The first round in the ladder that reaches to eternal rest is repentance. If man never takes this step upon the way he can never reach that happy end. Because repentance includes so much, many men would gladly overstep this first round and begin their Christian life on some round higher up. This they can not do; they must take this first step, or perish. And should they strive to climb up some other way they are dishonest, and the Savior calls them “thieves and robbers.” When the Pharisees and Sadducees came to the baptism of John he said unto them, “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.” Mat. 3:8. There are fruits of repentance. The tree is known by its fruits. When man really repents of his sins, by his fruits or manner of life it will be made known. One of the fruits of repentance is sorrow. We might have said that repentance is sorrow, for “godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” A well known politician became an embezzler of the county fund, and was sentenced to a few years in the state’s prison. After having received his sentence he, in the sheriff’s charge, passed out of the court-room, and with tears flowing from his eyes said, “My reputation is gone forever.” That was a sorrow of the world and is not the way to salvation. Had the tears been flowing because he had sinned against God, who loved him, it would have been sorrow that “worketh repentance.” The apostle says in 2 Cor. 7:11, “Behold this self-same thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge!” These are the fruits of repentance. The first here mentioned is “carefulness.” The impenitent lives a reckless, careless life; but a watchfulness comes into the heart of the penitent. He becomes mindful of his acts and carefully avoids the ways of sin. He turns away from sin. Oh, what carefulness it works in him. He complies with the commandment of God, “Let the wicked forsake his way.” The marginal reading of Mat. 3:8 is “bring forth fruit answerable to the amendment of life.” The penitent carefully turns away from sin, and there is therefore an amendment of life.