A89503:371
A Practical Commentary on the Epistle of Jude
A practical commentary, or An exposition with notes on the Epistle of Jude. Delivered (for the most part) in sundry weekly lectures at Stoke-Newington in Middlesex. By Thomas Manton, B.D. and minister of Covent-Garden.
London: printed by J.M. for Luke Fawn, 1658
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1. If we do not often think of him; if we did not want hearts we cannot want objects to put us in mind of God, [Greek or Hebrew], he is not far from every one of us, Acts 17. 27. But though God be not far from us, yet we are far from God; he that is every where is seldom found in our hearts: We are not so near to our selves as God is near to us; who can keep his breath in his body for a minute if God were not there? He is within us, and round about us in the effects of his power and goodness, but we are at too great a distance ⟨p. 196⟩from him in our mind and affections: How many trifles occupy our minds? but the Lord can seldom find any room there, God is not in all their thoughts, Psal. 10. 3. Yea when thoughts of God rush into our minds, they are like unwelcome guests, we wish to be rid of them: wicked men abhor their own thoughts of God, because the more they think of God, the more they tremble, as the devils do; therefore the Apostle saith, They like not to retain God in their knowledge, Rom. 1. This is far from the temper of Gods children, David saith Psal. 104. 34. My meditation of him shall be sweet. 'Tis the spiritual feast and entertainment of a gracious soul to think of God: none deserveth our thoughts more than he, and we cannot put them to better use: He thought of us before the world was, and still great is the multitude of his thoughts to us ward; therefore 'tis vile ingratitude not to think of him again: when we hate a person we cannot endure to look upon him, and the hatred of the mind is showed by the aversation, and turning away of the thoughts.
1. If we doe not often think of him; if we did not want hearts we cannot want objects to put us in mind of God, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, he is not far from every one of us, Acts 17. 27. But though God be not far from us, yet we are far from God; he that is every where is seldom found in our hearts: We are not so near to our selves as God is near to us; who can keep his breath in his body for a minute if God were not there? He is within us, and round about us in the effects of his power and goodnesse, but we are at too great a distance