If the damned were the objects of divine benevolence, and designed by God for the enjoyment of his eternal love, doubtless it would be required of all God's children to love 'em, and to pity 'em, and pray for 'em, and seek their good; as here in this world 'tis required of 'em to love their enemies, to be kind to the evil and unjust, and pity and pray for the wickedest and vilest of men, though their own persecutors, because they are the subjects of God's mercy in many respects, and are capable subjects of infinite, divine mercy and love.
If Christ, the head of all the church, pities the damned and seeks their good, doubtless his members ought to do so too. If the saints in heaven ought to pity the damned, as well as the saints on earth the wicked that dwell here, doubtless their pity ought to be in some proportion to the greatness of the calamity of the objects of it and the greatness of the number of those they see in misery. But if they had pity and sympathizing grief in such measure as this for so many ages, what an alloy would it be to their happiness.
God is represented as whetting his glittering sword, and bending his bow, and making ready his arrows on the string against wicked men, and lifting his hand to heaven and swearing that he'll render vengeance to his enemies and reward them that hate him, and make his arrows drunk with their blood, and that his sword shall devour their flesh (Deuteronomy 32:40–42 and Psalms 7:11–13). Certainly this is the language and conduct of an enemy, and not of a friend and of a compassionate, chastening Father.
The degree of misery and torment that shall be inflicted is an evidence that God is not acting the part of benevolence and compassion, and only chastening from a kind and gracious principle and design. 'Tis evident that 'tis God's manner, when he thus afflicts men for their good and chastens them with compassion, he is wont to stay his rough wind in the day of his east wind, to correct in measure, not to stir up all his wrath, to consider the frame of those that are corrected, to remember their weakness and consider how little they can bear; he turns away his anger, and don't stir up all his wrath (Psalms 78:37–39, Isaiah 27:8, Jeremiah 30:11 and Jeremiah 46:28). And 'tis his manner in the midst even of the severest afflictions to order some mitigating circumstances and to mix some mercy.
But the misery of the damned is represented as unmixed. The wine of the wrath of God "is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation," that they may be "tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment shall ascend up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night" (Revelation 14:10–11). They are tormented in a flame that burns within them as well as round about them, and they shall be denied so much as a drop of water to cool their tongues. And God's wrath shall be inflicted in such a manner as [will] show his wrath and make his strength known, as on vessels of wrath fitted for no other use but to be destroyed, and shall be punished with everlasting destruction, answerable to that glory of Christ's power which he shall appear in at the day of judgment, when he shall come in the glory of his Father, with power and great glory, in flaming fire, to take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel. Can any imagine that, in all this, God is only correcting from love, and that the subjects of these inflictions are some of those happy ones whom God corrects in order to teach 'em out of his law, whom he makes sore and bindeth up (Job 5:17–18, Psalms 94:12)?
There is nothing in Scripture that looks as if the damned were under the use of means to bring 'em to repentance. 'Tis apparent God's manner is, when he afflicts men to bring to repentance with affliction, to join instructions, admonitions and arguments to persuade. But if we judge by Scripture representation of the state of the damned, they are left destitute of all these things. There are no prophets or ministers or good men to admonish them, reason and expostulate with them, or set 'em good examples. There is perfect separation made between all the righteous and the wicked, with a great gulf, so that there can be no passing from one to the other. They are left wholly to the company of devils and others like 'em. When the rich man in hell cries to his father Abraham, begging a drop of water, he denies his request and adds no exhortation to repentance.
Wisdom is abundantly represented in the book of Proverbs as counseling, warning, calling, inviting and expostulating with such as are under means for the obtaining wisdom, and that [God] is waiting upon in the use of means, that they may turn at his reproof. But as to such as are obstinate under these means of grace and calls of wisdom till the time of their punishment comes, 'tis represented their fear shall come as desolation and destruction as an whirlwind; that distress and anguish shall come upon them, and that then it will be in vain for 'em to seek wisdom; that if they seek her early they shall not find her, and if they call upon her she will not hear, but instead of this will laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear cometh. Which certainly don't consist with wisdom, or the God of wisdom, still striving with them and using means in
a benevolent and compassionate manner to bring 'em to seek and embrace wisdom; still offering wisdom, with all her unspeakable, infinite benefits, if they will hearken to her voice and comply with her, and not only so, but actually using the most powerful and effectual means to bring them to this happiness, even such as shall surely be successful, though they have obstinately refused all others, and when wisdom called they heretofore refused, and when she stretched forth her hand they did not regard; and so still most effectually doing the part of a friend to deliver 'em from their distress and anguish instead of laughing at their calamity (Proverbs 1:24–33). This declaration of wisdom, if ever it be fulfilled at all, will surely be fulfilled most completely and perfectly at the time appointed for obstinate sinners to receive their most perfect and complete punishment.
If all mankind, even such as live and die in their wickedness, are and ever will be the objects of Christ's good will and mercy, and those whose eternal happiness he desires and seeks, then surely he would pray for all. But Christ declares that there are some that he prays not for. John 17:9, "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine," compared with John 17:14, "the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world"; John 17:25, "the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me"; and John 17:20, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." By all which it appears that Christ prayed for all that should ever be true believers. But he prayed [not] for those who should not be brought by the word of the apostles, and such means of grace as are used in this world, to believe in him, and should continue notwithstanding not to know God. And [those] in enmity against true holiness, or Christianity, were such as Christ prayed not for.
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