Matthew Poole and continuators on Lamentations 1:22

22 Let all their wickedness come before thee: and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint .

This verse is another prophetical curse or imprecation, several of which we meet with in Holy Writ, Psal. 109.6, 7, 8, 9. and 137.8. Ier. 11.20. and 18.23. and in many other Texts, which would incline us to think that our Saviours precept, Matth. 5.44. to pray for those that persecute us, backt by his own example, Luk. 23.34. and Stephens, Acts 7.60. is either to be interpreted of praying for the forgiveness of their sins, (we ought to desire the eternal condemnation of none:) or to be restrained to such as are our personal Enemies, not the common Enemies of the Church of God. Our Saviours precept most certainly is not to be so interpreted: but that we may lawfully pray for such evils to the implacable Enemies of the Church, and people of God as may restrain and weaken their hands, and put them out of a capacity of wasting the Lords heritage, we are only obliged by it to wish well to their Souls, and to desire no evil against them out of private revenge or malice, but onely out of Love to God, and zeal for his Glory, but for their outward prosperity in their courses of enmity we ought no more to pray, then against their eternal Salvation; for this were to beg of God to encourage his Enemies in their enmity against him And though Ieremiah were a greater Prophet then any of us can pretend to be, and had revelations of particular future contingencies which we have not; yet every one may prophesie a ruine to the Enemies of Gods Church and People, and such as rejoyce in their ruine. God never using a rod against his people which he doth not at last burn, nor ever countenancing inhumanity in any, but much less when it is rooted in a malice against himself, and his interest in the World.