its most sanguine advocates can imagine, still we must all adopt for ourselves the confession of St. Paul, " In me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing." We are aware that this may appear to go beyond the truth : but, if any be disposed to entertain such an opinion, we would ask, What is the meaning of that declaration, " God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continuallyf?" This testimony, though spoken of men before the flood, was renewed in reference to men after the flood : and what can be conceived more decisive of the point than this ? Not only the thoughts of men, but the imaginations of their thoughts, yea, and every imagination of their thoughts, was evil, and only evil, and only evil continually. This was the testimony of Him " who searcheth the heart, and trieth the reins :" we may be well assured, therefore, that this record is true.
Again — The heart is also unsearchably wicked. Not only are we unable to discover all the evil that is in the hearts of others ; we cannot even in our own. Suppose a man to have discovered ever so much of his own depravity, there will yet be depths within him unfathomable and unexplored. As Eze- kiel, in the chambers of imagery, saw on every suc- cessive search more and greater abominations than before, so will a man to his dying hour find in his heart many and great evils which he had not so clearly seen before. Times and occasions will call them forth ; so that a man will often wonder how such evils could remain within him, or, if within him, how they should have continued so long undiscovered. The truth is, a man could not bear a full sight of his own heart at once ; it would drive him to utter despair : nor is any man capable of seeing it all at once : its deceits are so subtle, its corruptions so various, and its abominations so inconceivably great, that none but an infinite capacity can grasp such immeasurable heights and depths. Well therefore
f Gen. vi. 5. and viii. 21.