The Mystery of Self-Deceiving, Chapter 26
CHAP. XXVI.
Of the greatnesse of the hearts deceitfulnesse, and of the cause of her deceitfulnesse.
HAuing thus spoken of the deceitfulnes of mans heart, it remaineth that now we should speak Illustrations of the hearts deceitfulnesse. 1. The greatnesse of it.of those three illustrations, which in the beginning we noted the Prophet vsed to set it forth by.
The first is, from the greatnesse of this deceitfulnesse. It is deceitfull, saies the Prophet, aboue all things. Aboue all things? what aboue Sathan that old serpent? The meaning is not that our harts hauehave more craft then Sathan, who is an olde trained souldiour, and his crafts-master in this art, we being but punies, and as of yesterday vntounto him, who is of many thousand yeres standing: but that that deceit which is in our hearts, in regard of vsus, and the dangerous consequences thereof to vsus, is greater, then that in Sathan.
1. As to murther ones selfe is a greater matter, then to murther another, though he doe not vse the like cruelty in stabbing, and wounding of himselfe, which is oftēs vsed in the killing of others: So also to deceiue ones selfe (which is also a spirituall kinde of murther) is a greater deceite then to deceiue another. And so in this sense the deceitfulnesse of our hearts may be said to be aboue Sathans, because it deceiueth it selfe, though Sathan in his deceits bee farre more cunning, and wilie.
2. This amplifieth the deceit, when the person deceiuing is our familiar friend, one in whome wee repose speciall confidence. See Psalm. 55. 12. 13. So is it heete. Sathan is nothing so neere vsus, as our owne hearts, that are parts of our selues. Sathan is without vsus, and if we resist him by faith, hee flieth from vsus, but our hearts are within vsus, and though we resist neuer so much, yet this deceiuer still sticketh close vntounto vsus. So that Sathan sometimes leaues vsus for a season, and wee are not troubled with him, Luk. 4. 13.or his deceits. But our owne hearts, they neuer leaue vsus, they dogge, and follow vsus at all times, in all places, vponupon all occasions, still ready furnished with deceit to beguile vsus.
3. Our owne harts can deceiue vsus of themselues, without Sathan: Sathan cannot, without our harts. And therfore, in regard of vsus, our owne harts deceitfulnes is farre the greater, as that, which giueth Sathan all his aduantage against vsus. He could not deceiue our Sauiour, because there was no decceit in our Sauiours heart.
The vse. This must teach vsus to account of our selues as of our cheefest enemies we are to contend with, in this spirituall conflict. The Apostle stirres vp to watchfulnesse, and circumspection, by setting Eph. 6. 12.before vsus the strength of the Diuells, as being powers and principalities, farre stronger then flesh and bloud. But there by flesh and bloud the Apostle meaneth, not so much the corruption as the weakenesse of our nature. As if he should hauehave said, wee hauehave not onelyonly to conflict with weake, fraile men like our selues, that are but flesh and bloud, but with farre more powerfull and puissant aduersaries, namely the Diuels. For the corruption of our hearts is our greatest aduersarie, this corrupt heart of ours is deceitfull aboue all things, euen Sathan himselfe in some sort, as we hauehave shewed. And therefore wee must bend our forces against our selues as well as against Sathan: yea the way indeede to ouercome Sathan, is first to ouercome our selues: and we must Ita caue tibi vt caueas teipsum.so take heede to our selues, of other enemies, that we must also take heede of our selues, as enemies. A thing worth the noting it is, that the incestuous person deliuered vp to Sathan, did yet repent, and 1. Cor. 5. 5. 2. Cor. 2. 6 7.come out of Sathans power. But men once deliuered vp to themselues, the lusts and deceits of their owne hearts, are branded out in the Scripture, as men in a most fearefull and desperate case. Therefore Rom. 1. 24. Psal. 81. 12.Paul in his owne person describing the spirituall fight, and the aduersary a Christian is specially to incounter with, singles out the body of sinne, this naughty flesh. I fight not, saith the Apostle, as beating the aire, and seeing no aduersary, but I see my aduersarie, 1. Cor. 9. 29.and strike at him. And who may this aduersarie be? Hee tells vsus in the next words; I beate downe my body, that is, not this outward man, but the body of sinne, the masse of corruption, both in the soule, and in the body.
The second illustration is from the cause of this deceitfulnesse, 2. The cause of it.namely the wickednesse of our hearts. The heart, saith the Prophet is deceitfull aboue all things, and euill in; this latter clause, shewing the cause of that spoken in the former.
Heere two things are to be cleered. 1. What this illnesse of the hart is. 2. How it is a cause of the harts deceitfulnesse.
For the first; The heart is euill
1. Totallie
2. Originallie.
1. It is totally euill, and that two waies. First, the whole soule is in euill: And secondly whole euill is in the soule.
1. The whole soule is in euill, this gall of bitternesse hath imbittered, this leuen hath sowred, this leprosie hath infected, not this part, or that, but the whole, and eueryevery part. Euen from the vnderstanding, as it were the crowne of the head, to the affections, as it were the soales of the feete, there is nothing but boyles and botches. Whereof read a most liuely description, Ezek. 16. In our vnderstanding there is a very sea of ignorance, vncapable it is of things spirituall, and yet wise and witty in wickednesse. The conscience is full of blind feares, terrors, and torments, or else seared and senselesse. The memory slippery, and waterish to receiue and retaine any good impressions, but of a marble firmenesse, to hold fast that which is euill. The will pliable and obsequious to the Diuell, in his hands as waxe: but stiffe and hard as clay in Gods. The affections also are wholly disordered, peruersly setting themselues vponupon wrong obiects: in stead of bathing the sweete fountaines of liuing waters, they swinishly lye tumbling in filthy, and miry puddles. If in the eye there bee a beame of wickednesse, ô then the great stack that is in the hart! And if the tongue Si trabes in oculo, strues in corde.but the instrument of the heart, be such a worlde of wickednesse, an vnrulie euill; what then is the hart? The whole frame of our hearts is continually euill. O the rout and rabble of filthy, and impure thoughts that lurke in this dungeon. The temple it was once of the holy Ghost: but now, as it fareth with many materiall temples, which, as it is reported through couetousnesse of inclosiers, are become stables for horses, so this glorious temple is become a stinking stie, and stable of vncleane spirits, a cage of vnclean birds, a den of theeues, a receptacle of all manner of pollution.
II. All euill, the whole body of sinne, that is, he seedes, and spawnes euen of the vilest corruptions are in the heart of man. Naturally the best of vsus hauehave an inclinablenes euen to the most odious, and loathsome sinnes. As in that chaos at first creation there were the seedes of all the creatures, fire, aire, water, heauen, earth, so in mans heart of all sins. VponUpon which, let but the spirit of Sathan moue, as once the spirit of God vponupon the chaos, & with the warmth of his temptacions heat it, and no lesse ougly monsters will proceede out of our hearts, then did once goodly creatures out of that chaos. Hence it was, that those things which Dauid spake of certaine vile notorious wicked sinners, that their throat was an open sepulchre, the gall of aspes was vnderunder their tongue, &c. are applied by S. Paul to eueryevery mothers child of vsus. For there is neuer a barrell better herring. But as the holy prouerbe is, As in water, fare answereth to Pro. 27. 19.face, so doth the hart of man to man. The image of our face in the water is no more like our face it self, then our heart is like the heart euen of the vilest monster, that euer was. And when wee see such monsters in them, as in looking glasses, wee may see our selues, and the disposition of our owne soules. And thus we see how the heart is totally euill.
2. It is also originally euill. Euill did not begin first to pollute thy hand, thy eye, thy eare, or any of thy outward parts, but it began with thy hart to seat and nestle it selfe there, and from thence to diffuse, and scatter it poyson into the externall members. Out of the heart, saith our Sauiour, come murthers, adulteries, thefts, blasphemies, and such like stuffe; euen Mat. 15. 19.as the riuers out of the sea. This is the fountaine, from whence all the streames of corruption flowe, this is the wombe, in which all these monsters are conceiued, this is the shell, in which these cockatrices are hatched. Thus we see how we are to vnderstand this doctrine of the hearts wickednesse.
The vse. 1. Against the Papists, that do somthing lessen this wickednesse, and will hauehave some reliques of goodnesse to remaine, some freedome of will to apply it selfe to good. II. To teach vsus all true humiliation, in the sight of our owne naturall deformity. No outward ornaments should so lift vsus vp, as our inward filthines should take vsus downe. Art thou troubled with pride? J can prescribe thee no better remedy then to looke vponupon the face of thy heart in the glasse of the word. For there thou shalt see thy selfe such an ougly, nasty, forlorne, mishapen creature, that thou canst not chuse but grow out of louelove with thy selfe. It is thy ignorance that maketh thee so proud. If thou knewest thy selfe what thou wert, and haddest eies to see this sinke▪hole, and what a deale of baggage passeth daily through it, thou wouldest be ashamed of thy selfe. God is a God of pure eies, and cannot take any pleasure in euill: And wilt thou then take any pleasure in thy selfe being euill, and nought but euill, yea beeing but a very stinking dunghill of euill? Whatsoeuer thy outside may be, be it neuer so faire, thy inside is nought; thou art but like one of the Aegyptian temples, very glorious and beautifull without, but enter in, and nothing to bee seene, but a serpent, or some such venemous creature. Such litters and swarmes are there in our hearts of vaine, vile, base, filthy, and dishonourable thoughts, affections, desires. Very thorough-faires are they for Sathans impure suggestions to walke vp & downe in; in regard of murtherous and malitious thoughts, very slaughter houses; in regard of vncleane lusts very stewes and brothel-houses; in regard of the heat of boyling concupiscence, very hotte houses, and as the Prophet speaketh, like a bakers ouen. Shall any Hosea 7. 4.now bragge of his owne good nature, or crake with the Pharisee, that hee is not so badde as other men, he is no extortioner, or oppressor, &c. Yes, thou blind and boasting Pharisee, thou hast the seedes of extortion, and oppression in thee, yea, and of all other sinnes besides. And these would breake forth in thee, did not God by his wise and powerfull prouidence restraine thy corruption. By nature, the best, the mildest, and meekest man is a very tiger and Lion. And wouldest thou account that Lion to be of a better nature, then his fellowes, who therefore does no hurt as they doe, because hee is not loose as they are, but chained vp? Where Gods renewing grace hath not changed our nature, it is onelyonly the powerfull restraint of his prouidence, which keepeth men from the very outrage of villany. Shall we then be proud, because wee are free from those offences, into which others breake forth, and thinke wee are made of some better mould? nay our nature is as vntoward, and as deeply poysoned with rebellion as theirs. Therefore rather should we be humbled in seeing them. For, as was shewed, in them wee may see our selues what we are. Peraduenture thou hast some good parts of wit, memory, &c. to commend thee. Yet for all these, thy heart is euill, yea, without a spirituall change, so much the worse, by how much these parts are the better. Euen as the more fruitfull the soyle is, so much the more will it abound with thistles, vnlesse it be tilled. And the Lord knoweth 1 Cor. 3. 20 expounded.the thoughts of the wise, [that is, such as excell in in natural gifts, that are the choysest and most picked men; euen the very flowre of the rest] that they are vaine.
III. Heere parents, and al they who stand charged with the education of youth, must remember their dutie. The heart of man in generall, the heart of all mankinde, is strangely, and strongly wicked. Euen in the heart of a young childe, as Salomon saies, Pro. 22. 15.there is a bundell, and packe of folly laid vp. And as Moses saies, the thoughts of mans heart are euill euen Gen 9. 21from his childhood. This corruption then of nature must be subdued betimes, else it will grow to that head, that it will be incurable. Looke what skill, & dexterity is required to tame a wild beast, which had need bee gone about very earely, whiles it is but a little whelpe, the same, nay far greater is required to tame and meeken this wild, this woluish, and lionish nature of ours, that it may become tractable to Gods hand.
IV. This serues to take away the excuse which is so rife in the mouthes of many, that when they swear speake vainely or do otherwise amisse, yet they hauehave as good hearts as the best. What is the reason then they hauehave so bad tongues? Out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. When I see the smoake comming out at the top of the chimney, sure I am there is some fire on the hearth. When the flouds of corruptiō come gushing out at thy eies, ears, hands, mouth, there must needes be a fountaine within in thy heart. For it is the heart that is originally euill. And therefore excellently Salomon, hauing described the wickednesse of some mens eies, mouthes, feete, hands, at last, giuing the reason thereof, saies, Lewd things are in his heart. And in another place, hauing said, the thoughts of the wicked are abhomination Pro. 6. 12. 13. 14 Pro. 15. 26.to the Lord; he addeth by way of opposition but the wordes of the pure are pleasant. The opposition seemed rather to require that he should hauehave saide, But the thoughts. But by this kind of opposition Salomon would teach, that the wordes of our mouthes are according to the thoughts of our hearts. And therefore it is idle to talke of a clean hart, when thou hast a foule mouth.
V. This teacheth vsus a right method in the practise of repentance. That must first bee reformed, which was first deformed. Now as we hauehave shewed the heart is originally euill, that is, the treasury and store-house of wickednesse. Therefore the first thing in repentance, must be the rinsing and cleansing of the heart. If sinne had begunne in thy outward man, then should thy reformation also. But Eues heart was poysoned before her eye. And therefore I do not so well like their aduise, that wish men in repentance to beginne with outward abstinence from sinne, as the easier, and so by degrees to come to the inward mortification of it. Hee were an vnskilfull Physition, that when the headach is caused by the distemperature of the stomack, would apply outward remedies to the head, before hee had purged the stomacke, where lies the matter that feedes the disease. The heart as our Sauiour teacheth, is an euill treasurie, surcharged with the superfluities of al wickednesse, and hence flowes corruption, and hath a continuall eruption in the outward man. So that it is impossible, the outward man, or actions thereof should bee reformed, as long as the heart remaines vnpurged. Things in themselues good, comming yet from an vncleane heart, are naught. Therefore Salomon excellently saies, that not onelyonly the pride of Pro. 21. 4. opened.wicked mens eies, and hearts, but euen their very plowing, that is, whatsoeuer they do in things lawful as eating, drinking, sleeping, yea in the seruice of God, is sinne. Listen we then rather to the Prophets counsell, O Ierusalem wash thine heart, and to the Apostles, Cleanse your harts you sinners. Let none think Ier. 4. 14. Iames. 4.they are reformed enough when they hauehave brought their outward man to some ciuill conformitie, their hearts yet inwardly swelling againe, til they are ready to burst with aboundance of euill, and noysome lusts. No, the heart, as it is the fountaine of this naturall life, and as at first it was the fountaine o… a sinfull life: so also must it be the fountaine of a spirituall life; that as in the motion of the primum mobile in the heauens, all the inferiour spheres are mooued together with it: so heere the heart being spiritually moued by the holy Ghost, in the worke of conuersion, al our outward parts may moue together with it; eueryevery one of them receiuing from it, as frō a good tresury, their seuerall portions of goodnes, Mat. 12. Pro. 4.
So much for the first point, what this wickednesse is. The second is, that this wickednesse of the heart is the cause of this deceitfulnesse: which is the meaning of the Prophets coniunction of wickednesse with deceitfulnesse, in this place. For this propertie of deceitfulnesse is by the Apostle giuen to sinne: and so our hearts come to be deceitfull, as they are Heb. 3. 13.defiled with sinne. For sinne blinds the minde, and and so makes it easie to be deceiued, and to mistake. We see how easily blinde Isaack mistooke the younger sonne, for the elder. As easily are our blind harts deceiued, mistaking the motions of the flesh for the spirit, suggestions of Sathan for the voice of the holy Ghost, pretences and colours of zeale, for true, & naturall zeale, &c. Thereafter therefore as sinne is more or lesse in the heart, so is deceit. The most godly men, by reason they are not wholly free from sinne, hauehave also experience of this deceitfulnesse. But the deceitfulnesse of wicked mens hearts is farre greater, by reason that sinne in them is farre greater euen in his full strength, and vigor: but in the godly sinne is as it were wounded in the head, and crazed in the braine, and so lesse able to deceiue. The scripture calls sinne in the godly the old man. Now olde men that are ready to dote for age are twice children, and hauehave no great store of craft.
This must teach vsus, as we desire in the profession Vse. 1 of religion, not to be deceiued by our owne hearts, so to purge, to rinse, and renew them daily by repentance, not suffering the least sinne to bee harboured there. For if we hauehave an euill heart, affecting and nourishing but any one sinne, this heart will deceiue vsus in the end, whatsoeuer be our profession of religion. Iudas may be an example to vsus. His hart was an euill hart, a couetous hart, euen in the greatest heat of his following Christ, and preaching the worde. Therefore also it proued a deceitfull hart, and at last betrayed him into the hands of that fearefull sin of betraying his Master. Neither is there any other reason why those forward, and feruent ones in the parable of the stony ground fall away, but the want of a good and honest heart, which onelyonly they that are figured by the last kind of ground, hauehave. For as an honest man will not deceiue another, with whom, so neither wil an honest hart deceiue the man himselfe, in whom it is. This was the reason that Pharaoh, and other their fits of godlinesse did not last, because there was no true change of their naughty, and corrupt hearts. Remember wee then the Apostles warning, Take heede least there bee in you an euill Heb, 3, 12.heart to depart away from the liuing God. Where there is an vnsound heart, there will be Apostacie in the end, whatsoeuer showes be made. For an euil hart is alwaies a deceitfull heart.
Again this must further teach vsus not to trust them in whom wee doe discerne an euil and vnsound hart, let their outward shows be neuer so glorious. For an euill heart will deceiue the man himselfe in whome it is, much more will it deceiue others. How now can any man safely repose any confidence in an vnregenerate friend, or seruant, whose hearts are euill, and vnrenewed, though otherwise neuer so ciuilly honest? What assurance can I hauehave of him, that hath none of himselfe? Or how should I thinke hee will not deceiue me, who in the end must needes deceiue himselfe?