$erm. XCVIII. tle Longfufering of God. 7 35 Nay, God doth ufually fend fome Judgment or other upon every Sinner in this life ; he lets him feel the Rod, that he may know that is is an evil andbitter thing to fin againft him. He exercifeth Men with many afflictions and croffes, and dif- appointments, which their own Confciènces tell them are the juft recompences of their deeds ; and by thefe lighter flrokes, he gives us a merciful warning to avoid his heavier blows ; when Mercy alone will not work uponus and win us, but be- ing fed to thefull, we grow wanton and foolifh, he adminiflers Phyfick to us' by af- fliction, and by adverfity'endeavours to bring us to confideration and a fober mind ; and many have been cured thisway,. and the Judgments of God have done them that good, which his Mercies and Bleffìngs could not ; for God would fave us any way, by his Mercy or by hisJudgment, by Sicknefs or by Health, byPlenty or by Want, by what we delire or by what we dread ; fo defirous is he of our Repentance and Happinefs, that he leaves no method unattempred that may pro- bably do us good ; he firikes upon every Pafïion in the Heart of Man he works upon our Love by his Goodnefs, upon our Hopes by his Promifes, andupon our Fears, firfl by his Threatnings, and if they be not effectual, then by his Judg- ments ; he tries every Affection and takes hold of it, if by any means he may draw us to himfelf; and will nothing warn us, but what will ruin us, and render our cafe defperate and part hope ? And if any Sinner be free from outward Afflictions and Sufferings, yet fin ne- ver fails to carry its own Punifhment along with it ; there is a fecret Sting and Worm, a divine Nemejs and Revenge that is bred in the Bowels of every Sin, and makes it a heavy Punifhment to it felf ; the Confcienceof a Sinner doth fre- quently torment him, and his Guilt haunts and dogs him whereever he goes; for whenever a Man commits a known and wilful fin hedrinks down Poifon, which tho' it may work (lowly; yet it will give him many a Gripe, and if no means be ufed to expel it, will defiroy him at laft. So that the long-fuffering of God iswifely ordered, and there is fuch a mixture of Judgments in it, as is fufficient to awaken Sinners, and much more apt tode- ter them from fin, than to encourage them to go on and continue in it. III. Nothing is farther from the intention of God, than to harden Men byhis longduffering. This the Scripture moft exprefly declares, a Pet. 3.9. He is longfuffering to us-ward, not willing that any fhould perifh, but that all 'houieI come to repentance. He hath a very gracious and merciful defign in his Patience towards Sinners, and is therefore good, that he may make us fo, and that we may ceafe to do evil. The event of God's long-fuffering may, by our own fault and abufe of it, prove our ruin ; but the defign and intention of it, is our repentance. He winks at the fins of Men (faith the Son of Syrach) that they may repent. He paf- feth them by, and does not take fpeedy Vengeance upon Sinners for them, that they may have time to repent of them, and to make their peace with him, while they areyet in the way. Nay, his long -fuffering doth not only give fpace for Repentance, but is a great argument and encouragement to it. That he is fo loth to furprize Sinners, that he gives them the liberty of fecond thoughts, time to reflect upon themfelves, to confider what they have done, and to tetrad it by Repentance, is a fufficicnt intimation that he hath no mind to ruinus, that he defres not the deathof a fan- ner, but rather that he fhouid turn from his wickednefs and live. And fhould not this Goodnefs of his make us forry that we have offended him ? Doth it not na- turally lead and inviteus toRepentance ? What other interpretation can wemake' of his Patience, what other ufe in reafon fhould we make of it, but to repent and return; that we may be faved ? IV. There is nothing in the long - fuffering of God, that is in truth any ground of encouragement to Men in an evil courfe ; the proper and natural tendency of God's goodnefs is to lead men to repentance, and by Repentance to bring them to Happinefs ; Rom. z. 4. Defpifeft thou the riches of his goodnefs, andpatience, and longfuffering, not knowing that the goodnefs of God leadeth thee to repentance? This St. Peter, with relation to there very words of St. Paul, interprets, leading to falvation ; 2 Pet. 3. 15. And account that thelongfuffering of our Lord is falvation, as
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