,7 38 The Longfuffering ofGod. Vol. Ie haft finned and art liable to the Juftice of God, Sentence is gone forth, but God refpits the executionof ir, and hath granted thee a Reprieve, and time and ops portunity to fue out thy Pardon. Now what ufe ought we in reafon to make of this Patience of God towards us ? We ought certainly to break off our fins by a fpeedy repentance, left iniquity by our ruin ; immediately to fue out our Pardon, and to make our peace withGod, while we areyet in the way, and to refolve, never any more willingly to offend that God who is fo gracious and merciful, fo long- fuffering and full of companion. But what ufe do Men commonly make of it ? They take occafion to confirm and ftrengthen themfelves in their wickednefs, and to reafon themfelves into vain and groundlefs hopes of impunity. Now what a folly is this, becaufe punishment doth not come, therefore to haften it, and to draw it down upon our felves ? Becaufe it hath not yet overtaken us, therefore to go forth and meet it ? Becaufe there is yet a poffibility of efcaping it, therefore to take a certain courfe to make it unavoidable ? Becaufe there is yet hope concerning us, therefore to make our cafe defperate and pall remedy See how unreafonably Men bring ruin upon themfelves ; fo that well might the Pfalmift ask that Queflion, Have all theworkers of iniquity no knowledge But their folly and unreafonablenefs is not fo great, but their perverfenefs and dilingenuity is greater. To fin, becaufe God is long-fuffering, is to k evil, be- ca and tocontenddw to tthphis Goodnefs, as if he we wererefolved to try the utmoft length of his Patience ; and becaufe God is loth to punifh, therefore to urge and importune him to that which is fo contrary to his Inclination. II. This may ferve toconvince Men of the great Evil and Danger of thus a- bufing'the Long fuffering of God. It is a Provocation of the higheft Nature, becaufe it is to trampleupon his deareft Attributes, thofe whichhe molt delights and glories in, his Goodnefs and Mercy ; for the Long- fuffering of God is his Goodnefs to the Guilty, and hisMercy to thofe who deferve to be miferable. Nothing makes our Ruin more certain, more fpeedy, and more intolerable, than the abufe of God's Goodnefs and Patience. After God had born long with that rebellious People, the Children ofIfrael, and notwithflanding all their Mur- murings all their Infidelity and Impenitency, had (pared them ten times, at laft he fets his Seal to their Ruin, Hd. 3. 8, 9. Harden not your Hearts, at in thepro- vocation, in the day of temptation in the wildernefs : Whenyour fathers proved me, andlaw my works forty rears. This was a high Provocation indeed, to hardea their Hearts under the Patience and Long-fuffering of God , after forty Years Trial and Experience of it ; v. so. Wherefore I waèfgrieved with that generation, andfaid, They are a people do err in their hearts , for theyhave not known my ways. And what was the Iflue of all this : Upon this God takes up a fix'd Refolution to bear no longer with them, but to cut them off fr m the Bleffìngs he had pro- mifed to bellow upon them ; He [ware in his wrath; that they Jhould not enter in- to bis refl. To whom (ware he, that they fhould not enter into his refs , but to them that believed not ? or as the word may be rendred, to them that were difabedient t That is, to themwho went on in their Rebellion againft him, after he hadfuf- feredtheir mannersforty years. more And as the abufe of God's Patience renders our Deflrudtion more certain, fo will fufffer more intolerable. We mend is that becaufe God therefore long, he never come; but it will come the fooner for this: So our Lord tells us , Luke IZ. When thefervantfaid, His'Lorddelayed his coming, the Lordof that fervant (hall . come in a day that he looks not for him, andat an hour when he is not aware, and(ball cut him in fonder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. None fo like to be furprized by the Judgment of God, as thofe who trefpafs fo boldly upon his Patience. III. To perfuade us to make a right ufe of the Patience and Long - fuffering of God, and to comply .with the mercifulEnd and Defign of God therein. a. It is the defign of God's Long-fuffering, to give us a fpace of Repentance. Were it not that God had this Defign and reafonable Expeëtation from us, he would
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