Obs. 1. Observe, first, that Jude placeth his service among his titles. He might have urged other things to render himself honourable to the world, but he doth not stand upon those things ; it is enough for him to say, ' Jude, a servant.' As Jude, the Lord's cousin, calleth himself his servant, so doth Mary, the Lord's mother, style herself his
^ See my Expositioa ou James i. 1.
YeR. 1.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JUDE. 11
handmaid : Luke i. 38, ' Behold the handmaid of the Lord.' And the apostles generally urge it as one of the fairest flowers in their gar- land, the honour of being Christ's servants ; yea, Christ himself counteth it no dishonour to be styled God's servant. The meanest offices about princes are accounted honourable ; to be a groom there is better than to be a lord elsewhere. Servire Deo regnare est — it is royal and kingly to be God's servant ; indeed, every servant there is a king, 1 Peter ii. 9, Rev. i. 6 ; as Zeba and Zalmunna said of Gideon's brethren, * They each one resembled the children of a king,' so all these are spiritual kings, that live the noblest and freest life in the world. And as we have a glorious master, so consider your fellow- servants, the glorified saints and we make but one family, Eph. iii. 15. And the angels themselves are called his ministers : Ps. ciii. 21, ' Ye ministers of his that do his pleasure ; ' they are a part of God's attend- ance, and wait upon their master's person. When we have such fel- low-servants, we should not count our work a slavery and baseness ; it can be no disparagement to us to be in the same rank and order with the angels and saints departed. Well, then, learn to value the honour that you have by Christ's service ; as that emperor counted it a greater privilege to be a member of the church than head of the empire. Look upon duty as an honour, and service as a privilege : honorabilia legis, Hosea viii. 12, so the Vulgar. And if ever you be put to your choice, either to enjoy the greatest outward honours, or to serve Christ with disgrace, choose the latter. Moses ' refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter when he came to age,' Heb. xi. 24, 25. Gal- eacius Carraciolus left the honour of his marquisate for an obscure life and the gospel at Geneva. Indignities and dishonours done you in the way of duty are honours ; ' reproaches for Christ's sake ' are treasure, Heb. xi. 26. One of Paul's honorary titles is, ' Paul, a pri- soner of Jesus Christ,' Philem. 1 ; and elsewhere he holdeth up his chain in a kind of triumph : ' Por the hope of Israel am I bound with this chain,' Acts xxviii. 20. Whatever befalleth us in and for our service to Christ, be it never so disgraceful, it is rather a mark of honour than a brand of shame.
Obs. 2. Observe, again, his relation to Christ is expressed by ser- vice ; as he describeth himself to be James's brother, so Christ's ser- vant ; by that means he was entitled to Christ ; if we would be Christ's we must do his will : our relation ariseth from service, John xii. 26. Therefore I shall here take occasion to show you what it is to be Christ's servants. (1.) Whoever is Christ's servant must resign and give up himself wholly to the will of Christ ; for he that is Christ's servant, he is so by covenant and consecration. We are indeed Christ's by all kind of rights and titles; 'he made us, and not we ourselves;' no creature is of itself, and therefore it is not its own, but another's. It is God's prerogative alone to love himself and seek himself, because he alone is without obligation and dependence ; but we owe ourselves to him, and therefore cannot without robbery call ourselves our own. Your tongues are not your own to speak what you please, Ps. xii. 4, nor your hearts your own to think what you please, nor your hands your own to do what you please ; by virtue of your creation you are another's, and are bound to live and act for another, according to his will, for his
12 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [VeR. 1.