The works of George Swinnock, M.A

¹O thou dear friend of mankind, that thou wert imprinted in my thoughts, engraven in my heart, and always before mine eyes! O my soul, Consider this long suffering of thy God, till thou tastest some relish of its sweetness; This name of thy God, is as ointment poured out, which yieldeth a refreshing fragrancy; Hath it been all thy days so near thee, and done so much for thee, and wilt thou not give it some warm entertainment within thee? Hast thou not infinite cause to cry out, O the depth of the patience and forbearance of God! As soon as thou wast conceived, thou wast corrupted; before thou wast born, sin w•• brought forth in thee; thy God might have turned thee out of thy mothers belly, into the belly of hell; devils might have been the Midwife to deliver thy mother ⟨p. 479⟩of such a monster, and their dungeon of darkness the first place in which thou didst breath; yet he who might have caused eternal death to have trodden upon the heels of thy natural birth, spared thee. Had he then suffered the roaring lions, his executioners, to have dragged thee to their own den, he had got himself glory, and prevented much dishonour, which thou hast since brought to his name. As thou didst grow up, sin grew up in thee, and patience grew up with thee. Numberless ha•• thine iniquities been, and his advantages for thy destruction, yet he hath forborne thee. What hath he got by all his long-suffering towards thee? He might have ruined thee, to his eternal honour; but his forbearance hath seemed to impair the revenues of heaven. Wicked men question his power, and good men quarrel with his providence, and all because of his patience; When some sinners are hanged on Gibbets, as spectacles of his justice, others are kept in the more awe; but if judgement be not speedily executed, the hearts of the Sons of men are set in them to do mischief. The thanks that are usually paid him for his patience, are indignities and affronts; The sleeping of vengeance, occasioneth the awakening of sin. Besides, their thoughts of him are the more profane as well as their actions; If he be patient towards the sinner, he is judged a party in the sin; These things thou didst, and I kept silence, thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self; Because he is silent, they judge him consenting;

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