Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

1. That this abuse of patience is a high Sin. As every act of forbearance obligeth us to duty, so every act of it, abused, increaseth our guilt. The more frequent its solicitations of us have been, the deeper aggravations our sin receives by it. Every sin, after an act of divine patience, contracts a blacker guilt. The sparing us after the last sin we committed was a superadded act of long-suffering, and a laying out more of his riches upon us: And therefore every new act committed, is a despite against greater riches expended, and greater cost upon us, and against his preserving us from the hand of Justice for the last transgression. 'Tis disingenuous not to have a due resentment of so much Goodness, and base to injure him the more, because he doth not right himself. Shall he receive the more wrongs from us, by how much the sweeter he is to us? No mans Conscience but will tell him, 'tis vile to prefer the satisfaction of a sordid Lust, before the Counsel of a God of so gracious a disposition. The sweeter the nature, the fouler is the injury, that is done unto it.

1. That this abuse of patience is a high Sin. As every act of forbearance obligeth us to duty, so every act of it, abused, encreaseth our guilt. The more frequent its sollicitations of us have been, the deeper aggravations our sin receives by it. Every sin, after an act of divine patience, contracts a blacker guilt. The sparing us after the last sin we committed was a superadded act of long-suffering, and a laying out more of his riches upon us: And therefore every new act committed, is a despite against greater riches expended, and greater cost upon us, and against his preserving us from the hand of Justice for the last transgression. 'Tis disingenuous not to have a due resentment of so much Goodness, and base to injure him the more, because he doth not right himself. Shall he receive the more wrongs from us, by how much the sweeter he is to us? No mans Conscience but will tell him, 'tis vile to preferre the satisfaction of a sordid Lust, before the Councel of a God of so gracious a disposition. The sweeter the nature, the fouler is the injury, that is done unto it.

2. 'Tis dangerous to abuse his patience. Contempt of kindness is most irksome to an ingenuous spirit, and he is worthy to have the arrows of Gods indignation lodged in his heart, who despiseth the Riches of his long-suffng. For,