" will pay thee all. And he would not; but went "and caft him into prifon till he should pay the debt. "So when his fellow-fervants faw what was done, they "were very forry, and came and told unto their lord "all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had "called him, faid unto him, O thou wicked fervant, "I forgave thee all that debt, because thou defiredst "me: fhouldeft not thou also have had compaffion

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on thy fellow-fervant, even as I had pity on thee? "And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the "tormentors, till he fhould pay all that was due unto "him. So likewise fhall my heavenly Father do al"fo unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not eve"ry one his brother their trefpaffes.

If the commiffion of fin were always immediately followed with the punishment of it, this world would not be a state of probation; obedience would not be voluntary but forced; we fhould walk not by faith but by fight; we should not honour God by our confidence in his perfections and in the difpenfations of his Providence; he would not be "a God hiding "himfelf;" his "judgments" would not be " a great "deep ;" and the whole nature and defign of religion would be fubverted.

If the wrath of God inftantly crushed every tranfgreffor, he would be the deftroyer rather than the governor of the world. To destroy, is comparatively eafy, and difcovers little perfection; but the wifdom of God appears in reigning over the extravagance of the world; in taking into his plans fuch diverfities and contradictions, and bending every thing he meets with, however adverfe to his own purposes; in bring

ing good out of evil, and order out of confufion; in making the wrath of man to praise him. It is also worthy of our remark, that many of those who deferve deftruction are useful in the present state of the world; they are able to promote the arts and sciences; and are qualified to render great fervices to a country. Such men are links in the chain of providence, and their destiny secures them. There are alfo purpofes which the wicked only CAN accomplish. God calls the Affyrian, The rod of his anger and the staff of his indignation; and fays, "I will fend him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my "wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and "to take the prey, and to tread them down like the "mire in the streets." When he had fulfilled the defigns of Heaven, in punishing fome and chastifing others, he was laid afide. The ungodly by their continuance are useful to the righteous. They exercise their patience, call forth their zeal, and wean them from the prefent world.

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Mankind are so varioufly and intimately blended together, that it is fcarcely poffible to ftrike an individual only, without affecting others. Now the Judge of all the earth will not punish indifcriminately, and destroy the righteous with the wicked. He would rather spare a thousand enemies, than injure one friend. If ten righteous men had been found in Sodom, the place would have been preferved. The angel did not, yea he faid he could not, do any thing till Lot was fafely efcaped. Why were not the meffengers fuffered to eradicate the tares? Because it would have been doing an injustice to THEM? No; but left" in gath

❝ering up the tares, they should also root up the wheat "with them."

But above all, the goodness of God is to be acknowledged in this difpenfation. "The Lord is not flack "concerning his promife, as fome men count flack"nefs; but is long-fuffering to us-ward, not willing "that any fhould perish, but that all should come to "repentance." We are to "account that the long

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fuffering of our Lord is falvation." We fee this exemplified in Saul of Tarfus. Had he in his way to Damafcus, been smitten to hell when he was ftruck to the ground, he had never obtained mercy, never have been a Chriftian, a Preacher, an Apostle. While the execution of the criminal is ftill fufpended, a pardon may arrive; while life continues, there is a poffibility of repentance. "I will give him," fays God, "a longer period; other means may be more effec "tual. I will afford him a feafon of recollection; "he may come to himself. I will leave him; thought"fulness may fucceed levity; difappointment may "break the charm which now fafcinates him. He "is near the melancholy confequences of his perverse"nefs; then he will know what an evil and bitter

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thing it is to forfake the Lord. At fuch a time he "will lofe the defire of his eyes with a ftroke, and "two children fhall follow their mother to the grave; "then he will enter his clofet, and fay, And now, "Lord, what wait I for? my hope is even and only "in Thee." Here Chriftians, if I knew your hiftories, perhaps I could fay to one of you, O! it was well you died not before a change in your affairs occafioned your removal to that city; for there you

"heard words whereby you were faved." To another, You were mercifully fpared till Providence brought you that religious Friend; for he "guided your feet "into the path of peace." To a third, What if you had been cut off in your fin! You went on forwardly; you proceeded from evil to evil; a change appeared hopeless; but by and by you began to be in want; all prodigal as you were, you faid, "I will arife and 66 go to my father ;" nor was it too late. He came forth to meet you; "received you graciously " and loved you freely." "Therefore doth the "Lord wait that he may be gracious, and therefore "will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon "you." Such is the defign of this fufpenfion; but, alás!"let favour be fhewed to the wicked, yet will " he not learn righteousness ;" and Solomon reminds us,

III. That the depravity of man turns divine clemen cy into prefumption, and abuses the patience which bears with him to purposes the most vile. "Because "fentence against an evil work is not executed fpeedily, THEREFORE THE HEART OF THE SONS OF "MEN IS FULLY SET IN THEM TO DO EVIL.'

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In this mode of proceeding there is fomething specious. Man is a rational creature, and is obliged to give his actions a colour of reafon. What he cannot forbear, he will endeavour to justify; what he cannot justify, he will extenuate; what he cannot extenuate, he will excufe; and unhappily he poffeffes no little ingenuity in devising excuses to authorize the paffions, or to keep off remorfe and alarm.

When men begin a wicked course, confcience is tender, fcrupulous, fearful. They are foon terrified, and often look immediately for the punishment they have deferved; but it does not arrive. They venture again; the expectation diminishes. After many fucceffes and impunities they go forward carelessly and boldly.. What they once approached with hesitation, now grown familiar, ceafes to fhock. What once made them tremble, is now ridiculed as a trifle. Where conscience once thundered, it is now fcarcely heard. They cannot think that what produces no evil confequences can be fo bad as they once apprehended. They infer from the divine indulgence, either that there is no God, or no Providence; either that God does not attend to these things, or will not punish them; or derive from his lenity fuch views of his goodness as lead them to conclude that it has no bounds. There is a difpofition in the mind to reason from the past to the future. Thus because reprieved so often, Pharoah concluded he should escape again; and this encouraged him to renew his disobedience. And thus He who affigns motives and gives language to actions, has faid, "There shall come in the last days "fcoffers, walking after their own lufts and faying, "Where is the promise of his coming? for fince the "fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were "from the beginning of the creation." "These things "haft thou done, and I kept filence: and thou thought"eft that I was altogether fuch an one as thyself. He "hath faid in his heart, I fhall not be moved: for I "shall never be in adverfity." "Wherefore doth "the wicked contemn God? He hath faid in his heart,