Real repentance is easy for those who have repented a number of times, but highly distasteful to those who have not.

Real repentance is examining oneself, recognising one's sins, making one's confession before the Lord, and so beginning a new life. This has been described in the foregoing pages. In the part of the world where Reformed Christian churches are established - that means all who have split from the Roman Catholic church, as well as those members of it who have never really repented - both these groups find real repentance highly distasteful. The reason is that some are unwilling and some are afraid to repent, and lack of practice turns into a habit and leads to unwillingness, and eventually to acquiescence as the result of reasoning by the understanding. In some cases it leads to sorrow, fear and terror at the idea of repentance.

[2] The principal reason why real repentance is highly distasteful in the world of the Reformed Christian churches is their belief that repentance and charity contribute nothing to salvation, which is due to faith alone. Faith, they hold, being imputed brings with it the forgiveness of sins, justification, renewal, regeneration, sanctification and everlasting salvation, without a person co-operating of himself or as if of himself. Their theologians call co-operation useless and a hindrance to Christ's merit, something repugnant and harmful. The common people, though ignorant of the mysteries of that belief, have this idea implanted in them merely by hearing it said, that 'faith alone saves,' and 'no one can do good of himself.' It is because of this that repentance among the Reformed is like a nest full of chicks abandoned when the birds have been caught and killed by a fowler. An accessory reason is that the so-called 'reformed' person associates in his spirit only with those in the spiritual world who are like him. They put ideas like this into his thoughts, and divert him from his course towards introspection and self-examination.