Ohs. 7. It argueth a state of wickedness to walk after our own lusts ; that is, when sin and lust is our constant practice. A godly person may too often do according to his lusts, but he does not walk therein, it is not his constant road and path : Ps. Ixviii. 21, ' He will wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses.' Such as^^o on still are there accounted enemies to God. But what is to walk in sin? Ans. To make lust our prin- ciple, our course, our end. Our principle : Whatever a wicked man goeth about, he doth it out of some carnal impulse. His good duties are either to hide a lust or feed a lust. If he abstain from one sin, it is to feed another. Again, when it is our way and course : carnal men follow earthly things with greater earnestness and delight, but heavenly things in a slight and overly manner. The world and the flesh is their ep'^/ov, their business, all their care and comfort is it ; and this is their end, to please themselves and to satisfy their lusts. Well, then, ' walk in the Spirit, that you may not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.' See ver. 16.
Ver. 19. Those he they luho se])arate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
Here the apostle cometh to inform them who these mockers were of whom the apostles of the Lord spake. He describeth them by three notes : —
1. They separate themselves; (2.) Sens^ial; (3.) Not having the Spirit.
1. These be they who separate themselves, ol a7rohiopi^ovTe<i eavTov<;. The old English translation had it thus: ' These are the makers of sects.' The word signifieth those which determinate and pluck up the bounds which God hath set. The apostle meaneth those that, without any necessity and warrant from God, cut off themselves from the com- munion of the church.
2. Sensual, yp^vxtKoi, animal or soul-men, men that have nothing but a reasonable soul, which, being corrupted, mindeth only the things of the flesh, and so noteth fleshly corrupt men. Tertullian, when leavened with Montanism, called the orthodox psijchicoi, because they did not, with Montanus, condemn second marriages. The word is notable. It will be some advantage to us to consider it a little more fully. It is three times used in scripture, as in 1 Cor. ii. 14, ' the natural man,' -^^v-yLKo^, who is opposed to irvev/xdrcKO'?, ' the spiritual man.' So in James iii. 15, ' The wisdom that is from above is earthly, sensual, -^v-^lkt], devilish ; ' and then in this place, the word, as I said before, properly signifieth those that have a soul, and -^vxn is else- where used for the sensitive soul ; as where the apostle distinguisheth of ' body, soul, and spirit,' 1 Thes. v. 23, cxwijua, ■^vxv, 'rrvevixa, where, by TTvevfia, spirit, he imderstandeth the intellectual or rational part ; by '^vxv, soul, the mere animal or sensitive part, or that sensual appetite
VeR. 19.] UPON THE EPISTLE OF JUDE. 327
which we have in common with the beasts ; by awjxa, body, that which is commonly understood by it, the body, as it is the organ and instru- ment of the soul ; and this is one reason why yfrvx^LKot cometh to sig- nify sensual ; the other is because man, being left to himself, to mere soul-light or soul-inclinations, can bring forth no other fruits than such as are carnal ; for whilst men are destitute of sanctifying grace, sense and the flesh do reign in their full liberty and power. Well, then, these seducers were sensual, given up to brutish lusts and prac- tices. They taxed others as carnal, and now none so libidinous, im- pure, and carnal as they.
3. Hot having the Spirit. This is added not only to show that they were destitute of true grace and regeneration, but partly to rebuke their vain pretences. The Gnostics and other filthy seducers of that time did arrogate to themselves a singularity and peculiarity of the Spirit, as if all others were carnal, and they only had the Spirit ; whereas indeed the contrary was true, they, giving up themselves to such filthy practices, showed that they had nothing of the Spirit in them ; see Irenaeus, lib. i. cap. 9, sect. 6, 7 ; partly to show the incom- patibleness of the Spirit with a fleshly and carnal life.
Notes from hence are these : —
Obs. 1, That separation or dividing ourselves from the fellowship of God's church is sinful, or a work of the flesh. The apostle describeth carnal persons, and of them he saith, ' They separate them- selves ;' and accordingly the apostle reckoneth hi-xpa-raaia^;, alpeaei'i ' seditions, heresies,' or sect-makings in the church, among the works of the flesh, Gal. v. 20. And with good reason ; to leave the church is to leave God. Cain was the first separatist we read of, Gen. iv. 19, ' He went out from the presence of the Lord.' God is everywhere ; how from his presence ? The meaning is, from the church, where is the presence of his grace. Why should we run from the shepherds' tents where Christ feedeth at noon ? Cant. i. 9, 10. And as it is con- trary to our love to God, so to our love to the saints, to which we are so solemnly engaged. The question of separation lieth much in the dark, but obligations to love are clear and open ; see Eph. iv. 4-6. It is sad that many that pretend much to religion make no conscience of schism, and ofiending the brethren by withdrawing from them, as if Christ's precepts of love were not to be stood upon, as certainly they are not by them who draw their liberty to the highest, and in indif- ferent matters take that course which will oftend.