The most deceitful of all things!
(Charles Simeon) LISTEN to Audio! Download Audio
"The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked! Who really knows how bad it is?"
Jeremiah 17:9
The deceitfulness of the human heart is seen in misrepresenting the nature of spiritual realities. But where shall we begin our illustration of this point?
If we look up to God, there is not a perfection or attribute of His nature which the unenlightened mind views aright! And as for those perfections which He exercises as the moral Governor of the universe—they are even held in abhorrence by the carnal mind!
His absolute sovereignty is denied, as though the exercise of it were an injustice to man.
His holiness and justice are imagined to be incapable of judging men for their sins.
His veracity is impeached, so as to save those who continue in rebellion against Him.
Some are so foolish and deceived, as to say, "There is no God!" And of those who acknowledge His existence, there is not one—unless he has been previously converted by Divine grace, who entertains worthy conceptions of Him in his heart!
If we turn our thoughts to the world around us—what is there that the heart of man views in its proper light?Its pleasures?
Its riches?
Its honors?
All these, instead of being regarded as snares and worthless vanities, are perfectly idolized, and are sought after as constituting the chief happiness of man!
Do we look to morals? How erroneous are men's conceptions even of the plainest realities!
Pride, anger, and revenge—are held forth as noble and honorable principles!
While the virtues of humility, meekness, forbearance, and forgiveness—are despised, as indications of a weak and cowardly character.
As formerly, neither the Greeks nor Romans had a word in their language whereby to express the true notion of humility—so now the very idea of humility, as enjoined in the Scriptures, never enters into the mind of an unconverted man, unless it is to load it with ridicule and contempt!
Look at the gospel! That is considered as consisting in a profession of certain religious beliefs, and an observance of certain religious forms.
Entire devotion of the soul to God is deemed to be a foolish and improper excess—the effect of needless fears or of wild enthusiasm! Harsh and offensive names are used to characterize all true piety; while every sin is given soft names and plausible excuses.
In a word, the Scripture describes the heart of man in this precise view:
as "calling evil good, and good evil;
as putting darkness for light, and light for darkness;
as putting bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Isaiah 5:20
Yes, "the human heart is the most deceitful of all things!"
"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life!" Proverbs 4:23