God in the exercise of His long-suffering and forbearance towards them, did call upon them, wait upon them, and send after them His messengers, to turn them from their evil ways; but they despised and mocked, the messengers of the Lord. Also, they shut their eyes, and would not see; they stopped their ears, and would not understand; and they hardened themselves against the beseeching of their God. Yea, all that day long He did stretch out His hand towards them, but they chose to be a rebellious and gainsaying people; yea, they said unto God, 'Depart from us;' and 'what is the Almighty' that we should pray unto him? (Hosea 6:2; Rev 16:21; Job 21:14,15; Mal 3:14).
And of all these things, God takes notice, writes them down, seals them up for the time to come, and will bring them out and spread them before them, saying, I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded; I have exercised patience, gentleness, and long-suffering towards you, and in all that time you despised Me, and cast Me behind your back; and now the time, and the exercise of My patience, when I waited upon you, and suffered your manners, and did bear your contempts and scorns, is at an end; wherefore I will now arise, and come forth to the judgment that I have appointed.
But, Lord, saith the sinner, we turn now.But now; saith God, turning is out of season; the day of My patience is ended.But, Lord, says the sinner, behold our cries.But you did not, says God, behold nor regard My cries.But, Lord, saith the sinner, let our beseeching find place in Thy compassions.But, saith God, I also beseeched, and I was not heard.But Lord, says the sinner, our sins lie hard upon us.But I offered you pardon when time was, says God, you did utterly reject it.But, Lord, says the sinner, let us therefore have it now.But now the door is shut, saith God.
And what then? Why, then, by way of retaliation, God will serve them as they have served Him; and so the wind-up of the whole will be this—they shall have like for like. Time was when they would have none of Him, and now will God have none of them. Time was when they cast God behind their back, and now He will cast away their soul. Time was when they would not heed His calls, and now He will not heed their cries. Time was when they abhorred Him, and now His soul also abhorreth them (Zech 11:8). This is now by way of retaliation—like for like, scorn for scorn, repulse for repulse, contempt for contempt; according to that which is written, 'Therefore it is come to pass, that as He cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord' (Zech 7:13). And thus, I have also showed you that the loss of the soul is double—lost by man, lost by God.
But oh! who thinks of this? who, I say, that now makes light of God, of His Word, His servants, and ways, once dreams of such retaliation, though God to warn them hath even, in the day of His patience, threatened to do it in the day of His wrath, saying, 'Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at naught all My counsel, and would none of My reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me' (Prov 1:24-28). I will do unto them as they have done unto Me; and what unrighteousness is in all this? But,
