[Songs in the Night - September 17]
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Psalm 24:3, 4
THOSE who have made a full consecration of heart
to the Lord constitute the pure in heart under the law
of love.
But notwithstanding the purity of their hearts,
their intentions, their wills, to fulfil the royal law of
love, these have a battle to wage.
The law of their
members, depraved through inherited sin, is the strong
law of selfishness, in opposition to the new law to
which they have pledged themselves—the law of love.
Yet their inability to live up to the requirements of
that new law must be through no lack of will, no lack
of intention of the pure, loyal heart.
Whatever failure
they make, however short they may come at times of
obtaining the victory, it must be solely because of
weakness of the flesh and the besetments of the Adversary,
which their pure hearts failed to resist.
Here
the Lord's promises are helpful, assuring them that he
knows their weaknesses and frailties, as well as the
wiles of the devil and the influence of the spirit of
the world, which are contrary to the spirit of love.
He tells them that they may go freely to the throne of
heavenly grace, there to obtain mercy in respect to
their failures to live up to the high standard which
their hearts acknowledge and to which they strive to
conform.
He also assures them that they may find
grace to help in every time of need. Z'12-336 R5123:4 (Hymn 150)