"Whom the gods want to destroy," says an old heathen aphorism, "they first deprive of wisdom." And if instead of "gods" we say "God," it is nothing but plain truth. The first evidence of a man's doom is "hardness of heart," which means unwillingness to hear or seriously to consider God's counsel. Thus was Pharaoh's heart hardened. Thus did Sihon, the king of Heshbon, refuse to hearken to the reasonable and peaceable offer of Israel; for "Jehovah thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart [157] obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand." (Deut. 2:30.) Sihon had fully deserved the doom; his judgment was just; and God took that way to bring sentence upon him. "Thou wilt give them hardness of heart, thy curse unto them." (Lam. 3:65.) When Amaziah, king of Judah, refused to listen to God's prophet and threatened the prophet's life, the prophet said to the king: "I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel." Not long after he refused to heed the warning of Israel and plunged into a disastrous war with them. "Amaziah would not hear; for it was of God, that he might deliver them into the hand of their enemies." (2 Chron. 25:15-20.) So, when a man begins to turn a deaf ear to the word of God, it is not only evidence of a wrong heart, but it may be the symptom of a doom and sentence already pronounced and begun. Then, if you, whoever you are that read this, realize that you are growing lax toward God's word, that you are playing at fast and loose with his commandments, let not an hour escape before you repent and turn to him. The decree is not unchangeable, and God always honors sincere repentance.

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