Exposition of Jude 2, Biblical exegesis · Verse 11 · Observations 1
OBSERVATIONS.
1 Spiritual and eternal woes, Obſer. 1.are the true woes. To be woful indeed, is to be under the wrath of God. This is the wo here by Jude denounced againſt, and by God inflicted upon theſe Seducers. Whatever wo comes without Gods wrath, may have more of weal in it, then of woe. Other woes touch the skin, theſe the ſoul. Other woes part between us and our Eſtates, names, worldly comforts; but theſe between us and God, in whom is laid up all happineſs. How fooliſh is every ſinner to fear the name, the ſhadow, and not to tremble at the thing, the reality of woe, like the beaſt, who is more affrighted with the flaſh of the fire, and the noiſe of the report which is made in ſhooting off the Gun, then with the fear of the bullet. Eternal woes come with leſs noiſe, and therefore with more neglect then others: They kill, though they do not affright. The fear which Chriſt commands is of him who kils the ſoul. Of this more, Part 1 p. 282.What proportion of miſery is there between the ſouls leaving the body, and Gods leaving the ſoul? Bodily miſeries are but opinionative and appearing. There is not a drop of true woe, in a deluge of outward troubles which befal a Saint.
2 Wickedneſs ends in wo. Obſerv. 2Sinners may ſee nothing but wealth in the commiſſion, but they ſhall find nothing but wo in the concluſion of ſin. Every Luſt, though it kiſſeth, yet betrayes. Rom. 6.21.The end (as the Apoſtle ſpeaks) is death. Its the trueſt wiſdom to conſider, whether, when we find it difficult to overcome the preſent tentation, it be not more difficult to undergo the following woe. Oh, could we but look upon the blackneſs of the back of ſin, how little ſhould we be allured with the fairneſs of its face! How far from wiſdom will it be for the deluded ſinner hereafter to ſay, I did not think it would have been thus with me, that hell was ſo hot, that Gods wrath was ſo heavy! The mirth of every ſecure ſinner, that goes dancing to hell, Amara ſint omnia gaudia quibus reſpondent aeterna ſuppliciais no better then madneſs. How bitter ſhould that drop of pleaſure be to us, which is anſwered and overtaken with a ſea of pains! There's no judging of our future, either wo or happineſs, by what appears at preſent. The portion of Gods peoples cup, is to have the beſt, and of the wickeds, to have the bittereſt at the bottom; and yet the top of the cup ſeemeth to promiſe the contrary to both.
3. Scripture imprecations and curſings, Obſerv. 3.muſt not be drawn to be our examples. We may indeed pray againſt the wicked practices of others, that God would ſtop and hinder them; with David, that God would turn the wiſdom of Achitophel into fooliſhneſs. 2. Its lawful for us to pray for temporal afflictions to befal the wicked, to the end that they being ſenſible of Gods anger againſt ſin, may be brought to repentance, and ſo to ſalvation. But 3. Prayers for the eternal confuſion of others, are not abſolutely to be put up to God. They who wil imitate the Scripture in imprecations againſt others, muſt be ſure they imitate thoſe holy men who uttered them, in being led by the ſame Spirit, both of infallibility, in diſcerning of mens perſons and Eſtates; and alſo of purity, or freedom from thoſe corrupt affections wherewith our zeal for Gods glory is ever too much mixed, and therefore to be ſuſpected. This counſel Chriſt gave his Diſciples, Luke 9.55. Matth. 5.44.who asking whether (after the example of Elijah) they ſhould pray that fire might come down from heaven to conſume the Samaritanes? *q.d. Yours is motion not of zeal, but revenge. Ideo Deum à ſe expellit, qui illum à proximo avertit; & facit Deo injuriam, quia ſeipſum judicem conſtituit, et Deum tortorem. Aug. Ser. 4. de Sanc.were anſwered by Chriſt, that they knew not what ſpirit they were of. Our Maſters precept was, Bleſs them that curſe you; yea, bleſs and curſe not: and his pattern left us is 1 Pet. 2.23. ſet down in theſe words, When he was reviled, he reviled not again. The time of Prayer (ſaith Chryſoſtom] is the time of meekneſs. And he (ſaith Auguſtine) drives away God from himſelf, who would turn him away from others; he being injurious to God, in making him the Executioner, and himſelf the Judg.
4.Obſerv. 4. God warnes of wo, before he ſends wo. He takes not ſinners at the advantage (as he might) in the act of ſin, but he foretels the woe before he inflicts it. He uſually cutteth men down by the mouth of his Miniſters, Gen. 15.16. Matth. 23.37before he cuts them off by the hand of Executioners; by the ſword of his mouth, before he doth it by the mouth of the ſword. Gods method is to give premonition, before he inflicts puniſhment. The two deſtructions of Jeruſalem by the Caldeans and Romans, came not till foretold by the Prophets and Chriſt: Of the two general deſtructions of the world; Ge… 6.3. 2 Pet. 3.the paſt by water, and the ſuture by fire, ſufficient warning hath been given: God hereby ſpeaks himſelf gracious, and the wicked inexcuſable. He threatneth that he may not ſmite; and he ſmiteth that he may not ſlay; and he ſlayeth ſome ſometimes temporally, R…v 2.21.that they may not be deſtroyed eternally. God foretels ruin, that it may be prevented. Jonah's prophecying of Niniveh's overthrow, Venturum ſe praedicat, ut cum venerit, quos damnet non inveniat. Gregwas (as Chryſoſtom ſaith) a kind of overthrow of the Prophecy. And hereby the wicked are proclaimed inexcuſable. They cannot ſay in their greateſt ſuffering, but that they had premonition. Even the enemies of God ſhall juſtifie him when he condemns them. They cannot but excuſe God from deſire of revenge, the deſirers whereof are not wont to give warning. Profeſſa perdu t…dia vindictae locum. Sen. Medea.Chriſtians, take heed of turning the denunciations of woe into wantonneſs. Its neither for want of ſin in man, nor ſtrength in God, that in ſtead of wounding he only warns. His hand is not weakened that it cannot ſtrike; nor his arm ſhortned that it cannot reach us: He hath not loſt his power, but he execiſeth his patience, and he exerciſeth his patience in expecting our repentance. Non ille potentiam perdidit, ſed patientiam exercet. Patientiam exercet ſuam, dum poenitentiam expectat, tuam. Aug.Let us prepare to meet our God, even when he is coming toward us, before he come at us. Let us diſpatch the Meſſengers of Prayer and Reformation, to meet him, and make peace with him, while he is vet in the way, and afar off. Though Gods patience laſts long, it will not laſt ever. If we will ſin, notwithſtanding a wo threatned; we ſhall be puniſh'd notwithſtanding a mercy promiſ'd. He who is long a ſtriking, ſtrikes heavy. The longer the child is in the womb, the bigger it is when it comes forth. The longer it is ere wo comes, the bigger will it be when it comes. No mettal ſo cold as Lead before it is melted, but none more ſcalding afterward.
5. Miniſters muſt denounce woes againſt the wicked. Obſerv. 5.Jude deſcribes the fierceneſs of Seducers, and exhorts the Chriſtians to compaſſion; and yet his meekneſs aboliſheth not his zeal. The regard of Gods glory, and the ſouls of the Saints, drawes forth this ſevere denunciation againſt the Enemies of both. He is as bold to foretel their woe, as they to proclaim their wickedneſs. The like ſpirit we may behold in the holy men before him: Cauſam populi apud Deum precibus; cauſam Dei apud populum gladiis allegavit. Greg. Exod. 32.27.Moſes ſo meek, that, when he was with God, though he pleaded the cauſe of the people with prayers, yet when he was with the people, he pleaded the cauſe of God with the ſword. The Prophets after him, Samuel, Elijah, Iſaiah, Jeremiah, were cold and calm in their own, but full of heavenly heat in Gods cauſe. Their denunciations of woes (like lightning which ſmites the higheſt Towers) ſpared not the greateſt, if Enemies to God. Prophetical zeal, ſtruck at ſin where ever it found it; witneſs all thoſe numerous threatnings ſcattered in every leaf of their Prophecies. The Apoſtles had their rod, as well as the ſpirit of meekneſs, and did partake of that ſpirit which was repreſented as well by fiery tongues, as the ſhape of a Dove. Paul ſtrikes Elimas blind, and curſed Alexander. Chriſt himſelf, whoſe mouth (Matth. 5.) was ſo full of Beatitudes, no leſs then eight ſeveral times, denounceth woes againſt the Enemies of God. Its the diſpoſition of Saints, to be holily impatient, when Gods glory ſuffers; and (though never elſe) then to eſteem anger ſeemly: diſgraces againſt their father, they cannot put up, theſe injuries they cannot concoct. Their Commiſſion likewiſe requires this temper, Iſaiah 58.1. Cry aloud, ſpare not, lift up thy voyce like a trumpet, ſhew my people their tranſgreſſions, and the houſe of Jacob their ſins. Jer. 1.7.8. Whatſoever I command thee, that thou ſhalt ſpeak, be not afraid of their faces. A dumb Dog is good for nothing but the Halter. Though the Children in the houſe muſt not be bitten, yet the Thief either without or within, Chryſoſt.muſt not be ſpared; ſinful ſilence and flattery, moſt oppoſe a Miniſters function. If ſinners will be bold, let not Miniſters be baſhful: The moſt zealous Miniſters, have lived in the worſt times; and they who are moſt hated for their holy vehemency, can better endure the hatred of people for the diſcharge of duty, then the wrath of God for the neglect thereof: He that reproves, ſhall have favour at the laſt both of God and man. And even here a zealous Reprover is honoured, when he is hated; and the cauſe (ſaith one) why God makes the world ſo bitter to the Miniſters by ſufferings, is becauſe they are no more bitter… to the world by Reprehenſions. To conclude this, let none, no not the greateſt, be angry with Miniſters for their faithfulneſs in reproving: If there were Phyſicians, or Chyrurgians onelyonly provided for the poor, and not for the rich, the rich would be accounted of all the moſt miſerable; and truly they were much more miſerable for their ſouls, Crudelis eſt eorum mollities, quibus moleſta eſt noſtra vehementia. Calv. in Mat. 13.if they onelyonly were debar'd from reproofs, the Phyſick of the ſoul. There is no greater ſign of a gracious heart, then to be both holily patient in the taking, and wiſely zealous in the giving of a reproof.
2. Thus of the firſt part of this verſe, the denunciation of judgement, Wo unto them. The ſecond followes, the amplification thereof, from three examples, of Cain, Balaam, and Core; and firſt that of Cain, in theſe words, They have gone in the way of Cain.