The Doctrine of Repentance

3. It must be a turning from sin upon¹ ⟨p. 67⟩a spiritual ground. A man may restrain the acts of sin, yet not turn from sin in a right manner. Acts of sin may be restrained out of fear, or design; but a right penitentiary turns from sin out of a religious principle, and that is, love to God. If sin did not bear such bitter fruit, if death did not grow on this tree, yet a gracious soul would forsake it out of love to God: This is the most kindly turning from sin. When things are frozen and congealed, the best way to separate them is by fire: When men and their sins are congealed together, the best way to separate them, is the fire of love. Three asking one another what made them leave sin; saith one, I think of the joys of Heaven; saith another, I think of the torments of Hell; but saith the third, I think of the love of God, and that makes me forsake it? How shall I offend the God of love?

1. 13.

4. It must be such a turning from sin,¹ as turns unto God. This is in the text, That they should repent and turn unto God^*. Turning from sin, is like the pulling the Arrow out of the wound; turning to God, is like the pouring in of the Balsam. We read in Scripture of a Repentance from dead works, Heb. 6. 1. ^*and a Repentance ⟨p. 68⟩towards God,