24 July 1815

Jug. True History

History of Jesus

Conversations

Repentance

(1)

Conversations on the subject of Repentance

Repentance—Great appears to have been the importance attached by Jesus to this topic: many the discourses in which the performance of this operation is pressed upon his hearers.

Of this inquiry two intimately connected causes seem assignable: 1. the contributing to impregnate their minds with terror, and thereby engage them to fly into his arms and look to his person for protection and support. Repent ye only for the kingdom of heaven, i.e. that kingdom in which it is by me that the office of King is to be filled and exercised.

2. The giving a value to the power assumed by him of forgiving sins.

Of these sins at the hands of a professed reformer of a prophet or a God sent from heaven to reform the world would not a catalogue have naturally been expected? Yes: if such had been his object or of the number of his objects viz. to lay down to mankind in general for the conduct of life such a body of directions as should be adapted to all times and all places and serve alike not only for the age in which he lived and died and for all future ones.

Of the enterprize such as that in which he was engaged, was of such a MS alt. ‘was the nature’. nature that a man could not embark in it without turning his back upon all his former prospects and habits, and in this sense becoming as it were a new man. To engage man in this substitution of new to old, was the object towards these discourses tended in which instance[?] was inferred: The enterprize being of a sort in which success was understood to depend in a more than ordinary degree on the special favour of God, and God being a hater of all sins, sins in every shape being displeasing to God, human sorrow for all past sins and a determination not to engage in new ones, were among the conditions [...?] [...?] [....?] to success. To fulfill this condition, the knowledge of the several shapes in which in this instance at least sin had manifested itself was obviously in some sort necessary: but for this branch of knowledge as for others a man would on this as on other occasions look to act [...?] as in his view [...?] [...?] [....?] with mankind.

[marginal note unplaced as yet] looking to others altogether different.