly repents, he most heartily abhors and renounces it.

In relation to God, he feels towards sin as it really is. And here is the source of those tears of sorrow in which Christians sometimes break out, when contemplating sin. The Christian views it as to its nature, and simply feels abhorrence. But when he views it in relation to God, then he feels like weeping, the fountains of his sorrow gush forth, and he wants to get right down on his face and pour out a flood of tears over his sins.

Then as to the tendencies of sin, the individual who truly repents feels it as it is. When he views sin in its tendencies, it awakens a strong desire to stop it, and to save other people from their sins, and roll back the tide of death. It sets his heart on fire, and he goes to praying, and laboring, and pulling sinners out of the fire with all his might, to save them from the awful tendencies of sin. When the Christian sets his mind on this, he will wake up himself to cause people to give up their sins. Just as if he saw all the people taking poison which he knew would destroy them, and he lifts up his voice to warn them to BEWARE.

He feels right, as to what sin deserves. He has not only an intellectual conviction that sin deserves everlasting punishment, but he feels that it would be so right and so reasonable, and so just for God to condemn him to eternal death. As far as finding fault with the sentence of the law that condemns him, he thinks it the wonder of heaven; a wonder of wonders, that God can forgive him. Instead of thinking it hard, or severe, or unkind of God that incorrigible sinners are sent to hell, he is full of adoring wonder that he is not sent to hell himself.  In fact, he is amazed that this whole guilty world has not long since been hurled down to endless burnings. It is the last thing in the world he would think to complain of, that all sinners are not saved, but it is a wonder of mercy that the entire world is not already damned. And when he thinks of such a sinner as being saved, he feels a sense of gratitude that he never knew any thing of this until he was a Christian.

II. I am to show what are the works or proof of genuine repentance.

I wish to show you what are the works of true repentance, and to make it so plain to your minds, that you can know infallibly whether you have repented or not.

1. If your repentance is genuine, there is in your mind a conscious change of views and feeling regarding sin.

Of this you will be just as conscious as you ever were of a change of views and feelings on any other subject. Now, can you see this? Do you know, that on this point there has been a change in you, and that old things are done away and all things have become new? Think about it.

2. Where repentance is genuine, the desire to sin is gone.

If you have truly repented, you do not love to sin any more. You do not now abstain from it through fear, and to avoid punishment, but because you abstain because you hate it. How is this with you? Do you know that your desire to commit sin is gone? Look at the sins you used to practice when you were impenitent. How do they appear to you? Do they look pleasant, and would you really love to practice them again if you dared? –If you do, if you have the desire to sin still in you, you are only convicted. Your opinions of sin may be changed, but if the love of that sin remains, as your soul lives, you are still an impenitent sinner.

3. Genuine repentance causes a reformation of conduct.

I take this to be the idea chiefly intended in the text, where it says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance.” Godly sorrow produces a reformation of conduct. The apostle was speaking of such a change of mind as produces a change of conduct, ending in salvation. Now, let me ask you, are you really reformed? Have you forsaken your sins? Or, are you practicing them still? If so, you are still a sinner. However, you may have changed your mind, if it has not brought about a change of conduct, an actual reformation, it is not Godly repentance, or of a kind that God approves.

4. Repentance, when true and genuine, leads to confession and restitution.

The thief has not repented, while he keeps the money he stole. He may have conviction, but no repentance. If he had true repentance, he would go and give back the money. If you have cheated any one, and do not restore what you have taken unjustly; or if you have injured any one, and do not set about it to undo the wrong you have done, as far as it is possible for you to do so, you have not truly repented.

5. True repentance is a permanent change of character and conduct.

The text says it is repentance that leads to salvation, and leaves no regret. What else does the apostle mean by that expression but this, that true repentance is a change so deep and fundamental that the man never changes back again?  The love of sin is truly abandoned. The individual, who has truly repented, has so changed his views and feelings that he will not change back again, or go back to the love of sin. Bear this in mind now, all of you, that the truly penitent sinner exercises feelings of which he never will repent. The text says it “leads to salvation.” It goes right on, to the very rest of heaven. The very reason why it ends in salvation is because it is such that leaves no regret.

And here I cannot but remark, that you see why the doctrine of the Saints’ Perseverance is true, and what it means. True repentance is such a thorough change of feelings, and the individual who exercises it comes so to abhor sin, that he will persevere of course, and not go and take back all his repentance and return to sin again.   [NOTE: Perseverance of the Saints does not mean "once saved always saved"..]

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Secondly. In true repentance, there must be a corresponding change of feeling.

The change of feeling toward sin in all the following: its nature, its relations, its tendencies, and what it deserves. The individual who truly repents, not only sees sin to be detestable and vile and worthy of abhorrence, but also he really abhors it, and hates it in his heart. A person may see sin to be hurtful and abominable, even though his heart loves it, and desires it, and clings to it. But when he truly repents, he most heartily abhors and renounces it.

In relation to God, he feels towards sin as it really is. And here is the source of those tears of sorrow in which Christians sometimes break out, when contemplating sin. The Christian views it as to its nature, and simply feels abhorrence. But when he views it in relation to God, then he feels like weeping, the fountains of his sorrow gush forth, and he wants to get right down on his face and pour out a flood of tears over his sins.

Then as to the tendencies of sin, the individual who truly repents feels it as it is. When he views sin in its tendencies, it awakens a strong desire to stop it, and to save other people from their sins, and roll back the tide of death. It sets his heart on fire, and he goes to praying, and laboring, and pulling sinners out of the fire with all his might, to save them from the awful tendencies of sin. When the Christian sets his mind on this, he will wake up himself to cause people to give up their sins. Just as if he saw all the people taking poison which he knew would destroy them, and he lifts up his voice to warn them to BEWARE.

He feels right, as to what sin deserves. He has not only an intellectual conviction that sin deserves everlasting punishment, but he feels that it would be so right and so reasonable, and so just for God to condemn him to eternal death. As far as finding fault with the sentence of the law that condemns him, he thinks it the wonder of heaven; a wonder of wonders, that God can forgive him. Instead of thinking it hard, or severe, or unkind of God that incorrigible sinners are sent to hell, he is full of adoring wonder that he is not sent to hell himself.  In fact, he is amazed that this whole guilty world has not long since been hurled down to endless burnings. It is the last thing in the world he would think to complain of, that all sinners are not saved, but it is a wonder of mercy that the entire world is not already damned. And when he thinks of such a sinner as being saved, he feels a sense of gratitude that he never knew any thing of this until he was a Christian.

II. I am to show what are the works or proof of genuine repentance.

I wish to show you what are the works of true repentance, and to make it so plain to your minds, that you can know infallibly whether you have repented or not.

1. If your repentance is genuine, there is in your mind a conscious change of views and feeling regarding sin.

Of this you will be just as conscious as you ever were of a change of views and feelings on any other subject. Now, can you see this? Do you know, that on this point there has been a change in you, and that old things are done away and all things have become new? Think about it.

2. Where repentance is genuine, the desire to sin is gone.

If you have truly repented, you do not love to sin any more. You do not now abstain from it through fear, and to avoid punishment, but because you abstain because you hate it. How is this with you? Do you know that your desire to commit sin is gone? Look at the sins you used to practice when you were impenitent. How do they appear to you? Do they look pleasant, and would you really love to practice them again if you dared? –If you do, if you have the desire to sin still in you, you are only convicted. Your opinions of sin may be changed, but if the love of that sin remains, as your soul lives, you are still an impenitent sinner.

3. Genuine repentance causes a reformation of conduct.

I take this to be the idea chiefly intended in the text, where it says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance.” Godly sorrow produces a reformation of conduct. The apostle was speaking of such a change of mind as produces a change of conduct, ending in salvation. Now, let me ask you, are you really reformed? Have you forsaken your sins? Or, are you practicing them still? If so, you are still a sinner. However, you may have changed your mind, if it has not brought about a change of conduct, an actual reformation, it is not Godly repentance, or of a kind that God approves.

4. Repentance, when true and genuine, leads to confession and restitution.

The thief has not repented, while he keeps the money he stole. He may have conviction, but no repentance. If he had true repentance, he would go and give back the money. If you have cheated any one, and do not restore what you have taken unjustly; or if you have injured any one, and do not set about it to undo the wrong you have done, as far as it is possible for you to do so, you have not truly repented.

5. True repentance is a permanent change of character and conduct.

The text says it is repentance that leads to salvation, and leaves no regret. What else does the apostle mean by that expression but this, that true repentance is a change so deep and fundamental that the man never changes back again?  The love of sin is truly abandoned. The individual, who has truly repented, has so changed his views and feelings that he will not change back again, or go back to the love of sin. Bear this in mind now, all of you, that the truly penitent sinner exercises feelings of which he never will repent. The text says it “leads to salvation.” It goes right on, to the very rest of heaven. The very reason why it ends in salvation is because it is such that leaves no regret.

And here I cannot but remark, that you see why the doctrine of the Saints’ Perseverance is true, and what it means. True repentance is such a thorough change of feelings, and the individual who exercises it comes so to abhor sin, that he will persevere of course, and not go and take back all his repentance and return to sin again.   [NOTE: Perseverance of the Saints does not mean "once saved always saved"..]

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I. I am to show what is true repentance.

It involves a change of opinion about the nature of sin, and this change of opinion must be followed by a corresponding change of feeling towards sin. Feeling is the result of thought. And when this change of opinion is such as to produce a corresponding change of feeling, if the opinion is right and the feeling corresponds, this is true repentance. However, it must be right opinion. The opinion now adopted should be such an opinion as God holds about sin. Godly sorrow, such as God requires, must spring from such views of sin as God holds.

First. There must be a change of opinion about sin.

1. A change of opinion about the nature of sin.

To one who truly repents, sin looks like a very different thing compared to what it looks like to one who has not repented. For one who has truly repented, instead of looking like a thing that is desirable or fascinating, sin looks like the very opposite, most undesirable and detestable, and he is astonished at himself, that he ever could have desired such a thing. Conversely, impenitent sinners may look at sin and see that it will ruin them, because God will punish them for it. But after all, it appears in itself desirable. They love it. They roll it under their tongue. If it could end in happiness, they never would think of abandoning it. But to the truly repentant, it is different; he looks at his own conduct as completely mean-spirited. He looks back upon it and exclaims, “How hateful, how detestable, how deserving of hell, and such and such a thing was in me.”

2. A change of opinion of the character of sin and how God views it.

Sinners do not see why God threatens sin with such terrible punishment. They love it so well themselves, that they cannot see why God should look at it in such a light as to think it worthy of everlasting punishment. When they are strongly convicted, they see it differently, and as far as their opinion is concerned, they see it in the same light as a Christian does, and then they only need a corresponding change of feeling to become Christians. Many a sinner sees how God views sin, and that it deserves eternal death, but his heart does not go with his opinions. This is the case with the demons and wicked spirits in hell. Take note of this: a change of opinion is absolutely necessary to true repentance, and always precedes it. Without a previous change of opinion, the heart never goes out to God in true repentance. There may be a change of opinion without repentance, but no genuine repentance comes about without a change of opinion.

3. A change of opinion in regard to the tendencies of sin.

Before conversion, the sinner thinks it utterly incredible that sin should have such tendencies as to deserve everlasting death. He may be fully changed, however, as to his opinions on this point without repentance, but it is impossible a person can truly repent without a change of opinion. He sees sin in its tendency, as destructive to himself and everybody else, in both soul and body, for time and eternity, and opposed to all that is lovely and happy in the universe. He sees that sin is shown in its tendencies to injure himself, and everybody else, and that there is no remedy for sin but universal abstinence. The devil knows it to be so. And possibly there are some sinners now hearing this who know it.

4. A change of opinion in regard to what sin deserves.

The word rendered repentance implies all this. It implies a change in the state of the mind including all this. The careless sinner has almost no right ideas, even so far as this life is concerned, and what sin actually deserves. Even if he admits, in theory, that sin deserves eternal death, he does not really believe it. If he really believed it, it would be impossible for him to remain a careless sinner. He is deceived, if he supposes that he honestly holds such an opinion, as that sin deserves the wrath of God forever. But the truly awakened and convicted sinner has no more doubt of this than the convicted sinner has of the existence of God. He sees clearly that sin must deserve everlasting punishment from God. He knows that this is a simple matter of fact.

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