Exposition of Jude, Exegesis of Jude · Verse 7 · Part 6
OBSERVATIONS.
1. The ſin of uncleanneſſe, is remarkably followed with vengeance; As pleaſure is that which the unclean mainly expect, and which this luſt principally promiſeth, ſo woes and pains, are afterward by God conſtantly inflicted: fornication and vengeance, are by Jude joyned together.
1. Spirituall vengeance attends upon this ſin. 1. It enſnares and captivates the ſoul; God oft juſtly ſaith to the lovers thereof, He that is filthy, let him be filthy ſtill; It is both an inlet to all impiety in the world (a luſtfull man bogling at no ſin that may bring him to enjoy his impure pleaſure) and alſo a luſt which ſo binds down a ſinner, ingulphs him in, and engageth him ſo deeply to the love of it ſelf, that notwithſtanding the longer he lives in it, the more he is afflicted, and weakned by it, yet the more unable and unwilling he is to leave it; it lyes down with ſinners in the duſt. Seldome is this ſin found in the way of repentance; a whore is a deep ditch. Few are the foot-prints of returners from this den, Prov. 23.27.and they too have eſcaped very narrowly. In ſteed of repentance, it labours concealment; and men rather ſtudy to hide it, then to turn it out of doors; to cover it with a rag of ſecrecy, then to cure with the plaiſter of repentance. Nor doth this ſin leſs diſquiet then captivate: It waſteth both the ſtrength of the body, and the peace of the conſcience: It's pleaſures are ſhort, It's terrors are laſting: By how much the ſweeter Satan makes it in the mouth, by ſo much the bitterer God makes it in the ſtomack: The fall into this ſin brake Davids bones; Pſal. 51.8.The deep impreſſion of its ſtain, and the communicativeneſſe of its guilt and defilement to others, are ſtanding troubles to the conſcience, when once it is awakened.
2. This ſin is purſued with Externall vengeance: 1. Upon the name; a diſhonour is gotten; and a reproach that ſhall not be wiped away. Prov. 6.33.Though the ſore may be heald, yet the ſcar abides, although repentance ſhould be the plaiſter. Though Samſon and Solomon were pardoned, as to their own execution, yet were they burnt in the hand, and branded in the fore head, for a warning to others. Such was the hatred of God againſt this ſin, that God hath not left it a blank, but a blemiſh in Davids ſtory: Nay, ſo deep was the ſpot of diſhonour which cleaved to this ſin, that the baſtard iſſue of the adulterer was ſhut out from the congregation to the tenth generation. 2. Upon the body: It makes a man the Divels martyr; Deut. 23.2.this ſin is the ſeed of diſeaſes, and though it loves to lie hid in the ſhop, yet the diſtempers bewray it, that are laid in open view upon the ſtall. The noyſome breath, the unclean botches, the inflamed blood, the conſumed fleſh, the ſpeedy age, the ſhort life, Prov. 5.11. Lev. 20.10. Deut. 22.22.of many are ſome of the favourableſt productions of carnall uncleanneſſe. The penalty inflicted by the law of God upon adultery, was death by ſtoning (as it is generally thought) and for ſome other exceſſes in this ſin, death by burning. The woman ſuſpected of adultery, Mumb. 5.27.drinking thoſe waters of jelouſie which (if ſhe were guilty) plagued her with the rotting of her belly and thigh, was a cleer teſtimony of the heinouſneſſe of this ſin; and if theſe inſtances ſuffice not, remember the death of 24000 Iſraelites at Peor. 3. Upon the eſtate: Luſt is a flame that hath burnt down whole families, cities, it ſpoyled David's poſterity of the greateſt part of his kingdome; It gives raggs for its livery, and though it be furthered by the fulneſſe, Prov. 5.10.6.26. Job. 31.12.yet its followed with a morſell of bread. It is a fire (ſaith Job) that conſumeth to deſtruction, and roots up all increaſe. It is a ſecret canker and moth in the ſubſtance of the wealthieſt: Witneſſe, the deſtruction of many Noble Families, and irreligious houſes in England.
3. Eternall vengeance followes this ſin. Whoremongers and adulterers God himſelf will judg. Heb. 13.4.God returns flames for flames, and revengeth the hell of this fire in the heart, with the fire of hell: The ſtrange woman lodgeth her gueſts in the dephs of hell, Prov. 9.18. Nor ſhall dogs be admitted into the new Jeruſalem, Rev. 21.15.nor the unholy ſee the face of God. How great then is their ſin, who account this carnall uncleanneſs no ſin; who drink down this pleaſant poyſon of ſtoln waters, and never think of its certain operation; and throwing this fire brand into their beds, their bodies, families, revenues, ſay they are in ſport! What prodigious heaven-daring impudence is it, to glory in this, both ſin and ſhame! What are thoſe bold enticers to it, by paint, ſpeeches, naked-breaſts, (fire and brimſtone ſhall one day cover them) but the Divels dequoyes, the emiſſaries and factors of hell, the ſtratagems of Satan, the increaſers of tranſgreſſours! Prov. 23.28.Let it be too much for Rome to ſuffer it to ſet open ſhop by toleration; why do we puniſh the ſtealing of a piece of ſilver with death, If we connive at theſe whoſe theft flies higher, even at eſtate, health, honour, life, nay the ſoul it ſelfe! In ſhort, How nearly doth it concern thoſe who have burnt in theſe impure flames of uncleanneſſe, and thereby have alſo kindled the flames of Gods wrath, to labour to cool and quench them with the blood of Jeſus. Chriſt, which alone can allay the heats of ſin in them, and wrath in God; as alſo to caſt their tears of Godly ſorrow into the flame; becauſe they have not been pure hearted Joſephs. to become broken hearted Davids? while for future they carefully avoid all thoſe objects, whereby their luſt hath too frequently been, and is too forward again to be inflamed.
2. God puniſheth ſinners in a way of judiciary proceſſe; Obſerv. 2.even with the greateſt equity and righteouſneſſe. His vengeanceeven upon Sodom was foreign, A vengeance of Juſtice. Gen. 4. Gen. 11.In his proceedings with our firſt parents after their ſin, as alſo with Cain and the Babel-builders, firſt he accurately examines and inquires into the fact, and afterwards he pronounceth ſentence. As the word Vengeance, here uſed by Jude, hath righteouſneſſe included in its ſignification; ſo in the work of vengeance, as ſtoryed in Geneſis, righteouſneſſe is as openly diſplayed as wrath. The cry of Sodoms ſin, was no uncertain rumour, requiring that God ſhould go down and ſee, for his better information, Gen. 18.whether they had done altogether according to the cry thereof. He who knew the ſecret ſins of the heart, could not be ignorant of the proclaimed ſins of Sodom; nor was any proper deſcenſion conſiſtent with his omnipreſence, nor information with his omniſcience; but hereby he would become exemplary to Judges, who ought to take heed of their precipitancy in judgement, and never proceed to condemnation without accurate examination. In Sodoms puniſhment there was a Map of hell, a ſea of wrath, not a drop of injuſtice: Sin can make God angry, not unrighteous; Though ſometimes he may deſtroy his creatures, yet never deny himſelf. How contented ſhould this make us to be under the ſmarteſt providences! A gracious heart will juſtifie God, when God ſentenceth him Thou art juſt (ſaith Nehemiah) in all that thou haſt brought upon us, Neb. 9.33.for thou haſt done right, and we have done wickedly. That we are ſpared, its mercy; that we are puniſhed; it cannot be injuſtice. Could we have harder thoughts of ſin, our thoughts of Gods dealing would be more honorable.
3.Obſerv. 3 Great is the patience and long-ſuffering of God even toward great ſinners. God overthrew not Sodom till they gave themſelves over to fornication; till they were impudent in ſin, and it became crying: God did not ſhew that he heard it, till they proclaimed it to every one. He puts not in his ſiclke into Sodom, till it was ripe. He goes down to ſee whither they had done altogether according to the cry of it, altogether, Caedi aures ſuas Deus dicit clamoribus peccatorum, ut non differatur poena peccantium. Oſtendit Dominus quàm invitus puniat, dicens quod clamor Sodomorum ad ſe aſcenderit. Hoc eſt dicere, Miſericordia mea mihi ſuadit ut parcam, ſed tamen peccatorum clamor cogit ut puniam. Sal. de prov. l. 1.or (as the Hebrew hath it) whether they had made a conſummation, i.e. whether their iniquities were full; God hereby ſhewing his purpoſe to ſpare them till it was ſo: He loves to clear his juſtice before man, as well as to execute it upon man: He ſhews how mercy pleaſeth him, even when he puts forth juſtice. There is no judging of Gods love, by our impunity, or having the ſpace, without the grace of repentance. God bears with the wicked, but yet not that they may be ſo. The longer the ſinner is ſpared, the more the ſin is aggravated. Sinners are beholding to God for their being ſpared ſo long, to themſelves for their being ſpared no longer. Unſeſſe Sodoms ſin had cryed importunately, God had not anſwered it: Even by this expreſſion of the crying of ſin (ſaith Salvian) God ſheweth how unwilling he is to puniſh ſinners; and that mercy perſwades him to ſpare them, did not the cry of ſin conſtrein him to puniſh them.
4. The juſtice of God is not aboliſhed by his mercy. Obſerv. 4.So good was God in his gracious condeſcenſion even to the loweſt ſtep of Abrahams requeſt for Sodom; unto ſuch a meaſure did God ſuffer the ſin of unpuniſhed Sodom to ſwell, that juſtice ſeem'd to be laid aſide; but though it had woollen and leaden, ſilent and ſlow feet, yet had it alſo iron hands, which at length the Sodomites felt to their coſt. Juſtice may be dormant, and yet not ceaſe to be; it may be ſaid of it (as once Chriſt did of Lazarus) it is not dead, but ſleepeth. God is long ſuffering, not ever ſuffering; The riſing of the Sun in the morning was no ſign that fire and brimſtone ſhould not fall upon Sodom before the evening. Gods forbearance to ſtrike, ſhews not that he will alwayes ſpare, but that we ſhould now repent. If we will ſin by his long-ſuffering, we ſhall ſmart by his ſeverity; Theſe things haſt thou done, and I kept ſilence, and thou thoughteſt I was altogether ſuch an one as thy ſelfe, Pſal. 50.21.but I will reprove thee, &c. When God comes to exact the puniſhment, he will require intereſt for his forbearance; and indeed, God is never more angry then when he ſuffers men to go on ſecurely, and un-interrupted in ſin, by ſparing them. Let not the indulgence of God make us preſume, but let us underſtand the language of love, that we may not undergo the load of his wrath. Theſe Sodomites, notwithſtanding their ſin, Luk. 17.28.were ſo ſecurely aſleep in their delights of eating, drinking, buying, ſelling, planting, building, that nothing could awaken them but the fire which deſtroyed them; This point ſhould alſo be improved for imitation: To ſpare all offenders, is cruelty equall to a ſparing of none. Deut. 33.24.25.Aſhers foot was dip'd in oyl; yet his ſhoos were iron and braſſe.
5.Obſerv. 5. Nothing is ſo dreadful as the wrath of God. Sodoms fire and brimſtone ſhowred down in a ſweeping and overwhelming plenty, are but ſhadows of the wrath of God incenſed. Heb. 12.22.Our God is a conſuming fire, his wrath is the fire, yea, the very hell of hell. When God Almighty ſets himſelf to be tormenting, and to ſhew what he is able to do againſt a worm; God (I ſay) who can marſhall and draw into a body, all the forces of the Creation together, and then can draw forth all their vertue and vigor, and which is more, ſet on every degree of that force and vigour, according to the ſtrength of his own all-powerfull arme, yea, and create infinitely more and greater torments, then we can either oppoſe or apprehend; how ſorely, how unſupportably, ſhall his wrath wrack and torment the creature! How great and how inexcuſable, is the ſtupidity of every ſinner! the fire on earth is but painted and imaginary, in compariſon of that of Gods wrath. If he who cryes Fire, Fire, at midnight, at once both wakens and affrights us, how amazingly ſhould they affect us, who know and denounce the terror of the Lord! Pſal. 90.11.Who knoweth the power of his anger, even according to his fear, ſo is his wrath! What intereſt have we in the world comparable to that of making him our friend in Chriſt! he is the ſevereſt enemy, but the ſweeteſt friend; Pſal. 2.12.When his wrath is kindled but a little, bleſſed are all they that put their truſt in him; Greater is the diſproportion between the pleaſure and paines of ſin, then between a drop of honey and an Ocean of gall. Conſider, O ſinner, when thou art bathing thy ſoul by the fire of luſt, how thy ſoul ſhall burn in the flames of hell; and remember that fire and brimſtone lye under the skin of every Sodomiticall apple, and are in the belly of every luſt. Meditate, Oh Saint, of the love of Chriſt in delivering thee from this eternall fire, this wrath to come, in becoming a skreen between that flame and thy ſoul, in cooling of thee, thoughby ſcorching of himſelfe. To conclude this, If he hath delivered us from this eternall, how patiently ſhould we endure any trying fire, and how cool ſhould we account the hotteſt ſervice in which God imployes us in this life! (All is mercy beſides hell.) And how ſhould we pity and pull back thoſe who are poſting (and that painfully) toward theſe pains of eternall fire!
6. Gods anger changeth the uſe of the creatures; Obſerv. 6.It turns helps into plagues. The fire which God appointed to warm and purifie, ſhall, if God be our enemy, conſume and burn us to aſhes; the air ſhall poyſon us, our houſes ſhall be priſons to keep us for execution by flames. The Sun ſhall hold, or rather be the candle to give light to our ſlaughter, as in Joſhuabs time; the earth which ſhould bear, ſhall devour us: The ſeas which ſerve for conveyance, ſhall ſwallow us up; the Stars which at ſometimes are ſweetly influentiall, ſhall (if God be angry) fight in their courſes againſt Siſera; the Heavens which are wont to afford ther fruitfull drops ſhall ſhowr down fire and brimſtone, and by both barrenneſſe. The uſefulleſt creatures of God, if hee bid them, ſhall go upon errands of deſtruction, in obedience to their Commander in chief, who can commiſſionate and impower for ſervices of bloodyeſt ſeverity and revenge not only his chief officers, the glorious Angels, but even his Common ſouldiers, the pooreſt of creatures. If he be our foe, even thoſe ſhall hurt us from whom we have formerly received, and now expect moſt friendſhip. Our greateſt comforts ſhall become our greateſt croſſes. The wife of the boſom, the children that came out of our loyns, may become our butchers and traytors; yea God can make our ſelves our own deadlieſt enemies: Let none be ſecure in their freedom from enemies, till God be their friend; nor in the multitude of friends, ſo long as God is their enemy. God can puniſh unexpectedly, even ſuch a way as we never dream of. Jeruſalem (ſaith the Prophet) came down wonderfully, Lam. 1.9. and what Sodomite ever heard before of a ſhowr of fire? but unheard of ſins, procure unheard of puniſhments.
7.Obſerv. 7. Moſt heinous is the ſin of contempt of the Goſpel. Theſe Sodomites were ſinners and ſufferers even to amazement. Sodom was a hell for ſin, and typically a hell for puniſhment, and yet Chriſt ſaith, It ſhall be more tolerable for the land of Sodome and Gomorrha in the day of judgement, Mat. 10, 15.then for the City which is guilty of this ſin: Ʋnbelief is worſe then Sodomy: Of all ſins, Goſpelſins damn moſt unavoidably. The pollutions of Sodom defile not ſo deeply, as doth the refuſing of that blood which ſhould eleanſe us. How dangerous is the condition of that man, who pleaſing himſelfe in a civill converſation and freedome from thoſe ſins which bring, him within the compaſs of mans law, allowes himſelf in that one which concludes him under the curſe of the law of God. Of this before.
8.Obſerv 8. God often proportions the puniſhment to the ſin. Sodoms ſin was againſt the light and uſe, their puniſhment againſt the courſe of nature; they fetch up hell to the earth, and God ſends hell out of heaven. Their ſinne was notorious, and proclaimed in the face of the Sun; their puniſhment was, nay yet is viſible to all the world. Their ſin was univerſall, and the raining of fire and brimſtone (ſaith Chriſt) deſtroyed them all. Luk. 17.29. Exod. 21.24. Pſal. 55.23. Mat. 26.52. Job. 31.9, 10. Judg. 1.7.Their ſin was a flame of luſt, and their puniſhment a flame of fire. Their ſin was filthy, not without abominating it, to be named; their puniſhment, as by fire, ſo by brimſtone, was ſo unſavoury to the ſmell, as not to be endured. How happy were it for us, if as our ſins lead God to inflict ſuch a kind of puniſhment, ſo that puniſhment may lead us back againe to find out the ſinne! But of this before, ver. 5.
9. Great is Gods care of mans ſafety, Obſerv. 9.and humane ſociety. How angry was God with the Sodomites for a ſin committed againſt their own bodies, and the honour of one another. God hath appointed and executed puniſhments for & upon any that ſhall abuſe poor ſinfull man; and with whom is God ſo angry as with thoſe who hurt themſelves moſt! How ſtrong an hedge hath he ſet about mans welfare in his ten Commandments; in them he diſtinctly provides for mans authority, life, chaſtity, eſtate, name, and generally in them all for his ſoul. All the rebellions, murders, rapes, oppreſſion, defamations, &c. in the world, whereby men ſuffer from men, are from hence, that God is not obeyed by men; and all the violencies among men proceed from the violation of the law of God, which were it obſerved, what a face of calmneſſe and comelineſſe would be upon the whole earth! God is infinitely better to us, then we are to our ſelves, to one another. How obſervable is the difference between thoſe places where the fear of God ſwaies, and others, even in reſpect of civill, comely, and honeſt behaviour! To conclude, Though God might have enjoyned us the worſhipping and ſerving of himſelfe, without any regard of our own benefit, yet ſuch is his love to man, that as no command doth hinder, ſo moſt are intended for the furthring of mans outward welfare. How ſtrong an engagement lies upon us to be ſtudious of giving him that honour which we owe, who is ſo carefull to make that proviſion for us which he owes us not.
Thus far of the third particular, the ſeverity of the puniſhment inflicted upon the Sodomites, viz. the vengeance of eternall fire. The fourth and laſt followes, the end and uſe of that puniſhment, in theſe words, Are ſet forth for an example.