VeK. 4.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JUDE. 165
[1.] An empty profession of Christ is not enough ; now Christ is everywhere received, it is easy to profess his name. To be a Christian in heart and conscience was far more easy to them in the primitive times than to be so in name and profession, the powers of the world being against that way; whereas the difficulty on our part lieth in being Christians in heart : it is no disgrace now to be a Christian outwardly ; that opposition and scorn which was then cast upon Christianity would now be cast upon Judaism, or Turcism, or Paganism. The winds blow out of another corner, and that which was their discourage- ment may be our motive, to wit, the countenance of civil powers ; all advantages lie this way. If in Christ's time they followed him for the loaves, John vi. 26, now they may much more. Quandoquidem panis Christi jam innguis facius est, saith Gilbert ; ^ tractatur in conciliis, disceptatur in judiciis, disputatur in scJiolis, cantatur in ecdesiis, quccstuosa res est nomen Christi — the world is well altered since the first flight of Christianity abroad ; the kings and princes and wise men of the world were then against it, everywhere was it hooted at as a novel and improbable doctrine; but since, by long prescription of time, it hath gotten esteem in the world, and is made the public pro- fession of nations, and kings and princes have brought their glory into the church, now Christ is handled in councils, disputed of in the schools, and preached of in the assemblies, so that the general pro- fession of Christianity is a matter of no thanks. It is easy to be good where there is nothing to draw us to the contrary ; and therefore, when Christ Cometh to judgment, paganism and loose profession of Chris- tianity shall fare alike ; for loose Christians are but pagans under a Christian name ; see Jer. ix, 25, 26, ' The days shall come that I will punish all them that are uncirciimcised with them that are cir- cumcised ; Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon and Moab ; for these nations are uncircumcised in flesh, and the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.' It is no advantage to bear God's mark in our bodies, and to have no fruit of it in our souls ; this is but to clothe ourselves with the leaves of the vine without par- taking the sap. What difference is there between those who, in a loose Christian profession, are addicted to luxury, wantonness, quarrel- ling, prodigious lusts, and the votaries or worshippei's of Mars, Venus, Bacchus, and Priapus ? Only the one appear in their own colours, and show what they are, and the other, though they are as low and brutish in their practices, pretend to a higher name, even to the sacred and excellent name of Christians. Alas ! your ' circumcision shall be reckoned uncircumcision,' Eom. ii. 25, when you have not the fruit of it.
[2.] Profession of Christianity without answerable practice maketh us in worse case than a heathen that is ignorant of Christ and salvation by him ; see 1 Tim. v. 8, ' He is worse than an infidel.' Poor jiagans are not so well enlightened, instructed, and acquainted with such rich and glorious mercy, with ' the great things of eternity,' with the assistances of God the Spirit ; they have not such rules as we have, nor such advantages as we have, nor such obligations as we have, nor such encouragements as we have. If a man on horseback
^ Gilbert in Cant.
166 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [VeR. 4,
Cometh slower tlian a man on foot, we blame him the more, because he had more help. So are carnal Christians in worse case than the heathen, because God may justly expect more from them. To be brought up in a prince's court, and to be still of rude and servile conditions, is worse in them than in those that follow the plough all days of their lives. So to be trained up in the courts of Christ, and to come short of the heathens in morality and strictness of conversation, it will be worse taken of us than of those that never heard of Christ. The more we profess the truth the more we condemn ourselves in our evil practices, and therefore must needs be worse than heathens ; for we practise that by voluntary choice and perverse inclination which they practise by education, they know little better ; so that the more excellent the religion is which we profess, the more vile and base is our disobedience; for- our profession will be a sore witness against us, that we knew better and had encouragements to do better ; we justify the heathen, but we condemn ourselves, as Israel justified Sodom, Ezek. xvi. 51, but by her profession so much the more disproved her own carriage, see ver. 63. Time will come when you will wish you had ' never known tlie way of righteousness ; ' and as Job cursed the day of his birth, so will you the memory of that day wherein you were added to the church.
[3.] Profession accompanied with some rash and fond affection to Christ is not enough to acquit us from denying him. Many in a heat and humour will be ready to die for their God, and yet deny him ordinarily in their lives. As a quarrelling ruffian will stand up for the honour of his father, who yet, by his debauched courses, is the very grief of his heart; it may be he wisheth his death to enjoy the inheri- tance, yet if any other should speak a disgraceful word of him, he is up in arms presently, and ready to fight with. him. So some men pretend much affection to their religion, and are ready to stab him that shall question it, or to venture their own lives in the quarrel, and yet none do this religion so great a despite and dishonour as they do themselves by their ungodly conversations. The apostle supposeth that some may ' give their bodies to be burned ' that have not charity, 1 Cor. xiii. 3, for all this ado is not for their religion, but their humour. If their religion were rightly understood they would not endure it, because it altogether disproveth such practices as they delight in ; and all that they do is no more than they would do for an idol, if they were born there where idols are worshipped. The blasphemies of a pagan or an open enemy to religion do not touch Christ so near in point of honour as the scandalous behaviour of a Christian ; when Pagans declaim against him, it is but the malice of an enemy. Dogs will bark, it is their kind ; but your disobedience to his laws and unsuit- able carriages doth far more dishonour, and represent him as an ulcerous Christ to the world ; because you pretend so much affection to him, and can live in such a fashion, you would be taken for his greatest friends, and so in efi"ect you make the world believe that he doth approve your doings.