Repentance

"On Repentance" is a searching and soul-stirring call to turn fully to the Lord in times of personal and national crisis. Written by Thomas Goodwin (1600–1680), one of the great English Puritans and a leading figure in the Westminster Assembly, this work reflects the blazing conviction, pastoral tenderness, and penetrating scriptural insight that characterized the best of 17th-century devotional preaching.

Drawn from two sermons on Zephaniah 2:1–3, Goodwin's exposition calls every hearer—young and old, saint and sinner—to solemn reflection before the day of the Lord’s judgment. He begins by rallying the whole nation to repentance, then focuses his gaze upon the heart of each individual, urging deep self-examination in light of God’s holiness and mercy. With vivid metaphors and rich scriptural allusion, he leads the reader through the contours of true repentance: self-scrutiny, sorrow for sin, submission to God’s providence, and seeking the Lord with meekness and righteousness.