Repentance

‘Repentance is needed by hypocrites.

Hypocrisy is the disguise of holiness,

and a hypocrite or stage actor goes further than a moralist

by dressing his body in the attire of religion.

He assumes the form of godliness but denies its power

(2 Timothy 3:5).

A hypocrite may look like a beautiful house,

but every room is dark.

He is a beautifully gilded rotten pillar,

hiding the wounds of his own plague

under the mask of a confession of faith.

A hypocrite opposes the idea of makeup on the face,

but applies makeup to his holiness.

Because he appears good on the outside, he can be truly evil.

The hypocrite seems to have his eyes fixed on heaven,

but his heart is full of impure fleshly desires.

He lives in secret sin, going against his conscience.

He hears the word but has only ears for it.

He is zealous in church devotion,

and others look at him and praise him for it,

but he neglects his home and private prayers.

The hypocrite pretends humility,

but it is only for the sake of success in the world.

He claims to have faith,

but rather than using faith as a shield, he uses it as a mask.

He carries a Bible under his arm, but he does not carry it in his heart.

Take the lamp of the Word and examine your heart,

to see if there is anything there worthy of repentance.’

[Thomas Watson's "Repentance"]