DISC. XII1.] THE PUNISHMENTS IN HELL. 631 the 'exercise of such sort of passions amongst men often- times appears to be the weakness of nature, joined with their ignorance of the rules ofequity, is it reasonable that the great and'-all -wise God should make such creatures his patterns in the limitation of the exercises of his jus- tice? Or that he should be as weak as they are, and as much moved to swerve from the rules of his own righte- ous government by such a sort of tenderness as ignorant, weak and foolish man may sometimes express towards criminals in their deserved misery ? It is readily.ganted, that a, wise and a good man may and ought to be sorry and grieved, that any of his fellow- creatures should be so vicious as to bring themselves un- der so severe a penalty by their own wilful crimes ; but still in their calmest and wisest thoughts they acknow- ledge the wisdom and equity of the government, in ,in- flicting such penalties upon those who heinously offend, and they acquiesce in the sentence and execution. Our blessed Lord Jesus himself, who was the wisest and best of creatures, looked upon the city of Jerusalem with an eye of compassion, and wept over it ; Luke xiii. 34. " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the pro- phets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children as a hen doth gather her broód under her wings, and ye would not? Therefore behold your house is left unto you desolate." Let it be observed here, that our Saviour had the bowels, and compassions, and tenderness of the best of men ; but he still maintains the vindictive exercise of the govern- ment of God. " Your desolation must and shall come upon you, nor will I forbid or withhold it." And I am sure the human nature of our blessed Saviour was formed nearest to the image of Godbeyond any creature besides; and as I have hinted before, it is he who is the supreme messenger of his Father's love, that has pronounced these eternal punishments upon impenitent sinners in many parts of his ministry. Ans. 3. How far will these objectors permit the justice of God to go in the punishment of impenitent sinners ? If eternal punishment must neither be threatened or in, flitted; lest divine goodness be injured, then all mankind, even the worst and vilest of criminals, must certainly be one day delivered from their miseries; and thus the 2 s 4
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