ouse, J. H. Brookes, etc.,
have been charged with not preaching enough repentance, simply because
they did not use the words "repent" and "repentance" as much as
others; whereas, others who use the words often, and tell touching
incidents, are said to preach "old-fashioned repentance." It is not
the word repentance that God requires, but the thing repentance, and a
sinner must repent or he cannot believe (Matt. 21:32) and he will
perish (Luke 13:3). The gospel of John is the only book of the Bible
given specifically to sinners to lead them to be saved. The way of
salvation can be found in many of the books of the Bible, and is
taught in them; but the gospel of John is the only book of the Bible
given for the special, specific purpose of leading a sinner to be
saved. "Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his
disciples which are not written in this book: but these are written
that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and
that believing ye might have life through his name."--John 20:30, 31.
In this book, given specifically to lead a sinner to be saved, the
word "repentance" or "repent" does not occur, but the thing repentance
does (John 3:14, 15).

On the difference between the thing repentance and the word
repentance, give attention to the words of John A. Broadus, the great
American scholar and teacher already quoted: "Great difficulty has
been found in translating this Greek word 'metanoein' into languages.
The Syriac version, unable to give the precise meaning, falls back
upon 'turn,' the same word as the Hebrew. The Latin version gives
'Exercise penitence' (poenitentiam agere). But this Latin penitence,
apparently connected by etymology with _pain_, signifies grief or
distress, and is rarely extended to a change of purpose, thus
corresponding to the Hebrew word which we render 'repent,' but _not_
corresponding to the terms employed in Old Testament and New Testament
exhortations. Hence a subtle and pernicious error, pervading the whole
sphere of Latin Christianity, by which the exhortation of the New
Testament is understood to be an exhortation to _grief_ over sin, as
the primary and principal idea of the term. One step farther and
penitence was contracted into _penance_, and associated with mediaeval
ideas unknown to the New Testament, and the English Version made by
Romanists now represents John and Jesus and Peter as saying
(poenitentiam agere) do penance. From a late Latin com