Ver. 5.] TjroN THE epistle of jude. 185
use. So in unbelief many doubt of the truth of the word, others acknowledge not the worth of it, they do not ' glorify the word,' Acts xiii. 48; most that speak well of the word, and approve it in their consciences, do not urge their own hearts with it : ' What do Ave say to these things?' Kom. viii. 31, and ' know it for thy good,' Job v, 27. The word is far sooner approved than applied, and yet till it be applied it worketh not. When we see ourselves involved and included in the general promise and precept, and are accordingly affected, then are we said to believe. In Ps. xxvii. 8, the injunction is plural, ' Seek ye my face ; ' but the answer is singular, ' Thy face. Lord, will I seek.' Thus must all truths be applied, and that in their method and order, for there is an analogy and proportion between them ; as the doctrine of man's misery, that I may consider this is my case, and, having a feel- ing of it, may groan for deliverance ; the doctrine of redemption by Christ, that we may put in for a share, and assure our own interest ; the doctrine of the thankful life, that we may deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ in the obedience of all his precepts. The first doctrine must be made the ground of complaint, the second of comfort and hope, the third of resolution and p)'actice. But when we suffer these truths to hover in the brain without application, or hear them only as children learn them by rote, never thus reflecting, What am I ? what have I done ? what will become of me ? &c., unbelief re- maineth undisturbed. (7.) By apostasy or falling off from Grod. The great business of faith is, ' by patient continuance in well-doing, to look for glory, honour, and immortality,' Bora. ii. 8 ; but now to tire and grow weary, or to fall off from God as not worthy the waiting upon, argueth the height and reign of unbelief, whatever faith we pretended unto for a flash and pang. (8.) Desperation when convic- tion groweth to a height, and legal bondage gets the victory of carnal pleasure : Gen. iv. 13, ' My sin is greater,' &c., and Jer. xviii. 12, ' There is no hope,' &c. When men think it is in vain to trouble themselves, their damnation is fixed, and therefore resolve to go to hell as fast as they can ; such desperate wickedness may there be in the heart of a man.
[2d.] Unbelief in part broken ; and so it implieth the remainders of this natural evil in the godly, in whom, though faith be begun, yet it is mixed with much weakness: Mark ix. 24, ' Lord, I believe ; help my unbelief.' This unbelief is manifested — (1.) By a loatlmess to apply the comforts of the gospel ; it is the hardest matter in the world, to bring God and the soul together, or to be at rest in Christ. When we are truly sensible we draw back. ' Depart from me,' saith Peter, ' for I am a sinful man,' Luke v. 8 ; and he should rather say, Di-aw nigh to me. The poor trembling sinner thinketh so much of the Judge that he for- gets the father. Though the soul longeth for Christ above all things, yet it is loath to take him for comfort and reconciliation, but floateth up and down in a suspensive hesitancy. (2.) By calling God's love into question upon every affliction, and in an hour of temptation unravelling all our hopes: see Ps. Ixxvii. 7-10, Isa. xlix. 14, and Judges vi. 13 ; as if the Lord were ' the God of the mountains and not of the valleys.' We are wont to say, If God did love us why is this befallen us ? Those are fits of the old distemper. Christ when cruci-
186 AN EXPOSITION, WITH NOTES, [VeR. 5.
fied would not let go his interest, but crieth out, ' My God! my God ! ' (3.) By fears in a time of danger, carnal fears, such as do perplex us when we are employed in Christ's work and service ; as the disciples that were embarked with him were afraid to perish in his company : ' Why are ye so fearful, 0 ye of little fliith ? ' Mat. viii. 26. Filial fear or reverence of God is the daughter of faith, as distrustful fear is the enemy of it. Trouble is the touchstone of faith ; if we cannot commit ourselves to God in quietness of heart, it argueth weakness. God hath undertaken to bring his people out of every strait, in a way most con- ducing to his glory and their welfare, Eom. viii. 28 ; and therefore when the word yieldeth us no support, Ps. cxix. 50, and the promises of God cannot Iteep us from sinking and despondency of heart, we be- wray our unbelief. (4.) By murmurings in case of carnal disap- pointment. Discontent argueth unbelief ; they quarrel with God's providences, because they believe not his promises : Ps. cvi. 24, ' They believed not his word, but murmured in their tents ; ' it is ill, and they cannot see how it can be better. So Deut. i. 32 with 34, ' In this you believed not tlie Lord your God.' (5.) By carking in case of straits ; bodily wants are more pressing than spiritual. Here faith is put to a present trial, and therefore here we bewray ourselves : Mat. vi. 30, ' Shall he not much more clothe you, 0 ye of little faith ? ' He doth not say of no faith, for the temptation is incident to a godly man ; they do not oftener bewray their unbelief in distrusting God about outward supplies than about eternal life, which yet I confess is very irrational ; for if a man cannot trust God with his estate, how shall he trust him with his soul ? And to a considerate person there ara far more jDrejudices against eternal life than against temporal supplies. Look, as it was a folly in Martha to believe that Lazarus should rise at the general resurrection, and to distrust his being raised from the dead after four days' lying in the grave, John xi. 24, so it is a great folly to pretend to expect eternal life, and not to be able to depend upon God for the supplies of life temporal. (6.) By coldness and carelessness in the spiritual life. If men did believe that heaven were such an excellent place, they would not so easily turn aside to the contentments of the flesh and the profits of the world. Men have but a conjectural apprehension of things to come, of the comforts of another world. As things at a distance ; sometimes we see them, and sometimes we lose their sight, so that we are not certain whether we see them, yea or no ; so it falleth out in heavenly matters ; we are poor 'short-sighted' creatures, 2 Peter i. 9. Sometimes we have a glimpse of the glory of the world to come, some flashes, and again the mind is beclouded ; and that is the reason why we mind these things so little, and seek after them so little. A steady view and sound belief would engage us to more earnestness : they that believe ' the high prize of our calling,' will ' press on to the mark,' Phil. iii. 14. Surely men do not believe that heaven is worth the looking after, otherwise they would seek it more diligently, Heb. vi. 14. A poor beast that is going homeward goeth cheerfully. (7.) Indirect courses to get a living and subsistence in the world, as if God were not ' all-sufficient,' Gen. xvii. 1. To break through where God hath made up the hedge, argueth that we do not depend upon him ; as by temporising or by