pofe to give men time to repent, and Vol. VII. by repentance to prevent their own eternal ruin; God is not flack concerning his promife, as fome men count flackness; but is long fuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. In the handling of these words, I fhall do these three things.

First, I fhall confider the patience and long-fuffering of God, as it is an Attribute and Perfection of the Divine Nature; God is long.fuffering to us-ward.

Secondly, I fhall fhew, that the Patience of God, and the delay of Judgment, is no juft ground why finners should hope for Impunity, as the Scoffers, here foretold by the Apoftle, argued, That because our Lord delayeth his coming to Judgment fo long, therefore he would never come; God is not flack concerning his promife, as fome men count flackness.

Thirdly, I will confider the true Reafon of God's Patience and long-fuffering towards Mankind, which the Apostle here gives; He is long-fuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repen

tance.

First,

1

First, I will confider the Patience and long-fuffering of God towards Mankind, as it is an Attribute and Perfection of the Divine Nature; God is long-fuffering to us-ward. In the handling of this, I fhall do these three things.

I. I fhall fhew what is meant by the Patience and long-fuffering of God.

II. That this is a Perfection of the Divine Nature.

III. I fhall give fome proof and demonstration of the great Patience and long-fuffering of God to Mankind.

I. What is meant by the Patience and long-fuffering of God.

The Hebrew word fignifies one that keeps his anger long, or that is long before he is angry. In the

New Teftament it is fometimes expreft by the word ὑπομονὴ, which fignifies God's forbearance and patient waiting for our repentance; fome times by the word ave, which fignifies God's holding in his wrath, and reftraining himself from punishing; and fometimes by paneluia, which fignifies the extent of his patience, his long-fuffering and for

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bearing

Vol. VII.

bearing for a long time the punishVol. VII. ment due to finners.

So that the patience of God is his goodness to finners, in deferring or moderating the punishment due to them for their fins; the deferring of deserved punishment in whole or in part, which if it be extended to a long time, it is properly his long-fuffering; and the moderating, as well as the deferring of the punishment due to fin, is an inftance likewife of God's patience; and not only the deferring and moderating of temporal punishment, but the adjourning of the eternal mifery of finners, is a principal inftance of God's patience; fo that the patience of God takes in all that space of repentance which God affords to finners in this life; nay, all temporal judgments and afflictions which be fal finners in this life, and are fhort of cutting them off and turning them into Hell, are comprehended in the patience of God. Whenever God pu nifheth, it is of his great mercy and patience that we are not confumed, and becaufe his compassions fail not. I proceed

to the

II. Thing

II. Thing I propofed, which was m to fhew, that Patience is a Perfecti- Vol. VII. on of the Divine Nature.

It is not neceffarily due to us, but it is due to the Perfection of the Di vine Nature, and effentially belongs to it; it is a principal branch of God's goodness, which is the higheft and moft glorious Perfection of all other, and therefore we always find it in Scripture, in the company of God's milder and sweeter Attributes. When God would give the most perfect defcription of himself, and as he fays to Mofes, make all his glory to pass before us, he ufually does it by thofe Attributes which declare his Goodnefs; and Patience is always one of them, Exod. 34. 6. The Lord paffed by before Mofes, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-fuffering, abundant in goodness and truth, Pfal. 86. 15. But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compaffion, and gracious, long fuffering, and plenteous in mersy and truth. Pfal. 103. 8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, flow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. And the fame you find, Pfal. 145. 8 Jonah 4. 2. Joel 2. 13.

Sometimes indeed you find a feve

Vol VII. rer Attribute added to these, as that he will by no means clear the guilty, Exod. 34. 7. But 'tis always put in the laft place, to declare to us, that God's goodness, and mercy, and patience, are his firft and primary Perfections and it is only when thefe fail, and have no effect upon us, but are abufed by us to the encouragement of our felves in an impenitent courfe, that his Juftice takes place.

;

Nay, even among Men it is esteemed a Perfection to be able to forbear and to restrain our anger; Paffion is impotency and folly, but Patience is power and wisdom; Prov. 14. 29. He that is hafty of Spirit exalteth folly; but he that is flow to wrath, is of great underStanding. Prov. 16.32. He that is flow. to wrath, is better than the mighty and he that ruleth his fpirit, than he that conquereth a city. Rom. 12. 21. Be not overcome of Evil: but overcome Evil with good. To be impatient is to be overcome, but to forbear anger and revenge is a victory. Patience is an argument of great power and command of our felves, and therefore God himself, who is the most powerful Being,is flow

to