October 26

"O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved." Jeremiah 4:14.

THOUGH these words are addressed to Jerusalem, by a principle of the fairest reasoning they extend to every individual who needs the same purification and deliverance. And who does not? Yea, the circumstance strengthens the argument. Jerusalem was called the Holy City, the city of the living God. There stood his temple. There were his servants to make known his will. There they had Moses and the prophets. If they needed such an address, is it needless for us? With all their unbelief and ingratitude, disobedience and perverseness, they were fair specimens of the human race. In Adam all died, and from him we derive a mortal, and therefore a depraved nature. "What is man, that he should be clean: or he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?" All therefore need pardoning mercy and sanctifying grace; all need to be saved by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. But there are two difficulties.

First, God himself is represented as concerned for the success of the measure. "O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved." This interjection, with us, often implies weakness and grief as well as desire. We must therefore take care how we apply these expressions to God, lest we degrade the perfections of his nature. He speaks to us after the manner of men, but his condescension must not rob him of his glory. Yet his language is not devoid of truth. However metaphorical it may be, there is in it a reality that more than justifies it. To which we may add, that even grief and weakness had better be ascribed to God than insincerity. Let us be assured of this, that he means what he says. While he hates our sins, he loves our souls, and is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. He is not only the righteous Governor, but the kind Father. This is the lovely character under which he delights to display himself. Hence his expostulation with himself: "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? My heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together." Hence the oath he has taken: "As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth; wherefore turn, and live ye." Hence the sacrifice of the cross: "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Hence all the means he is incessantly employing to awaken and engage our attention to the things that belong to our peace. Hence he has established the ministry of reconciliation, and sends forth his servants to beseech us, in his name, to be reconciled unto God.

Secondly, the work is considered as of our own achieving, and we are called upon to cleanse our hearts from wickedness. It would be a contradiction of the whole Bible were we to be regarded as the authors. But we are the instruments. God not only worketh in us, but by us. And hence, though all is of grace, yet we "will and do." We believe and repent, and hold on our way, and wax stronger and stronger. It would be an abuse of the language to infer from it that we have power to do this naturally, or of ourselves; yet the address would be absurd had we not the ability in some other way. God has the right to command, though we have lost the power to obey; but this is not the ground of the injunction. If in him our help was not found, he would not thus speak to us. But it is. His grace is sufficient for us. Every thing necessary for our deliverance from sin is provided and presented in the gospel, and we must have recourse to it in the use of the means which he has ordained. The address, therefore, is not like a command to a man to flee—a thing unnatural, and which he cannot enable himself to do—but like a command to a man who was ready to perish for want, to take and eat. Though he has nothing of his own, he has in view and at hand every kind of supply, and he is welcome to partake of it. Or like a command to a sick man to be cured; he cannot indeed heal himself, but he has one near him who is able and willing to heal him, and asks, Will thou be made whole? And to this remedy he is to submit, All such commands are designed to make us sensible of our wants and weakness, and to bring us upon our knees. Then every thing is possible. Forgiveness and sanctification are attainable—are certain. And having this hope in us, we purify ourselves even as he is pure. Having these promises, we cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.