Middletown transcript., 1899-08-05

2:5-:s;-HiemOry Verses. 25-27-GoId-
en- Text. Exek. xxxvi. 2G-C0mmen-
tary Prepared by Rev. d. Nj. Stearns.
| lEcpyright. 1899. ny D. NJ Stearns.l
% Then will | sprinkle clean water
urn YnI, and ye shall be clean from all
your dlthiness and from all your idols
will cleanse you. The topic of our les
son is Tho New Heart . but we must no.
tice the context and observe to whom the
words are spoken. then take the lesson for
our own hearts The previous verses
| speak of the land of Israel, the mountains
OF Israel the people of Israel and of Is
racl S shameful treatment of Jehovah, on
account of which He scattered them in
many lands, but verse "a says that He will
take them from all lands and bring them
| to their own land, and our lesson begins
by saying that then He will cleanse them.
| have found but one thing in all the Bible
that God says He will do with all His
heart and soul. and that is that He will
thus put Israel in their own land (Jer.
xxxii All
26 "A new heart also will give you,
and Il new spirit will put within you,
and will take away the stony heart out
of yonr flesh and will give you an heart
of flesh As when the Lord God said to
tho serpent. Il will put ennity between
thee and the woman (Gen. ill, 15) He in
dicatcd that He would do 1t Himself, so
here the giving of the new heart and spirit
is Ills work alone. but notice that while
Gcd is willing TO give the new heart we
must Ike willing to receive it, or rather
Him. For Christ Himself in us Is the new
life q .inhn II. John l. IL, l2)
% And will put my Spirit within
you and cause you to walk in my statutes,
and &c shall keep my judgments and do
them Not by might nor power OF man,
not by prayer or striving not by intellect
or education but by the Spirit of God is
the new life to lie lived (Zech iv, 81
When we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as
our Saviour we at once become the abode
or inunsion in which the Father. Son and
Spirit will dwell (.Iohn xiv II 23) Then
it becomes true that we are the temple of
God and the Spirit of God dwelleth i'm us
q Cor iiT lG(
2S And We shall dwell in he land that
gave to your fathers and &c shall be my /
people. and | will bc your God The |
first part of this verse s-'in only bt, under /
stood in the light of tile Promises made to /
Abraham. Isaac and Jacob from Gen xii |
onward. and which still await fulfill
ment. The church. the body of Christ
has no land ON EARTH but Is company of
people gathered out of all nations whose |
home is to be the New Jerusalem As to |
the last part of the vcrst.. we are authorized |
In Ii Cor vi Ii. to appropriate it to every
believer
20 Il will also save you from all your
uncleanncsscs, and will call for the corn
and will increase it. and lay no famine
upon you Here we may appropriate the
first part of the verse rs being true for the |
believing gentle as we'll AS for national |
Israel, but the aast ,l;irt has special refer
ence to Israel in the time of their rcstora
ton In ii Cor vii. l. the piunises of |
God to be God and Father tu those who
arc willing to separate themselves unto |
HiEl are used rs IL reason why we should
cleanse ourselves from all Elthincss of the
flesh and spirit
30 And will multiply the fruit of
the tree and the increase of the field that
70 shall receive no more rcpro:c!i of fam
me among the ie;tt..,sn This ls specially
tor Israel. but contains precious things for
Us also When the pctjl Ii. OF God run to
,he world for pleasure 1t Is like saving
iod does not satisfy us and 50 we turn to
7ou for comfort, and thus ih,. name of the
Lord is rerrosched =
81 Then shall We remember yor,r own
vii ways and your tluirrs that were not
rood and shall io.,he yourselves IN voui
'wn sight There Is Il deep and hrlpful a
esson here for every saint for until we C
earn to loithe ourselves VIZ have not truly s
cen the Lord nor known ourselves Pom r
Ter prayrrfuily lob xiii 5 Ii, Isl, vi ). :,
Jan K s. Rom vii lS FhiI iii. 3. and :.
urntng from all that is Of self learn To u
ay, Thou art worthy. Lurdr a
32 Not fof yoGr s;lkes do this. saith u
he Lord God. bc it known unto you n,
he same thing is said in verse % with
ne addition for mine holy name stke =
'hich We have proranal among the heath. y
Whitner ye Went 1t is a solemn and -
aarchlhg thought that we are ever honor rs
ig or profaning the name of our Lord tr
lat worthy name by the which we are er
illed (.Jas ii - 1t is comforting to u,
now that He forgives US. not for any
erit ON our part. but only for His names
Ike lisa xiii. % .Iohn ii l2l di
33 II will also cause you to dwell in A!
10 cities. and the wastes shall be build Ill
his anu the following verses are "a
holly Far Israel but there are suggestive q.
loughtS for all saints David caused ~
eFh!bosheth to dwell in Jerusalem and As
cat at his table. yet he continued lame ST.
! both feet III Sam TX, l3) We may
veil both at Jerusalem and Hebron, or.
tier still, III God Himself, and continu-
ly enjoy His bounty though in ourselves tn
worthy and helpless lame on both feet. flu
81 And the desolate land shall be bit
led, whereas 1t lay desolate In the sight wo
all that passed by How many lives
protesting Christians are desoIate of all al
at Is refreshing to God or mani It is ieo
yer springtime with them, but always vi
D bleak and cold winter season. There | VII
life. but it Is not manifest either in | car
rit, flowers or foliage, and no one is at-
'cted to Christ through them.
80 This land that was desolate is be-
ne like the garden Of Eden Such Is =
transformation In a life when the soul
9 the beauty and loyeliness Of Christ a
becomes yielded to and filed with the
ly Spirit. There are foliage, flowers and
1t to the glory Of God. There are Joy
! gladness and continual sunshine be-
lse the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are q
Ing the temple and have full control In
working in it both to win and to do Of q
tr good pleasure (Phil II, 1sl. .
9. Then the heathen that are left 4
nd about You shall know that ] the &
ID build the ruined places and plant 4
that was desolate the Lord have q
ken 1t, and will do 1t. Whether In =
vel or the church or the individual lifa Q
must be glorified, and when we are 3
ling that He shall be glorifed In M. <
1t shall be Not |, but Christ. +" them Il
VIII work and people will gIorify God
Is (Gal !, 24) But the next two verse; =
owing our lesson tell us that God. Y
hes as to ask Him 20 do for us that 2
CD He offers to do. He puts before M / @
possibilities Of q life wholly for Him. D
II there Is no response On our narf Hai Il
ses By, Just as when he walked With I
two % Enlmas;s on the resurrection n