The Nature, Power, Deceit, and Prevalency of Indwelling Sin

It feeds upon its self, swallows up its own poison, and grows thereby. The more men sin, the more are they inclined unto sin. It is from the deceitfulness of this Law of Sin, whereof we shall speak afterwards at large, that men persuade themselves, that by this or that particular sin, they shall so satisfy their lusts, as that they shall need to sin no more. Every sin increaseth the principle, and fortifieth the habit of sinning. It is an evil treasure that increaseth by doing evil. And where doth this treasure lye? It is in the heart, there it is laid up, there it is kept in safety. All the men in the world, all the Angels in Heaven, cannot dispossess a man of this treasure, it is so sa•ely stored in the heart.

It feeds upon its self, swallows up its own poyson, and grows thereby. The more men sin, the more are they inclined unto sin. It is from the deceitfulness of this Law of Sin, whereof we shall speak afterwards at large, that men perswade themselves, that by this or that particular sin, they shall so satisfie their lusts, as that they shall need to sin no more. Every sin increaseth the principle, and fortifieth the habit of sinning. It is an evil treasure that increaseth by doing evil. And where doth this treasure lye? It is in the heart, there it is laid up, there it is kept in safety. All the men in the world, all the Angels in Heaven, cannot dispossess a man of this treasure, it is so sa•ely stored in the heart.

The heart in the Scripture is variously used. Sometimes for the mind and understanding; sometimes for the will; sometimes for the Affections; sometimes for the Conscience; sometimes for the whole soul. Generally it denotes the whole soul of man, and all the faculties of it, not absolutely, but as they are all one principle of moral operations, as they all concur in our doing good or evil. The mind as it enquireth, discerneth, and judgeth what is to be done, what refused; the Will, as it chooseth, or refuseth, and avoids; the Affections as they like or dislike, cleave to, or have an aversation from that which is proposed to them; the conscience as it warns, and determines, are all together called the heart. And in this sense it is that we say the seat and subject of this Law of Sin is the heart of man. Only we may add, that the Scripture speaking of the heart, as the principle of mens good or evil