and keep all my commandments always, that ~ it might be well with them! So Fer. 13. Vol. VIL 27. Ŏ Jerusalem, wilt thou not be made clean? when fball it once be? If. 5. 3, 4we find God there folemnly appealing to the People of Ifrael, whether there had been any thing wanting on his part that was fit to be done; And now, O inhabitants of Jerufalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done to it? wherefore when I looked it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? God may juftly look for the Fruits of Repentance and Obedience from thofe, to whom he affords a fufficiency of Means to that End. And if fo, then 3. The true Reason why. Men do not repent, but perifh, is because they are obftinate, and will not repent; and this account the Scripture every where gives of the impenitency of Men, and the ruin confequent upon it. Pfal. 81. 13. O that my people had hearkened unto me, and Ifrael had walked in my ftatutes! But my people would not hearken to my voice, and Ifrael would none of me. Ezek. 33. 11. Why will ye dye, O houfe of Ifrael? Frov. I. 29, Vol. VII. 30, 31. They hated knowledge, and did not chufe the fear of the Lord. They would none of my counfels, they defpifed all my reproof. Therefore ball they eat the fruit of their own ways, and be filled with their own devices. The ruin of Sinners does not proceed from the counsel of God; but from their own choice. And fo likewise our Saviour every where chargeth the ruin and deftruction of the Jews upon their own wilful obfti The Inferences from this Difcourfe concerning the Patience and longfuffering of God towards Mankind, fhall be these three. I. To ftir us up to a thankful acknowledgment of the great Patience of God towards us, notwithstanding our manifold and heinous provocati ons. We may every one of us take to our felves those words, Lam. 3. 22. It is of the Lords mere that we are not confumed, because his compaffions fail not. They are renewed every morning.• When ever we fin (and we provoke God every day) it is of his Patience that we are not destroyed; and when we fin again, this is a new and greater In ftance ftance of God's Patience. The mercies of God's Patience are no more to Vol. VI be numbred than our fins; we may fay with David, How great is the fum of them? The goodness of God in fparing us, is in fome refpect greater than his goodness in creating us; because he had no provocation not to make us, but we provoke him daily to destroy us. II. Let us propound the Patience of God for a pattern to our felves. Plutarch fays, "That God fets forth him"felf in the midft of the World for "our Imitation, and propounds to us "the Example of his Patience,to teach "us not to revenge Injuries haftily upon one another. III. Let us comply with the defign of God's Patience and long-fuffering towards us, which is to bring us to repentance. Men are very apt to abuse it to a quite contrary purpose, to the encouraging themselves in their evil ways. So Solomon obferves, Eccl. 8. 11. Because fentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the fons of men is fully fet in them to do evil; But this is very falfe reafoning; for the Patience of God is an enemy 号 my to fin, as well as his Juftice, and Vol. VII the defign of it is not to countenance fin, but to convert the Sinner; Rom. 2. 4. Defpifeft thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-fuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Patience in God fhould produce Repentance in us; and we should look upon it as an opportunity given us by God to repent and be faved; 2 Pet. 3. 15. Account that the long-fuffering of God is falvation. They that do not improve the Patience of God to their own Salvation, mistake the true meaning and intent of it. But many are so far from making this use of it, that they prefume upon it, and fin with more courage and confidence because of it; but that we may be fenfible of the danger of this, I will offer thefe two or three Confiderations. 1. That nothing is more provoking to God, than the abuse of his Patience. God's Patience waits for our Repentance, and all long attendance,even of Inferiors upon their Superiors, hath fomething in it that is grievous; how much more grievous and provoking muft it be to the great God, after he hath hath laid out upon us all the riches of his Goodness and long-fuffering, to have that despised! after his Patience hath waited a long time upon us, not only to be thrust away with contempt, but to have that which fhould be an argument to us to leave our fins, abufed into an encouragement to con tinue in them! God takes an account of all the days of his Patience and forbearance; Luke 13. 7. Behold, thefe three years I come feeking fruit, and find none; cut it down; why cumbreth it the ground? 2. Confider that the Patience of God will have an end. Tho' God fuffers long, he will not fuffer always we may provoke God fo long, till he can forbear no longer without injury and difhonour to his Wifdom, and Juftice, and Holiness; and God will not fuffer one Attribute to wrong the reft; his Wisdom will determine the length of his Patience; when his Patience is to no purpofe, when there is no hopes of our amendment, his Wifdom will then put a period to it; then the Patience of his Mercy will determine. How often would I have gathered you, and you would not? therefore your house is left unte Vol. VII |