An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…

Forgetfulness of God is therefore a great wickedness, because God hath done so many things to be remembered by. What could the Lord have done more to make himself remembered then he hath done, Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of darkness? (saith the Lord, Jer. 2.31.) the words are an aggravation of their forgetfulness. As if the Lord had said, I have been a light to you wheresoever you go, and wheresoever I go my steps drop fatness for you, and am I forgotten? Where can we set a step but we tread upon a remembrance of God? Every creature holds forth God unto us. He hath left his remembrance upon every ordinance, Do this in remembrance of me, saith Christ in that great ordinance of his Supper: yea all the works of his providence are remembrancers of him. He leaves an impression of his wisdom, holiness, justice, power upon all he doth. Now for us to forget God who hath (as it were) studied so many ways to fasten himself in our remembrance, must needs be extremely sinful. Further it is very sinful to forget God, because God doth so abundantly remember us. He hath not only done that which may cause man to remember him; but he hath man always in his remembrance, especially his own people, He hath graven them upon the palms of his hands, and they are continually before him. They who desire to preserve their friends fresh in memory, get their pictures in their houses, or engrave them upon rings and jewels which they wear ⟨p. 81⟩always about them. But he that cuts the image of his friend in his flesh, or draws it upon his skin, how zealous is he of his friends remembrance? Pictures and annulets may be lost, but our hands cannot fall off. When the Lord would show how mindful he is of his Church, he assures her that he carries her picture always about him, not drawn upon a Tablet, or engraven upon the signet of his right hand, but upon the palms of his hands; as if he should say, I must lose my self, before I can lose the sight of memory of thee (Isa. 49.16.) He remembers her so, that he cannot forget her. And because the characters and stamps of nature are more abiding and indelible then those of art, therefore he saith (vers. 15.) Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will not I forget thee.