1 Peter 3:4

The Hidden Man Of The Heart

The hidden man of the heart. 1 Peter 3:4.

The hidden man of the heart! The hidden man of your heart! I wonder what he is like! I'm afraid very few of you could tell me; but perhaps your father or mother, your sister or brother, or your school friends could describe him to me pretty exactly. If the walls of all the rooms you live in were covered with mirrors instead of wall-paper you might often get a glimpse of him yourself. For he leaps to your eyes when you are angry, he lurks in the corners of your mouth when you grumble or sulk, and he hides in the hollow of your clenched hand when you raise it to strike someone smaller or weaker than yourself. You may seem quite a meek and mild and milk-and-water child at ordinary times, but let something cross you, and out pops the wicked little hidden man of your heart, and blazes away. You have all heard people speak of the black dog on your back. They would be much nearer the truth if they spoke of the black man in your heart. And no black dog, be he ever so black, could be blacker than is sometimes that hidden man of the heart.

Sometimes, I said, for the hidden man is not always black and wicked. He is sometimes white and good an angel, not a demon. And this hidden man looks out of your eyes too. When? When they are full of pity or love for others. He lurks in the corner of your mouth. When? When your lips are speaking true or gentle or forgiving words. He is found in your hands. When? When they are busy helping others.

The fact of the matter is, that the hidden man of the heart is not one man. He is twins. He is not one self, he is two. Do you know a kind of weatherglass which is like a little wooden house? Two little wooden figures, a man and his wife, live in this little house. They have painted clothes and they are rather like Mr. and Mrs. Noah only better. When the weather is going to be fine and sunny the old lady comes out for a stroll, but when there is going to be rain or storm she retires into the house, and the old gentleman comes out to take the air. The two hidden selves in the house of our heart are something like that.

That being so, what are we to do with them? Are we to let Mr. Bad Man be continually showing himself or are we to do all we can to encourage Mr. Good Man to come to the front?

Boys and girls, it lies largely with ourselves. We can say whenever Mr. Bad Man shows his ugly, scowling face, “Back, sir, back! I'll have none of you.” And the more we treat him like that and send him to the right about, the easier it will grow for us to keep him out of sight. For, believe me. the less we let him show himself, the smaller he will grow. If we refuse to let him come out, he will dwindle and dwindle and dwindle, till he becomes such a tiny dwarf that he will almost disappear. And the tinier he grows, the taller and finer will grow his twin brother. And as Mr. Good Man grows stronger he will make it easier for us to fight his bad brother, for he will be able to help us to keep him under.

Yes and Someone else will help us too Someone who had only one hidden man in His heart and that hidden man all good. Jesus, who knew no sin, and yet had to fight temptation, will help us to subdue and conquer the bad man of our heart.