Sermon 6: The Patience of God

SERMON 6. The Patience of God.

*2 Peter 3:9.* 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 Savior, 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 Gnostics) of whom Saint Austin expressly says, that they denied the Resurrection, and consequently a future judgment. These Saint 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 [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], 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, though they took themselves to be Wits, did betray great ignorance, both of the condition of the World, and of the nature of God. They talked 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 happened, 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 showed 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 signify, 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 has an expression much to the same purpose (Psalm 90:4): For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past; and as a watch in the night. And the Son of Sirach likewise (Ecclesiasticus 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, says 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 Saint Peter is here upon) he has 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, though it be nothing to God, yet it seemed long to them; therefore he gives such an account of it, as does 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 shows the great goodness of God to sinners, that he gives them so long a space of repentance, 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 has 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 show, 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.

1. I shall show what is meant by the patience and long-suffering of God.

2. That this is a perfection of the Divine Nature.

3. 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 [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], which signifies God's forbearance and patient waiting for our repentance; sometimes by the word [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], which signifies God's holding in his wrath, and restraining himself from punishing; and sometimes by [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], 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. No, 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 punishes, 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 (Exodus 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. Psalm 86:15: But you, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. Psalm 103:8: The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. And the same you find (Psalm 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 (Exodus 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 ourselves in an impenitent course, that his Justice takes place.

Yes, 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 (Proverbs 14:29). He that is hasty of spirit exalts folly; but he that is slow to wrath, is of great understanding. Proverbs 16:32: He that is slow to wrath, is better than the mighty: and he that rules his spirit, than he that conquers a city. Romans 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 ourselves, and therefore God himself, who is the most powerful Being, is slow to anger, and of infinite patience; and nothing does 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 uses (Numbers 14:17, 18), that the power of God does so eminently appear in his patience: And now, I pray you, let the power of my Lord be great, as he has 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 does recommend and set off the patience of God, from the consideration of his power (Psalm 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 (Ecclesiasticus 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 everywhere 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 everywhere 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 (Isaiah 43:24). You have made me to serve with your sins, you have wearied me with your 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, Does 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 jealousy, 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, has 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 abominable lives, blaspheme that holy and glorious name whereby they are called?

Every moment God has 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 trials 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 does 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 breathe out oaths, and curses, and blasphemies against him? Surely these prove the patience of God to purpose, and are equally trials 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 does 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 does not surprise us in the very act of sin, and let fly at us with a thunderbolt so soon as ever we have offended; that the wrath of God does not fall upon the intemperate person, as it did upon the Israelites, while the meat and drink is yet in their mouths; that a man is not struck dead or mad while he is telling a lie; that the soul of the profane 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 exercises 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 tries to prevent them, he is loath to set about this work; and when he does, it is with much reluctance; and then he is easily persuaded and prevailed 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 has 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 shows how little he desires our ruin.

(2.) He is long before he goes about this work. Judgment is in Scripture called 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 (Deuteronomy 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 condescension 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 (Exodus 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 you, lest I consume you 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 passes by many provocations, and waits long in expectation, that by our repentance we will prevent his judgments. He hearkened and heard (says God in the Prophet Jeremiah) but they spoke not aright, no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? He is represented as waiting and listening, 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 has 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 you up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver you, 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. Many a time lifted he up his hand in the wilderness to destroy them (Psalm 106:26). 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 withholds his judgments till he is weary of holding in, as the expression is (Jeremiah 6:11), till he can forbear no longer. So that the Lord could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations, which you have committed (Jeremiah 44:22).

(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. Yes, when his truth seemed to have been pawned, (at least in the apprehension of his Prophet) yet even then repentance took him off, as in the case of Nineveh. No, how glad is he to be thus prevented! With what joy does he tell the Prophet the news of Ahab's humiliation! Do you see how Ahab humbles himself? Because he humbles himself, I will not bring the evil in his days.

(5.) When he punishes, he does it very seldom rigorously, and to extremity, not so much as we deserve. He has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities (Psalm 103:10). Nor so much as he can; he does not let loose the fierceness of his anger, nor pour forth all his wrath. Being full of compassion, he forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not; yes many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath (Psalm 78:38).

(6.) After he has begun to punish, and is engaged in the work, he is not hard to be taken off. There is a famous instance of this (2 Samuel 24), when God had sent three days' pestilence upon Israel for David's sin in numbering 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 your hand. No, 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. Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, has turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, that I consumed them not in my jealousy; therefore behold I give to 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 (Numbers 25:11, 12, 13). 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. And about the space of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness (Acts 13:18). 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 Nineveh for some ages, and when his patience was even expired, and he seems to have passed 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 has 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): "Therefore does the wicked live, yea, become old? Their seed is established in their sight, and their posterity before their eyes." Jonah challenges 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 to Tarshish, because I knew you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, &c." Jonah had observed God to be so prone to this, that he was loath to be sent upon his message, lest 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, namely, the great patience and long-suffering of God to mankind.