rses 9 and 14 of Jeremiah xvii.), to
rule the wayward one with His peace, and to establish the fickle one with
His grace? Are we not 'without excuse'?

'Fixed, trusting in the Lord.' Here is the means of the fixing--trust. He
works the trust in us by sending the Holy Spirit to reveal God in Christ
to us as absolutely, infinitely worthy of our trust. When we 'see Jesus'
by Spirit-wrought faith, we cannot but trust Him; we distrust our hearts
more truly than ever before, but we trust our Lord entirely, because we
trust Him _only_. For, entrusting our trust to Him, we know that He is
able to keep that which we commit (_i. e._ entrust) to Him. It is His own
way of winning and fixing our hearts for Himself. Is it not a beautiful
one? Thus 'his heart is established.' But we have not quite faith enough
to believe that. So what is the very first doubting, and therefore sad
thought that crops up? 'Yes, but I am _afraid_ it will not remain fixed.'

That is _your_ thought. Now see what is God's thought about the case.
'His heart is established, he shall not be afraid.'

Is not that enough? What _is_, if such plain and yet divine words are
not? Well, the Gracious One bears with us, and gives line upon line to
His poor little children. And so He says, 'The peace of God, which
passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds, through
Christ Jesus.' And again, 'Thy thoughts shall be established.' And again,
'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee,
because he trusteth in Thee.'

And to prove to us that these promises can be realized in present
experience, He sends down to us through nearly 3000 years the words of
the man who prayed, 'Create in me a clean heart, O God,' and lets us hear
twice over the new song put by the same Holy Spirit into his mouth: 'My
heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed' (Ps. lvii. 7, cviii. 1).

The heart that is established in Christ is also established for Christ.
It becomes His royal throne, no longer occupied by His foe, no longer
tottering and unstable. And then we see the beauty and preciousness of
the promise, 'He shall be a Priest upon His throne.' Not only reigning,
but atoning. Not only ruling, but cleansing. Thus the throne is
established 'in mercy,' but 'by righteousness.'

I think we lose ground sometimes by parleying with the tempter. We have
no business to parley with an usurper. The throne is no longer his when
we have surrendered it to our Lord Jesu