2 PET. 2. 20.
THis Text may be called like that place in the Israelites travails, Meribah, a place of strife and contention; The Arminian, Papist, and others confidently asserting a total ánd final apostasie from true grace, out of this Text. Nulla orationis suada, nulla argumentorum vis, is required for this, Textus per se lucet, say the Remonstrants. But you have the Orthodox as valiantly beating them out of this ground: What is the true meaning of the Text will appear upon a brief discussion; onely in the general take notice of the excellency of this Chapter wholly spent in describing of false Teachers, manifesting their several evils of sinne, and their several evils of punishment, which is so great that the Apostle Jude hath almost transcribed his whole Epistle out of this, with very little addition: Pulchra sunt bis dicenda, said he. For the understanding of the words, the Apostle used in the precedent verses two excellent similitudes, whereunto he compared false teachers; first to fountains without water; these invite the wearied passenger to drink, but when he cometh near he findeth nothing but clayand mud; so false teachers promise such excellent and wonderfull truths, that were never heard of before, but indeed give noisome filth. 2. He compareth them to clouds without rain driven with the winde, which denoteth two things, First, Their vain ostentation, as the cloud seemeth to bring rain, but yet emptieth none; and secondly, their instability, They are clouds driven up and down […], that is properly an impetuous turbulent winde; and as such clouds do both raise great tempests, and obnubilate the Sunne, so do false teachers make heavy storms and troubles in the Church, and withall bemist the glorious light of the Scripture. A third description is from their affectation of great and swelling words. All tumours argue a windy inflammation. In the next place he aggravates their condition by the pernicious and damnable effect of their false doctrines, they do not onely damn themselves, but draw a troop of others into hell with them. And this they do in a slie way, they do […], as the Fisherman or the Fowler, shew the bait, but hide the hook or snare. Whereupon the Apostle enlargeth himself concerning the miserable estate of the seduced persons, as well as the seducers, the followers as well as the guides tumble into the pit of destruction. The misery of seduced persons is aggravated first in my Text, from the greater curse and wrath that will now befall them since their apostasie, then if they had continued in their pristine unbelief and Paganism. So that you have the deceived wretches described by way of supposition;
First, In their former estate.
Secondly, In their fall.
Their former estate is deciphered in what they have done, and the means whereby. The matter done by them, is to escape the pollutions of the world, that is, their idolatry and great vices, which formerly they lived in, betaking themselves to the true profession of Christ. The word […] is but once, and that here used in the New Testament, Jer. 32. 34. it is used by the Septuagint of more grievous and grosse crimes, but Ezek. 33. 9. of the pollution of the heart only by covetousnesse. Bude us saith […] was piaculum, when a man had contaminated himself with some grievous crime, contracting such guilt, that he made himself and others obnoxious to the wrath of God in a conspicuous manner: with Physicians the word signifieth those pestilential seminals that are in the corrupted air, whereby a general infection is procured; so that the Apostle meaneth whatsoever Idolatry, or the great sins committed by them in Paganism, they had escaped.
Secondly, The means by which, is through the knowledge of Christ, so that their lives were clean, not by moral precepts, and prudent dictates of nature, but by faith historical or temporary in Christ; now here is the great Question, Whether these were truly regenerated or no? Those that hold the Saints Apostasie, say the Affirmative, and they presse that word in the verse before […], they did indeed escape; I confesse that is all the probability, but divers have read it […] or […] or […], for a little time, or almost they had escaped, as Agrippa was almost a Christian, and thus reading it would be no advantage, and so we see it in the Margin of our Bibles: But I think it dangerous to depart from universally received copies. Others therefore that are Orthodox, say indeed, These were regenerated, but their fall was only partial and temporary, for they did recover again as David and Peter: but the Text affordeth no help to such an Assertion: I shall therefore conclude, That although by the Christian Religion there was made a great and wonderfull change in the lives of these men, yet they were not inwardly regenerated, and my reason is, because the Apostle compareth them to a washed Swine, which though never so white, yet is a Swine still, her nature is not altered, therefore she will return to her mire again; So these though purified in their lives by the profession of the Gospel, yet were indeed in their natural condition; and therefore when temptations came, they returned to their own natures, therefore vers. 14. are called unstable souls. But you will say, If they were not godly, how are they said indeed to escape the pollutions of the world? Piscator answereth, because in the judgement of charity, and account of believers they were judged so. Beza better, indeed, that is comparatively with their false teachers, for they lived in all filthinesse, yet counterfeited an holy life, but lastly they did indeed leave the outward acts of wickednesse, as the Sow washed is indeed clean, but yet she is not turned into a Sheep; so these truly and indeed had altered their manners, amended their outward lives, but were Swine, were Dogs still. So that we affirm the Apostle to speak of men not indeed regenerated, but yet changed in their lives from their former wickednesse, and having no inward change, therefore it is that they fall, and falling their later end is worse then their beginning, partly because they sinne with more knowledge and understanding, and partly because they sinne with greater ingratitude and unthankfulnesse for further mercies; and partly because they stand not at a stay till they fall into some foul waies of doctrine or conversation: And thus much for the sense of the words.