Hence it is, that for God’s own glory’s sake, which is the highest good, he endures, that is, permits, or suffers, the vessels of wrath, Rom. ix. 22. And therefore, although he be of pure eyes and can behold no iniquity, yet his pure eye patiently and quietly beholds and permits all the idolatries and profanations, all the thefts and rapines, all the whoredoms and abominations, all the murders and poisonings; and yet, I say, for his glory’s sake, he is patient, and long permits.
Hence for his people’s sake (which is the next good, in his Son), he is oftentimes pleased to permit and suffer the wicked to enjoy a longer reprieve. Therefore he gave Paul all the lives that were in the ship, Acts xxvii. 24.
Therefore, he would not so soon have destroyed Sodom, but granted a longer permission, had there been but ten righteous, Gen. xviii. 32. Therefore, Jer. v. 1, had he found some to have stood in the gap, he would have spared others. Therefore gave he Jezebel a time, or space, Rev. ii. 21.
Therefore, for his glory’s sake, hath he permitted longer great sinners, who afterward have perished in their season, as we see in the case of Ahab, the Ninevites, and Amorites, &c.
Deut xxiv.
Hence it pleased the Lord, not only to permit the many evils against his own honourable ordinance of marriage in the world, but was pleased, after a wonderful manner, to suffer that sin of many wives in Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, yea, with some expressions which seem to give approbation, as 2 Sam. xii. 8, 24.[164]
Peace. It may be said, this is no pattern for us, because God is above law, and an absolute sovereign.
Truth. I answer, although we find him sometimes dispensing with his law, yet we never find him deny himself, or utter a falsehood: and therefore when it crosseth not an absolute rule to permit and tolerate—as in the case of the permission of the souls and consciences of all men in the world—I have shown, and shall show further, it doth not, it will not, hinder our being holy as he is holy, in all manner of conversation.
CHAP. LIV.
Peace. It will yet be said, it pleaseth God to permit adulteries, murders, poisons: God suffers men, like fishes, to devour each other, Hab. i. 14; the wicked to flourish, Jer. xii. 1; yea, sends the tyrants of the world to destroy the nations, and plunder them of their riches, Isa. x. [5, 6.] Should men do so, the world would be a wilderness; and beside we have command for zealous execution of justice, impartially, speedily.