736 The Longfffering of,God. Vol. as our belóveet rother Paul allo bath written unto you. Nowwhere did St. Paul write fo, unlefs in this Text ; Not knowing that the goodnefs of God leads to repentance 'Tis not only great ignorance, and a very grofs miftake, to think that it is the defign and intention of God's Patience and Long - fuffering to encourage Men in fin ; but likewife to think, that in the nature ofthe thing, goodnefs can have any tendency to make Men evil ; not knowing that thegoodnefs of God leads torepentance. V. That through the long-fuffering of God Sinners are hardned in their evil ways, is wholly to be afcribed to their abufe of God's Goodnefs ; 'tis neither the End and Intention, nor the proper and natural Effen of 'the thing, but the acci- dental Event of it through our own fault: And is thisany real Objenion againft the long fuffering of God ? May not Godbe patient, tho' Sinners be impenitent ? May not he be good, tho' we be fo foolilh as to make an ill ufe of his Goodnefs p Becaufe Men are apt to abufe the Mercies and Favours of God, is it therefore a fault in him to bellow them upon us ? Is it not enough for us to abufe them, but will we challenge God alfo of unkindnefs in giving them ? May not God ufe wife and fitting means for our recovery, becaufe we are fo foolilh as not to make a wife ulè of them ? And muff he be charged with our ruin, becaufe he Peeks by all means to preventit ? Is it not enough to be injurious to our felvs, but will we he unthankful to God alto ? When God hath laid out the riches of his goodnefs andpatience upon Sinners, will they challenge him as accell'ary to their ruin ? As if a foolifh Heir that hath prodigally wafted the fair Eftate that was left him, fhould be fo far, from blaming himfelf as to charge his Father with undoing him. Are thefe the belt returns which the infiniteMercy and Patience of God bath de- ferved fromus ? Do we this requite the Lord, foolilh people andunwife ! God's Patience would fave Sinners, but they ruin themfelves by their abufe of it ; Yet the blame then lie where it is due, and let God have the glory of his Goodnefs, tho' Men refufe the benefit and advantage of it. VI. And Laftly, But becaufe this Objection pincheth hardeft in one point ; viz. That God certainly fore-fees that a great many will abufe his long-fuffering, to the increafingof their Guilt, and the aggravatingof their Condemnation ; and how is his long-fuffering any Mercy and Goodnefs to thofe, who he certainly fore-knows will in the event be fo much the more miferable, for having had fo much Patience extended to them ? Therefore for a full anfwer, I delire thefe fix things may be confidered. z. That God defigns this life for the tryal of our Obedience, that according as we behave our felves he might reward or punifh us in another World. a. That there could be no tryal of our Obedience, nor any capacity of Re-, wards and Punlhments, but upon the fuppofition of freedom and liberty ; that is, that we do not do what we do upon force and neceffity, but upon free choice. 3. That God by virtue ofthe infinite Perfection ofhis Knowledge, doesclearly and certainly forefee all future Events, even thofe which are moft contingent, fuch as are the arbitrary Anionsof free and voluntary Agents.. This I know hash been deny'd, but without reafon ; fince it is not only contrary to the common apprehenfions of Mankind from the very light of Nature, that God fhould not fore-know future Events, but toclear and exprefs Scripture ; and that in fuch In- ftances, for the fake of which they deny God's foreknowledge in general of the future Anions of free and voluntary Agents, I mean, that the Scripture exprefly declares God's determinate fore-knowledge of the moll= wicked Anions ; as the Crucifying of Chrift, who is Paid, according to the determinate count-el and fore- knowledgeof God, to have been by wicked hands crucifiedand!lain. q. That the bare fore-knowledgeof things future hath no more influence upon them to make them to be, than the fight and knowledge of things prefent bath. upon them to make them to be prefent. I may fee or know that theSun is rifen, without being the caufe of its riling ; and no more is bare knowledge of future Events the caufè that theyare, when they are. And if any Man ask, How God can certainly fore-know things, which depend upon free and arbitrary caufes, un- lefs he do force way decree and determine them ; I anfwer, , that this is not a fair
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