The Nature of True Repentance
“[The Puritans] had a robust understanding of sin, along with a comprehensive understanding of Christ's mercy. Culturally speaking, Evangelicals need to be hungry for the Puritans because they are strong on the very things that most of us are very weak on.”
― Rosaria Butterfield, PURITAN: All of Life to the Glory of God
Thomas Watson (1620–1686) was probably born in Yorkshire. He studied at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Watson was a Puritan pastor, theologian, and author. Watson’s depth of doctrine, clarity of expression, warmth of spirituality, love of application, and gift of illustration enhanced his reputation as a preacher and writer. His books are still widely read today.
In The Doctrine of Repentance, Thomas Watson writes:
“It is the great thing noted in the prodigal’s repentance: ‘He came to himself’ (Luke 15:17). He saw himself as a sinner and nothing but a sinner. Before a man can come to Christ he must first come to himself. Solomon, in his description of repentance, considers this as the first ingredient: ‘If they bethink themselves’ (I Kings 8:47). A man must first recognize and consider what his sin is, and know the plague of his heart before he can be duly humbled for it. The first creature God made was light. So the first thing in a penitent is illumination: ‘Now ye are light in the Lord’ (Ephesians 5:8). The eye is made both for seeing and weeping. Sin must first be seen before it can be wept for.
“Where there is no sight of sin, there can be no repentance. Many who can spy faults in others see none in themselves. They cry that they have good hearts. Is it not strange that two should live together, and eat and drink together, yet not know each other? Such is the case of a sinner. His body and soul live together, work together yet he is unacquainted with himself. He knows not his own heart, nor what a hell he carries about him. Under a veil a deformed face is hid. Persons are veiled over with ignorance and self-love; therefore they see not what deformed souls they have. The devil does with them as the falconer with the hawk. He blinds them and carries them hooded to hell: ‘The sword shall be upon his right eye’ (Zech. 11:17). Men have insight enough into worldly matters, but the eye of their mind is smitten. They do not see any evil in sin; the sword is upon their right eye.
“I will be sorry for my sin (Psalm 38:18).
“Ambrose calls sorrow the embittering of the soul. The Hebrew word ‘to be sorrowful’ signifies ‘to have the soul, as it were, crucified’. This must be in true repentance: ‘They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn’ (Zech. 12:10), as if they did feel the nails of the cross sticking in their sides. A woman may as well expect to have a child without pangs as one can have repentance without sorrow. He that can believe without doubting, suspect his faith; and he that can repent without sorrowing, suspect his repentance.
“Martyrs shed blood for Christ, and penitents shed tears for sin: ‘She stood at Jesus’ feet weeping’ (Luke 7:38).
“This sorrow for sin is not superficial: it is a holy agony. It is called in Scripture a breaking of the heart: ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite heart’ (Ps. 51:17); and a rending of the heart: ‘Rend your heart’ (Joel 2:13). The expressions of the smiting on the thigh (Jer. 31:19), beating on the breast (Luke 18:13), putting on of sackcloth (Isa. 22:12), plucking off the hair (Ezra 9:3), all these are but outward signs of inward sorrow. This sorrow is:
“1. To make Christ precious. O how desirable is a Savior to a troubled soul! Now Christ is Christ indeed, and mercy is mercy indeed. Until the heart is full of compunction it is not fit for Christ. How welcome is a surgeon to a man who is bleeding from his wounds!
“2. To drive out sin. Sin breeds sorrow, and sorrow kills sin. Holy sorrow is the rhubarb to purge out the ill humors of the soul. It is said that the tears of vine-branches are good to cure the leprosy. Certainly the tears. that drop from the penitent are good to cure the leprosy of sin. The salt water of tears kills the worm of conscience.
“3. To make way for a solid comfort: ‘They that sow in tears shall reap in joy’ (Ps. 126:5). The penitent has a wet seed-time but a delicious harvest. Repentance breaks the abscess of sin, and then the soul is at ease. Hannah, after weeping, went away and was no more sad (I Sam. 1:18). God’s troubling of the soul for sin is like the angel’s troubling of the pool (John 5:4), which made way for healing.”