For the righteous LORD loves righteousness; his countenance does behold the upright.
Read Chapter 11
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
11. "Fire and brimstone and the blast of the tempest is the portion of their cup." This is their punishment and end, by whom the name of God is blaspbemed; that first they should be wasted by the fire of their own lusts, then by the ill savour of their evil deeds cast off from the company of the blessed, at last carried away and overwhelmed suffer penalties unspeakable. For this is the portion of their cup: as of the righteous, "Thy cup inebriating how excellent is it! for they shall be inebriated with the richness of Thine house." Now I suppose a cup is mentioned for this reason, that we should not suppose that anything is done by God's providence, even in the very punishments of sinners, beyond moderation and measure. And therefore as if he were giving a reason why this should be, he added, "For the Lord is righteous, and hath loved righteousnesses" (ver. 7). The plural not without meaning, but only because he speaks of men, is as that righteousnesses be understood to be used for rig...
Righteousness. As, on the other hand, (Haydock) the upright shall behold God, (Matthew v. 8.) while the wicked shall be driven into darkness (Calmet) for all eternity. In vain do modern sophists pretend that hell will not last for ever because God is incapable of revenge, or of delighting in the torture of his creatures. They use the word revenge in a wrong sense. (Berthier)
God is not subject to any passion; but his justice requires that those should be eternally punished, whose will is always impious. (Haydock)
Can they show that there will be room for repentance in the other world? (Berthier) or that the wicked would make use of it, if granted, since they would not repent as long as they lived? By the same arguments, they might as well prove that God could not punish at all. (Haydock) (Daniel iii. 27.)
