《Simeon ’s Horae Homileticae – Luke (Vol. 2)》(Charles Simeon)

13 Chapter 13

Verse 5

DISCOURSE: 1533

REPENTANCE

Luke 13:5. Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

TWICE are these words repeated by our Lord within the space of three verses. And wherefore are they so repeated? Our Lord intended to check that common propensity which we all have to judge others; and to lead us rather to judge ourselves, and to prepare for that awful judgment which shall ere long be passed upon ourselves. Some of his hearers, taking occasion from what he had just spoken, respecting the danger of persons delaying to seek reconciliation with God till they were hurried unprepared into his presence, told him of the Galileans, who had been slain by Pilate in the very act of offering their sacrifices, and whose blood had been thereby mingled with their sacrifices. Our Lord, seeing that they intended to insinuate that this calamity was a judgment from God on account of some enormous wickedness, rectified their error, and taught them to look to themselves instead of judging and condemning others. Such calamities as these, he observed, fell indiscriminately on the righteous and the wicked: but there was a day coming when a just discrimination would be made, and the impenitent would be subjected to God’s heaviest judgments.

After seeing what stress our blessed Lord laid upon these truths, we cannot be thought uncharitable if we open them to you according to their true import. In order to this we will point out,

I. The nature of repentance—

All are ready to imagine that they know what repentance is; though, in truth, very few have any just notions respecting it. It consists in,

1. A humiliation before God on account of sin—

[Though this will not be disputed, few are aware what kind of humiliation is required.

It must be deep. It is not a slight superficial sorrow that will suffice. Sin is a dreadful evil, and must be lamented in a way suited to its enormity. Hear in what manner God himself teaches us to deplore the commission of it: “Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into heaviness: humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [Note: James 4:8-10.].” Such was the compunction felt by the three thousand on the day of Pentecost [Note: Acts 2:37.]: such also was the overwhelming sense of guilt which David felt [Note: Psalms 38:4; Psalms 51:3.]: and such in every view was the contrition of Ezra, when he confessed before God his own and his people’s iniquities [Note: Ezra 9:5-6.]. This is the humiliation which God requires; and every thing that falls short of this will he despise [Note: Psalms 51:17.].

It must be ingenuous. There is a sorrow, like that of Felix or of Judas, arising from convictions of the natural conscience, and ending in despair. But this is in no respect acceptable to God; for it will consist with a love of sin, and a hatred of God’s law; and the person who is impressed with it would prefer a life of sin, provided only he might be assured of escaping the punishment attendant on it. Our sorrow should resemble that of the Corinthian Church, when they had seen their error, and were humbled for it, with “a sorrow which wrought in them a repentance not to be repented of:” “For behold,” says the Apostle, “this self-same thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter [Note: 2 Corinthians 7:10-11.].” In them we behold what we consider as eminently characterizing true repentance, namely, an ingenuous shame on account of their past conduct, a readiness to justify God in any judgments he should inflict on them, a hatred of their sin, and a determination through grace to walk more circumspectly in future: and wherever such an experience is, there is the grace of God in truth [Note: Ezekiel 20:43-44.].

It must be abiding. Transient emotions, of whatever kind they be, can never be regarded as constituting true repentance. Pharaoh’s confessions [Note: Exodus 9:27; Exodus 10:16-17.], and Saul’s [Note: 1 Samuel 24:16-18; 1 Samuel 26:21.], appeared to indicate a change of heart: but no real change was wrought in them, as is evident from their reverting almost immediately again to their former ways. The generality, if they had attained the humiliation of Ahab, would be ready to account themselves real penitents: but his subsequent conduct shewed the insincerity of all his professions [Note: 1 Kings 21:27-29; 1 Kings 22:27.]. Far different from this must our contrition be, if ever we would be accepted of our God: we must retain the impressions which have been made upon us: we must say with Hezekiah, “I will go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul [Note: Isaiah 38:15.]:” and, instead of accounting our acceptance with God a reason for putting off this frame of mind, we should regard it rather as a motive to still deeper humiliation. This is the design of God in exercising mercy towards us [Note: Romans 2:4.]; and it is the inseparable effect, where that mercy is received aright [Note: Ezekiel 16:63.].]

2. A turning to God in newness of life—

[This also will be acknowledged as essential to true repentance. But let not this change be mistaken:

It must be cordial; not the service of a slave under the influence of fear and dread, but the result of a conviction that sin is an intolerable bondage, and that the service of God is perfect freedom. Whatever change proceeds not from the heart, is mere hypocrisy [Note: Jeremiah 3:10.]; that which characterizes sound conversion, engages all the faculties of the soul [Note: Jeremiah 24:7.]. Thus it is represented by Solomon in his intercessory prayer [Note: 2 Chronicles 6:37-38.]: and agreeable to their representation is the direction given to us by the prophet Joel: “Turn ye even to me with all your heart, with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning [Note: Joel 2:12.].”

It must be progressive. Conversion is not a work that is accomplished all at once, or ever so perfect in this life, but that we need to be pressing forward for higher attainments. Even Paul himself, towards the close of his life, did “not consider himself as having attained perfection, or apprehended all for which he had himself been apprehended of Christ Jesus: and hence he, like a person in a race, forgat all that was behind, and reached forward for that which was before [Note: Philippians 3:12-14.].” As the body, though perfect in its parts even in the earliest infancy, grows in every part till it arrives at manhood; so does the new man advance toward “the full measure of the stature of Christ [Note: Ephesians 4:13.].” We should “grow in grace;” and so grow as to make our “profiting to appear.” We may not indeed be able to see any actual advance at very short intervals, any more than we can see the advance of the sun every minute: but yet we perceive after a time that the sun has proceeded in its course; and in like manner must our path be like the shining light, which “shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” We must be “going on unto perfection,” and aspire after that which is proposed to us as the proper object of our ambition; namely, “to stand perfect and complete in all the will of God [Note: Colossians 4:12.].”

It must be uniform. Nothing under heaven is to divert us from our duty. We are not ever to be influenced by times or circumstances, so as to decline a positive duty through fear of man, or to commit a positive evil for the sake of any earthly advantage. The changes which we see in the conduct of St. Paul, did not proceed from any deviation from principle, but from a strict adherence to principle. His one object was to save the souls of men: and in things that were non-essential, he accommodated himself to their habits and prejudices, in order to promote his main design: but when he saw that any evil was likely to arise from a particular act of conformity, he was as immoveable as a rock. Thus we may vary our conduct on particular occasions, provided we can appeal to God that we are actuated by a regard for the welfare of others, and not by any personal considerations of our own. But in no instance whatever must this principle be extended so far as to violate any known duty or the dictates of our own conscience: life itself must be of no value in our eyes in comparison of God’s honour, and the preservation of a conscience void of offence towards God and man.

It must be unreserved. Not only must we labour to undo what we have done amiss, by making restitution of ill-gotten gain, and warning those whom we have led into sin, but we must strive to mortify sin of every kind in every degree. Every man has some “sin that more easily besets him,” and to which he will be more strongly tempted. This sin is different in different persons; in one, pride; in another, passion; in another, lust; in another, covetousness; in another, ambition and the love of praise: in another, sloth; but, whatever it be, our victory over it is a just criterion of our state: if it lead us captive, we are yet carnal and unrenewed: whatever repentance we may fancy ourselves to have experienced, it has all been ineffectual; we are yet in our sins; we are “in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity.” A right eye must be plucked out, if it cause us to offend, and a right hand must be amputated: no alternative remains to us, but to part with that, or to suffer the miseries of hell [Note: Mark 9:43-48.].

Such is the view which God himself gives us of repentance; and to this alone does he annex any hope of salvation: “Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin [Note: Ezekiel 18:30.].”]

These views of repentance will appear in all their importance, if we consider,

II. The necessity of it—

The word which we translate ‘likewise,’ may possibly be intended to mark a resemblance between the calamities that awaited the impenitent Jews, and those which had befallen the persons just spoken of [Note: In ver. 3. it is ὡσαύτως, and in the text ὀμοίως.]. But, as we are more interested in what relates to ourselves, we shall rather take a general view of the subject, than attempt a parallel, which would be more curious than useful. We say then, in reference to repentance, that the necessity for it is,

1. Indispensable—

[On this, eternal happiness and eternal misery depend; “except we repent, we must all perish.” It is not for us to say what God might do: it is sufficient to know what he will do. He has appointed repentance, as the means of obtaining reconciliation with him: and he has given his own Son to die for us, in order that, the guilt of sin having been expiated by the blood of the cross, he may be able to receive returning sinners in a perfect consistency with the demands of law and justice. Let this matter be clearly understood. He has not appointed repentance to atone for sin; for if we could shed rivers of tears, they never could wash away the smallest sin: it is the blood of Christ only, that can cleanse from sin: no other fountain ever was, or ever can be, opened for sin and for unclean-ness, but that which issued from the wounds of our adorable Redeemer. But repentance is necessary in order to prepare our souls for a worthy reception of the Divine mercies, and for a suitable improvement of them. Though therefore it cannot atone for sin, or merit any thing at the hands of God, It is indispensably necessary; and, if we do not repent, we must for ever remain in the snare of the devil, and the gates of heaven will assuredly be closed against us [Note: 2 Timothy 2:25-26.]. The declaration in our text will certainly be fulfilled: and sooner shall heaven and earth pass away, than one jot or tittle of it ever fail. Know ye then, that whatever is implied in the “perishing” of an immortal soul, must be the portion of every impenitent sinner — — —]

2. Universal—

[There are authors, of no mean name, who have endeavoured to prove that there are some who need not to repent. Because our Lord says, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance;” and, that “there is more joy among the angels over one sinner that repenteth, than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance;” they imagine, there is a class of persons whose natures are so pure, and their conduct so blameless, as not to have given any occasion for repentance. But the former of these passages relates to those who thought themselves righteous, and who, from a conceit of their being “whole,” despised the proffered aid of a physician [Note: See Matthew 9:12-13. It might be interpreted of those who were renewed and made righteous by the Holy Spirit. But the former sense is more agreeable to the context.]: the latter evidently refers to those who have already been converted to God, and are as sheep living in the fold of Christ. Such persons are considered as secure, whilst those who are unconverted are in most imminent danger: and, as the recovery of a lost sheep affords more sensible pleasure to its owner, than the possession of a hundred that have not strayed; so the angels are filled with pre-eminent joy at the conversion of one, whom they had considered as in a lost and perishing condition [Note: See Luke 15:7. If this be interpreted as though it referred to sheep that have never strayed, it must then mean that they have not strayed to such an extent as others. But the other interpretation is far preferable.]. That these passages cannot be understood as sanctioning the idea that there are any persons so good as not to need repentance, must be evident to every one who considers what the Scriptures elsewhere speak respecting the universal state of man. St. Paul collects a multitude of texts, to prove that “there is none righteous, no not one: that all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God: and that therefore every mouth must be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God [Note: Romans 3:9-19.].” “There is not a man that liveth and sinneth not,”says Solomon. “In many things we offend all,” says St. James. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,” says St. John, “and the truth is not in us.” But where shall we find these persons who need no repentance? Will the advocates for this strange opinion venture to point out a person that possesses this high attainment? If they did, the person himself, unless peculiarly blinded by the devil, would contradict their testimony. But we will suppose this paragon of excellence produced: is he more righteous than Job, of whom God himself testified, that “there was none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feared God and eschewed evil [Note: Job 1:8.]?” For argument sake, we will suppose him equal to Job: would he then not need to repent? Hear what Job says of himself; “If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse. Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life. If I wash myself with snow-water, and make my hands never so clean, yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me [Note: Job 9:20-21; Job 9:30-31.].” Let those then who will maintain such an unscriptural sentiment lay to heart that warning of the Almighty, “Thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me: behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned [Note: Jeremiah 2:35.]” If they will not humble themselves now, let them prepare to maintain their own cause against God in the day of judgment.

We say then that the necessity of repentance is universal: and we entreat every one to apply the declaration to his own soul, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”]

Address—

1. To those who think themselves penitents—

[What has been spoken on the nature of repentance, may well lead us to examine ourselves, and to fear lest we should deceive our own souls. We entreat you all therefore to bear in mind the particulars which you have heard, and to try yourselves by them. If in any thing we appear to have pressed the point too far, let the confession which we always utter at the Lord’s supper, be taken in connexion with it; and it will be found that we have not uttered a single sentiment which is not contained in that formulary.

And here we cannot but entreat all who are in the habit of frequenting the Lord’s table to inquire, whether their repentance be such as, in that prayer, they profess it to be. We are told by our Church what is required of them that come to the Lord’s supper, namely, To examine themselves whether they repent them truly of their former sins. This examination we now most earnestly recommend; lest in the midst of all “your sacrifices” the wrath of God break forth against you and you “perish” in a far more fearful manner than ever the “Galileans” did [Note: ver. 1.].]