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to do, for the manifeftation of all his attributes, that is, for the glorifying of himself, but only to for-bear, reconcile, and pardon fin in him.

2. In the nature of it; what is there in that forbearance, which out of Christ is revealed? meerly a not immediate punishing upon the offence; and withal giving and continuing temporal mercies; such things as men are prone to abuse, and may perish with their bofoms full of them, to eternity. That

which lyes hid in Christ, and is revealed from him, is full of love, sweetness, tendernefs, kindness, grace. It is the Lord's waiting to be gracious to finners: waiting for an advantage to fhew love and kindness for the most eminent endearing of a foul unto himself, Ifa. xxx. 18. Therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy up

on 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 aftonished 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 difpenfations 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 apoftle 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 design. 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 fhew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-fuffering the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction? It was but to leave them inexcufeable, that his power, and wrath against sin, might be manifested in their destruction. And therefore he calls it, a fuffering of them to walk in their own ways, Acts xiv. 16. which elsewhere he holds out as a moft dreadful judgment, to wit, in respect 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 apostle, Rom.

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4. And defpifeft 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 goodness and forbearance which God exercifes in Chrift, which indeed leads to repentance, or elfe he doth in general intimate, that in very reafon, men ought to make another use of these 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 Christ, by reafon of their own incorrigibile stubbornnefs, proves but like the waters of the river Phafis, that are fweet at the top, and bitter in the bottom; they fwim for a while in the sweet and good things of this life, Luke xvi. 25. wherewith being filled, they fink to the depth of all bitternefs.

But now evidently and directly, the end of that patience and forbearance of God, which is exercifed in Christ, and discovered in him to us, is, the faving and bringing unto God, thofe, towards whom he is pleased to exercife them. And therefore Peter tells you, 2 Pet. iii. 9. That he is long fuffering to us ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should 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 me: for as I have fworn that the waters of Noah 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 destroyed 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 confolation: 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 purpofes in other things, yet the treasures of it are hid in Chrift, and none acquainted with it unto any fpiritual advantage, are that learns it not it. hin.

3. His wifdom, his infinite wisdom, 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 manifested infinite wisdom, in his works of creation, providence, and governing of the world: in wisdom hath he made all his creatures, How manifold are his works? in wifdom bath he made them; 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 these things come forth from the Lord of hofts, Who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working, Ifa. 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 aftonifhed at, and wherein God will for e-, ver be exalted, which he calls the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowlege of God, Rom. xi. 33. that is only hid in, and revealed by Chrift. Hence as he is faid to be the wisdom of God, and to be made unto us wifdom, fo the defign of God which is carried along in him, and revealed in the gofpel, is called the wifdom of God, and a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world was, which none of the princes of this world knew, Cor. ii. 7, 8. and Eph. iii. 10. it is called the manifold wifdom 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 least measure get any acquaintance with it, until God by gathering of a church of finners, did actually difcover it. Hence Peter informs us that they who are fo well acquainted with all the works of God, yet bow down and defire with earneftnefs to look

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into these things; the things of the wisdom of God in the gospel, 1 Pet. i. 12. It asks a man much wisdom to make a curious work, fabric and building, but if one fhall come and deface it; to raife 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. Efpecially man, who was made for his fpecial glory: now all this beauty was defaced by fin, and the whole creation rolled up in darkness, wrath, curfes, confufion; and the great praife of God, buried in the heaps of it. Man especially 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 wisdom and knowlege of God cpen itself. A defign in Chrift, fhines ou: from his bofom, that was lodged there from eternity, to recover things to fuch an estate as fhall be exceeding ly to the advantage of his glory, infinitely above what at firft appeared; and for the putting of finners into inconceivably a better condition than they were in, before the entrance of fin. He appears now glorious, he is known to be a God pardoning iniquity and fin, and advances the riches of his grace, which was his defign, Eph. i. 6. He hath infinitely vindicated his juftice alfo, in the face of men, angels, and devils; in fetting forth his Son for a propitiation. It is alfo to our advantage, we are more fully established in his favour, and are carried ou towards a more exceeding weight of glory, than formerly was revealed. Hence was that ejaculation of one of the ancients, O felix culpa, que talem

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