A Word to the Impenitent

John Colquhoun

“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he

hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead”

(Acts 17:30,31).

The following directions how to attain evangelical repentance I would now offer to the impenitent

sinner.

1. Look upon it as the gift of Christ, and trust that your iniquities were laid on Him, and that He was

pierced for them (Zech 12:10). Trust also in Him for true repentance, and in God through Him, for

pardoning mercy and renewing grace. You should attempt believing, in order to the exercise of evangelical

repentance, and should rely on the grace of God in Christ for the renovating influences of His Holy Spirit.

2. Choose God in Christ for your covenant-God and portion, and then you will be both disposed and

encouraged to return to Him. To return to God as the Lord your God is the essence of evangelical repentance

(Isaiah 55:7).

3. Be frequent and importunate in prayer to Him for the gift of true repentance, saying with Ephraim,

“Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God” (Jer 31:18). Pray in faith for the

performance of this absolute promise to you; “A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within

you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezek

36:26).

4. Endeavour to see sin in its own hateful colours, to see what an evil and bitter thing it is (Jer 2:19). To

see the sin of your heart and life in its exceeding sinfulness and odiousness would be a means of making you

flee from it with deep abhorrence. And if you would discern spiritually the hateful deformity of sin, consider

the infinite majesty and holiness of God which are insulted by sin, the good things which impenitent

continuance in sin deprives you of, the dreadful evils to which it exposes you, the infinite wrath of God

which awaits you if you live and die impenitent, and the infinite obligation under which you lie to keep all

His commandments.

5. Study to see and to be suitably affected with the deep depravity or sin of your nature, as well as with

the innumerable transgressions of your life; and call yourself every day to a strict account for your sins of

omisssion and commisssion on that day; and that, in order to see what great reason you have to repent of

them.

6. Meditate frequently and attentively on the awful anguish, and astonishing death of the Lord Jesus, that

you may see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and the everlasting punishment which the sinner deserves.

7. Dwell much on the thoughts of death and of judgment to come. Consider seriously how uncertain is

the continuance of your life in this world. Be assured that if death surprise you in unbelief and impenitence,

you are for ever undone. Think also of the awful tribunal of that righteous and inexorable Judge, whose eyes

are as a flame of fire, before which you must appear; where every finally impenitent sinner shall, according

to the demerits of his deeds done in the body, be sentenced to everlasting punishment. O! how tremendous,

how overwhelming will be the sentence pronounced on the impenitent, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into

everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels!” (Matt 25:41). O consider this, and by faith and

repentance flee speedily from the wrath to come.

If you say, “I am not able to repent,” this will be no excuse; for true repentance is a part of salvation,

offered and promised in the Gospel, and the offer and promise are directed to you (1 John 5:11; Prov 1:23;

Acts 2:38,39). If you say, “I cannot believe those offers and promises with application to myself,” neither

will this be accepted as an excuse, for the offer and promise of faith to believe them are also addressed to

you (Rev 22:17; Matt 12:21; Heb 4:1). Trust in Christ Jesus then, upon the ground of the offer, for the grace

of true repentance; and in the faith of the promise, attempt frequently the exercise of it.

O be persuaded, while it is called to-day, to repent and turn from all your transgressions; so iniquity

shall not be your ruin. “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that

the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die!” (Ezek

33:11). “Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and

with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your heart, and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your

God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil”

(Joel 2:12,13).

O comply with these compassionate, and tender invitations! And if you would return to the Lord by true

repentance, believe in order to repent. Believe, with application to yourself, the commands and curses of the

law as a violated covenant of works, in order to obtain true conviction of your sin and misery. And then

believe with particular application the declarations, offers, and promises of the blessed gospel; in order to

obtain such a faith-view of the mercy of God in Christ, as will dispose and encourage you to exercise that

evangelical repentance which will be acceptable to Him. Trust in the Redeemer, that exalted Prince and

Saviour, for repentance unto life; and pray in His name to the God of all grace for “the Spirit of grace and of

supplications,” to enable you to look upon Him whom you have pierced, and to mourn for Him.

This tract is from the book, Evangelical Repentance , by John Colquhoun (1748-1827), which is also available from

Chapel Library.