2. God by a virtual or ordinative Will doth will the Turning and Salvation even of the very Pagans. According to that Will, God would (as I have before laid down) be seen in every creature, sought and ⟨p. 538⟩felt in every place, witnessed in every shower and fruitful season, feared in the sea-bounding sand, humbled under in every abasing providence, and turned to in every judgment. This the very Philistines saw by the Light of Nature; Give Glory to God (say they) peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, 1 Sam. 6. 5. Also the Ninevites Counsel was, to Cry mightily to God and turn from their evil ways, who can tell (say they) if God will turn and repent, Jonah 3. 8, 9. In a word; the meaning of all God's Works is that men should fear before him, Eccles. 3. 14. The goodness and patience of God leads them to repentance, Rom. 2. 4. Hence the Apostle tells us, The Lord is long-suffering to us ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, 2 Pet. 3. 9. Mirus hîc erga humanum genus amor (saith Calvin on the place) quòd omnes vult esse salvos, & ultrò pereuntes in salutem colligere paratus est. God in indulging his Patience and Longsuffering to men, doth virtually will their Repentance and Salvation. I know some interpret this place otherwise: God is long-suffering to us, that is, the [Greek or Hebrew], in the former Verse, not willing that any (viz. ⟨p. 539⟩of us) should perish, but that all (viz. of us) should come to Repentance. But I conceive that there is no Necessity at all that the Text should be so straitened, nor yet Congruity for Long-suffering towards the beloved, that they (who have already repented) should come to Repentance: Neither doth this answer the Scope of the place, which asserts, that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, upon this ground, because of his long-suffering; and his Longsuffering extends to all, and in that extent its true End and Scope is to lead them to repentance and salvation. Wherefore the meaning is, God is long-suffering to us, not to us beloved only, but to us men, not willing our Perdition but Repentance: The true Duct and Tendency of his Longsuffering is to lead men to repentance and salvation; and therefore in willing that Long-suffering, he doth virtually and ordinatively will their Repentance and Salvation.
2. God by a virtual or ordinative Will doth will the Turning and Salvation even of the very Pagans. According to that Will, God would (as I have before laid down) be seen in every creature, sought and ⟨p. 538⟩felt in every place, witnessed in every shower and fruitful season, feared in the sea-bounding sand, humbled under in every abasing providence, and turned to in every judgment. This the very Philistines saw by the Light of Nature; Give Glory to God (say they) peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, 1 Sam. 6. 5. Also the Ninevites Counsel was, to Cry mightily to God and turn from their evil ways, who can tell (say they) if God will turn and repent, Jonah 3. 8, 9. In a word; the meaning of all God's Works is that men should fear before him, Eccles. 3. 14. The goodness and patience of God leads them to repentance, Rom. 2. 4. Hence the Apostle tells us, The Lord is long-suffering to us ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, 2 Pet. 3. 9. Mirus hîc erga humanum genus amor (saith Calvin on the place) quòd omnes vult esse salvos, & ultrò pereuntes in salutem colligere paratus est. God in indulging his Patience and Longsuffering to men, doth virtually will their Repentance and Salvation. I know some interpret this place otherwise: God is long-suffering to us, that is, the 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, in the former Verse, not willing that any (viz. ⟨p. 539⟩of us) should perish, but that all (viz. of us) should come to Repentance. But I conceive that there is no Necessity at all that the Text should be so straitned, nor yet Congruity for Long-suffering towards the beloved, that they (who have already repented) should come to Repentance: Neither doth this answer the Scope of the place, which asserts, that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, upon this ground, because of his long-suffering; and his Longsuffering extends to all, and in that extent its true End and Scope is to lead them to repentance and salvation. Wherefore the meaning is, God is long-suffering to us, not to us beloved only, but to us men, not willing our Perdition but Repentance: The true Duct and Tendency of his Longsuffering is to lead men to repentance and salvation; and therefore in willing that Long-suffering, he doth virtually and ordinatively will their Repentance and Salvation.
