Exposition of Jude, Exegesis of Jude · Verse 5 · Part 4
OBSERVATIONS.
1 Knowledg is very commendable in a Chriſtian. For this the Romans are (chap. 15.14.) commended. I am perſwaded, brethren, that ye are full of goodneſſe, 1 Cor. 1.5.filled with all knowledg. For this grace given to the Corinthians, 2 Tim. 3.15.the Apoſtle bleſſeth God. The knowledg of the ſcripture from a child, was the praiſe of Timothy. True wiſdom gives to the head an Ornament of grace, and a crown of glory; it makes the face to ſhine. Pro. 4.9. Eccleſ. 8.1.When the Apoſtle ſaith that ſome had not the knowledg of God, 1 Cor. 15.34.he ſpake it to their ſhame. How little to the honour of others was that complaint of the Apoſtle? that when for the time, Heb. 5.12.they ought to be teachers of others, they had need that one ſhould teach them again, which be the firſt principles, &c. And as Paul ſpeaks of ſome, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledg of the truth. 2 Tim. 3.7.The whole life of an ignorant perſon is an aberration from the rule: Gal. 6.16.he ſayls by no Card. All his actions are wild and roving wandrings. His ſacrifice is the ſacrifice of a fool, Pſal. 119.5.and devout idolatry. He cannot pray, unleſſe it be to the unknown God. He cannot beleeve; Rom. 10.14.for only they can truſt God, who know his name. Pſal. 9.10. John 4.10.Nor can he fear and love God, or deſire Chriſt: Wait therefore on the ordinances (O ye ignorant ones) with humble, hungry ſouls. Be wiſdomes Clyents. Prov. 8.34. Pſal. 25.9 1 Pet. 2.3.Purge your hearts of conceits of a Laodicean fulneſſe. God teacheth only the humble. Taſt the ſweetneſſe of divine truths. Lay up what ye hear. Not he who gets, but hee who ſaves much, is the rich man. Yeild conſcionable obedience to that of Gods will which you know. Hold not the truth in unrighteouſneſſe. The more you practice what you know, the more ſhall you know what to practice: Knowledg is the mother of obedience, and obedience is the nurſe of knowledg; The former breeds the later: the later feeds the former. And yet put not off your ſelves with every kind of knowledge, labour for a ſoul humbling knowledge. Job. ult. 5.6. 1 Cor. 8.2. Job. 5. ult. Prov. 9.12.The more the light ſhines into you, the more you muſt ſee your own imperfections. Every man is ſo much a fool, as he thinks himſelf wiſe. Let your knowledg be applicative. If ye be wiſe, bee wife for your ſelves. Let not knowledg ſwim in the brain, but ſink into the heart. Endeavour to poſſeſſe for thine own, Pſal. 119.104. Joh. 13.17. 1 Joh 2.3.the good of every threatning, command, promiſe. Let your knowledg be influentiall into heart and life; not informing only, but reforming; not as the light of torches, which ſcatter no influences where they ſhine, but as the light of the ſun, which makes the earth and plants green, and growing. He who is rich in knowledg, muſt be plentiful in holineſs; and not like the rich Indians, who have much gold in their poſſeſſions, and go naked and beggarly. In a word, let your knowledg be uſeful and helpfull to others. Know not to know, thats curioſity; nor to be known, thats vain glory; but to do good by your knowledg, thats Chriſtian charity: Knowledg increaſeth in pouring out: And (as ſome have experimentally found it) the Teacher learnes more by the Scholer, than the Scholer by the Teacher.
2 Miniſters ought to commend their peoples proficiencies in holineſſe. Obſerv. 2.Jude here mentions the knowledge of the Chriſtians to their praiſe. When people do what is commendable, Miniſters ſhould commend what they doe. If the former finde matter, Rom. 15.15. 1 Cor. 11.2.the later ſhould find words. I am perſwaded of you (ſaith Paul to the Romans) that ye are full of goodneſſe. And I praiſe you, brethren (ſaith he to the Corinthians) that you remember me, &c. A Miniſters prudent commendation wins that love to his perſon without which the beſt doctrine is often but unprofitable. Rare is it to find that Chriſtian who embraceth a meſſage, which is brought him from a meſſenger not beloved. A wiſe commendation will make a Reproof go down the better. Conſtant chiding is like Phyſick, which being too frequently taken, grows naturall, and therefore proves not operative. Miniſters ſhould be wiſe in chuſing a fit object for commendation; the commendable actions of every one muſt not be preſently commended: ſome can leſſe bear the ſweetneſſe of praiſe, then they can the bitterneſſe of reproof: A little wine will turn a weak brain. Nor ſhould we commend any to flatter, but benefit them; to encourage the humble, not to content the proud. But truly, Chriſtians, 'twere happy for Miniſters, if the time you make them ſpend in weeping and reproving, they might fill with encouraging and cheering you. The work and delight of a Miniſter, is, (with the Bee) to give honey; he puts not forth the ſting, unleſſe you by ſin provoke him. Of this more pag. 183. 184.
3.Obſerv. 3. Col. 3.16. Joh 5.39. Rom. 15.4. Acts 17.11. Every private Chriſtian ſhould be acquainted with the Scripture. It's ſinfull to claſp up the Scriptures in an unknown tongue. The end of the writing the Scriptures, was the inſtruction of every one. None are ſo much commended in Scripture, as thoſe who moſt diligently ſearch'd into it. To private Chriſtians Paul writes ſundry Epiſtles. The ſtudy of Scripture is uſefull and needfull to people, as well as Miniſters: Illumination, Converſion, Direction, preſervation from ſin, Pſal. 19.8.9 Pſal. 119.24.belong to the one, as well as to the other: and if for the abuſe of Scripture, the uſe thereof ſhould be denyed to people, why would Chriſt and his Apoſtles preach and write to thoſe who perverted and wreſted their doctrines? yea, why ſhould not the reading of Scripture be deny'd, not only to ignorant Monks and Prieſts, but erroneous Clerks and Biſhops, from whom by abuſe of Scripture moſt hereſies have proceeded? But whether Satan hath not by his methods wrought us into the other extreme, when in ſtead of generall reſtraint from reading, he puts people upon a generall liberty of preaching and expounding the Scripture, our preſent diſtractions ſufficiently witneſſe.
4.Obſerv. 4. The knowledg of truth is a ſtrong engagement upon Chriſtians to embrace and love it. The Apoſtle, from their knowing the examples, hopefully expects that they will lay them to heart. Truth known and not loved, is unprofitable. Not he who knows a trade, but follows it, grows rich. It will fare ill enough with the ignorant, worſe with the obſtinate; and many ſtripes are reſerved for the oppoſing of much knowledg. But of this before.
5.Obſerv. 5. Miniſters ought not to content the curioſity, but to conſult the benefit of their hearers. They ſhould rather deliver Truths old and uſefull, then doctrines new and unprofitable. Their work is not to pleaſe the Athenian, but to profit the Chriſtian. They are not Cooks, but Phyſicians, and therefore ſhould not ſtudy to delight the pallat, but to recover the Patient: they muſt not provide ſawce, but phyſick. If to preach the ſame things be ſafe, it matters not whether it be ſweet or no. Jeſus Chriſt hath given us no commiſſion to ſtudy the pleaſure, but the preſervation of our people. Its better that our people ſhould be angry for not pleaſing their luſts; than that God ſhould be angry for not profiting their ſouls.
6.Obſerv. 6. The truths of the word are to be known unchangeably, Gal. 1.6. Epheſ. 4.14. Si fidem ſcrutari haeſitando caeperimus, omnium patiemur jacturam. Theophylact. in Rom. 1. Col. 2.2. Helps hereunto, ſee pa. 238, 239.ſtedfaſtly, once for all. Chriſtians muſt not be removed from the truth: they muſt labour to be men in underſtanding; and not be children, toſſed to and fro with every winde of doctrine. They muſt be known by the truth, (as men ſay they will by the gift of a friend) many years after 'tis delivered. Holy inſtructions muſt be entertaind with full aſſurance of underſtanding, and look'd upon, not as opinions, but aſſertions, more ſure than what we ſee with our bodily eys. A ſeepticall, doubtfull, ſtaggering Chriſtian will ſoon prove a falling, an apoſtatizing Chriſtian. A Chriſtian muſt be rooted and grounded in the love of the truth.Epheſ. 3.17
Thus far of the firſt part of the verſe; viz. the Preface prefixed. I come now to the ſecond, namely, the Example propounded, in theſe words, How that the Lord having ſaved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward deſtroyed them that beleeved not.
In the Example I conſider,
1. A famous deliverance; The Lord having ſaved the people out of the land of Egypt.
2. A deſtruction following that deliverance; Afterward deſtroyed.
3. The meritorious cauſe of that deſtruction, Ʋnbeleef; Thoſe that beleeved not.
I. The deliverance is contained in theſe words; The Lord having ſaved the people out of the land of Egypt.