'Have mercy upon you?' says God. 'No, I will have no mercy upon you. There was a time when you might have had mercy without judgment, but now you shall have judgment without mercy. Depart! Depart!'
If they should then beg and say, 'Lord, if we must depart, let it be from Thy throne of judgement, but not from Thee.'
'No,' says the Lord. 'Depart from me. Depart from my presence, which is joy. Depart, and go to hell!'
'Lord,' they say, 'Seeing we must be gone, bless us before we go, so that Thy blessing may be upon us.'
'Oh no,' says God. 'Go with a curse. Depart ye cursed.'
'Oh Lord, if we must go from Thee, let it not be into the place of torment, but appoint a place, if not of pleasure, then of ease.'
'No, depart into fire, burning and tormenting flames.'
'Oh Lord, if into fire, let it only be for a little while. For who can dwell in everlasting burning?'
'No! Neither you nor the fire shall know an end. Be gone into everlasting fire.'
'Lord, then let it be long before we go there.'
No, depart immediately. The sentence shall be immediately put into execution.'
'Oh Lord, let us at least have good company who will pity us, though they cannot help us.'
'No, you shall have none but the tormenting devils. Those whom you obeyed when they were your tempters, shall be with you as tormentors.'
What misery sin has brought on man to bring him to hear this dreadful doom."
Ralph Venning, (1621 - 1673) The Sinfulness of Sin
Recommended reading:
A Quest for Godliness - The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life, by J. I. Packer
