(1.) They that will not hear his voice, that slight his calls. He inviteth them and prayeth them that they will look into their hearts, consider their eternal condition, but they quench the Spirit, smother light, resist all these motions ; these will not hear Christ's voice. He entreateth, prayeth, that we will come and put our souls under his government ; and we in effect say, ' We are lords, and will not come at thee,' Jer. ii. 31. We are well enough, and shall do well enough without any such care and strictness.
(2.) They that cannot endure his restraints : Jer. xxxi. 18, ' Thou art as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke.' They cannot endure to hear of denying their fashions, their lusts, their pleasures, their vain thouo-hts, when every thought and every desire must be under a law ; so much time spent in duties, such gravity in the conversation, such
VeR. 4.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JUDE. 159
awe in their speeches ; they break off like a wanton heifer. Vain and licentious spirits will not be yoked and clogged thus : Mai. i. 14, ' What a weariness is it ! ' Sacrifice upon sacrifice ! such waiting upon God ! they cannot endure it. Man is compared to ' a wild ass's colt,' not only for grossness of conceit, but for untamedness and wildness. Job xi. 12, We would roam abroad without restraint.
(3.) They are given up to strong and inordinate desires of liberty ; when men quarrel at duties rather than practise them, think it a kind of happiness to be free, and that there is no freedom but in sinning, and following the bent and sway of their own hearts, are all for break- ing bands, and dissolving cords, Ps. ii. 4.
(4.) These are bewrayed by a proud contempt and obstinacy against instruction and reproof: Jer. v. 5, 'I will go to the great men and speak to them ; but these have altogether burst the yoke, and broken the bands.' They had cast ofi" all respect and obedience to God : Jer. xiil 15, ' Hear, give ear, be not proud,' &c. ; so Heb. xiii. 22, ' Sufter the words of exhortation,' &c. Some spirits are impatient, and re- coil with the more violence upon a reproof, and storm and vex, which argueth much unsubjection of heart to Christ.
[2.] He is Jesus, which signifieth a Saviour. Now Christ is a Saviour positively as well as privately ; he giveth us spiritual bless- ings, as well as freedom from misery ; John iii. 17, that tliey should ' not perish, but have everlasting life.' Again he is a Saviour not only by way of deliverance, but by way of prevention ; he doth not only break the snare, but keep our feet from falling ; he is as a shep- herd to lead the flock, as well as a physician to heal the diseased. We do not take notice of preventive mercies, and yet prevention is better than escape. Again, he is a Saviour by merit and by power ; for he hath not only to do with God, but with Satan. God is to be satisfied, and Satan overcome ; and therefore he rescueth us out of the hands of Satan, and redeemeth us out of the hands of God's jus- tice. To rescue a condemned malefactor, and take him by force out of the executioner's hands, is not enough ; the judge also must be satisfied, and pass a pardon, or the man is not safe : Christ ' hath pulled us out of the power of darkness,' Col. i. 13, and in him the Father is ' well pleased,' Mat. iii. 17. There needeth also power to work upon our hearts, as well as merit to satisfy God. Before his exaltation he redeemed us, then he deserved it; and therefore it is said, ' We have salvation by his death,' 1 Thes. v. 9. After his exaltation he worketh it, and so we are ' saved by his life,' Rom. v. 10. So that living and dying he is ours, that living and dying we may be his : we have the power of his exaltation as well as the merit of his humiliation. Once more, he saveth us not only for awhile, but for ever ; and therefore it is called an ' eternal salvation,' Heb. v. 9 ; not only from temporal misery, but from hell and damnation ; not only the body is saved, but the soul ; and the soul not only from hell, but the fear of hell, Heb. ii. 14, from the fear as well as the hurt, from despair and want of hope as well as from the misery itself. Yet, again, he saveth us not only from the evils after sin, but the evil o/s'm : Mat. i. 21, 'He shall save his people from their sins ;' there is the chiefest part of his salvation. He doth not only save us in part, but saves us
160 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [VeR. 4.
' to the uttermost/ Heb. vii. 25. He giveth us life, and all things necessary to life. Well, then: —
First, Bless God for Jesus Christ, that he took the cure of our salvation into his own hands ; he would not trust an angel, none was fit for it : Isa. lix., ' I looked and there was no Saviour, therefore mine own arm wrought out salvation.' There are poor creatures like to perish for want of a Saviour ; I will go down and help them ; as Jonah, when he saw the tempest, ' Cast me into the sea.' So when we had raised a tempest, Cast me in, saith Christ, ' Lo, I am come to do thy will,'