Exposition of Jude, Exegesis of Jude · Verse 6 · Part 7
EXPLICATION.
For the firſt, Everlaſting chains. It may here be inquired.
1. What we are to underſtand by theſe chains.
2. How, and why theſe chains are everlaſting.
1. What is meant by chains. The word in the Originall is foreign, in bonds, which bonds are not to be taken literally for thoſe materiall inſtruments or bonds, whereby things are bound, that they may ſtand firm and ſteddy, or perſons are hindred from acting what they would, or drawn whither they would not; but metaphorically (as are alſo thoſe chains into which Peter ſaith theſe fain angels were delivered) for that condition, 2 Pet. 2.4.of puniſhment and woe, wherein they ſhall remain like priſoners in bonds. Certus incluſos tenet locus nocentes, utque fert fama impios ſupplicia, vinclis ſaeva perpetuis domant. Senec. in Herc. Fur.The Metaphor being taken from the eſtate of malefactors, who in priſon are bound with chains, to hinder them from running away, that ſo they may be kept to the time of judgement and execution; or who by the Mittimus of a Juſticer are ſent to the Gaol, there to lie in chains till the Seſſions. And thus theſe angels are kept in chains or bonds of three ſorts. 1. They are in the chain of ſin, bound by the bond of iniquity, as the phraſe is *foreign.Act. 8.23. and Prov. 5.22. the wicked are ſaid to be holden with the cords of their ſins; and deſervedly may ſins be called bonds or chains, they both holding ſinners ſo ſtrongly, as that without an omnipotent ſtrength, they can never be looſed; as alſo being ſuch priſon-bonds as goe before their appearing at the bar of the laſt and dreadfull Judgement. The bonds of ſin, wherein wicked men are held, are often by the goodneſſe and power of God looſed; but the bonds of ſin, wherein wicked angels are held, ſhall be everlaſting; there is, and ever ſhall be a total inability in thoſe curſed creatures to ſtir hand or foot in any wel-doing; they are in arctâ cuſtodiâ, Non dicit Apoſtolus, peccavit ab initio, ſed peccat: nam ex quo diabolus peccare coepit, nunquam peccare definit. Bed. A peccatis nunquam feriatur, quia ſicut non dormitabit, neque dormiet qui cuſtodit Iſrael, it a nunquam dormitat, ne que dormit qui impugnat Iſrael. Eſt. in 1 John 3.8. Vid. Jun. in. Jud. Non voluntatis confeſſio, ſed neceſſitatis extorſio. Hier.cloſe priſoners in theſe chains of iniquity, ſtak'd down, wedg'd, wedded to ſin, chained as it were to a block; hence it is ſaid, 1 John 3.8. that the divell ſinneth from the beginning; whereby may be noted, not only how early he began, but alſo how conſtantly he poceedeth in ſin: for (as Bede well obſerves) it is not ſaid, he ſinned, but he ſinneth from the beginning; to note (ſaith he) that ſince he began, he never ceaſed to ſin: he keeps no holy dayes, makes no ceſſation from pride and other impieties; and as he ſleeps not who keeps, ſo neither doth he who oppoſeth Iſrael, he walketh about, ſeeking, &c. 1 Pet. 5.8. to this purpoſe our Saviour ſaith, John 8.44. that the divell hath no truth in him, to note his utter impotency (ſaith Junius) to any thing of goodneſſe and integrity; and when he ſpeaks a lie, he ſpeaketh of his own, according to his cuſtome and diſpoſition; and when he ſpeaks truth, he borroweth that, to the end, he may deceive. Satan cannot lay down his ſinfull inclination; he is totus in mendaciis delibutus, (ſaith Calvin) ſtained and ſoak'd in ſin. In a word, this chain of ſin, which he hath put on, *Calv. in Joh. 8.44.he never can or will put off.
2. Theſe faln angels are in, and under the chains of Gods power, The ſtrong man is bound by a ſtronger then himſelfe: The old Dragon was bound for a thouſand years, Rev. 20. and the chain which curbed him, was the power of God: this power hinders him both from eſcaping the evill which he undergoes, and from effecting and cauſing that evill which he deſires. Satan ſhall for ever be miſerable in ſuſtainingwhat he would not, and in not obtaining what he would: The impoſsibility of his being happy, Quòd aufertur nocendipoteſtas, pro maximo tormento reputant. Eſti. p. 60. in 2. Sent.neceſſarily followes his impotency to be holy, purity being the path to bleſſedneſſe. All the forces of hell cannot ſcale the walls of heaven: There is a gulfe fixt between faln angels, and happineſſe, which they can never paſſe over; as they can never return to God, ſo as to love him; ſo never, ſo as to enjoy him; they are debarr'd from theſe joyes unavoidably, which they forſook voluntarily: nor is it a ſmall matter of their puniſhment to be curbed againſt the bent and violent inclination of their own will, from ſtirring an hairs bredth for the hurting any, further then God lengthens out their chains. How painfull a vexation is it to Satan, that he cannot hurt the ſoul by affrighting, alluring, and ſeducing, nor our bodies by diſeaſes and pains, nor our eſtates by loſſes, nor *Luke 22.31. Tormentum diaboli erat exire ab homine, nec poſſe ei diutius nocere. Vid. Eſt. in ſent. ibid. Quod abyſſum deprecantur eo ſpectat, quod ipſis volupe fit inter homines verſari, quò illos ſeducant, & ad ſe plures ſemper pertrahant, id quod in abyſſo non poſſunt, ubi ſunt nulli quos ſeducant. Luc. Brugenſ. Dolet illis in abyſſum demergi, in qua ablata ſit laedendi & perdendi facultas.our names by diſgraces, unleſs our God gives him chain. Satan hath deſired to have you, &c. (ſaith Chriſt.) And when the divell beſought Chriſt (Luke 8.28.) not to torment him, it's by many interpreted, that the torment againſt which Satan prayed, was that his ejection out of the poſſeſſed, whereby he was to be hindered from doing that hurt which he deſired; it being immediately ſubjoyn'd by the Evangeliſt, For he had commanded the unclean ſpirit to come out of the man: And whereas ver. 31. the divels further deſired Chriſt, that he would not command them to go out into the deep; Calvin, with others, referre this petition to the great deſire of the divels to continue among men, to annoy and moleſt them: They grieved (ſaith Calvin) to think of being caſt into the deep, wherein they could not have ſo much power and opportunity of doing harme to men, the deſtruction of men being the delight of the divell. And this ſeems further to be confirmed by the words of Mark, Mark 5.10.who ſaith that the divels deſired that Chriſt would not ſend them out of the Countrey; whereby they ſhould want opportunities of doing harme to the ſoules and bodies of men. See Perkins on Jude.Needs then muſt the chain of divine power, which reſtrains the divell from hurting men, be a conſiderable part of his torment, whoſe work is to go about, ſeeking whom he may devour.
3. The faln Angels are in and under the chain of their own guilty conſciences, which by the tenour of God's juſtice, bind them over to deſtruction; they know they are adjudg'd to damnation for their ſins. Let them be where they will, in the earth or air, theſe chains of guilty conſciences bind them over to judgement; they can no more ſhake off theſe, then leave themſelves. In theſe the divels are bound like mad-men and band-dogs; they muſt endure what they cannot endure. Jam. 2.19.The divels fear and tremble; horrour is the effect of diabolicall aſſent. Judicis ſui prae. ſentiâ expavefacti, de poenâ ſuâ cogitarunt. Mala enim conſcientia quid meriti eſſent, ipſis, tacente Chriſto, dictabat; quemadmodum enim ſcelerati ubi ad Tribunal ventum eſt, &c. Calv. in Mat. 8.29.How evidently did this guilty trembling appear, when they ask Chriſt, whether he was come to torment them before their time? The ſight of the Judge (ſaith Calvin on the place) made theſe guilty malefactours to tremble at the thoughts of their puniſhment; their evill conſcience told them (Chriſt being ſilent) what they deſerved: As malefactours, when they are brought to the bar, apprehend their puniſhment, ſo did theſe divels at the ſight of their Judge. The faln angels ſhall ever contemplate what they have done, and how they have finned, as alſo what they ſhall undergo, and how they ſhall ſuffer: and hereby, as God delivers the damned men into the hands of guilty angels, ſo he delivers guilty angels over to themſelves to be their own tormenters. This fiery furnace of a tormenting conſcience (which of all others is the moſt ſcorching and ſcalding) every divell ſhall carry in his boſome This inward and ſilent ſcourge, ſhall torment him, this arrow ſhall ſtick in his ſide, Daemones quocunque abeant, ubicunque degant, ſuum ſecum circumferunt infernu…. Beda in c. 3. Jacobi. Aquin. 1. p. q. 64. Art. 4. ad ob. 3. Gr. foreign ab foreign, ſicut ſempiternus à ſemper. Though Lorinus upon the place mentions a conceit, according to which foreign, ſhould be derived of foreign, and foreign, as if the word ſhould ſignifie, [not their own] ſuch chains as belonged not to them by nature, but were put upon them after their ſinning, as a puniſhment. Iren. l. 3. c. 33. Greg. l. 4. mor. cap. 10. Anſel. l. 2. c. 21. Cur Deus homo. Sicutceciderunt nullo alio nocente ut caderent, itanullo alio ad juvante, reſurgere debent. Aug. Enchir. c. 29. Quoniam non tota multitudo angelorum Deum deſerendo perierat, ea quae perierat perpetuâ perditione remaneret; alia vero creatura rationalis, quoniam tota perierat, &c.this vulture ſhall prey, this worme ſhall gnaw, and this hell ſhall he carry about him where ever he becomes though he may change his place, yet he never changes his ſtate. As the happineſſe of the good angels is not diminiſh'd, when they come to us, and are not actually in the heavenly place, becauſe they know themſelves bleſſed; (as the honour of a King is not impaired, though actually he ſits not in his chair of State) ſo neither is the miſery of the wicked angels leſſen'd, when they are not actually in the very place of the tormented in hell, becauſe they know that eternall woes are due to them; as the ſcorching diſtemper of one in a burning feaver is not removed, though he be removed into a bed of ivory, and the moſt refreſhing place.
2. The ſecond particular to be explained, is, How, and why theſe chains are everlaſting?
By the word in the originall, foreign, which ſingnifies alwayes, continuing, perpetuall, is intended that the fore-mentioned chains, ſhall never be ſhaken off; and that theſe angels ſhall ſtand guilty for ever, expecting the laſt judgement, deſpairing, and without any hope of recovery and redemption, they having no Saviour, nor any means allowed them by God for their releaſe. And if it be here demanded, why the faln angels, rather then faln man, ſtand guilty for ever without any deliverance, or hope of recovery; its by ſeverall men differently anſwered.
1. Some ſay, Becauſe man was ſeduced to ſin; but the divell ſinned meerly by his own will, without inſtigation from any other: he fell alone, and muſt (if at all) riſe alone.
2. Others ſay, Becauſe in the fall of angels, the whole angelicall nature of angels periſh'd not; but the firſt man ſinning, the whole humane nature had periſh'd, if the goodneſſe of God had not afforded a remedy, 1 Cor. 15.22. In Adam all die.Id. in Joh. Tr. 110. Tanto damnabilior eorum judicata eſt culpa, quanto erat natura ſublimior. In offend endo creatorem, tanto execrabilius, beneficio ejus ingrati extiterunt, quantò beneficentius ſunt creati. foreign. Damaſcen. l. 2. Orth. Fid. cap. 3. & 4. Gerh. m 2. Pet. 2. Praeſtat grato corde, Dei foreign, in remedio generi humano praeſtito agnoſcere, quam profunditatem divinorum judiciorum curioſius, extra verbi limites, ſcrutari.
3. Others ſay, That the nature of the angels being more excellent, and ſublime, their fault was more damnable then that of mans; and that ſo much the more ingratefull to God were they in their fall then man, by how much the more bountifull in their Creation, God was to them, then to man. But I humbly conceive, we may more ſafely ſay with Gerhard, It's better thankfull to acknowledge the love of God to mankind, in affording him a recovery, then to ſearch into the depths of divine judgements, without the warrant of the word, with curioſity.