3. The more his patience is abused, the sharper will be the wrath he inflicts. As his wrath restrained, makes his patience long, so his compassions restrained, will make his wrath severe. As he doth transcend all Creatures in the measures of the one, so he transcends all Creatures in the sharpness of the other. Christ is described with feet of brass, as if they burned in a Furnace. Revel. 1.15. slow to move, but heavy to crush, and hot to burn. His wrath looseth nothing by delay; it grows the fresher by sleeping, and strikes with greater strength when it awakes. All the time men are abusing his patience, God is whetting his Sword, and the longer it is whetting, the sharper will be the edge. The longer he is fetching his blow, the smarter it will be. The heavier the Canons are, the more difficulty are they drawn to the besieged Town, but when arrived they recompense the slowness of their march by the fierceness of their battery. Because I have purged thee, i. e. used means for thy reformation, and waited for it, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. I will not go back, neither will I spare, according to thy ways, and according to thy doings shall they Judge thee. Ezek. 24.13.14. God will spare as little then, as he spared much before. His wrath shall be as raging upon them, as the Sea of their ⟨p. 818⟩wickedness was within them. When there is a bank to forbid the irruption of the streams, the waters swell, but when the bank is broke, or the lock taken away, they rush with the greater violence, and ravage more, than they would have done, had not they met with a stop. The longer a stone is in falling, the more it bruiseth, and grinds to powder. There is a greater treasure of Wrath laid up by the abuses of patience. Every sin must have a just recompense of reward; and therefore every sin in regard of its aggravations must be more punished, then a sin in the singleness and simplicity of its own nature. As treasures of mercy are kept by God for us, he keeps mercy for thousands, so are treasures of wrath kept by him, to be expended; and a time of expense there must be, Patience will account to Justice, all the good offices it hath done the sinner, and demand to be righted by Justice.
3. The more his patience is abus'd, the sharper will be the wrath he inflicts. As his wrath restrained, makes his patience long, so his compassions restrained, will make his wrath severe. As he doth transcend all Creatures in the measures of the one, so he transcends all Creatures in the sharpness of the other. Christ is describ'd with feet of brass, as if they burn'd in a Furnace. Revel. 1.15. slow to move, but heavy to crush, and hot to burn. His wrath looseth nothing by delay; it grows the fresher by sleeping, and strikes with greater strength when it awakes. All the time men are abusing his patience, God is whetting his Sword, and the longer it is whetting, the sharper will be the edge. The longer he is fetching his blow, the smarter it will be. The heavier the Canons are, the more difficulty are they drawn to the besieged Town, but when arriv'd they recompence the slowness of their march by the fierceness of their battery. Because I have purged thee, i. e. used means for thy reformation, and waited for it, and thou wast not purg'd, thou shalt not be purg'd from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee. I will not go back, neither will I spare, according to thy ways, and according to thy doings shall they Judge thee. Ezek. 24.13.14. God will spare as little then, as he spar'd much before. His wrath shall be as raging upon them, as the Sea of their ⟨p. 818⟩wickedness was within them. When there is a bank to forbid the irruption of the streams, the waters swell, but when the bank is broke, or the lock taken away, they rush with the greater violence, and ravage more, than they would have done, had not they met with a stop. The longer a stone is in falling, the more it bruiseth, and grinds to powder. There is a greater treasure of Wrath laid up by the abuses of patience. Every sin must have a just recompence of reward; and therefore every sin in regard of its aggravations must be more punished, then a sin in the singleness and simplicity of its own nature. As treasures of mercy are kept by God for us, he keeps mercy for thousands, so are treasures of wrath kept by him, to be expended; and a time of expence there must be, Patience will account to Justice, all the good offices it hath done the sinner, and demand to be righted by Justice.
