Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

II. The 2d. thing; How this patience or slowness to anger is manifested.

1. To our First Parents. His slowness to anger was evidenced, in not directing his Artillery against them, when they first attempted to rebel. He might have struck them dead, when they began to bite at the temptation, and were inclinable to a surrender; for it was a degree of sinning, and a breach of Loyalty, as well, though not so much as the consummating Act. God might have given way to the floods of his wrath at the first spring of man's aspiring thoughts, when the monstrous motion of being as God began to be curdled in his heart; But he took no notice of any of their Embryo sins, till they came to a ripeness, and started out of the womb of their minds, into the open Air; And after he had brought his sin to perfection, God did not presently send that death upon him, ⟨p. 799⟩which he had merited, but continued his Life to the space of 930 years. Gen. 5.5. The Sun and Stars were not arrested, from doing their Office for him. Creatures were continued for his use, the earth did not swallow him up, nor a Thunderbolt from Heaven raze out the memory of him. Though he had deserved to be treated with such a severity for his ungrateful demeanour to his Creator and Benefactor, and affecting an equality with him, yet God continued him with a sufficiency for his content, after he turned rebel, though not with such a liberality as when he remained a Loyal Subject; And though he foresaw; that he would not make an end of sinning, but with an end of living, he used him not in the same manner, as he had used the Devils. He added days and years to him, after he had deserved death, and hath for this 5000 years continued the propagation of Mankind, and derived from his loins an innumerable posterity, and hath crowned multitudes of them with hoary heads; He might have extinguished humane race at the first, but since he hath preserved it till this day, it must be interpreted nothing else, but the effect of an admirable Patience.