First, For the seat and subject of this lawof sin, the Scrip- ture every where assigns it to be the heart. There indwel- ling sin keeps its especial residence. It hath invaded and possessed the throne of God himself; Eccles. ix. 3. * Mad- ness is in the heart of men whilst they live.' This is their madness, or the root of all that madness which appears in their lives. Matt. xv. 19. ' Out of the heart ])roceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false wit- ness, blasphemies,' &c. There are many outward tempta- tions and provocations that befall men, which excite and stir them up unto these evils. But they do but as it were open the vessel, and let out what is laid up and stored in it. The root, rise, and spring of all these things is in the heart. Temptations and occasions put nothing into a man, but only draw out what was in him before. Hence is that summary description of the whole work and effect of this law of sin, Gen. vi. 5. 'Every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart is only evil continually.' So also, chap. viii. 21. The whole work of the law of sin, from its first rise, its first coin- ing of actual sin, is here described ; and its seat, its work- house, is said to be the heart ; and so it is called by our Saviour, ' the evil treasure of the heart,' Luke vi. 45. 'An evil man, out of the evil treasure of his heart, bringeth forth evil things.' This treasure is the prevailing principle of moral actions that is in men. So in the beginning of the
OF INDWELLING SIN. 21
verse, our Saviour calls grace' the good treasure of the heart' of a good man, whence that which is good doth proceed. It is a principle constantly and abundantly inciting and stirring up unto, and consequently bringing forth, actions conform- able and like unto it, of the same kind and nature with it- self; and it is also called a treasure for its abundance. It will never be exhausted, it is not wasted by men's spending on it; yea, the more lavish men are of this stock, the more they draw out of this treasure, the more it grows and abounds ; as men do not spend their grace, but increase it by its exer- cise, no more do they their indwelling sin. The more men exercise their grace in duties of obedience, the more it is strengthened and increased; and the more men exert and put forth the fruits of their lust, the more is that enraged and increased in them ; it feeds upon itself, swallows up its own poison, and grows thereby. The more men sin, the more are they inclined unto sin. It is from the deceitful- ness of this law of sin, whereof we shall speak afterward at large, that men persuade themselves, that by this or that par- ticular sin, they shall so satisfy their lusts, as that they shall need to sin no more. Every sin increaseth the principle, and fortifieth the habit of sinning. It is an evil treasure that in- creaseth by doing evil. And where doth this treasure lie? It is in the heart, there it is laid up, there it is kept in bafety. All the men in the world, all tlie angels in heaven, cannot dispossess a man of this treasure, it is so safely stored in the heart.
The heart in the Scripture is variously used : sometimes for the mind and understanding; sometimes for the will; some- times for the affections; sometimes for the conscience; some- times for the whole soul. Generally it denotes the whole soul of man, and all the faculties of it, not absolutely, but as they are all one principle of moral operations, as they all concur in our doing good or evil. The mind as it inquireth, discerneth, and judgeth what is to be done, what refused ; the will as it chooseth, or refuseth, and avoids ; the affec- tions as they like or dislike, cleave to, or have an aversation from, that which is proposed to them ; the conscience as it warns, and determines, are altogether called the heart. And in this sense it is that we say the seat and subject of this law of sin is the heart of man. Only we may add, that the
22 THE NATURE AND POWER
Scripture speaking of the heart, as the principle ot men^s good or evil actions, doth usually insinuate together with it two things belonging unto the manner of their performance.
1. A suitableness and pleasingness unto the soul in the things that are done. When men take delight, and are pleased in and with what they do, they are said to do it heartily, with their whole hearts. Thus when God himself blesseth his people in love and delight, he says, he doth it •with his whole heart, and his whole soul ;' Jer. xxxii. 41.
2, Resolution and constancy in such actions. And this also is denoted in the metaphorical expression before used of a treasure, from whence men do constantly take out the things which either they stand in need of, or do intend to use.
This is the subject, the seat, the dwelling-place of this law of sin; the heart, as it is the entire principle of moral operations, of doing good or evil, as out of it proceed good or evil. Here dwells our enemy; this is the fort, the cita- del of this tyrant, where it maintains a rebellion against God all our davs. Sometimes it hath more strenpth, and Consequently more success ; sometimes less of the one, and of the other, but is always in rebellion whilst we live.