Godliness | Page 4

Almighty, Infinite mind
could make it. But there is a necessity in the case, that we should
"repent and turn to God." It is just as necessary that my feelings be
changed and brought to repentance towards God, as it is that the wicked,

disobedient boy, should have his feelings brought back into harmony
with his father before he can be forgiven. Precisely the same laws of
mind are brought into action in both cases, and there is the same
necessity in both.
If there is any father here who has a prodigal son, I ask, How is it that
you are not reconciled to your son? You love him--love him intensely.
Probably you are more conscious of your love for him than for any
other of your children. Your heart yearns over him every day; you pray
for him night and day; you dream of him by night; your bowels yearn
over your son, and you say, with David, "Absalom, Absalom, my son,
my son." Why are you not reconciled? Why not pat him on the head, or
stroke his face, and say, "My dear lad, I am well pleased with you. I
love you complacently; I give you my approbation?" Why are you
always reproving him? Why are you obliged to hold him at arm's length?
Why can you not live on amicable terms with him? Why can you not
have him come in and out, and live with you on the same terms as the
affectionate, obedient daughter? "Oh!" you say, "the case is different; I
cannot. It is not, 'I would not;' but, 'I cannot.' Before that can possibly
be, the boy's feelings must be changed towards me. He is at war with
me; he has mistaken notions of me; he thinks I am hard, and cruel, and
exacting, and severe. I have done all a father could do, but he sees
things differently, to what they are, and has harbored these hard
feelings against me until he hates me, and will go on in defiance of my
will." You say, "It is a necessity that, as a wise and righteous father, I
must insist on a change in him. I cannot receive him as a son, till he
comes to my feet. He must confess his sin, and ask me to forgive him.
Then, oh! how gladly will my fatherly affection gush out! How I
should run to meet him, and put my arms around his neck! but there is a
'cannot' in the case." Just so. It is not that He does not love you, sinner;
it is not that the great, benevolent heart of God has not, as it were, wept
tears of blood over you; it is not that He would not put His loving arms
around you this moment, if you would only come to His feet, and
confess you were wrong, and seek His pardon; but, otherwise, He may
not--He cannot. The laws of His universe are against Him doing so.
The good, it may be, of millions of immortal beings, is involved. He
dare not, and He _cannot,_ until there is a change of mind _in you._

You must repent. "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Well, if repentance be an indispensable condition of salvation, let us
glance at it for a moment, and try to find out what repentance really is;
and, oh! how full of confusion the world and the church are upon this
subject! I say it, because I know it by converse with hundreds of people.
May the Holy Spirit help us!
Well, first, repentance is not merely conviction of sin. Oh! if it only
were, what a different world we should have to-night, for there are tens
of thousands on whose hearts God's Spirit has done His office by
convincing them of sin. I am afraid we should be perfectly alarmed,
astounded, confounded, if we had any conception of the multitudes
whom God has convinced of sin, as He did Agrippa and Festus. Oh! I
could not tell you the numbers of people, who, in our anxious meetings,
have grasped my hand, and said, "Oh! what would I give to feel as I
once felt! There was a time, fifteen, or seventeen, or twenty years ago,"
and so on, "when I was so deeply convinced of sin that I could scarcely
sleep, or eat--that I could find no rest; but, instead of going on till I
found peace, I got diverted, cooled down, and now, I feel as hard as a
stone." I am afraid there are tens of thousands in this condition--once
convinced of sin.
There are thousands of others, who are convinced now. They say, "Yes,
it is true what the minister says. I know I ought to lay down the
weapons