they wheras they deserve damnation both for the corruption of nature and the fruits thereof also some dream thus because of the faults of the godly mentioned in Scripture they making that an argument of boldnes in sinning which should be an argument of fear to sin some because they are ignorant and not Book-learn'd whereas ignorance though simple only somewhat extenuates but it excuseth not sin keeps not from hell but only from such a degree of torment as that of unfruitful knowledg and wilful now the common ignorance increaseth both sin and punishment as shewing that men will willingly suffer the damage of ignorance to enjoy the freedom of sinning Som dream that the imployments of their callings may excuse them for the neglect of holy duties as if callings were made to call us away from God or as if eternity were to give way to trifles Others fondly dream that outward tentations the counsels or commands of others inticing them to sin shall sufficiently excuse them whereas the outward tentation could do nothing without the compliance of the inward corruption and the disobeying of God for mans command is a disobedience with a greater disparagement to God then if man had said nothing Endlesse it would be to mention all those spirituall dotages and deluding dreams of sinners about their actions as that they may sin because they dream some places of Scripture will give them allowance or that much good will ensue of their sin that they may take liberty though excessive in things because lawfull that they may do evil because they make account to make amends for it afterward or upon pretence that they do it only for tryall to learn the vanity of sin or that the necessity of their living urgeth them or upon presumption of Gods mercy or by the painting of sin with the colour of vertue To these may be added a sinners dreaming that good duties may be omitted because they are difficult or because of their many other important occasions or because ther 's a purpose of doing them hereafter or in regard of their troubles threatned or because they have done enough good already or more then others or by reasoning from predestination as if being ordained to salvation though they live never so wickedly it shall never disadvantage them c. All which with many more are the vain dreams and delusions of sinners whereby with these seducers they take liberty to offend God and thereby to overthrow themselves OBSERVATIONS 1. Spirituall judgments are the sorest Observ 1 Insensiblenesse in sin and self-delusion were judgments which made these seducers miserable They are judgments which seize upon the soul No blessings so sweet as soul-blessings and no judgments so sore as soul-judgments The soul is the excellency of a man the body is a body of vilenesse the soul is precious excellent every way but only as depraved with sin It s noble in regard of its original functions endowments If all be well with the soul all is well with the man though the body be never so miserable If it go ill with the soul the man is wretched let the body be never so happy The funerall of a noble man is much spoken of when a Prince dies all lay it to heart when his Page dies it is never regarded The body the souls page is not to be lamented from which the soul parts but the soul from which God himself parts And further the distempers which befall the soul are of all others hardest to remove There is no herb in the garden no receipt from the Physician no medicine in the shop that can cure the soul men are only parents and physicians of the body he that made the soul can only mend it the Father of spirits is the only Physician of spirits 'T is omnipotent strength that recovers a sin sick and raiseth and rouzeth a sleeping soul man can cast thee into thy sinful sleep only God can awaken thee outward helps cannot cure the inward man he that sits in heaven can only touch and teach the heart And further the distempers of the soul uncur'd are of all others the most deadly and destructive A scratch on the finger we call a slight wound but a wound that reacheth to the heart is deadly Whatever befals the body is comparatively slight and to be slighted The worst things which befall the body may be sent in mercy they part between us and contemptible enjoyments yea oft they make way for the enjoying of the best blessings but they which befall the soul sever from him in whom all blessednesse is laid up spiritual comforts or miseries are true real the temporal of either are but opinionative Fear not him saith Christ that can kill the body but fear him that can throw both body and soul into hell To conclude Spiritual judgments are alway inflicted in displeasure in the last place as the forest of all as a reckoning for all other faults when all other chastisements are despis'd when God is shewing mercy the last mercies are the best and the further he goeth in mercy the sweeter he is and when he is punishing the last punishments are the forest and the further he goeth the bitterer he is the judgment of pining away in iniquity is the last of all that dismal catalogue Lev. 26.39 The spirit of a deep sleep is contiguous to hell it self Rev. 22.11 he that is filthy let him be filthy still is the last judgment we read of befalling in this life in all the new Testament yea the more God inflicts it the more he is provok'd to inflict it outward punishments move God to pity but this being a sin as wel as a punishment the more it lies upon man the more it offends God 2. Observ 2 All the sinfull sleepinesse of Saints differs much from that of the wicked Cant. 5.2 I sleep but my heart awaketh saith the Spouse The godly have ever in them a regenerate principle that is waking when they seem to be most sleeping that is contending against natural self The godly as one speaks are more pained and laborious in their sleep Laboriosius dormiunt quam vigilare potucrunt then in their waking it more troubles them to be idle then to do their Lords work their souls yeild not to that slothfulnesse wherewith their senses are overtaken Sensuall sinners sleep all at once all in them and of them sleeps but the Saint keeps his heart watchful The very business of the wicked is but vanity and dreams but the sleeps of the godly are busie and vigilant the wicked sleeps and trifles when he is most serious to work his wickednesse but when the righteous sleepeth his heart riseth and worketh upwards toward God in whom only he finds rest when thus imployed The wicked man sleeps and loves to sleep laies himself to sleep shuts the door draws the curtaines puts out the candle chargeth that none wake him but a Saint is like
the roots 2 Therfore I understand with Reverend Mr. Perkins and others that these words without fruit are as it were a correction of the former as if the Apostle had said they are trees whose fruit withereth or rather without fruit altogether the fruit which they bear not deserving so much as the name of fruit as trees that bear no other then withering fruit are esteemed no better then unfruitfull trees and thus notwithstanding their withering fruit they may be said to be without fruit in sundry respects 1. They were without fruit in regard that all their forementioned fruits were not produced by the inward life and vigour of the spirit of sanctification in their souls Their fruit grew upon a corrupt tree and proceeded from an unclean bitter root They were not the issues of a pure heart and faith unfaigned but the streams of an unclean fountain The fruitfulnesse onely of slow-bushes Crab-trees and brambles cannot make the year be accounted a fruitfull year A corrupt tree saith Christ cannot bring forth good fruit Mat. 7.18 How can ye that are evill speak good things Mar. 12.24 Their best fruits were but fruits of nature coming from an unregenerated heart That fruit which before his conversion Paul accounted as precious as gold he after esteemed as base as dung 2. They were without fruit in regard their fruits were not brought forth to a Divine end they were directed to no higher an end then selves Riv. in loc Israel saith God is an empty Vine though bringing forth fruit for it followes he bringeth forth fruit to himself I am not ignorant that some Interpreters expound not that Text concerning the fruit of works though yet they grant the place may be by consequence drawn to take in them likewise As these fruits were not fruits of righteousnesse Phil. 1.11 so neither were they to the praise of his glory If thou wilt return O Israel saith God return to me Jer. 4.1 They returned saith the Psalmist but not to the most high The pipe cannot convey the water higher than is the fountain head from whence it comes and these fruits being not from God were not directed to him Fruits brought forth to our selves are rotten at the core they are not for his taste who both looks into and tries the heart 3. They might be without fruit as not producing works in obedience to the Rule The doing of the thing commanded may possibly be an act of disobedience God looks upon all our works as nothing unlesse we do the thing commanded because it is commanded This onely is to serve him for conscience sake A man may do a good work out of his obedience to his lust As its possible for a man to believe 1 Thess 4.3 1 Thess 5.18 not because of Divine Revelation so is it possible for a man to work and not upon the ground of Divine injunction Be not unwise but understand saith the Apostle what is the will of God Eph. 5.17 Mans wisdom is to understand and follow Gods will 4. Without fruit as to their own benefit comfort and salvation The works of Hypocrites are not ordained by God to have heaven follow them at the last day all they had or did will appear to be nothing and when the Sun shall arise then the works which here have shined like glow-worms shall appear unglorious and unbeautiful of all that hath been sown to the flesh shall nothing be reaped but corruption God crowns no works but his own nor will Christ own any works but those which have been brought forth by the power of his own Spirit 5. Lastly Without the fruit of any goodness in Gods account because without love to God 1 Cor. 13. Love is the sweetness of our services If I have not love saith Paul I am nothing and as true is it without it I can do nothing the gift of an enemy is a gift and no gift As love from God is the top of our happiness so love to God is the sum of our duty There is nothing beside love but an Hypocrite may give to God with Gods people it is the kernel of every performance God regards nothing we give him unless we give our selves also Its love which makes a service please both the master and servant Now wicked men in all they bring forth though they may have bounty in the hand yet have no love in the heart they have not a drop of love in a Sea of service This for the Explication of the second aggravation or gradation of the sin and misery of these Seducers they were without fruit The third follows in these words twice dead These words I take to express a further degree of their spiritual wretchedness under the continued Metaphor of Trees 'T was bad to have withering fruit worse to have no fruit at all worse yet to be not only without all fruit but even altogether without life twice dead Two things are here to be explained 1. In what respect these trees may be said to be dead 2. How to be twice dead For the first Death is 1. Temporal and Corporal that which is a privation of life by the departure of the soul from the body 2. Spiritual befalling either the godly or the wicked 1. The godly are said to be dead spiritually three wayes 1. Dead to sin Rom. 6.2 1 Pet. 2.24 the corruption of their natures being by the Spirit of Christ subdued and destroyed 2. Dead in respect of the Law Ceremonial Col. 2.20 dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world Moral Gal. 2.19 So Paul saith he was dead to the Law and Rom. 7.4 Ye are dead to the Law it being not able to make them guilty who are in Christ nor to terrifie their consciences nor to irritate them to sin 3. Dead to the world Gal. 6.4 so Paul was crucified to the world either because the World contemned and despised him as a dead man or else because the world had no more power to entice and allure him from Christ then the objects of the senses have to work upon a dead man 2. Spiritual death befalls the wicked and unregenerate they being without the Spirit of Christ to animate and quicken them which Spirit enlivens the soul supernaturally as the soul doth the body naturally hence they are said to be dead in sins Eph. 2.1.5 Col. 2.13 and dead Mat. 8.22 Luke 9.60 Rom. 6.13 Joh. 5.25 and to remain in death 1 Joh. 3.14 Their works hence are said to be dead Hebr. 9.14 As the immortality of the damned is no life but an eternall death so the conjunction of the souls and bodies of wicked men is not properly life but umbratilis vita a shadow of life or rather a very death they being without spiritual feeding growth working all vital operations and lying under the deformity loathsomness insensibleness in a spiritual sense of such as are dead or according to the resemblance here used by our Apostle which is
that of trees dead they are spiritually dead because without and severed from that root of every good tree the Lord Christ The old Adam is the root upon which they still stand and therefore they are without all spiritual and supernatural life as from the root flows life into all the branches of the tree so from Christ all who are united to him by the Spirit through Faith have by those means the life of holiness derived unto them as in Adam the first root who hath now lost the moisture and vigour of holiness and is become a dryed root all die so in Christ shall all and onely they who are really united to him live Hence it is that as they are without the root and therefore without life so without all spiritual growth and fruitfulness the inward principle of life being wanting needs must the effects that flow from that principle all vitall operations be wanting likewise for though abiding John 15.5 and living by Christ we bring forth much fruit yet sever'd from him we can do nothing It is true that as the wicked have something from Christ like the Spirit of life Heb. 6.4 1 Cor. 12.6 7. so thereby they bring forth something like to good and spiritual fruits I mean those forementioned fruits of gifts assent to the truth sweet affections acts of external obedience but though in the producing of these the Spirit helps them yet it never changeth the nature of the trees but they still retain the natural sowrness of their roots and though God gives them the Spirit to edifie others yet not to sanctifie themselves though Saul had another spirit and sundry Matth. 7. did prophecy and cast out Divels yet all these were but works of ministration not renovation though the Spirit works as an outward efficient cause breathing on them and is in them as in Organis Instruments and Ministers yet not as in domiciliis as in habitations Members for as the soul works not as a form to any part that is not united to the body so neither doth the Spirit of Christ work savingly but in the body of Christ In the wicked it may be spiritus movens a moving spirit in the godly t is onely spiritus inhabitans an inhabiting indwelling Spirit The Spirit of God in an Hypocrire is like an Angel appearing in some outward shape of which he is only an assisting not an informing form for which cause his assumed body hath neither life nor nourishment but the Spirit of God in the godly is like the soul in the body not only assisting but informing and working in them spiritually vitall and supernatural operations And notwithstanding the best workings of the Spirit of God in the wicked they are oft left more fleshly self-confident less poor in Spirit and sensible of their want of Christ then before And thus these Seducers were spiritually dead Or 3. Death is eternal the effect of the former which eternal death is that most miserable condition of the Reprobate after death wherein they are deprived of all the blessedness and glory of heaven standing in the enjoyment and unitive vision of God Visi◠unitiv◠T is indeed the spiritual death continued and perfected As in heaven or eternal life in the enjoyment of God by Christ is begun in this life and completedin the next so is hell or eternal death in the losse of God begun in this and consummate in the next world The presence of God is the heaven of heaven the joy of heaven the life of heaven and of all who shall come thither 2. For the second In what respect these Seducers may be said to be twice dead The word twice Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is taken two wayes sometimes indefinitly or as a definite put for an indefinite a certain for an uncertain number 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Job 33.14 Thus Job 33.14 God speaketh once yea twice yet man perceiveth it not That is God doth by his gracious ways and means sufficiently abundantly and frequently acquaint man with his will although man be so stupid and senseless as not to understand what the meaning of God is therein So Psal 62.11 God hath spoken once twice have I heard this that power belongeth to God that is God hath abundantly oft several times or sundry wayes by his Word and works asserted and discovered that he is eminently and transcendently powerfull Thus the Apostle commands That the Elders that rule well 1 Tim. 1.17 should be accounted worthy duplici that is multiplici honore double much manifold honour So the Prophet prayes Jer. 17.18 that his enemies may be destroyed with a double destruction i. e. with a severe through totall destruction so 2 Kings 2.9 Elisha desired that a double portion that is a large abundant portion of the Spirit might be upon him Thus some take the word twice in this place as if by the signification of the very word the Apostle intended that these dead trees were finally dead and past all hopes of recovery such as could never be bettered by all the pains and cost digging dunging c. that could be laid out upon them That our Apostle here intends that these Seducers were like Trees irrecoverably and totally dead I easily grant but withall because trees may be said to be twice dead in respect of their very dying twice or a second time this word twice seems to import in this place a definite certain number and to intend a double or twofold death of these Seducers who are here compared to trees in their dying twice as well as in all the other three respects viz. Their having withered fruit their being without fruit and being pluckt up by the roots Trees then are said to be twice dead thus the first time a tree is said be dead when in the former spring it decayes fades withers in its leaves blossoms or newly formed fruit from this decaying or dying for a dying it is as to leaves and fruit a tree is oft by pruning dressing recovered but if in autumn or the later spring which is the critical or climacterial time of Trees to discover whether their disease be mortal or not the tree fadeth again if then the leaves or what ever it bears wither the rine grow dry and it be as they say sick the fault is then ab intra the root is rotten and the very substance of the tree is inwardly corrupt and putrified no more labour or cost is now bestowed upon it it s now dead twice or the second time and therefore totally and irrecoverably and as I have understood from those who are exactly skill'd in the nature of trees it hath been oft known that trees which have seemed to die in the former spring have afterward been recovered but never did they know that any languishing in the former spring and then after some overtures of reviving in the later spring fading and decaying again ever were recovered and restored
witherings and decays are opposite to the honour and worship of God None can honour God who divides his service between him and other things He accounts himself not served at all unless always served Who will think that employment vast and large which a man takes up and lays down at his pleasure What proportion bears slight and short obedience to the Majesty of him who is the best and the greatest how can that work be deemed by any beholder sweet and delightful of which men are as soon weary as of some grievous burden who wil account that service profitable and advantagious or its wages to eternity any other than a notion when they who have entred into it think an hour long enough to continue in it or will any think that God gives strength to his servants to perform it who give it over before they have well begun or that he delights in that holinesse which his seeming friends take such frequent libertie to forsake at their pleasure 2. The sinfulnesse of witherings and decayes appear in respect of our selves Prov. 17.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Rhet. l. 2 c. 11. 1. Whatever professions have been made is's certain there never was sincerity Vnstedfastness is a sure note of unsoundness he never was who ever ceaseth to be a friend for a friend loveth at all times He who leaves Christ never loved him They set not their heart aright and their spirit was not stedfast with God Psal 78.8 2. Spiritual withering renders all former profession unprofitable and in vain He who continues not in had as good never have entred into the waies of God nothing is held done as long as ought thereof remaineth to be done we shall be judged according to what we are not have been Judas not according to his Apostleship whrein he lived John 2.8 Gal. 3 4. but according to his treachery and despair wherein he died our beginning in the spirit followed with ending in the spirit advantageth not that is only wel which ends well 't is not the contention but the conquest which crowns they win the prize not who set out first but continue last 3. Spiritual withering makes our former profession and progress therein to do us hurt It had not only been as wel but better never to have known the way of righteousnesse He who licks up his vomit never casts it up again the house re-entred by Satan is more delightfully and strongly possessed by the impure spirit the water cool'd after heating is now colder then ever the seeming breach betweene sin and the soul being made up again is like a dis-joynted bone well set the union is stronger then ever and it is more easie once to go on then often to begin And as there was nothing Satan did so much endeavour as thy leaving of God so nothing wil he so much hinder as thy returning again to God yea and it may be by this time God is justly provoked to leave that person to Satan who would needs leave God for Satan To conclude none will be so inexcusable before God as they who leave the wayes of holinesse for if those waies were bad why did they enter into them if good why did they not continue in them 3. The sinfulnesse of spiritual withering appears in respect of others 1. They who remain strong and stable do not yet remain joyful but are much sadded by the decayes of any though they fall not with them yet they are cast down for them yea they should sin if they should not be sad and how great a sin is it to make it necessary for them to mourn whom to rejoyce is thy duty Now we live saith Paul 1 Thes 3.8 if ye stand fast in the Lord. Their apostacy then would have been his death 2. The weak are much endangered to be carried away with others for company seldome doth any leave God singly the worst yea the weakest shall have too many followers Although these seducers were carried away by reason of their emptinesse yet all that Jude could do all the diligence he could use was little enough to keep the Christians from being carried away with them It is easier for a weak seducer to carry souls away then for a strong Christian to keep them back 3. The wicked are both confirmed in that their sin into which the decayed Christian is faln and also much deride and reproach that way of truth and holinesse which the unstedfast have forsaken they are confirmed in their sin because their own way hath now the addition of a proselite and the commendation of an Enemy now numbers are a great encouragement and a strong argument to a sinner in any wickednesse and the commendation of an enemy is equivâ—lent to an universal good report sinners will deride likewise and blaspheme the way of truth as if either Christians had formerly embraced it for by-ends or else as if it had not worth and excellency in it to deserve a stedfast persevering in it and the dispraising of holiness by the seeming friends thereof will appear to its enemies to be equivalent to an universall ill report 3. Obs 3. It is the duty of Christians to endeavour after spiritual fruitfulness The Apostle mentions unfruitfulness likewise Luk. 3.8 Canâ— 6.11 as the sin and wo of these corrupt trees seducers This duty of bearing and bringing forth much fruit is frequently noted in Scripture Mat 3.8 bring forth fruit meet for repentance 2 Cor. 9.10 Now he that ministreth seed to the sower c increase the fruits of your righteousness Phil. 1.11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness Col. 1.6 Matth. 21.34.41.44 John 3.8 which are by Jesus Christ c. Jam. 3.17 The wisdome from above is full of good fruits Every branch in me that beareth fruit he purgeth that it may bring forth more fruit John 15.2 He that abideth in me and I in him bringeth forth much fruit I have chosen you that ye should bring forth fruit ver 16. Being fruitfull in every good work Col. 1.10 As touching the nature and cordition of these fruits Phil. 1.27 Eph. 5.3 4. 1 Cor. 12 ult 1. They must be fruits of a right kind good and piritual fruits of the same nature with the good seâ—d that hath been sown in us when wheat is sown tares must not come up nor cockle when baily is cast into the ground Our fruit must be such as becomes the Gospel not fruits of the flesh Nor 2. fruits meerly of gifts parts abilities of utterance knowledge nor only of civil righteousness just dealing toward men freedomâ— from scandal not fruits only of external profession of religion in prayer hearing c. but such as are sutable and proper to a supernatural root and principle fruits worthy of amendment of life Mat. 3. Love out of a pure heart 1 Tim. 1.5 Spiritual fruits fruits brought forth to a spirituall end they must give a sweet and delightful relish though possibly
the flesh are opposed Gal. 6.4 The opposition also is remarkable be not drunk with wine c. but be fill'd with the spirit Eph. 5.18 when sense is gratified the spirit is opposed Marke the like opposition also Rom. 8.13 If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye through the spirit doe mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 13.14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill it in the lusts thereof and Gal. 5.17 The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh these have contrary originalls the one is from earth the other from heaven The motions of sensuall lusts and the spirit are contrary one downward another upward a man cannot look those contrary wayes at once Lust like the womans disease in the Gospel bowes us down to the earth the spirit moves to the things above Like two ballances if one goe up the other goes down they put upon contrary practises Gal. 5.17 walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the deeds of the flesh Gal. 5.16 They both endeavour to take up and each to ingrosse and monopolize the whole man soul and body they will neither endure to have their dominion over man parted They can admit of no accommodation what ever means or helps advance the one suppresse and expell the other The fuel of lust worldly excesse extinguisheth the spirit the preservatives of the spirit prayer word fasting meditation are the poysons of lusts Oh the madnesse then of those who thin◠to serve these contrary masters Matth. 6.4 If one be loved the other must be forsaken The allowance of any inordinate lust is inconsistent with the spirit How great should our care be hence to take the spirits part against the flesh 1. by a through hearty inward work of mortification the plucking up of lust by the roots not only by snibbing the blade of it 2. By a holy and watchful moderation in worldly enjoyments behind which Satan like the Philistines ever lies in ambush when the lust like Delilah is tempting 3. By diverting thy joyes and pleasure upon heavenly objects and 4. By labouring for a sanctified improvement of all the stoppages in the way of lust and Gods breaking down thy bridges in thy march They who want the spirit are easily brought over to sensuality Obs ult Vide Part. 2. ver 10. They had not the spirit and no wonder if sensual Natural light is not enough to overcome natural lusts He who is but a meer man may soon become a prey to sensuality Vae soli woe to him that hath not this spirit to renew him nay constantly to reside in him and to act him Even Saints themselves when the spirit withdraws and leaves them to themselvs how sensual have they proved David Lot Samson are proofs Let thy great care be then to keep the spirit from departing Psal 51. 'T was Davids prayer take not thy holy spirit from me Take heed of giving way to sinnes of pleasure or to sins of deliberation or to repeated sinnes or to sins against conscience or to the sin of pride and presumption of thine own strength delight not in sinful company Beware of worldly mindedness follow the dictates of the spirit and listen to its first motions Fruitfully improve the ordinances wherein the spiritdelights to breath VER 20. But ye Beloved building up your selves on your most holy faith praying in the holy Ghost THe second direction to teach the Christians how to observ the former exhortation to contend for the truth and to oppose seducers is building up themselves on their most holy faith yet so as this and the next direction are set down as dispositions and meanes to keep themselves in the love of God mentioned in the next verse In this the Apostle shews and we ought to explain thre things EXPLICATION 1. The Builders or the parties directed Beloved 2. Their Foundation their most holy faith 3. Their building thereon in these words building up your selves on c. 1. Of the parties here called Beloved Part. 1. I have largely spoken before 2. The Foundation Their most holy faith In this I might inquire 1. What is meant by faith 2. How it s call'd your faith 3. How it s call'd most holy 1. Concerning the several acceptations of faith I have largely spoken Par. 1. p. 117.118 c. when I handled the Apostolical exhortation of contending for the faith And here by faithh as in the forementioned place I understand the doctrine of faith For enlargement upon which Vid. ver 3. and wha◠about delivering of the faith I have there said and reasons why the word is called faith I refer the Reader to what I have spoken on the forenamed place 2. This faith is called your faith and the doctrine of faith was theirs 1. Because of Ministration it was delivered to the Saints and by God given to them and to others for their sakes 2. Because they received it were moulded into it it was so delivered to them that they as the Apostle speaks were delivered into it as it was ministred to them so it was accepted by them It was not scorned rejected but received embraced yea contended for by them It was effectually theirs as well as ministerially 3. Theirs it was in regard of the fruit and benefit of it It was for theirs the salvation of their souls 1 Pet. 1.9 It was to them a savour of life not a sentence of condemnation 3. 3 Vid. Lorin in loc It s called most holy faith 1. To put a difference between those unholy and fabulous dreames of these seducers the most impure inventions of the Gnosticks Jewish fables c. 2. Considered in it selfe and that 1. In its supream auhtor and efficient cause the holy Ghost It was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by divne inspiration 2 Tim. 3.16 2. In the Instruments of conveying it who were holy men of God who spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1.21 3. Quanam Paul◠Epistol◠non melle dulcior non lacte candidior Hierom. In the matter of it which is altogether holy every word of God is pure The threatnings holy denounced against sin the precepts holy and such as put us onely upon holinesse the comforts and promises holy parts of a holy covenant and such as onely comfort in the practice of holinesse and encourage to holinesse and are made to holy ones 4. In the effects of it It works and exciteth holinesse in nature heart life It s that which being believingly lookt into makes the beholders holy like it selfe as the rods of Jacob which layd before the sheep made them bring forth young ones of the same colour with those rods 3. Their building on this foundation is contained in these words building up your selves Two things are in this branch comprehended 1. How we are to understand this building up 2. This building up of
Exhorting one another Salvation is large enough for our selves and others If Gods eye be good ours should not be evill The doing good to others soules is encouraged Jam. 5.20 And rewarded Dan. 12.3 It s the nature of grace to propagate it selfe The Spirit appeared in the likenesse of fiery tongues and both fire and tongues are very communicative the one of it selfe and heat the other of sound and voice Our relations of Brethren fellow members c. call for this expression of love Yea the contrary practice of sinners who damne and defile one anothers soules may put us upon this duty How great then is their sin who destroy the soules of others by error and seduction and ungodly example c. who watch over others for evill and to make proselites for hell who are factors for Satan and agents for that Prince of darknesse If their own sin and damnation will be so heavie a burden what will other mens sinnes and damnations also be to them in hell O what a holy covetousnesse should be in every Saint to propagate holinesse and leven others with grace in the world Oh pray Lord let hell never be the fuller for me or mine but heaven for both In respect of the priviledge of saving of soules it s by some said that saints on earth excell the very glorified in heaven 2. Obs 2. Others Necessity should be the mother of severity Others i. e. they who will be by no other means reclaimed upon whom compassion will not worke must be saved by feare First gentle meanes must be used severe afterwards Severity though good is but accidentally good not in it selfe but onely because of mans stubbornenesse Medicines were only brought in and kept up by sicknesse The Bee gives its honey naturally its sting onely when provok't We should run to Compassion but be driven to rigor If the birds will be driven away its needlesse to shoot them our will must bring forth peace necessity war Paul was much more willing to come to the Corinthians with the Spirit of meeknesse then with the rod of severity Even when we are most deeply engaged in rigor let all see that in afflicting others we more afflict our selves 3. Obs 3. Others Severity is to be regulated not by outward respects but by the merit of the offence Others that is they who are more obdurate not who are further from us in relation or poorer c. should be affrighted Though the nature of the offence should should make us put a difference in our rigours yet other considerations forraigne to the cause should not Some are fiery hot in terrifying the poorer sort whereas the rich are like the mount that might not be toucht Having mens persons in admiration An ungodly base respecting of persons Of it see at large before pag. 536 537. Part. 2. 4. Save Even a man may be a saviour of soules Obs 4. See the proofs in the Explication Paul speaks of labouring by all meanes to gaine some And we read of those who catch men and win soules and Christ mentions the gaining of thy brother How great an honour doth God cast upon weak wormes 1. If the supreme Cause be pleas'd to attribute salvation to men because of ministry should not men attribute salvation to God in regard of efficacy How carefull should we be to honour that God who so dignifies dust and ashes Lay that Crown at his feet which he sets on thy head How industrious should this likewise make us in doing good to others The Lord reckons it as our own Though he guided thy hand every letter yet he saith thou hast written the faire copie whereas indeed onely the blots and blurs were thine Though thou didst but lay on the plaister yet he attributes the cure to thee who couldst never put vertue into the salve To conclude this how fearfull should any be of despising the ministry of man Though salvation sometime be attributed to our selves that we may not be negligent and properly to God that we may not idolize man yet it s often ascribed to others that we may not contemn their help 5. Save with fear Obs 5. Severity should be exercised to this end to save The scope of using the sharpest rebukes by spirituall Physicians should be cure Mercifull intentions must be lodged under severest performances The end of Excommunication must be the saving of the Spirit Tit. 1.13 The most cutting reproofs must be given to others that they may be sound in the faith Even the dreadfullest Censures of the Church are not mortall but medicinable In the body of the Church members are wounded and cut that themselves and the whole body may be saved And herein Ecclesiasticall censures excell civill punishments the latter being to preserve the publick peace and for warning to others the former being principally to save the offenders soule How sharply did Peter reprove Simon Magus when he said Thy mony perish with thee and thou art in the gall of bitternesse and yet he addeth repent and pray c. We must not reprove men to disgrace their persons but to shame their sins and neither insulting over mens falls nor despairing of their risings And therefore let not people sume and rage against the constrained rigour of the faithfull especially Ministers for 't is not butchery but Surgerie As reprehension faithfully ministred shewes the strength of zeale so meekly received the sincerity of grace A godly heart would not one threatning lesse to be in the Bible 'T is a bloodlesse martyrdome humbly to embrace the strokes of a reprover To conclude how ridiculously prophane are the Papists whose loudest thunderings out of excommunication are against the holiest persons But Christs Spirit is not in their counsells nor will he refuse graciously to meet thee unjustly ejected as he did the blinde man sinfully cast out by the Jewes 6. Save with feare Obs 6. Severity to sin is mercy to the soule This affrighting made way for saving Holy severity is a wholsome thing even rending Mastiffes are very usefull to kill woolves The nipping frosts of winter though not so pleasant as summer Sunshine yet are as needfull for the earth they killing the wormes and vermin Jacob is said to * Every one according to his blessing Gen. 49.28 Nonnul lis bene dixit maledicendo blesse his sons and yet he sharply censured three The smitings of the righteous are desirable to a saint They are precious ointment They slay sin and save the soule How wilde a madnesse is it then to be angry with them who by telling thee truth love thy peace There 's none but fools that oppose faithfull reprovers and who are such that if the truth be told them will not be pleased and if they be pleased the truth is not told them Such a disposition as this is an evident token that God hath a purpose to destroy them 2 Chron. 25.16 How much is this cruelty to their
filthy dreamers in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 qui videt in somnia signifying properly such who are dreaming in sleep Beza renders the word sopiti such who are fast or sound asleep in a deep dead sleep Erasmus and Vatablus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Delusi in somniis such who are deluded in dreams The Vulgar wholly omits the translation of the word but the word properly signifies such who in their sleep are dreaming and thus Joseph is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a dreamer and Acts 2.17 It 's said your old men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall dream dreams importing likewise thus to dream in sleep And these of whom our Apostle here speaks may be termed dreamers in sleep either 1. In a proper or 2. In a metaphorical sense If 1. In a proper sense then these seducers were dreamers in their natural and bodily rest and sleep thus they mentioned Acts. 2.17 dreamed dreams in their naturall sleep and thus Gagneius Vatablus Salmeron understand this place as if the Apostle had intended Redundat effusior libido vsque ad nocturnas inter dormiendum pollutiones Vatab. that these impure seducers did put forth and expresse their filthy lustfulnesse in their very dreams when they were asleep Thus likewise our own learned interpreters understood this dreaming in sleep as is plain by their rendring the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by filthy dreamers as conceiving that these seducers in their unclean dreams had defiled and polluted their bodies when they were in their naturall sleep not that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 admits of the interpretation of filâ—hy dreams by the force of its own signification it's Acts 2.17 us'd in a good sense namely of holy and pure dreaming but the foresaid interpreters were pleas'd so to refer this word to the following expression viz. defile the flesh that they interpreted it of that dreaming in sleep wherein these seducers defiled their bodies by nocturnal pollutions which uncleannesse as some think is the same with that of him mentioned Lev. 15.16 Whose seed went from him A strong inducement hence may be gathered that I may note it by the way for every one as to hate that odious and I fear too common a sin of self-pollution which by some Casuists is accounted a greater sin then adultery and by others to have even murder in it so to keep their hearts with all diligence from those impure thoughts in the day-time which may otherwise make them filthy dreamers in the night and when they go to sleep to beseech God to keep the key of their phansie that so it may not run out into dreaming impurely But secondly others and those the most better interpret this dreaming whereof Jude speaks metaphorically or in a borrowed sense conceiving that the Apostle here in calling these seducers dreamers in sleep doth compare them to such and that 1. In respect of sleeping 2. Of dreaming in sleep 1. In respect of sleeping 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Septuag these seducers may be compared to dreamers in sleep they were spiritually drown'd overwhelmed in a deep sound sleep of sin such a deep sleep as the Prophet mentions Isa 29.10 Isa 29.10 The Lord hath poured upon you the spirit of a deep sleep a dead and midnight sleep 1 Thes 5.6 Let us not sleep as do others Matth. 25.5 while the bridegrome tarried they all slumbred and slept c. This spiritual sleep in sin is threefold as divines observe 1. That natural sleep whereby every one is overtaken and is both unable and unwilling to move himself to the least supernaturall good till God awake him by his spirit and effectually say unto him Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead 2. That slumber or the remaines of that natural sleep in the godly continuing in them even after they are awakened out of their dead sleep of nature they being hereby oft overtaken with spiritual slumber by reason of the relicks of sin still abiding in them This the Spouse acknowledgeth Cant. 5.2 I sleep but my heart waketh 3. The third is a judicial and penal increase of that naturall sleep and that deadnesse of heart by the custom and continuance in sin This is properly that forementioned deep sleep Isa 29.10 pour'd upon the impenitent Jewes and this last is that which is here attributed to these seducers And in two respects may such sinners be compared to men in a deep sleep 1. In regard of the causes 2. The effects of sleep 1 The causes of sleep 1. The sleep of the body cometh from obstruction and binding up of the senses by vapours which arise out of the stomack so the spirituall fumes of worldly cares and desires obstruct the senses of the soul Luke 21.34 therfore our Saviour speaks of being oppressed or overcharged with surfetting and drunkennesse Prosperitie is a vapour which if it overcome not yet weakneth the brain as strong waters do This was the cause of Davids and Solomons and Asa's sleep 2. Sleep ariseth from wearinesse and want of spirits and there is a wearinesse causing spiritual sleep namely that which ariseth from too much expence of the strength of the soul upon other matters impertinencies that concern not its true happinesse and welfare 3. Oft sleep comes from want of exercise and when there is a cessation from spirituall exercises Prayer Hearing Sacraments Meditation there followeth a spiritual sleep these are the fewel of grace and he that will not exercise himself to godlinesse Tim. 4 7. shall never keep himself long awake 4. Sleep may come from sleepy yawning and slâ—thfull company the company of spiritual sluggards causeth spirituall sleep cold formal persons cast a damp upon the heat of others Spirituale gelicidium Ames frozen company derive a spirituall icinesse into the souls of those who converse much with them 5. Some are made to sleep by singing and musick and many by the flatteries and sinful soothing of false doctrines of Libertinism or Arminianism c. and by the unfaithfulnesse of those who dare not reprove for but sooth in sin are cast into a spirituall sleep 2. Sinners may be compared to men in a deep sleep in regard of the effects of sleep and that in respect 1 of their want of shame and bashfulnesse in sin they who are asleep Jer. 8.12 though their nakednesse with Noah's be uncovered yet they blush not these seducers proclaimed their sin like Sodome See before Part 1. concerning the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they could not blush saith the Prophet a blushing colour is not the colour of such mpudent ones 2. Of their unarmednesse and liablenesse to danger in sleep the preciousest thing men carry about them may be taken away without resistance they suffer that to be loose which they held fast before be it never so rich a jewel Sisera was slain in his sleep and Ishbosheth upon his bed and
every word but the wise man as he ponders his own words before he utters them so the words of another before he credits them Let not thy heart perswade thee of thy good condition by laying before thee common marks which may agree even with hypocrites as external profession an orthodox judgment opposing of Error or pleading for the Truth attending upon Ordinances freedom from scandalous sins some sweet and sudden motions of heart in holy Duties but ever build upon such marks as will necessarily infer sincerity and a principle of saving grace in the heart such as have some singular excellency in them which an hypocrite cannot reach a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Christ speaks something more then others ordinarily attain things which alwayes accompany salvation Heb. 6.9 3 Possess thy heart with an apprehension of Gods presence Set thy self as in his eye Consider though thou mayest baffle thy conscience yet not the eye of Gods Omnisciency Never think thou art out of the reach of his hand or the view of his eye Psal 44.17.21 Tell thy conscience as the Church speaks there is no dealing falsly for shall not God search it out who knoweth the secrets of the heart Would not a Malefactor speak truly at the Bar did he know the Judg had windowes into his brest Vitia nostra quia amamus defendimus malâ—mus excusare illa quam excutere Sen. Ep. 116. 4. Look not upon thy self through the spectacles of self-love A man that is in love with any thing thinks the blemishes and deformities of the thing beloved to be beauties and Ornaments Self-love makes shadowes to be substances and mole-hills to be mountains Let not affection bribe or throw dust into the eye of thy judgment The more thou lovest thy self the more thou wilt desire to appear amiable and adorned with a specious and seeming goodness Joseph loved his bro her Benjamin and he gave him five changes of rayment Till thou denyest thy self and putest off the person of a friend thou wilt never put on the person of a just Judg. Study to know thy self as thou art in thy self not as thou art partially represented to thy self Be not like Limners who so as thy can make a mans picture gay and gaudy Luke 6.48 care not to draw it so as to resemble him The want of true humiliation and denyal of our selves is the ground of all self-flattery and heart delusion Gold must be melted and dissolved before it can be defecated and rid of the dross Bodies full of vicious humours must be emptied by purgation before they can come to an healthful state Crooked things cannot be made strait without the wringing and bowing of them by the hand The greater our humiliation the greater our integrity 4. Observ 4. It s our wisdom to take heed of spiritual sleeping in sin For which purpose 1 Make much of a stirring Ministry Love that preaching most which is most exciting The Word preach'd is both light and noise both which disquiet sleepers A still easie Minister makes a sleepy drowzie people Ministers must stir those who sleep in sin though they stir them up to rage They must be sins of Thunder against sinners not sweet singers and pleasant Musicians No employment requires so much holy vehemency and fervor as the welfare of souls Cry aloud saith God to his Prophet and lift up thy voice as a Trumpet and people should be so far from blaming the loudness of the sound of the Word that they should only blame the depth of their own slumber They should ever take part with the Word against their lusts and intreat God that his word may be an awakening though it be a displeasing voice as also that he would cry in the ears of the soul by the voice of his own Spirit and to stir it in the Ministry with his own arm for indeed otherwise Ministers shall rend their owne sides before they rowze their peoples souls 2. Labour for a fruitful improvement of sufferings Beseech the Lord that no affliction may blow over without benefit to thy soul None sleep so soundly as they who continue sleeping under the greatest joggings Physick if it works not is hurtful to the Patient If thou art so close nailed to thy sin that afflictions cannot part it and thee it s a provocation to God to leave thee Isai 1 5. and an incouragement to Satan that he shall keep thee God is never more displeased then when he takes away judgments in judgment then when he punisheth by delivering thee from thy trouble and delivers thee up to thy own heart Oh beg earnestly of God that the blessed opportunities of suffering times may never leave thee as bad as they found thee for if so they will leave thee worse and that no wind may go downe till it have driven thee nearer thy Haven 3 Endeavour for a tender trembling heart at the very beginning of the solicitations of sin That which makes way for eternal takes away spiritual feeling Men sleep by little and little from slumber they fall to sleeping Every sin neglected is a step downward to a deep sleep A deluge of sin is made up of several drops Prov. 5.22 Many knots tied one upon another will hardly be loosed Every sin repeated and not repented of binds downe the soul in insensibleness and sloth Dum servitur libidini facta est consuetudo et dum consuctudini non resistatur facta est necessiâ—as Aug. â—onf l 8. c. 5. Every sin suffered to defile the conscience makes it the more regardless of it self Sin is of an incroaching nature like a smal River it growes in going like a Gangreen it creeps by degrees The deceitful modesty of sin by asking little at first quickly enticeth us to more Smal beginnings usher large proceedings One bit draws down another As every good work increaseth our ability for obedience so every sin leaves upon the soul a readiness for further disobedience The not resisting the first inclination to sin makes way to stupefaction by sin He who dares not wade to the ancles is in no danger of being swallowed up 4 Labour for faith in threatnings Restrain not belief only to what God hath promised Let faith comprehend all Truths in its vast bosom and overcome all the improbabilities that seem to keep away Judgment as well as those that seem to keep away Mercies Noah was not drown'd in a deep sleep of sin and in a deluge of waters with the old world and the reason was faith taught Noah to fear Hebr. 11. and fear that watchful Grace prevented feeling Faith makes a man solicitous for a while and safe to eternitie Naturalâ—y we are more moved with fear then stirr'd with hopes 5 Vigorously and constantly exercise thy self in Godliness Never think thou hast done enough Think not thy work is ended til thy life is ended Take heed of remisness in holy Duties Fervency of spirit is by the Apostle join'd
the conversion of one sinner and 't is a pleasure to them to be present at the publick ordinances and to look into the mystery of the Gospel 1 Cor. 11.10 Ephes 3 10 As impossible it is they should preach anotheâ— Gospel is to be accursed Gal. 1.8 They surther the Gospel and preserve the true worship of God forbidding the worship of themselues The Law was given by their ministry Luke 2 9. Acts 10.10 The Angel directs Cornelius to send for Peter The Angel brought Philip to instruct the Eunuch invited the Apostle to come to Macedonia and help souls to heaven delivered Peter out of prison to preach the Gospel carried the soul of Lazarus to heaven resisted Balaam in the way wherein he came forth to curse Israel c. Michael and his Angels Rev. 12. fight for the defence of the Church against all the injuries of the Divel But the Divel is the grand adversary of souls Evil Angels labour to stop the passage of the Gospel they put forth their power in Jannes and Jambres to resist Moses in his Ministry The Divel offereth himself to be a lying spirit in the mouth of all Ahabs Prophets He stands at Joshuah's right hand to withstand him in his Office Zech 3 1. Matth. 13. 1 Tim. 4 1. 1 Theâ— 2 18. Rev. 2.10 he soweth tares in the field where the good seed of the word is sown False Doctrines are the Doctrines of Divels Satan hindred Paul once or twice from his journey to the Thessalonians to confiâ—m their faith he raiseth persecution against the Church he cast some into prison And where he cannot hinder powerful preaching he contends to make the word sundry wayes ineffectual some he holds fast in unbelief and contumacy from careless hearers he snatcheth the word Those who happly hear attentively he hinders from practising and of some kind of practisers he often makes Apostates The second thing to be explained 2 Branch of Explicat is the strife and â—â—mbate between Michael and the Divel set forth more particularly in the particular case and cause thereof the Archangel disputed about the body of Moses And here 1 What he did he disputed 2 About what he dâ—d it or the subject of that disputation the body of Moses 1. He disputed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word signifieth a Contest by Argument and Reason besides which manner or strife Justinian in loc there is no other say some after which spirits can strive and contend one with another I shall not dispute the truth of that assertion the mos Angelicus Vid. Zâ—â—ch de Angelis p. 156 the manner of Angelical disputation being to us so dark nor shall I now enquire how Angels represent their minds and apprehensions one tâ— another in their disputations but sure I am that as the Arguments which this holy Archangel produced against the Divel to justifie his action were strong and cogent as being drawn from the revealed will of God so the practice of disputing for convincing the adversaries of the Truth or stopping their mouthes by arguments grounded upon that foundation Acts 17.17.18.4 19.19.9.20.9.24.12 15. was frequently used by the Apostle Paul and to be imitated by us who were our words softer and our Arguments stronger might more convince the Adversary against whom and credit the cause for which we contend If it be here demanded Why this Archangel would dispute with an incorrigible adversary It s answered he disputed not with hopes to recover his Adversary But 1. To credit his cause It was a righteous cause and was worthy of a strong Advocate though the adversary against whom we reason deserves neglect yet the truth for which we argue deserves our contention 2. To apologize for himself He might have been look'd upon as one who resisted and opposed Satan upon bare resolution and self-wil and would effect his desire by bare force had he not disputed the equity of his proceedings with the Divel 3. To render the Divel the more inexcusable Who now though he were so far from being bettered or amended by all the disputation and reasoning of Michael with him that he was the more enraged against the truth yet must needs be more clearly convinced that he opposed the righteous and holy will of God 2. For the subject of this disputation it was saith Jude about the body of Moses The principal doubt in this branch is what should be the cause of this contention and disputation between Michael and the Devil about the body of Moses Sundry causes are by sundry Interpreters mentioned I shall rehearse some of the most probable and cleave to that which I conceive to be the true one Some affirm that the body of Moses is here to be taken figuratively not for that body which was buried on Mount Nebo but for that holy Priesthood about which Satan resisted Joshuah Zech. 3.1 because this Priesthood as a shadow was to be restored at the return of the Captivity and to be in Christ truly fulfilled whom the Apostle cals the body Col. 2.17 that answered the shadowes of the Law Others also making this place of Jude to refer though after a different manner from the former to that of Zech. 3.1 Opinio mystica est ut corpus Mosis fuerit Synagoga ac Synagogam liberari prohibuâ—rit Diabolus de Captivitate Babylonis Lorin in loc Conceive that by the body of Moses we are here to understand the Synagogue or Church of the Jewes the delivery whereof from the Captivity of Babylon Satan say they opposed and Michael contended for But besides the Arguments which have been brought already to prove that this Michael here mentioned by Jude was not Jehovah as was he who is mentioned Zech. 3.1 It seems an harsh expression and no where used to call either the Mosaical Priesthood as fulfilled by Christ or the Synagogue and Church of the Jewes the body of Moses Some conceive that this contention about the body of Moses was from Michaels endeavouring and the Divels opposing of the honourable burial of Moses to whom say they the Divel would have had burial denyed in regard of his slaying of the Aegyptian in his life time and that the Divel contended that the body of a Murderer belonged to him to dispose of But this opinion seems false both in regard of the great distance of time which was between the slaying of the Aegyptian and this contention as also that the Divel knew either that the slaying of the Aegyptian was no true murder or if it were that it was forgiven by God who sundry times after it manifested tokens of signal love to his servant Moses It is therefore lastly and most truly asserted by others that Michael therefore contended with the Divel about the body of Moses because the Divel endeavouring contrary to the express will of God that it might be buried in some open and well-known place that so the Israelites who were alwaies too prone to idolatay
might thereby be drawn to give Moses Divine adoration Deut. 34.6 Michael in zeal to the honour and obedience to the will of God opposed the Divel and contended that the body of Moses should be buried in a seeret place Vid. Chrysost Hom. 5 in Mat. August To. 3. p. 731. Ambr. 2 Offic. c. 7. where no man might know of his Sepulchre This last is the opinion of most if not of all Modern Writers both Protestant and Popish and of sundry of the Antients The most think that Satan in his contention aim'd at stirring up the people idolatrously to worship the very dead body of Moses and some affirm though I suppose without ground that after his death his face retained its former shining lustre and to prevent the idolizing of Moses his very Rod they conceive that Moses took it away with him when he went to dye it being that Rod whereby he had wrought so many Miracles and which was called the Rod of God Others rather think that Satan intended to have put the Israelites upon the idolatrous worshipping of Moses soul or Ghost by the discovery of his Sepulchre this opinion seems to me very probable I know not that the worshipping the reliques of dead mens bodies was an idolatry used in those times I suppose it will not be denyed but that it was the practice of the Heathens to worship the ghosts or souls of the dead who in their life time had been eminent for their greatness and beneficence hence Jupiter Mercury Esculap c. were counted Deities after their deaths for that good which their survivers had received from them while living and Heathens used this their idolatry by occasion of their having among them the Tombs and Sepulchres of the deceased Thus the Cretians worshipped Jupiter for their God whose Sepulchre they boasted that they had among them And hence Lactantius holily and wittily derides them Quomodo potest Deus alibi esse vivus alibi mortuus alibi babere Templum alibi Sepulchrum Lactant. l. 1. c. 11. for honouring a God who as they thought was in one place living in another place dead who in one place had a Sepulchre in another a Temple The Roman Emperors after their deaths were Deifi'd at the burning of their bodies which being burnt their souls were worshipp'd by the name of manes and upon their Sepulchres they engraved these words To the gods Dijs manibus the ghosts or souls of the departed they blindly believing that the souls of the departed did reside about or were present at the places where their bodies were buried and these soules of the departed Heathens were wont to worship and consult with at their graves and Sepulchres a practice which from heathens was received by the Israelites also Hence we read Isaiah 65.4 of the idolatrous Jewes who remained among the graves and lodged in the monuments namely to consult with the spirits of the dead as is clear from Isaiah 8.19 where the Prophet reproves the people for consulting for the living with the dead i e. with the souls or ghosts of those who were dead and departed And at these graves and Sepulchres of the dead were idolaters wont idolatrously to Feast and Banquet with those sacrifices which they had offered to the honour of the dead Hence we read Psalm 106.28 of the great idolatry of the Israelites in eating the sacrifices of the dead And this idolatrous custome of seeking to the dead at their Tombs or Sepulchres the Divel invented that these deluded idolaters who expected to consult with dead men might indeed and really receive answers from and so worship him for though he perswaded his Vassals that they who were dead gave them their answers yet indeed those answers came from him And to this practice the Divel might easily have brought these Israelites could he have obtained the discovery of Moses his Sepulchre which containing the remains of so famous a Law-giver and one so eminent above all the men in the world for acquaintance with God would in probability upon all exigencies have drawn idolaters to it for the adoration of and consultation with Moses especially considering the great and constant need of direction in which the Israelites stood whâ—le they were in the Wilderness for their passage to Canaan though indeed the name of Moses was to have been but a stale or stirrup to have advanced the adoration even of the Divel himself who as he was the sole contriver of this idolatry so would have been pleased most with it and honoured onely by it it being as much beyond the power of idolaters or Divels to deal with a true since dead Moses as it ever was against the will of Moses to have any such dealing with them If it be here objected that the Israelites did not worship at the Sepulchres of Abraham Jacob Joseph and the other Patriarchs and therefore that neither they would have idolatrously worshipped Moses if they had known the place of his burial It s answered that there was far greater likelihood and danger of their idolizing Moses then any of the fore-mentioned Patriarchs and that both in regard of the honour that Moses had received from God and also of that good which the Israelites had received by Moses 1. In respect of the former none of the godly Ancestors of the Israelites were so illustrious as was Moses for working Miracles and so many renowned performances both in Aegypt and after the Israelites came out of it none by the testimony of truth it self being like Moses whom God knew face to face none who had the reputation of being so frequently and long with God and of being a Law-giver to the people and a Mediator between God and them to fetch them Lawes from God and to carry their desires again to God to be taken up that he might converse with God to the top of a flaming Mount the foot whereof no other person might touch upon pain of death to have a face so gloriously shining upon descent from God as if God had imparted to him a kind of ray of Divinity In a word To have God say of him as he did to and of Moses I have made thee a God a speech haply not yet forgotten by Israel to so great and puissant a Monarch as Pharaoh 2. In respect of the great benefits that God bestowed upon the Israelites by Moses never did they receive the like by any other Instrument in any age who ever was there besides Moses by whom God sent so many miraculous plagues upon their Enemies by whom at the holding up of a Rod he divided the Sea and sent six hundred thousand men through it dry-shod and afterward caused it to return upon and swallow up their Enemies by whom he split the Rocks into Cups and gave them water in a scorching Wilderness and fed them with miraculous showres of bread from heaven c. It s therefore probable that one so eminently honored of God and beneficial
to Israel as was Moses had his grave been known would after his death have been idolatrously worshipped and perheps too consulted with as their guide in the Remainder of their journey into the Land of Canaan Yea Haeres 55. Epiphanius reports that in Arabia Moses for the Miracles wrought by him was accounted a God and that there his Image was worship'd And whereas it may be said that the Israelites could not be so blockish as to have worship'd a dead Moses his mortality being so pregnant a confutation of their idolatry and his Divinity It s answered Idolatry is a sottish sin Spiritual as well as Carnal Whoredome taking away the heart It s just with God that they who lay by his rule should also lay off their own reason Nor yet would the knowne Zeal of Moses while living against such a practice as this have in probability kept the Israelites from this idolatry had Moses his body been discovered considering not only their proneness to that sin and their forgetfulness of holy instruction but also for that they might haply impute the unwillingness of Moses to be worship'd in his life time and while he was among them rather to his modesty and humility then to his disallowing of such a practice after his death when he should be both absent in body and glorious in soul In short needs must that be bad which that evil one is so violent in contending to have effected nor certainly would Satan much have regarded Moses his body had it not been to do hurt to the Israelites souls and he who by his subtilty had once before with so much success drawn the people to Idolatry and almost to destruction by the company of the Midianitish women was much more industrious and hopeful by this means which had a face of greater plausibility and would have proved far more hurtful to have effected the like again OBSERVATIONS 1 The opposition between sin and holiness is universal Observ 1. they never meet but they fight This enmity flies higher then men it reacheth even to Angels also It s in the heart between a man and himself outward between men and men between men and Angels between God and both between Angels and Angels Holiness and sin are irreconcileable Their opposition is reciprocal Holiness can never tamely endure sin nor sin quietly endure holiness These antipathies can never be reconcil'd Such is the opposition between them that they cannot brook one another notwithstanding all the plausible and rarely excellent qualifications that may be mixt with either A Saint cannot love a sinner nor a sinner a Saint as such though either be never so beautiful Affable Noble Learned The Divel meeting with Holiness and Michael with sin though both in an Angel fight and contend with one another It s in this case as with the dressing of some meats though the sauce the mixtures be never so pleasant the dressing never so cleanly and skilful yet if such or such an ingredient be put in the food wil be loathsome to some stomacks and will not down Such a one were a good man saith a wicked person were he not so precise pure And such a one were an excellent companion saith a Saint were he holy and heavenly Between the Wolf and the Lamb there is an antipathy of natures Sir Fr. Bacons Nâ—â— Hist Their guts say some made into Lute-strings will never sound harmoniously together If they live quietly as is prophesied Isai 11.6 it s because the nature of the one is changed They who act from contrary principles by contrary rules for contrary ends must needs thwart one another The people of God may hence be both cautioned and comforted Cautioned not to expect to be altogether quiet if they will be holy Their Legacy left them is in the world to find hatred and trouble Joh. 16. ult They must be men of contention though Angels for their endowments Cautioned a so they should be that they leave not their holiness for then though mans contending with them should end yet Gods would begin and the worlds friendship is bought at too dear a rate when with the loss of Gods favour Cautioned lastly Pax cum viris bellum cum viâ—iis not to hate the person of any under pretence of hating his sin abhor not the body but the sore Zeal must not be destroying but refining fire No man is so good as for all things to be beloved no man so bad as for any thing but sin to be hated The people of God may hence also be comforted when they meet with most contention from men it is but what Angels have met with from Divels nay what Christ hath met with from men and divels As Christ is our Captain so Angels yea Archangels are our fellow souldiers nor shall we any more miscarry then either The worlds bad word is no bad sign Two things much speak a man his company that he keeps and his commendation which he receives Wicked men cannot speak well of them who cry downe their sin nor is their discommendation any disgrace 2 Satan is overmatch'd in his contentions Observ 2. Michael an Archangel a good Angel contends with him Although all the Angels are equal by nature Corpora crassiora inferiora per subtiliora potentiora quodaÌ„ erdinereguntur Omniacorpora per spiritum vitae spiritus vitae irrationalis per spiritum vitae rationalem spiritus vitae rationalis desertor peccator per spiritum vitae rationalem pium justum ille per ipsum Deum Aug. de trin l. 3. c. 3. and created with equal power yet was the power of the faln Angels much impaired by and for their Apostasie and as the holy Angels exceeded them in other qualifications so likewise in this of power Good Angels though they are not Omnipotent yet had they not that chaine put upon them which was put upon the bad immediately after their fall whereby they are both restrained from what they would and oft from what they can This subjection of the bad Angels is manifested by Angustine from that order which God hath placed among the Creatures The bodies saith he which are more gross and inferior are ruled in a certain order by the more subtle and superior All bodies are ruled by a spirit of life and the irrational spirit of life by the rational and that rational spirit of life which fell and sinn'd by that rational spirit of life which is holy and righteous and this holy Spirit by God himselfe Nor do we ever in Scripture read of any contention between the good and evil Angels wherein the good had not the victory Revel 12.8 The Divel and his Angels fought and prevailed not Dan. 10. and ver 9. He was cast out unto the earth The Divel never fights either himself or by his Instruments but he is foyld but he falls Besides the good Angels ever contend for and by a great God
gives over any enterprize he changeth not his nature but constrainedly leaveth his exercise he goes but t is when he can stay no longer when his Cummission is expired Every commanded performance or forbearance is not a sign of grace That which is incident to the Divel argues no grace in man Balaam was forbidden to curse the people of God and he forbears but forcedly against his will Let not men content themselves with the Divels obedience To leave sin for fear of hell may go along with the love of it more then heaven When Moses's Parents exposed him to the waters they loved him as much as or more then ever To leave sin for want of a body to commit it is not to leave our affection to it the leaving of sin at our death-beds is seldome true ever suspicious God loves a living Christian any one will be a Christian dying Duties without must flow from a gracious forwardness within Joyn that in thy obedience which the Divel hath divorced inward subjection to outward services It s one thing to be hindred from another thing to hate sin The rebukes of our Superiors may cause the former a Principle of inward renovation can onely produce the later More of this in my former part p. 491 492 497. 2. Observ 2. Gods power limits Satans Though the will of Satan shall never be changed yet his power is by God often curbed when he is most violently running on in any way of opposition to God or man God can stop and chide him back of this also par 1.442 447. With what an holy fearlesness may the godly go on in duty The wicked are willingly serviceable to a Master who cannot protect them from Gods wrath Oh let us serve him chearfully who is able and willing to keep us from the Divels rage we see likewise to whom we owe our preservation onely to him who rebukes Divels 3. Observ 3. How easily doth God prevail over his greatest Enemies T is but as it were a chiding and rebuking them and even in their greatest fury they are mute and dare not cannot quetch what more easie then for a Master to give a word of rebuke a word of Gods mouth is enough to make the Divels tremble they are all underlings to God they are before him as nothing the greatest mountain of worldly strength and opposition shall be before God but a mountain of chaff If God do but ariâ—e Psalm 68.1 Psalm 2.4 his Enemies are scattered yea he who sits in heaven shall haâ—e them in derision he derides them sitting the fire doth not so easily consume the stubble the wind dissipate the smoak the Rod of iron break in pieces a Potters vessel as God overthrowes his Enemies With a word did God make the creature with a word he moves it with a word he stops it with a word he destroys it in all these Psal 142.15 his word as the Psalmist speaks runneth very swiftly How vain are they who think that worldly greatness their wealth their strength their youth can shield them from the stroke of Gods power whetted with his wrath The sithe can get as well through the green grass as the dry stubble He who hath but faith enough to believe himself a creature may be caution'd against Security in sin The most glistring Monarch is but a gilded potsherd in nothing so mad as to think it self safe in contending with its maker nor is it a less excusable folly to be swallowed up of fear by reason of the worldly greatness of any of Gods Enemies Who art thou that art afraid of man that shall dye and the Son of man that shall be made as grass Isa 51.12 and forgettest the Lord thy Maker At the rebuke of God his and our Enemies shall flee and fall How great is that folly whereby men sleight the great God and fear a silly worm All the peace and forbearance that God expresseth towards his Enemies proceeds not from his want of power but from the greatness of his patience a strong inducement to us who are weak worms to be patient under injuries which we cannot repel since God is so full of forbearance who is both infinitely provoked by and infinitely powerful to be avenged of his strongest Enemies 4. The holiest persons Observ 4. are most offended with practices that oppose Gods glory When Satan dishonours God the holy Angel cannot refrain from praying that God would rebuke him Michael doth not onely dispute for God but he desires God to plead for himself It would have been below Michael to have been affected with any thing a creature should have said or done unless the honour of God had been concerned nothing is little whereby Gods Name or mans soul suffers The more any one knows the excellencies in God or hath tasted of the love of God the less can he endure any thing either done or said against God Angels who continually behold the beauty of Gods face do most abhor that which doth blemish disparage it These sons of God endure not any thing whereby the honour of their Father suffers Heaven it self would be no heaven to those glorious Spirits should they be constrained to behold Gods name polluted No meer man ever had on earth so clear a glympse of Gods glory as had Moses nor was ever any so holily impatient when he apprehended a blemish to be cast upon it The broken Tables the Israelites which this meekest of men caused to be put to the sword yea his request that himself might be blotted out of the book of life rather then any blot should be cast upon Gods honour sufficiently prove that he who touch'd it touch'd the apple of his eye How unlike to Angels are they who put up no injuries with such a tame contentedness as those which are offered to Gods name who never say to any The Lord rebuke you but to those who dishonor themselves yea are ready to rebuke themselves whensoever they stumble upon any act of Zeal Surely the fire of such mens Zeal is not Angelical and heavenly but culinary and smoaky What likelihood that they shall ever inhabit the place that are such strangers to the disposition of Angels 5. Observ 5. It s unsutable to a gracious temper to recompence evil for evil Michael here commits his cause and remits revenge to God sutable to whose carriage is the command of Scripture against private revenge Prov. 20.22 Say not thou I will recompence evil and Prov. 24.29 Say not I will do so to him as he hath done to me I will render to the man according to his work And Rom. 12.17 Recompence to no man evil for evil and ver 19. Avenge not your selves but rather give place to wrath Revenge opposeth the mind of God and it both disturbs and expels the Spirit which would abide in the soul and is the Spirit of Peace and Dove-like Meekness and le ts in and gives place to the Divel who
They used not their comforts as wings to make their thoughts and affections mount up to heaven but as bird-lime to their wings and hinderances from all heavenly both desires and services 5 They knew no measure in the using of these things They like swine wallowed over head ears in the mud of sensual enjoyments being themselves gulphs of them ingulphing themselves in them and not tasting them but even bursting with them Like some horses they had rather break their wind then their draught Their hearts were overcharged with surfetting Luke 21.34 They ran to excess of riot In stead of cheering they clog'd nature turning Christianitie into Epicurism they made their belly their God and they served it Rom. 16.18 Phil. 3.19 Their sensual appetites were boundlesse and unlimited they rather pamper'd then fed themselves 6. They so brutishly knew these things as not to know instruction or any restraint growing untamed and impatient of the yoke like a back-sliding heifer they would not endure admonition And he saith Solomon who hateth reproof is brutish Like Jesurun Prov. 9.8 Deut. 32.15 they waxed fat and kicked Hence they despised and opposed all dominion and government like the wilde asse Jâ—r 2.24 Hos 8.9 which snuffing up the wind is not to be catched A brute beast fed to the ful endureth not to be beaten these seducers resisted the truth which opposed their lusts 2 Tim. 3.8 and quarrelled with the word of life like brute beasts which though never so sick will strike at those who let them blood or give them the wholsomest drink It was as easie to catch an hare with a tabret as to make them hear reproof in their sensual enjoyments They who are in an harvest of worldly pleasures commonly have harvest-eares not at leisure to hear what may regulate them in their sensual prosecutions 7 They knew these things so brutishly as never to consider of a removal of them or the approach of the hatchet they were sensually secure like the beast feeding themselves without fear they mocked at the denunciations of judgment as Peter speaks 2 Pet. 3. drinking away sorrow like the old world eating and drinking though the flood were approaching and never considering that their wine was soon to be turned into water 8. They so brutishly knew these things as not to know how to part with them A beast knowes no other woe but want of provender nor sensuallists any other penalty but the parting with sensual objects These never learn with Paul how to want and how to abound or with Job to blesse God when taking away as well as giving They so addict themselves to sensitive delights that they cannot be without them and so are they fastened to them and their heart so set upon them that the pulling them away is the pulling off their very flesh When they enjoy them they are so secure as if God could never remove them when they want them they are so impatient as if God could never restore them For the Third branch of Explication Branch 3 of Explicat viz. In what respect by their knowing naturally they are here said to corrupt themselves The words corrupt themselves are contained in that one word in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies properly so to spoil and deprave or marr a thing as that it loseth its former worth and excellencie or is unfit for that use to which it should be imployed And among prophane Writers it s often used to note the violating and abusing of the body by unchastity and so it s commonly said that a Virgin or her Virginity is corrupted or violated And thus Epiphanius understands it in this place who saith Juvenis corruptor Virgo corrupta that the Spirit of God by Jude shews these Seducers to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corrupted and corrupters in respect of their lasciviousness But the Scriptures use the word to expresse any other kinde of violation or abuse of a thing So 1 Cor. 15.33 Evil words corrupt good manners And Ephes 4.22 the old man is said to be corrupted according to deceitfull lusts And 2 Cor. 11.3 the Apostle useth it to expresse the corruption of the minde c. And in this more large sense I take it in this place as noting not onely bodily but even spirituall and eternal corruption And the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 includes that other word themselves it being not altogether of the passive form but of the active and passive together answering to the Hebrew Conjugation Hithpael which notes the action of any one toward or upon himself And this the Apostle Peter plainly expresseth 2 Pet. 2.12 when he saith that they utterly perish in their own corruption they rush into their own ruine and go of themselves headlong to destruction as the Fish or Mouse seeing the bait into the net or trap Vide Junium in loc and then more and more by sin intwisting and entangling themselves to an utter overthrow and perdition And more particularly by their sensual knowledg of carnal objects they incurr'd a fourfold corruption 1. They corrupted themselves with a natural corruption in bringing upon their bodies sundry kinds of Diseases by their Luxury and intemperance making themselves old before their time and hastning their death As Vermin and Mice haunt those places where there is much food Immodicis brevis est aetas et rara senectus so Diseases abound in those bodies which are used or rather abused to excess of Riot More saith one are drowned in the cup then in the sea and Gluttons are said to dig their graves with their teeth 2. They corrupted themselves with a civil corruption Overthrowing their Families and wasting their substance to the maintaining of their intemperance bringing themselves to a morsel of bread Sensual and intemperate persons swallow their estates down their throats The Drunkand and the Glutton shall come to poverty Prov. 23.21 Diogenes once said of a Drunkard whose house was to be sold I thought he would ere long vomit up his house alluding to his vomiting in Drunkenness The Prodigal wasted his portion upon harlots These corrupters are worse then Infidels nay beasts who by the light of nature provide for their young 3. They corrupted themselves inwardly and Spiritually And that 1. By clouding their reason and understanding Drunkenness being as one wittily saith an interregnum of the mind which for the present loseth the use of reason whereby a man should be governed Many have drunk away their wit and wealth too When Wine gets in wit we say goes out Wise men are seldom excessive Anima sicca anima sapientissima Hos 4.11 Wine and women take away the heart 2. By hindring the Spiritual and Heavenly and Supernatural actings of the soul making it unfit for holy Services Prayer Hearing Meditation c. Hence the Apostle opposeth the being drunk with Wine to the being filled with the Holy Ghost Excess in
eyes of unbeleeving sinners Isai 53.2 Holiness is an inward a hidden beauty Psa 45. a carnall eye cannot either see it or esteem it If grace be as with sinners it is a scar 't is a scar of honour not uncomliness riches and worldly dignities like glow-worms onely shine in the dark night of the world but there 's nothing will have a lustre at the day of judgement but holiness The poorest saint is a Prince and the most glorious sinner a beggar both in a disguise Holiness though veiled with the most contemptible outside carries with it a silent Majesty and sin even in highest dignity bewrays a secret vileness That which is to be desired of a man is his goodness The righteous is more excellent then his neighbour Prov. 12.26 2 Cor. 8.23 The poor Saints are called the glory of Christ who presents them without spot or wrinkle or any such thing Sinners are spots Saints are stars and Jewels as Jewels the stars of the earth and as Stars the Jewels of heaven Though Saints have not an Herald to emblazon their arms yet the Scripture sufficiently sets forth their dignity the rottenest stuffs are oftnest watred and among men sinners most glorious but yet in Scripture they are but spots 2. Sinners are filthy and defiling They are spots for defilement as well as deformity sin and uncleanness are put together The filthiest of beasts are scarce filthy enough to set forth the filthy nature of sinners Swine the Dog the Serpent the Goat the neighing Horse the filthiest things are used in Scripture to set forth sin as dung vomit mire menstruosities leprosie scum pitch Deut. 32.5 plague-sores issues ulcers dead carcasses the blood and pollution of a new-born child the noysom exhalations breathing from a Sepulcher Rom. 3.13 spots Rev. 21.27 a sinner is called that which defileth Sinful gain is filthy lucre Unholy speech is filthy and rotten communication whordome is called uncleanness gluttony turns the Temple of the Holy Ghost into a Kitchin an Hogstie it makes men dunghils and drunkenness common shores and sinks of filthinesse the drunkard is a walking quagmire The covetous wretch that loads himself with thick clay is but a moving muck-heap a speaking dunghil his riches are but dung good as one well when they are spread abroad by charity but stinking and useless when heaped Pride is but a swelling botch Sinners are the children of the filthy and unclean spirit they are of their father the Divel like Joabs posterity therefore all filthy and leprous their natural Parents were naturally all unclean and who did ever bring a clean thing out of filthiness Job 14.4 John 3.6 that which is born of the flesh is flesh Their greatest hatred and enmity is set upon purity and and holinesse clean and sweet objects are death to them as they say that Roses kill the Horsefly the Gospel is to them a savour of death And this filthiness and pollution of sin hath two properties which may render it very hateful Isai 1.13 14 Tit. 1.15 1. It s a spreading pollution 1. Over all of a man flesh and spirit soul body understanding thoughts conscience memory will affections eyes hands tongue 2. All done by a man even the best things the prayers of polluted sinners are abominations their incense stinks their sacrifices are unclean their mercies cruel their profession of godlinesse a form their plausiblest performances no better then embalmed carkases 3. It spreads even unto others and infects them by incouraging teaching seducing constraining them to sin It oft is diffused from the wicked even to the godly themselves nothing more difficult then to be familiar with and not to be infected by sinners the error of the wicked sometimes cleavs to them and the example of sinners entiseth them Spirituale gelicidium Ames Cas Consc The sons of God saw the daughters of men and were polluted What an insensible deadness of spirit and decay of grace doth conversing with sinners bring upon Saints 4. Yea this contagion of sin spreads even to the good creatures of God about us even into them it puts as the Apostle speaks vanity Num. 8.20 21 2 Pet. 3.10 11. Isai 1.18 Jer. 17.1 groaning bondage consumption mourning and at length it will bring combustion and dissolution upon the whole frame of nature 2. It s a deep and indelible pollution of a skarlet and crimson dye compared also to an Ethiopians blackness a Leopards spots not to be washed away with nitre and much sope Hell fire shall not be able to eternity to fetch away the stains of the smallest sins from mans nature yea the greatest measure of grace received in this life by the best of men doth not totally abolish this defilement the best have their sores and stand in need of a curing and a daily cleansing Who can say I have made my heart clean All the Legal washings purifyings and cleansings of the filthiness of the flesh were but faint representations of our need of and purity by being washt in the blood of Christ And oh that sinners would be as unquiet as they are unclean till they wash in that fountain which is set open for sin and for uncleanness Jer. 4.14 Rev. 7.14 2 Cor. 6.11 Psal 150. It s only the blood of God which can wash away the filthiness of sin no other Laver can take away that spot Not onely look but go into it wash thy self all over Cry out O sinner unclean unclean See thy spots in the glass of the Law Be weary of thy defilement as well as thy deformity Being washed keep thy self pure take heed of spotting places and persons Though upon a conscience uncleansed like an old spotted garment a sinner cares not what filth he suffers to drop yet O Saint keep thy new cloaths white clean and pure sin like a mired dog when it fawns upon thee fouls thee A spot will easily be seen upon thee trifles in thee are accounted blasphemies Be not troubled at the spots upon thy name so as thou keepest a pure conscience not that wicked men make them so long as they do not finde them Wash thy self in thine own tears be troubled that thy Justification is so complete and thy Sanctification so imperfect that thou art at once both without spot or wrinckle and yet so full of both In short Labour to be spotless in a spotting and spotted Generation in foul streets to walk with clean garments Let not the Error of the wicked cleave to thee If thou canst not cleanse them which is most desirable let not them defile thee In your Feasts of Charity 3. The Lords Supper is a Love-Feast Observ 3. The Reason why these Feasts of Charity whereof Jude here speaks were annexed to the Lords Supper 1 Cor. 11.21 22. and also why those ancient Christians did in these Feasts express so much love one to another was because they were about to celebrate that Sacrament which expressed so great a token
of Gods love towards them as deserved unfeigned and fervent affections in them toward one another The Sacrament of the Lords Supper then promotes and testifies confirmes and contributes to the mutual love which ought to be among Christians The Passover but a shadow of the Lords Supper tended to increase the love of the Receivers 1. It was to be one whole Lamb. Exod. 12.2 3 6 8 15 19 46 49. 2. Not one bone of it was to be broken 3. It was a joynt action wherein every one was to communicate and therefore to be performed with joynt affection 4. It was to be eaten in one house to shew that there was to be among those who did eat an unity and harmony of hearts and affections One house will not hold those who are at jars and dissensions and divided in affection 5. The eating of the Passeover was to be done at one and the same time month day hour and that in the Evenning when they were all in their cold blood the injuries and offences of the day forgotten and forgiven the Sun being not to go down upon our wrath when their affections were as calm and quiet as the evening 6. The partakers of the Passeover were all to be ordered in the receiving thereof by one Law There was but one Law for the Stranger and the Home-born both did unanimously submit to the same rule and consent to the same direction 7. It was to be eaten without leaven whereby as the Apostle expounds it was noted the keeping the Feast without the leaven of Maliciousness and Wickedness 2 Chro. 30.12 1 Cor. 5.7 8. And when Hezekiah restored the Passeover it s expresly said that to all Judah was by the good hand of God given one heart and that they met at one time and in one place and that they kept the Feast of the Passover with great joy But if we look from the Shadow to the Substance Amâ—r dignitatis nesciuâ— dignationis dives we shall see this Love and Unity of the Faithful more clearly manifested 1. Our Saviour being to ordain this Sacrament gave all his Disciples an example of Christian and loving condesoension Joh. 13.4 34 even to the washing one anothers feet After this institution he presseth upon them the Commandment of Love as the chief Commandment and their principal Duty both by the president and precept of Love shewing that his Supper was a Communion of Love 2. Consider the appellations of this Sacrament It s called the Communion the Table of the Lord the Lords Supper Coena 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word not noting the time of but fellowship in eating Eating together was ever held a token of friendship Josephs love to his brethren was testified by feasting them 2 Sam. 9.7 Davids love to Mephibosheth by causing him to eat bread at his Table continually David calls his familiar friend Stuck Antiq. Conv. l. 1. c. 3. one that did eat of his bread Psal 41.9 The eating at one Rack hath bred peace between the very savage Beasts And that hatred which was between the Jewes and Egyptians could no way be more fitly exprest then by their mutual abominating to eat bread one with another Men by nature are directed to express their loves and reconcilements by Feasts and Invitations and this Communion which by eating and drinking the Faithful have one with another the Apostle tells us comes from their partaking of one Christ 1 Cor. 10.16 The Cup of Blessing which we bless saith he is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ and the Bread which we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ For we being many are one Bread and one Body for we are all partakers of that one Bread that is we partaking of the same Christ and having Communion in his Merits and Benefits have thereby Communion also one with another in the Lords Supper And we all partaking of that one Bread broken and divided into divers parts are made one Body and one Bread though we be never so many The Faithful then partaking all of one Christ and every one of them having Communion in his Body and Blood have also communion among themselves nor can this but be a Communion of much dearness and nearness which ariseth from the partaking of this one Christ and all his Benefits and Merits for hereby 1. They are all children of the same Father Gal. 3.26 We are all the Sons of God by faith in Christ and to as many as received him he gave power to be the Sons of God and what nearer bond then to be the children of the same Father In the Lords Supper the Faithful sit like Olive branches round about their Fathers Table Love as brethren saith the Apostle How good and pleasant is it saith the Psalmist for brethren to dwell together in unity 2 By partaking of this one Christ the Faithful are all Members of the same Body Ephes 4.15 and they grow up into him who is the head and from him receive life and grace being as Members animated with the same Spirit and therefore the Apostle speaks of drinking into one Spirit in the Lords Supper incorporate into his mystical Body now what can more aptly express the near union dear affection tender sympathy between Christian and Christian then this being fellow members of one body One member accounting the woe and welfare of another ven as its own 3. By partaking of one Christ in the Sacrament they profess themselves to be of the same Faith and Religion Religio à religando to expect life and happiness the same way for Christ is the way and this sameness of Religion hath bound those who have been of false Religions very strongly together Now that by feeding together in the Lords Supper there is profest a Communion in the same Religion the Apostle strongly proves 1 Cor. 10.18 from the practice of Israel after the flesh that is the Jewes who descended from Jacob or Israel by carnal propagation these carnal Israelites who lived in his time and denyed Christ were saith the Apostle by eating of the Sacrifices partakers of the Altar that is professed themselves to be of the Jewish Religion and Worship and to approve of the same 4. By partaking of one Christ at the Lords Supper the Faithful profess themselves to be the servants of one Lord and Master Fellow servants must not fall out and beat one another Luk. 12.45 The servants of this one Lord should be of one mind If Christ be not divided his servants should shun division 5. Hereby they profess that they are to be pardoned by the same blood shed for many for the remission of sins Matth. 28.28 And what inducement stronger to move us to forgive a few pence who have been forgiven so many pounds What wil quench hatred if the blood of Christ will not 6 Hereby they profess as that they all live in the same Family here where
with the wicked though they may be cast among them Let us not censure the faithful in their most tossed estate There 's not a drop of wrath in a sea of a Saints sufferings Could you see how free his inside is and his end shall be from storms and tossings you would rather envy then censure him the waves which Satan raiseth shew that he hath a treasure which that enemie would fain have cast away but yet should he so far prevail t is a treasure which wil swim to shore with him To conclude let the faithful of all people most prepare for storms and waves as it is best for them to be among raging waves so it s too much for them both to have a haven in their passage and in the end of their passage too As long as the people of God are sayling to that port the divel wil tosse them and this he wil do though nay because he cannot destroy them Let them be sure that by faith they get Christ into the ship or rather into their souls that by obedience they undertake their voyage for him that their cause be good and that by repentance they cast out every Jonah and then let them fear no waves 4 The Church hath most trouble from those within her Obser 4. She hath sometime saith Bernard had peace from Heathens Pax à Pagauis nunquam à filiis never or but very rarely from her own children No adversaries were such raging waves as these who were domestical Of your selves saith Paul Acts 20.30 shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them Grievous wolves shall enter in among you not sparing the flock These Seducers were not Heathens without but Professours who had crept into the Church No evils are so great as those which come to the Church from within The inward intestine divisions ruptures heresies schisms have cost the Church more lamentations then ever did her persecution from without The heathen Emperors never were so vexatious to her as Arians Donatists Anabaptists Papists Outward enemies scratch the face they within stab the heart of the Church From the former she suffered by the latter she both sinned and suffered by the former she was under Persecution from men by the latter under Provocation against God by the former she was but sollicited to tell where her great strength lay by the latter she cut off her locks threw away her own weapons and betrayed her strength by her suffering from without the enemies laboured to beat her off from continuing Christian by her scandal within she beats them off from becoming Christians Wonder not then that the Divel hath alwayes used this home-bred engine of evil against the Church namely the ungodly carriage of those within her and the stirring up troubles in her own bowels He knows that there is no sword to this and that they will never adventure their lives for God and one another in war who will neither love God nor one another in peace Oh how should Christians labour to disappoint and countermine this the Divels most destructive policie Christians if we must die let us die like men by an unanimous holy contention against the common Enemie not like fools by giving him our sword and destroying one another by heresies schisms prophaneness in our own bowels 5 Sin is a persons greatest shame Observ 5 That which should most make him ashamed and confounded in himself and that which shall make him a spectacle of shame disgrace and infamie to others O my God said Ezra chap. 9.6 I am ashamed and blush to lift up my sace to thee for our iniquities are increased c. There is the shame that sin should make in us Thou hast consulted shame to thine own house Hab. 2.10 by cutting off many people and hast sinned against thine own soul Psal 40.14 Let them be brought to shame So Nah. 3.5 I will shew c. the Kingdoms thy shame there is the shame that sin brings upon us In the former respect sin should be shame in the latter it shall be shame It s sin only which deprives a man of true glorie and excellencie and is the degradation of his nature Men account that their shame which to do or suffer is much below their port and rank Oh how much goes that man below himself who was created Gods favourite and son having his love fixt and image stampt upon him the Viceroy of the creation a consort with Angels whose nature is taken into the union of the person of the son of God whose purchase was no less then the blood of God whose soul is a little heaven for the great God to dwell in whose bodie is the Temple of the holy Ghost whose habitation shall be the Empyrean heaven a Citie a Kingdome purer more glorious then a thousand Suns nay in comparison whereof a thousand Suns are but sack-cloth How much I say goes this excellent creature below himself in being a thorow-fare threshold foot-stool vassal to unclean spirits yea in having his heaven-born soul a very sink or common receptacle for that which is infinitely baser then all the dung off-scouring filth excrements upon earth or then any thing which hath a being How much lower is this descending then for a King to imbrace dung-hils or for Nebuchadnezzar to be a companion for beasts Rom. 6.21 Well might the Apostle say that of this condition the Romans were now ashamed Indeed there is nothing but sin which truly disgraceth a man Nothing but sin which disgraceth a man in Gods eye whose estimate is the true Standard of Honour nothing but sin makes us unfit for that habitation of glory nothing shameful unless sinning but befell the Lord of glory Nothing but sin which will make us unglorious at the last day when Christ shall appear with ten thousands of glorious Saints and Angels Oh how much are they mistaken who account sinne their glory who are asham'd of their glory holiness Pudor est medi. cina pudoris and glory in their shame their sin Are there not many who cannot blush in the doing of that Eph. 5.12 Jer. 8.12 at the hearing whereof t is our duty to blush They were not ashamed neither could they blush they have sin'd away shame in stead of being ashamed of sin and will not now suffer nature to draw her vail of blushing before their abominations When the Colours and Ensigns of a battle are lost we then give the battle for lost some have aptly called blushing the colour of vertue displaid by nature in the countenance When Satan hath taken away our colours and custome of sin hath banished even sense of sin and shame for sin our case seems to be desperate Other evils which sin bringeth are curable the anguish of conscience the wrath of God the breach of charity but the shame of sin can nay must never be got out the more holy we are now the more should we be
a worm and no man the taking of beasts in a snare should put us in mind of the snare of sin Ask likewise saith Job of the fowles of the air and they shall tell thee These may support faith and scatter our distracting cares they being fed though they neither sow nor reap Their observing also of their several seasons The Stork in the heavens knowing her appointed times and the Turtle Crane and Swallow observing the times of their coming teach us to know the judgment of the Lord and the day of our visitation what a lively pattern of meknesse and simplicity is the dove the early chirping and singing of the birds in the morning may teach man his duty to praise God as soon as he awakes in the morning as a godly man once said to a Bishop who was sleeping in bed too long in the morning surrexerunt passeres et stertunt pontifices How much greater is the care of Christ in protecting his servants than that of a hen toward her chickens in gathering them under her wings Speak to the fishes of the sea saith Job these have a speech though they are mute The sea it self by its rage fury and foaming shews us the inconstancy and troublesomeness of the world the unquietness of wicked men the power of him who stils it and keeps it within its bounds By its fulness notwithstanding the running of so many floods rivers out of it it directs us to him who is an inexhaust fountain of good having never a whit the lesse for all he gives the running of the rivers into the sea whence they come shews that as all is from him in bounty so all must be returned to him by duty The fish themselves wil teach us the misery of want of government Hab. 1.14 Prov. 10.23 Tit. 3.3 Joh. ult Luke 5.10 Matth. 4.19 when men are as the fishes of the sea that have no ruler over them but the greater devoureth the less Their sporting and skipping speaks the disposition of sinners who sport in sin as their element before they are â—â—â—cht and the power of the gospel whereby they are taken The fewness of those which are catcht in comparison of those which are left shewes the small number of those who are taken with that net compared with those who are left In the catching also of the fish with a net or hook unawares we are taught the folly of men taken with the baits of sin who think not of their time but are taken as fish in an evil net In short the whole creation is a scripture of God Creatiâ— mundi scriptura DeiUniversus mundus Deus explicatus a book and the heaven the earth the waters are three great leaves the creatures contained in these are so many lines by all which we may read a Divinity-lecture Though the creature is not able to lead us into a saving knowledg of the mysteries of Christ yet it gives us such advan tages to know God as willeave us inexcusable in our ignorance How should this doctrine humble us who by our apostacy are become the scholars of the creatures Christians who have both teason and grace may learn from those who have not so much as sense and life Adams knowledg of God led him to the knowledg of the creatures but now man by the creature learns the knowledg of God like Balaams ass the creatures now teach their Master man is now sent to their school put back like an idle truant to the lowest forme How happy were man could he learn of the very ass Oneramus asinum et non curat quia asinus est at si in ignem impellere si in foveam praecipitare velis cavet quam um potest quia vitam amat et mortem timet Bern. which as Bernard observes wil bear any load because he is an ass but if we offer to thrust him down some steep hil or drive him into the fire he holds back and shuns it whereas a blockish sinner hath no fear of that which brings eternal damnation But of all others how justly reproveable are they who in stead of furthering their salvation hasten their destruction by the creatures in abusing them to excess riot gluttony To conclude this point for the putting us upon making an holy use of created objects let us consider that there is a double use of every creature natural and spiritual If we content our selves with the natural use without the spiritual we do not take the one half of that comfort in the creature which God gave it for and indeed what do we more then the brute beast which hath a carnal and natural use of the creature as wel as we These seducers for knowing things only naturally as we have heard are compared to brute beasts let us not therefore as children look only upon pictures and gaies in our books and gaze upon the gilded leaves and cover but let us look to our lesson which we should learn therein And let us know we never use the creatures as their Lords unlesse we see our Lord in them a carnal man profits his body a spiritual man his soul also by them Every creature may be a Preacher to him in whom the spirit first inwardly preacheth A man may be cast into such a condition as whereby he may be hindred from good actions but what unlesse a bad heart can hinder him from good meditation And as it is with Bees though they gather hony from a flower they leave it as fragrant and fresh as they found it so we gathering spiritual thoughts from our worldly enjoyments and employments in stead of hurting and hindring them we benefit and inrich our selves and advance them Ver. 14 15. And Enoch also the seventh from Adam prophesied of these saying Behold The Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints ver 15. to execute judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him THese two verses contain the third branch of the description of the lost estate of these seducers in respect of their sin and misery which in these words are further set forth by the ancient and infallible prophesie of Enoch and that prophesie is 1. declared and propounded here in these two verses 2. Applied to these Seducers in the 16 the following verse In the declaration and propounding thereof I consider 1. The Preface prefixed by Jude before it 2. The Prophesie it self 1. The Preface in these words Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied of these Wherein two particulars are considerable 1. The Excellent person here mentioned Enooh describ'd from his descent and Pedegree the sevenâ—h from Adam 2. His honourable performance He prophesied of these 1. In the Prophesie it self of the last judgement I find 1. A note of incitement to cause a regard to the following description of the judgement
the judg is here called a Lord but yet he is so the saints Lord as that he is also their husband How great is the difference 'twixt a guilty malefactors calling the Judg my Lord and a loyal wife her giving her husband that title Who is it that condemns if the judg accept acquit us he it is that shall judg us who also died for our sins The father hath delivered all judgment to him who himselfe was delivered for our sins and sent into the world not to condemn the world but that the world should be saved by him How shal he who was sent into the world to save believers condemn them how shall he who comes to condemn others for hurting them hurt them himself how shal he who the first time came to be put to death for them sentence them to die when he comes the second time How should he throw them away who was made their head to gather them together As therefore the believers of the old Testament longed to see the first coming of Christ when he came in the form of a servant so should the believers of the new Testament desire the second coming of Christ in glory when he shal come as a Lord the Lord cometh Of this before part 1. pag. 545. The nearer the day of Jubilee came the more the joy of prisoners and debtors was increased the nearer the day of our redemption approacheth the more should we lift up our heads 4. Obs 4. Christ wil be attended only by holy ones at the last day Holy myriads None shal meet with him in peace but they who first meet with him in purity He wil profess to the workers of iniquity at the last day that he knowes them not How unsutable to the dignity of Christ wil it be to be attended by those who have no better raiment then the filthy rags of sin If Achish an earthly King had no need of mad men what need wil the King of glory have of unholy men If he commands us here to have no fellowship with the works of darknesse wil he himselfe in that day of light and glory shew any love to them How shall Christ at that day acquit those openly from the guilt of sin who are not before parted from the filth of sin Men here in this world are oft ashamed of holinesse but at the last day it wil be the best ornament the best defence without it no man shal see God How shal Christ present unclean ones without spot before the presence of glory They who wil be ashamed of Christ here for his holiness shall deservedly hereafter find Christ ashamed of them for their uncleanness 5. How great is the patience and long-suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ who is contented so long to be hid and not to shew himself in glory to the end of the world suffering mean while his glory to be vailed yea trampled on by the wicked The heavens are now as a curtain between our eyes and his glory He is out of sight and among the most out of mind his patience is despised and the promise of his coming derided yea his very Saints do not so much believe love admire him as they should in regard of their sins and his hiding his face He forbears to shew forth his glory and power in judgment not constrainedly but voluntarily not because he cannot punish but because he would have sinners repent And all this time of his forbearance he sees all the impieties committed against him and indignities offered to him and his yea his hatred of all the sins which he beholds is infinitely more keen and intense then that of all the Saints and Angels in the world How unworthily and disgracefully was this Lord of glory used when he veiled and hid his glory here upon earth And yet I say with what patience and long suffering doth he forbear to manifest his majesty and greatness to the view of the world we poor worms have short thoughts and think a short time long and tedious ere our enemies fal and we rise but Christ suffers very long How patiently should we endure to have our glory obscured and injuries unrevenged since our Lord our master the judg himself is the greatest sufferer and yet voluntarily unrevenged 6. Obs 6. When Angels and Saints are in their greatest glory obsequiousness and serviceableness to Christ becomes them All the Saints and Angels of heaven shal worship and advance Christ when they appear in their highest dignity of him they wil not be ashamed when they are in their best clothes their robes of most shining glory when they lay off al their infirmities they throw off no love to Christ as Saints are made glorious in their bodies so are those bodies joyned to spirits made perfect in holiness and that holiness wil shew it self in duty and obedience How unlike to ten thousands of Saints are they who think they are too good to honour Christ when they are in outward glory and dignity when they are in their rags low and afflicted they wil then stoop to do something for Christ but when in their best apparel set up advanced to any pitch of worldly eminency they then think they shall spoil their clothes and disgrace their dignities by attending upon Christ Do Saints and Angels wait upon him in their glory and shal worms upon the dunghil think it much to serve him did he our Lord empty himself of glory to save yea serve us and shal not we his servants serve him when filled with glory Of this more pag. 457. Part. 1. Thus far of the first part of the description of the judgment viz. the coming of the Judg. The second followes the carriage of the Judg in judgment ver 15. and in that 1. His carriage toward all 2. Particularly toward the wicked 1. Toward all in these words To execute judgment upon all For this first Two things here require explication 1. What the Apostle here intends by execution of judgment How judgment is here to be taken and wherein the execution of judgment at the last day doth consist I have spoken at large before pag. 511 512 513. Part 1. 2. How it is said that Jesus Christ shall execute judgment upon all or concerning the universality of this judgment I have likewise spoken before pag. 532. Only as to this text it is to be considered that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here fitly translated upon though sometimes it signifies adversus against cannot here be so rendred in regard Jude speaks of all the whole company of those who are to be judged whom he distinguisheth into good and bad in the next words to convince all that are ungodly among them and some namely the godly shall not have judgment executed against them although there shall be a judgment concerning and upon them to be sure in respect of an happy sentencing This word then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I take in that
King was so vexed because Mordecai would not bow to him And truly it is a sinful baseness in Saints that when God hath raised them to such glory as to be members of and coheirs with his Son and hath provided for them the glory of Heaven yet for all this when they have but a mock from men to be so discouraged and cast down as if all the honour that God had put upon them were nothing Think likewise how much religion hath been scoft at for your sake and is it so great a matter for you to be mocked for religion Chrysostome saith that when for us our Lord is blasphemed 't is worse then if we perished Consider also the goodnesse of God in keeping in those many secret wickednesses of thy heart from appearing which had they been suffered by God to break forth would have been matter enough of scorn and reproach whereas now the enemies are fain to watch and pry and pump for some occasion yet can hardly find any Remember also that there is more danger in being honored then contemned by men Luther said his greatest fear was the praise of men that reproach was his joy and that he would not have the glory fame of Erasmus Lastly The bearing of scoffs patiently is a great help to our progress in godlinesse As they who have overcome the evil of shame in a way of sin grow hardned in sin so they who regard no reproach cast upon them for holinesse will much proceed therein And that we may beare the cruellest mockings patiently 1. Labour to get good by them If thou seest another so vigilant to find thee out to reproach thee how vigilant shouldst thou be over thy selfe to find out what is in thee to humble thee Psal 119. Herein as David speaks be wiser then thine enemies and the lesse credit thou hast in the world labour for the more in heaven 2. Perswade thy soul of the reality of the honour that is in the waies of God Prov. 18.7 consider thy honour here is real true and hereafter it shall be visible to all 3. Pity your reproachers be troubled for their sin in stead of thine own disgrace 4. Spread thy condition before the Lord when thou art mocked Psal 109.12 prayer was Davids best medicine against mocks 5 Labour for holy magnanimity and greatnesse of spirit Psal 57.2.3 Great men think themselves above reproaches exercise thy soul with the great things of eternity It s a weak spirited man who cannot endure contempt St Johns spirit was so holily high that he calls all the malicious words of Diatrophes but triflings 6. Return not scoffe for scoffe for hereby as you will harden scoffers in their sin 3 John 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for hereby as you will harden scoffers in their sin who will think they do not worse then you and shew that you think there is a greater evil in suffering then sinning so you are put to base shifts as if you thought that you had no other remedy for an ill name but an ill tongue and you deprive your selves of relief from God and ever remember that he who is willingly overcome in the fight of scoffing is ever the better man 7. Keep conscience quiet let not thy heart reproach thee Job 27.6 Winds move not the earth unlesse they get within it be carefull of what you do and then you need not care what men say 4. Obser 4. It s our duty to shun the sin of scoffing especially at the people word and waies of God To this end 1. See the beauty and excellency of them Men deride that which they account base and contemptible let not worldly bravery dazle your eyes Study the glory of holinesse the comlinesse and rationality of every way of God Learning and religion meet with no other mockers but the ignorant 2. Consider Satans end in stirring up mockers against the waies and people of God the divel knowes there is no such likely way to darken religion and to damp the hearts of people from embracing it as by these and therefore it is observable that Julian one of the subtilest enemies that ever the cause of God had would not oppose religion by open persecution but sought all means to cast contempt upon it by jeers and scoffs and hereby he drew off multitudes from it 3. Labour for faith in threatnings faith fears a threatned evil as much as sense mourns under an inflicted evil faith takes into its vast comprehension the threatnings of judgments as wel as the promises of mercies and causeth holy fear in respect of the former as it quells unholy fear in respect of the latter 4. Study the end of Gods forbearance 2 Chron. 36.16 It is not that thou shouldst mock at God but repent of sin Scoffers turne the motive to repentance 25.16 into an incouragement of rebellion God is not long-suffering that the wicked should be securely sinning How unavoidable is his destruction who is ruin'd by the meanes of recovery 5. Study the vanity of all earthly refuges Judgment will throw them down all the overflowing scourge will easily break down these weak banks nor will any fancyed defences appear any other then paper towers when wrath approacheth Ezech. 22.24 Can thy heart endure or thy hands be strong saith God in the day when I shall deal with thee T is not so easie to resist judgments when they come as t is to scoff at them before they come Scoffers when vengeance meets them will be found to be but like cowardly souldiers who though they vaunt and boast and swagger before the enemy comes will run away as soon as they see him come 5. It s our duty to take heed that mockers at our holiness Obs Vlt. hinder us not in the wayes of holinesse Though the clouds darken the light of the Sun yet the Sun ceaseth not its course Was there ever such a fool as to be scoft out of his inheritance and yet it s a greater folly to be scoft out of holiness this will make us a reproach before God Angels and Saints yea and before our very enemies who will when they have got their will of us the more vilifie and contemn us whereas if we persist in holinesse they inwardly admire us They who sought by scoffing to hinder Nehemiahs work would have mockt him much more had they made him to have given it over He that will not suffer scoffes for Gods name shall deservedly suffer it for his own sin The second property of these seducers was their walking after their own ungodly lusts of which I have spoken largely before ver 16. The fifth and last particular in this first direction viz. the remembring the words of the Apostles is the application of their testimony to these seducers ver 19. in these words These are they who separate themselves sensuall having not the spirit In which words the Apostle shewes that these who separate
prejudice against nor novelty an inducement to the entertainment of truth 6. Give not way to lesser differences A little division will soon rise up to greater small wedges make way for bigger Our hearts are like to tindar a little spark will enflame them Be jealous of your hearts when contentions begin stifle them in the cradle Act. 3â— 38 Paul and Barnabas separated about a smal matter the taking of an associate 7. Beware of pride the mother of contention and separation Love not the preheminence rather be fit for then desirous of rule despise not the meanest say not I have no need of thee All schismes and heresies are mostly grafted upon the stock of pride The first rent that was ever made in Gods family was by the pride of Angels ver 14. and that pride was nothing else but the desire of independency 8. Avoid self-seeking he who seeks his own things and profit will not mind the good and peace of the church Oh take heed lest thy secular interest draw thee to a new communion and thou colour over thy departure with religion and conscience 1. Thus we have spoken of the First viz. what these seducers did separate themselves 2. The cause of their separation or what they were in these words sensual not having the spirit Wherein 1. Their estate is propounded They were sensual 2. Explained having not the spirit EXPLICATION But 1. In what respect were they Sensual In what respect were they 2. Not having the spirit 2. Why doth the Apostle here represent them to be such 1. For the first 1. The word here translated sensual in the Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cometh from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 anima the soule so that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth primarily one who hath a soule Animalis ab anima non ab ab animo And in Scripture the word is used three wayes 1. Sometimes it s joyned with the word body in opposition to a glorified body and then the body is called a naturall body that is such a body as is informed governed moved by the soule or is subject to animall affections and operations as generation nutrition augmentation c. or such a body as is sustained and upheld by the actions of the soule as it receives from it life and vegetation that is by the action of the vegetative power Vid. Aquin. Cajet Estium Pareum in 1 Cor. 15.44 Homo in puris naturalibus confideratus qui nihil eximium habet praeter animam rationalem Piscat Homo non alia quam naturalis animi luce praeditus Bez. the chiefe whereof is nutrition which cannot be without nourishment so that this naturall body wants the constant help of nourishment for its preservation in which respects it is distinguisht from a glorified body 2. This word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in Scripture opposed to regenerate and so imports one who hath in him nothing excellent but a rationall soule who is governed onely by the naturall light of reason who hath in him onely naturall abilities and perfections And when thus it s taken our learned translators translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the word naturall 1 Cor. 2.14 intending one who is guided by naturall reason he being there opposed to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the spirituall man who is indued with and guided by a divine and supernaturall illumination 3. It s taken for one who being guided by no better light than that of his own naturall reason or rather who Anima significat animalitatem cum ab animo i. e. parte superiori distinguitur Lapide in Jude Sapimâ—â— animo fruimur anima fine animo anima est debilis being altogether addicted to the service of that part which 1 Thes 5.23 is call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the soule whereby is meant the sensitive and inferiour part of the soule the sensuall appetite common to man with the beasts as distinct from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the spirit or intellectuall and rationall part followes the dictates of that his sensuall appetite and the inclinations of his sensitive soule and his onely benâ—â—â—nd intent is upon satisfaction by worldly delights his study and care is for the sensitive and vegetative part and for those things which belong to the animall and present life and hence it is that some learned * Vid. Lorin in loc men conceive that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sensuall comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is in scripture used to denote life and the functions of life common to us with beasts Vox Arabica exponitur per sibi viventes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oecum Haeretici vocantur animales ab animâ sensitivâ vegetativâ cui toti serviunt quia ut animalia non rationem sed sensum sequuntur viâ—unâ—que in concupisceâ—tiis carnis non spiritus sed sensus puta gulae avaritiae libidinis c. Lapide Thus Christ Mat. 6.25 saith Take no thought for your life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what you shall eat or what you shall drinke c. is not the life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more then meat c. And in this notion of sensuality Tertullian after he began to favour Montanisme took the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he fastned that odious name of Physici upon the orthodox because they refused to condemn second marriages And in this place likewise with submisson to more mature judgements I conceive that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is intended to denote their brutish and unruly sensuality Thus the Arabick interpreter and Oecumenius with sundry others likewise understand it Thus likewise our learned translators thought who interpreted the word sensual as conceiving that Jude intended that they altogether served their sensitive and vegetative soul and as beasts followed their senses and lived in the lusts of the flesh not according to the spirit prosecuting those carnall objects with all industry which tend to preserve their present life Ii dicantur animales qui animae indulgent et ea quae ad vitam tuendam valent curiosius sectantur Gnostici animales sunt mortalia bona avidè concupiscunt usque adeo ut ecclesiam potius sibi desereÌ„dam putent quaÌ„ corporeis voluptatibus careant Justinian in loc Praesenti loco congruit ea significatio quâ animales dicuntur qui sectantur eas cupiditates quae sunt secundum animam sensitivam i.e. qui senfibus acsensuum voluptatibus obsequuntur Estius in loc and chusing rather to leave the church then to abridge themselves of any bodily pleasures And the Apostle by this word seems to me to make their bruitish sensuality and propensions to be the cause of their separation as if he said they will not live under the strict discipline where they must be curb'd and restrain'd from following their lusts no these sensualists will be alone by themselves in companies where they may have their fill of all sensual pleasures and where
they may gratifie their genius to the utmost And this exposition of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most aptly agrees also to that first interpretation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. such who will bee boundlesse and kept within no limits or compassâ—â— but like a company of beasts shut up in a field who seeing better pasture in that on the other side of the hedge and desirous also of more scope break the fence and leap over the barrs that they may both run and raven The more I think of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the more I incline to think the Apostle intends thereby to represent them boundless extravagant libertines Of this their sensuality I have before spoken atla rge on verse 10. and 12. 2. The Apostle represents them not having the spirit The word spirit not to speak of the many acceptations of the word when attributed to creatures to angels the soul c. when attributed to God is taken either 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 essentially and so God is call'd a spirit a spiritual essence Joh. 4.24 and the divine nature of Christ is set forth by the word spirit 1 Tim. 3.16 1 Pet. 3.18 Heb. 9.14 Or 2. hypostaticῶs personally in which respect it notes the third person in the blessed Trinity and thus it s taken either 1. properly for the third person Matth. 28.19 Joh. 1.32 and 14.26 Eph. 1.13 1 Thes 1.6 c. or 2. improperly and metonymically for the effects and gifts of the holy spirit ordinary or extraordinary in which respect some are said to be anointed with the spirit to have the spirit on and in them to be fill'd with the spirit 1 Cor. 1.4 2 Cor. 6.6 Gal. 3.2 Gal. 5.17 Luc. 2.25 4 18. Act. 2.17 18. Tit. 3.6 Act. 8.16 10.44 Luc. 1.41 Act. 4.8.31.6.3.5.7.55.13.9.52 Rom. 8.1.9 and in this respect these seducers are said not to have the spirit viz. the saving working gifts graces of the spirit to teach act and rule them to sanctifie and purifie them c. which they wanting it was no wonder that they were sensuall and given over to the sinfull prosecution of all carnall delights and pleasures not having the spirit they could not walke in the spirit Gal. 5.21 not having the spirit to lust in them against the flesh they must needs be carried away wiâ—â— the lusts of the flesh as acting them without contradiction For the second the Apostle seemes to adde this their sensuality and want of the spirit to their separating themselves not onely to shew that sensuality was the cause of their separation and the want of the spirit the cause of both but as if he intended directly to thwart and crosse them in their pretences of having an high and an extraordinary measure of spiritualnesse above others by their dividing themselves from others who as these seducers might pretend were in so low a forme of Christianity and had so little spiritualnesse that they were not worthy to keep them company whereas Jude tells these Christians that these seducers were so far from being more spirituall then others that they were meere sensualists and had nothing in them of the spirit at all For by their boundlesse separation and sensuality they shewed that 1. They had not the spirit of wisdome discerning and illumination to discover to them the beauty of that holinesse and truth which was in the wayes of the Saints which they hated and forsook and to guide and lead them to that happinesse which they should look after for themselves The spirit is a spirit of truth of knowledge Joh. 14.17.15.26 of judgement Isa 11.2 Isa 26.8 The spirit guides into all truth and is a voice which saith This is the way whereas these seducers were led by a fooles-fire into the bogs and precipices of delusion and damnation by a lying spirit a spirit of errour 1 Joh. 4.16 2. They had not the spirit of renovation to change their natures of sanctification and holinesse to mortifie their lusts Rom. 1.4 the spirit of God is an holy spirit a spirit of grace Zech. 12.10 through the spirit we mortifie the deeds of the flesh Rom. 8.13 whereas these impure monsters wallowed in all manner of sensuality and uncleannesse and shewed that they were acted by an uncleane impure spirit that they walkt not after the spirit but the flesh 3. Rom. 15.30 Gal. 6.1 They had not the spirit of meeknesse Love â—â—â—ce these are the fruits of the spirit Gal. 5.7 the spirit makes us enjoy peace in our selves and study peace with others whereas these boutifeus and incendiaries made rents and schismes in the Church of Christ by their divisions they shewed themselves carnall 4. 2 Cor. 3.17 They had not the spirit of Liberty and activity in the wayes of God they were without any quickning of the spirit they were not able to doe any good worke nor enlivened in any way of holinesse but slaves and prisoners even in arctâ custodiâ to Satan and their own lusts the servants of corruption though they boasted of liberty OBSERVATIONS Obs 1. 1. Commonly sensuality lies at the bottome of sinfull separation and making of Sects Separate themselves sensual c. 'T is oft seen that they who divide themselves from the faithfull either in opinion or practise aime at loosnesse and libertinisme Such were the Nicolaitans and the Disciples of Jezabel Apoc. 2.6.20 who seduced the people of God to commit fornication Hereticks are seldome without their harlots Simon Magus had his Helena Montanus his Maximilla Donatus his Lucilia Priscillian his Galla Pope Sergius his Marozia Gregory the seventh his Matildis Alexander the sixth his Lucretia Leo the tenth his Magdalena Paul the third his Constantia Rome which condemns all the Churches in the world tolerates stewes and sets an easie rate upon all the impure practises of luxury naturall and unnaturall Non est adulterium apud nos cum enim unum eundemqspiritum habeamus unum Corpus sumus Gastius de exord Anab. The Anabaptists allow plurality of wives and some of them have said that none of their sect can commit adultery with anothers wife according to the * Ad alterum part 1. p. 615.616 c. etymology of adulterium for all of their sect say they are so knit the one to the other that they are all one body John of Leiden had 13. wives and gave a liberty to every one to marry as many as they pleas'd It s reported that after the taking of Munster there was not found a maid of 14. yeares that had not been viciated by his followers Of this before 2. It s possible for those who are sensuall and without Obs 2. Part 1. pag. 309. part 2. p. 130. the spirit to boast of spiritualnesse Of this before 3. Sanctity and sensuality cannot agree together If a man be sensuall he hath not the spirit if he have the spirit he will not be sensuall Sowing to the spirit Obs 3. and to
author and fountain of all blessings and so upon the receiving thereof ascribe the praise to God 2. That it may appear we understand our own desires and have sense of the thing we want 3. That others may mutually joyne with us in prayer 4. That our affections may be the more enlarged for as desires help us to words so words inflame our desires 5. To prevent distraction and interruption in our thoughts 3. Psal 38.9 Mat. 4.10 Prayer is made to God onely It is a principal point of divine service 1. God onely is religiously to be worshipt and served 2. God onely knowes whether we pray or no Jer. 23.23 i. e. from the heart 3. God onely is every where present to hear the suits of all 4. God onely is almighty and able to grant whatsoever we ask 4. In prayer as the desires must be made known to God so after a due manner but of that in the next part In the holy Ghost The manner of performing this duty is in the holy ghost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is in scriptures sometime mention made of praying in the spirit of man as 1 Cor. 14.15 I will pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the spirit or in the spirit i. e. say some may understanding and my heart or soule so as I may both understand and also be affected with what I pray And Eph. 6.18 The Apostle injoynes praying in the spirit which may be understood either of Gods spirit or mans but in this place particular and express mention is made of the holy spirit or the spirit of God in which we are to pray whereby is meant by the assistance motion inspiration strength help and guiding of the Spirit for as this sense agrees with the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here translated in which is in scripture oft of the same signification with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by as Matth. 5.34 35. swear c. neither 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by heaven nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the earth nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the head and 2 Cor. 6.6 7. it is eight times thus taken so is it most sutable to other places of scripture where the spirit of God is mentioned with prayer as Zec. 12.13 where is promised the spirit of supplication that is the spirit as giving bestowing and working the gift and grace of prayer as 2 Cor. 4.13 we read of the spirit of faith i.e. the spirit working faith and Rom 8.15 we read of the spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which we cry Abba Father Jam. 5.16 we find mentioned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifieth a prayer wrought in us and excited and so imports the efficacy and influence of the holy Ghost in enabling us to pray And the Apostle Rom. 8.26 most fully expresseth this truth 1. Affirmatively the spirit helpeth our infirmities and maketh intercession for us 2. Negatively saying we know not what to pray Whence it is cleare not that the spirit of God doth truly and properly pray for us as our high Priest and Mediator or as one of us for another the attributing of the office of Mediatour to the holy Ghost was one of Arius his heresies for then should there bee more than one Mediatour 1 Tim. 2.5 and God should request to God the holy Ghost being God but not man also as was Christ but that the spirit of God stirreth us up to pray quickneth and putteth life into our dead and dull spirits yea and infuseth into us such desires sighs and grones and suggesteth unto us such words as are acceptable to God which for their truth and sincerity for their vehemency and ardency for their power and efficcacy are unutterable they pierce through the heavens and enter un to the throne of grace and there make a loud cry in the ears of God More particularly from these expressions of both these Apostles Paul Jude we may consider wherein this assistance of the holy Ghost or this praying by the holy Ghost stands and consists And that is 1. In respect of the matter 2. Of the manner of our prayer 1. In respect of the matter of our prayer We pray in the holy Ghost as he instructs and teaches us to ask such things as are according to the will of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8.27 1 Job 5.14 lawfull and good things The Spirit of God stirs us not up to desire what his word forbids us to desire We know not what is good for our selves and God hath oft heard us by denying us Though when we ask bread our Father he gives us not a stone yet when we ask a stone God hath oft given us bread The thing asked if by the Spirit is warrantable the Spirit put us upon asking especially spiritual blessings as our lusts upon craving things which are their fuel The spirit of wisedome desires not its owne poyson 2. We pray in the holy Ghost in respect of the manner of our praying And that 1. As it enables us to pray sincerely and heartily Gods Spirit is a spirit of truth And whensoever wee pray in his spirit wee pray likewise in our owne and his stirs up ours to pray The prayer of a Saint goeth not out of fained lips The spirit lifts up the hand and the heart together Psal 25.1.86.4 Lam. 3.41 2. As it enables us to pray with fervency The motions of the Spirit as they are regular in regard of the object so vehement in regard of the manner Rom. 8.26 Its groanes are such as cannot be uttered The symboles of the spirit were fiery tongues Act. 2.2.3 and a mighty rushing wind As a bullet flyeth no further then the force of the powder carryeth it so prayer goeth no further then the fervour of the Spirit driveth it Prayer is called a knocking a seeking and figured by wrestling Gen. 32.26 Hos 12.4 Nay call'd a wrestling Rom. 15.30 The importunity required in prayer is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 impudence Luke 11.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cognationem habet cum verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod significat attendere intendere animumque advertere Oratio attentè fundi debet sluggish prayers are no spiritual prayers The device of shooting a letter at the end of a dart used as I have sometimes heard in sieges is a fit embleme of a soul sending its Epistle to heaven As the Spirit wrought vehemently in those holy men who were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 moved by the holy Ghost to speak the word of God to men so it works fervently in those who are to speak in prayer to God David mentions the setting forth of his prayer as incense and incense burnt before it ascended there must be fired affections before out prayers will go up The Tribes Acts 26.27 are said to serve God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a stretching forth themselves with
Libertas est potestas agendi ut velis quâ datur extra alios esse aliis obstrictum non esse sed liberum sui juris supereminere praecellere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 qâ—asi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word signifieth authority and power It properly importeth a Liberty to doe as one list By it in this place Jude I conceive intends that supreme soveraignty and authority which Christ hath over all things in governing and commanding them He is an absolute Lord. Of this I have largely discoursed part 1. pag. 344 345. c. on those words The onely Lord. 2. All these are amplified from their duration Now and ever Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now that is in this life and in all the ages of the world The originall word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth properly signifie that which is for ever and because an age is the usuall and longest distinction of time this same word is put for age And when there is no end of that which is spoken of the plurall number ages or all ages is used to set out the everlastingnesse of it And this Eternity properly taken is proper to God For though other things are said sometimes to be for ever and may have sempiternity or everlastingnesse which looks forward to that which is to come yet they have not Eternity which looketh backward and forward and cannot as here the properties of God be said to be without beginning and ending Besides the very continuance of every creature is alterable and dependent All the glory majesty power Acts 17.28 Rom. 11.36 Dominion of the Creature is as the flower of the field fading indeed every thing in this world like flowers the sweeter they are the shorter lived they are and the sooner withering the more beautifull as they say of glasse the more brittle 3. Lastly In this divine doxology Amen signaculum orationis Dominicae Hier in Mat. 6. is considerable after what manner or with what affection this praise is given this is set down in the word Amen Which imports a Confirmation of all that was said before as is clear from 1 Kings 1.36 The Greek Translators turn it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be it done And the root from whence the word cometh signifieth as much but it was held fit by the primitive Church Non est interpretatum non ut esset negatum sed ne vilesceres nudatum Aug. Trac in Joh. 41. Judai non solum ad omnes preces sed ad omnes Conciones Expositiones Allegoricas dicere debent Amen ut per hoc significent quod credant id omne quod Rabbini lâ—quuntur Buxtorf de Synagog Judaic c. 1. p. 64. for the greater dignity of the word saith Augustin not to translate it Some have noted that it cannot be translated without losing much of its weight for when 't is added to a speech it is 1. A note of assent and therefore it was not used onely by the Jewes at prayer but at the Sermons and Expositions delivered by the Rabbins to testifie that the people assented and agreed to all that they taught Hence Amen may not unfitly be call'd as it were a kinde of audible subscription Thus the Apostle * 1 Cor. 14.16 directs the Christians to speake in a known tongue that the unlearn'd understanding what he heareth may give his assent to it by saying Amen 2. It importeth earnest desire Hence * Jer. 28.6 Jeremiah said Amen to the though false prophesie of Hananiah concerning the returne of the Captives to their Land to shew how earnestly he desired that it might be so 3. Stedfast faith or a trusting that the thing to which we say Amen shall so be as was spoken either when petition'd by us or promis'd by God And hence it is that Christ having made a promise of his second Coming the Church saith Amen Rev. 22.20 Having thus briefly explained this concluding Doxology I might draw from its severall parts very many large and fruitfull Observations But because I have noted many of them in the forenamed places where I have met with the same subjects contained in these verses as also because I onely intended a touch upon this Doxology I shall conclude with these generall notes 1. Obs 1. Praysing of God is a worke very sutable to Saints 2. After all exhortations for the obtaining any good Obs 2. God must bee acknowledged the Authour of that good 3. It s our duty to praise God for future blessings Obs 3. for what we have in hope as well as for what wee have in hand 4. Spirituall blessings principally deserve our praises Obs 4. 5. In our adresses to God Obs 5. wee should have such apprehensions and use such expressions concerning him as may most strengthen our faith 6. Our speeches concerning Christ must be with highest honour and reverence Obs 6. 7. Prayse should conclude that work which Prayer began Obs 7. 8. The concluding thanksgivings which are affixed to writings are onely to be given to God Rom. 16.27 Obs 8. Clausâ—la doxologicae Deo propriae Estius in 2 Pet. 2 Tim. 4.18 Heb. 13.21 c. I have ever with the deepest abhorrency of my soul lookt upon the endings of many Popish books especially of those made by Jesuits who share their concluding praises between God and Saints Thus Tannerus concludes his first Tome of School-divinity Pineda his Comment on Ecclesiastes with returns of prayse to God and the Virgin Quos mihi ad hoc opus patronos tutelares advocavi pag. 1659. Virgini Dei genetrici Mariae divini numinis conciliatrici Baron ad fin Tom. 1. Annal. Tua ope et intertersessione da ut quod hic exterius scripsi interius spiritus sanctus suggeraâ— Cornel. à Lapide in Heb. 13. ad fin Sanctius ends his on the Kings and Chronicles with ascribing the glory to God the Virgin Mary Ignatius and Francis Xaverius all which saith he blasphemonsly I have called upon as my Patrons and Defenders in the performing this work Thus Baronius ends the First Tome of his Annals with ascribing the praise thereof to God the Father Son and holy Ghost and to use his own words to the most holy Virgin Mary the mother of God and our reconciler But Cornelius à Lapide exceeds all in blasphemy and idolatry who divides all the praises between Saint Paul and the Virgin Mary at the end of his Comment on Pauls Epistles Hee tells Paul that by his strength and intercession he had performed that work and hee desires him to grant that the holy Ghost may make his writings beneficiall to others yet hee tells the Virgin Mary that he owes himselfe Cui me meaque omuia debeo utpote quae me in hoc opere direxit invit instruxit â—ssâ—itque ut tarda impolita mens manus mea fiereut calamus scribae velociter scribentis Id Ibid. and all his works to her and that shee hath made his dul mind and hand as the pen of a ready writer pag. 1035 1036. For my selfe All of good that I have can doe or have in this or any other service ever done I humbly desire may be returned only to the honour and praise of my most dear and blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ whose grace was the principle of all that is rightly done in this performance whose spirit was my guide in doing it whose word was my rule whose glory was my end whose merit can alone procure acceptance for me and all my services and the everlasting enjoyment of whose presence is my souls desire and longing Amen FINIS ERRATA PAge 5 line 8 del despising pag 5 l 35 read evill of pag 7 l 22 r it p 8 r highest p 24 l 9 r sinner pag 44 marg r Isag p 53 l 12 r make p 73 l 13 r in that p 80 l 20 r ful of p 102 marg r detractatores p 112 l 22 r moderator p 200 l 22 r prosecutions p 205 marg r finis p 253 l 21 r ever p 257 l 3 r curam p 288 marg r adipibus p 300 l 17 r Cocumenius p 335 l 152 defects p 381 marg del 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 512 l 13 r peaceable p 544 l 25 26 dele so much p 560 marg r lucifugae p 583 marg r Hieron p 612 marg r aliquo p 637 l 32 r as they look p 672 l 27 r seen p 678 marg r silentiam appetitus p 644 l 28 r By propounding