The Remaining Discourses on the Attributes of God, Sermon 6
SERMON VI.Vol VII. The Patience of God.
2 PET. III.9.
The Lord is not ſlack concerning his Promiſe, as ſome Men count ſlackneſs; but is long-ſuffering, not willing that any ſhould periſh, but that all ſhould come to Repentance.
IN the beginning of this Chapter, the Apoſtle puts the Chriſtians, to whom he writes, in mind of the Predictions of the ancient Prophets, and of the Apoſtles of our Lord and Saviour, concerning the general Judgment of the World, which by many (and perhaps by the Apoſtles themſelves) had been thought to be very near, and that it would preſently follow the deſtruction of Jeruſalem; but he tells them, that before that, there would ariſe a certain Sect, or ſort of Men, that would deride the expectation of a future Judgment, deſigning probably the Carpocratians (a branch of that large Sect of the Gnoſticks) of whom St. Auſtin expreſsly ſays, That they denied the Reſurrection, and conſequently a future Judgment. Theſe St. Peter calls Scoffers, v. 3, 4. Knowing this firſt, that there ſhall come in the laſt days ſcoffers, walking after their own luſts, and ſaying, Where is the promiſe of his coming? The word is foreign, which ſignifies a Declaration in general, whether it be by way of Promiſe or Threatning. What is become of that Declaration of Chriſt ſo frequently repeated in the Goſpel, concerning his coming to Judgment? For ſince the Fathers fell aſleep, or, ſaving that the Fathers are fallen aſleep, except only that Men die, and one Generation ſucceeds another, all things continue as they were from the creation of the world; that is, the World continues ſtill as it was from the beginning, and there is no ſign of any ſuch change and alteration as is foretold. To this he anſwers two things.
1. That theſe Scoffers, tho' they took themſelves to be Wits, did betray great Ignorance, both of the condition of the World, and of the nature of God. They talk'd very ignorantly concerning the World, when they ſaid, All things continued as they were from the Creation of it, when ſo remarkable a change had already hapned, as the deſtruction of it by Water; and therefore the Prediction concerning the deſtruction of it by Fire, before the great and terrible day of Judgment, was no ways incredible. And they ſhewed themſelves likewiſe very ignorant of the Perfection of the Divine Nature, to which, being eternally the ſame, a thouſand years and one day are all one; and if God make good his word ſome thouſand of Years hence, it will make no ſenſible difference, conſidering his eternal duration, it being no matter when a duration begins, which is never to have an end; v. 8. Be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thouſand years, and a thouſand years as one day. This, it ſeems, was a common ſaying among the Jews, to ſignifie, that to the Eternity of God, no finite duration bears any proportion; and therefore with regard to Eternity, it is all one whether it be a thouſand Years or one Day. The Pſalmiſt hath an Expreſſion much to the ſame purpoſe, Pſal. 90.4. For a thouſand years in thy ſight are but as yeſterday when it is paſt; and as a watch in the night. And the Son of Sirach likewiſe, Ecclus. 18.10. As a drop of water to the ſea, and as a grain of ſand to the ſea ſhore, ſo are a thouſand years to the days of eternity. The like Expreſſion we meet with in Heathen Writers; To the Gods no time is long, ſaith Pythagoras: And Plutarch, The whole ſpace of a Man's life to the Gods is as nothing. And in his excellent Diſcourſe of the ſlowneſs of the Divine Vengeance, (the very Argument St. Peter is here upon) he hath this Paſſage, That a thouſand, or ten thouſand years, are but as an indiviſible point to an infinite duration. And therefore when the Judgment is to be eternal, the delay of it, though it were for a thouſand Years, is an Objection of no force, againſt either the certainty, or the terror of it; for to Eternity, all time is equally ſhort; and it matters not when the puniſhment of Sinners begins, if it ſhall never have an end.
2. But becauſe the diſtance between the Declaration of a future Judgment, and the coming of it, tho' it be nothing to God, yet it ſeemed long to them; therefore he gives ſuch an account of it, as doth not in the leaſt impeach the truth and faithfulneſs of God, but is a clear argument and demonſtration of his goodneſs. Admitting what they ſaid to be true, that God delays Judgment for a great while, yet this gives no ground to conclude that Judgment will never be; but it ſhews the great goodneſs of God to ſinners, that he gives them ſo long a ſpace of repentace, that ſo they may prevent the terror of that day whenever it comes, and eſcape that dreadful ruin which will certainly overtake, ſooner or later, all impenitent ſinners; The Lord is not ſlack concerning his promiſe; that is, as to the Declaration which he hath made of a future Judgment, as ſome Men account ſlackneſs; That is, as if the delay of Judgment were an argument it would never come. This is a falſe inference from the delay of puniſhment, and an ill interpretation of the goodneſs of God to ſinners, who bears long with them, and delays Judgment, on purpoſe to give men time to repent, and by repentance to prevent their own eternal ruin; God is not ſlack concerning his promiſe, as ſome men count ſlackneſs; but is long ſuffering to us-ward, not willing that any ſhould periſh, but that all ſhould come to repentance. In the handling of theſe words, I ſhall do theſe three things.
Firſt, I ſhall conſider the patience and long-ſuffering of God, as it is an Attribute and Perfection of the Divine Nature; God is long-ſuffering to us-ward.
Secondly, I ſhall ſhew, that the Patience of God, and the delay of Judgment, is no juſt ground why ſinners ſhould hope for Impunity, as the Scoffers, here foretold by the Apoſtle, argued, That becauſe our Lord delayeth his coming to Judgment ſo long, therefore he would never come; God is not ſlack concerning his promiſe, as ſome men count ſlackneſs.
Thirdly, I will conſider the true Reaſon of God's Patience and long-ſuffering towards Mankind, which the Apoſtle here gives; He is long-ſuffering to us-ward, not willing that any ſhould periſh, but that all ſhould come to repentance.
Firſt, I will conſider the Patience and long-ſuffering of God towards Mankind, as it is an Attribute and Perfection of the Divine Nature; God is long-ſuffering to us-ward. In the handling of this, I ſhall do theſe three things.
I. I ſhall ſhew what is meant by the Patience and long-ſuffering of God.
II. That this is a Perfection of the Divine Nature.
III. I ſhall give ſome proof and demonſtration of the great Patience and long-ſuffering of God to Mankind.
I. What is meant by the Patience and long-ſuffering of God.
The Hebrew word ſignifies one that keeps his anger long, or that is long before he is angry. In the New Teſtament it is ſometimes expreſt by the word foreign, which ſignifies God's forbearance and patient waiting for our repentance; ſome times by the word foreign, which ſignifies God's holding in his wrath, and reſtraining himſelf from puniſhing; and ſometimes by foreign, which ſignifies the extent of his patience, his long-ſuffering and forbearing for a long time the puniſhment due to ſinners.
So that the patience of God is his goodneſs to ſinners, in deferring or moderating the puniſhment due to them for their ſins; the deferring of deſerved puniſhment in whole or in part, which if it be extended to a long time, it is properly his long-ſuffering; and the moderating, as well as the deferring of the puniſhment due to ſin, is an inſtance likewiſe of God's patience; and not only the deferring and moderating of temporal puniſhment, but the adjourning of the eternal miſery of ſinners, is a principal inſtance of God's patience; ſo that the patience of God takes in all that ſpace of repentance which God affords to ſinners in this life; nay, all temporal judgments and afflictions which befal ſinners in this life, and are ſhort of cutting them off and turning them into Hell, are comprehended in the patience of God. Whenever God puniſheth, it is of his great mercy and patience that we are not conſumed, and becauſe his compaſſions fail not. I proceed to the
II. Thing I propoſed, which was to ſhew, that Patience is a Perfection of the Divine Nature.
It is not neceſſarily due to us, but it is due to the Perfection of the Divine Nature, and eſſentially belongs to it; it is a principal branch of God's goodneſs, which is the higheſt and moſt 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 deſcription of himſelf, and as he ſays to Moſes, make all his glory to paſs before us, he uſually does it by thoſe Attributes which declare his Goodneſs; and Patience is always one of them, Exod. 34.6. The Lord paſſed by before Moſes, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-ſuffering, abundant in goodneſs and truth. Pſal. 86.15. But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compaſſion, and gracious, long ſuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. Pſal. 103.8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, ſlow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. And the ſame you find, Pſal. 145.8 Jonah 4.2. Joel 2.13.
Sometimes indeed you find a ſeverer Attribute added to theſe, as that he will by no means clear the guilty, Exod. 34.7. But 'tis always put in the laſt place, to declare to us, that God's goodneſs, and mercy, and patience, are his firſt and primary Perfections; and it is only when theſe fail, and have no effect upon us, but are abuſed by us to the encouragement of our ſelves in an impenitent courſe, that his Juſtice takes place.
Nay, even among Men it is eſteemed a Perfection to be able to forbear and to reſtrain our anger; Paſſion is impotency and folly, but Patience is power and wiſdom; Prov. 14.29. He that is haſty of ſpirit exalteth folly; but he that is ſlow to wrath, is of great underſtanding. Prov. 16.32. He that is ſlow to wrath, is better than the mighty: and he that ruleth his ſpirit, 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 ſelves, and therefore God himſelf, who is the moſt powerful Being, is ſlow to anger, and of infinite patience; and nothing doth more declare the Power of God, than his Patience, that when he is provoked by ſuch vile and deſpicable Creatures as we are, he can withhold his hand from deſtroying us. This is the argument which Moſes uſeth Numb. 14.17, 18. that the Power of God, doth ſo eminently appear in his patience; And now, I pray thee, let the power of my Lord be great, as he hath ſpoken, ſaying, the Lord is gracious and long-ſuffering. And yet Power, where it is not reſtrained by wiſdom and goodneſs, is a great temptation to anger; becauſe where there is Power, there is ſomething to back it and make it good. And therefore the Pſalmiſt doth recommend and ſet off the Patience of God, from the conſideration of his Power; Pſal. 7.11. God is ſtrong and patient, God is provoked every day; God is ſtrong, and therefore patient; or he is infinitely patient, notwithſtanding his Almighty Power to revenge the daily provocations of his Creatures.
Among Men, anger and weakneſs commonly go together; but they are ill matched, as is excellently obſerved by the Son of Sirach, Ecclus. 10.18. Pride was not made for man, nor furious anger for him that is born of a woman. So that anger and impatience is every where unreaſonable. Where there is Power, impatience is below it, and a thing too mean for Omnipotency; and where there wants Power, anger is above it; it is too much for a weak and impotent Creature to be angry. Where there is Power, anger is needleſs and of no uſe; and where there is no Power, it is vain and to no purpoſe. So that Patience is every where a Perfection, both in God and Man. I proceed to the
III. Thing I propoſed, which was to give ſome proof and demonſtration of the great patience and long-ſuffering of God to Mankind. And this will evidently appear, if we conſider theſe two things.
1. How Men deal with God.
2. How, notwithſtanding this, God deals with them.
1. How Men deal with God. Every day we highly offend and provoke him, we grieve and weary him with our Iniquities, as the Expreſſion is in the Prophet, Iſa. 43.24. Thou haſt made me to ſerve with thy ſins, thou haſt wearied me with thine iniquities. Every ſin that we commit, is an affront to the Divine Majeſty, and a contempt of his Authority. By denying ſubmiſſion to his Laws, we queſtion his Omnipreſence, and ſay, Doth God ſee? and is there knowledge in the moſt high? Or if we acknowledge his Omnipreſence, and that he regards what we do, the provocation is ſtill the greater, becauſe then we affront him to his face; we dare his Juſtice, and challenge his Omnipotency, and provoke the Lord to jealouſie, as if we were ſtronger than he.
Is not God patient, when the whole world lies in wickedneſs, and the earth is overſpread with violence, and is full of the habitations of cruelty? when he who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, and is ſo highly offended at the ſins of Men, hath yet the patience to look upon them that deal treacherouſly, and to hold his peace? when the wicked perſecutes and devours the man that is more righteous than he? when even that part of the World which profeſſeth the Name of God and Chriſt, do by their vile and obominable lives, blaſpheme that holy and glorious name whereby they are called?
Every moment God hath greater injuries done to him, and more affronts put upon him, than were ever offered to all the Sons of Men; and ſurely provocations are tryals of patience, eſpecially when they are ſo numerous and ſo heinous; for if offences riſe according to the dignity of the perſon injured, and the meanneſs of him that doth the injury, then no offences are ſo great as thoſe that are committed by Men againſt God, no affronts like to thoſe which are offered to the Divine Majeſty by the continual provocations of his Creatures. And is not this an argument of God's patience, that the glorious Majeſty of Heaven ſhould bear ſuch multiplied indignities from ſuch vile Worms? that he who is the Former of all things, ſhould endure his own Creatures to rebel againſt him, and the work of his hands to ſtrike at him? that he who is our great Benefactor ſhould put up ſuch affronts from thoſe who depend upon his bounty, and are maintained at his charge? that he, in whoſe hands our breath is, ſhould ſuffer Men to breath out Oaths, and Curſes, and Blaſphemies againſt him? Surely theſe prove the patience of God to purpoſe, and are equally tryals and arguments of it.
2. The Patience of God will further appear, if we conſider how, notwithſtanding all this, God deals with us. He is patient to the whole World, in that he doth not turn us out of Being, and turn the wicked together into hell, with all the nations that forget God. He is patient to the greateſt part of Mankind, in that he makes but a few terrible Examples of his Juſtice, that others may hear and fear, and take warning by them. He is patient to particular perſons, in that, notwithſtanding our daily provocations, he prevents us daily with the bleſſings of his goodneſs, prolonging our lives, and vouchſafing ſo many favours to us, that by this great goodneſs we may be led to repentance.
But the Patience of God will more illuſtriouſly appear, if we conſider theſe following particulars, which are ſo many Evidences and Inſtances of it.
1. That God is not obliged to ſpare and forbear us at all. It is patience that he doth not ſurpriſe us in the very act of ſin, and let flye at us with a Thunder-bolt ſo ſoon as ever we have offended; that the wrath of God doth not fall upon the intemperate perſon, as it did upon the Iſraelites, whilſt the meat and drink is yet in their mouths; that a Man is not ſtruck dead or mad whilſt he is telling a Lye; that the Soul of the prophane and falſe Swearer does not expire with his Oaths and Perjuries.
2. That God ſpares us when it is in his power ſo eaſily to ruin us; when he can with one word command us out of Being, and by cutting aſunder one little thread, let us drop into Hell. If God were diſpoſed to ſeverity, he could deal with us after another manner; and as the expreſſion is in the Prophet, eaſe himſelf of his Adverſaries, and be avenged of his Enemies.
3. That God exerciſeth this patience to Sinners, flagrante bello, while they are up in Arms againſt him, and committing Hoſtilities upon him; he bears with us, even when we are challenging his Juſtice to puniſh us, and provoking his Power to deſtroy us.
4. That he is ſo very ſlow and unwilling to puniſh, and to inflict his Judgments upon us. As for eternal Puniſhments, God defers them a long while; and by all proper ways and means endeavours to prevent them, and to bring us to repentance. And as for thoſe temporal Judgments which God inflicts upon Sinners, he carries himſelf ſo, that we may plainly ſee all the ſigns of unwillingneſs that can be; he trys to prevent them, he is loth to ſet about this work; and when he does, it is with much reluctance; and then he is eaſily perſwaded and prevail'd withal not to do it; and when he does, he does it not rigorouſly, and to extremity; and he is ſoon taken off after he is engaged in it. All which are great inſtances and evidences of his wonderful patience to Sinners.
(1.) God's unwillingneſs to puniſh appears, in that he labours to prevent puniſhment; and that he may effectually do this, he endeavours to prevent ſin, the meritorious Cauſe of God's Judgments. To this end he hath threatened it with ſevere puniſhments, that the dread of them may make us afraid to offend; and if this will not do, he does not yet give us over, but gives us a ſpace of repentance, and invites us earneſtly to turn to him, and thereby to prevent his Judgments; he expoſtulates with Sinners, and reaſons the caſe with them, as if he were more concerned not to puniſh, than they are not to be puniſhed; and thus by his earneſt deſire of our repentance, he ſhews how little he deſires our ruine.
(2.) He is long before he goes about this work. Judgment is in Scripture call'd his ſtrange work; as if he were not acquainted with it, and hardly knew how to go about it on the ſudden. He is repreſented as not prepared for ſuch a work, Deut. 32.41. If I whet my glittering Sword; as if the Inſtruments of Puniſhment were not ready for us. Nay, by a ſtrange kind of condeſcention to our Capacities, and to ſet forth to us the patience of God, and his ſlowneſs to wrath, after the manner of Men, he is repreſented as keeping out of the way, that he may not be tempted to deſtroy us; Exod. 33.2, 3. where he tells Moſes, that he would ſend an Angel before them, but I will not go up in the midſt of thee, leſt I conſume thee in the way.
At works of Mercy he is very ready and forward. When Daniel prayed for the deliverance of the People of Iſrael out of Captivity, the Angel tells him, that at the beginning of his ſupplication, the commandment came forth, to bring him a promiſe of their deliverance. The mercy of God many times prevents our Prayers, and outruns our Wiſhes and Deſires: but when he comes to affliction, he takes time to do it; he paſſeth by many provocations, and waits long in expectation, that by our repentance we will prevent his Judgments; he hearkned and heard (ſaith God in the Prophet Jeremiah) but they ſpake not aright, no man repented him of his wickedneſs, ſaying, What have I done? He is repreſented as waiting and liſtning, to hear if any penitent word would drop from them; he gives the Sinner time to repent and reflect upon his actions, and to conſider what he hath done, and ſpace to reaſon himſelf into repentance. For this reaſon the Judgments of God do often follow the ſins of Men at a great diſtance, otherwiſe he could eaſily make them mend their pace, and conſume us in a moment.
(3.) When he goes about this work, he does it with much reluctance, Amos 11.8, 9. How ſhall I give thee up, Ephraim? how ſhall I deliver thee, Iſrael? mine heart is turned within me, and my repentings are kindled together. He is repreſented as making many eſſays and offers before he came to it. Pſal. 106.26. Many a time lifted he up his hand in the wilderneſs to deſtroy them. He made as if he would do it, and let fall his hand again, as if he could not find in his heart to be ſo ſevere. God witholds his Judgments till he is weary of holding in, as the Expreſſion is, Jer. 6.11. till he can forbear no longer. Jer. 44.22. So that the Lord could no longer bear, becauſe of the evil of your doings, and becauſe of the abominations, which ye have committed.
(4.) God is eaſily prevailed upon not to puniſh. When he ſeemed reſolved upon it, to deſtroy the murmuring Iſraelites, yet how often, at the interceſſion of Moſes, did he turn away his wrath? That he will accept of very low terms to ſpare a very wicked People, appears by the inſtance of Sodom, where if there had been but ten righteous perſons, he would not have deſtroyed them for the ten's ſake. Yea, when his truth ſeemed to have been pawn'd, (at leaſt in the apprehenſion of his Prophet) yet even then repentance took him off, as in the caſe of Nineveh. Nay, how glad is he to be thus prevented! with what joy does he tell the Prophet the news of Ahab's humiliation! Seeſt thou how Ahab humbleth himſelf? Becauſe he humbleth himſelf, I will not bring the evil in his days.
(5.) When he puniſheth, he does it very ſeldom rigorouſly, and to extremity, not ſo much as we deſerve; Pſal. 103.10. He hath not dealt with us after our ſins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Nor ſo much as he can; he doth not let looſe the fierceneſs of his anger, nor pour forth all his wrath; Pſal. 78.38. Being full of compaſſion, he forgave their iniquity, and deſtroyed them not; yea many a time turned he his anger away, and did not ſtir up all his wrath.
(6.) After he hath begun to puniſh, and is ingaged in the work, he is not hard to be taken off. There is a famous inſtance of this, 2. Sam. 24. when God had ſent three days Peſtilence upon Iſrael for David's ſin in numbring the People, and at the end of the third day, the Angel of the Lord had ſtretched forth his hand over Jeruſalem to deſtroy it, upon the Prayer of David, it is ſaid, that the Lord repented of the evil, and ſaid to the Angel that deſtroyed, It is enough, ſtay now thine hand. Nay, ſo ready is God to be taken off from this work, that he ſets a high value upon thoſe who ſtand in the gap to turn away his wrath; Numb. 25.11, 12, 13. Phinehas, the ſon of Eleazar, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Iſrael, that I conſumed them not in my jealouſie; wherefore behold I give unto him my covenant of peace, and to his ſeed after him, becauſe he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Iſrael. That which God values in this action of Phinehas, next to his zeal for him, is, that he turned away his wrath, and made an atonement for the Children of Iſrael.
5. and Laſtly, The patience of God will yet appear with further advantage, if we conſider ſome eminent and remarkable Inſtances of it; which are ſo much the more conſiderable, becauſe they are inſtances, not only of God's patience extended to a long time, but to a great many perſons. The long-ſuffering of God waited in the days of Noah upon the whole World, as is probably conjectured, for the ſpace of an hundred and twenty years. God bore with the People of Iſrael in the Wilderneſs, after they had tempted him ten times, for the ſpace of forty Years; Acts 13.18. And about the ſpace of forty years ſuffered he their manners in the Wilderneſs. And this inſtance of God's patience will be the more remarkable, if we compare it with the great impatience of that People; if they did but want Fleſh or Water, they were out of patience with God; when Moſes was in the Mount with God but forty days, they preſently fall to make new Gods; they had not the patience of forty days, and yet God bore their manners forty years. God had ſpared Niniveh for ſome Ages, and when his patience was even expired, and he ſeems to have paſt a final Sentence upon it, yet he grants a Reprieve for forty days, that they might ſue out their Pardon in that time, and they did ſo; they turned from their evil ways, and God turned from the evil he ſaid he would do to them, and he did it not.
But the moſt remarkable inſtance of God's long-ſuffering is to the Jews, if we conſider it with all the circumſtances of it; after they had rejected the Son of God, notwithſtanding the purity of his Doctrine, and the power of his Miracles; after they had unjuſtly condemned, and cruelly murdered the Lord of life, yet the patience of God reſpited the ruin of that People forty Years.
Beſides all theſe, there are many inſtances of God's patience to particular Perſons; but it were endleſs to enumerate theſe; every one of us may be an inſtance to our ſelves of God's long-ſuffering.
I ſhall only add, as a further advantage to ſet off the patience of God to Sinners, that his forbearance is ſo great, that he hath been complained of for it by his own Servants. Job, who was ſo patient a Man himſelf, thought much at it; Job 21.7, 8. Wherefore doth the wicked live, yea, become old? Their ſeed is eſtabliſht in their ſight, and their poſterity before their eyes. Jonah challengeth God for it, Ch. 4.2. Was not this that which I ſaid when I was yet in my own country? and therefore I fled before unto Tarſhiſh, becauſe I knew thou art a gracious God, and merciful, ſlow to anger, &c. Jonah had obſerved God to be ſo prone to this, that he was loth to be ſent upon his Meſſage, leaſt God ſhould diſcredit his Prophet, in not being ſo good (ſhall I ſay) ſo ſevere as his word.
I have done with the firſt thing I propoſed to ſpeak to, viz. The great patience and long-ſuffering of God to Mankind.