many times promiſing Rain and- Refreſhment, either are ſcattered | by the Wind, or break out into a Tempeſt; ſo theſe when they promile to retreſh their Hearers Souls with the Truth of God, being themſelves deſtitute of it, do them no good, or with their pernicious Errors, or corrupt Manners, do them much harm. By this compa- riion he lets torth, 1. Their Inconſtancy, that like Clouds driven with the Wind, they are tofled to and fro, from one Dofrine to anofner, Epte/, 4. 14. And, 2. Their Deceitfulneſs, that they mike a ſhew of what they have not, as Clouds do of Rain, when ver they are ſcattered without yielding any. » j.e. The darkeſt Darkncfs, called utter Darkneſs, Matth, 8. 12. and 22.13. and 25. 30. by which the Torments of Hell are ſometimes ſet forth, as well as fometimes by Fire. : 15 For when they * ſpeak great ſwelling words of vanity x, they allure y through the luſts ot the fleſh
p]
s, through much wantonneſs a, thoſe that F were |
| clean 5 eſcaped from them who live in error c. x 5. e. Big words, full of ſound, and void of ſenſe, at leaſt of Trut!), He tcems to tax the affeRted, vain Speech of Seducers, who were wont to clothe their erroneous Dottrines (it not diſguiſe the Truths of God) with ſtrange uncouth Phraſes, which made a ſhew of ſome rare Diſcoveries, or deep Myſteries, whereas indeed they were empty of any thing ſolid, or tending to Edification. y As with a Bait; a Metaphor taken from the manner of taking Fiſh. 7 To which they give liberty, as a Bait to draw men after them, a This explains the former, and ſhews what Luſts they indulge men in, v5. Wantonneſs, and Uncleanneſs, þ 7;u!ly, or rea!ly, which 1-ems the better reading than that in the Margin: And tins 15 ſajd © them, 1. Inreipet of the Proiettion they made of a real Con- verion. 2iv. In reſpedt ot the Affent they gave to the Word by which they were called. 3Iv. In reſped of the change that appear- cd in their cutward Converſation. c Whether the Error of Judaiſm, or Heathenitm, wherein they had been formerly involved, and others {it!l were. This might be the cate 1n ſome whom yet there was no ſavino chan-e wrought, that they might be brought off from thoſe more toul wavs of Sin and Error in which they had walked, and yet mizht atterwards return to the ſame, or as bad, Mat.12.43.and 13.21. 1s While they promiſe chem * liberty d, they them{lves are + the ſervants of *corruption e : for of whom 2 man 1s overcome, of the ſame he is brought
' *+3 tw Fs. } TE Lil \/ LONIIS had / # _
2 Liberty for their Luſts, and fo from the Yoke of the Divine Law. They abuſed the Name of Chriſtian Liberty, and extended it to Licentiouſneſs. e Under the Power and Dominion of Sin. f tle alludes to the Law of War, according to which, he that 15 overcome, and taken captive, by his Enemy, becomes his Servant. Theſe falſe Teachers that talked ſo much of Chriſtian Liberty, yet h-inz overcome by their own Luſts, and kept under by them, were the worſt of Slaves. ; Y 20
20 For * if after they have eſcaped the pollurions of rhe world g. through rhe knowledge Þ of the Lord and Saviour ]-tus Chrift, they are again intangled therein. and overcome 7, the latter end is worſe with
" o
tem rh the beginning. e ThoſEMore groſs Wickeſſefſes in which moſt of the World ill lieth, rt Jobn 5.42. bþ Such a Knowledge of Chrift as brings with it an outward Retormation of Lite, though 1t do not puritte
Chap.1I. Il P ET E R, Chap. HI
the Heart. For that th2 Apoſtle doth not here ſpeak ot thoſe that were rovutcd in Chrift by a ſaving, and Heart-puritying Faith, ap-
to their o!d Sins, yield up themſelves to them, and continue in them. D
21 For * it had been betrer for them not to have known 4 the way of righteouſiels /, then atter they have known 77, to turn trom the holy commandment 7: delivered unto them.
þ Their Sin had been lefs, if they had not known the Truth, but now they fin againſt Knowledge, and therein their Apoltacy 15 much worſe than their Ignorance would have been. / The way of obtaining Righteouſneſs by Chtiſt, and of /iving godly in C hrift, 2 Tim. 2:12. preſcribed in the Goſpel : The ſame which 1s called the right way. vcr. 15, and the way of Truth, ver. 2. m The ſame 1n other words. It is called Holy, not only as proceeding from God, who is Holy, but as teaching nothing but what is holy, and being the means God uſcth in making Men holy, and as being oppoſed to the Pollntions of the World, before-mentioned. :
22 Bur it is happened unto them according to the trug proverb /z, * The dog zs rurned to his own vomit 434in o, and, The fow that was walihed, to her wal- I-wing in the mire p. | | þ
n This is added, to prevent the Scandal that might ariſe from their Apoſtacy, 4. d. It is not to be wondred at, that they areagain entanaled in, and overcome by their former Pollutions, when there never was a throuzh change wrought in their Hearts. Dogs and Swine (Beaſts unclean by the Law) they ſtill were under the greateſt appearances of Reformation, and ſuch they now ſhew themſelves to be by their viſe apoſtacy. o As Dogs vomit up what is burthen- ſome to them, bat ſtill being Dogs, and not having changed their Natures by cating their Stomachs, lick up their own vomit again; ſo theſe under a Fit of Convittion through the Power ot the Word, diſ-orze thoſe Sins which burdened their Conſciences, but having thereby gotten ſome eaſe, and their old Niture, and love to their former Lutts fill remaining, they again return to the ſame Sins they had tor a time forſaken. p As Swine that naturally love the Dirt and Mire, if ſometimes they be waſhed trom it, yet {till re- taining their former Diſpotitions, return again to it : So likewiſe thcle here mentioned, however they may be waſhed from the Pol- Jutions of the World, and by the preaching ot the Goſpel brought it trom their former ways of Sin, and brought on to a Protetfion
—
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| coming f ? tor {inte the fathers g fell aſleep þ all Jer-17-15-
. | p 1 YO» 0 pears by er. 12, where he calls them unſtable Souls, 7 Return | things CONTNGE iS they were Irom the beginning of 22,
of Holineſs, yet ſtill retaining their old Nature, and corrupt Diſpo- fitions, they are eaſily prevailed over by them, and ſo relapſed into their former Abominations.
CHAT