An Honest Heart. 5

3. An honest heart causes its possessor to take his place before God in the dust. How can it be otherwise, if he accepts the Divine diagnosis and condemnation of his condition? As the penitent thief on the Cross acknowledged, "We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve" (Luke 23:41), so the one who truly bows to God's verdict owns that the everlasting burnings are his legitimate due. Thus pride receives its death-wound, all pretensions to goodness are repudiated, and with the publican of old—he smites upon his breast crying, "God be merciful to me—a sinner!" Instead of seeking to extenuate his transgressions, he wonders at God's patience toward him. Instead of asking, What have I done to deserve eternal damnation? he marvels that he is not in Hell already. He perceives clearly that if such a wretch as himself is to receive salvation—it must be by grace alone, and that God has the full right to withhold such grace—if He so pleases.

4. An honest heart ceases fighting against God, which is only another way of saying that he repents of his evil past, for true repentance is a taking sides with God against myself. He who loves the Truth—is influenced and regulated by it; and therefore is he brought to renounce whatever is opposed to it. As light and darkness are opposites, so uprightness and crookedness, sincerity and sin have nothing in common. Where there is an honest heart, repentance and conversion necessarily follow. And repentance is not only a sorrowing for sin—but also a turning away from it, the throwing down of the weapons of our warfare against God. To love the light—is to love God, for He is light (1 John 1:5). If we truly love God—we shall forsake our sins, abandon our idols and mortify our lusts. An honest soul cannot do otherwise: anything short of that would be hypocrisy. "We are lying if we say we have fellowship with God—but go on living in spiritual darkness." (1 John 1:6). The upright man is the one who "fears God—and turns away from evil" (Job 1:8).

5. An honest heart seeks to please God in all things—and offend Him in none. That is why this honesty is termed "simplicity (the single eye) andgodly sincerity" (2 Corinthians 1:12), for it desires and seeks the approbation of God, above everything else. An honest heart refuses to accept the plaudits of men, on anything for which conscience would condemn him. "God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). He cannot be deceived by pious words or a sanctimonious demeanor. He must be approached with "a true heart" (Hebrews 10:22). That is, all dissimulation and pretense has to be set aside, in our dealings with Him who "searches the heart and the thoughts" and whose eyes are "a flame of fire." When the heart beats true toward God, there is a deep desire to please Him, not in some things only—but in all things, so that without reserve it asks, "Lord, what will You have me to do?" (Acts 9:6). True, that desire is not fully realized in this life—but the genuineness of it is evidenced when we can truly say, "I hate every false way!" (Psalm 119:104).

6. An honest heart does not pretend to be wise—but is very conscious of and frankly owns up to great ignorance. Even though he is well acquainted with the letter of Scripture and thoroughly familiar with all the external means of grace—that does not content him. There is a longing for a spiritual, an experimental, an efficacious knowledge of the Truth. Such a one feels himself to be the truest babe in Divine things, which is indeed a healthy sign, for it is under such, that the mystery of godliness is revealed (Matthew 11:25). Such a one cries daily, "Teach me what I cannot see" (Job 34:32), for he longs to know the way of the Lord more perfectly—not only in the letter, but chiefly in the power thereof. So conscious is he of his ignorance, that he prays with David, "make me to understand the way of Your precepts" (Psalm 119:27)—how to walk in them, the way to keep them. And again, "Teach me Your statutes"—observe well how this is repeated again and again (Psalm 119:12, 26, 64, 68, 124, 135), for it is in this, that the upright realize themselves to be more deficient.

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