Wesley Corpus

He is good, even to the evil and the unthankful; yea, without any exception or limitation, to all the children of men. For “ the Lord is loving” (or good) “to every man, and his mercy is over all his works.” But how is God good or loving to a reprobate, or one that is not elected? (You may choose either term: For if none but the unconditionally elect are saved, it comes precisely to the same thing.) You cannot say, he is an object of the love or goodness of God, with regard to his eternal state, whom he created, says Mr. Calvin plainly and fairly, in vitae contume liam et mortis exitium, “to live a reproach, and die ever lastingly.” Surely, no one can dream, that the goodness of God is at all concerned with this man’s eternal state. “However, God is good to him in this world.” What when by reason of God’s unchangeable decree, it had been good for this man never to have been born? when his very birth was a curse, not a blessing? “Well, but he now enjoys many of the gifts of God, both gifts of nature and of providence. He has food and raiment, and comforts of various kinds. And are not all these great blessings?” No, not to him. At the price he is to pay for them, every one of these also is a curse. Every one of these comforts is, by an eternal decree, to cost him a thousand pangs in hell. For every moment’s pleasure which he now enjoys, he is to suffer the torments of more than a thousand years; for the smoke of that pit which is preparing for him ascendeth up for ever and ever. God knew this would be the fruit of whatever he should enjoy, before the vapour of life fled away. He designed it should. It was his very purpose, in giving him those enjoyments. So that, by all these, (according to your account,) he is, in truth and reality, only fatting the ox for the slaughter. “Nay, but God gives him grace too.” Yes; but what kind of grace? Saving grace, you own, he has none; none of a saving nature.