of Ammon charged David's servants with deceit, and caused them to be abused upon suspicion that they were spies, 2 Sam. x. 3.

of

This sin of evil-speaking by detraction is committed by uttering against others true things after a sinful and evil manner; and that several ways. As, 1. In the way of searching into and blazing of secret infirmities; uncovering that which ingenuous humanity would conceal, and making the house-top a pulpit to preach of what was done in the closet. talebearer revealeth secrets, but a man of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter," Prov. xi. 13. 2. When we amplify the offences of others beyond their due proportion; when for fifty we set down a hundred, and hold spectacles before faults of a small print, to make them seem greater than they are, representing that as done presumptuously which was done weakly, or as done unconscionably which was done carelessly, or as done deliberately which was done rashly. 3. When we speak good of another, but either lessen or deprave it, as done with a bad intention, in hypocrisy, for bad ends; and so relate the truth, but with wicked and false insinuations and collections of evil. Thus Doeg spake the truth to Saul concerning David, but falsely insinuated that David and the priests conspired against him, 1 Sam. xxii. 9, 10. 4. When in speaking of a thing truly done or spoken, we destroy the sense, and pervert the meaning. Thus the Jews spake evil of Christ, when they witnessed against him, that he said, He would destroy the temple, and build it up again in three days.

We may commit this sin of evil-speaking against others by detraction, even by others; and that both, 1. By suborning those who will accuse and speak evil of them; as Jezebel did against Naboth, and the Jews against Christ and Stephen, Acts vi. 11. And, 2. By receiving of evil reports against them from others, when, instead of driving away a backbiting tongue with an angry countenance, as the north wind driveth away rain, Prov. xxv. 23, we encourage and cherish evil-speakers, by our receiving what defamations they bring us, still to steal from the good names of others; when, though we set not our neighbour's name on fire, yet we stand and gladly warm our hands by it when we see it set on fire.

2. The sin of evil-speaking may be in his presence, or to his face; and then it is either mocking or railing. 1. Mocking is when a disgraceΣκώμμα. ful taunt or gird is given to another; as Gen. xxxvii. 19, the brethren of Joseph scoffingly called him dreamer; the children called Elisha baldpate, 2 Kings ii. 23; and so in Babylon, they mock at the Israelites for their Hebrew songs, Psal. cxxxvii. 2. Railing is properly when any sin Λοιδορία. or wickedness is objected, as murder, uncleanness, sedition: thus Shimei called David a bloody man, and a man of Belial; and the heathens called the Christians incestuous enemies to the state, &c.

(3.) Wherein consists the sinfulness of that "railing accusation" from which this holy angel abstained. And this appears,

1. In regard of God. It is a wickedness eminently injurious to him, and strictly prohibited by him, Matt. vii. 1; Lev. xix. 16; Col. iii. 8; Eph. iv. 3; James iv. 11; severely threatened and punished, 2 Kings ii. 23. It audaciously invades the seat and room of God himself, taking his office out of his hands, who is the Judge of heaven and earth; and from our standing before the judgment-seat of Christ, the apostle argues strongly against the judging of others, Rom. xiv. 10. Judge nothing before the time," I Cor. iv. 5. And what hath any man to do to judge another man's servant? When we speak

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2. In regard of those who hear these evil-speakings. Hearers commonly both willingly and hurtfully hear others defamed. It damps and destroys in them the love of their brethren: it is a draught, though of sweet, yet of deadly poison, given in at the ear: it lays a stumblingblock before the blind, by abusing, and falsely or unduly informing the ignorant, to whom the defamation is reported. It has separated chief friends.

3. In regard of the party who is guilty of evilspeaking. This sin speaks his madness and folly: if he may destroy his neighbour's name, he adventures to damn his own soul; if he may make others think ill of him whom he hates, he cares not how deeply he himself incurs the wrath of God; if he may but kill one by defaming him, he cares not, though in the doing thereof he destroys thousands by infecting them. He is like one who will blow in a heap of dust, though thereby he puts out his own eyes. Truly said Solomon, "He that uttereth slander is a fool," Prov. x. 18. True religion cannot consist with such a course. "If any man seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, that man's religion is vain," James i. 26. A good man cannot be an evil-speaker.

Detractores dia

Pera. d. p. 320.

This sin of evil-speaking is the disgrace of the evil-speaker. It is a practice of the old man, unbecoming and to be put off by Christians, that profess new life, as sordid rags, Col. iii. 8. An evilspeaker is the devil's eldest son, he bears his name; his mouth is the devil's vessel, which he fills with the water of cursing; he is the devil's tooth to bite men; he is a pedlar, furnished with wares by the devil to vend in the world for him; he scatters perfumes to delight him; he bolo thurificant. tells tales to make him merry; he more defiles his own heart and tongue than his neighbour's name. He is by some not unfitly compared to a butcher's dog, taught by his master not to touch the good and choice pieces of flesh in the shop, but the filthy offal he greedily and eagerly devours: by others to swine, who if they come into a garden, in one part whereof grow a thousand sweetly fragrant flowers, and in a corner whereof is laid a heap of manure, delight more to be grovelling in the manure than smelling the flowers; or who go not to the flowers to smell, but to root them up. They rake in the faults and infirmities of others; their graces they abhor as much to observe as they do to imitate; like owls, in the dark they see, in the sunshine they are blind.

proaches will crack his own crown. But certainly, without repentance, destructive eternally, excluding from the kingdom of God, 1 Cor. vi. 10. God will reprove in his wrath if we reproach with our words, Psal. 1. 20, 21: when we have done with our speech. our speech has not done with us.

4. In respect of him who is spoken against. Evilspeaking is a sin of the greatest cruelty; it takes away that which is better than honour, riches, yea life; and such a good stolen away cannot be recompensed, because its worth cannot be estimated. Evilspeaking buries the dear and precious name, the throat of the evil-speaker being an open sepulchre. At the best, it deals with men as the Ammonites with David's servants, it takes away half their names, cuts their reputation off at the midst; and commonly, they who are defamed in one respect, are suspected and slighted upon every occasion: one fly mars the whole pot of ointment. And one defamation will be sooner believed, though reported but by one never so unworthy of credit, than a commendation, though confirmed by the joint suffrages of a hundred faithful witnesses. The reviler lives upon man's flesh and blood as his meat and drink; nay, upon something better, the name being better than life. By a good name many have done good after their death; by the loss of it, many have been rendered useless while they lived. The former have lived when they were dead, the latter have been dead while they lived. Evil-speaking is more cruel than hell, for hell only devours the bad, but the hell of the tongue the good and bad too.

This for the explication of the first branch, namely, what the archangel did forbear, viz. to “bring a railing accusation." Hence follows,

Secondly, why he did forbear it; he "durst not bring" it. Wherein two things are to be opened. 1. What is meant by this not daring. 2. Why he was not daring.

Τολμᾶ ἀποθα

neat. Beza.

1. For the first. The words are our Tóλμnge in the original, and the word roλuáw, here expounded by daring, has a double signification in Scripture; sometimes it signifies to endure, bear, sustain, or to be able and fit to undertake or undergo such a difficulty; and thus it is taken Rom. v. 7, One dare, or will veiv, Mori susti endure, to die for a good man: and so the sense will be this, Michael durst not, that is, could not endure, was not able to give a railing accusation. But it more frequently signifieth to be bold, or to dare to do, or to adventure upon a business, as not being dismayed with any dangers. Thus it is taken Phil. i. 14; Mark xv. 43; John xxi. 12. And thus it is to be understood in this place, Jude intending that the archangel durst not be so bold, or was holily afraid to bring against the devil a railing accusation. And thus the difference between the seducers and the archangel, by whose contrary practice the apostle aggravates the sin of the seducers, will appear more clear and evident; the apostle telling us, 2 Pet. ii. 10, that these bold libertines were presumptuous, and not afraid to speak evil of dignities; but the archangel durst not, &c.

us.

2. Why was the archangel thus far from daring and adventuring? There are three grounds of fear to adventure upon any way or course propounded to (1.) A natural desire of our own preservation, causing a dread of any thing which may endanger it. This in itself is no sin, it having been, not only in the holiest men, but in Jesus Christ himself, who prayed, that if it were possible the cup of death might pass from him. (2.) That corruption of nature whereby the creature fears nothing but the smart of punishment, and shuns it only as it is afflictive to sense, not at all as it is offensive to God; the party thus

fearing having a heart only filled with guilt and self-accusation, and empty of that faith which worketh by love. Thus the devils believe and tremble. (3.) That principle of grace whereby persons fear sin as its opposite, and displeasing to God, whom they dare not offend; not only because he sets himself against sin, but principally, in the first place, because sin sets itself against God: this was the holy fear of David, "My flesh trembleth because of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments," Psal. cxix. 12. First he feared God, and then he stood in awe of his judgments. This is indeed to fear sin as hell, and not only to fear it for hell. This is that fear commended by Solomon, for causing us to "depart from evil," Prov. xvi. 6; a fear that proceeds more from sense of duty enjoined than of danger threatened, and whereby we more respect God's will than our own woe. In a word, a fear which therefore is regardful of God's wrath, because it proceeds from a faith which reposeth itself on his mercy.

cur non vis velle,

potes? Nieremb.

Ver.

Obs. 1. Purity of affection should accompany angelic illumination. Michael had the holiness as well as the wisdom of an angel; he had not only ability to dispute, but care to keep from sin in disputing. A head full of knowledge, with a heart forward to sin, agree indeed with an angel, but it is an angel of darkness. An archangel given over to wickedness is an arch-devil. Great knowledge, without holiness, is but a great temptation; knowledge (saith the apostle) puffeth up. Sanctity si velles intelliin a child is better than all the under- gere, ut angelus, standing of devils. A clean heart is quod non potes, better than a clear head. If thou de- ut Deus, quod sirest, saith one, to understand like an de Ador. in Sp.et angel, why art thou not more desirous to will as doth God? The great Diana of worship in the world is brain knowledge, and estimation of an acute and reaching apprehension; whereas holiness is esteemed but as a dull, contemptible qualification: but the glory of Michael here in the text was to keep himself from sin. It is a pity that a good head and a good heart should not ever be companions, or that the notional perception of truth should at any time go along with the practical refusal thereof. Wicked angels or ministers, who by their doctrine teach people how to be saved, do by their lives teach God how to damn themselves. If the Lord has given thee integrity of heart, though thy parts be but mean, bless him; he has truly shown thee the more excellent way, afforded thee an angelic excellency.

Obs. 2. It is a high commendation, to shun sin when we are necessitated to converse with sinners. Michael disputes with the devil, but yet holily and angelically. He got no infection from his devilish carriage. The devil sets upon our blessed Saviour more than once, yet Christ gathered no soil from this unclean spirit. It is a sign of a good constitution to continue healthful in a bad and infectious air. The truth of grace should show itself in its care, not only to avoid the company of sinners, but the contagion by sinners: perhaps we cannot shun the former, yet we should, and by holy watchfulness may, escape the other. If we cannot do the wicked good by conversing with them, we must take heed lest they do us hurt. It is a justly suspected goodness which can only hold up in good company: he who will then be bad rather overtakes sin than is overtaken by it; but he who keeps the spark of holiness alive in the midst of damps and quench-coals, though he may with holy David bewail his condition in respect of bad company, Psal. cxx. 5, yet may he withal rejoice in the hopes of his own integrity.

Obs. 3. It is our duty to learn this angelical lesson of forbearing to bring railing accusations. To this

end, (1.) Be much and serious in accusing thy sinful self. In this duty it is hard to be severe enough. Put not thy eyes into thy pocket when thou art alone at home. It is a sign that they who desire to sacrifice their brethren's names, are, as Pharaoh charged the Israelites, but too idle; I mean, they labour not about their own hearts: every enemy, by how much the nearer, by so much the more hateful is he to us; our own sins are our nearest, and should be our most hated enemies. (2.) Envy not the worth of any: the very word (invidia) envy may either be derived from looking into, or not looking upon another at all; the envious are guilty of both, they will not look at all upon what is truly excellent; they love to look through and through, when they think they have found any thing culpable; in both respects they are occasioned to be evil-speakers. When they only are on the dark side of the cloud, it is no marvel that they stumble into slanders. (3.) Look upon every action of another with the spectacles of love. The apostle tells us that love thinketh, and it is as true that it speaketh, no evil, 1 Cor. xiii. 5. Malice (we say) | never spake well; it ever makes, if it finds not faults, and puts a false gloss and a wrested interpretation upon the text of every action. Love covers a multitude of faults where they are, malice creates them where they are not. (4.) Keep a watch before thy mouth. Pray that thou mayst have God's aid. Resolve with David, before thou enterest into any company, not to offend with thy tongue: check thyself when thou perceivest thy proneness to offend; turn not evil for evil; being defamed, entreat; bless, and curse not,” Rom. xii. 14; 1 Cor. iv. 13. Lock the door of thy lips so fast that the strongest provocation may never be able to pull it open. Strike not the second blow. Let the ball of contention go down on thine end. Instead of reviling revilers, commit thy cause to Him that judgeth righteously; herein thou followest Christ. When thou hearest another reviled, be as a stone wall; when thou hearest thyself reviled, be as a soft mud wall; in the former respect show thy opposition, in the latter thy patience; in the former carry not the devil in thine ear, in the latter carry him not in thy tongue. (5.) Deal with another's good name as thou wouldst have him deal with thine, if it comes in his way; they who handle the names of others most rudely, are most delicate when they themselves are touched. But nothing is more just with God than to suffer others to open their mouths against those who will open their own against their neighbours.

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Obs. 4. There is no cowardice in not daring to sin. The lowest of all the holy angels has more magnanimity than all the presumptuous sinners on earth; yet, lo, here the chiefest, as some suppose, of all that heavenly host durst not sin in reviling. True valour stands in opposing, not in stooping to sin. It is not magnanimity, but madness, to damn thy soul, and to fight with the Lord of hosts. Men of greatest courage in Scripture have ever been most fearful of sin. David, who had shed the blood of so many thousands, yet waters his bed with tears for his sin. He who had overthrown so many armies is himself laid flat by one poor prophet. Josiah was stout-hearted, and yet tender-hearted also. The greatest cowardice is to yield thyself a captive to any lust: the audacious swearer is the coward, not he who fears an oath. The world ridiculously extols for valorous the great pretenders to valour; I mean, bloody duellists, or single combatants of all sorts of sinners in the world these are the truest dastards, in being so excessively fearful of reproaches, who, suspecting they shall be pursued by the report of cowardice, fly they know not whither; even as far as hell, before they dare

look back. They who fight with others are overcome of their own lusts. They who dare not fight with an enemy, either with tongue or hand, for fear of displeasing God, overcome their lust, which is a greater discovery of valour than to vanquish a city. It is not courage, but fool-hardiness, to go boldly to hell, proceeding from an ignorance of danger; sinners therein being like American Indians, who press upon the mouth of the musket, because they know not its force.

Obs. 5. The fear of God is the bridle of sin. Not daring to sin is a preservation against sin. This fear stopped the archangel from giving the devil a railing accusation. This holy fear made him contemn Satan's reproaches, and will make any despise all the difficulties of shame and sorrow which may be met with in the way of holiness. The greater fear expels the less; the fearing of Him who can destroy the soul, abolishes the fear of them who can only touch the body. If God be our fear, we shall not fear man's fear; he who fears God, fears nothing but him, Isa. viii. 13; he had rather be mocked for holiness than damned for sin; he is not like children, that fear an ugly vizard which cannot hurt them, but fear not the fire that may consume them; he is not such a fool as to be laughed out of his happiness, and to hazard the loss of his soul because he will not be mocked. Abraham thought if the fear of God had been in that place, Gen. xx. 11, that they would not have slain him for his wife's sake. How (saith Joseph) shall I do this great evil, and sin against God? Gen. xxxix. 9. The fear of God," saith Solomon, "is to hate evil,” Prov. viii. 13; it causes us not only outwardly to abstain from sin, but inwardly to abhor it; not only binding the hand, but also changing the heart: the fear of man will make us hide, the fear of God even hate sin also. Fear is the daughter of faith, and faith assents to the truth of the word, as promising, and commanding, and threatening, Heb. xi. 7. The worth of God's fear will be known to eternity. That which keeps from sin keeps from the only evil; they who fear the word shall not feel the rod. "I trembled," saith Habakkuk, "in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble," Hab. iii. 16. If we would not fear with a servile, distrustful fear hereafter, we must fear with an awful, child-like fear for the present. If we Timeamus pru fear wisely, we shall not fear vainly. denter, ne timeIn short, we hence learn the true reason amus inaniter. Aug. of all the wickedness and woe in the world. Had the fear of God been here, sin had not been here, and punishment had been prevented; that which is now woe had then been watchfulness.

Thus far in this third part of this verse, of the first, the negative, branch thereof; "Durst not bring against him a railing accusation." The second, the positive, follows in these words; "But said, The Lord rebuke thee."

Two things for the explaining of this second branch of the third part:

1. What Michael here intends by the Lord's rebuking of Satan.

2. Why he uses this imprecation, and desires the Lord would rebuke him.

crepo, interminor.

pare cum potes

1. For the first. The word "rebuke" in the original is ἐπιτιμήσαι; the Vulgate renders it imperet, The Lord rule thee; Beza and Tu, inErasmus, increpet, The Lord chide or Significat increrebuke thee; and the word signifies tate, et objurgaboth to charge or command, by way of tione imperare, et severe commination or threatening, to rere. Justinian in prevent disobedience in the commanded; Increpando imas also (and most properly) to chide or perare, et impereprehend, so as a servant is rebuked Lap. in 3. Zec.

ab incepto deter

Jud.

rando increpare.

imperare, additis

loc.

rium

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Interdicere, et by his master, who both by his charging minis. Lor. in with threats, and chiding or rebuking, shows, as his authority to command, so his strength and ability to punish, in case the party whom he threats and chides is not deterred from going on in his begun enterprise. And because the commands, threats, and rebukes of Divinum impe- God are not verbal, but efficaciously put forth in their effects, this word iTuάw, here used by Jude, is used by the evangelist to express the authority and power of Christ, in stilling and calming the winds of the sea, Teriμnos Toiç avenous, he "rebuked the winds," Matt. viii. 26; and in casting the devil out of the possessed, TeriμnσE T TVEVμаTI, &c.," he rebuked the foul spirit," Mark ix. 25; and in healing Simon's wife's mother of the fever, Teripnoe T TUρET," he rebuked the fever," Luke iv. 39. So that this imprecation here used by the archangel of rebuking Satan, (1.) Presupposes Satan's bold readiness to oppose, and resolution to overthrow, the pleasure of God, unless he were hindered by the force of God's threats and rebukes, and the slavishness of Satan's fear, who forbears and gives over any wicked attempt merely for fear of punishment, and by a powerful restraint from God. And, (2.) It more properly intends the sovereign authority of God over the highest of wicked creatures, and his power, whereby, without any pains, easily, even as by the uttering of a rebuking word, he quells the devil; yea, the putting forth of his authority and power in the curbing and restraining of his impudent malignancy, whereby he resisted the will and pleasure of God concerning the body of Moses.

2. Why Michael in this hot contestation with the devil interposed this imprecation or desire of God's rebuking him. I answer, hereby he expressed, I. His confidence in God. 2. Zeal for God. 3. Submissiveness to God.

(1.) Hereby he would show his confidence that God was able to maintain that righteous cause wherein he was now employed, viz. his opposing of Satan; the holy angel manifesting, that He whose will and pleasure it was that the sepulchre should be concealed, could easily curb and restrain this evil spirit from accomplishing, though he suffered him to attempt, its discovery. His carriage herein agrees to his name; for as his name Michael signified, Who is like or equal to the Lord; so by saying, "The Lord rebuke thee," he expressed that Satan's contestations against so great a God were all but in vain, he being a great and powerful Lord, and the devil, though a wicked and rebellious, yet a weak and timorous slave and underling, the Lord being able to chide all the devil's undertakings and contentions into nothing, even with one word or rebuke of his mouth.

(2.) Hereby Michael discovered his zeal for God. Though this holy angel was not so sinfully hot as to revile Satan, yet was he so holily zealous as to plead, yea, to imprecate for God. He who was holily patient in his own, was holily impatient in God's cause and quarrel. He prays not here in his own, but in God's behalf, that the foul mouth which had disputed against and blasphemed the holy God, might by that God be stopped. Angels are zealous for God's glory. Some think that the name of seraphim is therefore given to some of them for their burning zeal. As God takes the dishonour offered to any of his angels and messengers as offered to himself, so should they more sadly resent the dishonour offered to God, than if it had befallen themselves. Michael here, seeing the devil's carriage impudently derogating from God's glory, could no longer refrain, but zealously prays, "The Lord rebuke thee.”

(3.) Hereby he shows his holy and humble sub

| missiveness to God, and forbearance to be his own or his adversary's judge; he remits and refers revenge to God, desiring that God would take up the controversy: "The Lord" (saith he) "rebuke thee.” The holy angel besought God to be mediator between him and the devil in this disputation: he knew well that vengeance belonged to God, and therefore he desires that God would deal with him as seemed best to himself. He repays not evil for evil, neither in affection or expression and speech. God being the righteous Judge, he expects the sentence only from him, who best knew what punishment the devil deserved, and how to vindicate the glory of his own name, and from whose hand the archangel well knew that the devil was not able to make an escape. In short, the devil's sinful opposing of Michael, yea, of God's glory, by contending for the discovery of Moses's sepulchre, was no warrant for Michael to offend God by expressing any undue desire of revenge; he therefore remits the matter to God's determination, "The Lord rebuke thee."

Obs. 1. Satan's forbearance of or desisting from any way of wickedness, is purely from God's threatening rebuke, and his powerful chiding him. The archangel saith not, The Lord mend, change, reform thee; but, The Lord hinder, stop, and by his power effectually rebuke thee. Satan may be driven away from some act of sin by God's power, not drawn by God's love; like a dog, he fears the whip, not loathing that which he is compelled to leave. The devil is held in an everlasting bond of sin; he is wedged and wedded to sin; he "sinneth" (as it is said, I John iii. 8) “from the beginning;" since he began, he never did nor shall cease from the love, although he may be forced to forbear the outward act of sin. There is in him an utter impotency to any good, nor can he lay down his unholy inclination; he may be curbed, he shall never be changed. It is ever a torment to him, not a delight, to forbear any wickedness: when he besought Christ not to torment him, Luke viii. 28, the torment against which he prayed was his ejection out of the possessed, whereby he was hindered from doing that hurt which he desired; it being immediately added by the evangelist, "For he (Christ) had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man." Satan came to tempt Christ of his own inclination, but he went away by Christ's powerful command. He ceased to molest Job, when he had vexed him as much as he could obtain leave to do: when he gives over any enterprise, he changes not his nature, but constrainedly leaves his exercise; he goes, but it is when he can stay no longer, when his commission is expired. Every commanded performance or forbearance is not a sign of grace. That which is incident to the devil argues no grace in man. Balaam was forbidden to curse the people of God, and he forbears, but forcedly, against his will. Let not men_content themselves with the devil's obedience. To leave sin for fear of hell may go along with the love of it more than heaven. When Moses's parents exposed him to the waters, they loved him as much as or more than ever. To leave sin for want of a body to commit it, is not to leave our affection to it; the leaving of sin at our deathbeds is seldom true, ever suspicious. God loves a living Christian: any one will be a Christian dying. Duties without must flow from a gracious forwardness within. Join that in thy obedience which the devil hath divorced, inward subjection to outward services. It is one thing to be hindered from, another thing to hate sin. The rebukes of our superiors may cause the former, a principle of inward renovation can only produce the latter.

Obs. 2. God's power limits Satan's. Though the

will of Satan shall never be changed, yet his power is by God often curbed; when he is most violently running on in any way of opposition to God or man, God can stop and chide him back. With what a holy fearlessness may the godly go on in duty! The wicked are willingly serviceable to a master who cannot protect them from God's wrath: O let us serve Him cheerfully, who is able and willing to keep us from the devil's rage; we see likewise to whom we owe our preservation, only to Him who rebukes devils.

Obs. 3. How easily God prevails over his greatest enemies! It is but (as it were) a chiding and rebuking them, and even in their greatest fury they are mute, and dare not, cannot answer. What more easy than for a master to give a word of rebuke? a word of God's mouth is enough to make the devils tremble; they are all underlings to God, they are before him as nothing: the greatest mountain of worldly strength and opposition shall be before God but a mountain of chaff. If God do "but arise, his enemies are scattered," Psal. lxviii. 1; yea, He who sits in heaven "shall have them in derision," Psal. ii. 4; he derides them sitting: the fire does not so easily consume the stubble, the wind dissipate the smoke, the rod of iron break in pieces a potter's vessel, as God overthrows his enemies. With a word did God make the creature, with a word he moves it, with a word he stops it, with a word he destroys it; in all these "his word," as the psalmist speaks, "runneth very swiftly,” Psal. cxlvii. 15. How vain are they who think that worldly greatness, their wealth, their strength, their youth, can shield them from the stroke of God's power, whetted with his wrath! The scythe can get as well through the green grass as the dry stubble. He who has but faith enough to believe himself a creature, may be cautioned against security in sin. The most glittering monarch is but a gilded potsherd; in nothing so mad as to think itself safe in contending with its Maker. Nor is it a less excusable folly to be swallowed up of fear by reason of the worldly greatness of any of God's enemies. Who art thou that art afraid of man that shall die, and the son of man, that shall be made as grass, and forgettest the Lord thy Maker? Isa. li. 12, 13. At the rebuke of God his and our enemies shall flee and fall. How great is that folly whereby men slight the great God, and fear a silly worm! All the peace and forbearance that God expresses towards his enemies proceeds not from his want of power, but from the greatness of his patience; a strong inducement to us, who are weak worms, to be patient under injuries which we cannot repel; since God is so full of forbearance, who is both infinitely provoked by, and infinitely powerful to be avenged of, his strongest enemies.

Obs. 4. The holiest persons are most offended with practices that oppose God's glory. When Satan dishonours God, the holy angel cannot refrain from praying that God would rebuke him. Michael does not only dispute for God, but he desires God to plead for himself. It would have been below Michael to have been affected with any thing a creature should have said or done, unless the honour of God had been concerned: nothing is little whereby God's name, or man's soul, suffers. The more any one knows the excellencies in God, or has tasted of the love of God, the less can he endure any thing either done or said against God. Angels, who continually behold the beauty of God's face, most abhor that which blemishes or disparages it. These sons of God endure not any thing whereby the honour of their Father suffers. Heaven itself would be no heaven to those glorious spirits, should they be con

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strained to behold God's name polluted. No mere man ever had on earth so clear a glimpse of God's glory as had Moses; nor was ever any so holily impatient when he apprehended a blemish to be cast upon it. The broken tables, the Israelites, which this meekest of men caused to be put to the sword, yea, his request that himself might be "blotted out of the book of life," rather than any blot should be cast upon God's honour, sufficiently prove that he who touched it touched the apple of his eye. How unlike to angels are they who put up no injuries with such a tame contentedness as those which are offered to God's name! who never say to any, The Lord rebuke you, but to those who dishonour themselves; yea, are ready to rebuke themselves whensoever they stumble upon any act of zeal! Surely the fire of such men's zeal is not angelical and heavenly, but culinary and smoky. What likelihood that they shall ever inhabit the place who are such strangers to the disposition of angels?

Obs. 5. It is unsuitable to a gracious temper to recompense evil for evil. Michael here commits his cause and remits revenge to God; suitable to whose carriage is the command of Scripture against private revenge: "Say not thou, I will recompense evil," Prov. xx. 22; and, "Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me; I will render to the man according to his work," Prov. xxiv. 29; and, "Recompense to no man evil for evil," Rom. xii. 17; and, "Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place to wrath," ver. 19. Revenge opposes the mind of God, and both disturbs and expels the spirit which would abide in the soul, and is the spirit of peace and dovelike meekness; and lets in and gives place to the devil, who is the father and furtherer of war and revenge. It divests God of his office. God alone knows how to punish our enemies without passion and inequality. It makes him, instead of a judge, only an executioner. It takes the sword out of God's hand, and drives him from his dominion. What difference makes it between the party provoking and provoked, save that the last is last in the offence against God? both are equally displeasing to him, whose law is by both broken; and supposing that our enemy has deserved to be hated, has God deserved to be disobeyed? Nor does revenge less oppose our own welfare than God's pleasure. The devil by this sin bereaves a man of his reason, and, like a bird of prey, which seizing upon a dead carcass, first pecks out his eyes, he blinds his understanding, and then leads him into what wickedness he pleases. By revenge we lose all that good which we might get, even by injuries. Holy patience turns every injury thrown at us into a precious stone, and makes it an addition to our crown. He who has received an injury, if wise to improve it, has received a favour, a titur, magis doreward; and it is against the rule of lere debet de pecjustice to return evil for good. What quam de injuria madness is it, because our enemy done us wrong, to do ourselves more! because he has hurt our bodies, to damn our souls! that we may kill our enemy's ass, his body, to kill ourselves! that we may tear his garment, to lose our own lives! What unmanly folly is it to hate those in their sickness or madness, whom we love in their health! to hate those wronging us, whom we would love when they do us good! When our enemies are most unkind, they show more distemper in themselves than they do hatred to us; and therefore deserve more pity than opposition. What greater cruelty than to cut and wound one who is dead, I mean spiritually! What more ridiculous, than because one has taken away something from us, therefore to throw away all that is left behind! because he has stolen

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