Christian Perfection · §46 · John Wesley

A new heart

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Thus has the Lord fulfilled the things he spoke by his holy prophets, which have been since the world began (Luke 1:70): by Moses in particular, saying (Deuteronomy 30:6): I will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul; by David crying out: Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10); and most remarkably by Ezekiel, in those words: Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean; from all your filthiness and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart also I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments and do them. You shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses. Thus says the Lord your God: in the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities, the heathen shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places. I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it (Ezekiel 36:25 and following).

1771 text

29. Thus hath the Lord fulfilled the things he spake by his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: by Moses in particular, saying (Deut. xxx. 6.) I will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul; by David crying out, Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me: and most remarkably by Ezekiel, in those words, Then will I 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 will I put within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them.――Ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses.――Thus saith the Lord your God, in the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities――the Heathen shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places,――I the Lord have spoken it,――and I will do it, Ezek. xxxvi. 25, &c.