Use 1
USE I.
For information in three particulars;
1. This doctrine certifies us that gracious souls will be satisfied in the judgments which God will execute upon impenitent sinners: there will be so much of equity in God's proceedings against them, so much inexcusableness in them, who have had so great patience, and so many endeavours afforded to them, that they will have nothing at all to object against it. And indeed though it cannot but grieve the souls of God's children at present, to see how wilfully unreclaimable sinners die, yet they cannot but justify God in his righteous judgments upon them. The vine-dresser cannot but say, his Lord may well cut down such a fig-tree, as no means will make to bear fruit. How much more then shall they for ever acquiesce in the final doom that shall be past in the great day, when their grace shall be perfect, and God's righteousness shall be openly declared? And it ought to be an awful consideration for sinners to think of, that if you now will die, you shall have no pity then, but all the redeemed of Christ will, in that day, rejoice in the judgment.
2. That God will be no loser by all the long-suffering which he extends to men, though they are not made better by it. This is the force of this plea: it can be but cut down at last, and that will be a sufficient declaration of righteous revenge; and this tells us, that God both can and will proportion the miseries of ungodly men, to the cost that has been laid out upon, and despised by them; which may convince all unregenerate sinners under the Gospel, upon what an awful account they stand, and are spared from time to time, if they shall at the last miss of eternal life.
3. This then shows us the desperate madness of secure sinners, that have been let alone after threatenings; and how many such are there among us, who have been under the sentence of destruction; God's hand has been up, ready to fall upon them, but it has been held back, the judgment was stayed, and they escaped. They now say with Agag, The bitterness of death is past: and hereupon they grew more secure, and careless of themselves, and unmindful of the great concerns of their souls than ever; they forget their promises, and abide contentedly in their former unfruitfulness, as if they had been delivered to do all these abominations! Is this the improvement which you make of a time of trial? Oh foolish and unwise! and do you think thus to escape the wrath of God? Had you your lives given you for a prey for this? Will it not be bitterness in the latter end? Know it, God will not thus have done with you, he has an account that he will shortly call you to, and a sad one it will be for you.
Hence,
