April 29, 2012

In the Doctrine of Repentance 1 Thomas Watson goes to great lengths to impress upon his reader the basis of his thesis that both the gravity of sin and the blessings of repentance dictate that all men everywhere repent at once. He presents his arguments, against sin and in favor of repentance, by attempting to overcome every possible objection his audience might raise with a thoroughness that would cause his audience to flee their sin and run to God pleading for His many mercies. While initially directed to the Christians of seventeenth-century England, this discourse has great application for Christians of every age.

The last two chapters provide a good summary for the entire book. Watson wants the reader to give serious consideration to what sin is (106-113) and to the ramifications of neglecting God’s offer of grace (114-118), while he also entices the reader to make a realistic comparison between the impenitent person and the penitent one (119-122).

Watson warns his reader against counterfeit repentance (15-17) by listing three common deceits. First, he states that one may experience the terror of conviction for their sin without turning from their sin. Second, he points out that some make deals with God in hopes of averting either some present painful situation or a perceived future circumstance in Hell. Thirdly, he warns that others may reform significant portions of their life but not all, thereby simply exchanging one sin for another.

Next, Watson gives his reader the six ingredients of repentance. Repentance, according to Watson, is made up of sight of sin, sorrow for sin, confession of sin, shame of sin, hatred for sin, and turning from sin. Following this, he moves to commending repentance to his reader by using both negative and positive means as he lists the various reasons that enforce repentance and warnings to the unrepentant. Subsequently, he turns his attention to two branches of exhortation designed to motivate repentance. Watson then shows the various comforts repentance offers the penitent and ten common obstacles that prevent true repentance.

One example of the thoroughness of Watson’s approach can be seen in his treatment of ten reasons repentance is necessary for Christians. In this section he points out that true Christians must understand repentance to be a continuous act and not merely a one-time occurrence. The whole of our lives must be lived repentantly.

The reader finds a treasure in Watson’s discussion of true repentance which will assist in providing a possible explanation for the common question of why bad things happen to good people while those who do not live for God seem unaffected by life’s tragedies is found. He writes,

That sin is worse than affliction is evident because the greatest judgement God lays upon man in this life is to let him sin without control. When the Lord’s displeasure is most severely kindled against a person, he does not say, I will bring the sword and the plague upon this man, but, I will let him sin on . . . if the giving up of a man to his sins is the most dreadful evil, then sin is far worse than affliction (50).

A primary strength of this book is its practicality. In his thoroughness Watson provides answers for almost all the questions one might have about his own repentance. One such example is the aforementioned discussion of his ten reasons repentance is necessary for every Christian. Another example of this practicality that makes this book important for Christians to read is Watson’s treatment of the confession of sin (28- 36). By focusing on various qualifications that need to be present in one’s confession and the focus on four types of people who make faulty confessions, Watson helps Christians examine their own hearts and determine the reality of their own confessions. Watson provides a balanced treatment of the effects of one’s confession on God as well as on the individual. This methodical approach is very helpful, particularly when understood in light of his first qualification, that “confession must be voluntary” (29). This qualification is a blow thrown against the current perception of Puritans as being overbearing and doctrinaire in their approach to the individual.

A second strength of this work for Christians is the focus Watson gives to the nature and effect of our sins. In his answer of the question “What is there in sin that may make a penitent hate it?”, he gives “a fourfold conceit” (48). Watson states that a person who has truly been repentant will come to hate sin because: sin comes from hell, sin’s nature will appear dishonoring to God, sin appears appalling in its comparison to holiness, and sin’s consequences on one’s own body and soul are abhorrent (48-51). This list is very helpful for those trying to reach secular people today, particularly in its balance between the slight sinners give a holy God and the effects sin has on the individual. Again, this balance is not what one expects from a Puritan writer based on their contemporary reputation.

A third strength of this book that has great importance for readers today is the emphasis Watson places on his argument that there is no such thing as a carnal Christian. He writes, “It is inconsistent with the sanctity of God’s nature to pardon a sinner while he is in the act of rebellion” (60). He suggests that when people half turn from sin “in their judgement but not in their practice” (56), the result is a life that “may be moralized [but] the lust [is] unmortified” (67). Watson uses the story of the evil spirit that leaves a man, but then says he will return to the house he left, and finding it cleaned and organized, the evil spirit brings seven other spirits with him so that the latter end is worse than the former (Luke 11:24-26) to explain the dangers this failure to truly repent harbors. This concept of the failure of persons to be completely repentant gives a cogent explanation as to why so many church members are powerless in their personal lives and why so many churches are not having greater impact upon their surrounding communities.

One weakness that this work contains is Watson’s potential to overstate his argument. He equates shame for sin with blushing. Any outward appearance cannot be expected to completely and accurately reflect the inner reality within an individual’s heart. While shame for sin is important, and missing in too many today, it is an overstatement to say that “If Christ’s blood were not at the sinner’s heart, there would not so much blood come to the face”(39).

Another example of this tendency to overstate is the possible impression that its focus on tears could make on some as a necessary work in legitimizing their repentance. There are statements in which Watson appears to make the tears of repentance meritorious. Watson does list in two paragraphs “a necessary caution” (96) in which he writes “I grant repenting tears are precious . . . but yet, tears are not satisfactory for sin . . . Christ’s blood only can merit pardon. . . to trust in our repentance is to make it a saviour” (96). In spite of this disclaimer, however, there are many more instances in which Watson gives emphasis throughout his work to the importance of tears in repentance. In his conclusion of his ingredients of repentance he writes, “God would rather have our repenting tears than our blood” (58). One of his powerful motives to excite repentance is that “repenting tears are delicious” (77), and then he states that “Mary Magdalene . . . obtained pardon when she washed Christ’s feet with her tears”(78). He continues this idea by stating that “never do the flowers of grace grow more than after a shower of repenting tears” (79), and this is closely followed by the suggestion that “when we put the water of tears into God’s bottle, this fetches up wine”(80). He suggests that “God will crown those heads which have been fountains of tears”(83) with great rewards in heaven. While it is true that tears will often accompany true repentance and brokenness before the Lord, the tears have no meritorious effect. The only thing that will obtain pardon is Christ’s blood. This overemphasis on tears of repentance, while certainly well intentioned, might mislead some during repentance.

A final weakness is the weak hermeneutic employed by Watson on occasion. He tends to use a small phrase taken from the Old Testament to make a significant point. For example, he uses the phrase “the sword shall be upon his right eye” to support his conclusion that Satan carries away sinners hooded to hell (18). Similarly, he suggests that the brazen laver was a type for a double laver, indicating that “the laver of Christ’s blood we must wash in by faith, and the laver of tears we must wash in by repentance” (20). This attempt to mix Old Testament law with New testament practice is also seen in his insistence on restitution (24). These points are examples of the hermeneutic of types that was commonly practiced during his time, and Watson, therefore, should not be held unfairly criticized for them. We must not, however, accept statements based on these faulty principles either.

This is a wonderful book that should be read by every Christian, particularly those who are seeking the assurance of their own salvation. Ministers who are attempting to return their churches to a biblical understanding of conversion will find this work helpful. Perhaps the best evidence of the importance and relevance of Thomas Watson’s writings is there longevity.

End Notes

1. Watson, Thomas.  The Doctrine of Repentance. Car isle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1999.
122 pp.