The New Heart.
"A new heart also will I give you."--Ezek. xxxvi. 26.
Why does God promise this? Because our old hearts are so evil that they
can not be made any better; and so nothing will do any good but giving us
a quite new heart.
Because we can not make a new heart for ourselves; the more we try, the
more we shall find we can not do it; so God, in His great pity and
kindness, says He will give it us.
Because unless we have a new heart we can not enter the kingdom of God, we
can not even see it! Without this gift we must be left outside in the
terrible darkness when "the door is shut."
What is the difference? The old heart _likes_ to be naughty in some way or
other; either it likes to be idle, or it likes to let out sharp words, or
to go on being sulky or fretful instead of clearing up and saying, "I am
sorry!" The new heart _wants_ to be good; and is grieved when a temptation
comes, and does not wish to yield to it; and would like to be always
pleasing the Saviour.
The old heart is afraid of God, and does not love Him, and would much
rather He were not always seeing us. And it does not care to hear about
Jesus, but would rather be just let alone. The new heart loves God and
trusts what He says, and likes to know that He is always watching it. And
it is glad to hear about Jesus, and wants to come closer to Him.
The old heart is a little slave of Satan, taking his orders, and doing
what he wishes. The new heart is a happy little servant of Christ,
listening to His orders, and doing what He wishes.
Oh how happy and blessed to have this new heart! All God's own children
receive it, for He has said, "I will give them one heart;" that is, all
the same new heart. Do you not want to have it too? Then "ask, and you
_shall_ receive;" for He hath said, "A new heart also _will_ I give you!"
"Oh for a heart to praise my God,
A heart from sin set free!
A heart that always feels Thy blood,
So freely shed for me.
"A heart resigned, submissive, meek,
My dear Redeemer's throne;
Where only Christ is heard to speak,
Where Jesus reigns alone."