metaphor of a treasure, from which men take out what they intend to
"with his whole heart, and with his whole soul," Jeremiah 32:41.
2. Resolution and constancy in such actions. This is denoted in the metaphor of a treasure, from which men take out what they intend to use.
This is the dwelling-place of this law of sin, - the heart; as it is the entire principle of moral operations. Here dwells our enemy; this is the citadel of this tyrant, where it maintains a rebellion against God all our days. Sometimes it has more strength and success; sometimes less; but it is always in rebellion whilst we live.
To get an idea of the power of sin in this place, we may consider some properties of the heart that contribute to it. It is like an enemy in war, whose strength lie not only in his numbers and force of men or arms, but also in the impregnable forts he possesses. And such is the heart to this enemy of God and our souls.
1. It is unsearchable: Jeremiah 17:9, 10, "Who can know the heart? I the LORD search it." The heart of man is accessible only to God; hence he takes the honour of searching the heart to be as peculiar to himself, and as fully declaring him to be God, as any other attribute of his nature. We do not know one another's hearts; we do not know our own hearts as we ought. There are many who do not know the general disposition of their heart, whether it is good or bad, sincere or corrupt; but no one knows all the secret intrigues of his own heart. Does anyone know the perfect measure of his own light and darkness? Can any one know what actions of choosing his will will bring forth, faced with the endless variety of objects it will meet? Can any one understand his various afflictions? Does any man comprehend the secret springs of acting and refusing in the soul? Does any one know what will be the motions of the mind or will in all the circumstances of life? All in heaven and earth, except the infinite, all-seeing God, are utterly ignorant of these things. In this unsearchable heart dwells the law of sin; and much of its security, and so of its strength, lies in this, that it is past our finding out. We fight with an enemy whose secret