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suffering; whereby God hath been pleased to put a notable difference between angels that fell, and the fallen sons of Adam. Of them Peter saith, "God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgement."* This was quick and speedy work. But the Lord (saith the same apostle,) "is longsuffering to us-ward." He exerciseth much patience, very much, even towards all, though vessels of wrath. For so Paul, "What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction ?" How profane was the old world? How wicked a place was Jericho? yet was he one hundred and twenty years in warning those of that age, before he brought the deluge upon them: and he that made the world in six, was seven days in destroying that one city. The great doctor of the Gentiles was not much more than thirty years old, when God converted him; yet we find him looking at this as infinite patience, as all long-suffering, that he was borne with so long." I obtained mercy (saith he) that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering."§ How sensible then ought they to be of this attribute, with whom God hath born forty, fifty, sixty

* 2 Peter ii. 4.

+2 Peter iii. 9.

Romans ix. 22.

§ 1 Tim. i. 16.

years, and still continueth to cry unto, as it is in Habakkuk, "Wo unto him that increaseth that which is not his: How long ?"* as in Jeremiah, " O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved: How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee ?" And again," Wo unto thee, O Jerusalem, wilt thou not be made clean? When shall it once be." All which places declare sufficiently that the long-suffering God doth in a manner long to see our conversion to him.

§6. And that indeed is the most proper use we can make hereof according to Paul's expostulation, "Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance, and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance."§ Verily, we cannot meet on this side hell, with a worse temper of spirit than that which inclines a sinner to despise the for→ bearance of God, and to kick against the bowels of his goodness: as that profane Arian did, who was executed at Norwich, concerning whom Mr Greenham acquainteth us with this strange and prodigious narration. "This hellish heretic, saith he, (for so were the deniers of Christ's die vinity accounted of in those days, whatever thoughts be had of them in these,) a little before he was to be executed, afforded a few whorish

*Habak. ii. 6.

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↑ Jerem. iv. 14.

Jerem. xiii. 27.

Romans ii. 4.

tears, asking, whether he might be saved by Christ or no? When one told him that if he truly repented he should surely not perish; he brake out into this speech, Nay, if your Christ be so easy to be intreated indeed, as you say, then I defy him, and care not for him."* Horrible blasphemy! desperate wickedness for a man to draw himself back from repentance by that very cord of love, whereby he should have been drawn to it. The next degree of impiety is, when men are therefore bold to continue long in sinning, because he with whom they have to do is a long-suffering God. A vice of which the preacher of old took notice.." Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." But let such fear and tremble at what followeth, " Though a sinner doth evil an hundred times, and his day be prolonged; yet surely I know it shall not be well with the wicked." The Lord valueth every moment of his forbearance, as in the parable, "Behold these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find nonet." Christ sets a high price upon every exercise of his patience, as in the Canticles, " Open to me, for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops

* Mr Greenham in his treatise intituled, A sweet comfort for an afflicted conscience on Proverbs xviii. 14. circa medium. + Eccles. viii. 11, 12, 13. + Luke xiii. 7.

of the night."* Take we heed of slighting that which God and Christ value. Know and consider, that patience may be tired, that however the Lord may be long-suffering, yet he will not suffer for ever, but be weary of repenting, in case men will not be weary of sinning. Hear what was once said by himself to Jerusalem, "Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord, thou art gone backward; therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee: I am weary with repenting."+

EXERCITATION III.

3

The bounty of God declared by his benefits, viz. giving his Son to free us from hell, his Spirit to fit us for heaven, his angels to guard us on earth, large provisions in the way, and full satisfaction at our journey's end. John iii. 16. James i. 5. and Psalm xxiv. 1. Glossed. Isaiah xxv. 16. Alluded to. Inferences from divine bounty, beneficence to saints, not dealing niggardly with God, exemplified in David, Paul and Luther. Truth in God is without all mixture of the contrary. It appears in his making good of promises, and threatenings, teaching us what to perform, and what to expect.

§ 1. OUR Bibles in the next clause, making use † Jerem. xv. 6.

* Cantic. v. 2.

of the generic term, have it, abundant in goodness. I will make bold to vary a little from the common translation, and to read it, abundant in bounty, because the word, as Zanchy and others have observed, most properly signifieth that kind of goodness, which we call bounty or benignity,* and which maketh a fourth branch. In this God is abundant: Witness the greatest of his gifts, by which we are wont to measure the bounty of benefactors. I shall instance in some of the chief. He bestoweth upon us,

First, His Son to free us from hell. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son." He did not grant him upon the request and earnest suit of fallen creatures; but freely gave him unasked ; not a servant but a Son; not an adopted son, such as we are, but begotten, begotten, not (as saints are,) of his will by the word of truth§, but of his nature; he himself being the word and the truth; not one of many, but an only Son thus begotten; and this not for the procuring of some petty deliverance, but "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Well might this gift of royal bounty be ushered in with a "God so loved the world." Majesty and

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proprie significat benignitatem, seu liberalem beneficentiam. Zanch. de Natur. Dei. 1. i. c. 18. Vide Fulleri miscellan. lib. 1. c. 8. +John iii. 16.

Non concessit, sed purissime dedit. Stella.

f James i. 18.

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