god's forbearance.
2 Pet. iii. 8, 9. Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is icith the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness ; but is long-suffering to us-tcard, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
THE compassion of Almighty God has in all ages been abused by ungodly men, and made an occasion of impenitence and persevering wickedness. In the
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minds of many it has been made a source of triumph against God, as though he were not able or willing to vindicate the honour of his law. Just as our blessed Lord's condescension in noticing an abandoned, but penitent, woman was made by his enemies a reason for doubting whether he was a prophet — since, if he had been really inspired of God, he must have known how unworthy she was of such an honour ; so the forbearance of God with an ungodly world has given occasion to " scoffers to say, Where is the promise of his coming ? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." But such persons forget, that, how- ever long God may have borne with the wickedness of men, he has given at the deluge a very awful testimony of his determination to punish it. And, though he now bears with sinners, he reserves the earth for a similar display of his vengeance by fire ; and will surely, in due season, execute his threaten- ings against sin and sinners. In the mean time, how- ever, he waits to be gracious to returning penitents, and will gladly lay aside his anger the very instant that they come to him in his appointed way.
The words which I have now read will naturally lead me to shew,
I. In what light God's delay of his final judgment should be viewed —
God forbears to punish sinners, because he desires to save them —
[Scoffers, indeed, impute it to weakness or indifference ; and take occasion from it to cast reflections on God himself, as either not seeing, or not regarding, the wickedness of men : since; if he did see it, and did regard it as he professes to do, it would not be possible for him to pass it over from year to year in the way he does. But such persons forget, that time, which to us appears long, has, in fact, no existence before God. All things past, present, and future, are alike present with him, and form in his mind but a single point : " One day is with him as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." Men are afraid to suspend the exercise of their dis- pleasure for a number of years, lest they should be considered as acting from policy, or a sense of weakness and fear. But