The Doctrine of Repentance

5. Godly sorrow in some cases is joined with restitution.

The Christian has arrived at a sufficient measure of sorrow when the love of sin is purged out.

Sorrow for sin must surpass worldly sorrow. We must grieve more for offending God than for the loss of dear relations. “In

4. Godly sorrow is a great sorrow. “In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon” (Zec 12:11). Two suns did set that day when Josiah died, and there was a great funeral mourning. To such a height must sorrow for sin be boiled up. Pectore ab imo suspiria.[27]

3. Godly sorrow is fiducial.[26] It is intermixed with faith: “the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe” (Mar 9:24). Here was sorrow for sin chequered with faith,

Godly sorrow, however, is chiefly for the trespass against God, so that even if there were no conscience to smite, no devil to accuse, no hell to punish, yet the soul would still be grieved because of the prejudice done to God. “My sin is ever before me” (Psa 51:3);

2. Godly sorrow is ingenuous.[25] It is sorrow for the offence rather than for the punishment. God’s Law has been infringed, His love abused.

1. Contrite godly sorrow is inward. It is inward in two ways: (1) It is a sorrow of the heart. The sorrow of hypocrites lies in their faces: “they disfigure their faces” (Mat 6:16). They make a sour face, but their sorrow goes

But what is this godly sorrowing? There are six qualifications of it.