as lyes or at the best as Conjecturall uncertainties but our faith must take into its vast comprehension Gods whole revealed will part whereof is this of the last judgement The last and dreadfull judgement will never affright us from sin if we look upon it in the devils dress of uncertainty for then we shall but sport with it and make it our play-fellow in stead of our monitor Let us therefore labour to make it by prayer and meditation to sink into our hearts Si nunc omne peccatum manifestâ plecterâ—tur poenâ nihil ultimo judicio reservari crederetur rursus si nullum peccatum nunc puni ret apertè divinitas nulla esse divina providentia putaretur Aug. de Civ Dei cap 8. and to beleeve it though never so distant from or opposite to sense taking heed lest the deferring thereof and the present impunity of sinners destroy or damp our belief of Christs coming to judgment considering that if every offender should now be openly punished men would think that nothing would be reserved to the last judgment as on the contrary if no offender should be plagued men would beleeve that there were no providence And let us beware lest we make that concealment of the last judgment to be an occasion of sin which God intends should be an incentive to repentance This briefly for the note of incitement c. Behold The description of the judgment followes Rev. 1. Jo. 5.27 and in that first of the first part The coming of the judg to judgment in these words The Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints EXPLICATION And here 1. the Title 2. Approach 3. Attendance of the Judg are all worthy of consideration by way of explication 1. Tune manifestè veniet judicaturus justè qui occultè venerat judicandus injustè Aug. Of the title Lord I have spoken very largely before pag. 344 c. p. 1. Of the greatness of this Lord the Judg as he is God and man I have also spoken pag. 527 528 529. The reasons also why he shal even as man judge the world I have mentioned p. 525 526 528. and how he excludes not Father and holy Ghost Nor wil it be needful here again to repeat the fitness of Christ for judicature Rev. 6.16 1 Jo. 2.28 Rev. 5.9 Rev. 19.11 Psal 45.6 2 Cor. 5.10 Rev. 1.14 1 Cor. 4.5 in respect of his advancement after his humiliation the necessity that the judicial proceeding should be visible the great horror and amazement of his enemies the comfort of the Saints the excellent qualifications of this judg in regard of his righteousnesse omniscience strength and fortitude c. 2. For the second therefore Act. 1.11.10.42.17.13 Aoristum secundum ponit pro futuro the Approach of the Judg in the word cometh Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in which word Jude puts the signification of the time past for the time to come after the manner of the Prophets who are wont to speak of those things which are to come as if they were already past and this he doth for two reasons First to note the certainty of Christs coming to judgment it being as sure as if it were already Concerning this certainty of the coming of Christ to judgment I have spoken already pag. 536 Part 1. and in several pages before 2. Secondly to shew the nearness thereof Christs coming is at hand 1 Cor. 7 the time is short saith Paul its sails almost wound up The Judge stands at the doors He that shal come wil come and wil not tary If he were coming in Enochs time if in the first what is he then in the last times as these are frequently called come Lord Jesus come quickly Behold I come quickly Rev. 3.11 The Brides prayer and the Bridegrooms promise are both for speedy coming Rev. 1.7 Behold he cometh with clouds c. not shall come he is as good as come already Christ cometh to us either in spirit or in person 1. In Spirit he cometh 1. In the Ministry to win and perswade us to come unto him thus he went and preached in Noahs time to the spirits now in prison 1 Pet. 3.19 2. In some special manifestation of his presence in mercy or judgment The former when he meets us with comfort strength and increase of grace John 14.18.23 The later in testification of displeasure Rev. 2.16 John 16.8 2. In person he comes two waies 1. in carnem 2. in carne 1. Into flesh in humility in his incarnation to be judged 2. In flesh in glory at the last day to judg all flesh Where consider 1. Whence he cometh Where consider 2. Whither he cometh Where consider 3. When he cometh 1. Whence he cometh from heaven 1 Thes 4.16 The Lord himself shall descend from heaven he shall come in the clouds of heaven to heaven he ascended and from heaven wil he descend Acts 1.11 This Jesus which is taken from you into heaven shall so come as ye have seen him go into heaven And its necessary that Christ should come from heaven to judg because it is not meet that the wicked should come thither to him though to be judged for into that holy place can no unclean thing enter 2. Whither cometh he some think that the judgment seat shal be upon the earth that the sentence may be given where the faults have been committed and that in some place neer Jerusalem where the judg was formerly unjustly condemned and particularly some think it shal be in the valley of Jehoshaphat though that place Joel 3.12 contains but an allegorical or typical prophesie The Apostle seems to intimate that the place of judgment shal be in the air 1 Thes 4.17 where he mentions our being caught up to meet the Lord in the air it being probable that the judgment shall be in that place where we shall meet the judg in the clouds of the air and the Scripture saith he shall come in the clouds of heaven and then the divels shal be conquered and sentenced in the very place wherein they have ruled all this while as princes but over what place it seems to me a rashness to determine 3. When shal he come In the end of the world but the particular age day or year is not known to man or Angel Mark 13.32 this secret the Spirit revealed not to nor taught the Apostles who yet were led by him into all necessary truths and Christ must come as a thief in the night and as in the daies of Noah when men knew nothing And we are commanded to watch and to be ever prepared because we know not the houre The childish curiosity of sundry in their computation of a set year wherein the day of judgement shall be rather deserves our caution then confutation 3. The third thing to be opened in this coming of the Judg is his attendance in these words ten thousands of his Saints The words in the original are 〈◊〉
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
afterward In like manner these seducers of whom Jude speaks had a double death or were twice dead first they were dead in respect of their natural condition by being as are others born in sin and so as the Apostle speaks Ephes 2.1 dead in sin from this they were so far recovered as that they seem'd to live and as Peter speaks 2 Pet. 2.20 to have escaped the pollutions of the world and by visible profession to flourish and to give fair hopes of bearing good fruit notwithstanding this first death they were not given over as irrecoverable but their later death which was by Apostacy from the faith of Christ by reintangling themselves in the pollutions of the world and returning to their vomit and wallowing in the mire brought them into such a hopelesse deplorable condition that our Apostle no more expected their recovery then the restoring of a tree dead twice or the second time Indeed there is an Apostacy of impotency of affection and prevalency of lust a recidivation or relapse into a former sinfull condition out of forgetfulnesse and falsenesse of heart for want of the fear of God to ballance the conscience and to fix and unite the heart to him This was the frequent sin of Israel in breaking their Covenants Psal 106.7 8 9 12 13. and this falling from our first love and returning again to folly though it be exceeding dangerous yet God is pleased sometimes to forgive and heal it as he promiseth to some Hos 14.3 But there is another kind of Apostacy which is proud wilful stubborn malicious and whereby after the taste of thâ— good word of God and the powers of the world to come Men set themselves to hate and oppose godlinesse to do despight to the spirit of grace to rage against the word to trample upon the blood of the Covenant and when they know the spiritualness and holiness of Gods waies the innocency and piety of his servants they do yet set themselves against them for that very reason though under other pretences This speaking against the Spirit this opposing persecuting the doctrine worship waies servants of Christ so as that the formal motive of malice against them is the lustre and holinesse of that spirit which appeareth in them and the formal principle of it neither ignorance nor self ends but very wilfulnesse and immediate malignity is that daring height of enmity against godlinesse which shall never be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come i. e. say some Matth. 12.32 neither in this life by justification nor in the world to come by publick judiciary absolution or rather as others shal be plagued and punished in this life and in that which is to come In the former spiritually in the other eternally and God leads those who thus offend forth with the workers of iniquity as cattle are led to slaughter or malefacters to execution And hence it was that Peter Epist 2 2 20. said their later end is worse then their beginning and that it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousnesse then after they have known it to turn from the holy commandments delivered to them Nor is the irrecoverablenesse of such backsliders any wonder 1. This their Apostacy in the formal nature of it is quâ—tâ— contrary to faith and repentance John 6.37 by faith we come to Christ cleave to him prize Christ as infinitely precious but by this apostacy we draw back depart from him let him go vilifie set him at naught and after covenant entred into with God fling up the bargain and deal with our sins as the Israelites did with their servants dismiss them and then take them again and in a word so repent of our former that our heart is incurably hardned against future repentance Luke 12.47 2. And further such of all sinners most provoke God to beat them with many stripes a much sorer punishment do they deserve then did those who died without mercy they sin wittingly and willingly not out of ignorance but against knowledg not only against light but love also and they trampling upon the blood spurning against the bowels of Christ even mercy it self becoms their enemy and pardoning grace frequently tendred Ex perversâ voluntate facta libido Dum servitur libidini facta consuetudo Dum consuetudini non resistitur facta necessitas Aug. l. 8. Conf c. 5. and seemingly received but truly rejected now condemns them so that they cannot sin at so cheap a rate as they who never had the knowledg of Christ 3. Besides their foreheads are now steeld and they are made impudent in sin The oftner a thief is imprisoned the less he blusheth Custome in sin makes the heart brawny insensible and seared as with an hot Iron lust causeth custome and custome contracts necessity and every return to sin makes the sinner more unable to resist it When a disease first meets with a strong constitution it finds an enemy to grapple with as it weakens the body so the body weakens it both their forces spend together one upon another and they fight upon some terms of equality But suppose the body gets the victory Debilitas ad resurgendum in recidivante augmentatur and the disease departs yet if a new adversary a new sicknesse soon sets upon it again here is great odds the one is fresh the other quite out of heart it is not now strong enough to bear the means of recovery but altogether lies at the diseases mercy In the first estate of sin the soul perhaps did grapple with sin and if it were foyl'd yet not without reluctancy it could endure reproof and suffer the word of exhortation but sin returning upon it again the soul is so weakned that it makes no resistance sin entring as an enemy upon a weakned and depopulated Country When Satan returns to his house saith Christ he finds it empty that is empty of the Spirit of God and the power thereof Matth. 12 44. which might oppose him as well as swept and garnished i. e. adorned with all those unbeautiful and deformed beauties which please him All the former profession of an apostate serves but to make him take the deeper die in sin and no colour is so lasting as when profanenesse is laid upon appearing holinesse Lastly Satans reentry is with more fiercenesse and resolution then was at the first his Entry when he returns to his house from whence he came out as he finds the house empty and swept c. so he brings seven spirits with him worse then himself After he was compell'd to go out of the man he found no rest saith the text yea all the while he was banish'd out of him he was as a man living in a dry and desert wildernesse Quamdiu domicilium in hominibus non inveniat omnia loca vel cultissima squalidas solitudines existimat Cartw. harm for such is every habitation to Satan in
they may procure much credit though they ask but little cost Besides natural conscience will not be put off with a total laying aside of duty and if Satan can cheat poor souls with putting a Pibble in stead of a Pearl into their hands he thinks it as much cunning as if he put nothing into their hands at all nothing doth so dangerously hinder men from happiness as the putting off themselves with shadows and appearances of that which is really and truly good He who is altogether naked may be sooner brought to look after the getting a garment then he who pleaseth himself with his own rags wherewith he is already clad A man who is smoothly civil and morally honest is in greatest danger of being suffered to go to Hell without disturbance he snorts not in his sinful sleep to the disturbing of others and he is seldom jogged and disquieted nay perhaps he is highly commended Christians please not your selves in the bare profession and appearances of Christianity that which is highly esteemed among men may be abominable before the Lord let not the quid but the quale not the work done but the manner of doing it be principally regarded examine your selves also concerning the principle whence your actions flow the righteousness whereby they are to be accepted the rule by which they are regulated the end to which they tend and as the Apostle speaks Let every one examine his own work and consider whether his duty be such as will endure the Scripture Touchstone 2. Withering and decaying in holinesse Observ 2. is a distemper very unsuitable and should be very hateful to every Christian It was the great sin and wo of these seducers and should be look'd upon as such by us and that upon these following considerations 1. In respect of God Decayes in our Christian course oppose his nature in whom is no shadow of change Mal. 3.6 Psal 102.24 I am the Lord saith he I change not He is eternally I am and ever the same his years are throughout all generations And what hath inconstancy to do with immutability how unlike to the Rock of ages are chaffe and stubble no wonder that his soul takes no pleasure in those who draw back and that they onely are his house who hold fast the confidence and rejoycing of the hope Hebr. 10 38. Hebr. 6.6 firm to the end If a frail weak man will not take a house out of which he shall be turned within a few years how unpleasing must it be to God to be so dealt with 2. Spiritual decays and witherings are unsutable to the works of God His work is perfect Deut. 32.4 he compleated the work of Creation he did it not by halves Gen. 2.1 The heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them God finished the building of his house before he left His works of providence whether general or special are all perfect he never ceaseth to provide for and sustain the creatures the doing hereof one year is no hinderance to him from doing the like another and another nay the day week month Psal 23. Psal 71.17 18 Christus perseveravit pro te ergo tu pro illo perseveres Bern. de temp 56. Ibi tu figas cursus tui metam ubi Christus posuit suam Idem Ep. 254. Obtulerunt ci Judaei si de cruce descenderet quòd crederent in illum Christus vero pro tanto munere sibi oblato noluit opus redemptiâ—nis humanae inchoatum relinquere inconsummatum Perald p. 216. year generation end but Gods providentiall care still goes on he upholds every creature nor is the shore of providence in danger of breaking he feeds heals delivers cloaths us unweariedly goodness and mercy follow us all the dayes of our lives he regards us from our youth and forsakes us not when we are gray-headed Most perfect are his works of special providence Redemption is a perfect work Christ held out in his sufferings till all was finisht Though the Jews offered to beleeve in him if he would come down from the Cross yet would he not leave the work of mans Redemption inconsummate He finisht the work which was given him to do he saves to the utmost delivers out of the hands of all enemies nor doth he leave these half destroyed they are thrown into the bottom of the Sea he hath not onely toucht taken up but quite taken away the sin of the world Nor will he leave the work in the soul imperfect he is the author and finisher of our Faith His whole work shall be done upon Mount Sion he will carry on his work of grace till it be perfected in glory where the spirits of just men shall be made perfect and the Saints come unto a perfect man 3. Spiritual witherings and decayings are opposite to the Word of God 1. The Word commands Spiritual progressiveness Be thou faithful unto the death Rev 2 10. Let us not be weary of well doing Gal. 6.9 Look to your selves that we lose not those things which we have wrought John Eâ—p 2. v. 8. Let us go on to perfection Hebr. 6.1 Perfecting holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7.1 Take heed lest there be in any of you an evill heart of unbelief in departing from the living God Hebr. 3.12 2. The Word threatens spiritual decays If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledg of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin but a certain fearfull looking for of vengeance and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God Hebr. 10.26 27 31. I have something against thee because thou hast left thy first love Rev. 2.4 If any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Hebr. 10.38 3. In aternum se divino mancipat familatui Ob hoc inflexibilis obstinatae mentis punitur aeternaliter malum licet temporaliter perpetratum quia quod breve fuit tempore vel opere longum esse constat in pertinaci voluntate ita ut si nunquam moreâ—etur nunquam vâ—lle pecâ—are dâ—sineret ita â—ndefessum presi icuâ—â— stud â—m pâ—oâ—profectione reputatur Perald ubi supra The Word encourageth proceeding in holiness I will give thee a crown of life Rev. 2.10 Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry Hebr. 10.37 Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me Rev. 22 12. He that endureth to the end shall be saved Nor need it seem strange that the proceeding of a godly man in holiness for a few years is rewarded with eternity for as the sin of the wicked is punisht eternally because they being obstinate and inflexible would sin eternally should they always live so the sincere desire and endeavour of the godly to proceed in holiness is crowned eternally because should they always live they would always and progressively be holy 4. Spiritual
considered alone by it selfe as a distinct Covenant for so it gendereth onely to bondage Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing of faith q d. ye receved the spirit by hearing the gospel 2 Cor. 3.8 The gospel is call'd the ministration of the Spirit 2. 'T is kept by following his motions and suggestions Make much of his presence the Spirit is a delicate thing grieve him not by negligence in using his gifts pride Eph. 4.30 eagernesse after the world sensualitie ungodly company premeditated repeated sins c. If the Spirit be gone thy best friend is gone 'T was Davids prayer Take not thy holy spirit from me Without the spirit thou art like lockless Samson as another man poor weak Samson when the Lord was departed thou art like a ship winde-bound No stirring without the spirits gales Lord what were my life if I could not pray it would even be my burden and how can I pray without thy spirit As a man cannot preach without externall mission so not pray without internall motion 7. How happy are saints in all straits Obs Vlt. they have the spirit to help them pray Ther 's nothing but sin can drive or keep away the spirit Sufferings prisons banishments c. cannot and hast thou the spirit 't is better like Jonah to be praying in a Whales belly then without the Spirit to be devout in a gilded chappel Suppose thy friends cannot will not visit thee the Spirit is a guest that cannot be excluded Like Joseph he delights to manifest himselfe to his when all are gone out Holy Mr. Dod was wont to say never despair of him who can but pray Suppose men cut out thy tongue or stop thy mouth they cannot hinder thee from praying in the Spirit because not the Spirit from praying in thee Ver. 21. Keep your selves in the Love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to Eternall life THe fourth direction whereby the Apostle guides them to observe his exhortion to contend for the Faith against seducers and seduction is contain'd in these words Keep your selves in the Love of God A very apt and sutable mean and course for the foresaid end and purpose for he that will be a friend to God can never be in love with errour which drawes the soul away from God and his truth Two particulars are here in this direction contained 1. That thing about which the Christians were to be employed or the object The love of God 2. How they were to be imploy'd about it viz. By keeping themselves therein Ther 's the act EXPLICATION So that by way of Explication two things may be enquired after 1. What the Apostle intends by the love of God 2. What by keeping themselves therein 1. For the first by the love of God I here understand not that love whereby God loveth man but that whereby man loveth God resteth in him and cleaveth to him as the most absolute good of this both in respect of its severall kindes and properties as also in severall Observations I have very largely spoken in my first part Page 124.136 148. c. To avoid tediousnesse and repetition I shall refer to that place 2. For the second by keeping themselves in this Love I understand perseverance in the loving of God or a preserving of the love of God in their hearts from all those things whereby they might be enticed to let it goe and part with it and this preservation or keeping thereof stands in using those meanes which God hath ordained to preserve in us our Love toward him which is done by sundry 1. Considerations 2. Pactises 1. Considerations 1. Of Gods Lovelinesse and soule-ravishing perfections and his blessed sutablenesse to our soules exigencies Part 1. pag. 152. when we know him to be a full good as having all the scattered Excellencies of all the world and all the persons and things therein in himselfe and infinitely more a filling good and able to satisfie our desires to the brim 2. By considering that he loves us loved us first and perseveres and rests in his love The more we walke in this sun the hotter we shall be nay were our hearts as cold as stones Zeph. 3 17. the sunshine of his love upon us should heat us with love toward him againe Of this at large before part 1. pag. 152.153 3. That every one of us keeps up a love to something the poorest of us hath a love and if not for God for that which is infinitely below him yea which is unworthy of us 4. That we have nothing besides love to give him 5. That he accepts of it in stead of all other things seeks it bespeaks it Deut. 10.40 6. That we alway professe we love him and have chosen him Josh 24.12 7. That its a greater dishonour to him to cease to love him then never to have begun to love him at all 8. That the keeping of our selves in his love is the true keeping of love to our selves Deut. 5.19 We are the gainers by loving him we forsaking his love and our own mercy at once 2. By practises As 1. By keeping our selves in a constant hatred of all sin As love to sin growes love to God will decay These are as two buckets as the one comes up the other goes down 2. By keeping our selves in the delight of Gods friends and favourers who will ever be speaking well of him and by taking heed of those misrepresentations that sinners make of him and his wayes 3. By keeping our selves in the delight of the ordinances wherein his glory and beauty are display'd and Communion with himselfe is enjoyed and our love is increas'd by these in exercising it 4. By endeavouring for an holy remissenesse in loving other things when we love the world as alwayes about to leave and loath it A soul weaned from these brests will onely feed upon Communion with and the enjoyments of God 1 Joh. 2.15 If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him No outward object should be further beloved then as it is either a pledge of Gods love to us or an incitement of ours to him in short nothing should be loved much but onely he whom we cannot love too much 5. Lastly by keeping up and increasing of Brotherly love among our selves for though the love of God be the cause which makes us love our brethren yet the love of our brethren is not onely a signe but an excellent preservative of our loving of God In every saint we may see Gods image he is Gods best picture now though the love of a man makes us love his picture yet the often delightfull looking upon his picture continues and inflames our love toward him the fire of love to God will be extinguisht in an heart cold and frozen to the saints our love to God and the godly grow and decay together the Sun on the dyal moves
in the fore-going part that were to bee dealt with in a way of Christian compassion This is cleare by the adversative expression 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and or rather but. So that as those of whom they were to have compassion were of the more hopefull and corrigible sort who had haply fallen out of ignorance infirmity or blind zeal so these others were such as were more obstinate and stubborn in their sin and errours and who did more knowingly and malitiously offend and by this indefinite expression others he intends those more hatefull sinners of any rank or degree whatsoever high or low rich or poor there being no sinfull respect of persons to be had in this terrifying them from their accursed impieties 2. He directs to save these others that is to deliver them from that sinne into which they had fallen and destruction into which they were falling saving is in Scripture attributed 1 To God 2. To Christ 3. To men 1. To God who is the supreme author of our safety deliverance by whose proper power we are made safe from evils either in respect of Common salvation or preservation afforded to all men or of peculiar salvation bestowed upon those who believe According to that of 1 Tim. 4.10 He is the Saviour of all men especially those who believe 2. To Christ who is called a Saviour Luk. 2.11 Matth. 1.21 The onely Saviour Act. 4.12 a strong sufficient Saviour a horn of salvation able to the utmost to save And that both by delivering by his merit and spirit from the condemning and destroying as also from the reigning and defiling power of all our spirituall enemies 3. To men Who are frequently in scripture said to save and to be Saviours Obad. 21. Saviours shall come upon mount Sion 1 Cor. 7.16 How knowest thou O man whether thou shalt save thy wife 1 Tim. 4.16 Thou shalt save thy self and them that heare thee c. Jam. 5.20 Not as if men were the authors of our salvation but instruments and subordinate helps and means appointed by God to serve his providence in the saving of themselvs or others whether from bodily or spiritual enemies Words proper to the supreme cause being thus in Scripture attributed to the instrument who though he bee by God appointed to use the severest meanes towards any yet all is to be done in order to their salvation and recovery 1 Cor. 5.5 2 Tim. 2.25 26. T it 1.23 The most sharp and cutting reproofs are to bee used that the reproved may be sound in the faith 3. He directs to the saving of these others with fear Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Apostle means by terrifying of them or making them afraid of continuing in their sin lest they fall into destruction of soul body So that hereby the Apostle intends the using Christian severity toward these others as by shewing compassion he directed them to use Christian lenity and gentlenesse toward the former For though Jude intends not that these to whom he wrote should put forth or exercise wayes of terrour in a civil or earthly respect by corporal punishments in which regard the Magistrate is called a terror to evil works Rom. 13.3 yet spiritually and by using spiritual meanes and for the saving of the Spirit he directs them to terrifie these offenders and this may be done two wayes either 1. By charitative or 2. By authoritative meanes 1. Charitatively or in a way of Christian charity and thus one Christian is bound to terrifie another from sinne and not to suffer him without reproof and denunciation of Gods judgements to goe on in any way of wickednesse And this though severity is a token of love and the refraining from it interpreted by the Spirit of God to be hatred Levit 19. Thou shalt not hate thy brother 2. Authoritatively or by those whom God hath put into office for this end among others to reduce offenders and save them by fear And this authoritative affrighting from sin is double 1. Doctrinall 2. Disciplinary The Doctrinall is put forth three wayes 1. By information and clear discovering of the nature of sin in it selfe and shewing the difference between good and evill and the hatefulnesse of sin both in its nature and effects For want of this knowledge many a soule hath perish't 2. By application and conviction and bringing home the sin to the conscience of the offender Thus Nathan Thou saith he to David art the man Thus Peter to those Converts Him meaning Christ ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slaine Thus also Stephen Acts 7.51 Ye doe alwayes resist the holy Ghost Isa 58.1 Thus God bids the Prophet to tell the people of their transgression Ministers must not be like fencers who so strike every where that indeed they strike no where but the two edg'd sword of the word they must sheath in the bowells of sinners and lay the deformed brat of sin at the right doore and so must we preach that in our Ministry the Spirit may convince of sin Joh. 16.8 3. By Commination and denouncing of punishments for sin that so by hearing them men may not feel them Offenders must be warned of the wrath to come Knowing the terrour of the Lord we warne men Thus frequently the Prophets denounced judgments against sinners Woe unto them Of this largely before part 2. pag. 153 154. 2. There is a disciplinary affrighting from sin Consisting 1. in solemn and particular admonition of a party offending with a declaration of judgment against him in case of obstinacy Mat. 18. A sinner is first to hear this from the Church 2. Suspension from the Lords Supper and denying the pledges of grace to the wicked as unworthy of them How should the child be asham'd who is debar'd from sitting at his fathers table with the rest of his brethren How can he thinke himselfe fit to partake of benefits signified in the Sacrament to sit down in the Kingdome of glory who is duly excluded from participating of the signes thereof in the Kingdome of grace 1 Cor. 5.5 Mat. 18.17 1 Tim. 1.20 Of this before largely part 2. pag. 3. Excommunication whereby obstinate sinners are cast out of the Church and delivered up to Satan and accounted as heathens and reckoned among the number of Satans servants who rules in the world and therefore to have him hereafter pay them their wages 2. OBSERVATIONS 1. Obs 1. Others We must be carefull to save others as well as our selves No man should be willing to be saved alone A Christian should not be a Cain We are neither born the first nor second time for our selves he is in a sort his brothers keeper Nor are the Ministers solely the watchers over or saviours of their people In many cases every sheep is to be a shepherd Hence those exhortations of provoking one another Heb. 10.24 Looking diligently lest any of you faile of the grace of God Heb. 12.15