“All the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.” — Ezekiel 3:7
Are there no exceptions? No, not one. Even the favoured race are thus described. Are the best so bad? — then what must the worst be? Come, my heart, consider how far thou hast a share in this universal accusation, and while considering, be ready to take shame unto thyself herein thou mayst have been guilty. The first charge is impudence, or hardness of forehead, a want of holy shame, an unhallowed boldness in evil. Before my conversion, I could sin and feel no compunction, hear of my guilt and yet remain unhumbled, and even confess my iniquity and manifest no inward humiliation on account of it. For a sinner to go to God’s house and pretend to…
pray to Him and praise Him argues a brazen-facedness of the worstkind! Alas! since the day of my new birth I have doubted my Lord to Hisface, murmured unblushingly in His presence, worshipped before Him in aslovenly manner, and sinned without bewailing myself concerning it. If myforehead were not as an adamant, harder than flint, I should have far moreholy fear, and a far deeper contrition of spirit. Woe is me, I am one of theimpudent house of Israel. The second charge is hardheartedness, and Imust not venture to plead innocent here. Once I had nothing but a heart ofstone, and although through grace I now have a new and fleshy heart, muchof my former obduracy remains. I am not affected by the death of Jesus asI ought to be; neither am I moved by the ruin of my fellow men, thewickedness of the times, the chastisement of my heavenly Father, and myown failures, as I should be. O that my heart would melt at the recital ofmy Saviour’s sufferings and death. Would to God I were rid of this nethermillstone within me, this hateful body of death. Blessed be the name of theLord, the disease is not incurable, the Saviour’s precious blood is theuniversal solvent, and me, even me, it will effectually soften, till my heartmelts as wax before the fire.
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Producer: Todd Adkins
Voice Artist: Ian Cullen