Spurgeon
This one is from Spurgeon's sermons, Volume II.
Turn Or Burn
I.In the first place, my hearers, let me endeavor to explain to you the nature of the turning here meant.....
Ah! My hearer, it is not thy promise of repentance that can save thee; it is not thy vow, it is not thy solemn declaration, it is not the tear that is dried more easily than the dew-drop by the sun; it is not the transient emotion of the heart, which constitues a real turning to God. There must be a true and actual abandonment of sin, and a turning unto righteousness in real act and deed in every day life. Do you say you are sorry, and repent, and yet go on from day to day, just as you always went? Will you now boy your heads, and say, "Lord, I Repent," and in a little while commit the same deeds again? If you do, your repentance is worse than nothing, and shall but make your destruction yet more sure; for he that voweth to his Maker, and doth not pay, hath committed another sin, in that he hath attempted to deceive the Almighty, and lie against God that made him. Repentance, to be true, to be evangelical, must be a repentance which really affects our outward conduct.
In the next place, repentance must be entire. How many will say, "Sir, I will renounce this sin and the other; but there are certain darling lusts which I must keep and hold." O sirs, in God's name let me tell you, it is not the giving up of one sin, nor fifty sins which is true repentance; it is the solemn renunciation of every sin. If thou dost harbor one of these accursed vipers in thy heart, they repentance is but a sham. If thou dost indulge in but one lust, and dost give up every other, that one lust, like one leak in a ship, will sink thy soul.
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It's a great sermon, and he goes on to labor some other points about repentance. He says it must be immediate, hearty(from the heart), and perpetual(constant). It's not a work salvation, since he knows that his hearers are incapable of belief just as they are incapable of forsaking sin. In fact, I would argue that Spurgeons purpose in presenting such a hard Gospel is two-fold.
1) That false assurance of salvation would not be given to those who are not born again.
2) That the sinner will see the imposibility of the Gospel, and call out to God.
This is a great sermon, and probably one of the best presentations of the Gospel I have ever seen. He belabors the point of hell in the second portion of his sermon, and in the third, he tells the unbelievers that "Most seriously, I say, I do not believe any man can repent with evangelical repentance, of himself. You ask me then to what purpose is the sermon I have endeavored to preach, proving the necessity of repentance? Allow me to make the sermon of some purpose, under God, by its conclusion. Sinner! Thou art so desperately set on sin, that I have no hope thou wilt ever turn from it thyself. But, Listen! He who died on Calvary is exalted on high, 'To give repentance and remission of sin.' Dost thou this mornng feel that thou are a sinner? If so, ask of Christ to give thee repentance, for he can work repentance in thine heart by his Spirit, though thou canst not work it there thyself. Is thy heart like Iron? He can put it into the furnance of his love and make it melt. Is thy soul like the nether millstone? His grace is able to disolve it, like the ice is melted before the sun. He can make thee repent, thou thou canst not make thyself repent. If thou feelst thy need of repentance, I will not now say to thee 'repent', for I believer there are certain acts that must precede repentance. I should advice you to go to your houses and if you feel that you have sinned, and yet can not sufficiently repent of your transgression, bow your knees......
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George Whitefield : Repentance.
(Since that was such a long post up there, I will select small excepts to show that Whitefield also taught repentance to mean a forsaking of sin.)
" You, therefore, who have been sweaeres and cursers; you, who have been harlots and drunkards; you, who have been thieves and robbers; you, who have hitherto followed the sinful pleasures and diversions of life, let me beseech you, by the mercies of God in Christ Jesus, that you would no longer continue therein, but that you would forsake your evil ways, and turn unto the Lord. For he waits to be grascious to you, he is ready, he is willing to pardon you of all your sins: But do not expect Christ to pardon you of sin when you rin to it, and will not abstain from coplying with the temptations. But if you will be persuaded to absstain from evil and choose the good, to return to the Lord and repent of your wickedness, he has promised he will abundantly pardon you, he will heal your backslidings, and will love you freely. Resolve now this day to have done with your sins FOREVER; let your old ways and you be separated; you must resolve against it, for there can be no true repentance without a resolution to forsake it.... But then take that you do not ground your resolutions on your own strength, but in the strenght of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the way, he is the truth, he is the life; without his assistance, you can do nothing, but through his grace strengthening thee, thou wilt be enabled to do all things.
