hate sin and make it self beleeve it doth hate sin all manner of sin it s own beloved sin its inmost sins most and yet all this while hugg cherish imbrace enjoy them unseen unknown to it self it can kisse sin and suck the sweetness of sin even in those very prayers it seems to put up against sin and of that very sin which it seems in its own spirit to be most fearfull of and most bent against It can feed sin with that stroke which it seems to give to it to mortifie and stab it It can seem to be zealous for God for the advancement of his glory for the good of man in generall and more particularly for the people of God big with motions and designes this way and in the mean time hate God his glory yea hate man and the people of God and in those very designes and motions endeavour the throwing of them all down and all this so unknown to it self that it would think you did it the greatest injurie in the world to conceive so of it nay it should be injurious to it self if it should suspect any such thing concerning it self Here is a deceiver indeed other deceivers cosen others and they are very exact in deceit that can cosen all others but the heart can cosen it self at any time or in any thing it pleases and so cosen it self too that it is impossible to suspect deceit in that thing wherein it cosens it self The heart is indeed deceitfull above all things 2. The extream wickednesse of it and desperatly wicked it is as wicked as it is deceitfull as filthy within as finely painted without It is not for nothing that it hath this large cloak of sin but it has within proportionable wickednesse to cover with it There is a Fountaine a Sea an Ocean of wickedness and of the worst kind the intensest kind desperate wickedness The sinne that appeares abroad in the world is but some drops some rivolets of that that is in the heart nay it is hardly of the same kind The evill that appeares in the World it is modest rationall lovely in comparison of that which is in the heart that there is a more mad a more desperate kind of wickednesse that Uncleanness that Pride that Cruelty that Enmity that Rebellion against God that Blasphemy that makes such a noise in the world Alas it is a poore peece of wickednesse to that which is in thine and my heart If our hearts were opened and compared with such outward actings of those persons we now think very abominable Alas they would be Saints in respect of us the sight of such a depth of desperate wickednesse would swallow up a little shallow breakings forth of it 3. The vniversall ignorance of man concerning his heart nay the impossibility of any ones knowing it Who can know it Such a question according to the common rule of Interpretation is a strong negation more forcible then if it had been barely thus expressed No man can know it Who can know it Every man thinks he knows his heart charge him with any thing how confidently will he go to purge himselfe of it as if he were absolutely certain it were not in him But his heart deceives him about the knowledge of it self as well as about other things for he doth not he cannot know it He may take a great deal of pains to search and examin it he may have some experience of some evill in it some guesses at more but the knowledge of the evill of it he has not Man is not capable of knowing his own heart it is too bigg for him to comprehend too vaste too deep for his shallow brains to receve the knowledg of The light of Religion may shew him much evill in it and make him sensible that there is much more but distinctly to shew it him all the light of Religion that I have tasted of or heard of cannot attain to At sometime I have had some astonishing sights of a depth of pride unbelief covetousness hypocrisie c. but distinctly to discern or measure that depth hath still been too hard for me when the light was clearest and fullest And here I am told t is not my condition alone but the condition of others also yea of all men Who can know it 4. The worke that God is continually about in reference to the heart of man I the Lord search the heart I try the reines Would you know what God is continually doing in the World why he is searching the heart and trying the reines No man can do it He can and does He has a bucket that he can let down into this great deep and bring up what kind of filth of it he pleases and poure it forth in the sight of the Sun This is the work God hath alwaies been about-Look into the Scripture what is it but Gods discovery of mans heart a record of Gods searching the heart and trying the reines It is mans work to hide and cover his heart to lay all his loathsomness deep and remove it as far out of the sight of himself and others as possibly may be It is Gods work to search out his filth to fetch it up out of this dark depth and set it in order before his and others eyes And what a man may seem most free from and think himself wholly mortifitified unto God chuses to draw forth and discover to him and others Drunkenness out of temperate Noah Incest out of chaste Lot Unbeliefe out of faithfull Abraham Rigid sharpnesse out of meek Moses Impatience and curses out of patient and blessing Job Pride out of newly broken and humbled Hezekiah And I have often found that what evill I have dis-relished in others and thought God might justly be meeet with them for it was soon after opened and let loose in mine own heart This deserves serious consideration for as it is the work God is alwaies about so he seems now more especially to apply himself to it he hath gone very far in it he hath so opened this sink in all sorts of men in every man that every man is become abominable I had almost said to all but himself and his own party I the Lord search the heart I try the reines My intention at present is only to treat a little concerning the second of these the desperate wickedness of of mans heart wherein there may also be a further touch given about the deceitfulness of it too it being a part of its wickedness as well as cloak for all the rest The heart is desperately wicked This is his testimony of it who tries and knows it I might mention other Scriptures also which speak to the same purpose as that in Eccles. 9. 3. The heart of the sons of men is full of evill and madnesse is in their heart while they live He speaks not concerning one mans heart but generally concerning every mans the heart of the sons of men and
couples evill and them altogether Nor doth he speak restrainedly concerning some kind of evill but indefinitely taking in all manner of evill there is nothing that is called evill but is to be found in the heart of man Neither is there onely a spice or tang of some kind nay of every kinde of evill but every mans heart is full of all manner of evill The heart is a very vast thing but as vast as it is it is full and that of evill has as much evill in it as it can hold And madness is in their heart while they live Madness is the greatest distemper that can befall man it quite unmans the man takes away his reason or rather poysons it that it becomes no way profitable to him but a strong engine to entangle him and the greater and stronger his reason is the more is he bound in the fetters of his distemper and the less able to help himself There are three known properties of madness of mad men Misehievousness especially to themselves they care not how they cut and would themselves Insensibleness they feel not the smart of blows And Wilfulness there is no perswading of them to any thing least of all to any thing that is good for themselves This is the true picture the resemblance of every man he is mad what others appear to him to be in a shadow he himself is in truth a mad man a man destitute of his true reason that which is left is no more profitable to him then that is in him whom he calls the mad man He hath all the properties of madness He is mischievous to himself cuts flashes wounds his soul unmercifully He is insensible insensible of the wounds he gives himself insensible of the afflictions God lays upon him He is wilful there 's no perswading him to any thing but what agrees with his madness you cannot displease him more then to offer him Physick nor torment him more then force him to take it And when God doth force any upon him and cause it to work how doth he roar and cry out as if the healing of his madness were the loss of his happiness Nor doth this madness lie in some of his motions but in his heart where it keeps possession all the days of his life And madness is in their heart while they live while man lives while man hath an heart of his own this madness lies in it when he dyes and has a new heart given him that heart is free from it So that well known place Mat. 15. 19. Out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts murders adulteries fornications thefts false witness blasphemies What a bundle of wickedness is here that proceeds out of the heart and therefore has its place and residence in the heart To illustrate this further I shall instance in some of the more common sort of Wickednesses which lodg in the heart and contribute somewhat towards the filling of it as particularly in these Pride Covetousness Envy Unrighteousness Enmity Cruelty Unbelief Hypocrisie I. Pride Pride is a desperate Evil it puts every thing out of its place thrusts down what is excellent lifts up what is base and vile sets all things in a combustion and contention What is the reason there is so much trouble and disorder every where but because there is so much pride which is still begetting heightning and nourishing them Now the heart of man abounds with this desperate Pride Pride chiefly acts and discovers it self in three things in high conceits of Self in great desires and vehement endeavors to exalt and set up Self and all these are in every man there is no man though perhaps most think otherwise concerning themselves free from such conceits from such desires from such endeavors 1. Every man is highly conceited of himself of what he is of what he does of what he deserves There is none so uncomely but they are lovely in their own eyes none so foolish but they think themselves wise every man admires his own parts his own abilities his own gifts every Christian so far as he is a man his own graces and he is not set high enough thinks himself he is qualified for higher employments in Chruch in Common-weal then he is put to Then for his Actions how highly does he think of them also What ever he does is well done Seldom does a man do anything so ill that he does not justifie himself in in some respect or other Is he angry He has just cause Does he any wrong He was justly provoked it was not injury but that which the party deserved His good actions are exceeding good his bad he was drawn to incited to tempted to they did not flow from himself He hath still somewhat before him to make himself and his own actions lovely to him and to take off that unloveliness which any else may fasten upon them Lastly For his desires He values them too according to the rate he sets upon himself and upon his actions He thinks he deserves highly of men of Christians for all he does for them and among them He is never prized by any according to his worth his friends do not value him enough Church Common-weal where ever his service is it is not sufficiently esteemed or rewarded These are the thoughts that lie hid in every mans heart concerning himself and at sometimes break forth so into his view that he must needs shut his eyes or acknowledg them 2. Man has great desires to set up himself 't is almost if not altogether the sole of his desires to please himself to have every thing subject to himself to be esteemed honored and made use of himself to have his abilities employed commended rewarded this is the very heart of the man this is that every man pants after and would fain possess 3. He uses great endeavors too to attain this He will run through all difficulties use all diligence venture all hazards and dangers to satisfie himself to please himself What cost will a man be at to set up his own will How many contentions are dangerously begun and chargeably maintained meerly to humour a mans own will When Reason Judgment nay sense of smart says Let them fall No says Will I will rather loose all first and this alone many times continues them What pains will a man take to maintain his own wisdom He will rather lay his folly open by multitudes of vain excuses then suffer a blemish of indiscretion to lie upon him How eagerly does he maintain the excellency of that which he commends the worthlesness of that which he dispraises This is that every man strives for to have his will the rule his wisdom the Counsellor if any thing be amiss he would have had it otherwise if anything prove amiss it was because his advice was not followed All a mans thoughts reasonings discourses beating of his brains were he able to see it tend this way either directly to advance somewhat that hath
one of them is in him at least in any such degree as is spoken of so deeply doth his heart deceive him For Pride He is not so lift up in his spirit as was expressed He has not any high conceits of himself or of his own parts or abilities or graces he sees others go beyond him And he has no such desires in him to be exalted nay he would not be to high nor does he use endeavours that way he takes no pains at all to lift up himself or to have himself exalted For Covetousness It is far from him too he does not rake and scrape as he sees many others do but he is very well contented with what he has Is it not a strange thing yet very common The most wretchedly covetous persons can see and cry out against Covetousness in others but they themselves seem to themselves free of it and all that they do in this kind is no more then they ought or at least are warranted to do For Envy He envies no man perhaps he will confess he wishes it were somewhat better with himself but yet he is not offended or grieved at the prosperity of any other So for Unrighteousness He is far from that he will rather wrong himself then any one else And for Enmity He bears ill will to none forgives all the world with all his heart As touching Cruelty God forbid he should be so wicked as to be cruel to any Is thy servant a dog said Hazael when the Prophet told him weeping what cruelty he would exercise in ripping up women with child c. He could not harbor a thought of any such barbarism lying within him Unbelief likewise which uses to discover it self both in a mans spirit withdrawing from a naked depending on God and in running to other things for support and relief is exceedingly hid in the heart from the man so that he cannot see or acknowledg it unless in the lump which the heart in a secret craft may do to hide the branches of it the more securely There is a notable example concerning the deceit of the heart about the unbelief of it in the coherence of this Verse with the former The Prophet had pronounced a curse from the Lord upon the unbeleeving heart Verse 5. Thus saith the Lord Cursed is the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departeth from the Lord And had also proclaimed the beleever blessed Vers. 7. 8. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is for he shall be as a tree planted by the waters c. What now would this people say to him who were always running to other means and departing from the Lord but yet could never be convinced thereof Why surely they would presently be blessing themselves they would look upon the Gentiles who did not know God nor trust God as the persons to whom this curse did belong but as for themselves they were heirs of this blessing Their hearts could witness within them that their trust was not in men indeed they did address themselves to men sometimes for help as means under God so they might make use of the Egyptians or Assyrians in such a sense but they did not trust them their only trust was in God Ah says the Prophet the heart is deceitful above all things Little do you know how your hearts cozen you you still think you only use means under God and your trust is alone in him whereas in truth your heart departs from him you dare not you cannot trust him in any distress looking it in the face and not shrinking back but your heart is raised or dejected according as the means and helps it hath recourse to appear unto it So exceeding deep is the hypocrisie of the heart that man can never beleeve what is in him until he see it break forth from him and long may it break forth from him before he can be drawn to see it very palpable must that evil be which mans heart cannot at least in some measure shift off from it self Thus thou hast had a little glimmering of the grosser part of thy self which Self is the strange woman that flattereth thee with her lips alluring thee from the chaste and pure embraces of thy first love into her unclean bed But should I track her in her more refined footsteps and motions in her several dresses attires ornaments paintings shew thee her covered here with a sweet meek disposition with modesty wth learning with a natural nobleness of spirit with all the excellencies of nature covered there with all the excellencies of Religion crept into every form of holiness that is visible in the world into all duties into all graces into all spiritual motions into fasting prayer beleeving waiting love joy peace sorrow for sin humility patience c. what wouldst thou say What wouldst thou think How wouldst thou stand amazed And yet is she not now thus laid open to the sight of every observing eye and espied under all these by them that watch her She was clothed with Civility with Morality with Generosity adorned with the choicest flowers of nature learning art in the Kings party so finely guilded and painted with nobleness and bravery that her worth seemed to be real and truly excellent But how base did Selfbreak forth and appear under all these and put off these at pleasure What base unworthy actings unbeseeming men of honor or ingenuity did Self put those noble spirits upon She was clothed with Religion the Reformation thereof and regaining of just Rights and Liberties and setting up a perfect Administration of Righteousness in the Parliaments party a brave attire very lovely apparel but did not Self too apparently lie underneath it Did not this appear to be the dress of Self which she made use of and threw off at pleasure She was clothed with several of the highest and most beautiful forms of Religion in the Army with a flaming zeal of setting open the fountain and all the channels of Righteousness possessing every man with a present enjoyment of those Rights and Liberties which others had under pretence of preserving defrauded them of Sure here is integrity here is the naked Glory of God and good of the Nation springing up Who would think to find Self lie lurking close here too Nay it is commonly reported that this Harlot is crept into Churches Ordinances Religious Exercises into Fastings Prayers Preachings Morning Exercises where Self-advancement Self-interests Self-ends Self-designs smell so strong that they are offensive to all but such as are engaged in them Blush oh Heavens and be astonished oh Earth how are ye both stripped There 's no vertue nor strength left in either of you Natural Excellencies have now no power to keep Self under in the earth among men but there she gets up and will be Mistress Neither have spiritual excellencies any power to keep her under among Christians but there she
lifts her self up as a Queen also What Christ saith is to little purpose what Self saith is become now the Law to Christians If she sow the seeds of enmity and division among them it must grow and the seed of Love which Christ sows must be nipped Though Christ say This is my Commandment that ye love one another as I have loved you Yet if Self say This is my Commandment that ye hare one another that ye stir up hatred against one another that though other men would agree and be at peace yet ye lay about you and keep up War and bloodshed for your own ends and interests while Self is Mistress it must be so her Law must stand But I find my spirit growing weary of this subject there is another part that I would fain be vievving of and digging into and I am apt to groan out oh that this were shut and that opened or rather that this were burnt and consumed and that fourbished and brightened I shall therefore only propose some few Considerations by way of Consequence from the Premises and so conclude The heart is desperately wicked Then 1. See what all is and must needs be that flows from the man from such a bitter fountain what can proceed but it must be bitter If the root be so bad all the branches and fruit must needs be nought All the thoughts words and actions of man what are they surely as they come from his heart so they cannot but be like his heart polluted unclean filthy noisom offensive to every pure eye to every pure taste to every pure nostril He that hath a pure eye a pure pallate a pure nostril cannot endure the sight the relish the scent of any thing of man And this is the Judgment that God who knows what they are passes concerning them concerning all that flows from man all his thoughts all his words all his actions He passes this judgment upon his thoughts Gen. 6. 5. And 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 continually What ever man thinks of his thought is evil If he think concerning God or man or himself if he think to please himself if he think to cross himself to deny himself to worship God to please God to subject himself to the will of God yet if this flows from the man it must needs be evil the root being so corrupt The purity of the object and the seeming integrity of the action cannot take off the impurity which goes from the heart into every motion and thought of it There are some kind of thoughts malicious thoughts cruel thoughts passionate thoughts covetous thoughts unclean thoughts such as these man will easily yield to be evil but that his holy thoughts his religious thoughts his Meditations on God his goodness his providence his thoughts of Reformation of suppressing evil in others and searching and purging it out of his own heart also that these should be evil what man does or can suspect yet this sentence God passes on all his thoughts Nay though he do not go so far as a thought if he do but imagine in any kind the very forming of a thought in him the very first motion of a desire before it and the object can meet this is evil the least the weakest motion of the heart has strength enough of evil in it And this is not only in some imagination when his heart is framing some notorious wicked thing but in every imagination what ever thought his heart is framing the heart is evil and the thought is evil and the passage between the heart thought is evil And it is only evil it is not mixed with evil but it is all evil nothing but evil it has not only a tincture of evil going along with it a savour of corruption sticking to it but it is all corrupt Nor is it only thus sometimes or now and then but continually all the time of man in all the several shapes and changes he appears in of civility morality Religion shifting out of one into another still it is thus with him still of this nature are his thoughts his imaginations day and night winter and summer seed time and harvest His imaginations are not only evil in the night in the dark time of his ignorance but in the day in his brightest time in the time of his clearest light and knowledg they are not only evil in the Winter in time of adversity while he is under sharp storms of afflictions under distempers and oppressions of the outward or inward man but in the Summer too in the time of his prosperity when he thrives either outwardly or in his spirit they are not only evil in his sad seed time where he meets with much trouble temptation and interruption but in his harvest when he brings in his crop of peace joy rest comfort Continually continually in every state in every condition in every change evil and only evil is every imagination of the thoughts of his heart His words are evil too they come from the same root Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks they are unclean for they defile the man that which comes out of the man defiles the man So also are his actions all his actions his very best his praying his hearing his repenting his beleeving c. they are unclean Prov. 25. 27. The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination how much more when he bringing it with a wicked mind The wicked here is the person in whom this evil heart is we look upon him as wicked whose life is evil in our eyes but God looks upon him as wicked whose heart is evil in his eyes The sacrifice of this wicked person is his worshipping God his serving God in the way of his own appointment his praying hearing meditating c. now this is abomination that which God loaths his very soul abhors that which he himself would loath if he had but eyes to see into it How much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind It may be made more loathsom by corrupt ends and desires gathering into his mind in the performance of it but however it is loathsom When he does it with never so pure an intention to honor God when he fasts and prays meerly to abase his spirit and lay it low before God yet then it is loathsom though much more loathsom when he does it with a wicked mind when he fasts and prays intentionally to smite with the fist of wickedness to set up his own ends and designs and beat down other parties and interests that stand in the way of it 2. Take notice what a just ground there is why God should deal sharply with us why he should chide and fight with any of us why he should so contend with the man in us Oh there is a desperate root of wickedness in us all Can you