Ecclesiastes 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. I. THAT MEN ARE VERY APT TO ABUSE THE LONGSUFFERING OF GOD, TO THE ENCOURAGING AND HARDENING OF THEMSELVES IN AN EVIL COURSE, THE EXPERIENCE OF THE WORLD, IN ALL AGES, DOES GIVE ABUNDANT TESTIMONY. II. WHENCE THIS COMES TO PASS, AND UPON WHAT PRETENCE AND COLOUR OF REASON MEN ENCOURAGE THEMSELVES IN SIN, FROM THE LONGSUFFERING OF GOD. And there is no doubt but this proceeds from our ignorance and inconsiderateness and from an evil heart of unbelief, from the temptation and suggestion of the devil. All these causes do concur to the producing this monstrous effects: but that which I design to inquire into is, from what pretence of reason, grounded upon the longsuffering of God, sinners argue themselves into this confidence and presumption. I shall endeavour to show what those false conclusions are, which wicked men draw from the delay of punishment, and to discover the sophistry and fallacy of them. 1. Those conclusions which are more gross and atheistical, which bad men draw to the hardening and encouraging of themselves in sin, from the delay of punishment (which we, who believe a God, call the patience or longsuffering of God), are these three: either that there is no God; or, if there be, that there is no providence; or that there is no difference between good and evil. 2. But because those who are thus are but few, in comparison, there being not many in the world arrived to that degree of blindness and height of impiety as to disbelieve a God and a providence; and I think none have attained to that perfect conquest of conscience as to have lost all sense of good and evil; therefore I shall rather insist upon those kind of reasonings which are more ordinary among bad men, and whereby they cheat themselves into everlasting perdition; and they are such as these: — (1)Because sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed, therefore sin is not so great an evil. (2) Therefore God is not so highly offended and provoked by it. (3) God is not so severe in His own nature as He is commonly represented. (4) Therefore the punishment of sin is not so certain. (5) It is at a distance, and may be prevented time enough by a future repentance in our old age or at the hour of death. III. IF THE LONGSUFFERING OF GOD BE THE OCCASION OF MEN'S HARDNESS AND IMPENITENCY, THEN WHY IS GOD SO PATIENT TO SINNERS, WHEN THEY ARE SO PRONE TO ABUSE HIS GOODNESS AND PATIENCE? And how is it goodness in God to forbear sinners so long, when this forbearance of His is so apt to minister to them an occasion of their further mischief and greater ruin? It should seem, according to this, that it would be much greater mercy to the greatest part of sinners not to be patient toward them at all. 1. I ask the sinner if he will stand to this: wouldest thou, in good earnest, have God to deal thus with thee, to take the very first advantage to destroy thee, or turn thee into hell, and to make thee miserable beyond all hopes of recovery? 2. It is likewise to be considered that the longsuffering of God towards sinners is not a total forbearance: it is usually so mixed with afflictions and judgments of one kind or other, upon ourselves or others, as to be a sufficient warning to us, if we would consider and lay it to heart, to "sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon us." And is not this great goodness to warn us, when He might destroy us? to leave room for a retreat, when He might put our case past remedy? 3. Nothing is further from the intention of God than to harden men by His longsuffering (2 Peter 3:9). 4. There is nothing in the longsuffering of God that is in truth any ground of encouragement to men in an evil course; the proper and natural tendency of God's goodness is to lead men to repentance, and by repentance to bring them to happiness (Romans 2:4). 5. That through the longsuffering of God sinners are hardened in their evil ways is wholly to be ascribed to their abuse of God's goodness; it is neither the end and intention, nor the proper and natural effect of the thing, but the accidental event of it through our own fault. And is this any real objection against the longsuffering of God? 6. But because this objection pincheth hardest in one point, viz. that God certainly foresees that a great many will abuse His longsuffering, to the increasing of their guilt, and the aggravating of their condemnation; and how is longsuffering any mercy and goodness to those, who He certainly foreknows will in the event be so much the more miserable for having had so much patience extended to them? Therefore, for a full answer, I desire these six things may be considered: — (1) 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) There could be no trial of obedience, nor any capacity of rewards and punishments, but upon the supposition of freedom and liberty; that is, that we do not do what we do upon force and necessity, but upon free choice. (3) God, by virtue of the infinite perfection of His knowledge, does clearly and certainly foresee all future events, even those which are most contingent, such as are the arbitrary actions of free and voluntary agents. (4) The bare foreknowledge of things future hath no more influence upon them to make them to be, than the sight and knowledge of things present hath upon them to make them to be present. (5) Consequently, foreknowledge and liberty may very well consist; and, notwithstanding God's foreknowledge of what men will do, they may be as free as if He did not foreknow it. (6) God doth not deal with men according to His foreknowledge of the good or bad use of their liberty, but according to the nature and reason of things; and therefore, if He be longsuffering toward sinners, and do not cut them off upon the first provocation, but give them a space and opportunity of repentance, and use all proper means and arguments to bring them to repentance, and be ready to afford His grace to excite good resolutions in them, and to second and assist them, and they refuse and resist all this; their wilful obstinacy 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 foresight and knowledge of what they would do laid no necessity upon them to do what they did. IV. SOME INFERENCES FROM THIS WHOLE DISCOURSE UPON THIS ARGUMENT. 1. This shows the unreasonableness and perverse disingenuity of men, who take occasion to harden and encourage themselves in sin from the longsuffering of God, which, above all things in the world, should melt and soften them. 2. This may serve to convince men of the great evil and danger of thus abusing the longsuffering of God. It is a provocation of the highest nature, because it is to trample upon His dearest attributes, those which He most delights and glories in, His goodness and mercy; for the longsuffering of God is His goodness to the guilty, and His mercy to those who deserve to be miserable. 3. To persuade us to make a right use of the patience and longsuffering of God, and to comply with the merciful end and design of God therein. (1) It is the design of God's longsuffering to give us a space of repentance. (2) The longsuffering of God is a great encouragement to repentance. (J. Tillotson, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. |
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