Chapter VIII.—Continuation respecting
repentance.
The
ministers of the grace of God have, by the Holy Spirit, spoken of
repentance; and the Lord of all things has himself declared with an oath
regarding it, “As I live, saith the Lord, I desire not the death of
the sinner, but rather his repentance;”3838
adding, moreover, this gracious declaration, “Repent, O
house of Israel, of your iniquity.3939 Say to
the children of My people, Though your sins reach from earth to heaven, I
and though they be redder4040 than scarlet, and
blacker than sackcloth, yet if ye turn to Me with your whole heart, and
say, Father! I will listen to you, as to a holy4141 people.” And in another place He speaks
thus: “Wash you, and become clean; put away the wickedness of your
souls from before mine eyes; cease from your evil ways, and learn to do
well; seek out judgment, deliver the oppressed, judge the fatherless, and
see that justice is done to the widow; and come, and let us reason
together. He declares, Though your sins be like crimson, I will make them
white as snow; though they be like scarlet, I will whiten them like wool.
And if ye be willing and obey Me, ye shall eat the good of the land; but
if ye refuse, and will not hearken unto Me, the sword shall devour you,
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken these things.”4242 Desiring, therefore, that all His
beloved should be partakers of repentance, He has, by His almighty will,
established [these declarations].
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