He who would be saved, must confess his sins, and do repentance. _To
confess sins_ is to know evils, to see them in oneself, to acknowledge
them, to make oneself guilty and condemn oneself on account of them.
Done before God, this is to confess sins. _To do repentance_ is to
desist from sins after one has thus confessed them and from a humble
heart has besought forgiveness, and then to live a new life according
to the precepts of charity and faith.
He who merely acknowledges generally that he is a sinner, making
himself guilty of all evils, without examining himself,--that is,
without seeing his sins,--makes a confession but not the confession of
repentance. Inasmuch as he does not know his evils, he lives as
before.
One who lives the life of charity and faith does repentance daily. He
reflects upon the evils in him, acknowledges them, guards against
them, and beseeches the Lord for help. For of oneself one continually
lapses toward evil; but he is continually raised up by the Lord and
led to good.
Repentance of the mouth and not of the life is not repentance. Nor are
sins pardoned on repentance of the mouth, but on repentance of the
life. Sins are constantly pardoned man by the Lord, for He is mercy
itself; but still they adhere to man, however he supposes they have
been remitted. Nor are they removed from him save by a life according
to the precepts of true faith. So far as he lives according to these
precepts, sins are removed; and so far as they are removed, so far
they are remitted.
--_Heavenly Doctrine, nn._ 159-165