do any thing, but miferably fluctuate and tremble at the event of thefe difpenfations: and yet this is the best that men can have out of Christ, the utmoft they can attain unto; with the prefent poffeffion of good things adminiftred in this patience, men might and did for a feafon take up their thoughts, and fatiate themselves; but yet they were not in the leaft delivered from the bondage they were in by reafon of death, and the darkness attending it. The law reveals no patience or forbearance in God; it speaks, as to the iffue of tranfgreffions, nothing but fword and fire, had not God interpofed by an act of fovereignty. But now, as was faid, with that revelation of forbearance which we have in Chrift, there is also a discovery of the fatisfaction of his juftice and wrath against fin, fo that we need not fear any actings from them, to interfere with the works of his patience, which are fo fweet unto us. Hence God is faid to be in Chrift reconciling the world to himself, 2 Cor. v. 19. Manifefting himself in him, as one that hath now no more to do, for the manifestation of all his attributes, that is, for the glorifying of himfelt, but only to forbear, reconcile, and pardon fin in him.

2. In the nature of it; what is there in that forbearance, which out of Chrift is revealed? meerly a not immediate punishing upon the offence; and withal giving and continuing temporal mercies; fuch things as men are prone to abuse, and may perish with their bofoms full of them, to eternity. That which lyes hid in Chrift, and is revealed from him, is full of love, fweetnefs, tenderness, kindness, grace. It is the Lord's waiting to be gracious to finners waiting for an advantage to fhew love and kindness for the moft eminent endearing of a foul unto himself, Ifa. xxx. 18. Therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and there.

fore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you. Neither is there any revelation of God, that the foul finds more fweetnefs in, than this. When it is experimentally convinced that God, from time to time, hath paffed by many innumerable iniquities; he is aftonifhed to think that God fhould do fo, and admires that he did not take the advantage of his provocations, to caft him out of his prefence; he finds that with infinite wifdom in all long-fuffering he hath managed all his dispensations towards him, to recover him from the power of the devil, to rebuke and chaften his fpirit for fin, to endear him unto himself; there is, I fay, nothing of greater sweetness to the foul than this, and therefore the apostle fays, Rom. iii. 25. that all is through the forbearance of God; God makes way for compleat forgiveness of fins, through this his forbearance; which the other doth not.

3. They differ in their ends and aims. What is the aim and defign of God in the difpenfation of that forbearance, which is manifefted, and may be discovered out of Chrift? The apostle tells us, Rom. ix. 22. What if God willing to few his aurath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-fuffering the veffels of wrath fitted for deftruction? It was but to leave them inexcufeable, that his power, and wrath against fin, might be manifested in their deftruction. And therefore he calls it, a Juffering of them to walk in their own ways, Acts xiv. 16. which elsewhere he holds out as a moft dreadful judgment, viz. in refpect of that iffue whereto it will certainly come, as Pfal. lxxxi. 12. I gave them up to their lufts, and they walked in their own counfels, which is as dreadful a condition as a creature is capable of falling into, in this world, and Acts xxvii. 30. he calls it a winking at the fins of their ignorance; as it were, taking no care nor

thought of them in their dark condition, as it appears by the Antithefis, but now he commandeth all men every where to repent. He did not take fo much notice of them then, as to command them to repent, by any clear revelation of his mind and will. And therefore the exhortation of the apoftle, Rom. ii. 4. And despifeft thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-fuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? is fpoken to the Jews, who had advantages, to learn the natural tendency of that goodnefs and forbearance which God exercises in Chrift, which indeed leads to repentance, or elfe he doth in general intimate, that in very reafon, men ought to make another ufe of thefe things, than ufually they do, and which he chargeth them withal; ver. 5. but after thy hardness and impenitent heart, &c. At beft than the patience of God unto men out of Chrift, by reafon of their own incorrigible ftub-` bornness, proves but like the waters of the river Phafis, that are sweet at the top, and bitter in the bottom; they fwim for a while in the fweet and good things of this life, Luke xvi. 25. wherewith being filled, they fink to the depth of all bitterness.

But now evidently and directly,, the end of that patience and forbearance of God, which is exercifed in Chrift, and difcovered in him to us, is, the faving and bringing unto God, thofe towards whoin he is pleased to exercife them. And therefore Pter tells you, 2 Pet. iii. 9. That he is long fuffering. to us ward, not willing, that any should perifb, but that all fhould come to repentance, that is, all us towards whom he exercifes forbearance, for that is the end of it, that his will concerning our repentance and falvation, may be accomplished; and the nature of it with its end is well expreffed, Ifa. liv, 9. This is as the waters of Noah unto ine:

for us

I have worn that the waters of Noab fhould no more cover the earth, fo have I fworn, that I would not be wroth, &c. It is God's taking a courfe in his infinite wisdom and goodness, that we shall not be deftroyed notwithstanding our fins: and therefore, Rom. xv. 5. Thefe two things are laid together, in God, as coming together from him, the God of patience and confelation: his patience is a matter of the greatest confolation. And this is another property of God, which though it may break forth in fome rays to fome ends and purposes in other things, yet the treafures of it are hid in Chrift, and none is acquainted with it unto any fpiritual advantage,

that learns it not in him.

3. His wifdom, his infinite wifdom, in managing things for his own glory, and the good of them towards whom he hath thoughts of love. The Lord indeed hath laid out and manifefted infinite wildom, in his works of creation, providence, and governing of the world: in wildom hath he made all his creatures, How manifold are his works? in wisdom bath he made them all; the earth is full of his riches, Pfal. civ. 24. So in his providence, his fupportment and guidance of all things, in order to one another, and his own glory, unto the ends appointed for them; for all thefe things come forth from the Lord of hofts, Who is wonderful in counjel, and excellent in working, Ila. xxviii. 29. His law alfo is for ever to be admired, for the excellency of the wisdom therein, Deut. iv. 7, 8. but yet there is that which Paul is aftonished at, and wherein God will for ever be exalted, which he calls the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, Rom. xi. 33 that is only hid in, and revealed by Christ. Hence as he is faid to be the wisdom of God, and to be made unto us wifdem, fo the defign of God which is carried along in him, and revealed in the

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gofpel, is called the wisdom of God, and a myftery, even the hidden wifdom which God ordained before the world was, which none of the princes of this world knew, 1 Cor. ii. 7, 8. and Eph. iii. 10. it is called the manifold wisdom of God: and to difcover the depth and riches of this wifdom, he tells us in that verfe, that it is fuch, that principalities and powers, that very angels themfelves could not in the leat mealure get any acquaintance with it, until God by gathering of a church of finners, did actu allydifcover it. Hence Peter informs us that they who are fo well acquainted with all the works of God, do yet bow down and defire with earnestness to look into thefe things; the things of the wifdom of God in the gospel, 1 Pet. i. 12. It afks a man much wifdom to make a curious work, fabric and building, but if one fhall come and deface it; to raise up the fame building to more beauty and glory than ever, this is excellency of wifdom indeed. God in the beginning made all things good, glorious and beautiful; when all things, had in innocency and beauty, the clear imprefs of his wifdom and goodnefs upon them, they were very glorious. Elpecially man, who was made for his special glory; now all this beauty was defaced by fin, and the whole creation rolled up in darkness, wrath, curfes, confufion; and the great praise of God, buried in the heaps of it. Man efpecially was utterly loft, and came fhort of the glory of God, for which he was created, Rom. iii. 23. Here now doth the depth of the riches of the wifdom and knowledge of God open itself. A defign in Chrift, fhines out from his bofom, that was lodged therefrom eternity, to recover things to fuch an estate as fhall be exceedingly to the advantage of his glory, infinitely above what at first appeared; and for the putting of finners into inconceivably a better condition than they