Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

6. All this is more manifest, if we consider the provocations he hath. Wherein his slowness to Anger infinitely transcends the Patience of any creature; nay the Spirits of all the Angels and Glorified Saints in Heaven, would be too narrow to bear the sins of the World for one day, nay not so much as the sins of Churches, which is a little spot in the whole World: 'tis because he is the Lord, one of an infinite power over himself, that not only the whole Mass of the Rebellious World, but of the Sons of Jacob (either considered as a Church and Nation springing from the loins of Jacob, or considered as the Regenerate part of the World, sometimes called the Seed of Jacob,) are not consumed. Mal. 3.6. A Jonah was angry with God, for recalling his Anger from a sinful people; Had God committed the Government of the World to the Glorified Saints, who are perfect in Love and Holiness, the World would have had an end long ago; They would have acted that, which they sue for at the hands of God, and is not granted them. Rev. 6.10. How long Lord holy and true, dost thou not avenge our blood, on them that dwell on the Earth? God hath designs of Patience above the World, above the unsinning Angels, and perfectly renewed Spirits in Glory. The greatest Created long suffering is infinitely disproportioned to the Divine; Fire from Heaven would have been showered down before the greatest part of a day were spent, if a Created Patience had the conduct of the World, though that creature were possessed with the spirit of Patience, extracted from all the creatures which are in Heaven, or are, or ever were upon the earth. Methinks Moses intimates this; for as soon as God had passed by proclaiming his Name gracious, and long suffering; As soon as ever Moses had paid his Adoration, he falls a Praying, that God would go with the Israelites; Exod. 34.8, 9. For it is a stiffneck'd people: What an Argument is here for God to go along with them? He might rather, since he had heard him but just before say, he would by no means clear the guilty, desire God to stand further off from them, for fear the fire of his wrath should burst out from him, to burn them as he did the Sodomites. But he considers, that as none but God had such anger to destroy them, so none but God had such a Patience to bear with them; 'Tis as much as if he should have said, ⟨p. 807⟩