Front matter
THE DOCTRINE OF REPENTANCE ——— THOMAS WATSON >= | Jo i a \\ =| vet Nel FF a & ws io ni ; : us yi aTare GROWDEDSHIP THE DOCTRINE OF REPENTANCE BY THOMAS WATSON GROWDEDSHIP Originally published in 1668 in London.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Formatted, and republished by Crowdedship Publishing, December 2024.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 5: A Serious Exhortation to Repentance... IL Repentance is neCeSsary...sssssssscssssssesssssssseesssessssseesssssssseessssssseessessees ID
Repentance is necessary for all people.......ssssssssssseccsssssssssnsssseeees 93 Repentance is necessary for all Sins .........ssssssssssesesssssssssssssseeeees LOB
Questions to Consider......sssscsssecsssessseecseeesneecsneeesseecsecsstecsatersseee LOT Section 6: Motives and Exhortations to Repentance........ssssssss 109 Powerful Motives to Repentance... L1O Exhortations to Speedy Repentance ......ssssssssessssssessssseeees 120
The Trial ofOur Repentance... L28 Questions to Consider......csssssssccsssesecsseecsnnseecssneecessseeessneessaeesees LOD
Section 7: Cautions and Comforts ...csssscsccsssssssssseesssssssssssssssssseeeseees A Necessary Caution ....cescscssssssssssssssessssessssssseesssssssssssssseesesses LOS
Comfort for the Repenting Sinner .........cssssssssseseesssssssssssssseees 139 The Resolving ofaQuestion... LAL The Removing ofTen Impediments to Repentance................142
Questions to Consider.......ssssssecsssecseeecseessneecsneesseessseessteesseersteees LOL Section 8: Means for Repentance....sssssssssscssssssssssssesssssssssssseeees 155
Serious Consideration .......cssssssssssseseessssssssssssssseesssssssssssseeeees 156 Prudent Comparison......sssssssssssssssssssssessssnsssssesssssssssseeeeees LL Settled Determimation........ssssscssssssesssssssssesssssssseessssssseessssssseeee 172
Earnest Prayer ...sccssssssssssssssseesssssssssssssssseessssssssessssssssenseessssseeeesss LZ Clearer Discoveries of God....sssssssssssssssssssssssesessssssssssssseeees 175 Faith vesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssseessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssessssssssssssssssssssssssssssses L/D
Questions to Consider......ssesssssescsseessseecsseeesseecsueessseeesseesseeesseersneee £76 EDITOR NOTE Aaron Sturgill TO THE READER and trouble of spirit we have first at our conversion, the less we shall feel afterwards.
Christians, do you have a sad regret of other things, and not of sin? Worldly tears fall to the earth, but godly tears of repentance are kept in a bottle. "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." (Psalm 56:8). Do not judge holy weeping to be wasted.
Tertullian thought he was born for no other end but to repent.
Either sin must drown in the tears of repentance, or the soul must burn in hell.
Let it not be said that repentance is difficult. Things that are excellent deserve labor. Will not a man dig for gold, though it makes him sweat? It is better to go with difficulty to heaven than with ease to hell! What would the damned give, that they might have a herald sent to them from God, to proclaim forgiveness upon their repentance? What volleys of sighs and groans of repentance would they send up to heaven? What floods of tears would their eyes pour forth? But it is now too late! They may keep their tears to lament their folly sooner than to procure God's pity. O that we would therefore, while we are on this side of the grave, make our peace with God! Tomorrow may be our dying day; let this be our repenting day. How we should imitate the saints of old, who embittered their souls and sacrificed their lusts, and put on sackcloth in the hope of white robes. Peter baptized himself with