Thirdly, We are now come to that part of the description, ungodly men, d(je}ieL<i. The word signifieth ivithoid ivorship, and is sometimes applied to heathens and men that live without the knowledge and wort^hip of the true God ; at other times to wicked men, that acknow- ledge the true God, but walk unsuitably to their knowledge and pro- fession. That we may find out who are these men, let us see what is ungodliness, a sin much spoken of, but little known. The word, as I said, signifieth luithout loorsMp. Worship is the chiefest and most solemn respect of the creature to God, and therefore it is put for the whole subjection and obedience that we owe to him, and when any part of that service, respect, or honour is denied or withheld, we are guilty of ungodliness.
That pagans and men out of the church are signified by the term ungodly, appeareth by 1 Peter iv. 18, ' If judgment begin at the house of God, where shall the wicked and ungodly ap})ear ? ' where the ungodly are plainly opposed to the liouse of God. Again, the unjus- tified estate is expressed by ungodliness ; as the a})ostle, when he speaketh of the justifying of Abraham and David, he gave the Lord this title, Kom. iv. 5, 'God that justifieth the ungodly;' and so Christ is said to ' die for the ungodly,' Eom. v. 6. The reason of
VeR. 4.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JUDE. 135
which expression is, because the people of the Jews were divided into three ranks or sorts : there were oX acre/3et9, the ungodly ; oi hiKaioL, the just; and o'i arfaQoi, the good ; or, to keep their own terms, there were res/iagfTiim, the wicked or violent; and tsidikim, the just; and chasidim the good, or the bountiful. Now, saith the apostle, ' scarcely for a righteous man would one die ;' that is, for a man of a rigid in- nocency ; but for ' the good man,' that is, the bountiful, the useful, ' a man would even dare to die;' but Christ died for us when we were reshagnini, sinners, enemies, &c. Again, more especially, ungodliness implieth the transgression of the first table ; as Rom. i. 18, where all sin is distinguished into aae^euav, imgodliness, and aSiKLav, unrighteous- ness, ungodliness in respect of duty to God, and unrighteousness in respect of the duty to men ; and also where sin is distinguished into ' ungodliness and worldly lusts,' Titus ii. 12. So that it chiefly signi- fieth that part of sin whereby we rob God of his honour, respect, and service, established by the first table, and it may be described to be a not giving God his right or due honour.
To clear it further, let me tell you that there are four notions, which are the ground of all religion. (1.) That God is, and is one. (2.) That God is none of those things that are seen, but something more excellent. (3.) That God hath a care of human affairs, and judgeth with equity. (4.) That the same God is maker of all things without himself. And to these four notions or principles are suited the four precepts of the first table. In the first we have God's unity ; in the second, God's invisible nature, and therefore images are forbidden upon that ground, Deut. iv. 12 ; in the third, the knowledge of human affairs, even of men's thoughts, and that is the foundation of an oath ; for the third commandment doth principally forbid perjury, and in an oath God is invoked as a witness, chiefly of the heart, in which his omnisciency is acknowledged, and appealed to as a judge and avenger, in which his justice and power is acknowledged. The next princij)le, that God is creator and governor of all things, is established by the fourth commandment ; for the Sabbath at first was instituted for that purpose, to keep up the memorial of the creation in the world. Now, out of these speculative notions practicals flow of their own accord, &c., that God is alone to be worshipped, obeyed, honoured, trusted ; and as far as we set up other confidences, or are ignorant of his excellency, or deny God his worship and service, or serve him after an unworthy manner, superstitiously, carelessly, hypocritically, or have gross opinions of his essence, or exclude the dominion of his providence, or cease to invocate his name, so far we are guilty of ungodliness.
More distinctly and closely yet, let me note that God is to be acknowledged as — (1.) The first cause ; (2.) The chiefest good ; (3.) As the supreme truth and authority ; (4.) As the last end. God is to be honoured as the first cause, that giveth being to all things, and hath his being from none; and so if we do not trust in him, or can trust any creature rather than God, our estates rather than God, or do not observe him in his providence, the effects of his mercy, justice, and power, or do not acknowledge his dominion in all events, and sanctify the things which we use by asking his leave and blessing in prayer, we are guilty of ungodliness. Again, God is to be acknow-
136 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [VeR. 4.