Hos. vii. 2. They consider not in their hearts that I remember
all their wickedness.
IT is certain that many who have the Gospel dis- pensed to them continue ignorant of its very first principles, and " perish at last for lack of knowledge."
But there are still more who destroy their own souls through inconsideration. They will not attend to the things they do know, or suffer the principles they have received to have any influence upon their minds. Thus it was with Israel of old : they com- mitted all manner of abominations % and, when God was desirous to " heal them," were bent as much as ever on the prosecution of their own evil waysb: and the reason of this is assigned by God himself in the words of our text : it is justly traced to their inconsi- deration ; the prevalence and folly of which we pro- pose to set before you. I. The prevalence of inconsideration —
We propose not to speak of inconsideration at large, but only as it respects God's omniscience, and our accountableness to him.
It is an undoubted truth, that God " remembers all our wickedness" —
[Reason alone were sufficient to determine this point: for if God do not remember all the transactions of men, how can he judge the world?
If we would ascertain the point from matter of fact, we may notice the injunction given to Israel to extirpate the Amalek- ites, above three hundred years after they had committed the sin for which this judgment was to be inflicted on them6. And at the close of David's reign, a famine of three years was sent as a punishment of Saul's treachery in seeking to destroy the Gibeonites ; nor was the punishment removed, till exemplary vengeance had been taken on the family of the departed monarch4.
In Scripture there is, as we might well expect, abundant proof of this fundamental axiom. God declares it, as in many other places e, so in the very verse from whence our text is taken f. In matters of more than ordinary importance, God often appeals to men respecting the truth of his own assertions. Accordingly this is made a subject of appeal ; " Is not the wickedness of men sealed up as in a bag, and deposited among my treasures," to be brought forth against them at the day of judgment8? Further, because he would have this truth
a Hos. vi. 7, 9, 10. b ver. 1. c 1 Sam. xv. 2.
d 2 Sam. xxi. 1 — 9. e Hos. viii. 13. and ix. 9.
f " They are before my face."
g Deut. xxxii. 34, 35. with Job xiv. 17.