Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

3. His patience is abused, by repeating sin, after God hath, by an act of his patience, taken off some affliction from men. As metals melted in the fire remain fluid under the operations of the flames, yet when removed from the Fire, they quickly return to their former hardness, and sometimes grow harder, than they were before. So men who in their afflictions seem to be melted, like Ahab confess their sins, lye prostrate before God, and seek him early, yet if they be brought from under the power of their afflictions, they return to their old nature, and are as stiff against God, and resist the blows of the Spirit, as much as they did before. They think they have a new stock of patience, to sin upon. Pharaoh was some what thawed under judgments, and frozen again under forbearance, Exod. 9.27.34. Many will howl when God strikes them, and laugh at him when he forbears them. Thus that patience which should melt us, doth often harden us, which is not an effect natural to his patience, but natural to our abusing corruption.

3. His patience is abused, by repeating sin, after God hath, by an act of his patience, taken off some affliction from men. As mettals melted in the fire remain fluid under the operations of the flames, yet when removed from the Fire, they quickly return to their former hardness, and sometimes grow harder, than they were before. So men who in their afflictions seem to be melted, like Ahab confess their sins, lye prostrate before God, and seek him early, yet if they be brought from under the power of their afflictions, they return to their old nature, and are as stiff against God, and resist the blows of the Spirit, as much as they did before. They think they have a new stock of patience, to sin upon. Pharaoh was some what thaw'd under judgments, and frozen again under forbearance, Exod. 9.27.34. Many will howl when God strikes them, and laugh at him when he forbears them. Thus that patience which should melt us, doth often hard'n us, which is not an effect natural to his patience, but natural to our abusing corruption.