Serin. XCVII.- The Longfuffering of God: God and his delay of punifhment, which makes them hope for impunity in an éVi1 courfe, notwithftanding the threatnings of God. And therefore I {hall endeavdur to fhew, what thole falfe conclufons are, .Which wicked Men draw from the delay of punifhment, and to difcover the fo- phifiry and fallacy of them and I (hall rank them under two Heads ; thofe which are more grofs and atheiftical, and thofe which are not fo grofs, but yet more common and frequent. I. Thofe conclufions which are More grofs and atheifticál, which bad Men draw to the hardening and encouraging of themfelves in fn, from the delay of punifhment (whichwe who believeaGod, call the Patience or Long-fuffering of God) are thefe three ; either that there is no God ; or if there be, that there is no Providence ; or that there is rlo difference between Good and Evil. I (hall (peak more briefly of thefe, becaufe I hope there ate but few in the World of fuch irregular and befotted underflandings, as to make fuch Inferences as thefe from the delay of punifhment. i/1. From hence fome would fain concludé, that there Is no God. That fane are fo abfurd as to reafori in this manner, the Scripture tells us, Pfal. t 4. 1. The fool bath laid in his heart, There is no God they are corrupt, andhave done abomi- nable works. Nów the Argument that thefe Men frame to themfelves, is this ; God doth not take a fpeedy courfe with Sinners, and revenge himfelf immediately upon the workers of Iniquity, therefore there is no God ; for if there were, he would fhew himfelf, and not bear the affronts of (inners, when it is fo eafie for him to vindicate himfelf by a fwift and fpeedy Vengeance. Thus the Poet,re- prefents the Atheifa arguing, Nullas efe eleos, inane calum, affirmat Selius, probatque; yuod fe fatlum, dum negat hoc, videt beatum. " Selius affirms there are no Gods, " and that Heaven is an empty place, and proves it, becaufe whiff} he denies " God, he fees himfelf in a very happyand profperous condition. And here it is worthy our notice, at what a contradi&ious rate thefe Men rea- ton. Firli, they would have no God, left he would be jute añd punifh them as they deferved ; and then in another mood, they would havehim to be nothing but Juftice and Severity, left there fhould be a God ; as if noother Notion, could be framed of the Divine Nature, but of a ralh Fury, and impetuous Revenge, and an impotent Paflion, which when it is offended and provoked, cannot con= tain it felf, and forbear punifhment for a moment. Juftice is not fuch a perfedi- on as doth neceffarily exclude Wifdom, and Goodnefs, and Patience ; it doth in nowife contradiét the Perfeáion of the Divine Nature, to bear with Sinners in expeétationof their repentance and amendment ; or if God forefees their final im penitency, to refpite their punifhmenttothe moft fit andconvenient feafon. God may fuffer long, and yet be refolved if Sinners perfift in the abufe of his Good- nefs and Patience, to execute Vengeance upon them in due time. It is a pitiftll ground of Atheifm, that becaufe God is fo much better than wicked Men deferve, they will not allow him tobe at all. ad/y, Others infer from the delay of punifhment, that there is mio providence that adminiGers the Affairs of the World, and regards the good and bad A&ions of Men. For tho' the Being of God be acknowledged, yet if he do not regard what is done here below, nor concern himfelf in human Affairs, Sinners are as fafe and free to do what they pleafe, as if there were no God ; and upon this ground, the Scripture tells us, many encourage themfelves in their wickednefs ; Pfal. 64.5. They encourage themfelves in an evil matter, they commune oflaying fnares privately ; for they fay, who /hall fee them ? And more exprefly, fal. 94. 4, S, 6, 7. How longgall the workers of iniquity boaft themfelves r They break inpieces thy People, 0 Lord, andmili thine heritage, and flay the widow and the flranger, and murder the fatherlefs and yet they fay, The Lord(hall notfee, neither(hall the God of Iacob regard it. And if this were fo, well might they encourage themfelves: If it were true which Epicurus faith; " That God takes no knowledge of the Adions of Men, that he is tar removed from us, and contented with himfelf, andnot at all concerned in what we do ; If this were true, the Inference which Lucretius makes, we very juft ; Qoare religio pedibus fubjella vicjjmobteritur ; "Men 725
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