The Doctrine of Repentance - Reformed Perspectives Magazine

Answer: Let him deeply humble himself before God, promising to the wronged
party full satisfaction, if the Lord makes him able, and God will accept the will for
the deed.
6. Godly sorrow is ABIDING. It is not a few tears shed in a passion, which will
serve the turn. Some will fall a-weeping at a sermon—but it is like an April
shower, it is soon over—or like a vein opened and presently stopped again. True
sorrow must be habitual. O Christian, the disease of your soul is chronic and
frequently returns upon you; therefore you must be continually medicating
yourself by repentance. This is "godly sorrow."
Application: How far are they from repentance, who never had any of this
godly sorrow! Such are:
(1) Deluded Papists, who leave out the very soul of repentance, making all
penitential work consist in external fasting, penance, pilgrimages, in which there
is nothing of spiritual sorrow. They torture their bodies—but their hearts are not
torn. What is this, but the carcass of repentance?
(2) Carnal Protestants, who are strangers to godly sorrow. They cannot endure
a serious thought, nor do they trouble their heads about sin. One physician spoke
of a frenzy some have—which will make them die dancing. Likewise, sinners
spend their days in mirth—they fling away sorrow—and go dancing to damnation!
Some have lived many years—yet never put a drop of repentant tears in God's
bottle, nor do they know what a broken heart means. They weep and wring their
hands as if they were undone, when their estates are gone—but have no agony
of soul for sin!
There is a two-fold sorrow: Firstly, there is a rational sorrow, which is an act of
the soul whereby it has an animosity against sin, and chooses any torture rather
than to admit sin. Secondly, there is a sensitive sorrow, which is expressed by
many tears. The first of these is to be found in every child of God—but the
second, which is a sorrow running out at the eye, all have not.
Yet it is very commendable to see a weeping penitent. Christ counts as great
beauties—those who are tender-eyed; and well may sin make us weep. We
usually weep for the loss of some great good; by sin we have lost the favor of
God. If Micah did so weep for the loss of his idols, saying, "You've taken away all
my gods, and I have nothing left!" (Judges 18:24). Then well may we weep for
our sins, which have taken away the true God from us!
Some may ask the question—whether our repentance and sorrow must always
be at the same level. Although repentance must be always kept alive in the
soul—yet there are two special times when we must renew our repentance in an
extraordinary manner: