God also observed that the fountain of sin was in men's
2. THE FOUNTAIN OF EVIL God also observed that the fountain of sin was in men's hearts. Anyone might see that the wickedness of man was great, for they declared their sin as Sodom. But God's eye went further. ''He saw that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." A sad sight, and very offensive to God's holy eye! This was the bitter root, the corrupt spring. All the violence and oppression, all the luxury and wantonness, that were in the world, proceeded from the corruption of nature. Lust conceived them (Jas. i. 15; see Matt. xv. 19).
(a) The heart was nought. That was deceitful and desperately wicked. The principles were corrupt, and the habits and dispositions evil.
(6) The thoughts of the heart were so. Thought is sometimes taken for the settled judgment or opinion, and that was bribed, and biased and misled; sometimes thought is taken for the workings of the fancy, and those were always either vain or vile, either weaving the spider's web or hatching the cockatrice's eggs.
(c) The "imagination of the thoughts of the heart' was so, that is, their design and devices were wicked. They did not do evil only through carelessness, as those that walk at all adventures, not heeding what they do; but they did evil deliberately, and designedly, contriving how to do mischief.
3. KNnowinc Goop From EvIL
The final state of this deliberate evil doing is outlined by the prophet Isaiah (Isa. v. 20): "them that call evil good and good evil." They confound and overthrow the distinction between moral good and evil. They not only live in the omission of that which is good, but condemn it, argue against it. Because they will not practise it themselves, they run it down in others, and fasten ill characters upon it. Not only do they delight in evil, but justify it and applaud it, and recommend it to others as safe and good.
Let us note, first, that virtue and piety are good, for it is light and sweet, it is pleasant and right. But sin and wickedness are evil, it is darkness, all the fruit of ignorance and mistake, and it will be bitterness in the latter end.
Secondly, those do a great deal of wrong to God, and religion,