'T is true the precept of loving enemies is contrary to unsanctified nature It was once said by a good man Either this Precept is a fable or we are no Christians Fatigatur improbitas patientiâ But God alone knows how to punish our enemies without passion and inequality It s our duty to weary Persecutors with patience A Christian must not like the flint seem to be cool but be fiery when struck He that takes up fire to throw though against his enemy hurts himself most To be kind to the kind argues civility To be unkind to the unkind argues corruption To be unkind to the kind argueth divelishnesse To be kind to the unkind argueth Christianity He hath nothing supernatural in charity that comes not to this To be ready to requite evil with good Publicans doing good for good and Heathens absteyning from returning evil for evil When the godly in Scripture have rejoyced in the destruction of their enemies it was not out of delight in the punishment of their enemies whom they loved not but in the Justice of God whom they loved Non de malo inimici fed de bono Judice not that their enemies suffered such evil but that they had so good and upright a Judge We must not so much as use the Magistrate to revenge us on our adversary for this were to make Gods ordinances an instrument of our malice Violent things have the more force upon those that resist them A sword may be spoyled with the force of lightning Rom. 12.19 Eccles 7.9 the scabberd not being hurt at all To give place to wrath is councel both wise and holy Anger resteth in the bosome of fools Love to an enimy is a token of a truly noble mind 1 Sam. 24.20 Prov. 16.32 Rom. 12.21 When David spared Saul having power to kill him Saul told him He knew that he should be King It 's a sign of a weak stomack not to be able to concoct light meats and of a weak mind not to digest injuries Wicked men account revenge to be valour These are not like Adam in his innocency that gave Names to things according to their natures It s an unhappy victory to overcome a man 〈◊〉 â—â—oelix victoria ubi superans virum succumbis vitio Bern. and to be overcome by a lust The wisdome of the World and the Word are contrary Is it not a thrice noble conquest to overcome our own and our enemies passions and Satans tentations three enemies at one blow and all this without shedding blood Nay not only not to hurt an enemy but to help him to feed him give him drink in his hunger and thirst nay to feed him cheerfully tenderly such being the feeding commanded by Paul who bids us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 propriè significat cibum concisum et intinctum frustulatim veluti in os inderc ut puerulis et aegrotis solemus Non significat simpliciter pascere sed indulgenter pascere ut in conviviis fieri solet quum quis alteri ministrat de iis quae ipsi apponuntur Significat et abundanter pascere frustulatim distribuere Pisc Tollet Eras Bez. Steph. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 propina illi Quod verbum in conviviis locum habet Salaz in Prov. 25.1 feed our enemies as birds feed their yong or as sick folks and yong children are fed with much tending and tendernesse their meat being minced and cut or as a man feeds his friend carving him the best And the Hebrew word rendered Give him drink signifieth most properly propina Drink to him as a token of true love 3 The wicked are not excluded the line of love and neighbourhood T is true In societate fruitionis divinae fundatur charitas Sanctior est copula cordium quam corporum holy men are chiefly the objects of our love With these we have communion both of nature and grace also Gal. 6.10 Let us do good unto all especially to the houshold of Faith The love of Complacency must be set upon the good The love of Benevolence must not be denyed to the bad As those objects are best seen which are most in the light because light is that by which every object is seen so those men are most to be beloved which are neerest to God because he makes every object to be beloved Yet wicked men also are to be beloved because being men they may be good as are good men because being Saints Non hoc ago ut sim homine convitiando superior sed errorum convincendo salubrior Aug. con lit Pet. l. 3 c. 1 Apud summum patrem qui non fuerit in charitate fratrum non habâ—bitur in numero filiorum Leo. Ser. 11. de quadr 1 Pet. 1.22 2.17 3.8 Joh. 13.34 2 Pet. 1.7 Col. 3.14 Rom. 12.10 1 Thess 4.9 Heb. 13.1 Non erit tibi concordia cum Christo si sit discordia cum Christiano they are good If a man be degenerate into a beast and wandring from God bring him to his Master again As the nature of man must not make his vices loved so neither must the vices of man make his nature hated St Augustine thinks that Stephens prayer was a great means of Pauls conversion The denouncing of curses against wicked men by Ministers must not be poysonful but medicinal 4. The faithful call for the chiefest room in our love and are eminently to be looked upon as neighbours With our heavenly father he is not in the Communion of Sons who is not in the charity of Brethren The bond of grace is the strongest Creation hath made us friends but Redemption hath made us brethren The frequent inculcating of the coÌ„mand of love of the brethren the brotherhood the houshold of Faith of brotherly love and of being kindly affectionated with brotherly love c. insinuates the necessity and common disestimation of this duty In pursuance of this duty contentions strifes and controversies among brethren are forbidden 1 Cor. 6.6 It s a fault for brother to go to Law with brother Let there be no strife between us said Abraham to Lot for we are Brethren Gen. 13.8 Why do ye wrong one another said Moses since ye are brethren Act. 7.26 The sowing of discord among brethren is one of the abominations which Gods soul hateth Prov. 6.19 In this respect likewise the Scripture opposeth inward hatred and rancor among brethren Gen. 37.4 How dear did this sin cost Josephs brethren He that hateth his brother is in darknesse 1 Joh. 2.11 He is a murtherer 1 Joh. 3.15 As also anger Mat. 5.22 which is a short hatred as hatred is a long anger This causeles anger puts us in danger of the judgement Choler is not alowed by Christianity Most opposite also to brotherly love is the contempt and despising of any brother Despise you the Church of God 1 Cor. 11. said Paul The poorest brother concurs to make up
threatens the taking away of the staff of bread and the stay of water he adds as no lesse a judgment the taking away the Judg and the Prophet Isa 3.2 the Prudent and the Ancient c. 3 By this Despising of Government they were in an especiall manner their own enemies and sinn'd against their own happiness The overturners of lawfull Magistracy shall find their calamities to arise suddenly Prov. 24.22 He who breaketh an hedg a serpent shall bite him Eccl. 10.8 An evill man seeketh onely rebellion therefore a cruel messenger shal be sent against him It hath been observed by some that most if not all those whom the Scripture mentions as opposers of Magistracy have been punish'd by violent death God not vouchsafing them so much as reprieval to a death-bed Corah and his Company Athaliah Absalom Zimri Joab Sheba Adonijah with many others will prove this and besides the vast supply which forraign histories afford how hath vengeance pursued all the rebellious mentioned in our English Chronicle Who hath not heard of Becket Montfort Mortimer The Piercies Tyler Worbeck the Salt Peter-Saints with sundry others whom God made marks of vengeance for removing the ancient Land-marks set for order and propriety in the Nation Nor do I remember that ever God suffered any one Godly man mentioned in Scripture to put any lawfull Magistrate out of or indirectly to put himself into Government I say I remember no instance of either OBSERVATIONS 1. Obser 1. How provident is God for mans peace and welfare Without Dominion we should be worse than Beasts It is the breath which so many thousand creatures draw take it away and none can say This is mine If the Magistrate were not a God to man man would soon prove a Wolf nay a Devill to man There 's no creature which so much wants a Ruler as man We may say of all other creatures Nascuntur artifices they are born crafts-Masters they were apparelled and armed by Nature they are their own Cooks Physicians Builders even at their first entrance onely man came in without strength weapon clothes or skill How good is God to provide protectors for him violent and bloody men fear not hell so much as the halter like beasts they are more afraid of the flash of powder than the bullet and though their fear of the Magistrate saves not their soules yet many a time hath it saved our lives Without Magistracy Robbery would be a Law and men like dogs try all right by their teeth where there is no ruler every one will be a ruler he who hath no ruler over him will be a tyrant over another Judg. 17.8.18.1 14. When there was no King in Israel every Micha had an house of Gods and the Levites went a begging It 's just with God that they should feel the curse of Anarchy who never were thankfull for regular Dominion 2. Obser 2. God is highly provoked by sin when he suffers Magistrates to be burdensome to a people and Dominion to be abused when their deliverers and saviors become their destroyers and they like Ephraim oppressed and broken even in judgement Secundum merita subditorum disponit Corda praepositorum It was threatned as a sore judgement I will give children to be their Princes and babes to rule over them For the sins of a people many and bad are the Princes thereof Prov. 28.2 And God often sets up wicked Governours over people not because they are worthy to rule but these worthy to be so ruled God may give a King in his anger He speaks often of Princes who were Wolves ravening to the prey to shed blood Ezek. 22.27 Mic. 3.1.2 3. Zeph. 3.3 How righteous was God in making Abimilech a scourge to the Shechemites who had made themselves the stirrup to his ambition And undoubtedly if God may suffer the Prophets of a people to be fools and the spiritualâ— men to be mad to delude and misguide the people Hos 9.7 for thâ— multitude of iniquity and the great hatred he is not hindred from suffering the Princes of people who refuseâ— to be reformed to be Jeroboams to their souls and Rehoboams to their bodies pernicious to both O that people would spend more time in blaming of their sins and lesse in complaining of men and but sadly and impartially examine their hearts whether the parting with the Gospell and Ministery would ever fetch a quarter so many complaints from them as an inconsiderable Sessment or whether sin startle them so much as a Tax and if they finde their Consciences to give in verdict for God let them adore his righteous severity 3. Obser 3. God is much seen in causing mens subjection to Magistrates All naturally love to excell in worldly greatness and like not superiority in others Every one saith Calvin hath in him the mind of a King On 1 Pet. 5.5 that one therefore should keep millions of men in order restrain constrain correct command how could it be but that God himself hath imprinted the characters of Divinity upon him and but that there is a divine Constitution in an humane Person It is thou O Lord that subduest my people under me saith David And Psal 65.7 Psal 144.2 The stilling the noise of the Seas the noise of the waves and the tumult of the people are put deservedly together the later manifesting the power of God as much as the former How did David allay the fury of those furious spirits who so eagerly desired to take away the life of Saul but by this He is the Lords Annointed and hence Princes should gather when people cast off subjection and despise their Dominion that they themselvs have despised God provok'd him to pour contempt upon them and to make them for cutting off their lock of loyalty to God to become even as other men and hence also people should learn to whom to returne the praises of their peace and safety not only to the power and policy of their Governors but principally to the ordination of that God by whom Kings reign 4. Observ 4. The power given by God to Magistrates should be improved for the Giver Their Dominion should advance that of the chief Lord The greatest Kings are his Vassals The Highest Earthly Powers shall give an account to an Higher hereafter and must therefore be regulated by and serve for the promoting of an Higher for the present The King is commanded to write him a copy of the Law and keep all the words thereof Deut. 17.18 When the Crown was put upon the head the Testimony was also put into the hand of Joash 2 King 11.12 The first Table should be first in the Magistrates care Even Kings and Rulers must kiss the Son Psal 2.12 and advance his Kingdome and provide that their subjects may not only live under them in peace and honesty but also in Godliness if this must be the end of the subjects prayers it must
God in future distresses if they had not been in them before Israel might have gathered strength against their distresse at the red sea by considering Gods delivering them from the distresse of oppression Their faith should also have been upheld against straits in the wildernesse by remembring their deliverance at the red sea And their distrustfulnesse after deliverances from their distresses is oft recorded as their sin The graces also of Gods Israel are much manifested by encountring with and overcoming of distresses Their graces hereby are discovered both in their truth and their strength Weak grace cannot go through strong tentation but the distresses of an Abraham a David a Job a Paul prove in the end trophees of triumphant faith And all the power of grace doth but discover the power of God who delights not that his saints should be distressed but that the world and divell should be vanquished by poor beleevers and ultimately that himselfe should be glorifyed by all In stead of murmuring under lesser tryalls consider that these are nothing to the distresses of your betters Remember Christians that if your drink be water or wormwood some have drunke blood Prepare for distresses Christians pray for increase of faith the journey may belong desire God to help you to feed heartily upon the promises even again and again as God bids Elijah when he was to go to Horeb. By bearing lighter labour to grow fit for heavier pressures A delicate Christian will not endure to be a distressed Christian He who by the daily practice of selfe-denyall and mortification doth not displease himselfe will never endure that another should distresse him How fearfull further should we be of censuring the most distressed Abrahams distresse Davids strait Pauls viper proved them neither wicked nor forsaken Oh how much better is it to be a distressed Saint than an enlarged sinner to be in Gods pound than in Satans champain If the one condition hath more liberty the other hath more safety Where God loves there he corrects and where he loves most there he distresses To conclude this In distresse take heed of despondency Recollect former deliverances out of as great distresses When you meet with such a strait 2 Cor. 1.10 pinching Egyptian yoke which God cannot break with burdens which he cannot take down with a red sea which hee cannot divide when you are pursued by a Pharaoh which he cannot devour and are in a distresse which he cannot remove then and not till then distrust him Improve your interest in God 1 Sam. 30.6 and with David in distresse encourage your selves in your God 7. Gods Israel shall not be utterly destroyed Observ 7. Exod. 1.12 though it be in an Egyptian furnace of Affliction The Church is supported even when oppressed When Israel was afflicted they multiplyed Thus it was with the seed of Israel yea thus with the Saviour thereof After his death his name his glory lived more vigorously than ever and they who in his life time sought to destroy him as unworthy to live after his death sought to live by beleeving on him This he foretold of himself If a corn of wheat die Joh. 12.24 it bringeth forth much fruit Thus was it with the antient Christians The more we are mown down the more we grow up saith Tertullian Plures efficimur quoties metimur à vobis Tert. The Church is in Scripture compared to things which though weakest yet are fruitfullest as Doves and Sheep the Vine The Church like the Palm-tree riseth up the more men endeavour by weights to presse it down The Egyptian flames cannot devour the Israelitish bush the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Church Gods blessing overcomes all humane opposition If God saith Increase and multiply all the enemies of the Church help it when they most endeavour to hinder it It s neither from the weaknesse of the flames nor the strength of the bush that it is not consumed but from the gracious presence of him who dwelt in it and his dwelling there he manifests Psal 76.10 1. by restraining the fire and heeping in its fury All the wrath of man which shal not praise God shall be restrayned by God 2. By strengthning the bush against it if not by bestowing worldly yet spirituall power to oppose it How much was Pharaoh mistaken when intending to oppresse the Israelites he said Let us deal wisely with them Exod. 1.10 The sun may as easily be blown out with bellows and battered with snow-balls as Israel may be overthrown by opposition But how great therefore is that folly which puts wormes upon contending with the great God! What do the Egyptians in contriving against Israel but besides the disappointment of their hopes curiously weave their own woe by torturing themselves with envy and making way for Israels deliverance by their own overthrow Against the God of Israel there is no wisedome Prov. 21.30 nor understanding nor counsell Oh how happy were wee if the time which we spend in fearing and shunning of trouble were only improved in hating of sin and cleaving to God! 8. Observ 8. Satan and his instruments then begin to rage most furiously when God calls and stirres u◠instruments to help and releeve his Church Before Moses went in to Pharaoh for Israels releasment the Israelites were used unkindly but afterward they were oppressed tyrannically How cruell was Egyptian rage upon the entrance of Moses into his Ministry As soon as David was annointed King how bloodily did Saul rage In all ages of the Church the Divell indeavours to obscure the dawnings of the Gospell with a bloody cloud of persecution When God begins to cast the divell out of his hold he deals with the Church Promissam gratiam crux sequitur Rivet in Exod. pag. 133. Hos 7.1 as with that man possess'd by him whom when Christ was about to cure him he did rend and tear and lay for dead In the beginning of reformation Anti-christ fill'd all places with blood and slaughter When God begins to heal his Church the Anti-christian humour of violence and persecution discovers it selfe The crosse followes the entrance of the Gospel hence wee should be encouraged and cautioned Encouraged for it 's a good sign that when Satan wars and rageth God is wounding and dispossessing him and that his time is but short Wee should also be cautioned Let us look for tryalls even after Moses hath promised deliverance Commonly when God hath given his Church hopes of mercy he seems to threaten inevitable disappointment of it After God had given Abraham a son in whose seed all the promised mercy was to be accomplished God seems to put Abraham upon the pulling down the foundation of all this happinesse with his own hands And we should take heed that wee impute not our troubles to the reformation endeavour'd but to that opposition which Satan and the distemered world put forth And not to blame Gods care of our recovery but
28.5 If we will turn from our iniquities we shall understand the truth Dan. 9.13 Who is wise and he shall understand these things This for the first specifyed fault wherewith these Seducers were charged viz. Their defiling the flesh The second followes their contempt of Magistracy and in that first of the first branch thereof viz. They despise Dominion inwardly EXPLICATION Three things I here propound by way of Explication 1. What we are here to understand by Dominion 2. What by despising that Dominion 3. Vpon what ground doth Jude here condemn them for that despising thereof In the first we may consider two things 1. To whom this Dominion is attributed 2. What it is and wherein it consists 1. The word in the Originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dominion is the same with that mentioned in Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 2.10 2 Pet. 2.10 and tranflated Government And though it properly signifie Lordship Domination or Government in the abstract the Power and office of Magistracy or any ruling over others yet must it necessarily comprehend the persons themselves governing or in the place of Authority Government without Governours is but a notion and were it not for Governors there would be no hating of Government Paul Rom. 13.1 by Higher powers understands both the Power or Authority it self as also the Persons vested with that Power and Authority And when Peter 1 Pet. 2.17 commands the Christians to love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Brother-hood he intends the whole company of the brethren as we understand by the Nobility of the Land the Nobles themselves and yet here Jude names in the abstract rather Dominion and Authority it selfe then those who were placed therein to shew what it was which these Seducers opposed and struck at namely not at officers so much as at their office not at Magistrates but at Magistracy they loved not this same ruling over others and such a difference among men They aimed at Anarchy as Calvin notes upon the place being proud they could not endure superiors and being licencious they were impatient of restraint So me by this Dominion of which Jude speaks understand the Dominion and Authority of the Lord Christ received from his Father and so refer this despising of Dominion to that sin of ungodlinesse mentioned ver 4. Dominaâ—iâ—nem contemunat i. e. Christâ—m qui non solum dicitur Dominus in Concreto sed etiam Deminatiâ— in Abstractâ— propter excellentians Domiâ—ii Lyran. where these Seducers are said to be ungodly and to deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ Lyranus thus they despise Dominion that is saith he Christ himselfe who is not only called Lord in the concrete but even Dominion in the abstract because of the excellency of his Dominion But though it be true that Satan hath ever endeavoured to overthrow the Domination of Christ by Hereticks who have denyed his natures sometimes his offices at other times and have indeed shewed themselves Anti-christs 1 Joh. 2.4 Yet under correction I conceive that the Dominion and dignities whereof Jude here speaks are to be referred to the civill Magistrate The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Dominion is never attributed to Christ in the New Testament but alwayes either to Angels Eph. 1.21 Col. 1.16 or Magistrates and it is only agreeable to the scope of this place to interpret it of the Magistrate Even they who by these words understand the Dominion of Christ yeeld that the next words despise Dignities are to be understood of Magistrates And the Apostle in this verse as is conceived compares these Seducers as for uncleannesse to Sodomites so for contempt of Government to the Israelâ—â—s who rebelled against Moses he most sutably also subjoining this sin to the former of uncleannesse in regard the love of their lusts and dissolutenesse of life made them hate that Government which was appointed to restrain them 2. For the second What this Dominion and Power is that is attributed to the Magistrate and wherein it consists 1. More generally it stands in Superiority Preheminency Supereminency above others as is evident 1. By those names by which it is set forth in Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 20.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 20 25. Rom. 13.3 Luk. 12.11 Tit. 3.1 1 Cor. 15.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 27.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Xen. as Power Authority Rule as Rom. 13.1 1 Timoth. 2.2 Tit. 3.1 2. By those Titles which are given to Magistrates as Kings and such as exercise Authority Luk. 22.25 They that are great Mat. 20.25 Rulers Rom. 13.3 Powers in the Abstract Rom. 13.1 Magistrates Luke 12.11 Governours Luk. 20.20 And elsewhere Nobles 2 Chro. 23.20 Jerem. 14.3 Dukes or Mighty ones Exod. 15.15 Ezek. 31.5 Great men 2 Sam. 3.38 Captaines 1 Sam. 9.16 Princes Psal 83.11 Ezek. 32.29 With sundry Metaphoricall Names also as Gods Exod. 22.28 Psal 82.1 Psal 138.1 Chrildren of the Most High Psal 82.6 The sons of the Mighty or of the Gods Psal 89.7 Fathers tender fathers as the word may be and according to Hierom is to be rendred Gen. 41.43 1 Sam. 24.11 David calls Saul Father Deborah is called a Mother in Israel Judg. 5.7 Heads Number 14.4 Judg. 11.7 Judg. 1 15. Mountains Mich. 6.7 Annointed 1 Sam. 24 7. Shepherds Numb 27.17 Isaiah 44.28 c. 2. More particularly this Dominion or Power consists in three things 1. In Ordinando in ordaining lawes for the good of the subjects This is called Potestas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Legistative Power Lawes are like the Line and Plummet of the Architect without which there is no right working and they are to a Common-wealth what the Sun is to the earth without them people would not see whither to go what to do and all places as is usuall in darknesse would be filled with filthinesse and violence they are the cords of the tent which being cut it fallls to the ground Lawes are the best walls of a City without them even walled cities want defence they are as Physick to the body both for preventing and removing Diseases nay they are as the soul to the body without them the Common-wealth would neither have beauty nor being Laws have been ever esteemed so necessary that no Common-wealth under any form could ever be without them Nor do these Positive lawes derogate at all from the perfection of the Law Morall or of Nature but only discover the depravation of mans nature in whose heart though that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that work of the Law be written which inclines all to some kind of naturall goodnesse yet by the fall is the knowledge of the Law of nature so obscured and the force of inordinate affection so prevalent over reason that there is need of Positive Lawes for directing restraining encouraging And indeed Positive Lawes are but rivulets derived and drawn from the Law of Nature and particular conclusions formed out of the universall principles thereof The