f mistakes of
judgment, but of lapses of heart and will. Do not be content with a
general confession; be particular and specific. Drag each evil thing
forth before God's judgment bar; let the secrets be exposed, and the
dark, sad story told. Begin at the beginning, and go steadily through.
Only be very careful to leave no trace of your experiences for human
eyes or ears. To tell this story to another will rob it of its value
to yourself and its acceptableness to God. It is enough for God to
know it; and to tell Him all is to receive at once his assurance of
forgiveness, for the sake of Him who loved us and gave Himself a
propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but for those of the
whole world. Directly the confession leaves our heart, nay, whilst it
is in process, the Divine voice is heard assuring us that our sins,
which are many, are put away as far as the east is from the west, and
cast into the depths of the sea.

But such confession should not be made to God alone, when sins are in
question which have injured and alienated others. If our brother has
aught against us, we must find him out, while our gift is left
unpresented at the altar, and first be reconciled to him. We must
write the letter, or speak the word; we must make honourable reparation
and amends; we must not be behind the sinners under the old law, who
were bidden to add a fifth part to the loss their brother had sustained
through their wrong-doing, when they made it good. The only sin we are
justified in confessing to our brother man is that we have committed
against him. All else must be told in the ear of Jesus, that great
High Priest, whose confessional is always open, and whose pure ear can
receive our dark and sad stories without taint or soil.

(2) _Fruit worthy of Repentance_. "Bring forth, therefore, fruit
worthy of repentance," said John, with some indignation, as he saw many
of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism. He insisted that
practical and vital religion was not a rule, but a life; not outward
ritual, but a principle; not works, but fruit: and he demanded that the
genuineness of repentance should be attested by appropriate fruit. "Do
men gather grapes of thorns, and figs of thistles?"

Probably that demand of the Baptist accounted for the alteration in his
life of which Zaccheus made confession to Christ, when He became his
guest. The rich publican lived at Jericho, near which John was
baptizing,