Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

4. Since 'tis not for want of power over the Creature, 'tis from a fullness of power over himself. This is in the Text; The Lord is slow to Anger, and great in Power; 'tis a part of his Dominion over himself, whereby he can moderate, and rule his own affections according to the holiness of his own Will. As it is the effect of his power, so it is an argument of his power; the greatness of the effect demonstrates the fullness, and sufficiency of the Cause. The more feeble any man is in reason the less command he hath over his passions, and he is the more heady ⟨p. 795⟩to revenge. Revenge is a sign of a Childish mind; the stronger any man is in reason, the more command he hath over himself. Prov. 16.32. He that is slow to Anger is better than the mighty, and he that rules his own Spirit, than he that takes a City. He that can restrain his Anger, is stronger than the Caesars, and Alexanders of the World, that have filled the Earth with slain Carcasses, and ruined Cities. By the same reason, God's slowness to Anger is a greater argument of his Power, than the creating a World, or the power of dissolving it by a Word. In this he hath a Dominion over Creatures, in the other over himself. This is the reason he will not return to destroy; because I am God, and not Man. Hosea 11.9. I am not so weak and impotent as man, that cannot restrain his Anger. This is a strength possessed only by a God, wherein a Creature is no more able to parallel him, than in any other. So that he may be said to be the Lord of himself; as it is in the verse before the Text, that he is the Lord of Anger, in the Hebrew instead of furious as we translate it, so he is the Lord of Patience. The end why God is Patient, is to show his Power. Rom. 9.22. What if God willing to show his Wrath, and to make his Power known, endured with much Long-suffering, the Vessels of Wrath fitted to destruction? To show his Wrath upon Sinners, and his Power over himself, in bearing such indignities, and forbearing punishment so long, when men were vessels of wrath fitted for destruction, of whom there was no hopes of amendment. Had he immediately broken in pieces those Vessels, his power had not so eminently appeared, as it hath done, in tolerating them so long, that had provoked him to take them off so often. There is indeed the power of his Anger, and there is the power of his Patience;