Ezekiel 18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby you have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit… The text connects itself closely with a topic much debated among theologians, namely, what man can do, or cannot do, in regard to overcoming the bias of a corrupt nature, and making himself meet for the kingdom of God. This meetness consists in a changed heart, a renewed mind and spirit; and I shall try to show you that, in this Book of Ezekiel, we have this great mystery brought down to the level of our human intelligence in a way which, whatever its aspects towards God, puts the fact of human duty and human accountableness on a foundation which nothing can disturb. There are three principal passages in Ezekiel bearing upon this subject, which must always be read and considered together. The first is in the text, where this inward change is made the subject of a precept: "Make you a new heart and a new spirit." The second is in the eleventh chapter, where the change spoken of is made the object of a promise: "And I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh." The third is in the thirty-sixth chapter, where, in relation to this promise of a new heart and a new spirit, it is intimated that the subject is one for earnest prayer: "Yet for this will I be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them." I. THE PRECEPT, "Make you a new heart and a new spirit." Now what place, in the Divine arrangements for our conversion, are precepts of this kind supposed to occupy? What do they mean? What do they assume? What practical effect have they, or ought they to have, upon our moral conduct and convictions? They are to awaken us to a conviction of our helplessness, they are to reveal to us our souls' danger, they are to show to us the deep seatedness of our depravity, they are to break in upon the slumbers of the natural conscience — in a word, they are to set us upon making an effort. The effort may be feeble and imperfect and unpromising, but still an effort it is, and an effort such as, in the case of any worldly interest being endangered, we should assuredly make, however slight the chances of success. What man on seeing a huge crag just loosening over his head, or seeing flames issue from his neighbour's dwelling house, would omit to use such means as were within his reach, on the plea, "What good would it do?" However apparently impracticable therefore, precepts of the kind contained in the text are useful, if only as showing that, as far as regards ourselves, they are impracticable. They naturally set us upon thinking how the need they have discovered may be supplied, and the disorders of our moral condition may be corrected, and the ruin and the death and the helplessness and the condemnation may be turned from us or taken away. When our Lord ordered the paralytic man to take up his bed and walk, or the blind man to look and say if he saw aright, He seemed to be telling them to do that which was impossible. And if they had thought so, and had made no effort, the evils they were suffering from would have remained untaken away. But, concurrently with the command went forth an impulse upon the souls of the men that the command was of God, and that anything enjoined by Him must be possible. And it is precisely under this aspect that we are to view the command, "Make you a new heart and a new spirit." You say you cannot make it. I say there is a sense in which you can make it, just as much as at the bidding of Christ a man was able to stretch forth a withered hand. A command from God, we must always remember, is, in its own nature, an appeal to human accountableness. It forecloses all excuses. It disallows any possible ground of exemption. It assumes that there is in every one of us a certain power of compliance, and therefore convicts of obstinacy and disobedience the man who does not turn that power to account. And the like principle applies to the text, and all others of kindred import. II. THE PRECEPT VIEWED IN THE LIGHT OF THE PROMISE. This same Ezekiel who is instructed to call to the house of Israel, "Make you a new heart and a new spirit," also has it in charge to deliver as God's kind assurance to the people, "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you." Everything God does, whether in the material or moral world, is characterised by harmony, proportion, order, law. "As our day, so our strength"; as the command to run, so the grace to draw; as the exhortation "Make you a new heart and a new spirit," so the provision of all needful agencies by means of which this new creation is to be made. Here then we see how much of light is shed upon the Divine dealings with us, when we join the promise on to the precept; when we are brought to see that God never exhorts us to do a thing without putting the means of compliance within our own reach and power. This viewing the two things in juxtaposition will be found to rid us at once of a whole host of speculative difficulties and objections, which might have attached to the precept if it had stood alone. "Make you a new heart" — change the hue of AEthiop's skin — turn back the whole current of your likes and dislikes, and bid the tide set with equal vehemence the contrary way — this is a hard saying, some will say, hard, and even something more — impossible. Admitted. "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." That which is impossible to the precept is possible to the promise. We are never allowed to view these two great facts of the moral world apart. There are two great truths — their authority alike over the human conscience, and their claims alike to a rational belief. And these are: first, that the origin, as well as the effective agency, in the work of our salvation is to be traced to God only; and the other that, in connection with that work, and as morally furthering that work, much has to be done by the sinner himself. III. THE PRECEPT AND PROMISE TOGETHER CONSIDERED IN THEIR RELATION TO PRAYER. Ezekiel had been commissioned to give the injunction, "Make you a new heart"; and a little after he is told to add that word of consolation, "A new heart also will I give you": yet lest the promise should inspire presumption, or the precept should lead to despair, he adds, "I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them, said the Lord God." The precept speaks of death; the promise points to life; the prayer is the permitted signal for the resurrection when challenging the power of the Eternal Spirit to "breathe upon dead souls that they may live." The precept shows us that we have work to do; the promise evidences that we have not the power to do it; the prayer suggests the use of certain instituted means, in order that God may do it for us. The precept is the will of God commanding; the promise is the goodness of God encouraging; the prayer is helplessness pleading at His footstool with eyes fastened on the mercy seat, because afraid to look upon the throne. In a word, they form, in combination, a holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity. For the precept is the Sovereign Father of the universe enjoining obedience. The promise is the Son of His love entreating that the offender may be spared. The prayer is the indwelling Spirit within us waking up the heart to devotion, and showing us both how to wrestle and prevail with God. Wherefore, that ye may be able to keep the precept, pray; that ye may have part in the promise, pray; that ye may have the spirit of effectual fervent prayer, pray. Keep the end of all in view — "A new heart and a new spirit," a changed judgment and restored affections, a submitted will and a heavenly mind. (D. Moore, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? |
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