Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1623
Delivered on Lord’s-Day Morning, October 9, 1881
“And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them.” Jeremiah 32:39.
THOSE of you who were present last Lord’s-Day morning will remember my sermon upon “Mongrel Religion,” [Sermon #1622] in which I dealt with those who feared the Lord and served other gods. Their heart was divided and, therefore, they were found faulty. They had, as the Hebrew puts it, a heart and a heart—a heart that went this way and a heart that went the other way. And so, as a matter of fact, they became, as the Prophet says, as “a silly dove that has no heart.” The discourse of this morning is intended to exhibit wholehearted religion which is the opposite of the sad mixture which we have so lately denounced. We wish to look upon persons of Caleb’s stamp, who followed the Lord fully— in whom, by the Grace of God, the divided heart has become united—so that with their whole heart they serve the Lord their God.
Our text is an extract from Jeremiah’s copy of the Covenant of Grace. The Lord promises to Israel, “They shall be My people, and I will be their God.” And in the 40th verse He says, “And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me.” This, then, is the Covenant of Grace which God has made with His people and it is highly suggestive that the first blessing of it relates to the heart, for God, when He begins with men, does not begin with the outward way, but with the inward spirit. He puts it, “I will give them one heart and one way”—the way is second—the heart comes first. Understand, then, that in all true godliness we must begin with heart-work.
It is no use hoping to polish the outside until, by degrees, you enlighten the interior. No, but the light must first be placed within and then, as it shines through, spots on the exterior will be discovered and will all the more readily be cleansed away. God works not to the center, but in the center, and then from the center into the outer life. In reference to the heart, one of the earliest works of Divine Grace is to unite it in one. Strange to say, but I would be equally truthful if I said that one of the first works of Grace is to break the heart—but so paradoxical is man that when his heart is unbroken, it is divided—and when his heart is broken, then, for the first time, it is united, for a broken heart, in every fragment of it, mourns over sin and cries out for mercy.
Every shattered particle of a contrite spirit is united in one desire to be reconciled to God. There is no union of the heart with itself till it is broken for sin and from sin. Early in the morning of Grace, the man comes to himself and is restored to the unity of his manhood. The effect of this inner reunion is very salutary. We read of the prodigal, that, “when he came to himself,” he said, “I will arise and go to my father.” The heart is united in itself when it is united to the Lord! Even as the Lord has said by the mouth of the Prophet, “I will give them an heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto Me with their whole heart.”
It is of this unitedness of heart that I shall speak first. And then I shall go on to those other Covenant blessings which come after it, according to the text. These are placed after it, in order to show its great value, since it is the first step to exceedingly precious blessings. First, then, we will consider unitedness of heart—“I will give them one heart.” Secondly, the blessing which immediately arises out of it, consistency of walk—“I will give them one way.” From these two come the third blessing, “steadfastness of principle—“that they may fear Me forever.” And consequent upon all this comes personal blessings, “for the good of them.” And attendant upon that favor, relative benediction—“and for the good of their children after them.” Our program is very extensive—may the Spirit of God help us to fill it up.
I. We begin, then, at the beginning, with UNITEDNESS OF THE HEART. Our first statement under this head shall be that it is naturally divided. Sin is confusion and at its entrance it created a Babel, or a confusion, within the heart of
man. Until man sinned, his nature was one and undivided, but the Fall broke him and destroyed his unity. Within him, now, there are many voices, many imaginations and many devices. Within him there is strife and contention, wars and fights, which come of his lusts, which struggle with each other and with his understanding. Observe the contest which is constantly visible between his conscience and his affections. His affections choose that which is evil, while his conscience approves that which is right. The desires go after that which appears to be pleasant, but the judgment warns the mind of its folly and, therefore, a controversy between the two powers of the soul.