Exposition of Jude, Exegesis of Jude · Verse 6 · Part 11
EXPLICATION.
There are two things may here bee enquired after.
1 What we are to underſtand by the judgement to which theſe angels are reſerved. 2 How the angels which are puniſhed already, are yet ſaid to be reſerved to judgment.
1 For the firſt, Though the word foreign, judgment, be frequently in Scripture taken more largely and improperly, for the cauſe of puniſhment, John 3.19. for the government of the world, John 5.22. amendment or reformation John 12.31. &c. for the place of judgment; Matth. 5.22.yet in this place it comes more cloſe to its own proper ſignification according to which, it imports a judiciary trial of, and proceeding about cauſes: In which reſpect its taken in this place, and oft in the new Teſtament, for the ſolemn action of the laſt and generall judgment, Mat. 10.15. Mat. 11.22, 24 and 12.36. Mark 6.11. 2 Pet. 3.7. Where we read of the day of judgment, and Ecc. 11.9, 12.14. Luke 10.14. Heb. 9.27. & 10.27, where there is mention made of this judgment. Which judgment conſiſts of three parts. Veritas in inquiſitione, nuditas in publicatione, ſerenitas in executione.1 A diſcuſſion and manifeſtation of the faults for which the priſoners were committed. 2 A pronouncing ſentence upon them for every crime diſcuſſed and manifeſted. 3 A ſevere executing upon them the ſentence ſo pronounced.
1.Act. 23.3 1 Tim. 5.24. Act. 16.15. 2 Cor. 5.14. In this judgment faults and cauſes ſhal be diſcuſſed, and manifeſted; and judgment is ſometime in Scripture put for this diſcuſſion and diſcerning of cauſes: ſome mens ſins are open before hand, going before to judgement, &c. 1 Tim. 5.24. &c. And this knowledg of the cauſe is intended, Cunctaque cunctorum cunctis arcana patebunt. Ezra 4.15.19. and 6.2. Eſt. 6.1 Deu. 32.34. Pſal. 56.8. Jer. 3.22. Hoſ. 7.2. 1 Cor. 4.5.Rev. 20.12. Where we have mention of thoſe who ſtand before God, of the opening of the books, and the judging out of thoſe things which were written in the books. For though at the laſt judgment, God will make uſe of no books, properly ſo called, yet all the works of the judged ſhall be as manifeſtly known, as if God kept regiſters, rolls and records of them in heaven: and at his coming, he will bring to light the hidden things of darkneſſe, and will make manifeſt the counſells of the hearts, that the righteouſneſſe of his proceedings may appear to all. Theſe books of diſcovery, are two; 1 that of Gods omniſcience. 2 that of the creatures conſcience. 1 According to the former, every creature is manifeſt in his ſight, and all things are opened unto his eyes: Heb. 4.13. Mat. 3.16. Joh. 2.25. Jer. 23.24. Mar. 4.22. Rom. 2.5.16.he hath a book of remembrance, he needeth not that any ſhould testifie of man; for he knoweth what is in man. As God hates ſin whereſoever he knows it, ſo he knows it whereſoever it is. Men may hide their ſins from men, from God they cannot. Men may, like fooliſh children, when they ſhut their eyes and ſee none, think that none ſees them; but the light and the darkneſſe are both alike to God: Nor can any, Iſa. 29.15.by ſeeking deep to hide their counſels from the moſt High, help himſelf: Never hath one ſin ſince the creation of the world, Deus nec fallitur, nec flectitur.ſlip'd from the memory of Gods knowledg; though he hath been pleaſed to put away the ſins of ſome out of the memory of his vengeance: Nor doth he forget any ſin out of neceſſity, but meerly out of mercy. 2 According to the later *Ad hunc librum emendandum omnes alii libri ſunt inventi: Quid libri aperti nifi conſcientia, non atramento ſcripti, ſed delictorū inquinamento. Amb. in Pſ. 1. Pſal. 51. Idem judex, reus, teſtis, tortor, flagellum., the book of Conſcience, the Lord will, in the generall Judgment, bring to every mans remembrance what he hath done; he will ſet the ſins of the wicked in order before them, Pſalm 50. their conſciences ſhall then be dilated and irradiated by the power of God. Here in this life Conſcience is brib'd, and gives in an imperfect, but then it ſhall bring a full and impartiall evidence againſt ſinners, who ſhall be ſpeechleſſe, and have their mouthes ſtop'd: Hence Jude 15. it is ſaid, that God ſhall foreign, convince all the ungodly: Their faults ſhall be ſo demonſtrated to them, that they ſhall have nothing to object, but ſhall be compelled to acknowledge all, both in point of fact and deſert. That which before was almoſt imperceptible, ſhall, being held to the fire of vengeance, and the light of conſcience, be made legible.
2 In this judgment to which theſe angels ſhall bee brought, there ſhall be a deciſive, definitive ſentence: Iſa. 5.3. Matt. 7.1. John 18.31. Acts 24.6. Acts 17.31. Matth. 19.28. 1 Cor. 6.3 Acts 4.19.And frequently and moſt properly in Scripture is judgment taken for a deciſive paſſing of ſentence. To the former ſentence, viz. that of their own conſciences, ſhall be added that of the Judg, wherby they ſhall be adjudged to the puniſhment of loſs & pain for ever: A ſentence which ſhall be openly promulgated. Quo maledicti acrius doleant videntes quid amiſeri…; & juſti videbunt et laetabuntur, conſiderantes quid evaſcrint. Bern. Ser. 8. in Pſal.Heretofore it was written down in the book, now it ſhall be pronounced before all the world. A ſentence which ſhall be publiſhed ſoon after that of benediction hath been uttered to the godly, that ſo the damned may grieve the more, to conſider what they have loſt; and the ſaved rejoyce to obſerve what they have eſcaped. A ſentence, every ſyllable whereof is more dreadfull then ten thouſand thunderclaps, roaring in their ears to all eternity. Wonder one may, that ſo much woe can be couched in ſo few words. In being ſentenced to depart from God, what pleaſure are they not adjudged to loſe! In being ſentenced to the flames, what pain are they not adjudged to feel!
3 In the judgment to which theſe angels ſhall be brought, Mat. 5.22 Mar. 3.29. Joh. 5.24.29. Act. 8.33. 2 Theſ. 1.5. Jam. 2.13. foreign put for foreign. Ille judex nec gratiâ praevenitur, nec miſericordiâ flectitur, nec pecuniâ corrumpitur, nec poenitentiâ mitigatur. Aug. l. 3. de fid. & ſymb. 2 Theſ. 1.9. Expulſi à facie, hac terribili ipſius vocē. Sicut ſervi fugitivi, poſt multum temporis, dominum ſuum videntes, nihil aliud, niſi de verberibus deprecantur; ſic & daemones videntes Dominum in terris ad judicandum ſe veniſſe credebant, Hierom. in Mat. 8.there ſhall be an execution of the ſentence denounced: and frequently in Scripture is judgment taken for puniſhment to which men are adjudged. The ſentence ſhall not bee an empty ſound, as a report without a bullet, a noiſe without a ſting; but it ſhall be executed without any exception, delay, reply, appeal. The ſentence of malediction ſhall be a fiery ſtream proceeding from the throne of the Judg, and ſweeping the condemned into hell. The wicked ſhall be puniſhed with everlaſting deſtruction, from the preſence of the Lord, and the glory of his power: which place Beza expounds of their expulſion from the preſence of the Lord by that terrible voice, Go ye curſed. Others thus interpret it, The glorious power and majeſty of Chriſts preſence, ſhall ſuffice to deſtroy the wicked. If the divels were unable to endure the preſence of Chriſt upon earth, when emptied of glory, upon conſidering that hereafter Chriſt ſhould be their Judg; crying out, and asking whether hee was come to torment them before their time; how ſhall they abide his preſence, when fill'd with dreadfull majeſty!
For the ſecond. 2 Branch of Explicat. Juſtin. in Apol. 1. daemones igni ſempiterno nondum traditi ſunt, ſed in die judicii tradendi: Hanc opini. onem amplectitur Irenaeus, l. 5. cont. Haer. Diabolus non ſtatim in primordiis tranſgreſſionis ad poenam detruſus eſt à Deo. id que ut hominem malitiâ ſuâ exerceret ad virtutem. Lactant. lib. 3. Divin. Inſtit. cap. 28.How the angels who are already puniſhed, and therefore judged, can be reſerved to judgement. We muſt not conceive (with ſome) that, becauſe they are ſaid to be reſerved to judgment, therefore for the preſent, they are not puniſh'd: For if the good angels are before the general judgment, in a ſtate of happineſſe, foreign, alway beholding the face of God, then why ſhould not the bad be in a ſtate of miſery? Beſides, if the ſouls of wicked men are now tormented in hell (which nevertheleſſe may be ſaid to be reſerved to judgment;) why may it not be aſſerted, that the angels who ſeduced men, have been ever ſince their fall tormented, conſidering that the fall was that to the angels, which death is to ungodly men? And further, if the faln angels be in hell (a place of puniſhment) with the damned ſouls, then it is as certain they partake of the ſame puniſhment with them; as it is abſurd to imagine that the holy angels ſhould be in heaven with the ſouls of the bleſſed, and not be with them partakers of the fruition of Gods preſence.
There is therefore a threefold judgement which the fallen angels incur: That wherwith they were puniſhed immediately upon their fall, when by God they were thrown into miſery. Of this ſpeaks Peter, 2 Pet. 2.4. God ſpared not the Angels which ſinned, but cast them down into hell, &c. 2 That whereby they are caſt out of their dominion, Joh. 12.31.and their power over us deſtroyed by the death of Chriſt. 3 Their full and finall judgement, to which they are here by Jude ſaid to be reſerved; in reſpect whereof, though they are in part puniſhed already, yet by it there ſhall be a dreadfull addition and acceſſion to their preſent torments; in regard, 1. of Ignominy. 2 Reſtraint. 1. Ignominy: for they being moſt proud creatures, cannot but deem it an unſpeakable ſhame, 1. To have all their malice and miſcheifs that ever they committed ſince their fall, manifeſted to all the world; whereby all who have heretofore honour'd them as gods, ſhall know their vileneſſe, and look upon them as abominable deceivers, and never be brought (as formerly) to worſhip them. 2 To have it publickly ſeen, that poor man, whoſe nature is ſo much inferiour to theirs, hath done that which they were not able to do, in imbracing of holineſs, and honouring his Creator, and obtaining thoſe manſions of glory which they have loſt. 3 To have it known to all the world, how often they would have done evil when they could not; and how frequently even women and children have overcome their fierce and fiery tentations. 4. To have judgment paſſ'd upon them not onelyonly by Chriſt himſelf, but even by thoſe (ſomtimes poor) Saints whom formerly they ſo vilified and perſecuted; even theſe ſhall judg the Angels, 1 Cor. 6.3. And that not onelyonly 1 By having their practices compared to thoſe of the damned (as the Ninivites, and the Queen of the South are ſaid to riſe up in judgment:) Mat. 12.41.42 Luk. 11.31.32Nor 2 Only by their conſenting to, and approving of the Sentence which Chriſt ſhall paſs upon the wicked: But alſo 3. In regard of that dignitas aſſeſſoria, that dignity whereby they ſhall be advanced to an honourable aſſeſſorſhip with the Lord Chriſt, in ſitting (as it were) with him upon the Bench, Dolet diabolus, quòd ipſum & angelos ejus, Chriſti ſervus ille peccator judicaturus eſt. Tert. lib. de poen. c.7.or about the Throne of Judicature: As likewiſe, 4. (they in that judgment being to appear with Chriſt manifeſt victors over all their enemies) By trampling upon all the pride, malice, and weakneſs of Divels, before the whole world; and holily inſulting over them as vile, vanquiſhed, and contemptible enemies: A greater puniſhment (undoubtedly) to thoſe proudeſt of creatures, then was that to Bajazet, whoſe back famous Tamberlane uſed for an horſblock to raiſe him up to his Steed, when he cauſed him to be carried up and down as a ſpectacle of infamy in all his triumphant journeys.
2. By the laſt judgment there ſhall be an acceſſion of puniſhment to theſe angels in reſpect of their reſtraint; becauſe then they ſhall be unable to ſeduce the wicked, or to hurt the elect any more. Their chain, now more looſe, ſhall then be ſo ſtrait, that they ſhall never come neer, nor among the Saints of God: A vehement vexation to thoſe malicious ſpirits, whoſe element is miſchief, and their torment reſtraint from doing hurt. They now deem it ſome leſſening of their torment, to be ſuffered to tempt men to ſin: They think themſelves hereby ſomewhat revenged on God; as he that defaceth the picture of his enemy, when he cannot come at his perſon, eaſeth his ſpleen a little; or as the dog ſomewhat breaks his rage by gnawing the ſtone, when he cannot reach the thrower. They now walk abroad (as it were) with their keeper; but then they ſhall be cloſely confin'd, yea dungeon'd: Now they contain their hell, then their hell ſhall contain them. In ſhort, As the puniſhment of wicked men ſhall be at the full, when their ſouls and bodies are reunited, and both caſt into hell; ſo the torment of theſe angels ſhall be compleated, when at the laſt day they ſhall be ſo fettered in their infernall priſon, as that there will be no poſſibility of ſtirring forth. They are now entred into divers degrees of puniſhment, but the full wrath of God is not powred out upon them till the day of judgment.