Testimonies of GOD's vengeance, -as judgments on his part, and real evils on theirs īy vindictive punishment is meant, that which is sufficient to support and vindicate the authority of the divine law, or which is sufficient to satisfy the justice of GOD. 110, he speaks of the labour, sorrow and death which men suffer in this world, as be|cause it will last, till it shall have accomplished the design of heaven in the destruction of the damned, for a public example of the divine vengeance. And the fire of hell is doubtless called everlasting for the like reason " i. Indeed speaking of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, he plainly asserts a vindictive punishment both of those cities, and of the damned he says, ‡ that "the destruction of those cities" was, "for a public example of the divine vengeance to after ages. To exempt them from punishment, is so far from an act of grace or favour, that it is an act called for by the most rigorous justice.īY these quotations, and by the observations on them, it appears, that our author holds, that the dam|ned suffer a punishment properly and strictly vindictive, and vindictive to the highest degree, and to the utmost extent to which vengeance in any just government can pro|ceed. To punish them any further would be excessive, injurious and oppressive. They are punished to the utmost extent of justice. Positive torments awfully great in degree and long in continuance, in proportion to the number and greatness of their crimes The same observations for substance, may be made on the other quotations above. But as this holds good with regard to all the damned, it equally proves, that none of them are forgiven and that the divine law takes its course on them all and that no intervening pardon will ever prevent the full execution of the threatened penalty on them.- Now if the divine law take its course on the damned, and the penalty threatened in the law, be fully executed on them they are undoubtedly punished according to their demerits, or according to strict justice and if after all, they be liberated from punishment, they are liberated not in the way of forgiveness, nor on the footing of grace or favour but on the footing of strict justice.īut if this conclusion concerning all the damned be de|nied yet as the blasphemers of the Holy Ghost are some of mankind, some of mankind at least, if not all the dam+ned, will be saved on the footing of strict justice, and without forgiveness. to show, that the blasphemers of the Holy Ghost are not forgiven or the only respect in which he asserts, that they are not forgiven, is, that they pass through the torments of hell. Of course they who do not escape them, but pass through them, receive no pardon.ĪGAIN: the only observation made by Dr. If pardonableness, or which is the same, a possibility of pardon consist in a possibility of escaping the torments of hell then actual par|don consists in an actual escape from those torments. He says, "The pardonableness of all other sins, lies in the possibility, that those who have been guilty of them, should escape the tor|ments of hell." Those therefore who actually pass through the torments of hell receive no forgiveness but are liber|ated on the footing of strict justice. Now our author, in the passages just quot|ed, supposes that both the blasphemers of the Holy Ghost and all others who pass through the torments of hell, are finally delivered, not in consequence of a punishment inferior in de|gree or duration, to that which may be inflicted on them, according to strict justice as in that case they would be the subjects of forgiveness: but in consequence of that pun|ishment, which is according to strict justice, and therefore they are delivered without forgiveness. He hath suffered, equal to that, to which he is liable by strict justice. Just so much punishment is for|given him, as is lacking to make the punishment, which He who is delivered from further pun|ishment in consequence of having suffered a punishment however great in degree and long in duration, but not equal to that, to which he is liable by strict justice, is the subject of forgiveness. IN these passages concerning the blasphemers of the HOLY GHOST, the author plainly supposes, that not only those of that character, but all who suffer the torments of hell are finally saved without forgiveness, ha|ving satisfied by their own sufferings the utmost demands of strict justice. This kind of sinners being absolutely excluded from the privilege of forgiveness, must, as has been said, suffer the torments of another world, before they can be sav|ed ‡.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |