which is the most astonishing wonder of all is that the Idolaters were so pertinaciously set upon their Idolatry that they spared not their dearest children but offered the fruit of their loynes and wombs to Idols to Divels And who can sufficiently admire that sottish and sinful pertinacy of Ahaz who as he trespassed yet more against God in his distress so he exprest i◠by sacrificing to the gods of Damascus which smote him being more desirous in the worshipping of Divels to be scourged then in serving the true God to be crowned and that he might satisfie his Lust more willing to be trampled under Satans feet then to be taken into Gods embracements See further for this Amos 4.6 8 9 10. c. the Prophets repeating Yet have ye not returned c. And Isai 9.13 The people turneth not to him that smiteth Nor can the vanity insuccessfulness and apparant ineffectualness of all the endeavours of sinners no nor yet their weariness weakness and inabilities take them off from their lusts Hence God speaks concerning the Jewes in the pursuing of their Idolatrous courses Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way yet saidst thou not There is no hope Isai 57.10 Though she was tired out with the length of her journeys in sending to Idolaters and saw that all her toyling and tyring out her self was in vain yet she would not give over but went on still desperately in that toylsome and chargeable course though all her endeavours were fruitless and unsatisfying yet she never said Jer. 2.36 37. 7.8 2.12 Isai 30.5 6. Hos 8.7 Why should I weary my self any longer Though sinners observe that nothing which they do profits them that all their cisternes are broken and will hold no water that they sow the wind and reap the whirle wind that their chariot wheels are broken off and all their bridges broken down that whatever they labour to lay hold on flies away from them as did Joseph from his Mistris when she took hold of his coat In short Notwithstanding the ineffectualness of all their labours they yet are like those Sodomites who though they were smitten with blindness yet wearied themselves in feeling for and finding of Lots door and were as full of unclean rage as ever Though the bodies of sinners may grow weary and thereby the services of their bodies fail and languish yet their Lusts are as vigorous and green as ever like a furious Rider never wearyed by the length of his Journey though the poor beast under him be tired and worn out The Carcass may be worn and wearyed out but Lust is never tired Lust out-lives its faculties and never growes crazy in the oldest body If the faculty could lust would still rise up early lye down late pursue unclean objects lade it self with thick clay 2 Sinners in stead of being stop'd or hindred in the prosecution of their lusts by the means used to restrain them become thereby the more violent and outragious in their courses 1 King 18.22 The longer the Priests of Baal continued unanswered and the more Elijah derided them the more they leaped the louder they cryed and the more they cut and gasht themselves Why should ye saith the Prophet be stricken any more Isai 1.5 ye will revolt more and more Ahaz in his affliction trepassed yet more The Worshippers of Diana when their Idolatry was opposed cryed out with the more vehement rage Great is Diana of the Ephesians Act. 19.28 Jerusalem being called of God to weeping and mourning in opposition to God fell to all expressions of Joy in slaying of Oxen and killing of sheep The rebellious Israelites who when Caleb perswaded them to go up to Canaan refufed the undertaking when Moses forbade them desperately and obstinately to their own destruction adventure upon it The wicked in the Laná of uprightness Isai 26.10 where his wickedness is discovered and reproved will deal the more unjustly When Christ had so clearly convinced the Jewes of their sin and his own innocency that they could hold dispute no longer with him they run from arguments to stones and raylings Joh. 8.28 Thou art a Samaritan said they and hast a Divel When he had wrought a miracle on the Sabbath day and justified his action they were the more filled with madness When Stephen had reproved the Jewes of their hypocrisie and cruelty Luke 6.11 Cum coeli janua aperirentur ipsas Judaei mentes claudebant Aug. Act. 7-54 57 they were cut to the heart gnashed upon him with their teeth stopped their ears ran upon him and stoned him When Peter though a holy man was charged to be one of Christs company he denyes it with Cursings and Damnings of himself When the Prophet told Asa of his folly in making a league with the Syrians it s said that he was in a rage and imprisoned the Prophet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 26.74 1 Chro. 16.10 2 Chro. 36.16 When God sent to the Israelites by his Prophets to make knowne to them their sins they mocked and misused them and despised the word which they delivered from God As the Prophets ledled the Israelites so they went from them Hos 11.2 They would have nothing to do with them or their Doctrine When God would have healed Israel by his Word Mercies and Judgments when he tryed to cure the sins of his people their secret wickedness manifested it self all the means which he used in stead of healing them Hos 7.1 did but stir and provoke the evil humours and being rubbed on their sores they kick'd and raged the more The rage of the mad dog is the more increas'd by the chain and the swelling of the stream by the stopping thereof and they who are hindred in their passage in the streete by carts go on the faster afterward The more rubs and stops Balaam met with in his Journey the more was his fury and violence increased Nor did the Sodomites ever rage so much as when they were opposed by the gentle admonition of Lot and the sutable and seasonable punishment of blindness Nor will this violence and fury seem strange if we consider that in the prosecution of lust wicked men are carryed on both in the way of their own natural propensions and inclinations and also by the strong and vehement impulsions of that powerful and impure spirit the Divel The violent and propense motions of a person to any sin are set out in Scripture by the word Spirit because they are naturally seated in the spirit and furthered by a bad spirit stirred up in and by an unholy spirit so we read of the spirit of a deep sleep Isai 29.10 A perverse spirit Isai 19.14 The spirit of whoredom Hos 4.12 The natural propension alone hath very much in it to cause a vehemency and swiftness in motion but when seconded and set forward by the force of an outward agent the vehemency of that motion is much increased A stone thrown
who praise their own good deeds are thought not therefore to report them because they did them but therefore to have done them Pin. Ep. 8. ad Saturntnum l. 1. that afterward they might report them A man in commending does not yea undoes what he is a doing Thou hearest witnesse of thy self said the Pharisees thy witnesse is not true When Paul mentioned his own necessarie praise 2 Cor. 12.16 17.21 he saith he speaks foolishly and that he was become a fool in glorying 2 Cor. 12.11 Though he were compelled thereto A man should not therefore doe any good that he may have a good report but therefore and only therefore desire a good report that he may be in the greater capacity of doing good If a man commend himself he should do it modestly and constrainedly for the advantage of the Gospel Paul speaks his commendation as belonging to a third person I knew a man c. 2 Cor. 12.2 and ver 11. ye have compelled me c. But ordinarily we should neither praise nor dispraise our selves even the latter of these being the giving of others an occasion to praise us and oft a putting of praise as one saith aptly to usury Robinsons observations that we may receive it with the greater advantage To conclude if it be a sin to praise our selves when we have done good how great an impiety is it to glory in evil the former discovers the corruption of a man the latter of a divel Lastly Though it be a sin for a man to commend himself yet t is our duty to praise the good we see in and done by others that God may be honoured Thus diis laus bonis debetur who was the Author of all good and men encouraged the doer to proceed the beholder to imitate him 3. Obs 3. Great swelling words should not seduce us from the truth We should not regard the words but the weight of every teacher nor who speaks but what is spoken the Kingdome of God is not in word but power 1 Cor. 4.20 We must not mislike truth because the bearers words are low and contemptible nor imbrace error because the words of him who brings it are lofty and swelling A Christian should be a man in understanding not like a little child ready to swallow what ever the nurse puts to the mouth We should ever be more forward to examine by Scripture with the noble Bereans the truth of what is taught us than to be bewitched like the â—â—â—ish Galatians with the words of any teacher suspect the cause that needs them and the men that use them as a rotten house so a rotten cause needs most props Truth like a beautiful face needs no painting Though he were one that speaks big nay with the tongue of an Angel nay were an Angel yet if he preached another Gospel we should hold him accursed Christians should labour for knowledg to discern between great words and good words or rather between good words and good matter This for the third proof that these seducers were those ungodly men who should be judged at the last day viz. because they spake great swelling words The fourth and last followes in these words having mens person in admiration because of advantage In which words our Apostle 1. describes what they did they had mens persons in admiration 2. Discovers why they did it for advantage For the first their having mens persons in admiration EXPLICATION That we may understand the sin wherewith these Seducers are here charged in admiring of persons We must first open these two expressions 1. Persons 2. Admiring or having in admiration 2. Shew what admiring of persons is here by the Apostle condemned and why 1. For the former The word persons in the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 now though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth the face and properly answers to an Hebrew word of the same signification yet in Scripture it s taken several waies not to speak of the divers acceptations of the word in Scripture when attributed to God as being too remote from our present purpose when it is used concerning the creature 1. its given to things without life as Matth. 16.3 and Lâ—â—e 12.56 ye can discern the face of the skie that is the outward shew or appearance Luke 21.35 and Acts 17.20 we read of the face of the earth in which places its taken for the superficies or outside 2. Most frequently to man and so 1. properly it signifies his face and countenance Thus Matth. 6.16 they disfigure their faces and ver 17. wash thy face So Matth. 26.67 then did they spit in his face 2. His person as 2 Cor. 1.11 the gift bestowed upon us by the meanes of many persons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. His bodily presence 1 Thes 2.17 we being taken from you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in presence 4. A man as accomplished with his gifts excellen cies or indowments real or appearing which are outwardly beheld or looked upon to belong to him for which he is oft unduly respected either in regard of his body mind or outward condition and thus it s taken Matth. 22.16 Mark 12.14 where the Herodians tel Christ that he regarded not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the person of men and Acts 10.34 God is no respecter of persons So Rom. 2.11 And thus I take it in this place where Jude accuseth these servile seducers for their excessive sinful flattering of men in eminency advanced in respect of their outward state of wealth honour c for their own private gain and advantage 2. The other expression is admiring or as we render it having in admiration Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 video unde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It signifieth two things 1. To wonder at a thing in respect of its strangeness unusualness at which men use to look very earnestly and intently Thus it s taken Matth 8.27 where it is said that Christ rebuking the winds and the sea the men marvelled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So Matth. 21.20 when the fig-tree withered it s said the disciples marvelled Matth. 27.14 Luk. 1.21 63. Luk. 4.22 Euk. 11.38 John 7.21 when Christ had with such admirable wisdom answered the ensnaring question of the Herodians it is said they marvailed Matth. 22.22 c. 2. It signifieth highly to honour fear or reverence the person or thing which we look upon as strange and thus some take it Matth. 8.10 when Christ heard of the centurions faith it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he marvelled that is say some he respected and honoured his faith Thus it s taken in this place of Jude Vid. Ravanel in Tit. admiratio These seducers honoured highly advanced cried up the endowments and qualifications of great men for advantage and probable it is that the Apostle expresseth their honouring of mens persons by the admiring them because the Septuagint so translate those places where honour and
the persons of the Gyants in Canaan in respect of ther strength and stature How sinfully did David admire Saul when against Gods promise he said he should perish by his hand thus the Israelites sinfully admire the Egyptians when upon the sight of them notwithstanding the word and works of God they tell Moses in their march that he tooke them away to dye in the wildernesse Exod. 14.11 Who art thou that thou shouldst be afraid of a man that shall dye c and forgettest the Lord thy maker Isa 51.12 The fearing of man is the forgetting of God 6. When we admire mens goodness or what of God we see in men their persons loving the message for the messenger the liquor for the vessel holy instruction for the sake of him who gives it and so hearing the word of God as the word of man this is to prefer a man of God before God in a man or rather man before God And contrary to what Tertullian speaks not to judg of persons by faith but of faith by persons 2. Admiration of persons is sinful as it concerns Man and 1. As it concerns the admired and so admiration of persons is sinfull 1. When we admire such persons as are not able to bear their own admirations A proud man having done any thing commendably is not yet fit to be commended Some weak braines will be turn'd with a small quantity of wine others more strong will indure more Herod was intoxicated with applause when the people cryde him up for a God but Paul and Barnabas rend their clothes and are ready to sacrifice themselves when the people meditate a sacrificing to them A weak stomack cannot concoct fat morsells he is a man of strong grace who can hear his own commendations without hurt Nothing more discovers a man then the praising him It s as the fining pot for silver and the furnace for gold Prov. 27.21 2. When we so admire persons as thereby to make a prey of them or to overthrow either their bodies or soules Thus the Herodians Matth. 22.16 admired and honoured Christ telling him that he was true and taught the way of God in truth and regarded not the person of man but all this was but to intangle and destroy him by bringing him on to answer to a captious question Thus afterward Christ was betrayd with a kisse and not seldome have we known that men have laine in ambush behinde the thickets of commendation and admiration and so unsuspectedly faln upon the unwary and credulous hearer Jael gives her nail soon after her milk and poyson is oftnest drunke in gold Thus after the death of Jehoiadah the Princes of Judah came and made obeysance to King Joash whereby they prevaild with him to leave the house of the Lord 2 Chr. 24.17 and to serve groves and Idols and thus as Ecclesiastical history tells us Simon Magus cry'd up Nere above the clouds and accounted and cald him a God to make him the greater Enemy to the Christians Thus Tertullus admired the person of Felix that thereby he might stir him up against Paul Act. 24.2 3. When we so admire persons as to cover hide and excuse their sin because of their greatnesse A sin the greater in regard that greatnesse ought to be so far from being a cloke for that it is an aggravation of sin and makes it the more hainous A wicked person in scripture phrase is but a vile person by so much the more vile by how much the more he corrupts and abuses any eminent gifts and endowments which God hath bestowed upon him The word speaks as basely of rich wicked ones as they think contemptibly of Gods people That wicked King was very low in the eyes of the holy Prophet who said were it not that I regard the person of Jehoshap at King of Judah I would not look toward thee nor see thee 2 King 3.14 See more of this before pag. 2. part 14. Unsanctified greatnesse is most likely to be pernitious and therefore should be most reprehened 2. Admiration of persons is sinfull as it concernes the admirer and so 1. When we so admire persons as thereby onely to advance and advantage our selves and that 1. either in profit and gaine or 2. in honour or reputation 1. In profit and thus these seducers here admired great ones and honoured their greatnesse for their own advantage servilly cringing and crouching to them for filthy lucre they gave them great titles and flattered them in sin and assented to them in every thing that they might fill their purses and as Peter speaks through covetousnesse did they with feined words make merchandise of people hereby shewing that they neither served Christ nor indeed those whom they flatterd but their own bellies at once laying off both the Christians and the Man 2. In honour and and reputation and for this end sometimes the persons of great men are admired as Mr Fox tells us that the bloody Tyger Steph. Gardiner was wont to admire the person of Henry the 8. speaking of him to others with greatest honour and calling him his gracious Lord and Master onely to be lookt upon as his favourite though he knew that the King never loved him But for honour hypocrites commonly admire the persons of good men admire their persons I say though they imitate not their practises Thus Saul desired the presence of Samuel to be honoured before the people Thus the Scribes and Pharises admired the dead Prophets onely to be accounted as they were holy 2. When we so admire persons as withall to imitate their sins and imperfections Thus these seducers were so admired as that many followed their damnable errors putting no difference between their faces and the warts their speaking and stammering The falls and folly of the admired are commonly the snares of the admirers and the error of the master oft the tentation of the scholar It s very hard to admire the person of another and not to imitate his imperfections 3. Admiration of persons is sinfull as it concernes and hurts others and so 1. When for some commendable actions or endowments we so admire a person who is in most things very discommendable and a known wicked person that thereby we give occasion to the hearer who is though wicked yet not so wicked as he to judg his own condition very good and to blesse and flatter himselfe in his sin as thinking that he deserves Commendation as well as or better then the other This I have ever thought to be one stratagem whereby the hands of the wicked have been strengthned in sin and a stumbling block which some either weakly or wickedly have laid before others Thus I have oft heard even with grief when in funerall Sermons a prophane drunkard a swearer an adulterer or one perhaps at the most but civilly honest hath for some few good deeds been cryed up and even sainted by the Preacher that the wickedest persons have been ready to
is a learned ignorance and herein Augustine joyns with them who saith * Quid inter sc distant has vocabula dicant qui possunt si tamen possunt probare quod dicunt Ego me ista ignorare confiteor Enchirid c. 58. How those names of Angels differ let them speak who are are able if yet they are able to prove what they speak I profess my ignorance herein And this by way of Explication of the first Party here contending Michael the Archangel It follows that we speak of the second who is here said to be the Devil 2. Of the word Devil in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I meet with sundry Interpretations among the learned Some as Gerson and Bonaventure say that the word signifies falling †q. Deorsum fluens Gerson Tr. in Magnificat Bonavent l. 2. Sent. dist 5. q. 1. Dictus est Diabolus quia deorsum fluxit ex hoc in suâ malitiâ firmatus est Diabolus non valens conscendere sed compulsus descendere odit Deum justum invidet excellentiae ejus and tending downward and the Devil say they not being able to keep up in his former height of glory and excellency but compell'd to descend from it is not to be moved from his malice Others also with more wit then strength say that the Word Diabolus comes from Dia which they say is as much as two and Bolus signifying a draught taken up in a Fishers net because when the Devil draws man into his net he makes of him as it were a double draught by destroying both body and soul The ordinary and true derivation of the word is from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to slander calumniate and falsly to accuse and hence the appellative name of Devil is often in Scripture used for any false accuser thus Judas is called Devil Joh. 6.70 One of you saith Christ is a divel 1 Tim. 3.11 The wives of Deacons must not be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 slanderers and 2 Tim. 3.3 The Apostle speaks of some who are treacherous false accusers or devils c. So Tit. 2.3 concerning the aged women he saith that they must not be false accusers or Devils in which sense some understand that command of Eph. 4.27 Give not place to the Devil or to any false accuser or slanderer who shall come with slanderous reports against another the Apostle giving that precept as a direction to the observing of what went immediatly before namely that the Sun should not go down upon our wrath False accusers being make-bates and kindle-coals between persons are to be oppos'd and resisted More specially the word Divel is taken for an evil spirit or Angel Mat. 13.39 Luc. 8.12 Acts 10.38 and 13.10 1 Pet. 5.8 2 Tim. 2.26 c. and yet more specially the term Devil is attributed to the chief or Prince of Devils call'd so by way of eminency Mat. 4.1 he tempted Christ Apoc. 12.7 he and his Angels fight with Michael and his See Mat. 25.41 Thus it is taken here And clear reason there is why Satan should thus be called a slanderer or false accuser Some say because of his accusing of God to man and that principally by that first accusation wherin he accused God of falshood by saying notwithstanding what God had threatned that they should not die and of Envy by telling them that God knew that in the day they did eat thereof they should be like gods And this is the opinion of Justin Martyr 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Justin in Paraen ad Graec. p. mihi 21. in that excellent exhortation of his to the Greeks The Scriptures saith he call that enemy of mankind the Devil from that first slander or calumny which he brought to man And thus he is still a slanderer laying his accusations sometimes against Gods Justice perswading sinners that God allows them in their sins Sic Tert. 2. Cont. Marc. cap. 10. Deo imposuit prohibitionem esus omnis ligni mendacem comminationem mortis invidiam cujusdamdivinitatis Vide Chrysost hom 2. in 2. Ep. ad Corinth so driving them to presume sometimes laying them against his mercy perswading those who are humbled that their sins are greater then can be forgiven so driving them to despair sometime against his faithfulness omniscience c. frequently against his providence making men beleeve that God hath no care of the ordering and governing of things in the world the good are miserable and the wicked happy When Christ was on Earth he was accus'd by the Devil to be an Impostor that cast out Devils by the help of Beelzebub c. Falsely did he accuse God to Christ by clipping his word and perverting the Scripture to a pernicious sense 2. He is according to others called an accuser for accusing man to God This is the opinion of Lactantius The Devil saith he is calld an accuser because for those very faults to which he tempts and allures us Vid. Chrysost ubi supra Diabolum criminatorem vocamus propterea quod crimina in quae ipse allicit ad Deum defert Lact. lib. 2. Instit cap. 8. he accuseth us by laying them before God The accuser of the brethren Rev. 12 is cast down which accused them before our God day and night He objecteth things before God for the disgrace and hurt of the godly Thus he accused Joshuah the High Priest for his sins noted by filthy garments Zech. 3.1 3. As also Joh for self-seeking Satan espies the least sins in them these he aggravates and for them pleads their unworthiness of the least mercy the sins which in them are weaknesses he represents as wickednesses the sins which they condemn in themselves and for which they condemn themselves he layes before God to have him also condemn them for them claiming the justice of the Law and the execution of the curse against and upon them This accuser diminisheth wresteth their best actions as if performed to a wrong end and hypocritically thus he accused Job of serving God only for wages hereby representing all his services to be void of sincerity In nothing is the malice of Satan so clearly discovered as in accusing the godly before God For 1. Hereby he shewes his desire to do them the greatest hurt which is to bring them out of favour with God to separate them from their only friend by being a tale-bearer and slanderer Revel 12. He accused them before our God And 2. Such is his malice that he will endeavor that which he can but endeavour never effect yea in the undertaking whereof he is sure to miscarry Oppose them he will though hurt them he cannot and is sure to hurt himself putting forth his poyson though he have no power he accusing Saints before a God who sees the falsness of his accusations whose Power Justice and Mercy ever makes him rebuke the accusing Divel Zech. 3.1 2 3. pity the accused Saints And in respect of this accusing the Faithful to God I
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
eleventh verse whom he rather mentions then any others in regard of their great hurtfulness to the Church by cruelty seduction and sedition they being the types and forerunners of these Seducers 2. From sundry elegant comparisons ver 12 13 3. From the certain and infallible Prophecy of Enoch propounded and amplified ver 14 15 16. This eleventh verse then consists of these two parts 1. A Denunciation of Wo and Judgment 2. An Amplification thereof from the three forementioned examples of Cain Balaam Core 1. The Denunciation of Judgment in these words Wo unto them EXPLICATION It may be demanded In what sense the words Wo unto them are here used and how to be understood The uttering of this word Wo denoting in Scripture grievous calamities and miseries either present or approaching is used three waies 1. Vae condolentis imprecantis praedicentis There is vae dolentis and condolentis when woe is used as an Exclamation of grief pity and commiseration and then it imports as much as if the Apostle had said Alas how am I grieved in consideration of their approaching ruine for these wretched sinners that are running to their own destruction and thus the word wo is often taken in Scripture as Mich. 7.1 where the Church resenting the general corruption of the times and her smal number cryes out Wo is me for I am as when they have gathered the Summer fruits as the gleanings of the Vintage The good man is perished out of the earth and there is none upright among men Thus also the Prophet Isaiah chap. 24.16 laying to heart the wickedness of the people and the Judgments which were to follow expresseth his holy sympathy in these words Wo unto me the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously c. Thus the same Prophet again chap. 6.5 Then said I Wo is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips c. for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts c. So Jer. 4.41 and 6.4 Jer. 13.27 and 45.3 Lam. 5.16 Now though it cannot be denyed but that the faithful do and ought with holy commiseration to lay to heart the miseries of others yet I understand not this expression of wo in this place in this sense for besides that Jude knew that these Seducers were ungodly men and appointed to this condemnation his scope was not to express his sorrow for them but to warne the Church of them by discovering the Judgements of God against them 2. There is vae imprecantis a wo of cursing and imprecation used sometimes by Godly men against the implacable and irrecoverable enemies of God Thus the Prophet Habakkuk utters it against the Caldean who wasted the Church Hab. 2.6 9 12 15 19. Psal 40 14 15 59.14 Thus David Psal 109.6 7 8 9 c. prayeth for the destruction of his enemies That the Apostles had this power of cursing the incurable enemie of the Church whose destruction the Lord had extraordinarily revealed to thâ—â—â—nd that they used it is very evident Paul prayeth 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 4.14 that the Lord would reward Alexander the Copper-smith according to his work And its hard to deny Non dicit Apostolus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reddet sol 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reddat Sunt vota imprceantis non verba praedicentis Rivet in Psal 40. that Jude in this place doth put forth that power against these Seducers Sure I am Paul Gal. 5.12 prayeth that the false Teachers might be cut off who troubled the Church and he who enabled the Apostles to foreknow the ruine of Seducers certainly without error might help them to desire it holily without revenge And never did either Christ or his Apostles express so much heavenly vehemency against any as against those who hindred the eternal salvation of souls witness the woes eight times repeated by Christ against the Scribes and Pharisees Matt. 23. As also Pauls carriage towards Elimas the Sorcerer Acts 13. Some indeed of this impious rabble who were not so obstinate malicious and subtle as others Jude might spare he desiring the Christians afterward that on some they should have compassion putting a difference And if it be here demanded How the Apostle could lawfully say Wo unto them I answer 1. He expresseth not this wo unto them in respect of his own cause but the cause of God not as they were his but Gods enemies 2. He directs not his imprecations against persons curable but incurable and he might know them to be so by some extraordinary inspiration 3. His affections herein were not carnal but Divine and Spiritual stirred up purly by Zeal to Gods glory and the safety of the Church In a word If this wo here pronounced by Jude were a wo of imprecation he was carryed to the uttering thereof by the same Spirit by which he penned the Epistle 3. There is a vae praedicentis a Wo of prediction and denunciation whereby imminent and impendent evils are foretold and denounced against others and in this sense it s â—â—â—monly used and uttered in Scripture Eccles 4.10 Eccles 10.16 Isai 3.9.11 28.1 30.1 31.1 Hos 9.12.24 Matth. 24.19 and most commonly by the Prophets Isai 3.11 Wo unto the wicked for it shall be ill with them Isai 5.8 Wo unto them that joyn house to house c. And ver 11. Wo to them that rise early in the morning that they may follow strong drink Matth. 24.19 Wo to them that be with child and give suck in those dayes c. And this sense though some Learned men exclude not that which was last mentioned we may safely admit in this place our Apostle concluding that undoubtedly they who were as bad as the worst of former sinners in respect of sin should be as miserable as they were in regard of punishment OBSERVATIONS 1 Spiritual and eternal woes Obser 1. are the true woes To be woful indeed is to be under the wrath of God This is the wo here by Jude denounced against and by God inflicted upon these Seducers Whatever wo comes without Gods wrath may have more of weal in it then of woe Other woes touch the skin these the soul Other woes part between us and our Estates names worldly comforts but these between us and God in whom is laid up all happiness How foolish is every sinner to fear the name the shadow and not to tremble at the thing the reality of woe like the beast who is more affrighted with the flash of the fire and the noise of the report which is made in shooting off the Gun then with the fear of the bullet Eternal woes come with less noise and therefore with more neglect then others They kill though they do not affright The fear which Christ commands is of him who kils the soul Of this more Part 1 p. 282. What proportion of misery is there between the souls leaving the body and Gods leaving the soul Bodily miseries are but opinionative and appearing
they feed at the same Table serve the same Master own the same Father so that they shall live together in the same habitation for ever they pattaking of that meritorious blood which is the parchase of the same Inheritance they having all thereby the same Key to open Paradise withal They who receive Christ as Communicants profess to do shal be received One Saint may truly say to another You and I must be better acquainted And what an Engagement to love is this for us to consider we shal for ever live and love together in Heaven Oh! how should Christians begin to do that here which they shall never be weary of doing to all eternity If one house then one Heaven calls for one heart Thus the appellations given to the Sacrament the Table of the Lord the Lords Supper the Communion c. shew it to be a Love-Feast 3. The outward Elements Bread and Wine us'd at the Supper evince the same Separated and several grains and grapes make one and the same Bread and Wine They who are severed and disjoyned from one another Vid. Cvpr. Ep. 76. ad Magnum not onely by sea habitation trades but in heart also and affection are by the receiving of Christ in this Sacrament re-united into one Spirituall Body as the Elements though originally severall are into one artificiall Masse We being many saith the Apostle are one Bread How necessary then is the Lords Supper in these times when Love doth so much decay If the Christians in their Summer season when Love was burning hot did so lay on this fewel what need have we then to do so in this Winter Season when the Love of most grows so cold Confident I am that the withdrawing of this Sacrament that feeds and foments Love hath much tended to the decay therof among us And further this discovers the great policy of Satan not onely in hindering from the Sacrament which was appointed to strengthen Love but in breaking Love by this very Sacrament Who would ever have expected to have heard of a Sacramentary war How many valiant Champions lost their livs in this Land in their Smithfield fights about the controversie of Transubstantiation and how subtilly hath the Murderer of souls mixt his poyson with the Sacramental bread and stoln away the Cup in the Papacy What fierce contestations have there been between Calvinists and Lutherans about consubstantiation Who remembers not the Prelaticall fury in imposing superstitious for Sacramental gestures and oh that the flames of these unchristian quarrels about the Sacrament did not blaze and spread even at this very day Oh the unbrotherly breaches between Brethren about the admission and qualification of Communicants Consider dear Christians whether Satan be not like to prevail when he turns that Artillery whereby we should batter his Forts upon our selves and makes his strongest weapons oâ— War even of Olive Branches Ensigns and Emblemes of Peace and is not Love in danger of death when â—ts Food is dayly poyson'd Who warms his hands at these flames of Contention but only our Adversary Satan as they say of the Lawyer will be the only gainer when you fall out like unkind Brethren about your Fathers will and Testament The Lord humble us for all those unworthy receivings which have made us so unkind and quarrelsome about the receiving this Feast of Love the Lords Supper and he make us for the future in all our opinions about and participations of it to be men in understanding and children in malice Part 1. For the tryals of Love see page 144.145.146 c. 4. Obs 4. Spotted and spotting sinners are unfit guests at holy feasts The Apostle by saying these seducers were spots in the Feasts of Charity notes the unsutableness of such blemishes to Assemblies that should be clean and Christian these spots casting an uncomliness upon those holy Meetings which made those spots appear and set off with the more uglines and uncomlines The mixture of scandalous persons in Church-fellowship is here by the Apostle blam'd and if their meeting at these feasts of Charity be reprehended here by the Apostle if at these Feasts these spots appeared so black and deformed how much more reproveable was their meeting at the Lords Supper which is an Ordinance of Christ wherein approaches to him are more near and ought to be more holy then in those Feasts of Charity Spots and blemishes as Mr. Perkins well spake of his times ought to be washt off by Ecclesiasticall Discipline from the faces of holy Assemblies at the Lords Supper because they pollute it True it is that first there are two sorts of pollution of the Lords Supper the one that which makes the Sacrament no Sacrament but a common or unhallowed thing to those that do receive it as if it were given by those who are no Ministers or to those who are no Church or without the blessing and breaking of the Bread the other sort of pollution of the Sacrament is that which makes the administration thereof to be sinful and those who administer it to be guilty they doing that which is contrary to the revealed wil of God This latter kind of pollution is by admitting spotted and scandalous sinners 2. It s granted that the mixture of the scandalous pollutes not the Sacrament to those who have used all the lawful means against it who have being Officers discharged their duty by exercising Church Discipline and being private Christians admonished the offenders and petitioned those who have the authority for the restraining of them from the Sacrament in that case though the scandalous partake of the Sacrament Indisciplinata patientia Aug. yet officers and worthy Communicants partake not of their sin But otherwise that the admission of scandalous persons to the Sacrament is a pollution of that Ordinance its evident Give not saith Christ that which is holy to dogs neither cast ye your pearls before swine Mat. 7.6 By that which is holy I understand though primarily yet not solely the Word but consequently the Sacraments Prayer Christian admonition Christ doth not speak of one holy thing onely nor doth he say the pearl but he saith that which is holy c. and pearls And by dogs and swine are not onely to be understood Infidels Heathens and open Apostates and persecuters which like dogs bite bark and contradict but also such who like swine prophane trample these Pearls under their feet and by an impure swinish life shew how much they despise holy things And needs must the Sacrament be prophaned when in the use thereof not grace but sin is encreased because hereby the main end of the Sacrament which is to be food to nourish grace and poyson to kill sin is perverted but no grace is nourished in any prophane impenitent sinner he being spiritually dead and so without the life of grace And further his hand is strengthened in sin for by his receiving the Sacrament he is much more difficultly
adipidibus quasi luto involutae nihil tenue nihil coe leste sed semper de carnibus ructu ventris ingluvie cogitant Hier. l. 2. adv Jov. Quantò corpus impletur tantò anima minoratur Greg. Isai 5.6 Hierom and Ambrose observe that as Moses received the Tables of the Law when he was much in fasting so he broke the Tables when he saw that the people had been eating and drinking as thinking that after Feasting the people were unfit to hear the Law How can an impure Glutton lift up in Prayer pure hands Surfetting oppresseth the heart and suffers it not to lift up it self toward heaven It s the Birdlime of the souls wings It s a weight which presseth us down in our Race yea rather the ungirding of the loynes of our minds our affections which like long and loose Garments being let down into the mire of sensual pleasures hinder and stop us in our Spiritual progress Oh how unfit a mansion is a beastly Epicure for the holy Spirit to dwel in The being drunk with wine is opposed to the being filled with the Spirit Ephes 6.18 The Voluptuous Sensualist is only a Hog-Stie for Satan to lodg in The unclean spirit finds no rest in dry places in those who are sober and temperate in worldly enjoyments but like the Swine not delighting in such dust * Loca arida sunt homines temperatè viventes in quibus Diabolus non invenit requiem Parisiens he loves to wallow in a sensual and impure Glutton as in a slough or quagmire Gluttony is the Sepulcher of the living and a kind of Spiritual drowning of a man 2 This sin profanely denyes God his Service and opposeth him not only notwithstanding but even by his bounty turneth the Temple of the Holy Ghost into a Kitchin and makes as the Apostle speaks a God even of the base filthy belly How unseemly is it for a servant as Solomon speaks Prov. 14.10 to have rule over Princes The reigning of a servant is reckoned to be the first of the four things which the earth cannot bear Prov. 31.22 Gluttony makes the Prince the soul to serve the belly of all the souls servants viz. the parts of the body the basest and filthiest The Apostle speaks of some who serve their own belly Rom. 16.18 Multis servit qui corpori servit Sen. Phil. 3.19 Oh miserable servitude besides the baseness of the serving of such a God of dung it is also very cruel it makes a man a servant to all those meats and drinks which serve the belly it s a slavery to a Master who is never pleased who will have the best provisions brought him and having taken them he throwes them all into the draught and yet is presently calling for more his work is never done he puts his servants upon their drudging for him as long as they live several times every day making men to labour in the filling and emptying of a Sink sometimes three or four score yeers together requiring and exacting his supplies so imperiously and rigorously that his servants oft take thought to the cutting of their hearts Matth. 6.25 and take pains to the cracking of their sinewes for the getting of his provisions and yet when all is done no service is so vain and unprofitable as this belly-service what is it but the dawbing and propping of a rotten cottage which will notwithstanding in a short time crumble away and tumble down the delicate feeding of a condemned Malefactor who must dye and whose strength by all his provisions serves him but to go to Execution yea Carnem impinguare est vermibus escam praeparare what is it but the preparing a Banquet for the wormes for whom the leanest carcass is even fat enough 3. This sin of Gluttony most useth and abuseth that part in its service which of all the rest is so noble and should be most set on work for God and filled with his praises the mouth 4 It s a sin which doth most unsuspectedly surprize us as lying in ambush behind our lawful Enjoyments and which is most like to catch us Dum ad quietâ—msatreâ—atis ab indigentiâ tran situr in ipso transitu laqucus concupiscentiae insidiatur as laying a snare in those wayes wherein we most walk and such an one whereby even Adam in Innocency was catcht 5 This one is an inlet to all sin He who is overcome with this is not able to overcom any sin It having possession of the gate of man his mouth le ts easily into him the whole troop of Vices It is the Divels bridle which he putting into the mouth of a sinner turns him any way at his pleasure When the iron is hot the Smith can fashion it how he will A gluttonous person is Soyl so till'd manured and moistned by Satan that its fit to receive any seed that he shall cast into it Cruelty Uncleanness Security Profaneness c. all grow in that Soyl. 6 Gluttony is the Source and Nurse of all Diseases It must needs be unhealthful to carry a fen within one Luke 12.45 Ille optimus medicus sibi qui modicus cibi Immodicis brevis est atas rara senectus-Vbicunque quae rit caro refectionem invenit defectionem Aug. Ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Temperance is the noblest Physick The inordinate life is not patient enough to stay for sickness Our food becomes by Gluttony in stead of a Plaister a wound The Glutton digs his grave with his teeth and is a self destroyer They who most follow most flye from pleasure Having taken their leave of an hours pleasure they oft meet with a yeeres paine The temperate person only enjoyes the sweetnesse of the Creature 7 This sin is the ruine and hazard of mens Estates The very word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luxury properly signifieth the not preserving or keeping of the good which we enjoy How many have swallowed their estates down their throats Prov. 23.21 The Drunkard and the Glutton saith Solomon shall come to poverty The Philosopher askt of the frugaâ— Citizen but a penny but begged of the Prodigal a Talent Because he thought of the one he might beg oft of the other who spent so fast he was like to receive but once 8. Subtrabunt abore Dei in suis membris quod ponunt in ore Diaboli Parisiens It s a sin most injurious to the poor The Gluttons superfluity causeth and increaseth the poors scarciâ—y As the spleen grows so the other parts decay and as the Riotous abound so the poor wants and none â—re so willing to let Lazarus starve at their gate as they who fare sumptuously every day 9 It makes way for eternal emptiness and scarcity He who hath here been unprofitably a gulph to devour Gods Blessings shall hereafter be thrown into a gulph of misery wherein there is not a drop of Mercy How poor is that plenty which makes way for eternal penuty
that perfect holinesse required to the seeing of God Per mortem defecantur ut fomite pecati cum corpere mortue ad immortaiitatemp puri resurgâ—nt Rivet in Geâ— exerc 48. prop. fin and therefore that they were to be cleansed by death that with their body of flesh they laying off the corruption of their nature might arise pure and spotlesse to immortality The consideration whereof should put the strongest and those who are most likely to live upon a constant and serious meditation of death and warn them not to expect immortality in this life but daily to wait for their certain and appointed change That blessed saint now with God Mr. Richard Rogers who was another Enoch in his age Sometime of Wâ—â—hersfield in Essex my Dear and deceased Grandfather a man whose walking with God appeared by that incomparable directory of a Christian life his book called the Seven Treatises woven out of Scripture and his own experimental practise sometime said in his life time That he should be sorry if every day were not to him as his last day Every morning we arise let us say Art thou my last day or do I look for another Let us live as if we were alwaies dying and yet as such as are ever to live In short the successions and conclusions of generations should put us upon holiness of life as for the preserving a sweet and precious remembrance of our selves in that generation which followes so especially that we may by our holy example transmit holinesse to posterity that we with Enoch walking with God the Church of God and a seed of Saints may be continued as much as in us lies in our line And truly as otherwise we shall die while we live in the world so hereby we shall live when we are taken out of the world and be like Civet which when t is taken out of the box leaves a sweet savour behind it 4. Observ 4. All issue from Adam As Enoch was so all others were and are from Adam from him all descend by natural propagation He was the root all others but branches he the fountain all others but streams All were hewen out of this rock an observation which puts us upon sundry useful considerations It teacheth us humility As we were from Adam so he was from the dust of the earth and that dust from nothing Our father was Adam our grandfather dust our great grandfather nothing They who are proud that they can derive their pedigree so far as Adam may be humble if they would goe a little farther Remember whence thou art and consider whither thou shalt goe nothing so unsuteable as pride for a clod of the earth A man can never have too low thoughts of himself but in the bowing down his nature to accompany with sin He who would not endure pride in the Angels of heaven wil not endure it in dust and ashes and such even great Abraham calls himself a fitter stile then most illustrious high and mighty invincible c. When thou art mounting up in proud and self-admiring thoughts remember thou art from Adam earthen Adam Agathocles a potters son when he came to be King humbled himself with setting earthen vessels on his cupboard If dust be sprinkled upon the wings of Bees their noises hummings risings wil they say quickly cease when thou beginnest to grow proud sprinkle thy thoughts with this remembrance I am but dust Further we may hence gather the wonderful power of Gods blessing that of one so many millions should come from one root such multitudes of branches God can blesse one into millions and blast millions again into one into nothing Gods powerful benediction multiplied Adams numerous off-spring He whom God blesseth shall be blessed he whom God curseth shall be cursed We see the way to thrive in any kind the blessing of God maketh rich and without it thy own industrious endeavours will not help thee he cursed the fig-tree and it withered up at the roots More particularly we see from whom to beg the increase of posterity It is from God that Jacob expected and desired in his blessing that Ephraim and Manasseth should grow into a multitude Gen. 48.16 See also Ruth 4.11 12. Hence also we may observe the goodnesse of God in continuing the blessing of increase to Adam even after his fall that sinful Adam should be the father of such a posterity God might have said here is enough of one man and too much I le suffer no more to be of the kind We destroy poysonful and hurtful creatures that they may not breed But mark further that merciful power of God to cause a holy off-spring a sanctified seed though not such as coming of yet to come of a sinful faln parent that God should make white paper of dunghil rags that any of Adams unsanctified nature should partake of the divine nature in a word that Enochs should be from Adam Truely there was more mercy discovered in the changing one Enoch than there would have been justice put forth in condemning a whole world In a word how should this our derivation from the first put us upon labouring to get into the second Adam he who is but a man a son of Adam is a miserable man a child of wrath How careful should we be to get off from the old dead poysonful root and stock and to be branches ingrafted into and growing upon the living life-giving stock the Lord Christ In Adam saith the Apostle all dye and in Christ all are made alive as we have born the image of the earthly so should we be restlesse til we bear that of the heavenly 1 Cor. 15.49 5. It is our duty prudently to take our best advantages for truths advancement Thus Jude alledgeth here the prophesie of such a person as might in likelihood most draw respect and credit Of this before pag. 22. part 1. on these words the Brother of James Secondly in the preface here used by Jude before the prophesie the performance of Enoch is to be noted and that was his prophesying Jude saith that he prophesied of these EXPLICATION Three things may be enquired into by way of explication 1. What our Apostle intends in this place by prophesying 2. How Jude came by or whence he received the prophesie of Enoch 3. why he alledgeth and instanceth in this particular prophesie 1. For the first the word prophesie is in Scripture taken five several waies 1. See Diodats annotations on 1 Cor. 11.5 Sometimes it signifies no more then to be present at the publick Ministry and to partake of the doctrine thereof Thus I understand it in that place 1 Cor. 11.5 Every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head for otherwise women were not allowed to speak in the Church 2. Prophesie is taken for the written word 2 Pet. 1.20 3. Elsewhere to prophesie signifieth to expound interpret and apply the Scriptures to the edification of
by Jannes and Jambres Jacobs worshipping upon the top of his staffe Moses his saying that the sight upon the mount was so terrible that I exceedingly fear and quake Thus it is said that Josephs feet were hurt with fetters and that he was laid in irons all which passages being no where mentioned in their proper stories were received by tradition from generation to generation the Spirit of God nevertheless sanctifying them and giving them the stamp of divine authority to be most certain and infallible by putting the penmen of holy writ to insert them into the Scripture And by this which hath been said we answer those who argue against the canonicalness of this Epistle from Judes alledging as they conceive an apocriphal Author or his bringing in a tradition no where recorded in Scripture the * If be did cite it out of any Author citing of these by our Apostle being so far from making him apocryphal that he makes them so far as he useth them canonical as also we hereby answer the Papists who because the Apostles have sometimes transferred some things from humane writings and tradition into holy Scripture take the boldness to doe the like also and to joyn traditions with the holy Scripture they not considering that they want that spirit of discerning which the Apostles had who by making use of traditions gave them divine authority They were immediately acted by the holy Ghost in all their writings but we are not endowed with the same measure of the Spirit and therefore neither are able nor ought to imitate them herein The third thing to be explained is why the Apostle alledged and instanced in this particular prophesie of Enoch The reasons why Jude made choice of this prophesie may be reduced to these two heads 1. The first taken from the prophet 2. The second from the prophesie it self And the consideration of the prophet Enoch induced Jude to use the prophesie because the Prophet was 1. Eminent for his antiquity he was the seventh from Adam This seems to put great respect upon the prophesie as if Jude had said The sins of these seducers which had judgment threatned against them almost from the very beginning of the world so many thousands of years before they were committed must needs be hainous and odious now when these sinners are acting them and those sins which God hath so anciently threatned wil at length be most severely punished 2. This prophet was famous both for his piety and priviledges of the former of which before he was not only eminent for his piety in walking with God which was his own benefit and for his publick usefulnesse in warning and instructing that corrupt age in which he lived keeping up the name of God in the world opposing the profaneness of his times but also for that glorious and before unheard of priviledg of being taken to God who thereby proclaimed him to be fit for no company but his own and one for whom no place was good enough but heaven a child though sent abroad into the world as the rest yet whom his father so tenderly loved that he would not suffer him to stay halfe so long from home as his other children One who had done much work in a little time and who having made a proficiency in that heavenly art of holines above all his fellows had that high degree of heavenly glory conferd upon him long before the ordinary time 2. Prophetia est mentis illuminatio ad res futuras cognoscendas reveiante Dco In respect of the sutableness of the Prophesie it selfe to Judes present occasion And 1. it was most sutable in respect of its certainty it was a Prophesie Enoch prophesied he spake from God not uttering his own inventions but Gods inspirations the foretelling of things to come being a divine prerogative and such which without revelation from God the creature cannot attain Luc. 1.70 And the scripture assures us that it was God who spake by the mouth of his holy Prophet which have been since the world began How sutable was it to produce a prophesie sure to be sulfild coming from God by the mouth of an holy prophet against these fearlesse scorneful sinners who mockt at the last judgment 2. Of its severity what prophesie more fit for the secure scorners then a prophesie of judgment the last universall undvoidable unsupportable eternall judgment They might possibly slight the particular examples of Gods judgments upon the Angels the Sodomites the Israelites but the arrow of the generall judgment prophecyed of by Enoch against all the ungodly would not perhaps be so easily shaken out of their sides If any denunciation could affect them surely it would be that which was propheticall and if any propheticall denunciation that of the last judgment If the last judgement hath made heathens tremble Qui male vivit judicandum se diffidit Chrysol s 5.59 when but discourst of before them how should it dismay those who profess to know God when threatned against them How bold in sin are they who will not fear the judgment Si unicum timendum scire quae in illo sunt punienda non ageret Greg. in Job 19. How can he who beleeves judgment to be dreadful but dread to do that which shall be punisht in that judgment Even the devils at thel â—ight of their Judg trembled to think of their judgment Mat. 8.29 OBSERVATIONS 1. Obs 1. Honorandi propter imitationem non adâ—randi propter religionem Aug. de ver rel cap. 55. 1 Cor. 11.1 Adorantur Crucem et vendunt Crucifixum The greatest honour to departed Saints is to imbrance their holy instructions Enochs person was not to be worshipt but his prophecye to be believed Saints are to be honourd by following of their doctrines by imitation of their practices not by religious adoration It s easie to commend their memories by our words and to reverence their reliques but the art of Christianity appears in praising them with the Language of our Conversations The bark of a tree may be carryed upon a mans shoulder without any paine or difficulty but it requires strength and labour to carry away the body of the tree the outside or shell of superstitious Popish adorations men easily performe the heart and life of religion which is that of the heart and life men cannot away with The Pharisees who painted the sepulchers of the deceased Prophets opposed their piety as also those holy ones in their times who were acted by the same spirit of holiness which shew'd it self in those Prophets of old The Jewes who boasted that they had Abraham for their father did not the works of their father Abraham but of their father the Devil Many are like Samson that took honey out of the dead lion voice dead ancient saints to be sweet and holy men who were they alive to roare upon them for their lusts would oppose and hate them the right way then to
with sin they sin of infirmity and weâ—kness with the purpose of their hearts Acts 11.23 they cleave to the Lord though by sin they be diverted from their holy resolutions and turned out of the way they overtake not sin but are overtaken by it like a good marks-man they aim and level right at the mark though Satan and their own unregenerate part sometime jogging them as it were by the elbow make them in their performances swerve and deviate from the fame Nor do the godly goe about sin with the witty wickedness and skilfulness of the ungodly they are brought up to another trade being thildren in malice and men in understanding they are under the captivity of sin which though it may haply have a victory and exercise tyranny over them as an usurper doth not exercise a raign over them as a King they are taken sometime in a tentation by that which the Apostle calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 7.23 a captivating law which as by the point of the spear or edg of the sword forcibly overcomes them but it doth not bring their whole wil to a compleat consent and subjection to it they do what they hate Rom. 7.15 there is ever something in them which hates sin which though it doe not alway succeed to prevent sin yet it doth alway supply with repentance after the commission of sin In discordiâ s caruis et spiritu non facile obtinetur tam perfecta victoria ut etiam quae sunt abrumpenda non illigent et quae sunt intersicienda non vulne rent Leo dâ— jejun sep mens ser and though some kind of consent went before to conceive sin yet it shall not follow after to allow it being committed Of these things more before concerning walking in the way of Cain Obs 2. The wicked sin not of infirmitie They do not fall into but follow sin they are not pull'd into sin against their wil or unawares but they wallow in it they are not surprized by sin but they sel themselves to it not sinning frailely but ungodlily they are not after purpose to walk in the waies of Gods commandment withdrawn unawares out of the way but they please themselves in wandring and like the beggar they are never out of their way or truly displease themselves for being so when they are most so let no wicked man then flatter himself by preending such a sin is his infirmity sins of weakness are not committed wickedly nor is there wanting so much strength in any saint as to strive against them and to arise up from them 3. The manner of committing sin is that which shall condemn Obs 3. As the manner of doing good is that which commends a good action so the manner of committing evil is that which makes it most deformed in Gods sight There is no sin shall condemn which is not committed wickedly that which is sincerely opposed and repented of shal never destroy when the Virgin cried out she was not to dye In stead of destroying us for it we shall be delivered from it Hence 't is that sundry sins of the wicked mentioned in Scripture were more severely punished then those committed by the godly though as to the nature of the sin it self the later seemed much more hainous A child of God sins not so neither shall he smart as doth the sinner This briefly for the first sort of causes or matters about which the wicked shal he judged their ungodly deeds which they have ungodlily committed Non nulli codices post 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 addunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lorin Sed verba per verbum loquendi satis intelliguntur Jd. The second followes viz. their hard speeches spoken against him EXPLICATION The words hard speeches are comprised in this one word in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hard which one word hard must nevertheless be restrained to speeches Vis Graecae vocis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 duritiem importat ex ariditate quam ariditatem spiritualiter habent hi quorum cor durum est et quorum anima dici potest sine aquâ quia humore gratiâ— destituutnur Lorin inloc Ut ea quae dura sunt tactui resistunt ita probra et maledicta Gnosticorum à rect â ratione maxime abâ—orrent Justinian in loc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Sam. 3 39. 2 Sam. 2.17 Isa 14.3 Isa 21 2 chap. 27.8.48.4 Cant. 8.6 in respect of the word which followes namely spoken This word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hard according to the force of its own signification imports that hardness which comes from the dryness of a thing and which thereby is unpleasing harsh rugged and so hurtful to the touch and works or words may be said to be hard when they are grievous harsh unpleasing churlish rough Thus Exod. 1.14 it is said that the Egyptians made the lives of the Israelites bitter according to the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with hard bondage 1 Sam. 5.7 his Gods hand is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sore upon us and upon Dagon our God So it is said of Nabal 1 Sam. 25.3 that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 churlish and evil c. 1 Kings 12.4 is mentioned the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grievous service of Solomon 1 Kings 12.13 The King answered the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 roughly or as here in Jude hard speeches Joseph spake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 roughly Matth. 25.24 I knew that thou art 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an hard man By these hard speeches therefore Jude intends though not such as were afflictive hurtful to Christ for as our good words cannot benefit him so neither can our bad ones harm him yet such as among men are accounted harsh grievous and offensive such as were spoken in opposition contempt obstinacie stubbornness against him And thus two waies they spake hard speeches against Christ 1. Directly when they spake falsely blasphemously and irreverently againsthis person natures or offices And of this I have spoken largely before pag. 364 c. 2. Indirectly they spake against him 1. In speaking against his word and 2. The persons whom he would have them reverence 1. For his word they deride and mock at its promises which they voiced to be encouragements to them to live as they list The gospel of grace they turn into laciviousness and profess that it gives them liberty to cast off all obedience and therefore all the precepts they say are antiquated and of no other use now then to shew from what they are delivered The purity and holiness required therein they deride as needless niceness as the fetching of a wearisome compasse and the going the farthest way about in the journey and course of Christianity The threatnings of the word they securely scoff at as if they were but empty sounds reports without bullets thunder-claps without bolts they scorn to be stopped in their carnal and sensual prosecutions as did they of old by the foretelling of
a flood by the denunciation of a day of judgment they scoffingly enquiring where is the promise of his coming 2 Pet. 3. They look upon examples of judgment as fables or nothing at all concerning them the examples of divine patienâ—e they boldly turn into presumption with Lamech Gen. 4.4 If Cain be to be avenged seven fold surely Lamech seventy and seven fold Justinian in loc 2. They speak against him in speaking against the persons of others their governors and superiors they reproach and speak evil of dignities Of which largely ver 8. Though they allowed not the Magistrate to use the sword against them yet did they abuse that which was sharper then a sword against him Against private Christians they spake 1. boastingly and proudly And thus Psal 31.18 Davids enemies spake hard things proudly and Psal 94.4 they spake hard things and boast themselves namely by threatning such things which were grievous to be born insufferable and insupportable they herein resembling the waves of the sea which in their proud swelling seem to threaten the swallowing up of ships and shore 2. They speake hard things against Christians by slandering and defaming them cassing undue aspersions upon them 1 Pet. 4.4 because these could not find they made and minted many accusations against them and that both by uttering those things against them which were false and evil as also by uttering true things after a false and sinful manner as by blazing of secret infirmities amplifying offences beyond their due proportion lessning and depraving the good which was in or done by them perverting and destroying the sense and meaning of their words 3. They speak hard things against Christians by censuring and judging them they uncharitably passed sentence against their persons and practices voicing the former to be hypocrites because they would not be prophane and to have no more then because they had so much as the appearance of holiness they judged harshly of their future estate and of those actions which to these censurers were unknown for they spake evil of what they knew not they ever judged the worst 4. They spake hard things by mocking and deriding the godly the holy strictness and preciseness of the Saints occasioned their scorn These libertines derided them as if they had made an idol of conscience because they durst not run wiâ—h them to the same excess of riot They turned the glory of holy men into shame for that which made the godly more then men they abused them as children Luke 23.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As in likelihood those sturdy Gyants in Enochs time scoffed both at his purity and predictions so did these sensual monsters mock at the Christians both for their being such manner of persons and also for the motive of their being so the promise of the coming of Christ to judgment OBSERVATIONS Obs 1. 1. The excellency of any way or persons exempts them not from hard words Even Christ himselfe hath hard words utterd against him Christ endured and therefore he had the Contradiction of sinners Where wicked men cannot finde they will make a cause to speak against Christ and rather then they will have none at all this shall be it that they can finde none The good word of the ungodly is no Commendation to the commended what evill have I don said one to a wicked man that thou shouldst speak well of me A man is much known by those who accompany and commend him the Commendation of sinners since Christ had their Contradiction should rather make thee suspect then sooth thy selfe If thou wilt be like Christ in being holy thou must be like him in being disgraced Expect not to have the good word of sinners nor be troubled for wanting it In short let us not think the worse of Christ or his wayes because they meet with the unkinde word of the world rather let us be so experimentally acquainted with the worth and goodnesse of both that we may be able to confute the hard words of the wicked to say we have found Christ good when others shal give him hard words nay that we may be the more incited to speak for Christ the more ungodly men speak against him To conclude let us be harsh to our lusts and to our sinfull natures and be sensible of the harshnesse and hurtfulnesse of sin and then we shall both account Christ good and speak good not hard words of him 2. Obser 2. A wicked tongue is rugged harsh grating It speaks hard things It is not made of bone nor is there a bone in it as some observe but yet it utters words that are harder then bones yea sharper than swords It hath made incurable gashes in the name the poyson latent in and vented by the tongue is deadly The mockings of the tongue are call'd cruell Many men have adventurd to lose their lives rather than they would endure the rugged and unpleasing expressions of the tongue Reproaches are like the living Coals of Juniper which burne hotest and some say they may be kept a whole year Psal 120.4 The tongue like fire though it be a good servant is a bad master The Unicorns horne is very salubrious and beneficiall when the apothecary useth it in his shop but very hurtfull when upon the head of that fierce and wilde creature Hence we should be warned to take heed of having a tongue hurtfull to others as also to labour to shâ—eld our selves with innocence and patience against this cruelly cutting instrument and to finde that the ruggednesse and harshnesse of others tongues may be onely as a file or wisp to take away the rust and filth of our corruption remembring that even the best Saints oft want the rubber of a sinners tongue to make them clean and that they may make as good an use of the reproaching tongue of an Enemy as of the reproving or comforting tongue of a friend and that hereby the swords of the tongue shall let out the corruption of their soares and doe them good against the will of their Enemies 3. Obs 3. For our words we are responsible before the tribunall of Christ Words passe away in respect of the sound not in respect of the guilt and effect even of idle words men shall give account Matth. 12.26 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worklesse words which benefit not and administer no grace to the hearer how much more then for hurtfull words If a man may sin by silence how much more by hurtfull speaking The sins of the tongue much dishonour God Of all creatures man alone had the glory of speech bestowd upon him and indeed to what end should an irrationall creature be furnisht with language his tongue was to proclaime his reason and that by setting forth the glory of his Maker Man was made to glorifie God and the tongue is that instrument whereby he should principally doe it To offend God then by the tongue is to fight against him with
his own weapon and to turne his own artillery upon himselfe Further the sinfull tongue of all other parts doth most hurt to others not onely by vexing and afflicting them with calumnies reproaches disgraces but also infecting them and scattering its poison to tempt and draw to sin and error How great should our care be to throw the salt of grace into the streames of our words to labour that our speech should be alway gracious Col. 4.6 and as the Apostle speaks seasond with salt and that both by cleansing the fountaine the heart for if the stomack be corrupt the breath will be unsavory as also by setting a watch before the doore of our lips and by giving entrance to no expressions but such as can bring a passe from the scripture adding to that double guard the teeth and lips with which nature hath hedgd in the tongue a third namely the fear of God which is the best keeper both of heart and tongue alwayes remembring that though words seem to vanish and to dye as soone as we have spoken yet that our words have not done with us when we have done with them but that even of our seemingly perisht expressions and forgotten if sinful words shall we at the last day be convinced The arrowes of our words shot so high that they seem to be lost and out of sight will afterward fall upon the heads of those who shot them up 4. Obs 4. Christ accounts the words spoken against his as utterd against himself These troublesome ruggedtongued sectaries handled the names of others as we have heard rudely but at the last day Christ will convince them of these hard speeches their foolish tongues shall recoyl upon themselves and rebound like an arrow shot against a brazen wall from the reviled innocents to the nocent revilers Jesus Christ wil give his Saints more then treble damages nay fourfold restitution for all the reproaches which they have sustained sinners shal restore the stoln reputations of Saints and that with interest It is a righteous thing with God to render tribulation to all who even this way trouble his people Christ wel knowes that all the hard speeches against his servants were uttered for his sake because they did not run with the wicked to the same excess of riot they were therefore followed by them with excessive reproaches David said it was for his sake that Saul killed the Priests of the Lord he could not come at David and therefore he destroyed his friends The wicked cannot reach the person and therefore they tear the picture but Christ wil hereafter suffer none to be losers by him that have been losers for him the revilings uttered against Saints wil at the last appear to have been spoken against the truly great ones the favorites of the King of glory Were ye not afraid saith God to Aaron and Miriam to speak against my servant Moses He speaks to them as slandering a great person Ver. 16. These are murmurers complainers walking after their own lusts and their mouth speaks great swelling words having mens persons in admiration because of advantage IN this verse our Apostle excellently applyes the forementioned prophesie of the last judgment unto these seducers shewing by sundry apt and pregnant proofs that these seducers were guilty of that ungodliness for which the wicked at the last day were to be judged And they discover their ungodlinesse these four wayes 1. By being murmurers complainers 2. Their following their lusts 3. Their boasting speaking great swelling words 4. Their admiration of mens persons 1. They discover their ungodliness by shewing themselves Murmurers Complainers EXPLICATION I shall herein shew two things 1. Who are here meant by murmurers complainers 2. Why Jude expresseth himself against them or what is the greatnesse or hainousnesse of this their sin in being murmurers complainers 1. For the first who are here meant by murmerers complainers The first word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 murmurers imports an expressing of discontentednesse against another in our words and that not aloud with an high voice but with a voice somewhat low muttering and grumbling The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comes say some from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grunnio Suum more grunnire murmure leuis aquae strepitus denotatur et a graeco verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 descendere videtur to grunt as fat swine and so imports secretly to speak against others saith Gerard with hatred and impatience Thus Matth. 20.11 They who received but a penny for their work thinking themselves wronged 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 murmured against the good man of the house and the Scribes and Pharisees 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 murmurred against Christ and his disciples for eating with publicans and sinners And John 6.14 the Jewes murmurred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against him because he said he was the bread of life Submissâ voce mussitare So ver 43.61 of the same chapter So 1 Cor. 10.10 neither murmur ye 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as some of them also murmured 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and were destroyed of the destroyer though sometime as Beza notes the word is taken for any close secret whispering of a matter without offence and indignation as Joh. 7.12.32 yet most frequently and properly it is used in the former signification This mumuring may be either against men or against God himself the word here used by Jude by its own force signifies not one more then another Against man have men frequently murmured as the Israelites against Moses and Aaron nor is any thing more usual then for people to murmur especially against their Governors out of envy impatience or discontent a sin questionless which these seducers were deeply guilty of who despised dominions and spake evil of dignities and yet because the Apostle had accused them for that sin before ver 8. and also threatned destruction against them for it ver 11. Because also the next word Complainers wherein the Apostle shewes the cause of their murmuring notes a complaining of that lot portion condition set out by God for us I rather conceive that this murmuring here with which Jude chargeth these seducers was their muttering of impatient discontented expressions against God himself with whom they were angry and displeased a distemper which allowed is an evident sign of an ungracious ungodly heart the thing which also Jude here intends to prove and contrary to that quiet and silent submissiveness of the godly who with Davd are dumb and open not their mouth because the Lord doth it Psal 39.9 who wil be pleased with God and with whatever he doth when he is most angry with them who wil justifie him when he seems to condemn them A sin likewise is this murmuring against God of which the ungodly Israelites are frequently accused As Deut. 1.27 Exod. 15.24 and for which they were severely punished Concerning those who by murmuring shewed themselves displeased with God the Apostle tels us that God was
two respects might their words be called swelling 1. in respect of the things that they spake 2. Of their manner of speaking them 1. In respect of the things they spake and that 1. of God and so they might speak great swelling words against him either when they blasphemed him in their murmuring and complaining of his providences or otherwise in uttering blasphemous expressions against his glorious and divine excellencies We read of those who set their mouth against the heavens Psal 73.9 and of the beast it s said Rev. 13.5 That there was given him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies * 2 Thes 2.4 Oraclis vocis mundi moderaris babenas Et merito in terris crederis esse Deus Omnia quae Dei quae Christi sunt sibi usurpat Tollit pec cata mâ—ndi dominans à mari ad mare Leo de tribu Judae Radix David mundi Salvator Antichrist exalteth himself above all that is called God Pope Nicholas blasphemously decreed that the Pope was not subject to the secular power because God could not be judged by man The Pope calls himself a god on earth to him he saith is given all power in heaven and in earth he takes away the sins of the world he is the lion of the tribe of Judah the Saviour of the world c. 2. They might speak great swelling words in respect of others 1. Magistrates of whom they spake evil and whom they despised and from subjection to whom they openly professed that they were exempted 2. Illi acclamatur Tu es omnia et super omuia tibi data est omnis potestas in coelo et in terrâ Vid. Paraeum in Apoc. 13. v. 3 Their words in respect likewise of common persons might be swelling as 1. by threatning curses against them who would not embrace their errors Threatning words are swelling words Thus Goliah Rabshakeh Jezabel Benhadad uttered their swelling threats 2. By great and swelling defamations making their throats open sepulchres to bury the names of those who opposed them they being valiant in calumniation but weak in consutation they spake evil of what they knew not 3. By promising great and admirable priviledges of peace pleasure liberty to those who would embrace their errors Thus we read 2 Pet. 2.18 while they spake great swelling words of vanity they allure others through the lusts of the flesh i.e. by promising pleasure and v. 19 they promised them liberty like Mountebanks they proclaimed the vertue of their salves the better to put them off Thus the false prophet Zedekiah making him horns of iron promised that with those the King should push the Syrians til he had destroyed them Thus the divel that great Seducer promised to Christ all the kingdomes of the world and their glory if he would fall down and worship him Matth. 4.9 3. Their words were swelling in regard of Omnes tument omnes scientiam pollicentur ante sunt perfecticatechumeni quam edocti Ipsae mulieres haereticae quam procaces quae audeant do cere contendere exorcismis agere curationes repromittere forsan et tingere Tert. de praescrip c. 41. themselves and those of their own party whom they voiced and cried up with ful mouths for their knowledge and piety hence they arrogated to themselves the title of Gnâ—sticks or knowing men and perfect ones they commended themselves as if they alone had the monopoly of wisdome and had only insight into deep and profound mysteries as if all others in comparison of them were poor short-sighted people and as far short of them for quick-sightednesse as the owl is short of the Eagle Thus Tertullian describes them when he saith They all swel they all promise wisdom they are perfect catechumens before they are taught how mallapert are the very women who are so bold as to teach contend c. Iraeneus likewise describing the pride of the Gnosticks saith Perfectos seipsos vocant quasi nemo possit exaequari magnitudini agnitionis ipsorum nec si Paulum aut Petrum vocas vel alterum quendam apostolum sed plus omnibus se cognovisse et magnitudinem agnitionis solos ebibisse esse autem se in altitudine supra omnem virtutem c. Iren. l. 1. c. 9. Matrem habent iniquitatis suae superbiam dum semper se scire altiora jactitant Hier. in Hos 5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Paedag c. 6. Indicatur haereticos resonare vociferari mugire sonum sine fructu emittere in clamore vocisque contentione victoriae summam constitnere Lorin in 2 Pet. 2.18 they call themselves perfect as if none were able to equalize them for the greatnesse of their knowledg as if Peter or Paul or any of the Apostles were inferior to them for knowledge the greatnesse whereof they make as if they had drunk up and devoured boasting of such an height as if they were above all vertue Pride saith Jerom is the mother of their iniquity while they boast of their knowledg in the highest mysteries They thinke higher of themselves saith Clemens Alexandrinus then ever did the Apostle Arius that pestilent heretique as Athanasius reports proudly boasted that he had received his doctrine from the elect of God men that knew God and had received the anointing of the Spirit But concerning the high boastings of heretiques I have spoken before part 1. pag. 270. as also p. 322 c. of this part 2. They might be said to speak swelling words in respect of the manner of speaking those things which they utterd and that both in respect 1. Of their voice and 2. Stile 1. In respect of their voice it might be with that hight and loudnesse which savoured of a proud boysterousness Peter 2 Ep. 2.18 mentioning their speaking great swelling words useth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifies their lifting up their voices and making a great noise a bellowing or roaring like beasts as if these seducers placed their victory in the loud Contention of their voices Thus the Idolatrous Ephesians lifted up their voices to the hight when they cride out with so much rage Great is Diana of the Ephesians Act. 19.28.34 2. In respect of their stile or phrase wherein they utterd what they spake It hath been the course of seducers to speak bubbles of words sublime straines strong lines big and new expressions that they being not understood may be admired what they want in the weight of matter they make up in the perswasivenesse of wooing words Their novell doctrines were clothed with new and formerly unheard of expressions They layd aside the forme of wholsome words 1 Tim. 1.13 1 Tim. 6.3.4 Or as Chrysosteme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 new coynd expressions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Disputationes instituunt de rebus obscurioribus eas etiam sermonis inumbrando novâ quadam obscuritate et vocabulorum recens excogitatorum barbaric Lor in 2 Pet. 2.13 consented not to it but being proud they doted
about strifes of words their speeches in this respect are aptly by the Apostle twice call'd vaine-bablings Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meere empty cracks of words windy expressions without any substance Thus Paul Rom. 16.18 tells us of some that by good words and faire speeches by a winning meretricious wording of what they delivered deceived the hearts of the simple and Peter 2 Pet. 2.3 with fained words they make merchandise of you They resembled merchants who commend their wares to sale by using false words fitted to that purpose Seducers doctrines like some empty boxes in the Apothecaries shops or some forry book that the Stationer hath a minde to put off shall have goodly titles affixed to them And commonly especially at the first broching of an error seducers are wont to shadow and cloud what they utter in obscure and doubtfull expressions and to swath their heresie while it is yet in its infancy in the clouts of obscurity 2. The sinfulnesse of using these great swelling words is considerable 1. In the hypocrisie of it Seducers put beautifull colours upon that which within is blacknesse and rottennesse gay titles upon empty books and boxes they speak lyes in hypocrisie Oh how contrary is this both to a God of truth and the truth of God! they deal with their persons and opinions as some Popes have done who in naming themselves have such names of holinesse imposed upon them as are most contrary to their ungodly natures and dispositions 2. In the seducing others who by hearing the high promises and viewing the holy appearances of godlinesse affixed to opinions and persons are led away to their own destruction after them both Words are too oft esteemed according to the estimate of the speaker Tert. de praescrip contr Haer. cap. 3. Tertullian observes that sundry were edified into error by the example high reputation of those that had fallen into error though we should judg of persons by their faith yet commonly we do judg of faith by persons If men like the cook they wil eat of the meat whether it be wholsome and wel drest or not the having of the gifts and persons of men in admiration hath drawn many to follow their pernicious waies Men of renown like Corahs complices perish not alone and yet is there any who hath not sins enough of his own to answer for unlesse he become likewise a misleader of others and so contract their sins upon himself likewise 3. In the destructivenesss of this arrogant boasting to him who useth it how impossible is it that ever he should blush at those errors and impieties whereof he boasts they who wil speak highly of their own follies are farthest from amendment and by consequence farther from mercy The boasting Pharisee was farther from mercy then the blushing publican Luke 18.12.14 Recovery cannot be obtained but in a way of confession A proud boaster obstructs to himself the way of his own happinesse others may he must miscarry And how hard is it for one who hath spoken highly of his own person or opinion ever to vail his proud and sinful gallantry by an humble and holy retractation OBSERVATIONS 1. Obs 1 None are so ready to commend themselves as they who are least commendable They who are lowest in worth are commonly highest in boasting they who are emptiest of grace swel most with pride Wicked men advance Saints debase themselves Goliah Rabshakeh Senacherib Benhadad Jezabel Nebuchadnezzar c. were all egregious boasters And among other titles which the Apostle gives those wicked men 2 Tim. 3.2 he cals them boasters but mark the language of Saints Abraham calls himself dust and ashes Jacob speaks himself not worthy of the least of all Gods mercies David saith and that as a type of Christ that he was a worm and no man Agur that he was more bruitish than any man and had not the understanding of man When Paul had said that he laboured more then they all he corrects himself by adding not I 1 Câ—r 15.10 but the grace of God with me Though Luke writes that Matthew made Christ a great feast yet Matthew himself saith Christ did eat bread with him As humility makes way for more grace so grace ever makes way for more humility They who have most grace ever most see their own want of grace that which a man boasteth of when he is in his natural estate he blusheth at when God opens his eyes he is now saith the Apostle ashamed of it Rom. 6. Paul a pharisee accounted himself blamelesse and perfect Paul a Christian reckoned himself the chiefest of sinners and the least of Saints Of some we say when they are single they want nothing but a wife but when they are married they want every thing else They who are without grace say they want little or nothing they who have grace see they want every thing they are the poor people who cry in London streets what they have the richest Merchant holds his peace and proclaims not his wealth to the world Besides a wicked man makes himself his end and improveth all his endowments to self advancement and therefore the more wicked the more he sets up himself by boasting of what he hath Moses was a beautiful child and his parents hid him they who have most beauty most hide it a child of God like Moses when God appeared in the bush hides his face and pulls off his shoos covers what is comely and confesseth what is deformed and uncomly Pride then is both a sign and a cause of want of grace a Saint ever sees he hath enough to be thankful and thinks he never hath enough to be proud 2. Obs 2. Self-advancement is a sin and folly to be shunned Let another mans mouth praise thee and not thine own a stranger Laudet te os alienum accuset te os tuum and not thine own lips They who strove in the Olympick games did never when victors put the crown upon their own heads but that honour was done them by another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is our duty to do things worthy of praise our sin and folly to praise our selves for doing them Our works should praise us not our words Humilitas lau dum fugitiva It s said of Greg. Nazianzen that he was high in his performances but low in his opinion It is our duty to carry our selves so as our very enemies may be forced to speak wel of us The sheep only speaks how much it feeds by its wooll milk fatness fruitfulness and some have noted that the word stranger Let a stranger praise c. Pro. 27.2 Nochri sometime signifies an enemy in Scripture But we our selves are of all men the unfittest for that employment praise is comly in thy enemies mouth not comely in thy friends uncomly in thine own The performances which another reporting them appear glorious being related by thy self lose all their luster because they
respect to persons is mentioned When Naaman the Syrian is said to be honourable they render the place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Chron. 19.7 Septuag admired in his person So Deut. 10.17 the Lord regardeth not persons 2. For the second what admiring of persons is to be condemned as unlawfull Certainly all kind of admiring of persons is not unlawfull before God nor disallowed by this Apostle Honour to the persons of others may lawfully be given Even for those gifts and endowments wherewith God hath furnisht them whether outward or inward for the outward glory and majesty which God gave Nabuchadnezar all people trembled and feared before him Dan. 5.19 And God commands honour to parents naturall and politicall and the elders who rule well are to be counted worthy of double honour And some are deservedly preferr'd before others for their age calling gifts graces relation to us But severall wayes admiring of persous is unlawfull I shall reduce them all to these two heads 1. As this admiration of man doth more particularly concerne 1. God 2. Man 1. The admired 2. Man 2. The admirer 2. Man 3. Others 1. As it may concern God And thus we admire men sinfully 1. When we so admire man as that we honour him without eying Gods Command the lowest service must be done in obedience to the highest master our earthly parent must be honoured and admired because our heavenly Father injoynes it An Earthly master must not be honoured and served with an eye onely to his Command but out of Conscience of duty to Gods Command Herein must we resemble that noble Roman who disdaining to bow before a forreigne Prince when he came into his presence let fall his ring which he stooping to take up and thereupon the Prince insulting the Roman utters these words Non tibi sed annulo I bow not to thee but to take up my ring Or as that Frederick Barbarossa who kneeling down before the Pope to receive his Crowne said Non tibi sed Petro not to thee but to Peter The Apostle makes the application when he injoynes servants to be obedient unto Masters as unto Christ not as men-pleasers but as the servants of Christ Eph. 6.6 7. and not as men-pleasers but c. fearing God Col. 3.22 2. When we so admire men as to honour and serve them in those things which they command against God our earthly Lord must be obey'd but our heavenly Lord must be preferred When these two come in Competition we are disobedient unlesse we be disobedient Against my heavenly fathers will I neither owe buriall to my dead nor obedience to my living Father Whether it be right to obey God or man saith the Apostle judg you Ephraim was oppressed and broken in judgment because he willingly walked after the Commandement Hos 5.11 3. When we so admire men for any excellency as not to give the glory thereof to God the sweetnesse of the stream must not make us forget the fountain Men must be honoured as instruments not adored as deities It was cursed and it proved costly flattery which was given to Herod when the people shouted It is the voice of God and not of a man because he gave not God the glory he was smitten and eaten up of wormes Act. 12.22 23. That must not be offered to any which the best never durst take namely the praise of having or doing any thing of themselves How fearfull have holy men been in their highest performances lest any of Gods glory should cleave to their fingers When Peter had wrought that great Miracle of healing the creeple and the people greatly wondered fearing the sinfull admiring of his person he takes all from himselfe and casts all upon Christ Yee men of Israel saith he why look ye stedfastly upon us as though by our own power or holinesse We had made this man to walk The God of Abraham c. hath glorified his Son Jesus c. Barnabas and Paul rent their clothes when the people were about to sacrifice to them I laboured saith Paul more abundantly then they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me 1 Cor. 15.10 Our sufficiency is of God 2 Cor. 3.5 Who is Paul or who is Apollo but Ministers by whom ye beleeved I have planted Apollo watered but God gave the increase So then neither is he that planteth any thing c. 1 Cor. 3.5 6 7. the Corinthians faith was not to stand in the wisdome of men but power of God 1 Cor. 2.5 39. People are commonly in extreames either they deifie men or nullifie them Either they make them dwarfs or Gyants but for people so to admire any men as to ascribe their conversion or edification to them as if men were not onely Gods instruments and Christs servants but Gods and Christs themselves and as if their grace were from the abilities of the teacher and not from the power of Christ is a very plainly sinfull admiring of mens persons even to an unchairing of Christ and a lifting up of man into his Seat to a depriving the shepherd and Bishop of our soules and a substituting another in his roome In a word It is all one as to thanke the ax for building the house and to attribute nothing to the Carpenter Nor indeed is it any other than idolatry 4. When we so admire and honour men as to put that trust and Confidence in them which we owe only to God Thou saith Job art my confidence Job 31.24 He is the confidence of the ends of all the earth Ps 65.5 Put your trust in the Lord. Psal 4.5 Trust in him at all times Ps 62.5 so Psal 37.3 But men though never so full of love skill strength must not have our trust Put not confidence in a guide Mic. 7.5 It is better to trust in the Lord then to put confidence in Princes Psal 118.8 Every man at his best state is altogether vanity Ps 39.5 Cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of Isa 2.22 Man is to be us'd as a wand in our hand not lean'd upon as our staffe or support in subordination to not sin stead of God onely as one that can help us if God will help him as one that of himselfe cannot move or undertake much less accomplish any good for us Oh how oft hath God snapt in sunder all these rotten crutches in England and how many lectures of vanity hath he read upon men in greatest admiration 5. When we so admire men as to fear their power more then Gods Men are sinfully admired both when they being for us appear to us so great as that God need not help us when they being against us they appear so great as that God cannot help us Man is idolized both by looking upon him as one that can work without God much more by looking upon him as able to work against God How sinfully did the Israelites admire
saint themselves and to say If such an one were commendable and voiced by our Minister for a good man I thank God t is much better with me I never was guilty of halfe his extravagancies and I see I may be a good man yea and commended when I am dead notwithstanding my failings so he calls his allowed wickednesses though I be not so pure as such and such are Oh how unsutable is it that by funerall Sermons men should be made more unfit for death to paint those in the pulpit who are punisht in hell and that a Minister should be strewing that dead body with flowers whose soule is bathing in flames For my part though I should not deny due commendation even at a funerall to some eminently exemplary saint or publiquely usefull instrument yet mostly I thinke his speech concerning the deceased may suffice who said If he were good he did not desire If bad he did not deserve praise 2. When we so admire the persons of some instructers as to neglect and despise others who haply deserve better then they the sin of the Corinthians when the Apostle tells them 1 Cor. 3.21 of their glorying in men some teachers being so gloried in peculiarly as if they were onely worth the hearing and none else to be regarded Some accounted Paul the only teacher some delighted onely in Apollo some magnified Peter as the alone worthy man thus they thought of men above what was meet and they were puffed up for one against another They gloryed in some disdaining all others as not to be named with them though teachers of the same truth because they had an high conceit of their learning wit cloquence holinesse or the like qualifications A great sin doubtlesse and I fear the common sin of this City How unthankfull for the bounty of Christ doe men make themselves hereby who gave all the Ministers of the Gospell to be theirs for their good all things saith the Apostle are yours whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas 1 Cor. 3.21 22. It s unthankfulnesse to a bountifull Prince when he bestowes many Lordships on his favourite if he should regard one of them onely and despise all the rest Yea how injuriously is the Spirit of Christ hereby reproached For the despising of those who are of small gifts is a reproaching of the Spirit of God as if he were defective in his gifts whereas their variety sets forth the fulnesse and freenesse of Gods spirit who divideth to every man severally as he will and worketh all these 1 Cor. 12.11 Besides this sin is oft the maine cause of schismes in the Church It makes people to divide themselves under different teachers whom they admire and it causeth teachers to take away those that affect them from other teachers whom they affect not so much Now this sin of schisme in it selfe very great as afterwards shall be shewn God willing on the 19. ver is made much the greater by being occasion'd by those very gifts of men which God bestowed upon them to this end that there might be no scisme in the body but that the members should have the same care one of another 1 Cor. 12.25 Nor is there any sin which doth more expose Christian Religion to so much contempt and obloquy then this kinde of admiring of persons for hereby severall Companies of Christians are made like the severall schools of Philosophers some whereof followed Plato some Aristotle some Epicurus and the doctrines of faith are but accounted as the proper opinions of severall teachers and all zeal for them is conceived to arise not from a certaine knowledge of heavenly truth but from peculiar humour and strength of fancy And how great a stumbling block must this needs be to those who are without how will it hinder them from embracing the truth and lay it open to derision yet further the sinfulness of this sort of man-admiration appears in that hereby both the despised person is so greived and discouraged that he is infeebled and disabled in his work and also he who is admired is not onely puffed up with pride and thereby occasion'd to adulterate the word invent and broach errors that stil he may be advanced above all others by going in a different way from them but also put upon the pleasing of men by sinfull flatteries in stead of profiting them by faithfull reprehensions To conclude this consideration nothing begets so great an aptness in men to receive errors as this sinfull admiration nor hath any seed of heresies and superstitions proved so fruitfull as this affection commonly makes men take down falsities and error is easily received from them whom we much admire and God doth often leave admired teachers to erre for tryal of the people and the punishing of their vanity in making Gods truth to stand at the devotion of the teacher for its acceptance and trampling upon the holy and perhaps learned labours of those who are more seeing and faithfull than the admired 3. When we so admire mens persons as to give all respect to men in outward greatnesse though perhaps wicked despifing the poor Saints because poor this James reproves my brethren have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ in respect of persons James 2. When wickedness in robes is magnified and holinesse in raggs contemned Oh how unworthy is it that the gold ring and costly apparell should be prefer'd before the robe of Christs righteousnesse and the jewel of grace that godliness and good examples should be rejected for their want of a gold ring that he who shall have a throne in heaven must here be a footstool upon earth 4. When Elections and offices are passed and bestowed partially for freindship favour money kinred a sin by much agravated when men have taken oaths to a Corporation to the contrary and it s ost a great tentation to the party who enters by money to sell justice dear 5. When we so admire the person of one as to do injustice in judgment whether Civil or Ecclesiastical which is when our affection doth so blind our judgment by some outward respect or appearance that we will not determine righteously the cause being over ballanced with such forreign considerations as have no affinity with it Thus men are in judicature sometime swayed with foolish pitty sometime with cowardly fear both these the Lord forbids Levit. 19.15 Thou shalt not respect the person of the poor Deut. 1.17 nor honour the person of the mighty This sin would make God a patron of iniquity the sentence being pronounced from God OSERVATIONS 1. Obs 1. The oondition of men in greatest out ward emiuency and dignity is oft very miserable None have so many flatterers and therefore none so few freinds as they flatterers as worms breed in the best fruit When a poor illiterate man is admonished for sin a rich a learned man is admired in nay haply for sin As the bodies so the sonls of Kings and great men
have oftnest poyson given them Hushai humoured Absalom Ziba flattered David the people admired Herod c. Jezabel foothed Ahab out of sadness into sin Ahab had four hundred false Prophets who flatter'd him in to wickedness and and but one faithfull Michaiah to tel him the truth The common sound in the ears of Princes is quod libet licet your will is a law as if they could not be carryed fast enough into sin by the tide of their own nature Canis Aulicus Melius est in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quam in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 incidere unless they be driven also by the wind of flatterers breath The running water hath no certain colour of his own but it s coloured like the soyl which is under it so flatterers fit themselves to every humor Aristippus for his flattering of Dionysins was cal'd the Court-spaniel Flatterers are crows that hover about the carcass of greatness friends in prosperity onely summer freinds like lookers upon a dyal they only regard men when the sun of prosperity shines upon them likelice they leave dead bodies None are so little to be envied by others or so much to be carefull of themselves as they who are in dignity they should much more delight in words that are bitter and wholesome then in such as are sweet and destructive 'T was a holy and wise resolution of David He that walketh in a perfect way he shall serve me Psal 101 6 7. he that worketh deceit shall not dwell with me c. And Psal 141.5 Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindnesse c. Faithfull are the words of a freind but the kisses of an enemy are deceitfull Prov. 27.6 Pro. 27.4 Pro. 28.23 A flattering mouth worketh ruin Prov. 26.28 2. Obs 2. How just is God in stayning the pride of worldly glory The persons of great ones are oft admired and adored as Gods and therefore God makes them often lower than men God oft even smites godly men when they are over admired That late renowned Gustavus of Sweden fear'd as truly as humbly when he said he thought that God would take him off because men too much admired him When we unduly set men up God deservedly pulls them down How many golden calves how much sinfully adored greatness hath God ground to powder of late years in England We are angry that it is done but why are we so well pleased with that sin which did it 3. How sinful is it to admire our own persons Obs 3. If it may be ungodly to admire others in their outward excellencies how much more then our selves who are conscious of so many inward defilements and deformities Concerning self-advancement I have spoken in the last words 4. It is a sin to receive Obs 4. much more to seek for admiration from others If it be a sin to offer it it must be a sin to receive it The receiver of vain-glory is as a theif in Gods account though others bring it to him Ye receive honour one of another If men admire us sinfully against our wills it is not our sin if we close with the tentation we become partners in their wickedness We cannot be too worthy of having praise nor too wary in hearing it All our commendations should fall upon us as sparks upon wet tinder humility should damp all our prayses Siomnes me odissent baberem quod est meum si propter me amarent usurparem quod est tuum Nier dead 414. It s as unsafe for a proud person to have prayses flye about him as for a disarm'd man to stand among flying bullets a gracious heart can only digest both his sufferings and elevations so as neither to be impatient under the former nor to be proud under the latter they alone set every crown of commendation upon the head of Jesus Christ How vain and sinfull is it to hunt after our own bane and Gods dishonour popular applause 5. Obs 5. The proudest spirits are oft the basest These arrogant seducers who spake great swelling words unworthily cringed and basely crouched in the admiring of persons for their own advantage None now are so proud in their highness nor so base in their lowness as they see an evident example in Benhadad who though at first he proudly demanded of Ahab 1 King 10.5 6.10 31.32 his silver and gold wives and children and the plunder of all his houses and brag'd that the dust of Samaria should not suffice for handfulls for his army yet being overcome he sends his servants to Ahab with sackcloath on their loyns and ropes about their necks with a petition for the life of his servant Benhadad See Mr. Pryn in the life of the late A chBâ—shâ—p of Couturbury Job 32.31 32 The late Bi r shops who tyraniz'd over their poor brethren were yet the most servile flatterers even to the servants of the King for their own advantage Oh how different is this temper from that true and heavenly noblenesse of Saints who with Elihu cannot accept any mans persons nor know not to give flattering titles who in their own cause though high they bow as low as the reed yet in the cause of God when they are lowest Flexibiliores arundine duriores adamante they are as stout and strong as the Oak yea as hard a the Adamant There is a silent glory and a secret generosity that discovers it self in the poorest Saint a rich honourable sinner is a begger in robes a poor disgrac'd imprison'd Saint is a King in raggs Paul at the bar discovers more true nobleness and magnanimity than Felix upon the Bench. The former reproved sin and speaks of judgment with courage the latter hears him with a servile trembling the Scribes and Pharisees taught with servile flattery Christ with authourity and not as they 6. Obs 6. It s our duty to preserve our selves from this note of ungodlinesse and practice of ungodliy ones admiring of persons To this end 1. Get an untainted renewâ—d judgement a carnal eye sees nothing glorious but carnal out side objects Moses had a rectified judgement a sanctified estimate he prized the reproach of Christ above the treasures of Egypt Heb 11.26 A skilfull eye discerns the excellency of a picture curiously drawn though it be not adorn'd with gold yea though it be set in a rotten frame and contemns the gaudry of that workmanship which is onely rich and hath nothing of art A rich sinner is but a vile person in a saints eye an honourable leper The four Monarchies in Scripture-emblems are but four beasts violent base sensual Ahab is not worth the looking upon by an holy Elijah as beholders are so will things be accounted the World loves its own a child is taken with a gay more than with the conveyance of a great estate 2. Study the nature of a persons true glory this grace I mean is spiritual hidden not sensible and outward The best of a
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
it Rom. 3.31 Matth. 12.26 The same thing is intended both here and Eph. 5.27 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where the Apostle speaks of Christs presenting to himselfe a glorious Church in which place the word present is taken from the custome of solemnizing a marriage First the Spouse was wooed and then set before or presented to her husband that he might take her for his wife to be with him Thus Eve was presented by God to Adam that he might take her for his wife Gen. 2.22 and Esther was presented to Ahasuerus to which custome Paul elegantly alludes 2 Cor. 11.2 I have espoused you to one husband that I may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Present you as a chaste virgin to Christ And this presentation is said to be before the presence of his glory Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By this glory is meant the beaming forth discovery manifestation of the excellency of Christ before the saints That of which Christ speaks Joh. 17.24 Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me may be with me where I am that they may behold my glory c. By which glory I understand not only that glory of soul and body which he hath in common with the saints subjectively abiding and inherent in him but also that which is bestowed upon the humane nature by the personall union and its exaltation to the right hand of God above all saints and Angels Before the presence of this his glory shall the saints be placed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before it coram Rev. 3.21 in conspectu in the full view of it in a clear and open vision not as having a glymps of this glory right against it The sunshine of Christs glory shall be full upon them and they look full upon it yea so as to be made partakers of it in their measure this Sun looking upon them will make them shine also Mat. 13.42 The wife of Christ shall shine with his beames and be advanced to his dignity so far as she is capable of it she shall eat and drinke with him at his table in his Kingdome Luk. 22.30 and Eph. 5.27 It s said she shall be presented a glorious Church Thus we see this glorious estate is generally propounded But 2. It s particularly exemplyfied and that 1. Negatively and so it s said he will present the saints without spot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 irreprehensible unblameable such as in whom the greatest Carper or strictest and most curious beholder shall not be able to behold any thing amisse no defect of what should be or excesse of what should not be The Church shall not have spot wrinkle or any such thing no staine or scar no freckle or deformity Nothing of staine or contagion received from others no wrinkle no defect of spirituall moysture nothing which may make her seeme uncomely in Christs eye not onely great and heinous sins which are great botches and boyles but every least speck and wrinkle shall be taken away Now sin is subdued but then it shall be rooted out Here saints are freed from the power of it but then from the presence of it also He who will wipe away all teares from the eyes of his Church will undoubtedly take away all matter of mourning from her soule Heaven would not be heaven to a saint could any spot continue in heaven But when sin is gone sorrow must needs flye away if the fountaine be dryed up the streames must needs follow Sin brought in teares and teares shall goe away with sin Because saints shall be presented faultlesse therefore with exceeding joy For 2. This glory is exemplyfied positively With exceeding joy Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word imports an exceeding joy Gaudium gestuosum with an outward leaping dancing or some such cheerfull motion of body an exultation which is exprest in the gesture 1 Pet. 18. Vnspeakable is the joy in the hoping for this glory How great will the joy be of having it A Bunch of grapes greatly delights what then will all the Crop of Canaan It s call'd not only fulnesse of joy Gaudium est quoddam filentinm appetitum c quidam thronus jam considentis affectus quoddam sine sastidio epulum cord is quaedam mors desiderii quidam avaritia limes c. quoddam satis Nieremb de arte vol. l. 1. Prolep 5. but joy it selfe Mat. 25 41. And needs must it be so for what is joy but the quieting and resting of the soule in its object the filling it to the brim with what it desired Joy is the stilling of all our longings a cessation of all our cravings Joy to desire is what rest is in respect of motion When motion ends then comes rest When desire is fill'd then comes joy Now what crevis cranny nook or corner of the soule is there which shall not be satisfied in heaven by the immediate and perfect fruition of that chief good God himselfe who is the heaven of heaven and who shall fill the soule as those waterpots of Galilee were fill'd up to the very brims There shall be no empty spaces left in the soule untaken up He who hath fulness enough to fil himself a vast ocean must needs have enough to fill the soule comparatively a small vessell He who is selfe-sufficient alsufficient must needs be soule-sufficient Thus the person is described in respect of his power 2. He is set forth by his wisedome in these words The onely wise God 1. He is call'd God Of which largely before part 1. pag. 356 357. c. 2. He is call'd wise He oft in scripture hath the name wisdome it selfe Prov. 8.22 23 24. c. Christ is call'd the wisdome of God This his wisdome as here attributed to God is twofold 1. His wisdome of science or theoreticall wisdome whereby he is omniscient and with one immutable eternall act of understanding perfectly sees and perceives observes and knows all things 2. His wisdome of working Job 12.13 whereby he does all things both in respect of Creation and providence with infinite wisdome Oculus mundi according to the former he is said to be a God of knowledge 1 Sam. 2.3 There is no Creature that is not manifest in his sight All things are naked and opened unto his eyes Heb. 4.13 Known unto God are all his works Acts 15.18 He seeth under the whole heaven 2. According to the latter he is said to make all his workes in wisdome Psal 104.24 By wisdome he made the heavens Psal 136.5 Isa 40.28 Psal 92.6 By wisdome hath he founded the earth and stablisht the world Prov. 3.19 Jer. 10.12 c. 3. He is said to be onely wise Not to exclude the wisdome of the Father and holy Ghost but the wisdome of all the Creatures As God the Father is call'd the onely true God not to exclude the Son and holy Ghost And though the Creatures have wisdome yet is not theirs comparable
to Christs nor deserves the name of wisdome 1. For his wisdome of science which is 1 universal perfect compleat He knowes himselfe and all things Joh. 21.17 1 Joh. 3.20 Acts 15.18 Knowne to God are his works Psal 147.5 his understanding is infinite Whereas the greatest part of what man knowes is the least part of what he doth not know 2. Hee knowes things to come Isa 41.23 Men and divells cannot foretell future Contingents but either by Gods discovery Praescientia Dei tot habet â—estes quot facit Prophetas Tert. Potentiae divinâ— extenditur ultra futura or conjecturally His prescience hath so many witnesses as he hath made Prophets 3. He knows all things possible though they never shall actually be his knowledge is as large as his power and his power is such as that he can doe more then he ever will do An artificer may frame that house in his head which he never will set up with his hand God calleth those things that are not as if they were Rom. 4.17 4. He knows all things clearly particularly distinctly All things are anatomiz'd ript up before him Heb. 4.13 His knowledge is not as ours generall or confused We are said to know a man though we know not an hundred things in a man 5. He knowes the least things Every circumstance of every action His knowledge extends it selfe to every hair of the head Matth. 10.30 Every sparrow that lights on the ground 6. He knowes things with one simple view not as man by sense opinion relation reasoning and discoursing and drawing conclusions from proposition and gathering knowledge of that which is lesse knowne by that which is more knowne He is not for knowledge beholding as we are to the images and representations of things which first are printed on our sancy and thence offered to our understanding Hee goes not out of himselfe to the objects for knowledge He knew them before they were 7. â— Chron. 28.9 Jer. 11 24 17.10 1 King 8.39 Psal 139.2 Psal 94.11 Ezek. 14.3 1 Cor. 4.5 Matth. 9.4 Obliviscitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He knows the secretest things even the very thoughts of the heart he knows them when they are hee knows them before they are as what we do think so what we will think he puts thoughts into us he publisheth punisheth reproveth thoughts 8. He knowes permanently nothing slips out He forgets nothing his knowledg can neither bee diminish't nor increas'd And 2. for the wisedome of his working 1. He onely is originally wise the wisdome of the wisest is from him Bezaleels wisdome was bestowed by him hee tiacheth men wisedome all wisedome either speculative or practical is from Christ every candle received light from his The very husbandmans discretion is from God Isa 28.26 2. He onely is exactly perfectly throughly wise all his works for number measure and weight are done to the height of wisedome not one of the creatures could have been made in greater wisdome The fayrest copy that was ever written by the sons of men had some blots and scratches in it The wisest men sometime slip and sleep like the wise virgins 3. Hee onely is irresistibly wise there is no wisedome against him Prov. 21.30 None can goe beyond him He destroyes the wisedome of the wise 1 Cor. 1.19 and bringeth to nothing the understanding of the prudent 3. The person praysed is set forth from his goodnesse and compassion in saving Concerning the meaning of the word Saviour as also from what Christ saves and how excellent a salvation his is see before Part. 1. p. 195.196 197. 2. The second main part of this Doxology is The praise it selfe which is here given to Christ viz. the praise of Glory Majesty Dominion Power All set forth by the duration for ever ever 1. Glory By it I understand that infinite and incomprehensible excellency by which Christ excelleth all and for which he is to be honoured above all The glory of a thing is that excellency thereof Exod. 33.20 which causeth it to be in high esteeme and procureth fame and renown unto it The glory of his essence is the God-head it self When Moses desired God to show him his glory God answered Thou canst not see my face for there shall no man see me and live so that Gods glory is his face and his face is himself This Glory is the fountain of all glory and excellency in the creature All the creatures shine in any excellency with beams borrowed from Gods glory as the stars shine with the light they receive from the Sun And its brightnesse obscureth all other glory The glorious angels have wings to cover their faces otherwise the brightnes of Gods glory would dazle them The glory of God is without measure infinite above comprehension A light to which none can approach 1 Tim. 6.16 When God darted a faint ray of this glory upon Moses's face they were afraid to come nigh him How much more may any creature be afraid to come to God by reason of the incomprehensible shining of his glorious face When the Sun shines the Stars are not seen When Gods glory shines no other is seen 2. Magnifiâ—erâ—ia estâ— erum magnarum excelsatum cum animi ampla quadam splendida propositione agitatio atque administratio Cic de Juvent Majesty Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Majesty or magnificence By this we are to understand that admirable highnesse and greatnesse amplitude splendor dignity of Christ as God which appears principally in his works thereby making himselfe wonderfull Psal 111.3 The works of the Lord are great and called wonderfull The royall Majesty of Solomon Ahasuerus Nebuchadnezzar in their apparell buildings feastings attendance c. were but sordid and contemptible in comparison of Gods Majesty shewn forth in the truth wisedome justice goodnesse power of his works In respect of these the Psalmist saith he is cloathed with honour and Majesty 3. Dominion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifying strength Luk. 1.51 sometime power and by consequent dominion I here understand by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the strength and ability of Christ whereby hee can doe whatsoever hee will This strength and might extendeth it selfe unto every thing that by power may bee done Is any thing too hard for the Lord Gen. 18.14 Psal 115.3 1 Job 4.4 Psa 147.5 Eph. 3.20 21. With God nothing is impossible Luk. 1.37 With God all things are possible Mar. 10.27 He is God Almighty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All things are within the compasse of his power but such as import impotency and imperfection as matters of iniquity contradiction passion infirmity c. All the power of the Creature is derived from and subordinate to this 4. Power Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non est jus proprie sed efficacia talis quae quod vult aequum aut iniquum facile effectum dat Grot. in Joh. 19.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉