N13259:473
Sermons, on the following subjects
Sermons, on the following subjects; The manner in which salvation is to be sought. The unreasonableness of indetermination in religion. Unbelievers contemn the glory of Christ. The folly of looking back in fleeing out of Sodom. The warnings of Scripture in the best manner adapted to the awakening and conversion of sinners. Hypocrites deficient in the duty of prayer. The future punishment of the wicked unavoidable and intolerable. The eternity of hell-torments. The peace which Christ gives his true followers. The perpetuity & change of the Sabbath. / By the late Reverend Mr. Jonathan Edwards, president of the College of New-Jersey.
Hartford: printed by Hudson and Goodwin, 1780
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
HAVING thus shown that the eternal punishment of the wicked is not inconsistent with the divine perfections, I shall now proceed further, and undertake to show that it is so far from being inconsistent with the divine perfections, that those perfections evidently require it; i. e. they require that sin should have so great a punishment, either in the person who has committed it, or in a surety; and therefore with respect to those who believe not in the surety, and have no interest in him, the divine perfections require that this punishment should be inflicted on them.
THIS appears, as it is not only not unsuitable, that sin should be thus punished; but it is positively suitable, decent and proper.—If this be made to appear that it is positively suitable, that sin should be thus punished, then it will follow, that the perfections of GOD require it; for certainly the perfections of GOD require that that should be done, which is proper to be done. The perfection, and excellency of the nature of GOD require, that that should take place which is perfect, excellent and proper in its own nature. But that sin should be punished eternally is such a thing; which appears by the following considerations.
1. IT is suitable that GOD should infinitely hate sin, and be an infinite enemy to it. Sin, as I have before shown, is an infinite evil, and therefore is infinitely odious and detestable▪ It is proper that GOD should hate every evil, and hate it according to its odious and detestable nature. And sin being infinitely evil and odious, it is proper that GOD should hate it infinitely.