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Bowen's Daily Meditations
Devotional: April 22nd

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" Bring forth, therefore, fruits meet for repentance." Matthew 3:8

A mighty angel stands in heaven upon a height at the foot of which you dwell unconsciously; and he bears aloft in his hands a stone, mountainous in size, which he is prepared to hurl upon you. But another mighty one says: Stay; for he repents, and will now bring forth fruits in evidence thereof. Then the company of the just made perfect, bend their eager gaze upon you to discern this evidence; and the stone descends not, though it hangs above you. Well may you therefore give heed to this admonition, and make haste to bring forth fruits.

A profession of religion is a solemn and open condemnation of and shrinking from our past life. It is a profession of repentance, of a changed mind relatively to sin and to unrighteousness. Christ is exalted to give repentance. He saves men from their sins by inspiring them with a hatred of their sins, and by giving them a heart to pursue an opposite path. For one that has made such a profession, to trifle with sin, to renew communications with his old sins, is a most dangerous thing. When he indulges in a forbidden thing, he calls back the ten thousand similar indulgences belonging to his past life.

Seeing him turn to Christ, these sins had begun to flee from him discomfited; but a single recommission arrests them, and they exclaim, "he yet belongs to us." The ten thousand talents had been forgiven the steward who professed repentance; but a single act that seemed to show his repentance unsound, brought the whole of the huge debt back upon him.

Oh, my heart, is there not here instruction for thee? Is it not well for thee to entertain the idea that repentance is an in dispensable barrier to keep thee from the tremendous claims of thy past sins? When a feeling of pride surges within thee, remember that the allowing of it will be like a standard lifted up for all thy old sins of pride, a fearful host, to rally round. Thy old sins, all of them, with all their power to alarm, to condemn, to destroy, are buried for thee, deep and safe; but the stone that covers them is sealed by the evidences of thy change of heart; and if at any time, something like the old heart is seen in thee, immediately the stone begins to heave, and the buried sins cry out, " We are unjustly here. He bringeth not forth fruits meet for repentance.’

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