723 S E R MO N XCVII: The Longifiìffering of God, EccLÉs. VIII., II. Becaufe [entente again an evil work is not executed 1peedily, therefore the heart of theEons of nien is fully fet in them to do evil. wk1Othing is more ebident, than that the wórld liet in mickedneß, and that ini-. 11 N quity every where abounds ; and yet nothing is more certain, than that God ìm ll not acquit the guilty, and let fin go unpunithed. All Men excepting thofe who have offer 'd notorious viòlente to the light of their own Minds, and haveput the candle of the Lord, which is in them, under a bu/lel, do believe, that there is a Gad in the World, to whofe holy Nature and Will fin is pettedly contrary, who loves righteoufneß and hates iniquity, that M eyes are upon the ways of man, and hefroth all hisgoings, that there is no darkneß nor fhadow ofdeath, where the workers of ini- quity may hide themfelves. All Men except thofe whofe Confciences are feared, as it were with a hot iron, are convinc'd of the difference of good and evil, andthat it is not all one whether men ferve God or ferve him not, do well, or live wickedly. Every Man from his inward Senfe and Experience is fatisfied Of his own Liberty, and that God lays upon Men no neceffìty of finning , but that whenever we dó amifs, it is our own ad, and we chufe to do To ; and fo far is he from giving the leaft countenance to fin, that he hath given all imaginable difcouragement to it, by the molt fevere and terrible threatnings, fuck as one would think fufEci- ént to deter Men for ever from it, and to drive it Out of the World ; and to makehis Threatnitigs the more awful and effelh al, his Providence bathnot been' wanting to give remarkable Inftances of hisJuuice and Severity upon notorious Offenders, even in this life : and yet for all this, Men döand will fin; nay, they ire zealoufly let and bent upon it. Now here is the wonder ; what it is that gives finners fuch heart, and makes them fo refolutè' and undaunted in to dangerous a courfe. Solomon gives us this account of it, Becaufe the Punithmetits and Judgments of God follow the fins of Men fo (lowly, and are long before they overtake the (inner. Becaufe fentence againfi an evil work is not executedfpeedily, therefore the hearts of the foni of men are fullylet in them to do evil. The fcope of the Wife Man's difcourfe is this, That by reafon of God's förbear- aiice and long-fuffering towards Sinners in this Life, 'tis not fo cafte todifcern the différence between them and other Men ; this Life is the day of God's Patience, but the next will be a day of retribution and recompence. Now becaufe Gad doth defer and moderate the punithment of Sinners in this World, add réferve, the weight of his Judgments to the next, becaufe through the long- fuffering of God many great Sinners live and dye without anyreriìarkable teftimony of God's wrath and difpleafure againit them, therefore the h'ea'rts of the children of men are fully let in them to do. evil. If we render the Text word for word from the Original, it runs thus, Becaufe nothing is done as a recompence to an evil with,' therefore the hearts of thé font ofmen ate full in them to do evil ; that is, becaufe Men 'are not oppofed, and contradi6ted irt their evil ways, becaufe Divine Juftice doth not prefently check and confront Sinners, becaufe fentence is not immediately pall upon them; and judgmënt executed, therefore the heart of the foils of men is full in thetii to do evil,' that is, therefore Men grew bold and prefumptuöus in fin ; for' the Hebrewword which we render, is fully fet in them, we find EJth. 7. 4. where AhaJùerus fays concerning Haman, Who is he ? andwhere is he, that dxrft prefurire in his heart to do fo ' Where heart Zzzz a wa,,
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