Commentary on Jude, Biblical commentary · Verse 14
Verſe 14.
And Enoch alſo the ſeventh from Adam, Propheſied of theſe, ſaying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thouſands of his Saints.
THe Apoſtle urgeth another Argument to imply the deſtruction of thoſe Seducers; and that is, The Propheſie of Enoch: whether this Propheſie were written or no…, the ſame ſpirit that ſpake in Enoch inſpired our Apoſtle, if he received it by Tradition, 'tis here made Authentick and put into the Canon*Vid. Bez. & Eſtium in loc.; The Jews have ſome Relicks of this Propheſie in their Writings, and ſome talk of a Volume extant in the primitive times, conſiſting of 4082. lives, called ſhe Propheſie of Enoch; but that was condemned for ſpurious and Apocryphal: Tertullian ſaith there was a Propheſie of Enoch kept by Noah in the Ark, which book is now loſt, be it ſo; many good books may be loſt, but no Scripture; but moſt probably, 'twas a Propheſie that went from hand to hand, from father to ſon; Jude ſaith Enoch Propheſied, he doth not ſay 'tis written, as quoting a paſſage of Scripture: But why ſhould he rather produce Enochs Propheſie, rather then a paſſage out of the Authentique books of Scripture, where are many ſuch to this purpoſe. I Anſwer, 1. It was done by the providence of God, to preſerve this memorial to the Church. 2. Becauſe ancient things are more venerable, for by all mens confeſſion thoſe times were moſt ſimple and free; partium ſtudio, from factions and partialities, therefore all along the Apoſtle bringeth inſtances of the moſt ancient date.
[And Enoch the ſeventh from Adam,] that is incluſive, putting Adam for the firſt; but why is this circumſtance mentioned? I Anſwer, 1. To commend the Antiquity of the Doctrine, the ſeventh in diſcent from Adam, intimates that judgment was to be adminiſtred by Chriſt, 2. Some obſerve a myſtery, the ſeventh perſon was a Prophet, as the ſeventh day was holy. 3. I think 'tis to diſtinguiſh him from Enoch the ſon of Cain, who was the third from Adam, as Enoch the ſon of Seth was the ſeventh, ſee Gen. 4. 17. [Propheſied] that Enoch was a Prophet is clear here, and may begathered from Gen▪ 5 2…. where he is ſaid to walk with God, a phraſe proper to thoſe that ſerved the Lord in ſome near way of miniſtration; 'tis there applyed to Enoch who was a Prophet, and to Noah Gen. 6. 9. who was a Preacher of righteouſneſs, 2 Pet. 2. 5. and to Eli. 1 Sam, 2. 30. who was a Prieſt [Of theſe ſaying] Of theſe, becauſe of ſuch like, 'tis a general Prophe. ſie brought down to a particular caſe and inſtance. [The Lord cometh] that is, the Lord Jeſus appointed to be the Judge of the world; nay mark it, [Behold the Lord cometh] as putting it before their eyes: [commeth] foreign, is come, that is, he ſhall as certainly come as if he were come already: the Jews ſay the great excommunication Maranatha, was inſtituted by Enoch, the word ſignifieth, The Lord commeth [with ten thouſand of his Saints] it may be rendred with his holy Myriads, or ten thouſands, an uncertain number for a certain, that was their higheſt and roundeſt reckoning; the meaning is with huge multitudes of Angels and Saints: as the Apoſtle, 1 Theſ. 3. 13. At the coming of the Lord Jeſus with all his Saints, Zech. 14. 5. The Lord my God ſhall come, and all thy Saints with thee, not only the Angels, but the Saints do help to make up the tryumphs of that day.
The Notes are theſe.
1. That what is ſpoken in the word in general doth as much concern us as if it were ſpoken to our own perſons; Enoch Propheſied of theſe, &c. Particulars are comprized in their generals, ſome Scriptures ſpeak directly to every ſingle perſon; the Decalogue is moſt expreſs this way, Thou, thou, &c. as aiming to awaken every one to a ſenſe of their duty, God doth as it were talk with every of our perſons imediately: the Goſpel indeed ſpeaketh largely, come all yee, &c. as excluding and exempting none out of the hopes of it, yet ſometimes the Goſpel ſpeaking as particularly as the Law, eſpecially where the condition is annexed to the offer, as Rom. 10. 9. If thou beleeveſt in the Lord Jeſus with thine heart, &c. if you, as ſpeaking to me, if thou, as ſpeaking to thee, and every other man in particular: Well then, though the word ſpeaketh generally, take home your own ſhare, as men cut a paſſage out of the common River to water their own fields, let not the Scriptures ſpeak in vain, James 4. 5 we are all concerned, when his ſpeech is directed to men of our condition: Pſal. 27. 8. Thou ſaideſt ſeek ye my face, and David ſub-ſumeth, Thy face Lord will I ſeek.
2. Propheſie or Preaching the word is ancient, for Enoch the ſeventh from Adam Propheſied, ſtill ſome have been ſet a part for this work; Enoch was a Prophet, and Noah a Preacher of righteouſneſs; 'tis ſaid that in the latter end of ſix thouſand years, we ſhould be rooting up an ancient Ordinance, that hath ſtood from the beginning of the world till now; in the old time before the Law, there were ſome to teach, every maſter in his family, churches were then in houſes, and ſome ſpecial Prophets to inſtruct in publique, and continue the tradition: under the Law alſo there were ſome ſolemnly ſet apart for the work of the Tabernacle, and Prophets immediately called to deliver the ſpecial meſſages of God, not only for the inſtruction of the preſent age, but to increaſe the Canon, or rule of faith and manners, even for our comfort; and in Chriſts time Apoſtles were added to unvail the figures of the Law, and deliver the Goſpel more clearly; and when once the Canon was ſetled, and enough delivered to make us wiſe to ſalvation, ſome were ſet apart by the conſtitution of Chriſt as Paſtors and Teachers to explain and apply Scripture; and though all the Saints be Kings and Prieſts to God, yet the office miniſterial muſt not be invaded; for as ſpiritual Kingſhip is no warrant to diſturb the Magiſtrate, or to wreſt the exerciſe of authority out of his hands, ſo ſpiritual Priesthood doth not lay the Miniſtry in common, but ſtill there muſt be ſome ſet apart for that work; if we grudge at the inſtitution, we repine at Chriſts bounty to us, and in effect, bid him take his gift to himſelf, for in the day of his Royalty, or Aſcention, he gave gifts to men, ſome to be Apoſtles ſome Prophets, ſome Pastors, ſome Teachers, &c. Eph. 4. 11.
3. That the Doctrine of the day of Judgement is ancient, Obſervat. 3:long ſince foretold. Enoch propheſied of it, yea the ſentence of death pronounced in Paradiſe did imply it, and the Lords meſſengers have ever urged the terrour of it: many paſſages in Moſes may be applied to this purpoſe, Deut. 32. David clearly ſaith, Pſal. 50. 22. I will ſet thy ſins in order before thee; now conſider this, ye that forget God, leſt I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. So Solomon, Eccleſ. 11. 9. Remember that for all theſe things thou ſhalt come to judgement. 'Twere needleſs to tell you of Daniel, Joel, Malachy, Chriſt, Paul, Peter, John, Jude: ſtill this truth was preſſed in the Church, nay the Lord was pleaſed to grant ſome intimation of it to the heathens, foreign, &c. in the fragments of the Sybils, in Euſebius by the light of nature the Philoſophers had ſome dark and uncertain gueſſes at ſuch a thing, Conſcience is ſoon ſenſible of the truth of it, as Felix trembled when it was mentioned, Acts 24. the ancient judgements of drowning the world, and burning Sodom, were types and forerunners of it: Well then, entertain this doctrine with the more certainty, verum quod primum, that which is first, is true: we are ſecret Atheiſts, can a man believe judgement to come, that walloweth in ſin and profaneſs? Our actions are the beſt image and expreſſion of our thoughts; the Apoſtle ſaith, the latter days ſhall yeild ſcoffers and mockers, 2 Pet. 3. there may be Atheiſts in the Church, but there are none in hell, we deny and doubt of that at which the divels tremble, if the Spirit, Scripture, Conſcience, Reaſon will not teach men, there is no other way of learning but by feeling and experience.
Enoch propheſied, the man that walked with God, he could ſee the day of judgement, though ſo far off:
Thoſe that have moſt communion with God, do most diſcern Obſervat. 4.his mind. Let a man walk humbly and cloſely with God, and he is near, not only the root of life, but the fountain of light, Pſalm 25 14 The ſecret of the Lord is with them that fear him: when the Diſciples doubted of any thing, they pointed to him whom Jeſus loved, and who leaned in Jeſus boſom, John 13. 21, 22, 23, 23▪ thoſe that are in Chriſts boſom, know his mind; well then, if we would pry more deeply into the things of God, walk humbly and cloſely with him; there is a promiſe, John 7. 17. He that will do the will of God, ſhall know what doctrine is of God: *foreign. Naz.Pure ſouls are ſooneſt enlightned, and they diſcern moſt of the Lords counſel, who are not darkned wits Luſts and Intereſts.
5. From that [Beh…ld] he ſpeaketh of this day of theObſervat. 5. Lord, as if it were inſtant, and before their eyes:
We ſhould always real…ize the day of the Lord, and repreſent it to our thoughts as near at hand. 'Tis the work of faith to give things abſent, and at a diſtance, a preſent being in the heart of a Believer, Heb. 11. 1. Six thouſand years agone Enoch ſaid, Behold he cometh; 'tis not for us to fix the ſeaſons which the Father hath put in his own hands, there may be much of ſnare and temptation in that; therefore the Apoſtle Paul reproveth them, that confidently gave it out, that the day of the Lord was at hand, 2 Theſſ▪ 2 24. foreign, inſtantly to come, * Auſtin giveth a reaſon of it thus, ne forte cum …ranſiſſet tempus, tempus quo eum credebunt eſſe futurum de ipſa mercede fidei deſperarent; ſelf they ſhould queſtion all, when deceived in the time of their fore-ſetting; which indeed experience hath verified: In the year of Chriſt one thouſand and one, when many vain opinions and conceits of the end of the world were diſappointed, men began publikely to aſſert, Mundus eſt incorruptibilis, Bar. ad annum 1001. The faith of all truths is ſhaken, by the diſappointment of a raſh confidence: but though we are not punctually to ſtate the time, yet the thing being certein, faith ſhould repreſent it to the thoughts as actually preſent, and we ſhould live as if the Trumpet were always ſounding in our ears, and the Judge were ſate, and the books opened, to put off the thought of that which will one day, and within a ſhort time come about▪ is a ſpice of Atheiſme, Amos 6. 3. for things foretold in the Word ſhould be as certain, and have a like influence upon us, as if they were already accompliſhed. Behold the Lord is come.
6. From that [with ten thouſand of his Saints,] When Obſervat. 6.Christ cometh to judgement, his Saints come to judge the world with him. When the wicked are filled with amazement, they come in Chriſts company; partly that the world may know what ſhall be done to the men whom God will honour, and that Chriſt may be admired in the glory he putteth upon them, 2 Theſſ. 1. 10 partly that Chriſt may make them partakers of the mediatory Kingdom, therefore they are aſſociated with him in judging the world, Matth. 19. 28. their ſuffrage is required, as approving the ſentence of the Judge, 2 Cor. 6. 2. partly for the greater ſorrow of the wicked, they ſhall be judged by mean men, whom they once hated and perſecuted, Pſal▪ 49. 12. The upright ſhall have dominion over them in the morning, that is of the reſurrection, they counted their lives madneſs and folly, but now they are exalted: partly to make amends for the perverſe cenſures of worldly men, now they are judged every day; counted the off ſcowring and reproach of men, but then the Lord will clear up their innocency, and they ſhall ſit as Juſtices with the Judge upon the Bench. Well then 1. Be Saints, if you would have a Saints priviledge; Fellons may be jovial in the Priſon, but they tremble at the Bar; they are happieſt that have joy and boldneſs at Chriſts appearance; when wicked men come like miſerable captives, how ſhall the Saints ariſe out of their graves like ſons of the morning? They and Angels intermixed in the train of Chriſt, what is wanting here, is richly made up there. 2 Walk as thoſe that ſhall be aſſociated with Chriſt in judging the world; walk with Chriſt now, and you ſhall come with him then; follow the Lamb whereſoever he goeth, when he is crowned at Hebron, he will not forget his old companions, cleave to him, cry not up a confederacy with them, that cry up a confederacy againſt him; he will ſay to you, you have been with me in all my ſufferings and ſorrows, now you ſhall be with me in my glory, Matth. 19. 27, 28. Again, Judge the world now, condemn them by your lives, as knowing that you ſhall condemn them hereafter by your vote and ſuffrage. N…a… condemned the world, Heb. 11. 7. a ſerious Chriſtian is a living reproof; a carnal profeſſing hypocrite, juſtifieth the wicked; ye have juſtified your ſiſter Sodom, ſee Ezek. 16. but a ſincere Chriſtian condemneth them.
7. From that [with ten thouſand of Saints] At Chriſts Obſervat. 7.appearance his train ſhall conſiſt of multitudes of Saints and holy Angels. Now they are but as two or three Berries upon the top of the uppermoſt bough, ſcattered here and there, as God hath work and ſervice for them to do, but when they appear together in that great rendezvouz, they are a number which no man can number, ſee Rev. 5. 11. and Rev. 7. 9. 'tis a comfort againſt the paucity and ſmalneſs of thoſe that are upright with God; in heaven we ſhall have company enough, Gods family when it cometh altogether, is very numerous, or rather innumerable, Heb. 12. 23, as the wicked ſhall be expoſed to the fellowſhip of divels, and perſons like themſelves, where the company ſhall add to the torment, ſo ſhall we be called to *Pſal. 1. 5.a great Aſſembly, and to bear a part with that glorious train which cometh with Chriſt.