Page:Spiritual Reflections for Every Day in the Year - Vol 1.pdf/77

 announced the same doctrine in Galilee, saying—"The kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark i. 15); and, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke xii. 3.) "Thus saith the Lord God to the house of Israel, Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols." (Ezek. xiv. 6.)

Repentance is the first duty and the first work (Rev. ii. 5), and not a particle of the heavenly life can be gained without it. Be not, O reader, deceived in this weighty matter; for all that is good, and wise, and happy in eternity, depends upon the faithful performance of this first work. Repentance is twofold, because the life of man is twofold; the one relating to thought, and the other to affection. To point out this minutely, there are in the Greek Scriptures two different words, and of two different meanings, both of which are in English rendered by the single word repent. The first, which is that used in the motto, as well as in many other places, is metanoeo, and signifies a change in our thoughts, opinions, or doctrines: from meta, after, and noeo, to understand, think, or perceive. The other, which occurs in Matt. xxi. 29, is metameleomai, which signifies not a change of thought or doctrine, but of life and action, from meta, after, and meleomai, to attend to and ponder deeply; thus denoting a change of life and practice. The first repentance or change of thought from false persuasions to the heavenly doctrines of the gospel, by which the understanding becomes relieved from the captivity of error and brought into the unclouded liberty of truth, necessarily leads to a change of life, when evil in the will is exchanged for goodness, pollution for purity, and hatred for love.