The greatness of his patience flows from the greatness of his power : So the apostle speaks, Rom. ix. 22. " What, if God wil- *' ling to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured *' with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath, fitted, or made up *' to destruction .^" And therefore when Moses prays for the ex- ercise of Divine patience towards the provoking Israelites, he doth it in this form, Num. xiv. 17, 18. "And now I beseech thee, let *' the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, " saying, the Lord is long-suffering," &c. He could exercise this Almighty power upon thee, and crush thee by it as a moth is crush- ed : but behold he exercises it upon himself in stopping the pro- pensions of his own justice, which daily solicit him to cut thee off ^ It is the power of God over his wrath, bridling and restraining it from day to day.
2. This patience is exercised toward such as perish, in a tempo- rary delay of their damnation ; and though this be but a mere sus- pension of his wrath for a time, yet it is a glorious act of patience in him ; as that forecited text. Rem. ix. 22. shews. It is nothing for a sinner condemned as soon as bora, to be reprieved so many years out of hell ? Thou hast been provoking him daily and hourly to cut thee off, and send thee to thy own place ; and yet to be on this side the everlasting burnings, this is wholly owing to the riches of his forbearance. Ah, how is God to be admired in this his glori- ous power o^ er his own wrath ! when we look abroad into the v/orld, and see every where sinners ripe for destruction, daring the God of heaven to his face, yet forborne, how admirable is this power of God !
3. God doth not only exercise this power in a temporary suspen- sion of his wrath against some, who, alas, must feel it at last ; but he delays the execution of his wrath in a design of mercy towards others, that they may never feel it, Isa. xlviii. 8, 9. Thus he bears with his own elect all the years of their lives wherein they lay in the state of nature, and went on in a course of rebellion against God ; and this long-suffering of God towards them proves their saivationj as you have it in 2 Pet. iii. 1 5. " And account that the
*^ long-suiFefring o£ our Lord is salvation." What is the meaning of that ? Ah, Christian thou mayest easily know the meaning of it, without turning over many Commentaries : thou art now in Christ, safely escaped out of tlie danger of wrath to come ; but thou owest this thy salvation to the patience and long-suffering of God to- wards thee. For what if lie had cut thee off in tlie days of thy ignorance and rebellion against him (and thou knowest thou didst give him millions of provocations so to do) where hadst thou now been ? Thou hadst never seen Christ, nor the least dawning hope of salvation by him. Remember how oft you lay in those days upon beds of sickness, upon the brink of the grave ; what was it that saved thee from eternal wrath but this admirable patience of Christ ? Well, therefore, may the apostle say, *' Account the long-suffering *' of God to be salvation.''
This patience of God seems to be a branch springing out of his mercy and goodness ; only it differs from mercy in this, that man as miserable is the object of mercy, but man as criminal is the object of patience. Thus briefly of the nature of Divine patience^ a power of God over his own wrath, not only to suspend it for a time towards them that perish, but to delay the execution of it in a design of salvation towards others.
Secondly, Next we come to shew the various evidences of thii^ Divine patience, or wherein it appears in its glorious manifestation* towards provoking sinners ; and there are seven full evidences and discoveries of it, which should make the hearts of sinners melt within them, whilst they are sgunding in their ears. Ah, methinks, such as these should melt down your hard hearts before the Lord !
1. And the first evidence of the riches of his patience shall be taken from the multitude of sins that men and women are guilty of before him, the least of which is a burden too heavy for any crea- ture to bear ; the Psalmist saith, Psal. xl. \% " Innumerable evils " have compassed me about." It was true, as applied to the per- son of David ; and though it be there applied to the person of Christ, yet not one of them were his own sins, but ours ; called his, by God's reckoning or imputing them to him. Men can num- ber vast sums, millions of millions, but no man can number his own sins, they pass all account. There is not a member of the body, though never so small, but hath been the instrument of innumera- ble evils. For instance, the tongue, the apostle tells us, is a world of iniquity. Jam. iii. 6. And if there be a world of sin in one mem- ber, what then are the sins of all <f How many idle, frothy, vain words, hath thy tongue uttered ? And yet for them, Christ saith, *' Men shall give an account in the day of judgment," Mat. xii. 36. Aud what have the sins of thy thoughts been ? " The thoughts of
" foolishness is sin,"' (saith Solomon,) Prov. 3(xlv. 9. O who cart understand his errors ? Yet the patience of God hath not failed under such innumerable evils. O glorious patience ! well may it be ushered in, in the text with a term of admiration. Behold, I stand !
2. The second fe\'idence of the Divine patience shall be taken from the heinous nature of some sins above others, whereby sin- ners fly, as it were, in the very face of God ; and yet he bears with long-suffering, lets not loose his hands to cut them off. All sins are not of one size ; some have a slighter tincture, and some are deeper ; called upon that account scarlet and crimson sins, Isa. i. 18. double-dyed abominations, sins in grain ; such are sins against knowledge, sins committed after convictions, and covenants, and rebukes of providence. I do not only speak of outward gross acts of sin ; for as the schoolmen well determine, though outward sins are sins of greater infamy, yet inward sins may be sins of greater guilt ; even those sins that never took air to defame thee in the world : but whatever they be, reader, whether outward or inward, thy conscience is privy to them, and thy soul may stand amazed at the patience of God in forbearing thee all this while under such provocations and horrid rebellions against him ; especially, consi- dering how many there be this day in hell that never provoked God by sinning vnth such an high hand as thou hast done.