2. For Information. 1. Of that excessive stubbornness and madness in the hearts of us sinners. Good Lord! what an hand hath sin 1over us. That terrors should arise like an horrible tempest within the conscience for sinning, and drive a man to his feet; yea, to the dust, yea, almost as low as hell. That his sinning should pull down one calamity after another; take away the days of peace, of plenty, of safety, of health, and darken them with war, and tumults; with scarcity, and indigence; with danger, and trouble; with losses, and diseases; clothe a mans body with rags, fill a mans body with rottenness, obscure a mans name with infamy, and yet, yet after all, and under all that a person should hold fast his wickedness, which is the cause of all and will not let it go, he will not be weaned from it, nor charmed. No Mercy, nor Justice, nothing can dissolve the Covenant twixt his heart and sin; but like that Athenian Commander (if I forget not the story) who when he was threatened to let go the Ship, held it; when one hand was cut off, he held it with the other; when both were cut off, he held it with his teeth. The Lord be merciful to us, thus is it with us, though God threatens, yet we sin; though he strikes us in one ki•d, yet we sin; though in many kinds, yet we sin; though losses though crosses, though death be in our doors, though it riseth on our ⟨p. 54⟩bodies, though we lose earth, life, heaven, all, yet we still sin, and return not, but stand it out, 2. Of the admirable patience and goodness of God. Not without reason is he styled a God 2of long-suffering, and to endure with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath: and his Goodness, the riches of Goodness. Rom. 9. 22. Rom. 2. 4. That he should look after a sinner, nay, speak, nay, strike, nay, wound, nay, almost take away his life to save his life; that he should run after a proud and resisting sinner, though a sinner doth contrive the ways of opposing, and cunningly strives against all the methods of mercy; yet that God should not desert him, and give him over, but try again and again, and be actively ready to give grace to an unwilling, to a resisting, to an obstinate, foolish sinner! who but a vile sinner would obstinately abuse such great mercy? who but a God would endure the same with so much patience? It is not that the Lord seeth not the ways of a sinner (for he is Omniscient;)
2. For Information. 1. Of that excessive stubbornness and madness in the hearts of us sinners. Good Lord! what an hand hath sin 1over us. That terrors should arise like an horrible tempest within the conscience for sinning, and drive a man to his feet; yea, to the dust, yea, almost as low as hell. That his sinning should pull down one calamity after another; take away the dayes of peace, of plenty, of safety, of health, and darken them with war, and tumults; with scarcity, and indigence; with danger, and trouble; with losses, and diseases; cloath a mans body with rags, fill a mans body with rottenness, obscure a mans name with infamy, and yet, yet after all, and under all that a person should hold fast his wickedness, which is the cause of all and will not let it go, he will not be weaned from it, nor charmed. No Mercy, nor Justice, nothing can dissolve the Covenant twixt his heart and sin; but llke that Athenian Commander (if I forget not the story) who when he was threatned to let go the Ship, held it; when one hand was cut off, he held it with the other; when both were cut off, he held it with his teeth. The Lord be merciful to us, thus is it with us, though God threatens, yet we sin; though he strikes us in one ki•d, yet we sin; though in many kinds, yet we sin; though losses though crosses, though death be in our doors, though it riseth on our ⟨p. 54⟩bodies, though we lose earth, life, heaven, all, yet we still sin, and return not, but stand it out, 2. Of the admirable patience and goodness of God. Not without reason is he stiled a God 2of long-suffering, and to endure with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath: and his Goodness, the riches of Goodness. Rom. 9. 22. Rom. 2. 4. That he should look after a sinner, nay, speak, nay, strike, nay, wound, nay, almost take away his life to save his life; that he should run after a proud and resisting sinner, though a sinner doth contrive the ways of opposing, and cunningly strives against all the methods of mercy; yet that God should not desert him, and give him over, but try again and again, and be actively ready to give grace to an unwilling, to a resisting, to an obstinate, foolish sinner! who but a vile sinner would obstinately abuse such great mercy? who but a God would endure the same with so much patience? It is not that the Lord seeth not the ways of a sinner (for he is Omniscient;)
- 1Information, Of the excessive stubbornness of the hearts of sinners.
- 2Of the admirable patience and goodness of God.
