Exposition of Jude, Exegesis of Jude · Verse 6 · Part 9
EXPLICATION.
1. Darkneſſe is in Scripture taken taken two wayes, 1. Gen. 1.2, 4. Iſai. 45.7. Iſai. 45.19. Iſai. 45.3. 1 Cor. 4.5. 1 Theſſ. 5.5. 2 John 2.8. Rom. 1.21.2.19.1 Theſſ. 5.8. 1 John 2.11.1. Properly, for the negation, defect and privation of light. 2. Metaphorically: 1. for a ſecret, hidden, or private place; What I tell you in darkneſſe, that ſpeak you in light, Matth. 10.27. ſo Luke 12.3. 2. For errour and ignoorance; Acts 26.18. to turn them from darkneſſe to light, Epheſ. 4.18. having their minds darkned, Epheſ. 5.8. Once were ye darkneſſe, &c. In which teſpect principally, ſins are called the works of darkneſſe, Rom. 13.12. Epheſ. 5.11. 3. For great calamities and puniſhments, 1. Externall, Job 50.26. When I looked for good, Jer. 23.12.evill came unto me; and when I waited for light, there came darkneſſe. Iſai. 5.30. If one look unto the land, behold darkneſſe and ſorrow, Iſai 8.22. They ſhall look unto the earth, and behold trouble and darkneſſe, Iſai. 59.9. We wait for brightneſſe, but we walk in darkneſſe, Iſai. 47.5. Get thee into darkneſſe, Jer. 13.16. Ezek. 32.8. Mich. 7.8. Pſal. 143.3. Afflictus, vitam tenebris, luctuque trahebam. Virg. Aeneid. 2.O danghter of the Caldeans. 2. Internall. Thus Heman complains, Pſal. 88.6. That God had laid him in darkneſſe. Iſai. 50.10. Who is there among you, &c. that walketh in darkneſſe, and ſeeth no light. 3. Eternall, for the uncomfortable condition of the damned in hell, by reaſon of the abſence of Gods preſence. Jude 12. Matth. 8.12. Matth. 22.13. we read of ſome caſt into utter darkneſſe, i. e. without the Kingdome of God, which is light, and a Kingdom of light. In this phraſe of utter darkneſſe, (according to ſome) is an alluſion to the darkneſſe which God ſent upon Egypt, Metaphoricè, per tenebras, ſcriptura horrendum maerorem deſignat. Cal. in Mat. 8.12. Tenebrae exteriores domeſticae luci opponuntur, quum antiquitus nocturnae ut plurimum coenae eſſent, quas plurimae faces & lampades illuſtrabant: qui ejiciuntur è regno Dei, Chriſtus eos dicit, extra in tenebras, ejici in tenebras. Cal. in Mat. 25. Comprativus ſuperlativi eſt loco, ut ſit in tenebras extimas. Luc. Brug. in Mat. 8.Exod. 10.23. that Egyptian darkneſſe, being without the habitations of the Iſraelites, in all which was light; Or (as Reverend Calvin conceives) to the darkneſſe wherein they are, who are excluded in the night time from places, in which are ſuppers or feaſts, where they ſet up many lights and lamps: or as others, to the darkneſſe of priſons, which were oft wont to be without the City, Acts 12.10. Whatever the alluſion is, by this utter darkneſſe, is intended a ſtate of the greateſt remoteneſſe and diſtance from the light of Gods preſence, the joy, yea the heaven of heaven; for as Brugenſis well notes by the comparative note, foreign, outer, may well be intented the ſuperlative, utmoſt, or moſt without, furtheſt, or moſt diſtant from the Kingdom of light, as 1 Cor. 13.13. the greater, i. e. the greateſt of theſe is charity. This eternall darkneſſe, which ſtands in the withdrawing of the light of Gods pleaſed and pleaſing countenance, wherein is fulneſſe of joyes, and pleaſures for evermore, is that here by the Apoſtle intended, to be the portion of theſe angels in their priſon of hell. And moſt fitly is this their wofull eſtate of ſeparation from Gods preſence called darkneſſe; becauſe, as the (though but deficient) cauſe of darkneſſe, is the departure of the light, ſo the ſeparation from the favourable preſence of God is the greateſt miſery of the damned: as the face and comfortable preſence of God is the heaven of heavens ſo abſence from God is the hell of hell. It is not heaven to be in the place of heaven, but to be with God in heaven; and it is not hell to be in hell, but to be without Gods loving and gracious preſence in heaven.
The miſery of which condition of darkneſſe, or ſeparation from Gods preſence, is in the ſecond place to be explained; and it may be amplified two wayes.
1 Conſidering from what this ſeparation ſhall be.
2 How the miſery thereof ſhall be further heightned.
1 There ſhal be a ſeparation from the favorable preſence of God, which is 1 A full good, comprehending all good; that wherein all good things are aſſembled and combined. He who hath him who is all things, muſt needs have all things. To him there can be made no addition of goodneſs; in parting with him, the damned part with whatſoever is good. 2 A filling, ſatisfying good, enough and ſufficient for himſelf; and that which can fill the Ocean, can undoubtedly fill the veſſell. God ſatisfies all the wants and exigences of the ſoul: My God ſhall ſupply all your wants: The favour of God is better then life: The Lord is my ſhepherd, I ſhall not want. Every good beſides God, is but of a limited nature, anſwering but to this or that exigency; but one God anſwers to every want: Bread relieves hunger, water thirſt, cloaths nakedneſſe, mony poverty; God relieves in every want, Summa mors animae eſt alienatio à vita Dei, in aeternitate ſupplicii. Aug. lib. 6. de civ. Dei c. 12.and hath infinitely more oyl then we have veſſels. Deſervedly therefore is this puniſhment of loſs frequently expreſſed in the Scripture as the great woe of the damned, Matth. 7.23. Luke 13.27. Mat. 25.10, 41. The throne of iniquity ſhall have no fellowſhip with God, Pſalm 94.20. Needs muſt hell be a diſmal dungeon, where the ſunſhine of Gods preſence never comes.
But 2. The miſery of the loſs of this bleſſed preſence of God is further heightned, aggravated, and made intolerably tormenting; Conſidering, 1. The damned in hell know the incomparable worth of what they have loſt: Their Underſtandings are cleer, though they are not changed: Their knowledg increaſeth their ſorrow. How happy (comparatively) would they be, if their Underſtandings were taken from them, if they could but put out their eyes! Though they ſee not God ſo fully and cleerly as do the bleſſed in heaven; yet they ſee enough of him to rend and grinde them with inexpreſſible vexation for loſing him. A company of wretched beggars, who in a dark night ſtand at the door of that houſe where there is a Wedding feaſt, though they ſee not the ſtately preparations, the furniſhed tables, the coſtly ornaments of the married Couple and Gueſts, ſo fully and clearly; and though they hear not the ſweet Muſick within ſo diſtinctly, as do the gueſts themſelves who ſit at table; yet by lights in the windows, the voices of mirth, and Muſicians, with the confuſed ſound of inſtruments, the paſſage to and fro of attendants with their chear, they cannot but obſerve enough to think themſelves, being excluded, very miſerable, in compariſon of thoſe who are attended at the table, and in the midſt of all their mirth and plenty. Chriſt makes the Application, Luke 13.25.28. Where he ſpeaks of thoſe who ſtand without and knock, &c. and ſhall ſee Abraham, and Iſaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and they themſelves thruſt out. The rich man ſees Abraham and Lazarus, but a farr off: ſee them he muſt, though he would not; get to them he muſt not, though he would never ſo fain. And certainly, the large veſſel of an Angels underſtanding holds more matter of this torment, then can more ſhallow capacities.
2. Theſe damned ſpirits remember, that this loſs of the preſence of God was a rod of their own making, a woe of their own moſt wilfull procuring; The door which ſhuts them out of heaven was pull'd to with their own hands. How much will it ſharpen the edg of their horror, to conſider, that none forced them to ſin; that the forſaking of God was the choice of their own will; that they had no enemies but themſelves? The treaſures of glory were not ſtollen from them, but voluntarily diſſipated, and prodigally miſ-ſpent with their own hands. How eaſily could they have prevented that loſſe which now is irreparable! and have kept their foot out of that ſnare, out of which they can never wind themſelves! The arrow which falls down upon their heads, was ſhot up with their own hands; and (as its ſaid of birdlime, that its made of the dung of birds) the deſtruction which hath caught them, was ſpun out of their own bowels.
3. They conſider how poor a trifle, and contemptible a toy it was for which they have loſt the bleſſed preſence of God. How doth it cut them, to remember, that they have loſt all things for nothing; a maſſy crown, a weight of glory, for a bubble, a butter-flie; the inheritance of heaven for a ſong! What proportion is between a notion, a fancy, and the ſatisfying fruition of a reall good! how do men blame themſelves for lodging in a dear Inne, where they are compell'd to pay as much more as their entertainment is worth! How heartily have I heard men beſhrew themſelves, for parting with great ſumms of mony, for which (they ſay) they never drunk! A minute of pleaſure, a poor, ſilly, ſlight, ſhallow nothing (may the damned ſay) was all I had (for have he cannot ſay) to ſhew for my ſelf, my bleſſedneſſe, my God. (Oh mad exchange! Oh amazing diſproportion!) deſervedly miſerable wretch that I am, I had but a dream of delight, for heaven it ſelf. Did ever any fool buy ſo dear, and ſell ſo cheap?
4. They conſider who it is that excludes them from this bleſſedneſs, even God himſelf, who is not only a God of power, and therefore able to hinder them from entring, (for if he ſhuts, none can open;) but a God of tender compaſſions, to ſome; This God, who made them, will not have mercy on them. Mercy it ſelf is now made wrath. He now thunders in his fury, whoſe bowels once made a noiſe, which though ſomtimes tender, are now harder then flints. What ſhal open the door, when he who is goodneſs and love it ſelf, ſhuts it?
5 They are therefore hopeleſſe, Semper cogitur ut & mortem ſine morte, defectum ſine defectu, finem fine fine patiatur, quatenus ci & mors immortalis fit, & defectusindeficiens, & finis infinitus. Greg. Mat. 25.10. Luk. 13.and utterly deſpairing ever to be admitted to the preſence of God, the anchor of hope is now broken; the bridg of mercy is now drawn; the gulph of ſeparation ſhall never be paſt. The heavieſt rock can as eaſily take wings and flie, and kiſſe the body of the Sun, as can a damned ſpirit get up into the gracious preſence of God. When the door is ſhut, its too late to think of entring. Knocking, weeping, entreating are altogether fruitleſſe. How deeply did the departure of Paul pierce the heart of the Chriſtians with ſorrow, when he had told them, that they ſhould ſee his face no more! Oh dreadfull word, never! the bittereſt word, in compariſon of it, is ſweet.