SERMON XXXVI,

2 ST. PETER iii. 15.

Account that the long suffering of the Lord is salvation.

WHETHER We take into our view the examples of public or private life, the history of nations, or the experience of individuals, there is one great character which marks the retributive justice of God. That character is patience and long suffering. God never strikes in punishment till after many and repeated warnings; till the ear is deaf, and the eye is blind; till "the measure of our iniquity is full."

The declarations of Scripture on this point, both under the law and under the Gospel, are uniform and decisive. When the Almighty "descended in the cloud, and passed by," before Moses, he proclaimed himself, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering and abundant in goodness and truth." So again, in the Psalms, he is represented as "full of com

passion and mercy, long suffering and of great goodness, and like as a father pitieth his own children, even so is the Lord merciful unto them that fear him; for he knoweth whereof we are made, he remembereth that we are but dust." Under the Gospel we find the same character delineated in the same language. In St. Paul we read of "the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long suffering." And again, in the chapter before us, "The Lord is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to everlasting life;" and as it is still more strongly expressed in the words of the text," Account the long suffering of the Lord is salvation." That we may not only account, but that we may also accept and experience this salvation, let the long suffering of God be the object of this day's meditation. Like that Almighty. Being in which it resides, it is "about our path, and about our bed, and spieth out all our ways." That we are alive at this moment to recount its mercies, is a proof of its existence. As then we are grateful for deliverances past, and as we hope for those to come, let us consider with reverential awe the source from whence they arise, and "account" with ourselves how the long suffering of our Lord has been, and how it may be "our salvation."

In pursuance of this train of thought, our attention will be directed to two points, first to the use for which the long suffering of God was designed; and secondly, to the abuse to which it is too often perverted.

First, with respect to its use. A man has sinned; he has committed an offence before God, against which the vengeance of the Almighty has been threatened: in the course of God's retributive justice here on earth, he expects the blow. Loss of health, of property, of character, of life, is the deserved and the expected consequence of his crime. In a moment the blow which threatened him is suspended, the storm which lowered over him passes by, the arm of the destroying angel is stayed: why is this? "Is the Lord slack concerning his promise?" By no The blow is only suspended, but whether it will finally fall upon his head must depend upon the use which he makes of the interval. The justice of the Almighty is held back by his mercy, that the sinner may repent and live. “I have no pleasure, saith the Lord God, in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked should turn from his ways and live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" When God therefore grants a respite, it is, that by humiliation and patience

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the sentence may be ultimately reversed. When then Ahab himself, lying under the just condemnation of God, "he rent his clothes, put sackcloth upon himself, and fasted," what was the word of the Almighty? "Seest thou, how Ahab humbleth himself before me? Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house." When again, the prophet Jonah cried unto the city of Nineveh, "Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown," why was the interval allowed? not to prepare them for destruction, but to give them one opportunity more of salvation. That opportunity was taken, "God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and God repented of the evil that he said he would do unto them, and he did it not."

To us, as Christians, the long-suffering of our Lord is to be accounted still more peculiarly for salvation. From beginning to end the covenant of the Gospel is a covenant of accepted repentance. If we will repent, we believe and know that the blood of Christ will secure to that repentance mercy and acceptance. God is not willing that any of his children in Christ should. perish. What escapes have we all experienced from the consequences of our sins! How do

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the mercies of his providence and grace daily and hourly struggle with our perversities! "Look how far the east is from the west, even so far hath he put our sins from us!" How many of us are daily in the habit of provoking the anger of God, by our sensuality, by our selfishness, by our avarice, by our neglect! And yet we travel onwards, apparently happy and secure. Would that this long suffering of God, would that this suspension of his just judgments could turn our hearts, and reform our lives! Now is the very moment for repentance: to-day, the day of security and of ease: hear his voice and harden not your hearts; to-morrow when the storm bursts upon our heads, when punishment from without, and reproach from within, harass and torment our souls, who shall dare to say, that then he will be able to repent? "Account then that long suffering of our Lord is salvation," that every protection from the consequences of sin, that every escape from just punishment is a call from heaven to penitence, and to a better life. As such they were intended, and as such let them be obeyed.

Secondly we are to consider the abuse to which the long suffering of God is too often perverted. Men are apt to imagine that because God does not now strike them, that he never will. With the Almighty for our judge, can we