Excerpt from The Doctrine of Repentance, By Thomas Watson. (Chapter 3, Ingredient 1)
The first part of Christ’s medicine is eye-salve (Act 26.18). It is the great thing noted in the prodigal’s repentance: “he came to himself” (Luk 15.17). He saw himself as a sinner and nothing but a sinner. Before a man can come to Christ he must first come to himself. Solomon, in his description of repentance, considers this the first ingredient: “if they come to themselves” (1Kng 8.47). A man must first recognize and consider what his sin is, and know the plague of his heart, before he can be duly humbled for it. The first created thing God made was light. So the first thing in a penitent is illumination: “Now you are light in the Lord” (Eph 5.8). The eye is made both for seeing and weeping. Sin must first be seen before it can be wept for.
He saw himself as a sinner and nothing but a sinner.
From this I infer that where there is no sight of sin, there can be no repentance. Many who can spy faults in others see none in themselves. They cry that they have good hearts. Is it not strange that two should live together, and eat and drink together, yet not know each other? Such is the case of a sinner. His body and soul live together, work together, yet he is unacquainted with himself. He does not know his own heart, nor what a hell he carries around with him. Under a veil a deformed face is hidden. Persons are veiled-over with ignorance and self-love; therefore they do not see what deformed souls they have. The devil does with them as the falconer does with the hawk. He blinds them and carries them hooded to hell: “the sword shall strike his right eye” (Zec 11.17). Men have insight enough into worldly matters, but the eye of their mind is stricken. They do not see any evil in sin; the sword strikes their right eye.
Where there is no sight of sin, there can be no repentance
