El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-13
BAPTIST CHURCH.
Rev. MlIllCan Preached on a Change
of Heart.

F1rSG b8pLlSG CHURCH l6SG evening lrOH
the text, 81 will take away the stony
| heart -. and l will give you
an heart of flesh" Eek. XXXVI:26
He said in part.
| There are some people who do not
| believe in a change of heart, and some
preachers who although they really
believe in 1t ridicule it because of the
erroneous idea sumo times held about
it. There are some people. you know,
W ho confound an effect with q cause.
For example when, the first change
came in their heart and they we're con-
verted, they got shouting happy, and
they refer to the good feeling, an eff
feet, as the change itself; while I'M
wisely they conclude that only such as
have the shouting feeling have a
change of heart. But really the feel
ing is but the result and not the change
itself. Others have the same work of
grace in the heart, the same regeners-
ton, but never shout. Their natures
ses itself in another way. But let no
one claim that because someone has
abused the doctrine that it is myth.
For if the Bible does not teach
change OF heart it teaches nothing.
Let US try then to get practical
grasp of what we mean by heart in q
spiritual or religious sense. Mr..
Ttayer, the great new Testament lexi-
cOgrapher, says: SIT is the fountain
and seat of thoughts, passions, desires,
appetites, affections, purposes, en-
deavors." Now holding this in mind
let Us lookaat few passages of Scrip
ture. Pc. 51:10, Create in me a clean
heart. 0 God; and renew a right spirit
within me-
Whatever it was in the Psalmist
that caused him to go off into his great
wrong we may fix as his heart; ana he
prays nightly that it may be changed
Acts S:22 Repent therefore of this thy
wickedness, and pray God. If perhaps
the thought of thine heart may be for
given thee Now whatever it was
that caused Simon Magus to care more
for money and popularity, and seek to
get this by the fraud of sOrcery by join
ing the church. and by the
him evea to think this way, was his
heart. And he is plainly told that al
though he had joined the church and
been baptized his heart was wrong and
he would have to have it changed by
the divine power. / Sam. 10: %. And
Saul also went home to Gibeah; and
there went with him a band of men
whose, heart the Lord touched. Be
fore the selection of Saul ss king of
him, but now they feel drawn to him
and they go with him. Whatever it
was that bound them to him in !
thought affecting or desire to |
serve him is the heart. Heretofore 1T /
had been Indifferent to Saul now it |
Oneed after and clesved to him; d
change had taken place. Ezra. 1927,
Blessed be the Lord God who hath
out such a thing as this in the kings
leart to beautify the house of the
Lord which is jerusalem Artaxerx-
I'd had on a previous occasion stopped
he work On this house, but now he had
.iven orders to the provincial govern
IT to furnish money to assist the Jews 1
q bringing the temple to a beautiful
completion. Here was a change OF
thought DESIRE purpose and
ndeavor.' The fountain or seat
f these things is what God operated
n and changed in reference to the
Iord's house: it was the heart Now {.
avs God to captive Juda. Il will take {
way your stony heart and l will give {
GU heart of hesh.' Turning to the I
anne prophecy we find the real results
this change, where God says thou
18th the stony heart 'walketh after
be heart of their detestable things
nd their denominations, while with |
ne heart of flesh the changed heart, 6
10y vain Ii my S'1cu'es auu keep
line ordinances to do Them
Looking now ct human experience f
e find this change affecting the heart
l three ways: First, in it's care or in
crest. [ had college friend who for I
long while cared nothing for Gods I
ord or for the prayers Of his friends $
I've 10 scott at them. But one night I L
wv him fall upon his knees in crowd S
chapel and calling nightly on God /
e begged his friends to read the word a
} him and pray for him if perhaps God s
ould forgive. Another friend cursed T.
lie church and the two ministers and q
oused his sick wife one afternoon, on G
TO have his own interest and care for y
iese things so changed as to toss that L
ght on sleepless bed and go on his e
lees to God in the middle of the
ght. After this he loved the church %