*' His last end will be worse than the beginning"^." He must " be steadfast, immoveable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord^," if ever he would find acceptance at the last. " He must endure unto the end, if ever he would be saved."]
Seeing that these things are so necessary, let us inquire,
IL How they are to be obtained —
They are not the work of man, but of God alone. They are God's work,
1. In their commencement —
[The giving of a clean heart is justly called " a new creation :" " Create in me a clean heart, O God." Hence he that is in Christ is called " a new creature^." When we survey the heavenly bodies, we see and know that they cannot have been the work of any created being : the impress of Divinity is stamped upon them. And not less certain is it that a new heart must be the gift of God. True it is, that God has said, " Make you a new heart, and a right spirit : for why will ye die ^ ? " But it is also true, that God has promised to give it to us : "I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean : from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit mil I put within you : and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh *^." Hei'e all is the gift of God: and it is to be obtained from God in the exercise of prayer and faith. It is our duty to have a clean heart: and therefore God says, " Make you one." But, since we cannot do it of ourselves, we are to turn the command into a petition : " Create it in me, O God ! " And, to shew us that such petitions shall not be in vain, God makes our petition the subject of an express promise : " A nexo heart will I give you." This points out the true way of obtaining all spiritual blessings : we must be sensible that it is our duty to possess them : but, from a consciousness of our inability to obtain them by any efforts of our own, we must cry to God for them, and plead with him the promises which he has given us in the Son of his love. " Laying hold on these promises," we shall obtain the strength which we stand in need of; and shall be enabled to " cleanse ourselves from all filthiness, both of flesh and spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God'."]
2. In their progress — [Stability of mind is as much the gift of God as regenera- tion itself: it is He alone that can " make us perfect; estabhsh,
d 2 Pet. ii. 20. ^ i Cor. xv. 58. f 2 Cor. v. 17.
g Ezek. xviii. 31. '' Ezek. xxxvi, 25, 26. ' 2 Cor. vii. 1.