whether God's aphesis may or may not mean as well the sending of his
sins out of a man, as the pardon of them; whether it may not sometimes
mean _dismission,_ and sometimes _remission_: I am sure the one deed
cannot be separated from the other.

That the phrase here intends repentance unto the ceasing from sin, the
giving up of what is wrong, I will try to show at least probable.

In the first place, the user of the phrase either defines the change of
mind he means as one that has for its object the pardon of God, or as
one that reaches to a new life: the latter seems to me the more natural
interpretation by far. The kind and scope of the repentance or change,
and not any end to be gained by it, appears intended. The change must be
one of will and conduct--a radical change of life on the part of the
man: he must repent--that is, change his mind--not to a different
opinion, not even to a mere betterment of his conduct--not to anything
less than a sending away of his sins. This interpretation of the
preaching of the Baptist seems to me, I repeat, the more direct, the
fuller of meaning, the more logical.

Next, in St Matthew's gospel, the Baptist's buttressing argument, or
imminent motive for the change he is pressing upon the people is, that
the kingdom of heaven is at hand: 'Because the king of heaven is coming,
you must give up your sinning.' The same argument for immediate action
lies in his quotation from Isaiah,--'Prepare ye the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.' The only true, the
only possible preparation for the coming Lord, is to cease from doing
evil, and begin to do well--to send away sin. They must cleanse, not the
streets of their cities, not their houses or their garments or even
their persons, but their hearts and their doings. It is true the Baptist