That we may in our passage take a little view of the strength and power of sin from this seat and subject of it; we may consider one or two properties of the heart, that ex- ceedingly contribute thereunto. It is like an enemy in war, whose strength and power fie not only in his numbers, and force of men or arras, but also in the unconquerable forts that he doth possess. And such is the heart to this enemy of God and our souls, as will appear from the properties of it, whereof one or two shall be mentioned.
1. It is unsearchable. Jer. xvii. 9, 10. ' Who can know the heart? I the Lord search it.' The heart of man is per- vious to God only; hence he takes the honour of searching the heart, to be as peculiar to himself, and as fully declaring him to be God, as any other glorious attribute of his nature. We know, not the hearts of one another, we know not our own hearts as we ought. Many there are that know not their hearts as to their general bent and disposition, whether it be good or bad, sincere and sound, or corrupt and naught ; but no one knows all the secret intrigues, the windings and
QF INDWELLING SIN. 23
turnings, the actings and aversations of his own heart. Hath any one the perfect measure of his own light and darkness? Can any one know what actings of choosing, or aversation his will will bring forth, upon the proposal of that endless variety of objects that it is to be exercised with ? Can any one traverse the various mutability of his affections ? Do the secret springs of acting and refusing in the soul, lie be- fore the eyes of any man? Doth any one know what will be the motions of the mind or will, in such and such conjunc- tions of things ? Such a suiting of objects, such a preten- sion of reasonings, such an appearance of things desirable? All in heaven and earth, but the infinite all-seeing God, are utterly ignorant of these things. In this unsearchable heart dwells the law of sin, and much of its security, and conse- quently of its strength, lies in this, that it is past our finding out. We fight with an enemy whose secret strength we cannot discover, whom we cannot follow into its retirements. Hence oftentimes, when we are ready to think sin quite ruined, after awhile we find it was but out of sight. It hath coverts and re- treats in an unsearchable heart, whither we cannot pursue it. The soul may persuade itself all is well, when sin may be safe in the hidden darkness of the mind, which it is impossible that he should look into ; for whatever makes manifest is light. It may suppose the will of sinning is utterly taken away, when yet there is an unsearchable reserve for a more suitable ob- ject, a more vigorous temptation, than at present it is tried withal. Hath a man had a contest with any lust, and a blessed victory over it by the Holy Ghost, as to that present trial ; when he thinks it is utterly expelled, he ere long finds that it was but retired out of sight. It can lie so close in the mind's darkness, in the will's indisposition, in the dis- order and carnality of the affections, that no eye can disco- ver it. The best of our wisdom is but to watch its first ap- pearances, to catch its first under-earth heavings and work- ings, and to set ourselves in opposition to them ; for to fol- low it into the secret corners of the heart, that we cannot do. It is true, there is yet a relief in this case, namely, that he to whom the work of destroying the law of sin, and body of death in us is principally conmiitted, namely, the Holy Ghost, comes with his axe to the very root, neither is there any thing in an unsearchable heart that is not open and naked
24 THE NATURE AND POWER
unto him, Heb. iv. 12. But we in a way of duty may hence sec what an enemy we have to deal withal.
2. As it is unsearchable, so it is deceitful, as in the place above-mentioned ; ' it is deceitful above all things,' in- comparably so. There is great deceit in the dealings of men in the world, great in their counsels and contrivances in re- ference to their affairs, private and public; great deceit in their words and actings: the world is full of deceit and fraud. But all this is nothing to the deceit that is in man's heart towards himself; for that is the meaning of the ex- pression in this place, and not towards others. Now in- comparable deceitfulness, added to unsearchableness, gives a great addition and increase of strength to the law of sin, upon the account of its seat and subject. I speak not yet of the deceitfulness of sin itself, but the deceitfulness of the heart where it is seated. Prov. xxvi. 25. ' There are seven abominations in the heart;' that is, not only many, but an absolute complete number, as seven denotes. And they are such abominations as consist in deceitfulness; so the cau- tion foregoing insinuates, 'trust him not;' for it is only deceit that should make us not to trust in that degree and measure which the object is capable of.