Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

4. His patience is abused, by taking encouragement from it to mount to greater degrees of Sin. Because God is slow to Anger, men are more fierce in sin, and not only continue in their old Rebellions, but heap new upon them. If he spare them for three transgressions they will commit four, as is intimated in the first and second of Amos; Mens hearts are fully set in them to do evil, because sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed. Eccles. 8.11. Their Hearts are more desperately bent; before they had some waverings, and pull-backs, but after a fair Sun-shine of Divine patience, they entertain more unbridled resolutions, and pass forward with more liberty and licentiousness. They make his long-suffering subservient to turn out all those little relentings, and regrets they had before, and banish all thoughts of barring out a Temptation. No encouragement is given to men by Gods patience, but they force it by their presumption. They invert Gods order, and bind themselves stronger to iniquity by that which should bind them faster to their duty. A happy escape at Sea makes men go more confidently into the deeps afterward. Thus we deal with God, as Debtors do with good natured Creditors: Because they do not dun them for what they owe, they take encouragement to run more upon the score, till the sum amounts above their ability of payment.

4. His patience is abus'd, by taking encouragement from it to mount to greater degrees of Sin. Because God is slow to Anger, men are more fierce in sin, and not only continue in their old Rebellions, but heap new upon them. If he spare them for three transgressions they will commit four, as is intimated in the first and second of Amos; Mens hearts are fully set in them to do evil, because sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed. Eccles. 8.11. Their Hearts are more desperately bent; before they had some waverings, and pull-backs, but after a fair Sun-shine of Divine patience, they entertain more unbridled resolutions, and pass forward with more liberty and licentiousness. They make his long-suffering subservient to turn out all those little reletings, and regrets they had before, and banish all thoughts of barring out a Temptation. No encouragement is given to men by Gods patience, but they force it by their presumption. They invert Gods order, and bind themselves stronger to iniquity by that which should bind them faster to their duty. A happy escape at Sea makes men go more confidently into the deeps afterward. Thus we deal with God, as Debtors do with good natur'd Creditors: Because they do not dunn them for what they owe, they take encouragement to run more upon the score, till the summe amounts above their ability of payment.