CLI. lenge GoD alfo of unkindness in giving them? May sER M. not God use wife and fitting means for our recovery, because we are fo foolish as not to make a wife ufe of them? And muft he be charged with our ruin, because he seeks by all means to prevent it? Is it not enough to be injurious to ourselves, but will we be unthankful to GoD alfo? When God hath laid out the riches of his goodness and patience upon finners, will they challenge him as acceffory to their ruin? As if a foolish heir, that hath prodigally wafted the fair eftate that was left him, fhould be fo far from blaming himself as to charge his father with undoing him. Are these the best returns which the infinite mercy and patience of God hath deferved from us? Do we thus requite the LORD, foolish people and unwife! GOD's patience would fave finners, but they ruin themselves by their abuse of it: let the blame then lye where it is due, and let God have the glory of his goodness, though men refufe the benefit and advantage of it. VI. and lastly, But because this objection pincheth hardest in one point; viz. That GoD certainly foresees that a great many will abuse his long-fuffering, to the encreasing of their guilt, and the aggravating of their condemnation; and how is his longfuffering any mercy and goodness to those, who he certainly fore-knows will in the event be so much the more miferable, for having had fo much patience extended to them? Therefore for a full answer, I defire these fix things may be confidered. 1. That God designs this life for the trial of our obedience, that according as we behave ourselves, he may reward or punish us in another world. 2. That there could be no trial of obedience, nor any capacity of rewards and punishments, but upon the fuppofition of freedom and liberty; that is, Bb 2 that SER M. that we do not do what we do upon force and neCLI. ceffity, but upon free choice. 3. That GOD, by virtue of the infinite perfection of his knowledge, does clearly and certainly forefee all future events, even those which are most contingent, fuch as are the arbitrary actions of free and voluntary agents. This I know hath been denied, but without reafon; fince it is not only contrary to the common apprehenfions of mankind from the very light of nature, that GoD fhould not fore-know future events, but to clear and exprefs fcripture; and that in fuch inftances, for the fake of which they deny God's foreknowledge in general of the future actions of free and voluntary agents, I mean, that the scripture exprefly declares GoD's determinate foreknowledge of the most wicked actions; as the crucifying of CHRIST, who is faid, "according to the "determinate counfel and fore-knowledge of GoD," to have been "by wicked hands crucified and flain." 4. That the bare fore-knowledge of things future hath no more influence upon them to make them to be, than the fight and knowledge of things prefent hath upon them to make them to be prefent. I may fee or know that the fun is rifen, without being the caufe of it's rifing; and no more is bare knowledge of future events the cause that they are, when they are. And if any man afk, how God can certainly fore-know things, which depend upon free and arbitrary caufes, unless he do fome way decree and determine them? I anfwer, that this is not a fair and reafonable demand, to afk of men, who have but finite understandings, to make out and declare all the ways that infinite knowledge hath of knowing and of fore-feeing the actions of free creatures, without prejudice to their liberty and freedom of acting. However, it is of the two much more cre CLI. dible to reason, that infinite knowledge fhould cer-3 ERM. men. nature. So that this difficult controverfy about the foreknowledge of God is brought to this point, whether a man had better believe, that infinite knowledge may be able to fore-know things in a way which our finite understanding cannot comprehend; or to ascribe something to GoD, from whence it would unavoidably follow, that he is the author of fin. The firft is only a modeft and just acknowledgment of our own ignorance; the last is the utmost and greateft abfurdity that a man can be brought to; and to fay that we cannot believe the fore-knowledge of GOD, unless we can make out the particular manner of it, is more unreasonable, than if an ignorant man fhould deny a difficult propofition in Euclid or Archimedes to be demonftrated, because he knows not how to demonstrate it. 15. And confequently fore-knowledge and liberty may very well confift; and notwithstanding God's fore-knowledge of what men will do, they may be as free as if he did not fore-know it. And, Laftly, That Gon doth not deal with men according to his fore-knowledge of the good or bad use of their liberty, but according to the nature and reafon of things; and therefore if he be long-fuffering toward finners, and do not cut them off upon the firft provocation, but give them a space and opportunity of repentance, and use all proper means CLI. SER M. and arguments to bring them to repentance, and be ready to afford his grace to excite good refolutions in them, and to second and affift them, and they refuse and refift all this; their wilful obftinacy and impenitency is as culpable, and God's goodness and patience as much to be acknowledged, as if GOD did not foresee the abuse of it; because his forefight and knowledge of what they would do, laid no neceffity upon them to do what they did. If a prince had the privilege of fore-knowledge as GOD hath, and did certainly forefee, that a great many of his fubjects would certainly incur the penalty of his laws, and that others would abuse his goodnefs and clemency to them; yet if he would govern them like free and reasonable creatures, he ought to make the fame wife laws to restrain their exorbitancy, and to use the same clemency in all cafes that did fairly admit of it, as if he did not at all foresee what they would do, nor how they would abuse his clemency; for it is nevertheless fit to make wife and reasonable laws, and to govern with equity and clemency, though it were certainly foreseen that they that are governed would act very foolishly and unreasonably in the ufe of their liberty. It is great goodnefs in God to give men the means and opportunity of being faved, though they abufe his goodness to their farther ruin; and he may be heartily grieved for that folly and obftinacy in men, which he cer tainly forefees will end in their ruin; and may with great ferioufnefs and fincerity wifh they would do otherwise, and were as wife to do good, as they are wilful to do evil. And thus he is reprefented in fcripture, as regretting the mischief which men wilfully bring upon themfelves; "O that they were wife, O that they would understand, and confider their latter end!" And CLI. And this is fufficient to vindicate the goodness of S ERM. GOD in his patience and long-fuffering to finners, and to make them wholly guilty of all that befals them for their wilful contempt and abuse of it. I fhall draw fome inferences from this whole dif, course upon this argument. I. This fhews the unreasonablenefs and perverse difingenuity of men, who take occafion to harden and encourage themselves in fin from the long-fuffering of GOD, which above all things in the world should melt and soften them. Thou haft finned, and art liable to the justice of GOD; fentence is gone forth, but GoD refpites the execution of it, and hath granted thee a reprieve, and time and opportunity to fue out thy pardon. Now what use ought we in reason to make of this patience of GOD towards us? We ought certainly" to break off our fins by a speedy repentance, left " iniquity be our ruin;" immediately to fue out our pardon, and "to make our peace with God, while "we are yet in the way," and to refolve, never any more willingly to offend that God who is so gracious and merciful, fo long-fuffering and full of compaffion. But what use do men commonly make of it? They take occafion to confirm and strengthen themselves in their wickedness, and to reason themselves into vain and groundless hopes of impunity. Now what a folly is this, because punishment doth not come, therefore to haften it, and to draw it down upon ourselves? Because it hath not yet overtaken us, therefore to go forth and meet it? Because there is yet a poffibility of efcaping it, therefore to take a certain course to make it unavoidable? Because there is yet hope concerning us, therefore to make our case desperate and past remedy? See how unreasonably men bring ruin upon themselves; so that well might the Pfalmist ask that question, "Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge?"? But |