A89503:390
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. From the constitution of the Gospel, it yieldeth no leave 1to sin but liberty to serve God: this is the great design of it, Christ came not to reconcile God and our sins together; but God and our persons, to reconcile our persons and destroy our sins: not to free us from the Law, but sin; to free us from the service of the Devil, 1 John 3. 8. not from the service of God: In short, he came not to make the Law less strict, or sin less odious, or us less holy; for perfection of the Law was never so clearly known, as since the coming of Christ, See Mat. 5. and sin was never so odious, as since the abundance of grace, they under the law sinned at a cheaper rate then we can, because they did not sin against so much l•ve and kindness, See Heb. 2. 2. 3. neither could Christ come to make us less holy or to dispense with our care of holiness; for then he should come to deface the Image of God, and make us more unlike God, which would not be a privilege but a burden to the new creature; freedom from wrath and Hell is a privilege; but freedom from duty and obedience is is no privilege: in the Gospel there is pardon for failings, ⟨p. 206⟩but not to encourage us in our failings, but our duties: We were never so much obliged to duty as since the Gospel, because now we have more help and more advantages, stronger motives, and greater encouragements: If we look backward, we are bound in point of gratitude to serve the Lord, being redeemed hereunto by the blood of Jesus; if we look forward, we are encouraged by the hopes of eternal life: the Law could not persuade by such arguments as the Gospel doth; there is more of the Rule known, more of the Spirit poured out, to give us help to observe it; so that from this short abridgement of larger discourses, it appeareth, that the great design of the Gospel is to make us more like God, and to free us from the slavery of the Devil, that we may be better servants and subjects to God.
1. From the constitution of the Gospel, it yeildeth no leave