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Vol. VII.

SERMON VII.

The Patience of God.

2 PET. III. 9.

The Lord 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 Jhould come to Repentance.

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Have made entrance into thefe words, in the handling of which, I propos'd to do thefe three things. Firft, To confider the patience and long-fuffering of God, as it is an Attribute and Perfection of the Divine/ Nature; God is long suffering to usward.

Secondly, To fhew that the Patience of God, and the delay of his Judgment, is no juft ground why Sinners fhould

fhould hope for impunity; God is not Vol. VII. flack concerning his promife, as fome men count flackness.

Thirdly, To confider the true reason of God's patience and long-fuffering towards Mankind; He is long-fuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perifb, but that all should come to repentance. I have already spoken to the

First of thefe, namely, The patience and long-fuffering of God, as it is an Attribute and Perfection of the Divine Nature. I proceed now to the

Second thing I propofed, namely, To fhew that the Patience of God, and the delay of Judgment, is no juft ground why Sinners fhould hope for impunity; God is not flack concerning his promife, as fome men count flackneß; that is, as the Scoffers here mentioned by the Apoftle, did ignorantly and maliciously reason, that because our Lord delayed his coming to Judgment fo long, therefore he would never come. There was indeed fome pretence for this Objection, because the Chriftians did generally apprehend, that the day of Judgment was very near, and that it would immediately follow

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the deftruction of Jerufalem; and it seems the Disciples themfelves were of that perswasion before our Saviour's death, when our Saviour difcourfing to them of the deftruction of the Temple,they put these two questions to him, Mat. 24.3. And as he fat upon the mount of Olives, the difciples came unto him privately, faying, When fhall these things be? and what shall be the fign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? When fball these things be? That is, the things he had been speaking of immediately before, viz. the deftruction of Ferufalem, and the diffolution of the Temple; that is plainly the meaning of the first queftion, to which they fubjoined another, And what shall be the fign of thy coming? that is to Judgment; and of the end of the world? which in all probability, was added to the former; because they fuppofed that the one was presently to follow the other, and therefore the fame answer would ferve them both; and it appears by our Saviour's anfwer, that he was not concerned to rectifie them in this miftake, which might be of good ufe to them, both to make them more zea.

lous to propagate the Gospel, fince

there

Vol. VII.

a there was like to be fo little time for Vol. Vil. it; and likewife to wean their affecti ons from this World, which they thought to be fo near an end.

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One thing indeed our Saviour says, which (had they not been prepoffeft with another Opinion) does fufficiently intimate that there might be a confiderable space of time, betwixt the deftruction of Jerufalem and the day of Judgment; and this we find only in St. Luke, Ch. 21. 24. where fpeak. ing of the Miseries and Calamities that fhould come upon the Jews, he says, They shall fall by the edge of the word, and be carried into captivity into all nations; and Ferufalem fhall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled. So that here were a great many Events foretold,betwixt the deftruction of Jerufalem and the end of the World, the accomplishment whereof might take up a great deal of time, as appears by the Event of things, Jerufalem being at this day ftill trodden down by the Gentiles, and the Jews ftill continuing difperft over the world: but the Difciples it feems did not much mind this, being carryed away with a prejudicate conceit that

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