Repentance is necessary for God's own people, who have a real work of grace. They must offer up a daily sacrifice
of tears. The Antinomians hold that when any come to be believers, they have
a writ of ease, and there remains nothing for them now to do but to rejoice.
Yes, they have something else to do, and that is to repent. Repentance is a
continuous act. The outlet of godly sorrow, must not be quite stopped
until death. Jerome, writing in a letter to Laeta, tells her that her life
must be a life of repentance. Repentance is called crucifying the flesh
(Gal. 5:24), which is not done on all at once—but continuously, all our
life. And are there not many reasons why God's own people should go into the
weeping bath? "Are there not with you, even with you—sins against the Lord?"
(2 Chron. 28:10). Have not you sins of daily living? Though you are
diamonds, you still have flaws. Do we not read of the 'spot of
God's children" (Deut. 32:5). Search with the candle of the Word into your
hearts—and see if you can find no matter for repentance there!
- Thomas Watson (The Doctrine of Repentance, Chapter 6)
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