724 7'/e LongfùHering of God. Vol. L was full to do fo, Fervet in lis cor ftliorum bominum ; fo fome render it, the hearts of men boil with wickednefs, are fo full of it, that it works over. Men are refolute in an evil courfe, their hearts are ftrengtheneeland hardened in them to do evil, fó others tranflate the words. The Tranflation of the LXX is very emphatical, îaXnpycppan kge3la, the heart of the foss of men is fu?ly perfuaded andaTared to do' evil. All thefe Tranflations agree in the main fcope and fenfe, viz. That Sinners are very apt to prefume upon the long-fuffering of ..God, and to abufe it to the hardning and encouraging of themfelves in their evil ways. Iii the handling of this, I (hall Firfl, Briefly thew that it is fo. Secondly, Whence this comes to pafs, and upon whit pretences and colours of teafon, Men encourage themfelves in fin, from thePatience of God. Thirdly, I fhall endeavour to anfwer an Objeétion about this matter. Firft, That Men are veryapt to abufe the long fuffering of God to the encou= raging and hardningof themfelves in an evilcourfe, the expérience of the World in all Ages does give abundant teflimony. Thus it was with the old World, when the longfuffering of Godwaited in the days ofNoah, while he was preparing an ark, for the fpace of a hundred and twenty years, I Pet. 1. zo. For the wickednefs of Man, which was great upon the Earth, a general Deluge was threatned, butGod was patient, and delayed his Judgment a great while ; hereupon they grew fe- cure in their impenitency, and went on in their courfe, as if they had no appre- henfion of danger, no fear of the Judgment threatned. So ourSaviour tells us, Math. 14. 38, 39. As in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying andgiving in marriage, until the day that Noah entred,into the Ark, andknew not until the flood cameand took them all away. And fo itwas with Sodom, Luke 17. 1.8. And likewife alfo as it was in the days of Lot, they eat, they drank, they bought, they fold, theyplanted, they built. And fo our Saviour tells us it will be in the end of the World ; Even thus (hall it k in the day when the Sox of man is revealed. So likewife theAponte St. Paul, Rom. z. 4, ç. Defpifeß thou the riches of his goodnefs, and forbearance, and longfuffering, not knowing that the goodnefs of God leadeth thee to repentance ? But after thy hardnefs and impenitent heart, treafurefi up to thy felfwrath againft the day of wrath, and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. The goodnefs and long -fuffering of God, which ought in all reafon to lead Men to repentance, is to many an occafion of greater hardnets and impenitency. So alfo St. Peter foretells, z Pet. 3. 3. that in the laff days there Jhould come fcoffers, who /hould walk after their own hearts lofts, laying, Where is thepromifeofhis coming ? And we fee in daily experience, that the grea- teft part of inners growmore obi irate and confirmed in theirwicked ways, up- on account of God's Patience, and becaufe he delays the punifhment due to them for their fins. Let us confider in the Secondplace, whence this comes to pats, and upon what pretence and colour of Reafon, Men encourage themfelves in fin, from the long-fuffering of God; And there is no doubt but this proceeds from our ignorance and inconfiderate- nefs, and from an evil heart of unbelief, from the temptation and fuggeftion of the Devil, one of whofe great arts it is, to make Men queftion the threatnings of God, and to infinuate, as he did to our fira Parents, either that he bath not de- rim/need fuch threatnings, or that he will not execute them fofeverely. All thefe Caufes do concur to the producing this monftrousEffeí`t ; but that which Ideign ro enquire into, is from what pretence of Reafon, grounded upon the long -tuff- - feting of God, Sinners argue themfelves into this confidence and prefumprion. For when the Wife Man faith, that becaufe fentence agaisot an evil work is not execu-. tedfpeedily, tferefore the heart of the foes of men is fully fee in them to doevil, he does .not intend to infinuate, that God's long - fuffering fills the hearts of Men with wicked defigns and refolutions, and does by a proper and direct efficacy, harden Sinners in their courfe; but that wicked Men upon forneaccount or other, do take occafion from the long-fùffering ofGod, to harden themfelves in fin, they draw falfe conclufions from it to impofe upon themfelves; as if it were really a ground of encouragement; they think they fee fomething in the for(tearance of - God:
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