ed. The praying and singing hymns to God by Paul and Silas, the
sudden earthquake, Paul's crying out against his committing suicide,
had convicted him of sin, such a conviction as had produced sorrow,
for he came trembling and fell down before them; and the sorrow had
led to an entire change of mind and purpose, and he said, "Sirs, what
must I do to be saved?"--"what," anything God would have me do I am
ready to do,--he had turned from his sins and had turned to God. Hence
they did not say "Repent," for he had repented; but they said,
"Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved."--Acts 16:31.

Having seen what the Saviour meant by repentance, let us go to the
meaning of the word translated "repent." "This word," says J. P.
Boyce, the great theologian, in his systematic theology, "means to
reconsider, perceive afterwards and to change one's view, mind or
purpose, or even judgment, implying disapproval and abandonment of
past opinions and purposes, and the adoption of others which are
different." B. H. Carroll, President Southwestern Baptist Theological
Seminary: "We may therefore give as the one invariable definition of
New Testament repentance that it is a change of mind." B. H. Carroll,
again, "Repentance is a change of mind toward God concerning a course
of sin leading rapidly down to death and eternal ruin." Once more from
B. H. Carroll: "If in one moment the soul is contrite enough to turn
in abhorrence of sin against God from all self-help to our Lord Jesus
Christ by faith, it is sufficient." John A. Broadus, the great
American scholar and teacher: "To repent, then, as a religious term of
the New Testament, is to change the mind, thought or purpose as
regards sin and the service of God--a change naturally accompanied by
deep sorrow for past sins, and naturally leading to a change of
outward life."

As the Bible teaches that no man can be saved who has not repented
("Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."--Luke 13:3), and as
no one has repented who has not been convicted of sin, who has not
seen himself a guilty, justly condemned sinner, it follows that no one
is saved, no one can be saved, who does not believe that God will and
ought to punish sin. But to those who have repented, the way to be
saved is simple, easy, sure: "Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt
be saved."--Acts 16:31.

_FOR FURTHER STUDY_:--There has been much misunderstanding about
repentance. Some men, as Moody, Harry Mooreh