Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

His Justice goes not here to the end of its line, 'tis stopped in its progress, and the blows of it weakened by his Patience; He did not curse the Earth after Adam's fall, that it should bring forth no fruit, but that it should not bring forth fruit without the wearisome toil of man, and subjected him to distempers presently, but inflicted not death immediately; while he punished him, he supported him; And while he expelled him from Paradise, he did not order him not to cast his eye towards it, and conceive some hopes of regaining that happy place.

His Justice goes not here to the end of its line, 'tis stopped in its progress, and the blows of it weakned by his Patience; He did not curse the Earth after Adam's fall, that it should bring forth no fruit, but that it should not bring forth fruit without the wearysome toyl of man, and subjected him to distempers presently, but inflicted not death immediately; while he punished him, he supported him; And while he expelled him from Paradise, he did not order him not to cast his eye towards it, and conceive some hopes of regaining that happy place.

5. His Patience is seen in giving great mercies after provocations. He is so slow to anger, that he heaps many kindnesses upon a rebel, instead of punishment. ⟨p. 806⟩There is a prosperous wickedness, wherein the provokers strength continues firm; The troubles, which like Clouds drop upon others, are blown away from them, and they are not plagued like other men, that have a more worthy demeanour towards God. Psal. 73.3, 4, 5. He doth not only continue their lives, but sends out fresh beams of his goodness upon them, and calls them by his Blessings, that they may acknowledge their own fault, and his bounty, which he is not obliged to by any gratitude, he meets with from them, but by the richness of his own patient nature: for he finds the unthank fullness of men, as great as his benefits to them. He doth not only continue his outward mercies, while we continue our sins, but sometimes gives fresh benefits after new provocations: that if possible he might excite an ingenuity in men. When Israel at the Red Sea flung dirt in the face of God, by quarrelling with his servant Moses for bringing them out of Egypt, and mis-judging God in his design of deliverance, and were ready to submit themselves to their former oppressors,