Infer. 4. From the patience and long suffering of Christ, we may learn the invaluable preciousncss of souls, and the high esteem Christ luithfor them.
Though your souls be cheap in your o^vn eyes, and you are con- tented to sell them for a trifle, for a little sensual pleasure and ease, (some of you will hazard them for a shilling;) yet certainly Jesus Christ hath an high esteem of them, else he would never stand knocking with such importunity, and waiting with such wonderful patience for the salvation of them. Christ knows their worth, though you do not ; he accounts, and so should you, one of your souls more worth than the whole world, Mat. xvi. 26. The soul of the poorest child or meanest servant that hears me this day, is of greater value in Christ's eye than the whole world ; and he hath given three great evidences of it, (1.) That he thought it worth his heart-blood to redeem and save it : 1 Pet. i. 19. " you were not " redeemed with silver and gold, but \vdth the precious blood of ** the Son of God.''' Had they not been precious in his eyes, he would never have shed his most precious blood to ransom them. (2.) Were they not highly valuable in his eyes, he would never wait with such unwearied patience to save them as he doth. He hath borne thousands of repulses and unreasonable denials from you : Sinner, Christ hath knocked at thy door in many a sermon, in many a prayer, in many a sickness, in all which thou hast put him off, denied him, or delayed him ; yet still he continues knocking and waiting. Thou couldst not have made the poorest beggar in the world wait at thy door so long as thy Redeemer hath been made to wait, and yet he is not gone ; at this day his voice sounds in thine ears, " Behold, I stand at the door, and knock."" Here is clear demonstration of the preciousncss of thy soul in the Redeemer's
eyes. And tlien, lastly, when Christ ends the treaty, and gives up the souls of men for lost and unpersuadable, with what regret and sorrow doth he part witli them ! Never did one friend part from another with such demonstrations of sorrow as Christ parte th with the souls of sinners. The bowels of his compassion roll together ; for he knows what is coming upon them, and what that eternal misery is into which their wilful rejection of him will cost them : In Liike xix. 42. you find the Redeemer's tears wept over obstinate Jerusalem ; " And when he came nigh to the city, he wept over it, " and said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, if thou hadst known, at least " in this thy day, the things that belong to thy peace : but now '' they are hid from thine eyes."^ Like unto this is that expression, Isa. i. 24. " Ah, I will ease me of mine enemies,'^ &c. Though it be an ease to his justice, yet he cannot give them up without an Aky an intei^ction of sorrow ; so in Hos. xi. 8. " How shall I *' give thee up, Ephraim ? How shall I deliver thee, Judah ?"" I must do it, but how shall I go about it ? All these expressions shew the great value God hath for your souls; and did you know it also, certainly you would not make Christ wait one hour longer.
Infer. 5. Hence it follows, That greater is the sin, and severer will be the condemnation of them that perish under the gospel, than of all other people in the world. Let me speak freely to you that hear me this day. Jesus Christ hath spent more of the riches of his patience upon you in one year, yea, in this xery day, than he hath spent upon the heathen world in all the days oi their lives ; they never heard of Christ, and the great salvation ; they have had no calls to faith and repentance, as you have had ; do not think God hath dealt at this rate with other nations. You have his sabbaths, ministers, calls ; he hath not dealt so with other nations, and as for these things they have not known them, Psak cxlvii. 19. God hath dealt in a peculiar way with us, and these special favours will make dreadful accounts. He told the Jews, among whom he had preached and wrought his miracles, '' It would be more tolerable "for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for them ;'* and in his name I will tell you this day, that barbarous Indians and Americans will have a milder hell than you ; Mitius ardent : And as the Lord told Ezekiel, chap. iii. 5, 6. " Thou art not sent to a " people of a strange speech and of a hard language, *' whose words thou canst not understand ; surely had I sent *' thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee: But the *" house of Israel would not hearken unto thee, for they will not ** hearken unto me : For all the house of Israel are impudent and " hard-hearte<l.''
Ah, brethren, it is a sad truth, that the ministers of Christ have
found more fruit of their labours among the savage Americans than in P2norland, people born and bred up under the gospel. Had a heathen people your sabbaths, your ministers, and bibles, they would not deal by Christ as you have done : But look you to it, for certainly the severity of his justice will at last recompense the expence of his patience : There are two glasses turned up this day, and both almost run down ; the glass of the gospel running down on earth, and the glass of Christ's patience running down in hea,- ven. Be sure of it, that for every sand of mercy, every drop of love that runs do\vn in vain in this world, a drop of wrath runs into the .vial of wrath which is fitting in heaven.
Infer. 6. If Christ hath exercised such admirable patience and long-syfferin^ towards you, before he could gain entrance into your hearts ; then you have all the reason in the world to exercise your patience for Christ, and account all lo7ig-suffering to be your un- questionable duty. Christ was not weary in waiting upon you, be not you weary in waiting upon him, or for him. Now, there are three things wherein the people of God will have much occasion to exercise their ]")atience^ with respect to Christ.
(1.) You will need a great deal of patience to wait for the returns and answers of your prayers ; you knock and wait at the door of mercy, and no answer comes ; hereupon discouragement and weari- ness seizeth your spirits. Possibly some of you have prayers many years gone upon the file in heaven, some upon spiritual accounts, and some upon temporal ; and because the answer is not dispatched, your eyes are ready to fail with waiting : For the Lord may bear long with his own elect, Luke xviii. 7. The seed of prayer lies under the clods, and will at last spring up, " For he never said to " the seed of Jacob, seek me in vain :" None seek God in vain, but those that seek him vainly. Now, you should not be too quick and short-breathed in waiting upon God for the returns of prayer, considering how long you made Christ wait upon you.