Keep Thy Heart...

Keep thy heart with all diligence: for out of it are the issues of life. Prov 4:23
Solomon urges us "to keep" four things: heart, mouth, eyes, feet. First in the list is the heart, because it is the citadel of man, the seat of his dearest treasure, and the guardpost of his life. If the citadel be siezed, the whole town must surrender. If the heart be siezed, the whole man - affections, desires, motives, pursuits - all will be yielded up.

The heart is the vital part of the body. A wound here is instant death. Thus, spiritually as well as naturally, out of the heart are the issues of life. It is the great vital spring of the soul, the fountain of actions, the centre and seat of principle, both of sin and holiness. The natural heart is a fountain of poison. The purified heart is a well of living water.

As is the fountain, so must be the streams. As is the heart, so must be the mouth, the eyes, the feet. Therefore, above all keeping, keep thine heart. Guard the fountain, lest the water be poisoned.