An expositon of all St. Pauls epistles together with an explanation of those other epistles of the apostles St. James, Peter, John & Jude : wherein the sense of every chapter and verse is analytically unfolded and the text enlightened. / David Dickson ...

CHAP. II.

THat they may the better obey the former Exhorta∣tions, hee admonishes them, that they have a care of false teachers which will arise in the Church, and were now risen; Hee also describes and reproves their manners and vices, from whence, as from certain marks, they may be known and taken heed of.

Vers. 1. But there were false Prophets also among the people, even as there shall bee false Teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies▪ even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

The marks of false Teachers, which also contain the reasons, why they ought to bee taken heed of, are nine: Not that they are all to be seen in some one Here∣tick, but that some of them may be seen in other Here∣ticks.

But there were] Note 1. Such as in times past the false Prophets were amongst the people of God, such shall be the false Teachers in the Church, viz. Egregious hypo∣crites, counterfeiting themselves to be true Prophets, in∣sinuating themselves into the favour of the people.

Bring in] Note 2. They will craftily bring in dam∣nable heresies, and although not expresly, yet by conse∣quence, or in very deed they will deny Christ (at least-wise in some Article of Faith) i. e. they will be the be∣trayers of Christ.

The Lord] Hee amplifies the crime four waies. 1. From this, that they will deny the Lord or Master that bought them, which is spoken in the language of the Visible Church, wherein they were. That they would both boast that they were redeemed, and also the Church esteemed them so: which also in a judicial sense is true; whereby whosoever confesseth with his mouth Christ to be his Re∣deemer, and in the mean time denies him in deed, being judged out of his own mouth, is said to deny the Lord that bought him; Because as to the merit of the crime, it is as much as if hee was really bought, if hee suppose and pro∣fess himself bought, and yet denies him that bought him.

Bring] 2. Hee amplifies the crime from this, that by these heresies they deservedly bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Vers. 2. And many shall follow their pernicious waies, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of:

3. Hee amplifies the crime from this, that they will seduce and draw many Disciples with them into de∣struction.

By reason of whom] 4. From this, that they themselves

and their followers will both blaspheme the way of truth, or the sound Doctrine of the Gospel, and give occasion to others to speak contumeliously of it.

Vers. 3. And through covetousness, shall they with feigned words make Merchandise of you, whose judgement now of a long time lingreth not, and their damnation slumbreth not.

Note] 3. Is covetousness, which is the root of all e∣vil, and for the most part the companion and Mother of all heresies.

Feigned] Note 4. Is a false and feigned speech artifi∣cially composed to seduce, covering and drawing into errours with a counterfeiting eloquence.

Shall make Merchandise] Note 5. The selling of souls and filthy Merchandise whereby Hereticks will be solici∣tous to promote their profit, nothing regarding the loss of souls.

Whose] Hee apprehends the crime from the damnation and destruction which will swiftly follow them, as it was prepared in times past.

Vers. 4. For if God spared not the Angels that sinned, but cast them down to Hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgement:

Hee proves that punishment will follow, by a three-fold Example. 1. Of the lapsed Angels, which if God did not spare, but thrust them down from the light of the highest Heaven, to the darksome lower places, and de∣tains them bound with his powerful hand in misery to be kept unto the last punishment of eternal damnation: cer∣tainly God will not spare those false Teachers.

Vers. 5. And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a Preacher of Righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the un∣godly:

Example 2. Of the old world, which if it all justly perished (except those seven, and Noah, a Preacher of Righteousness, wholly for whose sake God chiefly saved the rest) by the deluge brought upon the world of wick∣ed men: certainly those false Teachers shall also pe∣rish.

Vers. 6. And turning the Cities of Sodom and Gomor∣rah into Ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly:

7. And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy con∣versation of the wicked:

8. (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.)

Example 3. If God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for an example to th••se that after should live ungodly, and delivered just Lot vexed and tormented with seeing and hearing, both the deeds and sayings of the ungodly wicked. Will not God (preserving his servants) punish wicked Teachers▪ who still, (notwithstanding the Gos∣pel is now clearly manifested) play the wantons?

Vers. 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished:

Hee confirms the force of this Argument from the wis∣dome and power of God, whereby God can both, viz. de∣liver the godly as well out of temptations and afflictions, as reserve the wicked to the day of the last judgement, to be punished with eternal judgement.

Vers. 10. But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government, pre∣sumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities:

The sixth Node of Hereticks is a luxurious and libidi∣no••s life, from which hee gathers that the foresaid ex∣amples of Gods justice, justly threaten to them eternal destruction, chiefly, because they follow the flesh, or cor∣rupt nature as their Captain, and proceed on in im∣purity, passing the course of their life in filthy 〈◊〉〈◊〉, indulging the pleasures of the flesh.

Government] Note 7. Is the contempt of govern∣ment, or lawful authority, which they would have taken out of the world, that there might be none to punish their vices. Hee describes and amplifies this vice with six Reasons.

Despise] Reas. 1. That it is not the naked disobedi∣ence of unlawful commands of a mistaking governour, but contempt of the Magistrate doing his duty, contempt of the very power and ordinance of God.

Presumptuous] Reas. 2. That it is presumptuousness joyned with contempt.

And self] Reas. 3. That it is boldness in contempt joyned with complacency in that sin.

To speak ill] Reas. 4. That it is boldness in contempt breaking forth into cursing, reproaches, evil speakings, which they cast upon Magistracy.

Vers. 11. Whereas Angels which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.

Reas. 5. That seeing they are vile fellows, they dare speak evil of Magistrates, which Angels that are more excellent than Magistrates, dare not speak ill of them: For although Angels are sometimes used to punish Prin∣ces, yet they alwaies endeavour to maintain the estima∣tion of Principalities, Magistrates, and Powers, against whom some Hereticks proceed.

Vers. 12. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not, and shall utterly perish in their own corruption,

Reas. 6. That hereticks are like to brute beasts in this; For as beasts, 1. Are irrational: 2. They are driven by force, and not by counsel: 3. They being taken perish: So those Hereticks who cannot bear Magistracy amongst men, or in the Church, but speak evil of this Or∣dinance. 1. Being void of judgement, they are ignorant of Gods Ordinance. 2. They are carried by a wicked in∣clination to blaspheme or to disgrace that which they do not understand. 3. As brute beasts they bring destruction to themselves, and perish by their own corruptness.

Vers. 13. And shall receive the reward of unrighteous∣ness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time: Spots they are and blemishes, sporting them∣selves with their own deceivings, while they feast with you:

14. Having eyes full of Adultery, and that cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls, an heart they have exercised with covetous practices: cursed chil∣dren:

He repeats the commination of their deserved condem∣nation, and adds the Eighth Note in three demonstrations of their impudence. The first is in open luxury, because in the day time, neither fearing the light of the Gospel, nor the Sun, they discover their minds to be given to luxury, delighting themselves in banquettings. The second demonstration of their impudence, in open ••in∣continency, which they will not in the least endeavour to hide, but betray in their eyes, the adulteries of their heart, and will shew forth their impudence in their lust, and so they will not onely pollute themselves, but will al∣so deceive and ensnare their unstable souls destitute of solid and saving Faith. The third impudence consists in covetousness, the arts and methods whereof they will so meditate, and have their hearts so exercised with a vicious habit: Briefly comprehending these vices hee calls those wicked men accursed.

Vers. 15. Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the Son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,

16. But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb Ass speaking with mans voice, forbad the madness of the Prophet.

Hee compares the impudent covetousness of these men,

to the covetousness of Balaam, whose History hee briefly repeats out of Num. 22. who for the desire of reward, erred from the way, which hee professed to follow, and at length gave himself to open impiety: wherein hee became so stupid, that hee was deservedly reprehended and chastised by his Asse; which likewise false Teachers, teaching false things, for filthy lucre sake, deserve.

Vers. 17. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever.

Note 9. Is vain speaking, joyned with pride and hypo∣crisie, in respect whereof hee compares them to fountains wanting water, and to clouds tossed and dissipated by a tempest, that they do not afford the Rain they seemed to promise; such are false Teachers, who ought to be shining Stars, and the light of the world, and yet have nothing but darkness, and the blackness of errours: Wherefore the Apostle pronounces them condemned to eternal dark∣ness in Hell.

Vers. 18. For when they speak great swelling words of va∣nity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in errour.

Hee shews their vain speaking in three things. (1.) In their swelling stile of teaching, and puft-up kind of speech, wherein with lofty words they dazle the eyes of the simple, and lead the unwary into admiration: which kind of speaking is very much covered with dark circum∣stances. (2.) In this, that their doctrine might patro∣nize the carnal concupiscences of men, as if there were no need to oppose them; and so they allure some with the lusts of the flesh, who before were convinced of their errours, wherein they lived whilst they were amongst worldly men, i. e. without the Church, they had re∣nounced their society, and truly or resolvedly escaped from them (which may be, by the power of the natural light of conscience) and had betook themselves to the fellow∣ship of the Christian Church, which also they might do without spiritual regeneration.

Vers. 19. While they promise them liberty, they them∣selves are the servants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is hee brought in bon∣dage.

(3.) In the dissimilitude betwixt themselves and their promises. For they promised liberty to others, when they drew them into bondage of sin, and they themselves were the servants of corruption, both as to their practice, and the principles of their doctrine. For there is no other Christian liberty, than that which brings those that are freed from sin, and the servile yoak of the Covenant of works, to the free obedience of Righteousness.

For] Hee proves these Libertines with their Disciples to be the most abject and miserable slaves to sin, by four reasons.

Overcome] Reas. 1. Because they are vanquished and overcome by sin: to whose servitude they yeeld themselves, being allured by the deceiveableness of false doctrine: Therefore they are truly slaves.

Vers. 20. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ, they are again intangled there∣in, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

Reas. 2. Because they and their Disciples by Aposta∣cy from an holy conversation, fall into a worse condition, than that was, wherein they lived, before they gave their names to Christ. For after they renounced in Baptism the pollutions of the world, and through the knowledge of Christ whatsoever, betaking themselves into the bosome of some Church of Christ, have escaped them, if afterwards they be intangled again in those pollutions, and have yeelded to them, their last end is worse than their be∣ginning.

Vers. 21. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of Righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandement deli∣vered unto them.

Reas. 3. Proving the former, because they knowingly and willingly run as fugitives to the tents of their adver∣saries, from the known way of Righteousness, and from the holy commandement once delivered unto them; which sin is much more grievous, and the servitude harder, than if they had never known the way of Righteousness; for their condition would be better in ignorance than in A∣postacy.

Vers. 22. But it is happened unto them according to the true Proverb, The Dog is turned to his own vomit a∣gain, and the Sow that was washed, to her wallow∣ing in the mire.

Reas. 4. Making for removing of the scandal, which might arise from their Apostacy; because by their Aposta∣cy they shew that they never were of the true Sheep of Christ, but in Baptism, and a visible sanctity of life, wherein they sometimes vaunted themselves to be Saints, they shew themselves to have been Sows and Dogs, and to have alwaies been so, without spiritual and internal reno∣vation of their nature; And therefore no wonder if it happen unto them according to the true Proverb, As the Dog, though purged by vomiting, yet hee licks up again that which hee hath vomited; and the Sow, though wash∣ed, yet shee returns to her wallowing in the mire: So Apostates, though they may profess repentance from their sins, and Faith in Christ, and obedience of his com∣mands, yet, if occasion serves, they turn to their former manners.