BY REV. ARCHIBALD ALEXANDER, Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.A.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.”
Jeremiah 17: 9.
THESE words do not describe the moral condition of any particular man, or of any one nation, but are spoken generally of human kind. The meaning is the same as if it had been said, every heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Not that all men are in practice equally wicked; or that, in fact, all hearts are equally deceitful; for there is a progress in sin to which no limits can be assigned. When, therefore, it is asserted that all men are totally depraved, the meaning is not, that all are as depraved as they can be, but that even before moral acts commence, there is in all men an utter destitution of all righteousness. As to original sin, all men stand on the same level. All are destitute of any true love to God, “The carnal mind is enmity against God.” By nature we are all “dead in sin,” and “children of wrath, even as others.”
We learn from the example of Paul, in the third chapter of Romans, that the declarations in the Old Testament respecting the character and sinful state of mankind, are applicable to all men, in all ages. And even those traits of moral character, which, when exhibited, have particular reference to the Jewish people, are applicable to other nations. And this rule of interpretation depends on two principles: first, that human nature is essentially the same in all ages and among all people; and, secondly, that the sacred Scriptures were written for the instruction of people at all times. The words of our text, however, are free from all objection arising from a special reference to any man or nation; they contain a general proposition, which is as true and as applicable in our age as in another.
This sermon has been reprinted from that excellent series “Inheritance of Our Fathers” (Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.A.). It is peculiarly appropriate when God has exposed to the world the sickening horrors committed by men and women belonging to a nation that boasted in its culture and refinement.—Editor.
Let a man be as devout as is possible for the law and the holiness of the law. Yet if the principles from which he acts be but the habit of soul, the purity, as he feigns, of his own nature—principles of natural reason, or the dictates of human nature; all this is nothing else but the old gentleman in his holiday clothes; the old heart, the old spirit, the spirit of man, not of Christ is here.—John Bunyan.
There are two qualities ascribed here to the human heart, and both in the superlative degree, viz., deceitfulness, exceeding that of every other thing; and desperate or deadly wickedness—wickedness, incurable by any human means.
That is properly called deceitful which presents objects in a false light, or leads to a misconception of the nature of things within us and around us. And that is properly called deceitful, which conceals its own true character, and assumes the appearance of what it is not.
- One of the ways in which the deceitfulness of the heart manifests itself is in its tendency to blind the understanding in regard to religious truth. It is certainly a matter of primary importance, that our views of the doctrines and precepts of religion be correct. True religion is distinguished from superstition on the one side, and enthusiasm on the other, by this, above every other criterion, that it is founded in just intellectual conceptions of the great truths of divine revelation. All pure and holy affections towards God, in which the very essence of religion consists must be excited by correct views of the divine attributes; and all good conduct proceeds from good motives or pure affections. To have the mind darkened with ignorance, or perverted by error, is inconsistent with the exercise of holiness, or the practice of true virtue. Evidence is always on the side of truth; but that evidence may be overlooked, or so distorted, that the truth may not be perceived, and instead of it error may be embraced and defended as truth. The reason why the minds of men reject the truth is, the depravity of the heart. “This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light. A deceived heart hath turned them aside.” The grossest errors of idolaters are traced by the apostle Paul, to a wrong state of heart. “When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, but became vain in their imaginations.” And it is a principle in the government of God, that men who love not the truth, and deliberately turn away from it, are given up to judicial blindness, and to the dominion of sin. So, when the conduct of the heathen is described by Paul, and their voluntary attachment to idolatry in preference to the worship of the true God, he adds, “Therefore, God gave them up to uncleanness.” And in another place he says, “Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Infidelity, and every species of dangerous error, may be traced to the deceitfulness of the heart. If men possessed good and honest hearts, they would search diligently for the truth, and would be disposed to judge impartially of its evidence; and, as was said, evidence being on the side of truth, and the truth congenial with the moral feelings of the upright mind, it would always be embraced. Atheism itself is a disease rather of the heart than of the head. And idolatry, which darkens with its portentous shadows a large portion of our globe, owes its origin to the deceitfulness and wickedness of the human heart. It was not for want of evidence that men apostatized from the worship of the true God to idolatry; “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. Because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
The influence which the dispositions of the heart have on the judgments of the understanding, to pervert them, is a matter of daily observation. The connection between truth and holiness is so intimate, and also between error and sin, that even in minor deviations from the true doctrine, if we could trace it, we should find that every obliquity of this kind produced a corresponding effect on the moral character of the person.
- Again, the exceeding deceitfulness of the heart appears in the delusive promises of pleasure, which it makes, in the indulgence of sinful desires. This illusion probably arises from an original principle of our constitution. Had man continued upright, this expectation of pleasure would never be disappointed. For then the supreme affections were fixed on God, in whom there is an infinite fulness to satisfy the desires of every creature. But now, when the heart is turned away from God, and the supreme love of the heart placed on the creature, it is no wonder that continual disappointment of our expectations of happiness in the indulgence of our desires is experienced. This is so uniformly the fact, that it is a common remark, that men enjoy more pleasure in the pursuit of the objects of the world, than in their possession. This delusion of pleasure in prospect, particularly affects the young. With them experience is wanting, which serves to correct this error of the imagination. Men, when disappointed in one pursuit, commonly turn with unabated ardour to another: or they attribute their want of enjoyment to some wrong cause, and still press on in the fond expectation of realizing their hopes in some other pursuit. Vain expectation! They are deluded by an unsubstantial image which will for ever keep at the same distance before them, and constantly elude their ardent hopes. The experience of all who have gone before, testifying that all results in vanity and vexation of spirit in the possession of earthly good, has no effect to communicate wisdom to those who come after them. The young generation run off in the mad career with as sanguine hopes of happiness, as if no one had ever been disappointed. And in this matter, the world does not become wiser by growing older.
There is another deception of the heart which has relation to the indulgence of natural desires. The person may be apprehensive at first, from former experience, that some evil to soul or body may arise from unlawful indulgence. A pause is produced, and hesitation is felt; but appetite, when strong, pleads for indulgence, and is fruitful in pleas; among which none is more false and deceitful, than that if gratified in this instance, it will never crave indulgence any more. And this false promise often prevails with the vacillating sinner; and he plunges into the gulf, which is open to receive him. For the former deception of the imagination, prior to experience, there seemed to be some plausible pretext; but for this, there is not the shadow of a reason. That any desire or appetite should be eradicated by indulgence, is contrary to all experience. It is a law of our nature, obvious to all, that every affection is strengthened by exercise, and every appetite becomes stronger by being freely gratified. Yet this deceitful plea is made again and again, “Yield but in this one instance, and you shall never be solicited again.” After this single indulgence, says the craving appetite, you may be for ever obedient to the dictates of conscience.
Under the influence of an evil heart, every thing appears in false colors. Not only does error assume the garb of truth, but piety itself is made to appear odious. Indeed, there is nothing upon earth, which the carnal mind hates so truly as holiness. But as that which appears good cannot be hated, one art of the deceitful heart is, to misrepresent the true nature of piety and devotion. The fairest face when caricatured, becomes defamed, and appears ludicrous. Wicked men are accustomed always to caricature religion, that they may laugh at it, and despise it.
One thing which assists very much in leading to this result is, the employment of deceptive terms. Men are very much governed by words. Call any man, however dignified and excellent, by some name, associated with the ludicrous and contemptible, and you will never think of him but with ridicule or contempt. Thus men of the world are accustomed to call true religion by the names of enthusiasm, fanaticism, superstition, bigotry, or hypocrisy. Now, as all these are odious things, the application of these names to the best thing in the world, has the effect of blinding the minds of those who use these terms; so that, though in their sober judgment, they cannot but know that religion is necessary and excellent in its nature; yet, by means of this trick of the deceitful heart, they come by degrees to despise or condemn every profession and appearance of religion.
And this result is more effectually produced by false reasoning; as when, from one instance of manifest hypocrisy, the inference is drawn that all professors of religion are hypocrites; or when, from one false step in a good man, it is concluded, that all his actions have proceeded from impure motives. The deceitful heart not only suffers such reasonings to pass, but sanctions them as though these were the legitimate conclusions of the soundest logic.
By the same abuse of words and sophistical reasoning, vice is often dressed up in the habiliments of virtue; and the foulest passions of our nature are dignified with names importing a virtuous or innocent feeling. Thus revenge which prompts a man to imbrue his hands in the heart’s blood of a friend, for an inadvertent word, or some other trifling offence, is denominated honour; and the guilty murderer, reeking with a brother’s blood, is received into the society of the world as an honorable, though it may be thought, an unfortunate man.
Pride seems now scarcely to seek the disguise of another name. All that is required is some epithet, such as an honest pride; such prides as leads a man to respect himself. Sometimes, indeed, bad words are used in a good sense; thus the words pride and ambition, though properly expressive of evil passions, are frequently employed to signify feelings which are not blamable; but this is a dangerous practice. It brings virtue and vice too near together, and obscures and perplexes the boundaries which separate them. A woe is denounced against those who thus attempt to confound good and evil. “Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; and put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.”
The deceitfulness of the heart is also exceedingly manifest in the false pretensions which it makes, and the delusive appearances which it assumes. And this deceitfulness not only imposes upon others, but upon the person himself. Under this delusion, men persuade themselves that they are not wicked, but that their hearts are good. Their virtues, or semblance of virtues, are magnified, when seen through the false medium of self-love; and their vices are so diminished, that they are either not seen, or appear as mere peccadilloes, scarcely deserving notice.
Such persons are also deceived as to their own wisdom. They are described by the pen of inspiration, as “wise in their own conceit.” They think that they know much, when in truth, “they know nothing yet as they ought to know.” And such a blinding influence has the deceitful heart on many, that they imagine that they possess virtues or qualities worthy of admiration, which all their acquaintances know they are utterly destitute of. This is the case with boasters, and vain braggarts. But the most dangerous form of this deceit, is when persons, never converted or renewed, are induced to believe that they are saints. They even esteem themselves superior to those who are truly pious, and make a flaming profession of religion before the world, while pride, covetousness, lust, or envy, are predominant in their hearts, and too manifest in their lives. Evidences of the dominion of sin, which would lead them to entertain a certain opinion that another was still in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity, have not the effect to shake their good opinion of their own spiritual condition.
This dangerous treachery of the heart, not only misleads the hypocrite to his ruin, but all careless men and women are under its control. They purpose at some future time to repent and reform, and are fully persuaded, that when a convenient season arrives, they will do so. Now, all these promises and hopes of future repentance and amendment, arise from a deceitful heart. The true cause of the neglect of religion at present, is an aversion to spiritual things, and this disposition will prevent them from attending to religion, at any future time; and with every day will become more inveterate. The deception consists in this, that the person seeing the importance and moral obligations of piety, conceives that that indisposition to God’s service, which is now felt, will be diminished by time; or rather that it will not be felt at a future time. Every resolution or promise of any unconverted man or woman, of future repentance and reformation, is an instance of the deceitfulness of the human heart. This is remarkably verified in the case of those persons who are alarmed with the prospect of death, when laid on a bed of sickness. How often do such promise that if God will only spare them, and restore them to health, they will serve Him to their dying day. But no sooner is returning health enjoyed, than all these promises are forgotten, or disregarded.
Again, the deceitfulness of the heart is manifest in the good which we promise ourselves that we will do in the future. At present there are impediments which stand in the way of doing the good which we intend to do hereafter. When we look back on our past lives, and see many opportunities of doing good, which have been neglected, we feel regret; and when we look forward, we flatter ourselves that we shall be much more active and benevolent, much more watchful and zealous, than we have been. But the true test of character is, what we are actually doing at the present time. Do we now, from day to day, do all the good which is in our power? Do we now improve our time and talents to the utmost? Do we now seek the happiness of all who are near us, and use every practicable means for their salvation? If we do not, then does our heart deceive us, as to its own real disposition. The apparent penitence for not having done what we ought, in time past, is not genuine; or we should immediately reform, and begin at once to do the good which is now in our power. The confidence that we shall do better hereafter, is a vain self-confidence which will never be realized in fact; for if there was in us a sincere disposition to do the good hereafter, which the heart promises, we would not neglect the opportunities and calls to well-doing, which are present to us every day. The reason of this dangerous mistake is, that when we contemplate duty at a distance, either in the past or future, we view it abstracted from the circumstances which always, in fact, accompany it. We consider the obligation and the goodness of the act, and so its beneficial consequences; but forget the self-denial and pain which may be required in its performance. From the same cause, men are ever deceiving themselves in relation to the conduct which they would pursue, if placed in circumstances entirely different from those by which they are surrounded. The poor man thinks, if he was rich, he would not act as rich men within his knowledge do. He would be bountiful to all around, would aid in every benevolent enterprise, and regard the wants and sufferings of the indigent and distressed. But these are all deceitful thoughts. Thousands of instances are found to prove that men are always deceived in the ideas which they entertain of the course which they would pursue in untried situations. And they might be convinced of this, as before, by the mere examination of themselves, as to the good which they are actually doing with the means in their hands, and the opportunities at present afforded.
Another way in which our hearts deceive us is, by leading us to judge of ourselves, not by a strict scrutiny into our real motives, but by viewing our character through the medium of public opinion; or through the favourable sentiments of our partial friends. When men are aroused by some calumny to come forward and vindicate themselves from the obloquy cast upon them, they commonly make it evident, that they assume as their true character, the estimation in which they have been held by the community. But every man might know, that this is a false and foolish method of judging of his own character. He may be conscious that the actions, which have gained for him a reputation among men, have not proceeded from pure motives. He might know, if he would impartially examine himself, that where good motives have predominated, there has been so much of a sordid and selfish nature mingled, as greatly to detract from their value; and which, if known to the public, would much depreciate the reputation which he has acquired.
The pain of contemplating our moral defects causes us to turn our attention from them, and to seek relief in some more favourable aspect of our character, and this is found in the good opinion of others.
(To be continued.)