Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

5. For the sake of his Church he is Patient to wicked men. The tares are Patiently, ⟨p. 813⟩endured till the Harvest, for fear in the plucking up the one, there might be some prejudice done to the other. Upon this account he spares some, who are worse than others, whom he crusheth by signal judgments; The Jews had committed sins worse than Sodom, for the confirmation of which we have God's Oath, Ezek. 16.48. and more by half than Samaria, or the Ten Tribes had done; ver. 51. Yet God spared the Jews, though he destroyed the Sodomites. What was the reason, but a larger remnant of Righteous persons, more clusters of good grapes were found among them, than grew in Sodom. Isa. 1.9. A few more Righteous in Sodom had damped the Fire and Brimstone designed for that place; And a remnant of such in Judea was a bar to that fierceness of anger, which otherwise would have quickly consumed them. Had there been but Ten Righteous in Sodom, Divine Patience had still bound the Arms of justice, that it should not have prepared its Brimstone, notwithstanding the clamour of the sins of the multitude. Judea was ripe for the sickle, but God would put a lock upon the torrent of his judgments, that they should not flow down upon that wicked place, to make them a desolation and a curse, as long as tender hearted Josiah lived, who had humbled himself at the threatening, and wept before the Lord; 1 King. 22.19, 20. Sometimes he bears with wicked men, that they might exercise the Patience of the Saints. Rev. 14.12. The whole time of the forbearance of Antichrist in all his intrusions into the Temple of God, invasions of the rights of God, usurpations of the Office of Christ, and besmearing himself with the blood of the Saints, was to give them an opportunity of Patience. God is Patient towards the wicked, that by their means he might try the Righteous. He burns not the wisp, till he hath scoured his vessels; Nor lays by the hammer, till he hath formed some of his matter into an excellent fashion. He useth the worst men as rods to correct his people, before he sweeps the twigs out of his house. God sometimes uses the thorns of the World, as a hedge to secure his Church, sometimes as instruments to try, and exercise it. Howsoever he useth them, whither for security or trial, he is Patient to them for his Churches advantage.