Exposition of Jude 2, Title page – Dedication
AN EXPOSITION Of the EPISTLE of JUDE, Together With many large and uſefull DEDUCTIONS. Formerly Delivered In ſundry LECTURES in Chriſt-Church LONDON. May 24th.
BY WILLIAM JENKYN, Miniſter of the Goſpel of Jeſus Chriſt, AND PASTOR of the Church at Black-friars, LONDON.
The SECOND PART.
LONDON, Printed by Tho. Maxey, for SAMUEL GELLIBRAND, at the golden BALL in Paul's Church-yard, 1654.
TO My Dear FLOCK, and much honoured Friends, The CHURCH of GOD, In the Precinct of BLACK-FRYARS LONDON.
Chriſtian and reſpected Friends,
IT cannot ſeeme ſtrange, that I who have lately given my ſelfe to the ſervice of your ſoules, ſhould now dedicate my Booke to you for that purpoſe. Nor can any wonder, ſince you have lately imitated your Predeceſſors, in the loving and unanimous Call of your (though now unworthy) Paſtor; that he ſhould endeavour to follow the ſteps of thoſe excellent ſervants of Chriſt your former Miniſters, who in their times both by Preaching and Printing beſtowed their labours upon you for your ſpirituall benefit.
I have frequently heard, that Black-fryars is one of thoſe places in London, commonly accounted and called by the name of Priviledged, in reſpect of ſundry civil Immunities beſtowed upon it. But what are all thoſe Political, in compariſon of the Spiritual priviledges which God hath afforded to you of this place? in regard whereof I much queſtion, whether any Congregation in London (I think I may take a far larger compaſs) hath been equal to you in the priviledg of enjoying ſo long a continuance of an Able, Orthodox, Soul-ſaving Miniſtry. Thoſe two excellent and eminently faithful Servants of Chriſt, Mr. Egerton, and Doctor Gouge (lately deceaſed) ſpent (as I am informed) about ſeventy years in their Miniſterial Labors among the people of Black-fryars.
The Goſpel in your Congregation hath continued (I think) beyond the remembrance of the oldeſt, (the Lord grant that it may outlive the youngeſt) now living among you. God hath, as it were, made his Sun to ſtand ſtill upon your Gibeah, and his Moon upon your Ajalon, to give you light to overcome your ſpirituall Enemies. How many learned, and pithy expoſitions, ſavoury diſcourſes, and excellent tractates have had their conception in your Pariſh, and their birth in your pulpit! You have enjoyed the monthly adminiſtration of the Lords Supper, (as your late reverend Paſtor informed me) theſe five and forty yeares, without any interruption. I mention not theſe things to occaſion your glorying in men, or any outward priviledges, but onelyonly to put you upon ſelf-reflexion, and holy examination, how you have thriven in holineſſe under all theſe enjoyments: Church priviledges (I grant) are excellent mercies, in their kinde: Without the Ordinances, places are commonly as void of Civility as Chriſtianity; They are but magna latrocinia, dens of robbers, and places of prey, darke places of the Earth fill'd with violence. Church-priviledges, (ſo far forth as they are viſibly owned) make men viſible (ſaints in oppoſition to the world; yea and in their due and holy uſe, real and true ſaints in oppoſition to hypocrites. But notwithſtanding all theſe, the meanes of grace, without grace by thoſe meanes, leave thoſe who injoy them, in the ſame condition (in reſpect of any ſaving benefit) with thoſe who want them. Jer. 9.25, 26. Iſ. 29.1. 2 Hag. 12.14. Rom. 2.25.28, 29.The Arke at Shiloh, the ſacrifices devoured by Ariel, Circumciſion in the fleſh, The temple of the Lord, The Rock and Mannah, The Lords Supper at Corinth, &c. 1 Cor. 11.20. Jer. 7.12.were priviledges which did not ſavingly profit the enjoyers, who were not holy by their holy things, but their holy things rather were made unholy by them. Nay, bare outward priviledges increaſe condemnation. The valley of viſion hath the heavyeſt burden. The Iſraelites who had (not monthly but) daily ſacraments, eating and drinking them every meal, were moſt ſeverely deſtroy…d. Theſe were but as Uriahs letters, which they carryed to their owne deſtruction. The higher Corazin and Bethſaida's elevation was, the greater was their downfall. Juſtice will pluck the unreformed, from the Altar of priviledges. Sermons do but heat hell, and Sacraments are but oyl and pitch to make its flame ſcald and conſume the more painfully. The barren oak was not ſo near curſing, as the barren fig-tree. Nor are weeds on the dunghill ſo near plucking up, as thoſe in the Garden; by none is the name of God ſo much diſhonoured, mercy ſo much abuſed, hypocriſie ſo odiouſly veiled, the power of godlineſſe ſo bitterly hated, Joh. 8.33. Rom. 1.27.as by many who have moſt enjoyed Church priviledges. Put not off your ſouls therefore (dear Chriſtians) with outward Priviledges without inward grace by thoſe Priviledges. What is it more to have a name to live, and to be ſpiritually dead, to have titular ſanctity and real impiety, then for a ſtarving man to be v…iced up for a plentiful houſe-keeper? When God had beſtowed upon Abram a new name, and changed it to Abraham he gave him alſo a new bleſſing. The unprofitable under the means of grace, are therfore worſe then thoſe who want thoſe means, becauſe they are not better, the more aſhip is laden with gold, the deeper ſhe ſinks, the more you are laden with golden priviledges, the deeper (if you miſcarry) wil be your deſtruction Though the Miniſters induſtry without ſucce…ſs, acquits him, yet it condemns his people. He may be ſincere, yet unſucceſsfull; but then the people in the mean time, if unprofitable, ſhew themſelvs hypocritical. You never commend your Miniſters but by getting the ſaving impreſſions of what they preach upon your hearts. Chriſt reproved the young man for calling him good Maſter, becauſe (ſaith Calvin) he had never received any ſaving good from Chriſt. The ſheep onelyonly prayſe the care of the carefull ſhepherd, by their wool, milk, fruitfulneſſe and fatneſs. Let it never be ſaid, that God gives the food of life to you, (as a rich man gives a nurſe good dyet for the benefit of his child) onelyonly for the thriving of ſtrangers. Be not as Indians, who go naked and beggarly in the midſt of all their heaps of gold. Let not ſermons be as jewels onelyonly to hang in your ears, but let them be lockt up in the cabinets of your hearts. Conſider, ordinances are never yours, till you get the ſavour of them upon your ſpirits; Meat upon the table may be taken away, but not when by eating, 'tis turned into a mans ſubſtance. Books may be ſtoln out of a Scholars ſtudy, but a thouſand theeves can never take away the learning which he hath gotten into his head, by ſtudying thoſe Books. The grace of priviledges is onelyonly ſafe. You ſhall be ſtript of theſe when you come to dye, but the grace of them will ſtick by you for ever. Chriſt may ſay to thoſe at the laſt day, depart, who have eat and drunk with him, and caſt out devils, but never will he ſay ſo, to thoſe who having eat and drunk with him, have alſo eat and drunk himſelf, who have caſt luſt out of their ſouls, and gotten a broken heart for ſin, or obtained the leaſt dramme of ſanctifying grace. Oh how much is a drop of inward holineſſe, better then a ſea of outward priviledges!
This book with which I here preſent you, is the ſecond part of my Expoſition upon the divine and excellent Epiſtle of Jude. The Apoſtles ſcope in writing this Epiſtle was to ſtir up theſe Chriſtians to oppoſe thoſe who would have ſeduced them to libertiniſm, and to contend for the faith, againſt thoſe who turned the grace of God into wantonneſſe, who allowed themſelves to live, or rather (like beaſts) to wallow in all filthineſſe, under pretence of advancing free grace; and who laboured to make the Saints by being Chriſtians to become Heathens, as the Apoſtles had made them of Heathens to become Chriſtians. The endeavor of ſatan was to drive people from one extream to another, and ſince he could not by keeping ſome under Judai…m, cauſe them to deny that Chriſt had purchaſed for them any liberty at all, he moſt earneſtly laboured by driving them to Atheiſm and looſeneſs, to make them beleive that n…w they had liberty to be as had as they would, and that the worſe they were, the better they were, & the lower they were in ſin, the higher in Chriſtian perfection: And hence it was that theſe later Epiſtles (one of the laſt whereof this of Jude was) are principally ſpent in oppoſing a feigned, workleſs lifeleſs faith, and in adminiſtring antidotes againſt thoſe doctrines of prophaneneſs and libertiniſm, wherewith the times grew the more infeſted, as the doctrine of grace grew the more to be cried up and advanced.
It is now a compleat year ſince I began to put pen to paper for the preparing this ſecond Part for the preſſe: And it might long ſince have been finiſhed, had not my many other employments hindred. It hath coſt me (I confeſs) ſome ſtudious hours; but the kind acceptance which my other Part hath found from the Church of God, encouraged me to look beyond the difficulty of the work, and made me unwilling to leave this Commentary longer unfiniſhed. I ſhal conclude with my earneſt & humble ſupplication to the Father of lights that this endeavour (among others) may advance the ſpiritual progreſs of the Church, and principally of you (my dear and beloved friends) ſo in grace here, that you may be fitted for glory hereafter. So prayes, Sirs,
Black-friers, Feb. 22th. 1653. Your affectionate and faithfull Servant, for the good of your ſoules, WILL. JENKYN.