Meditation Twentieth
On the patience of God with sinners.
I. THE more we have experienced the patient mercies of God, the more we ought to be afraid of continuing to abuse them, lest the time of Gods vengeance overtake us. Revenge is mine, and I will repay in due time. Deut. xxxiii. 35. God will put an end to his forbearance towards those who will not cease to abuse it. I give thee thanks, O Lord, for having patiently borne with me, though I have so often betrayed thee. Make me sensible of the evil which I nave done by abusing thy patience for so long a time; make me sorry for all the offences I have committed against thee. No, I will never more abuse thy tender mercy.
II. Commit this sin; you can afterwards confess it. Such is the artifice with which the devil has drawn many souls into hell. Many Christians, now in hell, have been lost by this delusion. The Lord waiteth that he may have mercy on you. Isa. xxx. 18. God waiteth for the sinner, that the sinner may be converted, and obtain mercy; but when God sees that the time which he allows the sinner for doing penance, is employed only in increasing the number of his offences, then he waits no longer, but punishes him as he deserves. Pardon me, O God, for I desire never more to offend thee. And why should I delay? that thou mayest condemn me to hell? I fear indeed that now thou canst no longer have patience with me I have indeed offended thee too grievously. I am sorry for it, I repent of it. I hope for forgiveness through the merits of that blood which thou hast shed for me.
III. The mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed; because his commiserations have not failed.
