YeR. 2.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JUDE. 53
and keep you to his everlasting kingdom. (5.) In the hour of death. When all things else fail you, God will not fail you : this is the last brunt ; do but wait a little while, and you will find more behind than ever you enjoyed ; ' deatli shall not separate : ' as Olevian comforted himself with that, Isa. liv. 10, ' The hills and mountains may depart, but my loving-kindness shall not depart from you.'^ Being in the agonies of death, he said. Sight is gone, speech and hearing is depart- ing, feeling is almost gone, but the loving-kindness of God will never depart. The Lord give us such a confidence in that day, that we may die glorying in the preservation of our Eedeemer.
A^er. 2. Mercy unto you, and peace and love he multiplied.
"We are now come to the third thing in the inscription, and that is the form of salutation, delivered, as all apostolical salutations are, in the way of a prayer. In which we may observe — (1.) The matter of the prayer, or blessings prayed for, which are three, mercy, peace, and love. (2.) The manner or degree of enjoyment, he midtiplied.
I begin with the matter, or blessings prayed for. It will not be altogether unuseful to observe that diversity which is used in saluta- tions. In the Old Testament peace was usually wished without any mention of grace ; as Ps. cxxii. 8, ' For my brethren and companions' sake I will say, Peace be within thee;' and Dan. vi. 25, 'Peace be multiplied unto you.' But in the times of the gospel, grace being more fully delivered, that was also added and expressed in the forms of salutation. But yet in the times of the gospel there is some variety and difference. Sometimes you shall meet with a salutation merely civil, as James i. 1, ' To the twelve tribes x^lpeiv, greeting;' so Acts XV. 23, which was the usual salutation among the heathen ; but most usually it is ' grace and peace,' Eom. i. 7 ; and in other places, ' grace, mercy, and peace,' as 2 John 3 and 1 Tim. i. 2 ; and here it diflereth from them all, for it is ' mercy, peace, and love.' And Causaubon observeth that the Greek fathers, if they wrote to a carnal man, they would wish him grace, but not ^^eace; if to a godly man, they would wish him grace and p)eace too. To touch upon these things is suffi- cient. From these blessings mentioned in this place I shall observe something in general, and then handle them particularly and apart.
First, In the general consideration you may observe : —
Obs. 1. That spiritual blessings are the best blessings that we can wish to ourselves and others. The apostles in their salutations do not wish temporal felicity, but spiritual grace. God's people pray for one another out of the communion of the Spirit, and for themselves out of a principle of the divine nature ; and therefore they do not seek wealth and honour for themselves or one another, but increase of God's favour and image. It is true, nature is allowed to speak in prayer, but grace must be heard first. Our first and chiefest requests must be for mercy, peace, and love, and then ' other things shall be added to us,' Mat. vi. 33.^ The way to be heard in other things is first to beg for grace : Ps. xxi. 4, ' He asked life of thee, and thou gavest him length of days for ever.' Solomon sought wisdom, and together with it found riches and
^ Vide Scultetum in Isa. liv.
- UpocTTiOrifftTai, an additional supply, like paper and pack-tread, •which is given over and above the bargain.
54 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [VeR. 2.
honour in great abundance. Well, then, if thou prayest for thyself, make a wise choice, beg for spiritual blessings. So David prayeth, Ps. cvi. 4, ' Eemember me, 0 Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thine own people.' Nothing less would content him than favour- ites' mercy. Other blessings are dispensed out of common pity to the generality of men ; but these are mercies privilegiate, and given to favourites. Now, saith David, Of this mercy, Lord. No common blessing would serve his turn. So Ps. cxix. 132, ' Look upon me, and be merciful to me, as thou usest to do to those that love thy name.' Surely that which God giveth to his people, that is a better mei'cy than that which Grod giveth to his enemies. Again, these are mercies that cost God dearer. They flow to you in the blood of his Son ; yea, they are mercies that are better in themselves. Wealth and honour may become a burden, yea, life itself may become a burden, but not mercy, not grace, not peace of conscience ; and therefore they are ' bet- ter than life,' Ps. Ixiii. 3, than wealth, than honour. None ever com- plained of too much mercy, of too much love of God. These are blessings that swallow up other miseries, yea, the loss of other bless- ings. Grace with poverty, it is a preferment, James i. 9. Peace of conscience with outward troubles is a happy condition. If there be a flowing of spiritual comforts, 2 Cor. i. 5, as there is an ebbing of out- ward comforts, we are not much wronged. Therefore first seek these blessings. Again, if you pray for others, pray for grace in the first place. That is an evidence of spiritual affection. Carnal men wish such things to others as they prize and affect themselves ; so also do gracious men, and therefore their thoughts run more upon mercy, peace, and grace than wealth and honour and greatness. When a man sendeth a token to a friend, he would send the best of the kind. These are the best mercies. If you were to deal with God for your own souls, you can ask no better. You may ask temporal things, for God ' loveth the prosperity of his saints ; ' but these special blessings should have the preferment in your wishes and desires of good to them, and then you are most likely to speed. Our Lord Christ, in the 17th of John, commendeth the college of the apostles to the Father ; and what doth he ask for them? dominion and worldly respect? Surely no ; nothing but preservation from evil, and sanctification by the truth. These are the chiefest blessings we should look after as Christians.