Attributes of God - Charnock - LV - Chapter 14 (God's patience) continued

Required reading
Attributes of God by Charnock (Available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Continue Chapter 14 (A discourse upon God's patience) by reading up to the paragraph beginning 'IV. The Use.  Use 1. For Instruction.'

My summary
Today we continue to look at the patience of God.

Initially we read Charnock's second main point which is about the manifestation of God's patience.  Particularly its manifestation to:
(i) our first parents;
(ii) the Gentiles;
(iii) the Israelites.

Then Charnock's third main point teaches why God exercises so much patience.  It is:
(i) to show himself appeasable;
(ii) to wait for men's repentance;
(iii) for the propagation of mankind;
(iv) for the continuance of the church;
(v) for the sake of his church;
(vi) to manifest the equity of his future justice.

What grabbed me
I enjoyed Charnock's attempt to consider how vast God's patience is in light of man's sinfulness: 'Who can compute the vast number of his transgressions, from the first use of reason to the time of the separation of his soul from his body, from his entrance into the world to his exit? What are those, to those of a whole village of the like inhabitants? What are those, to those of a great city? Who can number up all the foul-mouthed oaths, the beastly excess, the goatish uncleanness, committed in the space of a day, year, twenty years in this city, much less in the whole nation, least of all, in the whole world? Were it no more than the common idolatry of former ages, when the whole world turned their backs upon their Creator, and passed him by to sue to a creature, a stock or stone, or a degraded spirit? How provoking would it be to a prince to see a whole city under his dominion deny him a respect, and pay it to his scullion, or the common executioner he employs! Add to this the unjust invasions of kings, the oppressions exercised upon men, all the private and public sins that have been in the world ever since it began. The Gentiles were described by the apostle (Rom. i. 29—31), in a black character, 'They were haters of God;' yet how did the ' riches of his patience' preserve multitudes of such disingenuous persons, and how ' many millions of such haters of him' breathe every day in his air, and are maintained by his bounty, have their tables spread, and their cups filled to the brim, and that, too, in the midst of reiterated belchings of their enmity against him? All are under sufficient provocations of him to the highest indignation.'

Our God is indeed a patient God.

Next week's reading
Conclude Chapter 14 (A discourse upon God's patience).

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.