Those whom God has “imprisoned” in disobedience – the vessels of wrath whom he endures with much patience – are precisely those to whom he is merciful. By literally shutting sinners up to their disobedience and requiring them to endure the consequences of their own rebellion, God reveals the self-defeating nature of evil and shatters the illusions that make evil choices possible in the first place.
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The Judgement of God
Source: Thomas Talbott – The Inescapable Love of God