The Nature of Genuine Repentance
This was genuine repentance. The Saviour declared it to be so, and that these men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment and condemn the generation to whom he preached. "The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here." Matt. 12:41. We have, therefore, the testimony of Jesus that the men of Nineveh repented. The word which John the Baptist, and Jesus, and Peter, and all the apostles preached, was: "Repent." And by the action of the Ninevites, it is shown that repentance is not only in word, not only in fasting and prayer, but this with turning every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in his hands. "Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well." Isa. 1:16. Anything short of turning from evil and putting it away, is not repentance; however much men may talk of sorrow for sin and of wanting to do better, it is of no avail until they really do better. And all who do so God will receive and forgive as really as he did the (Continued on page 670.)