The Soul's Preparation for Christ

Secondly, another reason why we see not the vileness of sin, is, because we judge the nature of sin according to Gods patience towards us, as thus, a man commits a sin & is not plagued for it, and therefore he thinks God will not execute judgements upon him at all, all things continue a like, (saith the wicked man) as if he had said, you talk of the wrath of God that shall be revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, & where is the promise of his coming? do you not see that such a man is an oppressor, & a profane person? yet grows rich and thrives in the world; and because God spares a wicked man still for the present, therefore he thinks all are but words, he shall be free from the punishment to come (as the Prophet saith in the name of the Lord) These things hast thou done and I kept silence, ¹when thou wast upon thy Ale-bench, and there thou didst speak against holiness and purity, and because I did bear yet, and say nothing, therefore thou speakest wickedly that I was even such a one as thy self; The wicked man takes Gods patience to be a kind of allowance to him in his sin, (as the wise man saith) because sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed, ²therefore the hearts of the sons of men are wholly set in them to do mischief, & as the Prophet saith, they call the proud ⟨p. 22⟩happy,³ ye that work wickedness are set to do evil, & they that tempt God are delivered. As who should say, you say that the wrath of God is incensed against swearers, and drunkards, and the like; but we see them prosper, and because they do prosper thus, their hearts are set to work wickedness, but howsoever, it is true the Lord doth sometime bear with wicked men; the longer God stays, the greater account they shall make, and the heavier judgements they shall receive from God; See what Job saith, thou sealest up my transgressions in a bag, ⁴and thou sowest up mine iniquities; Wicked men do treasure up vengeance against the day of the Lord, the profane person treasures up wrath, and in the eighteenth verse he saith: The mountains falling come to nothing: as if he had said, good Lord, who can bear all those sins, that I have committed? Are they all sealed up, and shall all the judgements due unto them fall upon me heavier then the mountains?